Thursday, October 16, 2008

On Being Stoned

LONDON - JANUARY 17:  Singer Pete Doherty arri...Image by Getty Images via DaylifeOn Being Stoned: "On Being Stoned
A Psychological Study of Marijuana Intoxication
Charles T. Tart, Ph. D."

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On Being Stoned

On Being Stoned: "On Being Stoned ©1971 by Science and Behavior Books
Published by Science and Behavior Books, Palo Alto, California
ISBN 0-8314-0027-7

On Being Stoned appears in The Psychedelic Library by permission of the Author"

Sunday, October 12, 2008

What Every American Should Know About the Middle East

By Daniel Miessler on March 30th, 2008: Tagged as America | Civilization | Education | Politics
middle_east

Most in the United States don’t know much about the Middle East or the people that live there. This lack of knowledge hurts our ability to understand world events and, consequently, our ability to hold intelligent opinions about those events.

For example, frighteningly few know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and most think the words “Arab” and “Muslim” are pretty much interchangeable. They aren’t. So here’s a very brief primer aimed at raising the level of knowledge about the region to an absolute minimum.

Basics

  1. Arabs are part of an ethnic group, not a religion. Arabs were around long before Islam, and there have been (and still are) Arab Christians and Arab Jews. In general, you’re an Arab if you 1) are of Arab descent (blood), or 2) speak the main Arab language (Arabic).

  2. Not all Arabs are Muslim. There are significant populations of Arab Christians throughout the world, including in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Northern Africa and Palestine/Israel.

  3. Islam is a religion. A Muslim (roughly pronounced MOOSE-lihm) is someone who follows the religion. So you wouldn’t say someone follows Muslim or is an Islam, just as you wouldn’t say someone follows Christian or is a Christianity.

  4. Shia Muslims are similar to Roman Catholics in Christianity. They have a strong clerical presence via Imams and promote the idea of going through them to practice the religion correctly. Sunni Muslims are more like Protestant Christians. They don’t really focus on Imams and believe in maintaining a more direct line to God than the Shia.

  5. People from Iran are also known as Persians, and they are not Arabs.

  6. Arabs are Semites. We’ve all heard the term anti-Semitism being used — often to describe Arabs. While antisemitism does specifically indicate hatred for Jews, the word “Semite” comes from the Bible and referred originally to anyone who spoke one of the Semitic Languages.

  7. According to the Bible, Jews and Arabs are related [Genesis 25]. Jews descended from Abraham’s son Isaac, and Arabs descended from Abraham’s son Ishmael. So not only are both groups Semitic, but they’re also family.

  8. Sunni Muslims make up most of the Muslim world (roughly 90%). 1

  9. The country with the world’s largest Muslim population is Indonesia. 2

  10. The rift between the Shia and Sunni started right after Muhammad’s death and originally reduced to a power struggle regarding who was going to become the authoritative group for continuing the faith.

    The Shia believed Muhammad’s second cousin Ali should have taken over (the family/cleric model). The Sunni believed that the best person for the job should be chosen by the followers (the merit model) and that’s how the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, was appointed.

    Although the conflict began as a political struggle it now mostly considered a religious and class conflict, with political conflict emanating from those rifts.

Sunni vs. Shia | Arab vs. Non-Arab

Here’s how the various Middle Eastern countries break down in terms of Sunni vs. Shia and whether or not they are predominantly Arab. Keep in mind that these are generalizations; significant diversity exists in many of the countries listed.

  • Iraq Mostly Shia (roughly 60%), but under Saddam the Shia were oppressed and the Sunni were in power despite being only 20% of the population. Arab.

  • Iran Shia. NOT Arab.

  • Palestine Sunni. Arab.

  • Egypt Sunni. Arab.

  • Saudi Arabia Sunni. Arab.

  • Syria Sunni. Arab.

  • Jordan Sunni. Arab.

  • Gulf States Sunni. Arab.

Conclusion

What’s depressing is the fact that this only took me 30 minutes to write, and you 2 minutes to read. Yet most people in the United States, including those in the media, the house of representatives, and probably even the Pentagon, lack even this cursory level of knowledge about the region.:

References

1The CIA World Fact Book | Field Listing - Religions

2The CIA World Fact Book | Field Listing - Indonesia

Wikipedia | Sunni Muslims

Wikipedia | Shia Muslims

Wikipedia | Arabs

from

"What Every American Should Know About the Middle East | dmiessler.com." 12 Oct. 2008 .

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Saturday, September 6, 2008

Haute Happenings East of Lake Washington

Eastside Inside: Haute Happenings East of Lake Washington
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/eastsideinside/archives/146958.asp
Wine & Belly Dancing in Redmond at the new "Jerzy's Wine Bar" & more new wine bars...

The Eastside's got some cool new wine bars in Woodinville, Redmond and Bellevue and they've got some interesting and exciting forms of entertainment like Belly Dancing at the new "Jerzy's Wine Bar" in Redmond.

Starting off with the new wine bar in Redmond called "Jerzy's", they've got a beautiful and exotic Belly Dancer on Friday nights late at 10:00 PM - her name is Mellilah who performs the ancient art of belly dance, also known as raqs sharqi, throughout the Greater Seattle Area and beyond.

Picture
"Mellilah"
A true entertainer, Mellilah's elegance and charismatic style keep audiences of all ages enchanted. Her shows are fun and dazzling, leaving guests amused, at ease and wanting more.

They are located on the South corner of Cleveland St. and Redmond Way. For reservations at (425) 702-8575 - "Jerzy's Wine Bar"

Bellevue has the new "Pizzeria Guido & Wine Bar" where wine is their passion, all wines on their list are personally selected from committment to quality and excellence, in keeping with Italian traditions. Salute! Salvatore Lembo - Owner.

Picture

For more information, please click here: "Pizzeria Guido & Wine Bar"

Out in Woodinville is a very cozy tucked away little wine bar called, "Village Wines".

Picture
"Tasting room at Village Wines"
It's worth it to find this cute little wine bar that has a wide and varied inventory of great wines. Village Wines is focused on creating the "place to gather" for a fun and vibrant community of wine lovers. The tasting room is the most distinct element of the store, and both comfortable and inviting. They always have wines available for tasting, as well as reserve, winemaker, and special themed events scheduled weekly for your enjoyment. Our winemaker and informal tasting events are uniquely different from other wine shops, designed to entertain, enlighten, and educate. After all, the best way to buy great wine is try before you buy, and the best way to gain knowledge is to explore.

They are located at: 14545 - 148th Ave NE #211, Woodinville, WA 98072 and across from the Hollywood Schoolhouse in Apple Farm Village - 425-485-3536
Click here for more information: "Village Wines"

Posted by Lisa Hilderbrand at August 24, 2008 12:53 p.m.

· Return to Wine & Belly Dancing in Redmond at the new "Jerzy's Wine Bar" & more new wine bars...

"Eastside Inside: Haute Happenings East of Lake Washington: Wine & Belly Dancing in Redmond at the new "Jerzy's Wine Bar" & more new wine bars..." 7 Sep. 2008 .

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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Marijuana Magic mushrooms Herbal drugs on Drugs-plaza

Psilocybe zapotecorum. Jalisco, Mexico.Image via Wikipedia Marijuana Magic mushrooms Herbal drugs on Drugs-plaza: "Drugs-Plaza tries to give you answers to your questions about Marijuana, Magic Mushrooms and Herbal Drugs."

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Eastern brings back Arabic

The map of all UN members. Data Base: http://e...Image via Wikipedia

Eastern brings back Arabic

Foreign language classes help students learn about culture

By: Laura Butler

Posted: 9/4/08

In many other countries, children begin learning languages other than their native tongue when they enter kindergarten.

The United States is slightly behind that learning curve, and has earned a bad reputation for lacking in cultural diversity.

But now, students at Eastern can further open their minds to different dialects, cultures and peoples by taking two classes in the foreign language department, Introduction to Arabic and Islamic Culture and Civilization.

According to Ezra Engling, chair of the foreign language and humanities department, Introduction to Arabic was removed from the course lineup in 2006 due to faculty staffing issues within the department.

Engling said the classes have been brought back because of student requests.

"Students are becoming more and more aware of the need for foreign language study," Engling said.

The criminal justice and military science programs also made requests for the classes to be reinstated.

The department originally scheduled only one Introduction to Arabic class for this semester, but because of the large number of students who registered for the class, the department added another, which Engling said has filled just as quickly.

One of the e-mails Engling received requesting the class was from student who had served in Iraq who will receive a promotion if he studies beyond the dialect he picked up during his tour.

"The fact that occupations are offering incentives to their employees for studying Arabic shows a need for an increase in the understanding of the Islamic culture and Arabic language," Engling said.

Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, but the United States only had eight Arabic speakers at the highest levels of proficiency in 2004.

Since then, the Association of American Universities, under the direction of and through funding from the national government, has developed a plan to remedy the shortage of Arabic speakers.

The end result is an initiative known as The National Security Language Initiative, a plan designed to "dramatically increase the number of Americans learning critical need foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi [and] Farsi."

The plan, which is already being implemented in many schools around the country, begins foreign language instruction at the kindergarten level and continues through formal schooling.

According to the initiative, the ability to communicate in other languages in order to "engage foreign governments and peoples" is an important part of post-9/11 security as well as a necessary measure to convey respect for other cultures.

Engling shared similar thoughts concerning the importance of learning Arabic.

"We are able to know and learn new things about the rest of the world through languages," he said.

"We can't afford to not know everything we can about the world we live in."

"The Eastern Progress - Eastern brings back Arabic." 5 Sep. 2008 .


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Monday, September 1, 2008

Controlled Substances in Alphabetical Order

Controlled Substances in Alphabetical Order

A Talk with Kurdish President, Massoud Barzani

01/09/2008

Interview by Ma'ad Fayad in Arbil

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you believe that the federal government in Baghdad considers you as its partners in government?

[Barzani] This is the main problem. During my recent visit to Baghdad, I emphasized this point. We asked them: Are we partners or not? If you consider us as your partners then this is one issue; if you do not then this is another issue. They stressed that we are partners. However, in real practice, I doubt this.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you yourselves feel that you are partners in the federal government?

[Barzani] This is a coalition government and we are partners in it. But the actions of this government are weird. We are partners but we do not have a role in the government. We are not partners in security, economic, and military issues and we do not know anything about these institutions.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you talk openly to them in Baghdad? What is happening is that during you meetings with the federal governments, optimistic reports are issued but later the opposite happens.

[Barzani] During our recent visit, we reached good agreements and mechanisms to implement these agreements. We have a program on which we are in agreement with the government in Baghdad. But when we returned to the Kurdistan region, everything we had agreed upon was ignored. The programs agreed upon are being marginalized. This state of affairs does not serve our coalition or Iraq or the future of Iraq. Performance should be based on the principle of partnership and agreement. This is the only way to build the new Iraq. The consequences of monopolizing authority are well known. This situation will not lead to any result in favor of Iraq.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] After five years in rule and prior to that many long years of joint political action in the opposition where the goals and mechanisms were agreed upon at the opposition's London conference in 2001, what does the federal government and where have you reached?

[Barzani] Indeed, this is a question that puzzles us. We do not wish for anything outside the constitution and we do not want anything more than what the constitution gives us. We do not want anything more than what we have agreed upon in the constitution. The constitution was agreed upon by the majority of the Iraqi people and it sets rights and duties. We in the Kurdistan district are accurately committed to the articles of the constitution. We are not asking for more than what the constitution gives us. This includes Article140 (pertaining to the issue of Kirkuk and the disputed regions). Commitment to the constitution is the guarantee for safeguarding the unity of Iraq. It guarantees security and stability in Iraq and the building of a prosperous future for the Iraqi people. Thus, the constitution is the judge. No abiding by the constitution means potential disaster.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think that the Kurds in Baghdad - I mean President Jalal Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, and even the Kurdish members of parliament - are capable of intervening in the political or security decision-making process?

[Barzani] President Talabani definitely plays a major role in the political process as Mr. Talabani. However, as president of the republic, he does not have many powers. We do not know how the powers are distributed. He constitutes the gathering point of many political factions and entities in Iraq. Furthermore, the presidency of the republic, the prime ministry, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies (the Parliament), and the ministers have specific powers. However, these powers are very often ignored and sidestepped.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you think that the government in Baghdad continues to behave with the logic of the strong brother and the weak brother?

[Barzani] Unfortunately, we seem to be still under the influence of a totalitarian regime. The one that takes over power thinks he has the last word in everything and that it is his right to make decisions without consulting others. He forgets the coalitions, the commitments, and the constitution.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are critical media reports inside and outside Iraq against the Kurds in Iraq. Are you aware of such reports?

[Barzani] This is very true. This is what we feel and it constitutes a grave danger. This is part of the injustice that we have suffered and that we continue to suffer from. The media is trying to distort the image of the Kurds and the Kurdish people. However, we are fair. The role played by the Kurds in safeguarding Iraq, the unity of Iraq, and the Arab-Kurdish brotherhood is much bigger than the roles played by others in this regard. The Kurdish role is well known and cannot be denied. Unfortunately, however, they do not wish to recognize this role; they want to distort this role. After the fall of the regime, everyone knows that we could have proclaimed something else. However, Brother Talabani and I went to Baghdad and tried with the brothers to fill the vacuum that resulted. We helped in the electoral process and in the elections and in drafting the constitution. We protected vast regions in Iraq from terrorism and the terrorists. We protected and continue to protect many Arab families that fled from their regions as a result of the terrorist operations and came to the Kurdistan region. During the uprising (of 1991), two Iraqi army corps (the First Corps and the Fifth Corps) surrendered in our regions, but not a single Iraqi soldier was harmed. In fact, we gave them the options of returning to their families or immigrating to another state or staying in Kurdistan although we were still bleeding from the effects of the Operation Al-Anfal and the chemical shelling by the Iraqi army. I say yes, this is unfortunately an unjust [media] campaign. We call on those that are fair like yourselves and through your fair newspaper to help us in conveying the true picture of what you see here. We do not ask anyone to polish or embellish our image. We ask the media to tell the truth about the Kurds and about Kurdistan for the sake of honesty.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] On the other hand, the Kurdish media is weak in conveying the true image of the Kurds and of the Kurdistan region and it ignores certain important issues that are taking place here.

[Barzani] This is true; I agree with you that the performance of the Kurdish media is unsuccessful. This is regrettable.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you expect a confrontation to take place between you and the federal government or, shall we say, a Kurdish Arab government confrontation rather than a popular confrontation?

[Barzani] We oppose any escalation and any confrontation. We have to abort the chances of those that are lying in wait for democratic Iraq and its democratic experiment. There are wicked and ill-intentioned hands that are pushing night and day toward escalation and confrontation. However, we are exerting all our efforts to avoid such a situation. Matters have not reached this stage of escalation between the [Kurdistan] region and the federal government. However, there are misunderstandings, differences in viewpoints, and differences on many issues. Through dialogue and meetings, we shall try to agree on the common points. The points that unite us are more than those that separate us from one another. But we have to admit that there are points of agreement. There may be differences on the concepts of democracy and federalism but we hope that matters would never reach the point of confrontation.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] But the situation almost reached the point of confrontation in Khanaqin.

[Barzani] Yes, it is true that it almost reached the point of confrontation, but this was the result of a big mistake. Everyone should understand that the Iraqi army is our army and it includes many Kurdish forces. There was the peshmerga and they later joined the Iraqi army. In fact, our Kurdish forces were the nucleus that formed the new Iraqi army. We want the Iraqi army to be educated well. It should be given a patriotic education based on the principle of protecting the homeland rather than on the principle of killing the citizens. The incidents that took place in Khanaqin constituted a big mistake. First of all, the Kurdish forces that were deployed in the region contributed to the consolidation of security and stability in Khanaqin. They purged the area of the terrorists and gangs that tampered with the security and safety of the citizens there. Secondly, these Kurdish forces went to Khanaqin at the invitation and request of the federal government. When the government asked the Kurdish forces to withdraw, they actually withdrew. However, the military forces that replaced the Kurdish forces arrived to raise provocative slogans and acted exactly like the former army that had committed crimes against the Kurdish people in the past, including the crimes that were committed during Operation Al-Anfal. Unfortunately, these forces arrived with the same slogans, the same mentality, and acted in the same manner. Naturally, we do not consider this to be the army of new Iraq. We consider it as an extension of the dictatorial Baathist army that destroyed Kurdistan and destroyed Iraq. I reiterate that we are not opposed to the deployment of the Iraqi army. If we are subjected to any aggression we shall ask the Iraqi army for help and if the Iraqi army asks for our help we shall send our forces to wherever they wish. We did that on several important and dangerous occasions. We are the ones that founded the Iraqi army but the conduct of a specific commander in the region is raising problems and reminding us of the tragic past.

the full article is here:
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=13920

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Friday, August 15, 2008

The Voice of Mahmoud Darwish

2008-08-15
The Voice of Mahmoud Darwish
Wherever Mahmoud Darwish was, words in his hands were a magic lamp that set free the genie of the Arabic language. He knew the heart of the Palestinians. He knew that they had only one wish for the genie, one yearning request of their language – ‘home’, says Ibtisam Barakat.


COLUMBIA, Missouri – On Saturday August 9th in the afternoon, I was getting ready to give a talk about Palestinian olive trees to a gathering of authors and thinkers at Keystone College in Pennsylvania. For the title of the presentation, I cracked the word olive in two, and turned it into O’ Live! But death mocked me.

Shortly before I left my room for the talk, the phone rang. It was my friend, musician Saed Muhssin, calling me from San Francisco. His voice was deep like a valley, barely climbing up to speak: “Have you heard?” he asked. “This is hard news,” he warned. “Mahmoud Darwish died today.”

My mind cried. My heart ached with all of the unhealed Palestinian losses that are recalled with each new loss—losses Darwish made sure to record in his poetry. I belong there. I have many memories, Darwish wrote. Memories that he recorded in at least 30 books of poetry and prose, translated into at least 20 languages.

He was born in 1941, and published his first book of poetry before he turned 20 years old. For over four decades, Palestinian and Arab poets were inspired by him, referred to him, imitated him, debated over his poetry.

Saed and I belong to Generation M, an identity we invented several years ago. I grew up on the West Bank under Israeli occupation, Saed as an Israeli citizen. Both of us Palestinian, we had completely different lives. But underneath, we discovered we shared a similar deprivation, a hunger for freedom, for a more beautiful world. We filled our hunger with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, and we called ourselves Generation M.

In the absence of home, Darwish turned language into a spacious tent—for us and for all who needed a home. He turned yearning into a meeting place. Palestinians meet our mothers through his mother. Darwish gave her to us when he wailed:

I yearn for the bread my mother bakes

I ache for my mother’s coffee.

And her touch.

He used the Arabic word ahennu for yearn, which means a yearning filled with affection. It’s a word that wakes up a thousand feelings at once, with the hint of a desperate impatience.

In 1982, he wrote lasta wahdaka, you are not alone, for Arafat when the Palestinians were driven out of Beirut. Darwish said it also to everyone on Earth, anyone who was forced out into exile for the nth time.

And his question where are birds to fly after the last sky? made me invent an endless number of new skies, stacked like mattresses for the refugees of Earth.

Darwish, the name in Arabic meaning a pure, spiritual wandering man, was precisely that for us. He moved between skies and across borders—between Palestine, Israel, Russia, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and other countries. Wherever he was, words in his hands were a magic lamp that set free the genie of the Arabic language. He knew the heart of the Palestinians. He knew that they had only one wish for the genie, one yearning request of their language – “home.”

As seen in his language and poetry, Darwish had a vision and passion for achieving justice. He helped in writing Arafat’s famous address to the United National General Assembly in 1974 in which Arafat pleaded with the world by repeating three times La tusqeto al-ghusna al-akhdar min yadee, don’t let the green branch fall from my hands.

In 1988, Darwish drafted the Palestinian declaration of independence in which he said that peace is achievable with a two-state solution—one Palestinian, one Jewish. He wrote that peace is possible “on the land of love and peace.”

Inspired by the vision of reconciliation, he emphasised that Palestine would be a society that thrives on human rights, equality, democracy, representation, social responsibility, and complete respect for all, especially women and people of different faiths.

At one of Darwish's last performances, in July 2008, the audience in Ramallah received him as though they suspected that might be the last time they would see him. They stood up like the fragrant spruce trees he often plants in his poetry. Think of Others, he told them.

As you prepare your breakfast – think of others. Don’t forget to feed the pigeons. As you conduct your wars – think of others. Don’t forget those who want peace. As you pay your water bill – think of others. Think of those who only have clouds to drink from. As you go home, your own home – think of others – don’t forget those who live in tents. As you sleep and count the planets, think of others – there are people who have no place to sleep. As you liberate yourself with metaphors think of others – those who have lost their right to speak. And as you think of distant others – think of yourself and say “I wish I were a candle in the darkness.”

Speaking openly about death, he had confessed to Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper: “I am no longer afraid of death. I used to be afraid of it. But now I only fear the death of my ability to write and my ability to taste life.”

Continuing to wrestle with his art, he wrote that “I thought poetry could change everything, could change history and could humanise… Now I think that poetry changes only the poet.”

Dear Mahmoud Darwish, your poetry changed me.

Ibtisam Barakat is the author of Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007). She has taught language ethics at Stephens College, and is the founder of Write Your Life seminars. Ibtisam can be reached at www.ibtisambarakat.com. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service and can be accessed at GCNews.

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Palestinians bury poet Darwish in West Bank

Palestinians bury poet Darwish in West Bank

Friday, 08.15.2008, 11:38am

Palestinians bade an emotional farewell on Wednesday to their national poet Mahmoud Darwish, who was laid to rest on a hilltop overlooking the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Darwish died Saturday in Houston at age 67 after complications from open-heart surgery.

He was the first Palestinian to receive a state funeral since Yasser Arafat in 2004.

Darwish's body was flown Wednesday from Jordan to Ramallah, where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas received the flag-draped coffin.

Widely revered for giving voice to the Palestinians’ desire for independent statehood and their longing for the lands they lost to Israel, Darwish was seen off at his funeral by tens of thousands of political and cultural elite as well as ordinary Palestinians, who moved in a procession from a formal honor guard in the presidential compound to jostling crowds around his hillside gravesite.

"He was the master of the word and wisdom, the symbol who expressed our national feeling, our human constitution, our declaration of independence," said Abbas in a speech.

Darwish was born in the village of Birweh, which was razed in the wake of the 1948 Israeli-Arab war.

He spent years in exile in Cairo, Beirut, Paris and the US after being stripped of his Israeli-Arab citizenship for being active in the Israeli Communist Party and the Palestine Liberation Organization as a young man.

He returned to Palestine when Israel gave him permission in the late 1990s — even then only to the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Darwish famously penned Arafat's speech to the United Nations in 1974 when the late Palestinian leader said, "I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

He also wrote the largely symbolic 1988 Palestinian Declaration of Independence.

His work resonated across political and generational lines for his ability to express the Palestinian sense of loss, anger and defiance.

In later years, he became increasingly frustrated at the in-fighting between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. Last year he condemned the explosion of violence between the two groups in Gaza as "a public attempt at suicide in the streets."


IN MEMORIAM


I Come From There



I come from there and I have memories

Born as mortals are, I have a mother

And a house with many windows,

I have brothers, friends,

And a prison cell with a cold window.

Mine is the wave, snatched by sea-gulls,

I have my own view,

And an extra blade of grass.

Mine is the moon at the far edge of the words,

And the bounty of birds,

And the immortal olive tree.

I walked this land before the swords

Turned its living body into a laden table.



I come from there. I render the sky unto her mother

When the sky weeps for her mother.

And I weep to make myself known

To a returning cloud.

I learnt all the words worthy of the court of blood

So that I could break the rule.

I learnt all the words and broke them up

To make a single word: Homeland.....

My Mother

I long for my mother's bread

My mother's coffee

Her touch

Childhood memories grow up in me

Day after day

I must be worth my life

At the hour of my death

Worth the tears of my mother.


And if I come back one day

Take me as a veil to your eyelashes

Cover my bones with the grass

Blessed by your footsteps

Bind us together

With a lock of your hair

With a thread that trails from the back of your dress

I might become immortal

Become a God

If I touch the depths of your heart.


If I come back

Use me as wood to feed your fire

As the clothesline on the roof of your house

Without your blessing

I am too weak to stand.


I am old

Give me back the star maps of childhood

So that I

Along with the swallows

Can chart the path

Back to your waiting nest.

from: http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Palestine&article=1363&page_order=1&act=print

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Palestinian poet and icon Darwish buried

* (en) Israel LocationImage via Wikipedia

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-darwish14-2008aug14,0,5814485.story
From the Los Angeles Times

Palestinian poet and icon Darwish buried

More than 5,000 mourners attend the funeral in the West Bank for the poet revered for mirroring the Palestinian national experience.
By Ashraf Khalil
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 14, 2008

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK — During the six years he spent in an Israeli prison, Haidar Jaradat read one poem over and over: "My Mother," by Mahmoud Darwish.

"I long for my mother's bread," it begins. "My mother's coffee/Her touch."

"It brought me comfort and I thought about it a lot," said Jaradat, who was 16 when he was imprisoned by the Israelis over what he terms "a security issue."

Jaradat, now 24, recalled the solace Darwish's words had offered him as he waited Wednesday outside Ramallah's Palace of Culture for the coffin bearing the body of the Palestinian icon.

Amid pomp and circumstance just short of Yasser Arafat's 2004 state funeral, more than 5,000 mourners braved the midday August heat here to pay their respects to Darwish, the revered poet who died Saturday in Houston at age 67 following complications from open heart surgery.

Darwish's body was flown Wednesday from Jordan to Ramallah, where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas received the flag-draped coffin.

"He was the master of the word and wisdom, the symbol who expressed our national feeling, our human constitution, our declaration of independence," Abbas said in a speech.

After eulogies at the Palestinian Authority's headquarters, a procession of thousands moved across town to the Palace of Culture, where thousands more waited near Darwish's burial plot.

"We loved him. He was a poet and true Palestinian patriot," said Abdel Rahman Zabin, a 50-year-old laborer.

Zabin said he and many other Palestinians identified so strongly with Darwish because the poet's life experiences, which he wrote about directly, mirrored much of the hardships of his people. His work resonated across political and generational lines for his ability to express the Palestinian sense of loss, anger and defiance.

Darwish's family fled their home village when Israel was founded in 1948, then later returned and settled as part of the Arab minority in the new Jewish state. His poem "Identity Card" recounted the frustrations of that minority status.

A communist activist in his youth, Darwish was repeatedly imprisoned by Israel before leaving the country in 1970.

His exile included time in Beirut, where he lived through the 1982 Israeli siege of the Lebanese capital -- an experience that inspired him to write "Ode to Beirut."

"He lived the whole Palestinian life from 1948 until now," Zabin said.

The crowd that flocked to attend Darwish's burial reflected the broad range of his appeal: The Palestinian political elite mingled with Communists who claim Darwish as one of their own and young hipsters wearing T-shirts bearing the poet's image.

Shirina Rantisi, a 19-year-old college sophomore, said the poet's status made him a kind of Palestinian Che Guevara: "He meant something to almost everyone."

ashraf.khalil@latimes.com
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Organizers: Beijing Olympic Village offers good religious service

Games of the XXVII OlympiasImage via Wikipedia

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing Olympics official said here Friday that since the Olympic Village opened on July 27, its religious service center had received 665 athletes and officials from more than 50 countries and regions.

Deng Yaping, deputy director of Olympic Village Department and spokeswoman for the Olympic Village, said at a press conference that 69 professional religious service volunteers at the center had provided around-the-clock services to villagers in English, Arabic, Italian, French, Korean and Hebrew.

On Aug. 3, a foreigner came to the center to ask for a prayer ceremony for his mother who had died a few days ago. A priest prayed for the man.

Deng said that on the following Sunday, the priest asked all the people who had come for praying to stand and pray again for the man's mother. The visitor said he left the center with peace of mind and was greatly moved by the love and concern he received by the people from different countries.

Deng said the village provides services in five religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and Judaism. Bibles are displayed in the religious service center and athletes can use them free.

She also briefed journalists on other services and environmental protection measures in the Village.

She said the main dining hall for athletes served the largest number of guests in Olympic history on Aug. 8 when the Games opened. From noon to 5:00 p.m., 18,634 people dined there, far exceeding the comparable figure of 9,876 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 10,515 in Athens in 2004.

The Beijing Olympic Village received the largest number of worldwide dignitaries in Olympic history. The number far exceeded expectations. By Aug. 14, a total of 62 heads of state, government and royals and leaders of international organizations paid visits to the Olympic Village.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch also visited the Village, Deng disclosed. Rogge lived in the village for three days from Aug. 10 to 12.

The Olympic Village has done "the best job in environmental protection in the history of the Olympic Games," Deng said.

The village uses the most advanced biotechnology system to treat six tonnes of kitchen waste daily. Hot water is supplied via the 6,000 square meters of centralized solar water heating system.

from:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/15/content_9343081.htm

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Monday, July 28, 2008

Arab film-maker Youssef Chahine dies at 82

Arab film-maker Youssef Chahine dies at 82


BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Youssef Chahine, the Arab world's greatest filmmaker and recipient of the 50th annual lifetime achievement award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, died Sunday in his home in Cairo aged 82 after several weeks in a coma.

"Youssef Chahine died this morning at 3:30," said his friend and fellow director Khaled Yussef, who co-directed Chahine's latest film "Chaos" in 2007.

Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo. Chahine, a leading light of Egyptian cinema for more than half a century, died in Cairo on Sunday at the age of 82 after six weeks in a coma, his office said.

Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo. Chahine, a leading light of Egyptian cinema for more than half a century, died in Cairo on Sunday at the age of 82 after six weeks in a coma, his office said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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A funeral ceremony will be held in Cairo on Monday, Yussef said, before Chahine is buried in the family crypt in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria where he was born, Egypt's official MENA news agency said.

Chahine never shied away from controversy during his long career, criticizing U.S. foreign policy as well as Egypt and the Arab world.

Born in 1926 in Alexandria into a Christian family, Chahine attended prestigious Victoria College, the alma mater of many Arab and Egyptian intellectuals who made major contributions to 20th century Arab culture. After spending one year at the University of Alexandria, he went to America to study drama at the Pasadena Playhouse in California.

Back in Egypt, he turned his talents to directing and made a series of films which established his reputation as a serious figure in the country's 20-year-old film industry.

Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo.

Egyptian film director Youssef Chahine is seen in this undated file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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Upon the release of his fourth film, "Nile Boy" (1951) he was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. "Raging Sky" (1953), shot when King Farouk was still on the throne, dealt with the challenge mounted by a simple farmer to his feudal landlord, establishing Chahine as independent-minded and ready to challenge authority.

He was credited with discovering Omar Sharif, who starred in "The Blazing Sun," released in 1954, and became the first Arab actor to rise to stardom in Hollywood.

In his classic, "Cairo Station," Chahine played the lead, a newspaper seller at the railway station who had a fatal fixation for a woman who sold lemonade. Conservative Egyptians hated the film and it was put on the shelf for 20 years.

Chanine won a Silver Bear at Berlin in 1978 for his "Alexandria ... Why?" the first of four autobiographic films. The sequence, completed in 2004, provides a picture of the ancient city as a great cosmopolitan centre.

During his long career, he made more than 40 films. The last, "This is Chaos," was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2007.

(Agencies)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/28/content_8786319.htm

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Obama turns focus from war to peace

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obamatrip23-2008jul23,0,4668191.story
From the Los Angeles Times

Obama turns focus from war to peace

After visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Democratic presidential candidate plans to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
By Michael Finnegan
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 23, 2008

AMMAN, JORDAN — After visits to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Barack Obama shifted his focus to Mideast peace efforts Tuesday as he arrived in the region for two days of talks with leaders in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The all-but-sure Democratic nominee for president vowed to work "from the minute I'm sworn in to office to try to find some breakthroughs" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I think it's unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region," Obama said shortly after his arrival in Jordan under tight security. "What a U.S. president can do is apply sustained energy and focus on the issues of the Israelis and the Palestinians."

Obama spoke in a dramatic setting, the ancient ruins atop Citadel Hill, or Jebel al Quala, near the towering pillars of the Temple of Hercules. Across the valley behind him, thousands of concrete dwellings were visible, terraced across the steep hillsides of Amman, the capital. Soldiers with heavy weaponry patrolled the roasting hilltop as dust clouds swirled around Obama's lectern.

Obama's nine-day trip abroad is aimed at building voter confidence in his ability to handle foreign affairs at a time when Republican rival John McCain is portraying him as naive and unfit to protect the nation's security.

Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, McCain mocked the first-term Illinois senator for making "his first trip to Afghanistan ever" in recent days and getting his "first briefing ever" from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq.

Today, Obama plans to visit the southern Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. He will also spend time in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, a memorial to Holocaust victims.

Obama flew from Amman to Tel Aviv on Tuesday night.

He arrived in Jordan after wrapping up his Iraq visit on Tuesday morning with a stop in Ramadi, once a breeding ground of the Sunni Arab insurgency. He met for three hours with tribal leaders who voiced concern, he said, that a "precipitous" withdrawal could lead to new violence.

"I have proposed a steady, deliberate drawdown over the course of 16 months, and I emphasized that to them," Obama said.

Obama said Petraeus, who met with him Monday, made clear that he "does not want a timetable" for a U.S. pullout. But Obama renewed his call for a gradual withdrawal of troops, saying the U.S. needs to shift forces to Afghanistan to fight resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda forces planning terrorist attacks.

Unlike a commander in chief, Obama said, Petraeus does not need to think about how some of the $10 billion spent by the U.S. on the Iraq war each month could be used "to shore up a U.S. economy that is really hurting right now."

Even as he left the combat zones of Iraq behind, an attack Tuesday morning near the Jerusalem hotel where Obama planned to stay illustrated the enduring violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A Palestinian man rammed a construction vehicle into a city bus and four vehicles, injuring six people before an Israeli civilian and border policeman shot and killed him.

Obama called the attack "a reminder of what Israelis have courageously lived with on a daily basis for far too long." Terrorism makes Israelis "want to dig in and simply think about their own security, regardless of what's going on beyond their borders," he said.

At the same time, Palestinians get frustrated when "they can't get to their job or they can't make a living" on the West Bank or in Gaza, he added. "It's hard for them, if they see no glimmer of hope, to then want to take that leap in order to make concessions."

Obama's calibration of the balance between Israeli and Palestinian interests showed the delicate task he faces in weighing the impact of his Mideast trip back home -- particularly on Jewish voters.

He is scheduled to meet today with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

He also plans to confer in the West Bank city of Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

In Jordan, Obama met privately with King Abdullah II at Beit al Urdun palace. Afterward, they joined Queen Rania and invited guests for dinner. Abdullah drove Obama to the airport in his Mercedes 600, dropping him off on the tarmac. Jordanian soldiers wearing red-pattern kaffiyehs saluted Obama as he headed up the stairs of the plane.

The king, who cut short a visit to the United States to greet Obama, released a statement saying he told Obama "that ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and achieving a just settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict tops the priorities of the people of the Middle East."

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Times staff writer Maeve Reston contributed to this report.
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British soldier dies in Afghanistan

Published: Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 12:14PM

A British soldier has been killed after coming under enemy fire in southern Afghanistan.

The soldier was serving with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers attached to 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment.

He died when the vehicle he was travelling in hit an explosive device after a skirmish with Taliban fighters.

Two other soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment were injured in the same incident, one in a landmine blast during an exchange with the enemy.

The fatality occurred after the skirmish when the soldiers were leaving the area and their vehicle was hit by a second explosion.

The soldier from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers died at the scene.

The soldiers' next of kin have been informed and have requested a 24-hour period of grace before further details are released.

International Security Assistance Force spokesman Captain Mike Finney said: "Our hearts and minds are with the family and loved ones of this fine soldier.

"This soldier died honourably, helping bring security to Afghanistan."

The death announced today by the Ministry of Defence is the first British fatality in the country this month.

A total of 13 died last month, the worst loss of life for British troops since September 2006 when 19 servicemen died - 14 when a Nimrod MR2 aircraft crashed.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

http://www.itv.com/News/Articles/British-soldier-dies-in-Afghanistan-687802532.html

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Public gets tips to fight terrorism

By Zhu Zhe
China Daily Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-07-23 06:33

Stay calm, don't touch it, move away quickly and send a text message to police, possibly with a photograph. That's how police want people to respond when they see something that looks like a bag with explosives.

The advice is part of a new anti-terrorism manual the Ministry of Public Security has prepared in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.

It is the first government warning that addresses the public and tells it how to tackle a situation in case of a terrorist attack.

People have welcomed the new manual, available on the Internet and at some police stations from last weekend.

"It's really a timely book. It tells us when and where to be aware of danger, and how to protect ourselves," Zhang Jun, head of the security staff of the Chengwaicheng Furniture Mall, said Tuesday after getting a few copies of the manual from Xiaohongmen police station.

Liu Wancheng, head of a neighborhood committee in Beijing's Fengtai district, said he would write the manual's warning tips and how to handle a potential attack on a blackboard. "I think the public should know about them."

The manual tells people how to react during 39 possible situations, including an explosion, shooting, hijacking, and chemical or nuclear attack.

"The book is practical. If people follow its instructions, they can escape or even prevent a terrorist attack," the public security ministry has said on its website.

Terrorism remains a real threat to the Games. Only last week, Ma Zhenchuan, director of the Beijing public security bureau, said the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, labeled as a terrorist organization by the UN in 2002, poses a "real threat" to the Olympics because investigations show it has been plotting attacks on Olympic venues.

Li Wei, director of the anti-terrorism research center of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said Tuesday that the manual would raise public awareness on counter-terrorism.

"Compared with hardware such as advanced weapons, software like public awareness and emergency plans are more important in the fight against terrorism," said Wang Dawei, a professor with the Chinese People's Public Security University.

Li, however, said the manual could have provided more information on how to deal with public panic after an attack. "The book focuses too much on actions to be taken but doesn't tell people how to face their fears," he said.

The public should not get paranoid. "Instead, we should feel confident (to face any situation)," he said. "Terrorists can be identified and nabbed if the public is vigilant."

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Bin Laden's driver put at heart of conspiracy

StarTribune.com

Bin Laden's driver put at heart of conspiracy

July 22, 2008

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, CUBA - The U.S. government opened its first war-crimes prosecution Tuesday with a narrative of Osama bin Laden's driver overhearing his boss offer an eerie post-mortem in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks:

"If they hadn't shot down the fourth plane, it would've hit the dome," declared Navy Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Stone.

And so with his first words to a military jury, the prosecutor conjured up a conversation from inside the world of Al-Qaida, revealed by the accused, driver Salim Hamdan. Bin Laden told his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, that U.S. forces -- not heroic passengers -- brought down United Airlines Flight 93 in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11 before terrorist hijackers could slam it into "the dome" of the U.S. Capitol.

Hamdan, 37, a Yemeni, is charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terror for allegedly serving as the Al-Qaida leader's driver, sometime bodyguard and weapons courier.

Prosecutors put him at the heart of the conspiracy -- driving Bin Laden to a meeting with some of the 9/11 co-conspirators, to an Al Jazeera interview, to a Ramadan feast at a paramilitary training camp to "further recruit and indoctrinate young individuals for their organization."

Seattle defense attorney Harry Schneider portrayed Hamdan as a nobody, an orphan who left the poverty of Yemen for Afghanistan and became Bin Laden's $200-a-month driver because "he had to earn a living, not because he had a jihad against America."

He lamented the "horrible crimes" of 9/11, but said, "This man -- the only man before you in this trial -- did not commit those crimes." Moreover, the defense contends that Hamdan offered to help the United States while in Afghanistan.

The two sides addressed the war court judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, and a jury of six colonels and lieutenant colonels, whose names are withheld by order of the judge.

MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

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Arab American comedy matures

By Khalil AlHajal - The Arab American News
Friday, 07.04.2008, 11:40pm

Mizna Arab American Comedy Festival co-producers Mike Mosallam (R), Sonny Mandouh and short film director Mike Eshaq observe as locals audition for roles in theatrical sketches to be performed at the festival in August.

DEARBORN — Arab American comedy is still going strong. And it's not just about post-9/11 anymore.


Young people keep discovering jokes in their struggles, or appeal in their goofiness.


Actor Mike Mosallam, director of an upcoming Dearborn comedy festival, said he and other performers have moved past airport security humor, drawing on culture and everyday life for material.


"I'm done with talking about those things," he said about discrimination fodder from the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.


"It's no longer time to talk about, to make excuses for, to try to make sense of those events… It's now time to humanize the Arab experience. It's really about the community."


Writers and comedians are focusing more on jokes about idiosyncrasies and everyday cultural struggles — the fears, mannerisms and wails of Arab mothers, the vulnerable stubbornness of Arab fathers, the accents that even those that are born in the U.S. seem to develop…

Characteristic Arab impatience, facial hair, racism — both being subjected to it and dishing it out — the tense closeness of Arab families and the awkwardness of young people trying to fit themselves into some sort of identity are all increasingly being put to use in standup routines and comedic sketches.


The humor has meant the world to many young Arab Americans as they cope during the worst of times as children of Middle Eastern immigrants in this country. They say it has helped them raise their heads high, take pride in their struggle, laugh at absurdity, and smile at the laughter of others — a sign of mutual recognition of the same absurdities, struggles and triumph.


"It teaches people about our culture, helps them see things in a different light," said Mosallam, 28.


The second annual Mizna Arab American Comedy Festival, inspired by the five year-old New York Arab American Comedy Festival, is scheduled for August 15 at Dearborn's Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn.


The event is set to feature four live theatrical sketches and two short films, with New York standup comic Meena Dimian as MC.


Auditions for various parts in the sketches were held last week in west Dearborn.


Steven Saleh, a Dearborn schoolteacher with some acting experience, read for the part of Doug, a white man married into an Arab family in one of the sketches.


When he first auditioned last year, he was taken aback by frequent use of stereotypes in the scripts.


"At first I felt offended by it," he said.


But he later warmed up to the idea of satirizing, overdoing the stereotypes to disarm them.


"If you're laughing at your own self, there's nothing. It's gone," said Saleh, 33.


He said it takes away the ability of others to use the stereotypes negatively.


"Say what you want, but we're laughing with you," he said.


Mosallam said the routines also serve to show Arabs "doing the things that everybody does."


"People in this community are not used to this method as an outlet of expression," he said about feelings of uncertainty that many have had when first exposed to Arab American comedy.


James Moussa Stevick, a drama student from Ann Arbor whose father is Palestinian, auditioned for the role of a self-centered Arab satellite newscaster.


He said the rise of Arab American comedy has helped unite a diverse community and create a true, distinct Arab American culture.


"It's kind of like theatrical pan-Arabism," he said.


"A lot of Arab comedy, when it started out, was about post-9-11 stuff. It's more reflective of the community… If you can make a joke about something, you can analyze it a lot better. When you parody it, you can examine it a lot better."


Another aspiring comedic actor, Ali Bulldog Abdallah, 25, of Dearborn, auditioned for the role of Samia, an impatient store clerk.


He said he could draw on his aunt Mariam to prepare for the role.


"That's exactly why we appeal to a community that's not used to this kind of thing," said director Mosallam.


He said last year's show got an overwhelming response from non-Arabs too.


"They laugh at the delivery," he said. "Even if they don't understand a certain reference, they understand what the reference is trying to do. They come along for the ride.


"They loved it. It was something so new and fun… You make more friends with honey than with vinegar."


The most popular part of last year's festival was a short film by local director Mike Eshaq. The film, a spoof of MTV cribs — Arab American style — won awards for best comedy and audience favorite last month at a Hamtramck film festival.


Eshaq has two more spoofs of MTV reality shows in production for this year's festival.


"We want to build excitement for this kind of event happening yearly," said Mosallam.

from: http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=Artamp;Culture&article=1239&page_order=1&act=print

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