I woke this morning disgusted with world events and decided not to get involved in it all. But unfortunately my computer was open to Al Jazeera and this title heralded hypocrisy: Qatar condemns Iran’s ‘blatant violation’ of sovereignty. EXCUSE ME QATAR the target was US Army bases in your land. You had no sovereignty to violate. It is rather like a prostitute accusing a man of taking away her virginity. I was sympathetic to their sovereignty when the blockade instituted by other Arab countries, also Egypt (as I recall) formed a blockade threatening of Qatar Air but not at all sympathetic to this so-called violation. It was a master stroke of Iran to strike the base in Qatar – Qatar who prides itself on its diplomacy its peace keeping missions. They should be proud of what they accomplished, but not on their hidden agenda – whatever it may be.
What is a hidden agenda by the way. It is a situation in which someone secretly tries to achieve a particular thing while they appear to be doing something else. Or more simply put: a secret or ulteriormotive for something.
I cannot guess what Qatar’s secret agenda is. Well I can guess. Arab country kingdoms indulge in what is commonly called a pissing contest with one another. They all want to be the richest the most powerful. It is their tribal mentality that even the power of the Islamic religion has been unable to quell. It has spilled over to the entire world. Allah’s gift of massive oil reserves to Saudi Arabia did nothing to abate their greed. It enhanced it actually. The United States has done its very best to stoke the fires, The assignation of King Faisal paved the way for the emergence of MBS, as one example. But there are SO many atrocities committed by the United States of America.
I am now blessed. I have, and will travel on my Canadian passport. I am a dual citizen at the moment – no particular reason to continue my affiliation (so-called) with the USA. I receive a pension from MCERA but it is contractual obligation they must honor. Other than the fact the contract was entered into in the US so their law applies, I have no affiliation whatsoever with that country. People constantly ask me this question
They: Where are you from???
Me: You don’t decide where you were born. Your mother does. My mother had no sense of direction and I was born in Canada.
I am now changing my tune. She did know where she was doing after all. Alhamdulillah.
(To change your tune means to change your opinion completely, especially because you know it will bring you an advantage.) Used in a sentence: “He was against the idea to start with, but he soonchanged his tune when he realized how much money he’d get.”
I am tempted to tune in in order to discover what is going on with the Iran/Israel, Trump in the Middle Mess but have decided to ‘tune out”
To tune out is to to dissociate oneself from what is happening or one’s surroundings. This is an example from the Internet as provided by Miriam Webster: “At times, of course, this can all be overwhelming — tedious to the point of exhaustion, and a perfect recipe for viewers tuning out.” – Eric Koh, Hollywood Reporter, May 21, 2025
I am planning to do that but first perhaps check to see what was going on. Oops back into it again. This time with the reasoned and knowledgable reporters hired by Al Jazeera.
“After Israel and then the US attacked Iran earlier this month, many analysts rushed to comment on how the two allies have supposedly failed to learn the lessons of the Iraq war and are now repeating the same mistakes in Iran. These analyses would have been accurate had the actual goals of the 2003 invasion been to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to establish democracy. But they were not. For the US and Israel, the desired outcome of the war was an Iraq that would not pose any resistance to the Israeli settler-colonial project in Palestine and its role as an agent of US imperial power in the region. This is also the desired outcome in Iran today.”
The brilliance of Muhannad Ayyash Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada continues.
Just like the claims about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq proved completely false, the claims that Iran was on the “verge of” developing a nuclear weapon have no grounds. No real evidence that Tehran was in fact close to gaining nuclear capabilities has been put forward. Instead, we have been presented with a truly unmatched level of hypocrisy and lies. Here we have a situation where two nuclear powers – one which stands out as the only state in history to use, not once but twice, a nuclear weapon and another that refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has a mass-murder-suicide type of nuclear doctrine – are undertaking illegal “pre-emptive” aggression under the guise of stopping nuclear proliferation. Clearly, the US and Israel are not after Iran’s nuclear programme. They are after Iran as a regional power, and that is why regime change has already been floated in public.In addition to multiple statements from Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, and other Israeli officials, US Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz have also called for toppling the Iranian government. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump joined the calls for regime change in Iran with a post on social media. The Iranian people are now being encouraged to “stand up” and fight for their “freedom”.
But freedom and democracy in Iran are certainly not what Israel and the US aim for. Why? Because a free and democratic Iran would not serve their interests and accept the brutalities of a settler-colonial project in its vicinity. They would rather see Iran return to the violent, tyrannical monarchy under the Pahlavi dynasty, which was overthrown in a popular revolution in 1979, or any other political force willing to do their bidding.”
I did not notice it at the time but Muhannad Ayyash is a professor in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I considered Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to be my home for many, many years. How extremely unusual is this?!?!
My day progressed in stellar fashion. I prepared scrambled eggs in Lyf’s communal kitchen sharing photographs and a short reel to my WhatsApp devotees. My Good Morning message to the folks: Good morning. The message is this. The world needs a life saver. I throw this out.
Hammand responded.
He: When the world is drowning.
Me: Exactly!! Looked for a good morning greeting and it jumped out at me.
Later went to the Lyf communal kitchen to prepare scrambled eggs, which were delicious, included a photo of me in action, and a reel. Shamir responded.
He: Natural born cooking show host.
Me: I have SO many talents she said humble.
It seems the cease fire has ‘held’ – do not have enormous expectations. My Umrah trip remains perilous but it is one day at a time. Israel as the whole world knows absolutely cannot be trusted. My Umrah tour group sent a reassuring letter from Malaysia Air which is attached to this blog. It was a bit confusing as our flight is scheduled on Saudi Air. It is rumored that they have shut down all flights. Met two men from KL today at the pool. Their London friend’s plane from Gatwick was cancelled. Such utter confusion.
But in the meantime, my alma mater the University of Alberta magazine The New Trail had an interesting article about making lists. I am a compulsive list maker, so I am passing it on. .
Making a List and Checking It Twice – June 2025
“There is nothing like the dopamine hit of checking a to-do item off a list. This motivation rings so true for me that, more often than not, I find myself re-writing my week’s to-do list on a Wednesday or Thursday under the guise of making it tidier, just to re-check off the tasks I’ve already completed. (Send help.)My affinity for cutting through the overwhelm with a pen and paper sometimes means my to-do lists have to-do lists. This concept baffles some of my co-workers and family members. They see a task — clean the kitchen — as a single task. I see it as seven: empty dishwasher, reload dishwasher, wipe surfaces, clean appliances, empty garbage, vacuum, mop. While this means I’m a detail-oriented process person, it also means that I have trouble starting new tasks and adapting to changing priorities. It turns out that productivity, and your path to it, is pretty personal, according to Vern Glaser, U of A business professor and productivity researcher. That means that cleaning the kitchen or finding the productivity tool that works best for you is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Our brains are different, and so are our needs and goals. So, whether you’re starting a business, finding solutions to sustainable sustenance or mourning the Oilers playoff run again, I hope whatever’s on your list this week brings you joy.”
