Archive for May 26, 2008
All these shows on Arab TV stations, like Star Academy or Super Star or even sports competitions, are intended to under mine pan-Arab identities and to further the qutri (narrow) nationalisms by pitting these states against one another.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
Remember that Thomas Friedman called Hariri (Mustaqbal) TV, “progressive.” On the ostensible comedy show, La Yumal: the ostensible joke today was a man who has to beat his wife unconscious every night because it was good for her insomnia. That was supposed to be funny.PS The following skit was homophoebic. (I misspelled the last word, [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
King PlayStation III of Jordan praised the election of a new president in Lebanon. If you are impressed o King of Jordan, we can arrange for the election of a new president of…Jordan.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
An “honor crime” by a woman against a man.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut is trying to pressure YouTube to pull down videos he does not like, and a recent Senate report and a bill pending in Congress also raise the specter of censorship. It is important for online speech to be protected against these assaults.”
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
Comrade Khalid on the face of Saud Al-Faysal.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“The Egyptian People’s Assembly (lower house of the parliament) on Monday approved a presidential decree to extend the state of emergency in the country, the official MEN Anews agency reported.” It is an insult to the Egyptian people to call Husni Mubarak’s club a “parliament”.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
Muhammad `Ali Al-Atasi on the crude Lebanese media (of both sides)
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
Ghassan Salamah on Al-Arabiya TV. I saw part of an interview with Ghassan Salamah on Al-Arabiya TV with the lousy propagandist of Iyad `Allawi (former Iraqi puppet prime minister/embezzler-in-Yemen/Saddam’s henchman/car bomber), Elie Naqquzi. Salamah said that there is a misconception about Saudi Arabia (and “the forces of moderation” in the Arab world). He said it [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Dans cette page, « Le Point » raconte que le général Michel Sleiman, « impliqué dans une affaire de faux passeports, ne peut venir en France… L’action en justice suit son cours ».” (thanks Antoine and F)
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
Shoes and Arab culture: “The shoes are considered the filthiest part of the body, and to put that on a person’s head, which is considered the highest and most noble part, is enormously humiliating.” (thanks Huw who provided me with the transcript and who said to me: “I’m often a little unsure when you’re being [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
What was the tribute to Rafiq Hariri in Hasan Nasrallah’s speech today about? What was that? Watch out. This may be an introduction to a sinister Hariri-Hizbullah sectarian alliance in the next parliamentary election. Also, today Nasrallah (aware of the criticisms of the inconsistent position of the party toward Iraq and the American occupation) spoke [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
From the Bahraini kingdom: “Several columnists called for the “immediate and irrevocable” deportation of Bangladeshis, warning that failure to take action would mean more hostile behaviour.” (thanks Rasha)
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“The Levey we get is that of an exasperated idealist, whose dream has been shattered. An Israeli friend tells him: “That’s why they call it the Zionist dream. Because it doesn’t really exist.””
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“The American mathematician David Mumford, co-winner of the 2008 Wolf Foundation Prize in Mathematics, announced upon receiving the award yesterday that he will donate the money to Bir Zeit University, near Ramallah, and to Gisha, an Israeli organization that advocates for Palestinian freedom of movement. “I decided to donate my share of the Wolf Prize [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
News from the Kingdom of Horrors: “A Saudi couple forced to divorce by an Islamic court have called for more international pressure to reunite them after Saudi authorities failed to fulfil a pledge to a UN body to do so.” (thanks Laleh)
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
He may be jailed for this: Islamist Saudi lawyer/dissident, Muhsin Al-`Awaji, writes a scathing letter against Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal. But notice how the premise is based on praise for the Saudi founders of the Kingdom and praise for Bin Baz (one of the most reactionary clerics EVER). Al-`Awaji was arrested in the 1990s for [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“As India edges closer to what is probably the last year of field trials for Bt Brinjal (eggplant, aubergine) before commercial approval may be granted, large scale resistance has been building up all over the country.Bt Brinjal, if allowed in India, would be the first food crop in the world with the Bt gene inserted [...]
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Israel has 150 nuclear weapons in its arsenal, former President Jimmy Carter said yesterday, while arguing that the US should talk directly to Iran to persuade it to drop its nuclear ambitions.” In fact, the number is not correct. That was the number when Carter was president. It is much more now.
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad
“”Why hasn’t anyone got any guts? They’ve got terrorists amongst ‘em… They want to be here so they can go and hide in all the farm houses… This town has every nationality… but Muslims do not fit in this town. We are Aussies, OK.”” (thanks A.)
Posted on May 26, 2008 by As'ad