Archive for August 26, 2008
A mere coincidence, no? “Since Saturday, Mr. Zardari’s statements have increasingly coincided with Washington’s policies, particularly on the campaign against terrorism, the United States’ central concern here.”
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
Who wrote the poemسأØÂدثكم عنأيمنsung by Marcel Khalife? I need to know NOW.PS Manal tells me it is Shaqi Bazi`.
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
Even the puppets of occupation are dismayed with occupation–or so they say: “The Afghan Council of Ministers decided Monday to review the presence of international forces and agreements with foreign allies, including NATO and the United States, after a series of military operations that have caused mounting civilian losses. The ministers demanded a status of [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
My sources tell me that King PlayStation of Jordan loves to be regaled with stories and anecdotes about `Azzuz (Prince `Abdul-`Aziz bin Fahd).
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Asif Ali Zardari, the leading contender for the presidency of nuclear-armed Pakistan, was suffering from severe psychiatric problems as recently as last year, according to court documents filed by his doctors. The widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was diagnosed with a range of serious illnesses including dementia, major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
Shirin sent me this (I cite with her permission): “FYI, As`ad, I spent the month of April in the Middle East (Amman for a couple of days, Lebanon for about four days, Syria for the rest of the month), and had MANY discussions about Obama with everyone from university professors to retired U.N. employees, to [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Hamas, a Shiite group? Please check your facts. Also, the boats did not carry “Hamas sympathizers” but sympathizers with the Palestinians in Gaza who are under Israeli siege. How is it possible to call Tony Blair’s sister-in-law, a left-wing Greek MP and a Holocaust survivor “Hamas sympathizers”? As for the USS Liberty, it was not [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Today, the United States ranks 22nd among the 30 developed nations in its proportion of female federal lawmakers. The proportion of female state legislators has been stuck in the low 20 percent range for 15 years; women’s share of state elective executive offices has fallen consistently since 2000, and is now under 25 percent. The [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“”When I’m elected mayor, I would die before allowing the pride parade to be held in Jerusalem,” he said Monday during a conference held by the Bikur Holim hospital owned by him.”
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Ultra-Orthodox Jews rioted in Jerusalem on Monday in protest of the recent arrest of Shmuel Weisfish, a member of the haredi community’s chastity squad who was allegedly involved in the torching of a store selling MP4 players in violation of a ruling of the Orthodox Court of Justice.”
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“An educational radio station in the West Bank city of Ramallah claimed on Monday that a Palestinian Authority (PA) decision to shut down the station was arbitrary and groundless.”
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Every now and then, the rumor arises that I have a Palestinian wife. Some of my kin were highly amused by a debate on that subject that was being conducted by letters to the editor in their local paper recently. Apparently, it does not occur to anyone simply to ask me. As a matter of [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“A Saudi religious court has convicted a Lebanese man of claiming to be a prophet and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.”
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
Lebanon’s motto should be: if you can’t win awards, just make them up. Lebanese are desperate for awards and recognition. This is from the Daily (neo-conservative) Star in Beirut: “Artist wins gold medal for Lebanon in Bejjing Olympic Games: A painting by Lebanese artist Lina Kilikian won the gold medal at an international exhibition of [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“The United States says Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank threaten any peace between Israel and the Palestinians — yet it also encourages Americans to help support settlers by offering tax breaks on donations…But a review by Reuters of U.S. tax records found 13 tax-exempt organisations openly linked to settlements that have raised more [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“This is not the first case of Israeli women being recruited to work as prostitutes overseas. In May 2007, police arrested a similar ring that had advertised overseas jobs for “pretty young women”; those women were promised high-paying jobs in Ireland, and only when they arrived did they discover that they were slated to work [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
““The peace process is not, and should not be, affected by any kind of settlement activities,” Livni said.” (thanks Emily)
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
I am flying to San Diego today, and returning tomorrow night. I am not sure what I will be doing there exactly, but I think I will be taping some clips for Youtube use. I shall let you know once I know more.
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
“Mr. Khalilzad had spoken by telephone with Mr. Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, several times a week for the past month until he was confronted about the unauthorized contacts, a senior United States official said. Other officials said Mr. Khalilzad had planned to meet with Mr. Zardari privately next Tuesday while on [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad
If you want to learn about the Middle East, you need to follow the American Zionist press. For example, I did not know that Hamas is a Shi`ite group, until I read this in the New York Sun. “Also yesterday, several Palestinian Arab fishing boats sailed beyond the six-mile fishing limit that Israel’s navy has [...]
Posted on August 26, 2008 by As'ad