A Stink Unto the Nations. (thanks Mal)

When Joe Biden kicked Hizbullah out of Lebanon (thanks Marcy)

"Women who took on the Taliban – and lost" (thanks Olivia)

Well, Palin was right yesterday: "we [she, Biden, Obama, and McCain] love Israel". Who can dispute that?

"The Defense Department will pay private U.S. contractors in Iraq up to $300 million over the next three years to produce news stories, entertainment programs and public service advertisements for the Iraqi media in an effort to "engage and inspire" the local population to support U.S. objectives and the Iraqi government." You are telling me that this program is restricted to Iraqi media? Like there is no evidence of this in the rest of the Arab media?

So many annoying news. UAE's ruling dynasty is honoring Jane Fonda as part of their Middle East movie festival. They said that her cheering of Israeli troops during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 was a key factor in selecting her.

This I want to know and NOW. Where on earth do those people get their information about the Arab world? Where did Erica Goode collect her misconceptions and stereotypes about the region? "As in many Arab homes, the living room was empty of furniture except for a round plastic table and chairs – pallets on the tiled floor provided the setting for much of the family’s social life." (thanks Lysandra)

"America and Britain are reckoned to have among the greatest inequality, among rich countries, as measured by the Gini coefficient." (thanks Dallan)

I don't want to bother you, but I thought that George W. Bush and his wife Laura have liberated the women of Afghanistan? "Women in Afghanistan are being murdered simply for going out to work. Those in high-profile jobs are particularly at risk, as the assassination of a high ranking policewoman this week brutally reiterated."

It is a surge. It is a surge. "The number of Iraqi civilians and security personnel killed in insurgent and militia violence in September was 440, little changed from August, security officials said on Wednesday."

"As one Asian delegate put it: "The 72 billion is peanuts compared to the 700 billion the White House wants to dish out to save some of the Wall Street firms from going belly up." "And the urgent needs of developing nations will now be the least of the priorities of the United States and other Western donors," he predicted."

"A radical Muslim prayer leader said the president shamed the nation for "indecent gestures, filthy remarks, and repeated praise of a non-Muslim lady wearing a short skirt." Feminists charged that once again a male Pakistani leader has embarrassed the country with sexist remarks. And across the board, the Pakistani press has shown disapproval." (thanks Richard)

"While Jewish pioneers were few, it could be evaded. Writing in 1907, when there were about 10,000 settlers, Isaac Epstein, a Russian-born teacher who had come to Palestine in 1886, called attitudes towards the Arabs "the hidden question". He criticised the leaders of the Zionist movement who engaged in politics while ignoring that "there resides in our treasured land an entire people which has clung to it for hundreds of years ... The Arab, like all other men, is strongly attached to his homeland"." (thanks Jasser)

"US soldiers are aiding Egyptian officials in the search for illegal smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, according to a report published by a major Israeli newspaper on Thursday." (thanks Marcy)

Letter to the Editor: "I am shocked to learn that Ithaca College is allegedly denying Professor Margo Ramlal-Nankoe tenure because of her political views concerning occupied Palestine (“College faces possibility of tenure lawsuit,” Sept. 25). This is unworthy of a liberal arts college that seeks to provide quality education and is supposed to promote critical thinking." (thanks Tanweer)

"Hundreds of settlers are engaged in violence against Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, the senior Israeli commander in the West Bank has said."

Lebanon wants to teach Iraq? This is like Bush tutoring Sarah Palin on foreign policy.

"Double standards: Conscientious objection is despicable, unless, of course, you're from the ultra-orthodox community"

"IDF forces and Civil Administration officials Thursday morning cleared settlers from the northern West Bank outpost of Shvut Ami, and two hours later a nearby olive grove belonging to Palestinians from the village of Kadum was set on fire."

"He talked about terrorism and terrorist regimes, and about governments that allegedly support terror. He failed to notice that the delegates sitting in front of and below him were shaking their heads, smiling and whispering, or if he did notice, he was no longer capable of reacting. The US president gave a speech similar to the ones he gave in 2004 and 2007, mentioning the word "terror" 32 times in 22 minutes. At the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations, George W. Bush was the only one still talking about terror and not about the topic that currently has the rest of the world's attention."

"But if the attack was meant to silence one of the country's foremost public intellectuals, it hasn't worked. For a start he does not rule out a connection with strong signs of increasing violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. In recent weeks, extremist settlers have rioted, blocked roads, burned Palestinian orchards and in one case, armed settlers have attacked a village." (thanks Olivia)

According to An-Nahar (the right-wing Lebanese sectarian Christian, anti-Syrian (people), anti-Palestinian (people) newspaper), this Lebanese genius had many accomplishments, but his greatest was insisting on flying the Lebanese flag on NASA building. If Lebanon keeps producing geniuses at this rate, Hummus homeland will surely become a super power in a few months. Oh, yeah. (thanks Toufic)

"Palin on Hamas; Sort of"

An urgent letter from former Egyptian ambassador in the US, Nabil Fahmi, to the White Man: please o White Man. Please, accept me as your equal. I am civilized like you. Please, o white Man. And my father who was Egyptian foreign minister of Anwar Sadat, Isma`il Fahmi, was also civilized and he smoked cigars. Please o white man.

I really get annoyed when I read in the Arabic press analysis that treat the Russian government as the best hope for the Arabs. Stop NOW. "One of the Russian Jewish community's most prominent supporters of President Vladimir Putin is set to be appointed head of the country's Keren Hayesod, also known as the United Israel Appeal."

I will be offering comments on AlJazeera momentarily. It is about the bailout alas.

I got so pissed. I watched a hagiographic report on Mansur Ar-Rahbani on Al-Arabiya TV. The report said that his theater is the most important in the Arab world. It is the typical stupid and silly recylced vapidity that you see in his work. By the way, Mansur Ar-Rahbani wrote an official letter to Al-Akhbar protesting my attacks on him and on his work. I wrote a response but neither his letter nor mine have been published yet.

"“Their nature requires war, cries out for war,” he says. “In peace, the Albanian becomes sluggish and only half alive, like a snake in winter. It is only when he is fighting that his vitality is at full stretch.”"

This is a historic document: the last letter written by Salah Jadid from his jail cell to his daughter (in response to a letter in which she asked his permission to get married). Notice that he wrote it on a cover page from Dostoevsky's The Insulted and Humiliated.
(I am still trying to render a better image of it). (And thanks...anonymous)

I went to get a haircut in Berkeley: the woman who cuts my hair was busy. I was too impatient to wait so this man volunteered to cut my hair. I obliged, and only later I learned that he was the receptionist. It was a lousy haircut. I called on Lebanese prime minister to shed a tear or two for me.

"Blogging in Saudia Arabia can carry risks. The Saudi authorities detained one blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, for four months this year after he called for political reform. But people are still speaking their minds online. Topics in this selection of posts include a fatwa, repressive Arab regimes, religion as empowerment, and menswear with a twist."

"The US Government on Tuesday said it approved the sale to Israel of 25 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Corp and an option for 50 more in coming years – a deal valued at up to $15.2 billion." (thanks Marcy)

"The U.S. Africa Command, the Pentagon's first effort to unite its counterterrorism, training and humanitarian operations on the continent, launches Wednesday amid questions at home about its mission and deep suspicions in Africa about its intentions."

"Though unequivocal in his view that terrorists are kaffirs (unbelievers), Asghar also has no doubt where the root cause of the recent increase in suicide bombings and other deadly attacks lies: the United States and its military incursions into Pakistan's tribal zones."

"A missile attack by a suspected US drone aircraft has destroyed a house in northwest Pakistan, killing at least four people, according to security officials." Obama calls that "keeping your eye on the ball."

"Shadi Muhammad Shahin died Monday night in the Jericho prison run by the Palestinian Authority. While the circumstances around his death remain unclear, his family claims that he died due to torture by the Palestinian police." (thanks Olivia)

This is what I want to know: why does not the government of Israel not pay the New York Times for propaganda services rendered? Look at this piece of propaganda: "Israel’s connection with nature runs deep, and there are many ways to gain access to its diverse landscapes. The 580-mile Israel Trail allows hikers to venture from Dan in the north to Eilat in the south. It is divided into 40 segments marked by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, founded in 1953...Because of its variety of terrain, Israel lends itself to adventures both extreme and soft... Boaz Langford — a soldier in an Israeli Army unit that specializes in rescues involving supports and extreme climbs. So I gently rappelled my way down the 130-foot cliff, feeling increasingly secure and ultimately exhilarated." Personally, I am feeling increasingly disgusted and ultimately nauseated. (thanks Electronic Ali)

"Recent security improvements in Iraq are "fragile, reversible and uneven" and the country is still locked in a "communal struggle for power and resources," a Pentagon report said Tuesday."

"Nearly a thousand housing units are being built in Maale Adumim, according to Peace Now's Settlement Watch project. At Givat Zeev, another of the settlements ringing Jerusalem, a 750-unit project was approved this year. The government has asked for bids on building nearly 350 homes in Beitar Illit, also near Jerusalem. Meanwhile, hundreds of homes have been added at settlements deep in the West Bank, with the government's acquiescence if not approval." (thanks Mick)

Condoleezza Rice is really enjoying the UAE's beverage.

This is an editorial in the mouthpiece of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, edited by Hassan Fattah: "Brothers and sisters – there are 1.5 billion Muslims in this world today. Imagine if only half of them were to embrace the primary shama’il character traits of our beloved Mohammed (PBUH): patience and forbearance; generosity and forgiveness; courage and fairness; modesty and humility; truthfulness and reliability; dignity and simplicity; and, of course, mercy and compassion." Brothers and sisters please spare me the fake piety and religious posturing of the polygamous rulers of the Gulf.

"Finally, we need to impose a special financial sector tax to pay for the bailouts conducted so far. We also need to create a reserve fund so that poor taxpayers won't have to be called upon again to finance Wall Street's foolishness."

Read the last paragraph of this interview with the Muftititi of Saudi Arabia: he pays tribute to the mouthpiece of Prince Salman, Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat.

Hazem Saghiyyah says that Israel does not threaten its neighbors: that it only threatens in retaltions--just as it kills and invades in retaliation.

I am an atheist but there are times when I develop strong pagan urges: when I see Arab rulers praying. This is the King PlayStion of Jordan. What devotion. What piety. Wait. Is that the Wii behind him? (It is funny that this newspaper is considered liberal: which means pro-Saudi Arabia).