Archive for November 22, 2009
To the Editor of the Economist
I read three issues of the Economist yesterday, and I counted several usages of the word “reckon”. How many time do I have to tell you that it is overused in the magazine. Stop. Please.
Posted by As'ad at 8:07 AM 11/22/09
White Farmers in Zimbabwe
As for as the British press is concerned–and that includes the Economist, there is no injustice in the world or in history that is more cruel and more savage than what befell the white farmers in Zimbabwe. The press goes nuts on that, for some reason…
Posted by As'ad at 8:03 AM 11/22/09
David Ottaway
Remind me to write about the new book by David Ottaway on US-Saudi relations and the role of Prince Bandar. I finished it yesterday. I may write a long article about it for AlAkhbar, and a brief response here. David Ottaway is a serious and decent A…
Posted by As'ad at 8:01 AM 11/22/09
Saudi Arabia
I was thinking on the plane yesterday, King `Abdullah is the weakest king ever in Saudi history. He has no constituency and no major factions within the royal family. To be sure, King Khalid who followed King Faysal did not rule much: but that was by…
Posted by As'ad at 7:59 AM 11/22/09
Saudi foreign policy: dissent from the neighbors
“His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah is going to pay a two-day official visit to Iran today, leading a high-level delegation. The visit, which comes at the invitation of Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, a…
Posted by As'ad at 7:52 AM 11/22/09
Lawmakers in Egyptian parliament
“Lawmakers applauded Mubarak’s comments Saturday.” What is the job of Egyptian lawmakers except to applaud the comments of the president. Some of the lawmakers were friends of my father, and they applauded for Nasser, and then applauded for Sadat, an…
Posted by As'ad at 7:47 AM 11/22/09
Israel’s ambassador
I am told that the Israeli ambassador in the US, Michael Oren, is speaking at Harvard Law School a few hours before my talk. I asked the students whether I should show up at his talk to inquire about the conflict.
Posted by As'ad at 7:46 AM 11/22/09
Chutzpah
“Palestinian Ambassador to Iraq Dalil Al-Qasus called on Arab countries during a celebration of Palestinian culture in Baghdad on Saturday to close their embassies in Israel as a sign of support to the Palestinian people.” The audacity. The (un-elect…
Posted by As'ad at 7:42 AM 11/22/09
The actual record
“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed almost 8,900 lives in two decades, the vast majority of them Palestinians, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said in a statement published on Sunday. Israeli forces killed 7,398 Palestinians, includi…
Posted by As'ad at 7:25 AM 11/22/09
Egypt versus Algeria: all for you, Jamal Mubarak
An Arab journalist in Cairo (who does not want to be identified) sent me this (I cite with his/her permission): ” I was at that demonstration in Zamalek, Cairo. The protestors were chanting slogans along the lines of these two, the most common two by …
Posted by As'ad at 7:20 AM 11/22/09
Oil Sleaze
“”My biggest one-off job was with three Arab businessmen at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi,” she said. “It’s a seven-star hotel and everything is decked out in gold leaf. They paid me £20,000 for one night with all of them. By morning I was…
Posted by As'ad at 7:18 AM 11/22/09
Zionism-IS-Racism: make no mistake about it
“The Education Ministry has sent out a letter to religious boarding schools in Tel Aviv saying there have been reports of misbehavior by “Ethiopian born” students in the city’s central bus station.”
Posted by As'ad at 7:16 AM 11/22/09
Dignity for Egypt?
Al-Masri Al-Yawm has joined the hooligans’ campaign of the Egyptian regime. It is acting under the headline of “Dignity of the Egyptians”. Dignity of the Egyptians? That was erased long time ago: ever since Sadat led the Egypt’s humiliating defeat i…
Posted by As'ad at 7:12 AM 11/22/09
Israel’s war crimes
“É possível que a próxima fase do conflito Israelo-Árabe se possa transferir do campo de batalha para organizações e tribunais internacionais. Em tal cenário, a superioridade militar Israelita é deveras obsoleta.” (thanks Michel)
Posted by As'ad at 7:11 AM 11/22/09
The Mubarak record
Comrade Hossam sums it up: “However, there were signs last night that a public backlash against the government’s handling of the football storm was gaining strength. “Hosni Mubarak’s thugs have beaten and killed more Egyptians than any hooligans,” sai…
Posted by As'ad at 7:06 AM 11/22/09
Terrorist cats
“The Israeli Prison Administration at the infamous Negev detention camp decided to banish and punish wild cats for befriending Palestinian political prisoners and providing them with light services.” (thanks Olivia)
Posted by As'ad at 7:05 AM 11/22/09
