Archive for August 12, 2007
Another Lebanese genius. On the front page of An-Nahar, there was a square declaring that “a Lebanese on the best-seller list in the US.” I checked, and he appears on the on-line version of the list. But when I checked further, the guy is indeed a Lebanese. Here is one reviewer of the book: “Taleb [...]
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“Combining these estimates suggests Darfur’s death toll now hovers at 200,000 — just half of what Save Darfur claimed a year ago in its ad and still claims on its Web site. Of course, whether 200,000 or 400,000 have died, the need to resolve the conflict in Darfur is the same. But Save Darfur’s inflated [...]
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“Other late-life adjustments were harder. In 2001, an article in The Economist recounted how he stumbled over the word “globalization†at a protest against globalization. “It was so much easier to say when we called it imperialism,†he was reported to have said.”
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“Suha Arafat and daughter Zahwa in Malta” (The newspaper does not know that she has just been stripped of her Tunisian citizenship by Zayn Al-`Abidin Bin `Ali). Her money is still managed by Pierre Rizq (a militia man from the Lebanese Forces who was favored by Arafat for finance.
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Ayatullah Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah called for a dialogue between Shi`ites and Salafi Wahhabis. He said that the dialogue will help undermine US and Zionist designs in the region. Yes, House of Saud is quite keen on undermining US and Israeli designs in the region.
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Yesterday, Amin Gemayyel held a rally in Bikfayya. The occasion? He just lost a parliamentary by-election in his own hometown. Only in Lebanon is defeat translated into victory (Arafat used to do that that, as did Saddam, Hafidh Al-Asad, AND the Israeli government last summer).
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Yesterday, there was a food poisoning case in West Amman at a Shawirma vendor. The owner was taken by the mukhabarat and beaten. He was made to confess that he supports Palestinian resistance. When told that this seems to be irrelevant to the case, a mukhabarat spokesperson said that that they are only equipped for [...]
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
I follow the elections at the AUB alumni assocation with the same degree of interest that I follow the elections of potato growers’ association.
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
This used to be the Nahr Al-Barid refugee camp. The Lebanese people could not be more proud of their Army. US taxpayers’ money paid for much of the bombs dropped on Nahr Al-Barid. (AFP)
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
In this article in Al-Quds Al-`Arabi, think-tank was translated as: “دبابة تÙكير”Angry A was mightily amused.
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
From Kuwait: she hit her maid on the head and killed her. (She is identified as “Asian maid” in the newspaper). (thanks Haytham)
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Here, Qadhdhafi’s son was bragging: “”Yes, they were tortured by electricity, and they were threatened that their family members would be targeted…”” (thanks ls)
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot has published unverified reports that Fatah armed cells had re-entered Gaza, presumably with help from Israel, and committed sabotage.”
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“The American sense of victory had been so robust that the top C.I.A. specialists and elite Special Forces units who had helped liberate Afghanistan had long since moved on to the next war, in Iraq. Those sweeping miscalculations were part of a pattern of assessments and decisions that helped send what many in the American [...]
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales, under fire at home with calls for his resignation, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for his third trip to the country, the Justice Department announced. Gonzales will be meeting with department officials helping to fashion Iraq’s legal system.”
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Clitoris and the security of the Egyptian state. Al-Arabiya TV yesterday hosted a book burner (Al-Azhar cleric) to speak about FGM. He said that the clitoris (if not “taken care of”) can pose a threat to “the human being, society, and the state.”
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
Hamas has a navy now.
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“I am an artist.” Egyptian Minister of Culture, Faruq Husni (who got his job because decades ago he had given a good tour of Italy to Suzanne Mubarak when he served as cultural attache at the Egyptian embassy) gave an interview on AlArabiya TV to promote his candidacy as secretary-general of UNESCO. He said: “I [...]
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
“Chedid, who has previously served in Washington and is well-known and admired as a professional here, replied by making clear he represents Saniora’s embattled government and that he was honored by his reception since arriving in late July.” (thanks Sellam)
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad
An-Nahar newspaper printed on its front page a story from As-Sinnarah (a publication in Palestine) in which there was a claim that Hasan Nasrallah has refused to meet with Azmi Bisharah during his recent visit to Lebanon. But why is An-Nahar so excited?
Posted on August 12, 2007 by As'ad