Archive for December 23, 2008
"Barely passing"
He was my English teacher in high school, when I was into politics and goofing and not into school at all. He was a nice guy and did not conduct himself like some of the American personalities at IC and AUB who thought of themselves like British colonizers in India or French colonizers in Algeria. [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Bush Forgiveness
“In a gesture of forgiveness for an American considered a hero in Israel, President George W. Bush on Tuesday granted a pardon posthumously to a man who broke the law to supply aircraft to Jews fighting in Israel’s 1948 war of independence.Charles Winters was listed in a batch of 19 pardons and one commutation that [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Cleric of Senility
I am supposed to be grading but I just saw Shaykh of Al-Azhar (the cleric of senility) on Al-Arabiyya TV (the station of King Fahd’s brother-in-law). It just reminded me how much the Western press miss about the Arab world. I once saw a reference to this dude as “the highly respected” Shaykh Al-Azhar. They [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Selfless philanthropy at its best
I have never heard of a more self-less act. What generosity and what selflessness. And it comes in the right season. “Clinton Won’t Seek Recovery of Millions She Loaned Campaign.”
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
For those who asked me
No, you may not toss a shoe or a rotten egg or a tomato at Maronite Patriarch, Sfayr. I checked with Lebanese law, and you can’t do that. So please restrain yourselves.
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Bahraini tyranny
From BBC monitoring (no link): “Akhbar al-Khalij Online publishes a report on 22 December on the legislative proposal submitted by Bahraini Interior Minister Shaykh Rashid Bin-Abdallah Al Khalifah, concerning amendments on the Public Gathering Law to include a text that imposes strict penalties on those who organize and take part in riots and sabotage.” (thanks [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Chef Ramzi: Buche de Garlic
Chef Ramzi is a skilled chef who has a show on Future TV (he was once profiled in the New York Times). Yesterday, he was making a Bûche de Noël . Damn it was so delicious looking. But what amused me is that on his show, he would be cooking and he entertains live phone [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
I Told You So, Damn IT
“Mrs. Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama have not settled on specific envoys or missions, although Mr. Ross’s name has been mentioned as a possible Middle East envoy, as have those of Mr. Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.”
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
More of this will come under Obama
“A suspected US drone aircraft is reported to have killed at least eigh people in two missile strikes in southern Pakistan, near the border of Afghanistan.”
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Shoes in Ukraine
“Oleg Soskin, a member of the Ukraine-NATO Social League Coordination Council, was making a speech when he was interrupted by a journalist from one of the local TV channels, who shouted: “Students, you’re young and promising, don’t you listen to these stupid and marasmic old men!†The journalist then took off his boots and threw [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
My first bookshop
“Emotions ran high on Friday as customers and friends gathered to bid farewell to the Ras Beirut Bookshop on Bliss Street, which closed its doors for the final time last week. The building will be knocked down to make way for a high-rise and as of yet there are no plans to re-open the bookshop [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Shoe terrorist plot
“Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved Monday to undermine the popularity of the Iraqi who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush, saying the journalist confessed that the mastermind of the attack was a militant known for slitting his victims’ throats. Tensions over the case also spilled into parliament, as a move to oust the [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
"Son of…Israel"
Iraqi puppet speaker of the puppet parliament got into a fight with one of the puppet deputies, Thomas Friedman’s favorite Iraqi, Mithal AlLusi. The puppet speaker, Mashhadani, called Allusi “son of Israel.” I giggled.
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Occupation in Disguise"?
“Though the deadline for withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi cities has been decided as June 30, 2009, experts have argued that roughly 10,000 American troops should remain in Baghdad after that period, in the guise of “trainers” and “advisers” in what are effectively combat roles.”
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
A calamity unto the Nations
“Growing tensions between ultra-Orthodox and religious residents in the town of Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, have recently escalated into violence as three teen girls were beaten up by haredim who claimed they were “immodestly” dressed.” (thanks Therese)
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Methods of Saudi Media
I have noticed this about Saudi media. They know that they can’t attract Arab readers and viewers with their despised political agenda or with their stale and boring columnists who specialize in heaping praise on this prince or that prince of House of Saud. So what they do is this: 1) they now contain tons [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Good news from Saudi Arabia
“The government has set spending of 475 billion riyals (127 billion dollars) compared with 510 billion riyals (136 billion dollars ) in 2008, and projected a deficit of 65 billion riyals (17.3 billion dollars) next year, according to a cabinet spokesman.”
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Amos Oz
“Renowned Israeli author Amos Oz on Monday scathingly criticized Labor Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak for inaction in the face of settler violence. “What kind of leader is he who allowed the hill top youth to wreak havoc on Arabs and Israel Defense Forces soldiers?” Oz asked, referring to settler youths who commit acts [...]
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Jumblat (and his minister)
Walid Jumblat comes to Washington, DC and offers thanks and gratitude to George W. Bush, while his own Miniester, Ghazi Al-`Aridi, publishes a book accusing the US of being behind terrorism around the world. Jumblat recently saluted the act of the shoe thrower.
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad
Bringing armed militias (not democracy) to your lands
“The Afghan government will formally start a U.S.-funded effort to recruit armed local militias in the battle against the Taliban in remote parts of the country, exporting the tactic to Afghanistan from Iraq.” (thanks Nabeel)
Posted on December 23, 2008 by As'ad