Archive for April 16, 2008
A Kuwaiti newspaper article on my debate with Gen. Richard Myers.
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Moderate torture: “The Palestinian Authority, which had been holding Majd Barghouti in an intelligence-service prison for the previous week, soon declared that the popular Hamas imam, or prayer leader, had died of a heart attack. But eyewitness accounts, photographs, video and an independent Palestinian investigation released this month suggested that he was tortured to death [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“”He now joins a growing list of journalists detained in conflict zones by the U.S. military for prolonged periods and eventually released without any charges or crimes ever substantiated against them,” said Simon. “This deplorable practice should be of concern to all journalists. It basically allows the U.S. military to remove journalists from the field, [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“Barak: Security of Israelis more important than Gazans’ plight”
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
…off to Los Angeles. I will speak at this conference at the University of Southern California. I will then join my students at the Model United Nations in Burlingame. I will be back on Monday. I may not be able to blog much.
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“Around 1,350 children are estimated to be detained in various Iraqi jails for conflict with the law, Unicef officials said in Dubai yesterday. Launching the Arabic version of the annual Humanitarian Action Report (HAR) in Dubai, Sigrid Kaag, Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, also called for strategic partnerships and flexible [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“Military interrogators assaulted Afghan detainees in 2003, using investigation methods they learned during self-defense training, according to Pentagon documents released Wednesday. Detainees at the Gardez Detention Facility in southeastern Afghanistan reported being made to kneel outside in wet clothing and being kicked and punched in the kidneys, nose and knees if they moved, the documents [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Look at this press freedom index by Reporters without Borders. Qatar is ahead of India and Turkey. What is going on with those measurements? They are so screwed up.
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Freedom House has as much credibility on measuring freedom as Muhammad Dahlan has on measuring liberation. Look at this map: Afghanistan seems to “partly free” and nobody has even noticed. I am surprised that listed Iraq as “not free.” During the Cold War, countries would get extra freedom points if they were anti-communist, according to [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“Islam, 9 ans, recalé d’un jeu télé pour enfants à cause de son prénom” (thanks Sonia)
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Did you watch the Clinton-Obama debate tonight? Did you watch their references to Israel? I will summarize. Hillary said that if elected, she would urge Israel to occupy two more of its neighbors. Not to be outdone, Obama pledged to urge Israel to occupy four Arab countries. I watched the debate and learned about US [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“The rate of participation in Israel’s labor force is among the lowest of Western countries, about 56 percent, due largely to the low employment levels among the ultra-Orthodox and still marginalized Israeli Arabs. The Economist is right to note that Israel’s high school students score among the lowest of OECD countries. As things stand, the [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Don’t try this at home. “Later, to test Descartes’s theory that light pulsated as a “pressure†through the ether, he slid a large needle “betwixt my eye and the bone as near to the backside of my eye as I could.†Single-minded to the point of obsession, he was attempting to alter the curve of [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
The Lebanese Quince Revolution by comrade Khalid
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Lebanonese fruits and vegetables. I saw a report the other day on a Lebanese TV channel (I think it was New TV). It was about that fruit with the big seeds that is grown in the Zahrani area. We call it Iki Dini. I had heard that you can buy it in some Asian food [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
The Simpsons and Family Guy. A reader, Utpal L. sent me this message about the ban of The Simpsons in Venezuela (I quote with his permission): “It seems the agency in question told the TV station Televen about viewer complaints about the inappropriateness of “The Simpsons” for what they call “horario infantil” on January 30, [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Prime Minister boo hoo hoo has spoken. He said that he is not worried about Lebanon because it is “in the conscience of the Servitor of the Two Holy Sites” (not counting the IKEA store in the kingdom, which is also served by the same guy)
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
Azmi Bisharah on Romantic Nationalism.
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
“Obama told the Jewish group he had a “fundamental disagreement” with Carter, who was rebuffed by Israeli leaders during a peace mission to the Middle East this week. “We must not negotiate with a terrorist group intent on Israel’s destruction,” Obama said.”
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad
What is next? Banning the Family Guy? The best show on TV? “Regulators first kicked “The Simpsons” off Venezuela’s daytime airwaves. Now they’re threatening to punish the station that showed it during a time slot approved for children. The National Telecommunications Commission said Tuesday night that the channel Televen could face a fine, be taken [...]
Posted on April 16, 2008 by As'ad