Archive for January 25, 2010
Bohsali shop
I have been a loyal customer of Amal Bohsali sweet shop (not sweatshop) in Beirut since the civil war. I always liked its karabij–one of my favorite sweets. But in this trip, the old Bohsali (different from the Amal Bohsali chain) re-opened for the …
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
70 laps in Lebanese pool
Today I timed it. 70 laps in a Lebanese “olympic” swimming pool equals 60 laps in an American olympic swimming pool. Why do they rig things in Lebanon?
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Nationalizing AUB
Jean Dayah writing in SSNP’s Al-Bina`, does not like my criticisms of AUB (see p. 8).
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Except those crimes committed by Americans of course
“”The United States is determined to hold to account anyone who commits crimes against Iraqi people,” Mr Biden added.” (thanks Nasser)
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
They want white heroes
“US actor Danny Glover, who plans an epic next year on Haitian independence hero Toussaint-Louverture, said he slaved to raise funds for the movie because financiers complained there were no white heroes.” (thanks Hicham)
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Conspiracy theories
As a believer in conspiracies and in conspiracy theories (when warranted and proven), I feel obligated to rebut kooky conspiracy theories. There is a conspiracy theory being peddled in the Arab world (and attributed to Chavez media in Venezuela) to th…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Tawfiq’s recipe of ginger beverage
Tawfiq who runs the cafeteria at Al-Akhbar’s offices in Beirut, heard that my beverage drink did not work. He sent me the detailed recipe:” أشكرك على ذكرك لي ÙÙŠ المدونة الخاصة بك، واتمني ان أراك مرة أخ
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
A non-sectarian profession
“”Most of my clients are Lebanese but I also have many English speaking clients,” he says. “I dance for Christians, Muslims, Druze and women of all ages from 18 into their 60s.”" (thanks Olivia)
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
The Economist
As you know, I proved scientifically that the Economist is the best magazine there is. I read something in the Economist, and then I read the same story in the New York Times a week or more later. Some originality of coverage, please.
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
UAE miracles
“While Sheikh Issa went free, the 23-year-old British woman was barred from leaving the country while awaiting trial. On New Year’s Day she told police she had been raped the previous evening by a waiter at a five-star hotel. Remarkably, the charges …
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Liberation and bribery
“A survey conducted by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime found that half of the 7,600 Afghans interviewed had paid a bribe in the previous year (see chart), handing over on average $160 each time, about a third of average annual GDP per head. This e…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
This passes as intellectual analysis of foreign policy in the US press
Look at this guy. Forget about politics and about my views of this most nimble of minds, but look at the quality of foreign (and economic) analysis: “You want more good jobs, spawn more Steve Jobs. Obama should have focused on that from Day 1. He mus…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
The crash of the Ethiopian plane off Beirut
Just last night, I was reading the latest issue of the Economist (and I encountered two or three uses of the word “reckon”). And I encountered this sentence: “It runs one of Africa’s biggest airlines.” And I remember pausing after reading it and t…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
If she was the wife of an Arab politician, it would be front page story in the US
“Three days earlier Yediot Ahronot, the country’s biggest-circulation daily newspaper, split its front page, half with a report on Haiti, half on a lawsuit filed against Mrs Netanyahu by a former housekeeper of her weekend home for allegedly making h…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Ethan Bronner’s propaganda services
It has reached new lows: the propaganda services of the Ethan Bronner on behalf of Israel and its war crimes. You need to do a search: the New York Times devoted more space to Israeli and Zionist criticisms of the Goldstone report than to the report i…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Obama: the neo-cons’ president
“But obituaries can be premature. At the moment, in fact, the neocons seem resurrected. One of their own, Frederick Kagan of AEI (Robert’s younger brother), helped turn around the war in Iraq by devising and pushing for the surge there. More recent-…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Saudi justice: or what is called “Saudi reforms” in the Western press
“Schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia might want to put those rubberbands back in their knapsacks, the spitballs back in their mouths and begin meekly raising their hands before asking questions following a harsh ruling against a 13-year-old who had a spa…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
J`accuse
I argue that Israel’s propaganda is now officially (not accidentally) placed in Hariri and Saudi media in Lebanon. I accuse that there is an official Saudi-Israeli agreement to coordinate media and propaganda strategies. Look at this sample from NowH…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
Al-Watan newspaper
When I was in Lebanon, my Lebanon’s cellphone rang. A woman identifying herself as a reporter for the Syrian Al-Watan newspaper told me that they would like to conduct an interview with me. I told her but that I express myself freely. I said that I …
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad
War criminals are popular street names in Lebanon
Lebanon has the worst names for its streets. There is a clear preference for colonial administrators, racist Europeans, and Lebanese war criminals. A street was named after Elie Hubayqah yesterday. The man was a puppet of Israel in Bashir Gemayyel’s…
Posted on January 25, 2010 by As'ad