I was brushing up on my Arabic before shipping out .. . . .

I have NO idea where to post this tidbit of information that I thought would be nice to share, but thought my friends here on BTS would enjoy this:

The Arabic word for Humanity is pronounced Insain

Which, ironically means when a person who is Arabic speaking and is learning English they find out that their word for Humanity is Crazy in English.

I wonder how that makes them feel?

Ironic, isn't it?

And, yes I am in the military. i'm a firefighter in the USAF, and will be going to a base near Baghdad in a couple of weeks.

[edit on 2-1-2006 by Esoteric Teacher]

ironic indeed

goodluck and come home safely esoteric

Originally posted by worldwatcher

goodluck and come home safely esoteric

Thank you much worldwatcher. I'm sure i'll be ok. Don't believe everything you see on the news, i sincerely think much of it is propoganda, and too much of peoples opinions, not substantiated with enough facts.

I'll be back stateside sometime in May i think, but may still have access to my beloved ATS.

BTS, ATS, & PTS

Cuts both ways, tho. Arabs learning English learn that their word for humanity means crazy here, but we learn that our word for crazy means humanity there.

Now for the real irony. You're a firefighter? My dad was one, too, before getting injured, and he always found it strange that when everyone else was running away from something, he would be running into it. He was saving lives, as you will be doing, but he was also nuts...Both humane and insane

Thanks for the service, ET, fight fires well, keep people alive, and get yourself back home safely after helping the Iraqis in whatever way you can!

Stay safe ET.
Send us back info, through whatever channels are allowed..
LEt us know how you are doing!

Most certainly! If at all possible, I will log on to ATS from time to time, I promise. And, with how fire safety conscious most military members are, we seldom fight any raging fires, but we do get a lot of medical calls. My primary duties will leave me confined to the base, which i can tell you is Ballad Air Base, approximatley 40 miles outside of Baghdad. No worries, there is no operational security issues with me telling you this. It is mostly a medical mission, which also serves Iraqis and TCNs (third country nationals).

I'm not too worried, this will be my 3rd tour to Iraq, and my 7th tour to a "warzone". I can tell you first hand though, you only hear about the bad stuff on the news, and most of it is hyped just a little. And in some cases I think some reporting has been questionable to say the least. But, i don't know everything.

I will say this, the people I've met over there, well, they seem to me to be nice people. They are not that different from us at the core, and want the same things we want, and both sides of the pond are struggling to find what it is we are looking for at times. seems to me we strive to find the answers to the same questions, and get tripped up on minute details is all.

Bless your Heart ET!!!

Rock On!!!

We all are people now aren't we...?
Someday, I hope all of us people get that point..

amen spacedoubt, amen indeed.

I can tell you my personal feelings do not get in the way. But, i often feel as though I've become a tool of Corporate $$ and the collective fears of my country men and women, and other gender unspecically classed individuals. However in some aspects I'm sure some of you agree with those two statements, and I'd be supporting the propoganda of ignorance for not at the very least acknowledging those points of view. However, global communication is a pre-requesite for worldwide revelations. I have faith and spirituality and a theology that serves me well, which empowers me to serve you all better. Someone has a plan, it is apparent. The end result, well, i hope it doesn't supply information that does away with ATS altogether, but i am optimistic to say the least. Don't judge the words. Don't take at face value the rhetoric. Try to pay more attention to the actual actions and behaviors, and ask yourself how you could justify such actions and behaviors. I think that may help put things into a perspective that transcends money and fear.

heh...hate to be the party pooper here, but the word is actually pronounced "insaan", as in a long "aa" between the "ins" and the "n". Perhaps you'd be happy if I told you that the arabic word for demon is pronounced "gin"?

But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

[edit on 3-1-2006 by babloyi]

Originally posted by babloyi
heh...hate to be the party pooper here, but the word is actually pronounced "insaan", as in a long "aa" between the "ins" and the "n". Perhaps you'd be happy if I told you that the arabic word for demon is pronounced "gin"?

But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

[edit on 3-1-2006 by babloyi]

You may be right, for some dialects. The book i was studying out of i recieved from a Bahrainian military firefighter by the name of "Falcon", which is what his name was in arabic.

The book has some discrepancies, or refers to words i have never heard of. So, don't worry about bursting my bubble. You are right, but from the dialect, and i am unsure which dialect it is, they write in a book entitled "Arabic for foriegners" that humanity is pronounced as "insan" with the straight line over the top of the a. So, we may very well both be right. But, thank you for the input, it is very appreciated.

Also i was reading in the book that the word "hoopie" is an english word, but never heard of it, and haven't consulted Websters yet.

Thanks again,
John