“He who never made a mistake never made a discovery. ” 

I love this quote quite frankly; it says it all. I hope this past weekend, I didn’t make a mistake with my forthcoming book.

In the weeks after two wildly lucky winners in Missouri and Arizona divvied up the $600 million Powerball jackpot, I found myself enviously pondering, as I tore up two my December Starbucks allowance, what I would do if I woke up one day with an extra $300 million in the piggy bank. While I was doing that I received this email:

From: maggie, the book editor assistant [mailto:xxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 1:17 PM
To: ‘Michael Lloyd’
Subject: RE: Lloyd Book Changes #41


Michael,
Happy New Year! Just hung up with Amazon and we are awaiting Landscapes to go to press. I know we’ve asked for an interminable amount of changes, but we need to shorten the six weeks we gave you to bring it all to final AND we need the new layout by Jan. 25th. Get back to me when you can and, uhm, no pressure,
Maggie

Well, happy new years to you too, Maggie! When you get an email like that, what’s a Media Guy to do? I mean, I was still planning what to do with my first hundred mil… I’m fairly certain that ]I would not have poured it Lakers season tickets or JCPenney stock — my first order of business might have been finding a Westwood apartment with a few bedrooms, and maybe donating ten million or so to charity. But now I just had to get to work. I sequestered myself away from humanity and whacked my 250-page Landscapes of Life tome down to under a hundred pages. Really taking a book like this from 160 photos down to 90 was akin to choosing which of your children you love the most.

The new book cover designed by Anna Aladadyan.

I guess it could have been worse. Take a look at who didn’t make the cut elsewhere:

• 12 proposed U.S. states that didn’t make the cut 
• Forbes 400 Drop-offs: Those Who Didn’t Make The Cut
• Sorry Jill, you didn’t make the cut 

Anyway, I bring this up to honor five of my favorite photos that didn’t make the cut for the book. Without further ado…

5. RAZI. When you see images from the Middle East and similar places in Afghanistan and India, women are often depicted as rights deficient thirsty from the parched climate of domineering men whom seek to enslave their every whim: No shoes. Six to 10 children in tow, once always attached to the hip. Each woman with the same “help me” look sewn into her face. Razi, shown here, explores the beauty that multiplies from within. The picture seems to show her emerging from a cocoon ready to embrace the world and have it embrace her back. Her expression emotes innocent confidence and traces of power that we hope will be realized along with her dreams.

4, ABANDONED. Living in the bigger cities typically doesn’t give you the access to large areas that lack the residue of human activity. While traveling in Salalah, such a place exists near what would be the equivalent of prime beach real estate in Malibu. These hand-built row of ancient tract homes still stood tall, yet uninhabited as if they were resistant to the atomic bomb that surely must have detonated here. The area begged for answers. Who lived here? How did they live? What would make an entire town move en force?

3. THE LONG MARCH. On my way to Wadi Rum, the desert run where Lawrence of Arabia led the Arab Revolt, I spotted these two Bedouin trekking forward. I love the way they are walking while a truckload of people move past them; two generations of transportation dueling in opposite directions. The questions loom: How long was their trek? Where were they going? How hot were they in their black abayas on a hot desert afternoon?

2. NORIAS OF HAMA. The water wheels of Syria, aka Norias, have been delivering water to Hama for centuries. They also deliver a soul crushing sound that haunts the ears in a way that no other architecture ever has. Take a listen here.

1. THE MAN OF PALMS. By far my favorite picture that, alas, didn’t make the cut. The Yemani man in his traditional dress sat in this single spot for hours. He was there when I left to visit an abandoned fort. He was there when I came back for lunch. He was there when I ventured out the next morning. Same position. Same happy-go-lucky look on his leather face. He never seemed to move and was more part of the botanical surroundings than the palms he sat among.

With that bittersweet countdown behind me, I now hand of my book to the acclaimed Los Angeles designer An Na who will turn the images and descriptions that did make the cut into a work of art.

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President Obama said Saturday that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near New York’s Ground Zero, but he declined to say whether he thinks it’s a good idea. The carefully calibrated remarks expanded on a speech he gave Friday at the White House, affirming that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.

Was the president too careful? Or did he go too far, placing himself at the center of a controversy just three months before midterm elections that could shift the balance of power in Congress? Editors of some of the country’s leading Arab media outlets weigh in.

“He is out there by himself”
Ahmed Tharwat, producer, BalAhdan TV, Minneapolis, Minn.
What he’s supporting is the American principle of religious freedom. People are still disappointed from his Cairo speech—the honeymoon is over and we want to see customs and policies change. It is still refreshing to see an American president support Muslims, but Islamophobia is deeply rooted, and an opinion will not change that. I’m just surprised that most liberal Democrats did not reiterate their support for Obama—he is out there by himself. The truth is that this [mosque] initiative is all positive, and it’s been reframed as very negative and disturbing. This has become mainstream, patriotic Islamophobia. The right wing has been feeding into fear-mongering and the left wing has been quiet.

“We are now the new boogeyman”
Warren David, president, ArabDetroit.com, Dearborn, Mich.
Obama’s approval rating with the Arab community was at 60 percent after the Cairo speech, according to an ArabDetroit.com poll. Now 60 percent disapprove and 20 percent somewhat approve. I’m with that 60 percent. I sent my daughter to work for him. My wife and I knocked door to door to gain support for his campaign. I believe that you say what you mean and mean what you say. Some believe he should not be making statements in support [of a mosque], but he should be. Religious freedom is what our country was founded upon, and it’s the president’s role to address that. Coverage on this has been a circus of sorts. Everyone is with the 9/11 families, and we’re very upset with those who caused 9/11, but we are now the new boogeyman. This has brought out so much hatred. This is a time when we should be pulling together, not pulling apart.

“He was adhering to the U.S. Constitution”
Fatima Atieh, publisher, Al Enetshar Al Arabi, Los Angeles, Calif.
When Obama said that everyone has their right to religious freedom, I wasn’t surprised at all. I knew that he was adhering to the U.S. Constitution. This is part of the First Amendment, and he was reaffirming that— he didn’t add anything further. Even though he did make that statement, I believe that nothing will change the minds of those who believe and follow the negative hype. The stereotypes are too deep-seated.

“It might be political suicide, but it’s the right thing to do”
Michael Lloyd, editor in chief, ALO Magazine, Northridge, Calif.
America is supposed to be founded on religious freedom, and this seems to be coming full circle. Obama has been very supportive of the Arab community, and any backtracking he does will affect a smaller but very vocal constituency. I applaud that he made a statement, and I appreciate that he is trying to connect everyone, but he’s got to push his agenda of equality. It might be political suicide, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s unfair that anything that champions causes for Arab or Middle Eastern communities is taboo. Ninety-nine point nine percent of Middle Easterners want to practice their religion in a peaceful way and that’s what the mainstream is missing. If we’re not going to defend what our country was built on, we’re just going to be a warmongering nation.

“This will have a lasting impact”
Marwan Ahmed, publisher, Arab Voice and Muslim Voice, Phoenix, Ariz.
Obama’s remarks regarding the Islamic Center project in New York City are welcome. For President Obama to make these remarks close to election time is a sign of conviction. He could have mellowed down the issue or avoided it all together. Even though 60 percent of Americans are not in favor of the building of this Islamic center, he expressed his support for the project. This will have a lasting impact on how the Arab and Muslim community perceive this administration’s stand on freedom of religion and the rights of Muslims in this country. This is a good step toward putting words into actions for the Obama administration.

Excerpted from New American Media (www.newamericanmedia.org)

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From the cloak of Wadi Rum serenity to the nutrient-rich mud from the Dead Sea, Jordan delivers to the heart and soul.

Why do we travel? Most of us have everything we need within a few miles of home: a place to sleep, our jobs, luxuries of life and entertainment and more. So what is it? For the majority of pleasure travelers it’s simple: the eternal unveiling of the mysteries of a dissimilar land, the search for the perfect view and clearest waters, and yearning to connect with something new and old.

Jordan’s history and places have been hinted about in popular culture. From Indiana Jones’s wild horseback ride through Petra, to Cleopatra’s thirst for the finest beauty products from the Dead Sea, to Peter O’Toole leading the Arabs through Wadi Rum, we have been teased with the beauty and mystery of a land typically known as a kind neighbor to Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

“Even without the buildings carved into the side of the mountains, the vast rock formations and canyon walls are worthy of “breathtaking” status. Centuries of earthquakes and neglect have left much of Petra’s history covered in sand and silt, which makes the mystery that much more alluring.”

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has no oil and is officially a water poor nation. But it has one incredibly valuable resource in the troubled Middle East—peace. It is not an easy item to export, but people flock there when they need it, making use of a plethora of five-star resorts and hotels until it is safe to go home. Iraqi business people who can no longer function in their own war-torn country are immigrating to Jordan in droves. They have created a massive building boom. Palatial homes and modern apartment blocks are springing up everywhere.

When I traveled there this past spring, I was struck by the misconceptions the West has of the Middle East. Americans, especially, tend to think of it as a menacing place, but nothing is further from the truth, considering that Jordan enjoys a crime rate well below that of Sweden. As soon as I said I was American, I was greeted with big smiles. People were not only friendly, but well-informed about our country and its current events, and they were eager to meet Americans.

For my complete take on Heshimite Kingdom of Jordan and the beauty of it all, here’s the ALO magazine URL: http://tinyurl.com/ykdhjev

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I just returned from another trip to Damascus planning the 2011-13 Media and Communications Plan for Syria and things couldn’t have gone better.

I mean I don’t usually pat myself on the back, but here is a case where I am compelled to do so. I mean it’s not often David bests Goliath. Here’s a case where I was told something was impossible and we made it very possible.

Q: Did you ever think that Syria could get positive press in North America media?

A: Well, they are!

***Warning – Shameless Self-Promotion***

And, it’s all because of the innovative and distinctive first ever North American Delegation to Syria in October 2009 that we lead at Unique Image, Inc…

-U.S. Sanctions? No problem.

-No Twitter or Facebook access? You don’t need them with all of the turn of time attractions from Crusader Castles to Roman ruins.

-No American brands, like McDonald’s and Starbucks? Substitute with old world hospitality of the bustling restaurants with five-star food.

We have been able to overcome it all and and gain phenomenal press across the continent (8 million in circulation and counting!). I’m talking about top publications like More, San Francisco Examiner, ALO magazine, Travel Weekly, Philadelphia Inquirer, Dreamscapes, Four Seasons magazine, Long Island Pulse, Reviewit, and more.

Now comes the hard part:::keeping it going. You can bet that we can and will. The only thing that could ever stop us is conflict in the region.

We’ve launched pioneering international programs partnering with government and economic developmental agencies, trade associations and chambers of commerce. Our efforts have greatly expanded the scope of cultural, consumer and business-to-business prospects in the U.S. and the Middle East. We are the folks that guided historic sister city agreement between Los Angeles and Beirut signed into effect by the Los Angeles City Council.

Make the impossible, possible?

I love the sound of that.

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