Archive for March 23, 2009

Sick

…off to Houston, and returning Sunday. Sick.

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Kudos to Riyad Qubaysi

I don’t know New TV’s Riyad Qubaysi (we spoke once on the phone) but I am a big fan of his. He is one of the best TV journalists in Lebanon. Today, he did a report on the Palestinian children in Lebanon: it made me cry.

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Puppet versus Puppet

“The US and its European allies are ­preparing to plant a high-profile figure in the heart of the Kabul government in a direct challenge to the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, the Guardian has learned.”

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Once a jailer

““I realised the cause that made these men go to prison was also my cause,” Zeidan said. “We are part of the Palestinian tragedy.” After a year of locking up Arab prisoners, he quit the service, finished his law degree and became a defence attorney. Months later, Zeidan returned to the same prison to visit [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Here we go

“A predawn raid by United States Special Forces that killed five people on Sunday has produced sharply conflicting accounts from the American military and local Afghan officials as to whether the dead were civilians or militants, resurrecting a sore point that has troubled the American-led war here. The United States military said in a statement [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Saudi reforms

To improve the conditions of women in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi king today raised the salaries of his concubines.

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

This is Zionism

“Anti-Arab verbal and physical attacks inside Israel have spiked in the wake of elections held earlier this year in which right-wing parties made major gains, a human rights group said on Sunday. The Mossawa Centre for the Rights of Arab Citizens in Israel has documented 250 incidents of aggression against Arab Israelis since the start [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Zionism is racism, literally as Joe Biden would say

“A Hadera elementary school has been accused of racial discrimination, for its singling out of a number of students of Ethiopian origin, all born in Israel, for extra Hebrew lessons. In response to the accusation, the Education Ministry said the school used “poor judgment”.” (thanks Olivia)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Hariri Republic

“Things were not going smoothly abroad, either. In early 2008, while waiting for a flight in Beirut, Hamdan was arrested and interrogated for four days by Lebanese authorities. Hamden said a lawyer the family later hired to examine the court file said his detention was at the request of “outside influences.”” (thanks Souheil)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

African migrant workers in Libya

“For the African migrants themselves, life in Libya is often a dead end. “They call us animals and slaves,” said Paul Oknonghou, 28, a Nigerian who lives with about a dozen other Nigerians in a house under construction that lacks glass in the window frames, running water, a bathroom or a kitchen. He said he [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Mubarak obstains US support for his son as his successor

“Egyptian police seized a flock of 560 sheep set to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip through underground tunnels, a security official said on Monday.” (thanks Marcy)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

The Colonial Exception

Comrade Raed reviews “Waltz with Bashir”.

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Saudi reforms

Prince Muqrin, the head of Saudi foreign intelligence, states that his female agents are more qualified than his male agents. Feminist worldwide cheered the news. (thanks Elie)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

Terrorist Balloons: Ethan Bronner would call them Hamas strongholds

“Israeli authorities broke up a series of Palestinian cultural events in Jerusalem on Saturday, disrupting a children’s march and bursting balloons at a schoolyard celebration in a crackdown that underscored the emotional battle over control of the disputed holy city.” Look at the last sentence: I can always tell when a foreign editor of a [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

90%: nations in exile

A German publication reports that 90% of all of Iraq puppet ambassadors hold dual citizenship. (thanks Dina)

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad

The Threat

My sister talked to the Lebanese Minister of Interior, Ziyad Barud, on the threat that I have received. He expresssed concern and will follow up the matter. (A polite version of the threat appears as a comment under my Saturday’s article on Al-Akhbar website). Note to self: make sure you remember to make a critical [...]

Posted on March 23, 2009 by As'ad