Archive for April 21, 2012
Women in Asia
“The 2 billion women living in Asia are still paid less than men for similar work and are extremely underrepresented in top leadership positions, even in wealthy countries such as Japan, according to a report issued Thursday.” Unlike women in the…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
The candidate of Israel in Egypt
This was raised in Tahrir Square yesterday. (It says: `Umar Sulayman: works for the sake of Israel”).
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Israel: desperate as always for Arab support
Israel, since its bloody and horrific creation on top of the Palestinian nation, has been desperate for Arab support. It only has received it from individuals: Nazi anti-Semites (Sadat), collaborationist puppets (Abu Mazen), war criminals (Bashir…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Those poor US occupiers: dark humor, it is
“Mr. Exum noted how the horrific experience of being ordered to interact with bloody, severed body parts of an enemy may cause soldiers to develop self-defense mechanisms — in particular dark humor around corpses.”
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
BBC: Bahrain versus Syria
Today, I was able to listen to BBC interview with a protester in Bahrain. What a difference, compared to their interviews with protesters in Syria. In Syria, protesters are allowed to speak and call for arms and NATO intervention and they c…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Nationalization in Argentina: the New York Times is outraged
Read the headline of the article (“In Brazil and Elsewhere, Dismay at Argentina’s Nationalization Move ”) and then read this: ”But here in Brazil, Latin America’s rising oil power, and elsewhere in the region, financial experts greeted M…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Obama administration and Arab uprisings
Obama administration stands with the people, of course: ”Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokeswoman, reiterated the administration’s position that it condemns all forms of violence. “These are unproductive, unhelpful acts in building t…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Look how the New York Times characterizes the conflict in Bahrain
Look at this language: ”Shiite grievances”…”persistent Shiite anger”. Has the New York Times spoken about “Sunni grievances” and “persistent Sunni anger” in the case of Syria?
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Royal buffoon who doubles as foreign minister of Bahrain
Khalid Alkhalifa @khalidalkhalifa”If any here to cover ugly bloody confrontations ,go to syria. Here we have a grand Prix to enjoy. Also, there is an ongoing war n the Sudan”
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Demonstrations in Egypt
I watched footage of demonstrations in Egypt and in Syria yesterday. It would be fair to say that there were tens of people in the demonstrations that were shown on Aljazeera (the news station of Hamad bin Jasim and the House of Thani) and AlArab…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
New York Times on Bahrain
“Clashes between protesters and the police, which never really went away during 14 months of unrest…” Well, if clashes “never really went away” why did you not bother to cover them? Does that not raise legitimate questions about your political …
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
When the New York Times covers Israel
I mean, do you notice that the New York Times does not even try anymore to disguise its blatant propaganda on behalf of Israel and its war crimes? Do you notice that articles about Israel now carry the tone and substance of not only political commercia…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
A journalistic coup: Neil MacFarquhar sits in Beirut but can report to you the mood in Damascus
This is considered a journalistic miracles worthy of a Pulitzer or even a Nobel: ”Those remarks were met with some disbelief, particularly in Damascus”. Wait. I am now in San Francisco at a conference but I do feel the mood in Khartum. &nbs…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
reached by phone
“Abu Omar, 28, an activist reached by telephone”. How do you reach them by phone, or wise foreign correspondent? Do you just pick up the Activist Yellow Pages of Syria and just dial numbers? Why not tell the readers that those phones were s…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
When reporters make things up, either to cover up ignorance or to serve a political cause
Neil MacFarquhar: ”In Syria, the official narrative, at least on state television, was that the entire country was a sea of tranquillity”. I have been following the lousy Syrian regime media throughout the crisis: I watch Syrian regime TV …
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Formula repression
“Bahrain’s government has spent $40 million to host the global luxury sporting event, hoping to demonstrate that normal life has returned to the Gulf island kingdom after it cracked down harshly on Arab Spring demonstrations last year. But vivid …
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
A revolution? Unless you call sectarian killings in Lebanon a revolution
“Civilians have gotten caught up in a chilling kidnapping racket in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province. As the uprising against President Bashar Assad becomes increasingly sectarian, Sunnis and Shiites here are rushing to collect hostages as…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
O’Hanlon
“(And there are lots of funny samples to enjoy about O’Hanlon. Like this video on his Brookings Institution profile page where, 11 years after 9/11, he’s still pronouncing the first name of Ayman al-Zawahiri like it’s, “Eyyy Man ‘Nice Shot’ Z…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Developments in Syria
I asked a well-informed Syrian to update me on developments. Here is part of what he wrote to me (I am translating from Arabic):”Situation in Syria needs a lot of talk…What is important is that life has stopped completely in more than half of t…
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad
Khodor Salamah and Ali Fakhri
Lebanese government has arrested comrades Khodor Salameh and Ali Fakhri: both are talented activists and courageous advocates of victims of Lebanese racism. Khodor writes that Ju`an blog from Beirut (one of my favorite blogs from Lebanon). …
Posted on April 21, 2012 by As'ad