I am Flying Out This Wednesday ....should I think again? hhmmmm

Sent to me by a dear friend........

Pilots on Food Stamps

By Michael Moore

October 12, 2009 --- We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.

"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.

"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")

The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.

"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."

He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.

I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.

"I have a second job!," the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.

I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.

"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.

"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."

And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about "Capitalism: A Love Story," very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.

Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.





If you had an idea that was going to outrage society, would you keep it to yourself?

A Libyan Woman cries out......

The Libyan Party ....


It has been and will continue to be Ghedaffi's party for still a long time.

We the Libyan people are mere spectators on a ride to God knows where!

When I was on my last on holiday as usual ,which is the norm I am asked for my nationality. As soon as I splurt out the fact of being Libyan "Gheddaffi "I hear is the shocking reply. I cant bargain ,buy or even comment without the label Mr. Gheddaffi has given me , which is untrue. I am not loaded and I have to work hard for a living nor I am related to any of his friends or relatives and I don't agree with any of his so called governmental strategies .Yet I get labeled a Gheddaffi !

Nobody ever speaks or writes about the Libyan people . This time they were uninvited to the "PARTY " which Gheddaffi held to show the world that hes changed.The people were told to stay at home and watch their party thorough a tv which emphasizes their freedom and monies spent on this so called THEIR PARTY.I mean really we have people who get by with salaries and a lot of debt at their neighboring food store pleading with the shop keeper to prolong the debt ...

Why the extravaganza? the glitter ? An air show,to top it all Italian planes flying up above in our blue skies, promoting the Italian flag , and our younger generation were brained washed in to thinking of them as the Fascists and enemy not a long while back. Libyan people are a bunch of sheep who will never leave the shepard who holds the stick and tells them where to go. But a life loving shepherd takes care and loves his sheep whereas with Gheddaffi it is not the case,and never was.

Whenever foreign policy hit Gheddaffi in the past ,through sanctions and other limitations to his and his family's huge accounts over all the world,it would back fire on us the Libyan people. Who will compensate us for the loss of the years living in deprivation and unknown expectancies of the future?

Yet everybody in the world gets compensated but the Libyan people and the life they have been living which is no party !
now the latest is the IRA ,asking to be refunded for their loss !I mean really what have done ???

African leaders come and leave with God only knows how much money and presents are given them. We the Libyan people must stay put or else will never see the daylight s ever......

Now the world has accepted him and we still pay for the atrocities and bad reputation he rewarded us .Its simply a no win game where nobody but Mr. Gheddaffi and his clan profit.
And the Libyan People ? What Libyans, Gheddaffis you mean ?? Here the saying of money talks is to be the quote of choice..... sigh


Desert Rose

lying ? well, weather permitting.....

Even the ones who state they have never lied,do so unknowingly.

WHY ? You might ask,to which the answer is as simple and straightforward as the question . And what has the weather to do with lying you may think?

I will leave you to think for a moment .....

I can actually hear you thinking Luna has gone overboard this time shes over done it.She's a cracker .To which I'd reply a cracker I'd eat but have chosen to not become one as it would be too crowded with the many weirdoes I encounter on a daily basis through the net and first hand!

What does lying have in common with the weather?

Ok ,so we do blame the weather on everything ,do we not ? This time its with a twist, that of lying about the weather -now youre going ,huh ?

I bet you still can't get it !

Here goes:

When we are enjoying our seasons,to which you are lucky if you still have them,as in Libya we tend to have them nearly all in a day most times, actually leaving us to say that we have two seasons ie winter and spring.

When winter sets in and we have to face the cold weather we promise that we'd never complain about the great summer and its heat even though we feel like we'd be roasting in an on going ,never ending oven !

To which some of our complaints would be ;"Give me summer anyday ; let the heat kill me .""Ah but not the cold. How many clothes are needed to keep us warm ?"

Yes,in summer we dont need such an abbundance of clothes,true,.For we can chose to be as light as our social status alows us ie bare little or all,or dont bare ,last one is for the conservatives !

Come summer brining the Ghibli(hot ,sandy ,wind) continues to blow dry us till our saliva is no more,making us litterally living under showers ,in bathtubs or for the ones who can afford it, swimming pools.

Cool you might think -then boredrom sets in and we wish we were in winter with a never ending blizzard leaving us freezing ,so what ,hence convincing ourselves we'd just cover up very well ,anything but the heat...


So ,is this not lying ,or have we gotten into thinking that lying is another matter. The subject is that we can call them , white lies or sweet lies but they are LIES at the end of the day ,because when promises are made ,they are to be kept otherwise lying takes place which can become a hard habbit to break,even if it started out with the weather!


Salam

Libyan Bloggers...

Why do people who claim to be open minded are actually the best hypocrites in the world???

In the past months while reading the Libyan blogs I have come across a lot of vulgar comments that could have been avoided as there is no cause for such distasteful uncreative scornful low class vulgar comments that take any topic personally.

In my point of view, a blogger like any other writer can spell out whatever he or she feels is in his /her own frame of mind and concern to be true. Whether we agree or not is a different story and should by no way be taken seriously or personally.

As always the blame lies in our people though sad to say are supposedly professionals and not ignorant but to which the opposite is true.

Why can’t we accept the facts as seen from a different angle and try to figure out what can be done to resolve the problem or info posted. There are means and ways of communicating that are motivating and creative. Why the personal agenda as if we're all traitors of some sort???

Libyan Bloggers are either Libyans or ex pats married to Libyans who live either in the homeland or abroad. Can we not benefit from sharing our honest experiences without putting ourselves down after a battlefield of words, which is a no win game that leaves us hurt and full of resentment.

Many Libyan Bloggers have stopped altogether due to pressured comments, leaving them to wonder in a yo yo phase. Expecting great blogging feedback is also wrong for the joy of writing and sharing cannot be compared or measured in any which way or form.


So please do encourage each other for we all belong to one country one way or another and have a relatively good cause to be labeled Libyan Bloggers!

Deep down we Libyans can do better and gain experiences by sharing our own without labeling each other, for at the end of the day we all belong not only as Libyans but as decent human beings in need of peace, love and respect .

Hugs and kisses !

Have you ever had that uncomfortable situation where another person went in for a hug while you extended your hand to shake? Sometimes it’s hard to gauge the appropriate level of physicality to share with another person, so here are a few thoughts on the shake, kiss, or hug dilemma.

In work settings, it is fine to be more formal when you are in either familiar or foreign settings, but be aware of your local hosts when you travel and follow their lead. Remember that people in many other countries are more physical than we are in the US, so don’t be afraid when you visit a colleague in another land and they kiss you on the cheek or give you a handshake and hug. Rebuffing someone’s locally appropriate but physical greeting can make you seem more distant at best, or even culturally ignorant and cold. While there is nothing wrong with being more formal with business colleagues, remember that the interpersonal ties we form with one another are often very important in getting things done.

With friends and family overseas, I strongly suggest a “When in Rome” approach. Kiss your French friend on each cheek, give three kisses to your Dutch cousin, and a good, strong hug for your Russian kin. Of course even the two-kiss greeting varies from country to country, so check with your local hosts about the appropriate starting cheek and the general guidelines for greetings.

This all brings me to a funny story that I actually experienced with my trainees when discussing the Libyan relationships with foreigners, Islamic values and plain Libyan minded cultural dryness!

French ,and the people who lived under their rule kiss a lot as many Libyans who are part Tunisian ,Moroccan or Algerian to name a few. All true Libyans ,if there are any tend to be dryer in being brought up in the that manner, than their Arab neighbors,who can sweet talk so nicely.

Now this Libyan trainee of mine,said that his friend heard that Libyans were very dry towards their wives and decided to prove his friends wrong and do something about it. So one day ,after a tiring day at work he went home and upon his wife opening the door hugged very strongly. She being a devoted Libyan wife, not used to such tenderness, was so scared and hugged him back stating :

“ Oh my God my mother or yours ????”

My secret admirer and rantings!

Every week my desk has been topped with a fresh bunch of beautifully colored roses. I haven't been myself lately with the girls' leaving and adjusting to a new system and all.The house which was quite an active one has become so quiet .And I have always asked for peace and quiet but somehow it's not the same ,now that they have gone.

But the subject of the matter is that I am exhausted though happy at the same time. What a weird feeling.. There came a point to which Id pass out and thought Id not make it through both weddings!

So the person who places the flowers feels this and knows of what I'm going through. I love flowers and receiving them is an added bonus!

Working as a teacher in my secret wonderful world where I can at most comfort gives me the energy and motivation I need hence I pass it on to my trainees. But these last few weeks wasn't enough and my admirer sensed that and thought of cheering me up a bit knowing Ive been through a lot besides the girls' weddings.

Have you guessed who my admirer is ?

Yes ,none other than my mother though not well still makes sure I'm happy no matter what and delegates to all,in her bossy way which has come to be the norm.

Love you Mama and I'm sorry for not being patient enough at times.....

Khadijateri kicks ass and has my full support!

Being a Libyan Blogger ,my dear friend Khadijateri ;I am ashamed of the comments that were posted on your blog,and am sorry.

Shame on you dear Libyan Bloggers !

I thank Happymoi for the guts in not following most Libyan Bloggers like a herd of sheep .We supposedly want freedom of speech and when getting it we refuse to accept what is evident and live in self denial,or one could call it the coward's way out! This fellow readers and bloggers is what keeps us from ever emancipating or having trust and self confidence in ourselves. Being extremely bias to anything that comes our way and not accepting different opinionated views is a sign of weakness.


I have known Khadijateri for a couple of years before we actually became good friends and I must admit that she is even more Libyan and Muslim than many Libyans,myself included!
Why do we consider her a foreigner when she criticizes our beloved Libya or its people ?Our we not forgetting that her children are Libyans and so is her husband to say the least???


I have lived abroad in the west for many years and have always criticized what I observed which wasn’t to my liking and and still do so till this day.This does not make me a lesser person or of what I stand for nor does it in any way shape or form hinder my love for the west or any culture while still respecting them at the same time.


If we are to emancipate as a people we have to accept criticism to improve on what and where we can. But taking it out on a decent ,down to earth ,kind, loving woman who encouraged us all to start blogging is outrageously disgusting and in poor taste!


Our people are dirty and so are our streets . They don’t wash everyday and stink. I am in constant contact with university students and trainees in my own center,so I know what Im talking about.We dump everywhere and then blame our government to clean after us.

I always when lecturing or teaching try to emphasise the will of a people to love ones country is in caring and keeping it trash free. We lack patriotic values. We are not there by a long shot but would be if we concentrated more on improving our country and people by awareness programmes. If the literate Bloggers think and behave as they did with KT what expectations are we to expect from the illiterate??