Archive for November 10, 2009
Notice that Israel propaganda outlets have shut up about the weapons’ ship
Notice that Israeli media and their Zionist allies in the US media have not been making any noise about the so-called shipment of weapons from Iran to Hizbullah. Even the New York Times which covers sneezes of Israeli occupation soldiers have been mum…
Posted by As'ad at 12:17 PM 11/10/09
Manaqish story from Beirut
My friend Amer (who is back in Lebanon from Berkeley to finish his PhD dissertation) sent me this (I cite with his permission): “I have a good manaqish (pizza pie that are baked with thyme, olive oil, sesame seeds, and sometimes chees) story: so, unt…
Posted by As'ad at 12:06 PM 11/10/09
war normalization
“Israel and Jordan conducted a joint drill early Tuesday exercising rescue tactics in case of an earthquake, according to Army Radio. The drill was supervised by the Home Front Commands of each country in Kibbutz Mesilot.” (thanks Marcy)
Posted by As'ad at 12:03 PM 11/10/09
buying beauty
“It is estimated that Emirati women spend close to Dh1 billion ($272 million) per year on beauty products and treatments, according to the organisers of a beauty expo.”
Posted by As'ad at 12:01 PM 11/10/09
What do you call a city that requires the presence of Paris Hilton to salvage its reputation?
“Far more importantly, the United States’s unofficial cultural ambassador arrived in Dubai shortly after the speech. Paris Hilton popped over to film an episode of her reality TV show, with the expected media circus following in her wake.” (thanks…
Posted by As'ad at 11:59 AM 11/10/09
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, O Hummus Nation
A friend in Lebanon sent me this: “Did you know that the Lebanese president called to express outrage at the “invasion” of saudi arabia and to support the Saudi assault on Yemen?”
Posted by As'ad at 11:58 AM 11/10/09
Bush commercial doctrine
“Senior Bush administration figures including Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Baghdad, and Jay Garner, the retired general who led reconstruction efforts immediately after the war, are leading a new business push into Iraq. The two one-ti…
Posted by As'ad at 11:55 AM 11/10/09
Report from Yemen
My super secret source in Yemen sent me this (she/he does not want to be identified): “I thought of sharing this with you after reading your post on child soldiers reportedly captured by the Saudi army. Although I cannot deny the possibility that th…
Posted by As'ad at 11:32 AM 11/10/09
Regarding that journalism award to Lisa Goldman
A source sent me this: “André Azoulay [the director of the foundation that gave the award], a well-known Zionist, was for decades THE counsellor to “king” Hassan II. He more or less still retains some influence under “king” Mohamad VI.”
Posted by As'ad at 11:30 AM 11/10/09
My parents at the Berlin Wall, 1966 or 1967
I posted this picture on Facebook the other days, and I will reproduce the caption here: “I am not somebody who keeps or preserve souvenirs or pictures. This is the only picture I have of my parents. This was taken in 1966 or 1967. My parents were invi…
Posted by As'ad at 11:25 AM 11/10/09
Consistency, o Saudi propaganda
“The leader of an al-Qaida-linked group for the Gulf states warned Sunnis that Shi’ites and Iran were more dangerous than Jews and Christians, Israel Radio reported Tuesday morning.” In other news, Saudi propaganda outlets are reporting that Al-Qa`id…
Posted by As'ad at 11:22 AM 11/10/09
PR for the Libyan dictator
An American PR firm hired by the Libyan dictator sent this invitation to an American journalist (who shared it with me–she/he does not want to be identified): “I wanted to see if you are interested in joining a small media trip to Libya from November…
Posted by As'ad at 11:17 AM 11/10/09
Jihad in strip clubs: why did the New York Times delete that reference?
So a front page article in the New York Times is about links between Nidal Hasan and a Yemeni cleric. But the second part of the article on page A 21 makes a reference to Hasan’s frequenting of Strip clubs. It mentioned that he paid for lap dances th…
Posted by As'ad at 11:04 AM 11/10/09
Israeli universities
“The idea that Israeli universities adhere to the values of free academic institutions, where academic freedom, objectivity and meritocracy prevail is widely accepted in the West. From our experience we attest – and indeed prove beyond doubt – tha…
Posted by As'ad at 11:00 AM 11/10/09
“Pat Robertson: Islam isn’t a religion; treat Muslims like fascists”
“Robertson said Islam should be treated like a fringe political movement.” A fringe political movement with more than 1.3 billion adherents?
Posted by As'ad at 10:59 AM 11/10/09
The new Lebanese cabinet
So there is a new Lebanese cabinet. Nothing new. Lebanon was and will be always on the verge of civil war, even if it does not descend into civil war. The cabinet will not solve a thing. A few remarks. The former leftists in the cabinet: Hariri Mi…
Posted by As'ad at 10:15 AM 11/10/09
This is religious Zionism
“The ultra-fundamentalist Od Yosef Hai yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar is infamous for its involvement in settler violence against Palestinians. Memorably, one of the students fired a homemade “Kassam” rocket at the neighboring vi…
Posted by As'ad at 10:13 AM 11/10/09
Ajami on Ronald Reagan
Look how this man writes? Does he not remind you of Fox News commentaries during the Bush administration? “He had his feel for history’s march, his faith in human freedom. He had recoiled from all the talk about America’s decline. He had boundless be…
Posted by As'ad at 10:12 AM 11/10/09
He wants his daddy
Look at him. He is 40 years old and wants you to know that, five years after the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, he is still crying over the death of his lousy father. He lost his daddy and he wants you to know how sad he is very sad. The picture was…
Posted by As'ad at 10:08 AM 11/10/09
Robert Worth summarizes the Lebanese conflict
“with one camp defining itself through resistance to Israel and the West, and the other aspiring to a more commercial and cosmopolitan role.” So the `Awni movement represents resistance to the West, while the Salafi movements that are part of the Hari…
Posted by As'ad at 9:52 AM 11/10/09
Hawthi connection with Al-Qa`idah?
Saudi media are now quite confused. They want to tell the Arab world that the Hawthi movement is connected to Iran, but they also want to tell the US, that it is connected to Al-Qa`idah. Today, I was watching the news of Al-Arabiyya TV (the propagand…
Posted by As'ad at 9:42 AM 11/10/09
Deaths of foreign domestic workers in Lebanon
“The Lebanese government should investigate the deaths of eight migrant domestic workers during October 2009, as well as the reasons for the disproportionately high death rate among this group of workers, Human Rights Watch said today. An estimated …
Posted by As'ad at 9:40 AM 11/10/09
Hawthi rebels
The Hawthi rebels captured a Saudi vehicle (seen above). The Hawthi (or it can be pronounced as Huthi) sign captures the slogans of the movement; it says (from above): “God is Greater. Death to America. Death of Israel. Damn the Jews. Victory to …
Posted by As'ad at 9:37 AM 11/10/09
Salam Fayyad
I know that the US government has already picked Salam Fayyad as the successor to Abu Mazen as the chief PA puppet/collaborator-in-chief, and I know that Thomas Friedman has approved of the selection. But a problem faces Fayyad: he is hated in the Fat…
Posted by As'ad at 9:34 AM 11/10/09
Libyan foreign policy
Libyan foreign minister, Musa Kusa, gave an interview to the mouthpiece of Prince Salman (Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat). He characterized Chinese economic presence in Africa as “semi-colonialism”. What courage of Libyan foreign policy. The US occupies Iraq a…
Posted by As'ad at 9:29 AM 11/10/09
