The Queer Arabs Blog

iLust Sex Positions In Egypt

2010-02-24T11:29:00.004-05:00

Interesting... Both " iLust" and "Sex Positions Game" have made it to the top ten application list of the Egyptian iTunes store. Ahead of the "This is Mohammad" religious app, but still behind the "Air Assault" game app.

FT.com / Europe - Halal burgers raise French hackles

2010-02-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

FT.com / Europe - Halal burgers raise French hackles

Saudi Prince Charged With Murder At Five-Star London Hotel

2010-02-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

Interesting.....

Saudi Prince Charged With Murder At Five-Star London Hotel

Israel Begins Campaign to Improve Nation’s Image - NYTimes.com

2010-02-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

Israel Begins Campaign to Improve Nation’s Image - NYTimes.com

I love the part about "countering Arab propaganda money".... If Only.....

Robert Fisk: Passport to the truth in Dubai remains secret

2010-02-17T10:57:00.001-05:00

Fascinating and disturbing read....

Robert Fisk: Passport to the truth in Dubai remains secret - Robert Fisk, Commentators - The Independent

ملك جمال العالم للمثليين جنوب افريقي

2010-02-15T12:12:00.000-05:00

ملك جمال العالم للمثليين جنوب افريقي

توج جنوب افريقي في ال28 من عمره ملك جمال العالم لمثليي الجنس للعام 2010 في اوسلو، حسبما اعلن الاحد المنظمون الذين نوهوا ايضا بالمشترك الصيني الذي قدم الى العاصمة النروجية على الرغم من اعتراض بكين.

واوضح المنظمون في بيان لهم ان شارل فان دن برغ الذي يعمل مديرا لاحد المطاعم فاز بالاحتفال الثاني لانتخاب ملك جمال العالم للمثليين الذي شارك فيه ممثلون من استراليا وهونغكونغ والصين واسبانيا.

وبعد اربعة ايام من الامتحانات التي تخللها استعراض ارتدى فيه المشاركون ملابس مثيرة وملابس تنكرية في احد الملاهي الليلية في اوسلو فاز جنوب افريقي باللقب الذي يحمله مسؤولية ان يكون متحدثا باسم مجتمع المثليين وليطالب بالمساواة وبحقوق الانسان على الصعيد العالمي.

اما الصيني جياوداي مويي (26 سنة) الذي لم تكشف هويته حتى اخر دقيقة ولم يظهر على الموقع الالكتروني للمسابقة فحل في المرتبة الرابعة. وقد تم تعيينه ممثلا عن الصين سرا بسبب تشدد بكين في هذا الشأن وخوفا من اي اعمال انتقامية ضده.

وكانت الشرطة منعت في الشهر الماضي احياء حفل انتخاب ملك جمال مثليي الجنس في الصين الذي كان يفترض به ان يجرى علنا من اجل اختيار المشترك في المسابقة العالمية. واشترك في المسابقة الدولية هذا العام نحو عشرين شخصا اتوا من القارات الخمسة.

وحل في المرتبة الثانية الاسترالي بايرن ادو، وهو مفتش فدرالي في الحكومة الاسترالية في ال25 من عمره، متقدما على ريك دين توومبلي (هونغ كونغ) وهو راقص في ال33 من عمره والاسباني سرجيو لارا وهو عالم نفس في ال26 من عمره حل في المرتبة الخامسة. وكان الفائز باللقب العام الماضي من جنسية ايرلندية.

On Lesbians In Arabic Novels

2010-02-09T18:28:00.001-05:00

«حلم» بوقف التمييز العلمي ضدّ المثليّة الجنسيّة | جريدة الأخبار

2010-02-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

«حلم» بوقف التمييز العلمي ضدّ المثليّة الجنسيّة | جريدة الأخبار

الناشطة الكويتية ابتهال الخطيب مع اعطاء المثليين حقوقهم وتؤيد المواقع الإباحية! | وطن

2010-02-02T13:51:00.000-05:00

الناشطة الكويتية ابتهال الخطيب مع اعطاء المثليين حقوقهم وتؤيد المواقع الإباحية! | وطن

البنتاجون يتخذ خطوات جديدة بشأن خدمة المثليين في الجيش | أخبار عالمية | Reuters

2010-02-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

البنتاجون يتخذ خطوات جديدة بشأن خدمة المثليين في الجيش | أخبار عالمية | Reuters

New media help conservatives get their anti-Obama message out - washingtonpost.com

2010-02-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

New media help conservatives get their anti-Obama message out - washingtonpost.com

World Briefing - Middle East - Israel - Man Hits Judge With Tossed Shoe - NYTimes.com

2010-01-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

World Briefing - Middle East - Israel - Man Hits Judge With Tossed Shoe - NYTimes.com

There Is Hope In Mascara...

2010-01-05T10:43:00.003-05:00

US Media and Olmert

2009-10-23T10:57:00.004-04:00

Massive protests have met ex Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in his recent tour of the US. Attempted citizen arrests in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago. Disruptions of speeches, and police action against protesters also took place... yet, there was zero coverage of these events by US news outlets. Talk about reinforcing existing perception about the media here.

Thank god for citizen journalists and outlets like YouTube

Separation of Church (or Mosque) and Retail

2009-09-28T16:04:00.005-04:00

A Muslim teenager claims in a federal lawsuit that she was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store at a Tulsa mall because she wore a head scarf. The manager of the store apparently told the teen that her Hijab (head scarf) violated the company's "Look" policy. After reading the details of the case, I felt compelled to take the retailer's side in that issue.

Before I get accused of Islamophobia, hear me out. I am all for women wearing the hijab if indeed it is their personal decision. I was also outraged by France's decision to crack down on women who wore the hijab simply because, again, it is an issue of choice. It's a bad choice, in my humble opinion, but nevertheless it is their right.

That said, the line needs to be drawn when those decisions affect others... businesses included. Companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch have spent years and millions of dollars trying to build a particular image of their brand. That brand, or look if you prefer, extends to all consumer touch points, and in particular, their retail outlets. If an employee's appearance is not in line with the brand, that would result in loss of business. And it is not just a religious issue, but I'm sure other attributes apply here too. An old man working at "Forever 21" or "Victoria's Secret"? It is fair? probably not, but if you don't like it, you don't have to shop there...I have yet to taste them wings at Hooters

I have to wonder why, in the first place,would a religious person, such as this young lady, apply for a job at A&E, a company that is famous for its hedonistic image? does she really want to be surrounded by loud techno music and images of semi naked teens all day?

Again, I am all for women (and men) embracing and displaying their religious choices, that's what freedom is all about. But you can't have your cake and eat it too... if you choose a more religious orthodox life, than don't expect the world to bend over and accommodate your needs especially when they are not in line with established goals, business or otherwise.

A Match Towards Normalization?

2009-09-18T11:11:00.004-04:00

For all the negative press Al Jazeera gets in US circles, little attention is given to the recent news about the network's plans to carry Israeli sports on their sister network: Al Jazeera Sports.

A match of the European Champions League that has the Israelis playing Munich will be broadcast, leading the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth to suggest that a “new Middle East” has started to emerge.

Note that is not the first attempt by an Arabic network to cover Israeli teams, Nile Sport, the Egyptian government run network did feature a volley ball game about a year ago between an Israeli team and an Egyptian one. However, that ended in a mess as the Egyptian team captain tore up an Israeli flag in front of cheering crowds.

Transgender belly dancer helps launch Arab gay initiative in Sweden

2009-09-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

Dressed in a flashy black belly-dancing outfit, Nancy is a hobby transgender dancer from Iraq, ready to take to the stage with full make-up and skinny high heels. She is preparing to entertain more than 200 other Arab gays, lesbians and transgender people in Stockholm, Sweden.

The setting is the Stockholm headquarters of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL). The occasion is the launch of Arab Initiative, the first Arab LGBT rights group in Europe.

Nancy has been in Sweden six years now. She lives with her Iraqi family in a Stockholm suburb and hides her preferred gender identity and hobby from her family.

“I was a hobby trans even back in Iraq. I believe most of my friends back then were bisexuals, they just refused to admit it, even if I had a relationship with them,” Nancy says, as she keeps watch of the entrance to the RFSL party premises.

She lets a fellow Iraqi in, and kisses him on both cheeks. Turning around, Nancy says her family would never accept her lifestyle and explains how she has to stay out with other Iraqi friends when she’s in town dressed up as the person she prefers to be.

“However, people here are more open to accepting a transgender belly dancer than in the Middle East.”

Ali, who started the Arab Initiative, takes some time off from serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to members and their friends to speak about the purpose of the organization.

“Our aim is to create new bridges between European and Arab cultures, spread information about the Arab world in Sweden, support LGBT people with an Arabic background, and hopefully to bring more tolerance and understanding of their issues and defend their rights in Sweden and abroad,” he says.

“We as Arabs are discriminated against in general as an immigrant group, and then we are discriminated against again amongst our own minority for being gay,” he adds.

Ali and his peers have received funding from the European Union, which supports several LGBT organizations for immigrant minorities around Europe.

Since its establishment last May, the Arab Initiative has held parties, partaken in two Pride festivals, arranged three film showings, and four seminars.

“We have been making connections with LGBT groups in the Middle East, promoting ourselves locally through word of mouth, and standing up for LGBT rights against media producers who portray this particular group in a negative way.”

Ali adds that it is not a political organization, but mostly a place for Arab LGBT people to find support and meet their peers.

Karin Båge, head of RFSL in Stockholm, says that her group was contacted by the Arab Initiative. RFSL quickly gave the group full access to its premises, skills, and contacts.

The difficulties faced by gays in Iraq was brought into sharp relief this week as Human Rights Watched published details of a murderous militia-led campaign against homosexuals in the Middle Eastern country. In response, RFSL called on the Swedish government to halt all deportations to Iraq of people who have sought asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender.

"We urge Sweden to investigate the possibility of evacuating homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people who are at risk of being subjected to 'sexual cleansing'," RFSL chairperson Sören Juvas wrote in a press release on Monday.

Sa’ad Ibrahim, 37, is an Iraqi citizen who was granted asylum last May after being threatened with death due to his sexual orientation.

“One day in 2006, I received a call between 8 and 9 in the evening when I had arrived home from work. A friend of mine told me that another friend of ours had disappeared. So we asked around and after ten days we found out that his dismembered body had been found. Three of my friends were killed this way. I am the only one alive in my previous circle of friends,” Sa’ad tells The Local.

He had previously received written threats in his ladies’ shoe shop in a conservative Shiite district of Baghdad, where he was told he was a “fag” and that “God hates fags."

“Around 9.30 to 10 at night there were six people asking about me around the corner. I got the message to leave before they made it to my shop: I escaped through the back door and left everything behind me. I went far away to my uncle’s place where I stayed for the next five months. Every day I would imagine myself torn to pieces.”

He made his way to Sweden through a smuggling network, using up all the money he had managed to gather. When he came to Sweden he was devastated and lonely, he says.

“Now I am very happy because here I am able to mingle and mix with all sorts of people. I met an Iranian man who became my boyfriend. I fell in love with him, as he took me to the Pride festival, which turned my life around 180 degrees. I was totally amazed by the energy of the festival.”

Meanwhile, it was time for Nancy to mount the stage and wow the crowd with her belly dancing shakes to Arabic music. Swedes, Arabs, Africans and people of other ethnicities, men and women, straight and gay, gathered around the stage and clapped to the rhythm – a sight unseen in any Arab country.

اطلاق كتيّب "احبهم...و لكن

2009-09-15T16:05:00.000-04:00

قامت جمعية العناية الصحية وجمعية "حلم" بالتنسيق مع التحالف العالمي لمكافحة السيدا وفي إطار برنامج التوعية لفئة الرجال ذوي العلاقات الجنسية مع الرجال ...بإنتاج دليل "احبهم... ولكن

وقد تمّ اطلاق هذا الدليل، الذي يتوجه إلى الأهل الذين لديهم ابناء مثليين او مثليات الجنس ليزوّدهم بالمعلومات العلمية ويناقش المواقف الأفضل للتعامل مع هذا الواقع، خلال لقاء جمع ممثلين عن منظمات الأمم المتحدة ومن الوزرات المعنية ومن المؤسسات الاجتماعية والصحية التي تهتم بالشباب كما وجمع اللقاء أختصاصيين في مجال علم النفس والعمل الإجتماعي مع عدد من الاهل ومن المهتمين بموضوع المثلية الجنسية وذلك في فندق بادوفا سن الفيل صباح الثلاثاء 15 ايلول 2009

وتضمّن اللقاء نقاشات عن المثلية الجنسية، من حيث الواقع والتحديات، اضافةً الى التطرق للدليل من ناحية انتاجه ومحتوياته وكيفية استخدامه ووضع خطة مستقبلية بهدف ايصاله الى المعنيين

Beirut: City Of Projected Fantasies

2009-09-15T15:58:00.001-04:00

By Diamond Walid

Diamond Walid is the pen-name of a Lebanese-Croatian TV producer and writer, based in Beirut

Beirut has been labelled the Paris, sometimes the Switzerland, of the Middle East. According to one recent New York Times article, it is now the region's Provincetown (the Cape Cod resort favoured by gay visitors). This ever-changing city seems to have become a mirror where people project their own fantasies.

Comparing Beirut with another city, whether Paris, Rome or Provincetown is a denial of its uniqueness. Beirut's gay culture is also unique and specific. As a gay man who has lived in the city for more than 30 years, I know that notions such as "gay", "straight", "public displays of affection" and "homophobia" can take on completely different forms and meanings in this part of the world. Yet there was no mention of these nuances in the New York Times article, obviously built on a series of denials.

"When I go out from Bardo [a gay-friendly restaurant] I always feel at ease hugging my friends – of course in a decent way – in front of the police. This is the kind of change I am talking about," Raed is quoted as saying. No mention of the fact that Lebanon, like all countries of the region, is a place where men often touch, kiss and hold each other's hands in public, whether gay, straight, policemen or not (whereas in New York, holding hands can apparently cost you your life). Or the fact that Lebanese heterosexual couples do not necessarily show more public affection than gay ones, also for reasons of "decency". If any "change" has recently occurred, it is only in the fantasies of some.

Reading this article, it seems as though gay culture in Lebanon was non-existent until the clubs it mentions opened or the Mr Bear Arabia election took place. In reality, one could go back to the Phoenicians to find same-sex relations an integral part of local culture. In more recent years, and even during the civil war (1975-90), gay men and women have gathered and partied in many public places, more or less visible but nonetheless vibrant.

The author not only denies local gay culture its history, but also its real space. Most of the venues cited in the article are hangouts for the Beiruti moneyed élite. In some, you will not be admitted if you don't come with an expensive car or wear certain fashion brands. Thankfully, the vast majority of the Lebanese don't belong to this obnoxious crowd. The less affluent gay population meets in different places, doesn't talk about its escapades in the Marais or Soho, doesn't always speak English or French or watch Sex and the City. In fact, it seems to have its own world, much larger and more open than the one described in the article.

The story of Paradise Beach is a telling example. This large public beach in the city of Byblos was very popular with working-class gay men from different cities and religions. A colourful place where gay men mingled and flirted more freely than elsewhere. Until the day the beach was privatised and turned into a luxury resort, with a strict admittance policy. However, a small strip of land was still left unsold and frequented by the working-class gays. The sight was amusing: the resort's stiff and bourgeois crowds – gay and straight alike – eyeing with utter shock their flamboyant neighbours. Today there are no more public gay beaches left in Lebanon.

The article also denies other Arab countries their own gay cultures. Many western journalists sum up Arab gay realities with sentences like: "Saudi Arabia: homosexuality punishable by death", "Iraq: gay men killed." Full stop. But gay men are also killed in "civilised" western countries. While homophobia is certainly a problem in Arab countries, like anywhere else, it never overshadows the thriving and lively local gay cultures. Yet no one talks about these cultures. "Cairo: bad", "Damascus: bad", we're told by Ricardo, the Spaniard in the article. Even Dubya and his "Axis of Evil" would envy such eloquence.

How ironic that many Lebanese gay men, including myself, actually feel more comfortable in places like Damascus or Amman and go there often in order to escape the Beiruti agitation. There might be no Kylie Minogue nights there, but on the other hand there is a lot less snobbery and less fuss about homosexuality. My friend Ali recently went to Jordan to be wedded to his boyfriend by a Muslim cleric and then spent his honeymoon in Damascus. The advantage of such trips also comes in finding an anonymity one is denied at home.

But even Amman seems to have its "globalised" gay crowd. Watching Ugly Betty and wearing D&G is what gay culture is about, these people seem to say, along with the NYT article and many gay men across the global village. I can still remember how discovering Steven, the gay character in Dynasty, during my childhood in the 1980s, opened a whole new perspective for me. It is another matter altogether to equate this mass consumption with gay culture, or even with gay rights advocacy. Just as Beirut's old neighbourhoods are being gentrified, its "superb architecture" (sic) being torn down to make way for soulless, surveillance-camera-equipped skyscrapers, its local gay culture is facing the challenge of McDonaldisation.

How long before writers start describing Beirut as a new Bangkok – rather than a Provincetown?Will sex tourism advance its population's gay rights or social wellbeing? In the meantime, Beirut is certainly turning back into the playground of multinational companies, regional interests and greedy entrepreneurs ("I can see a future for us here", one businessman says in the article).

The NYT article falls into the category of the infomercial, tailor-made for a certain clientele, and it has every right to. However, it is typical of much reporting about the Arab world, perpetuating tired stereotypes: Arabs are homophobes, except for the "westernised" ones, Arabs are "sexy savages". In doing so, not only is it extending the cultural gap further, but it is also exposing a much wider divide: the one between the haves and the have-nots.

العرض الأول لأجرأ فيلم مصري

2009-08-31T16:46:00.001-04:00

يقدّم فيلم "طول عمري" حكاية أناس لم نسمع عن حكايتهم من قبل. إنها حكاية الإختلاف عن الآخر، وقصة اولئك الذين أُجبروا على الصمت والعيش في الخفاء. يقول مخرج الفيلم، ماهر صبري: "الرقابة عبارة عن خنجر في قلب الحركة الإبداعية. الرقيب بيعاملني زي الطفل بيحدد لي كإنسان أقرا إيه، وأسمع إيه، وأشوف إيه. وبالتالي بيحدد لي أفكر إزاي وأعبّر إزاي. كل ده باسم "حماية الصالح العام" لكن بالفعل هو حماية السلطة والكرسي".

تمّ تصوير "طول عمري" في مدينتي القاهرة وسان فرانسيسكـو رغم كل الصعوبات، وإستغرق تصويره ثلاث سنوات. موسيقى الفيلم للملحن اللبناني الدكتور إلياس ايليا. أما الممثلون فتتطوعوا وتوافدوا من مصر، لبنان، العراق، السعودية، البحرين، ليبيا، المغرب، المكسيك والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية لإنجاز هذا الفيلم الضخم.

القاهرة، في ٢٠ مايو (أيّار) ٢٠٠٨ -- يسرّ الجمعية المصرية للافلام المهمشة أن تعلن عن العرض العالمي الأول لإنتاجها الأول، فيلم "طول عمري"، ضمن مهرجان فرايم لاين 32 ، مهرجان سان فرانسيسكـو السينمائي الدولي للافلام المثلية من ١٩ حتى ٢٩ يناير (حزيران)، وهو المهرجان الأقدم والأضخم لأفلام أحرار الجنس في العالم! وفيلم "طول عمري" يندرج في خانة سينما أحرار الجنس الجديدة. يتناول الفيلم حياة بعض المثليين والمشاكل التي تواجههم في ظل التمييز الإجتماعي والإضطهاد نحوهم، خاصةً بعد الحملات التعسفية ضدهم التي إزدادت منذ سنة ٢٠٠١ وأشهر تلك الحملات قضية الـكوين بوت والتي قبض فيها علی ٥٢ رجلٍ بإدعاء أنهم مثليون جنسيًا وجرت محاكمتهم في محاكم أمن الدولة.

رغم ان السينما المصرية، منذ بداياتها، قد قدمت شخصيات مثلية جنسية عديدة، إلا إن معظمها كانت شخصيات كوميدية، كأداة رخيصة لإضحاك الجماهير. وقد قُـدمت المثلية الجنسية بشكل جاد من خلال شخصيات ثانوية صغيرة في بعض الافلام المصرية مثل "حمام الملاطيلي" (1973) لـصلاح ابو سيف، أو "الإسكندرية ليه؟" (1978) لــيوسف شاهين، أو "شحاذون ونُبلاء" (1991) لأسماء البكري، أو "مرسيدس" (1993) لـيسري نصرالله، او "عمارة يعقوبيان" (2007) لمروان حامد. إلا أنها قُـدّمت بشكل سطحي جدًا إلی حد التلميح فقط أحيانًا.

يقدّم فيلم "طول عمري" حكاية أناس لم نسمع عن حكايتهم من قبل. إنها حكاية الإختلاف عن الآخر، وقصة اولئك الذين أُجبروا على الصمت والعيش في الخفاء. يجسّد الفيلم مقولة شهيرة للحركة النسائية في السبعينات: "الأمور الشخصية هي سياسية حكماً". حتى في يومنا هذا، إنّ الناشطين في مجال حقوق الإنسان يتوقعون من المثليين والمثليات أن ينتظروا دورهم حتى بعد إيجاد حلول لأمور أخرى "أكثر أهمّية". ليست الحرّية المجتزءة حرّية على الإطلاق، وإن أهمّ خطوة نحو الحرّية تكمُن في ضمان وجود صوت للمقهورين.

عنوان الفيلم "طول عمري" مُستوحى من أغنية "طول عمري عايش لوحدي" من الثلاثينات للموسيقار المرحوم محمد عبد الوهاب. موضوع الأغنية هو العيش وحيداً بين "الأهل والخلّان"، والبحث عن رفيق الروح. هذه الأغنية التي عُزفت بشكل مُقتضب في الفيلم ليست فقط إستعارة أدبية رئيسية بل تعبّر عن زمن غير بعيد كان المجتمع فيه متحرراً أكثر ولم يكن إنتشار الأصولية السياسية قد إنتهك الحريات الشخصية بعد.

تمّ تصوير "طول عمري" في مدينتي القاهرة وسان فرانسيسكـو رغم كل الصعوبات، وهو فيلم بدون ميزانية إستغرق تصويره ثلاث سنوات، وإعتمد على عمل المتطوعين. تمّ التصوير في الشارع وفي بيوت المتطوعين. ساهم الممثلون والمساعدون في تشغيل آلة الصوت وحمل الميكروفون وبناء الديكور وتقديم المرطبات. هذا الفيلم هو مِثال لتعاون فريق العمل المتعاضد بكل ما في الكلمة من معنى.

رغم كل المخاطر، كون كل المَشاهد في مصر قد صُوّرت على طريقة "الغوريلا" (أي صَوّر وأهرب) بسبب القيود التي تفرضها الدولة على التصوير في الشارع، كان ضرورياً تصوير الفيلم في مصر وكاليفورنيا. ورغم أنّ الهجرة هي من مواضيع الفيلم، فإن الهروب ليس حلاً. لا يجوز التضييق على مَن هم مختلفين حتى يتخلوا عن موطنهم. إستعنّا في هذا الفيلم بالمواهب العربية في العالم العربي وبلاد المهجر آملين إرسال شرارة الحوار عبر القارات ونقل الحوار حول مسائل هامّة الى العلن.

ويقول مخرج الفيلم، ماهر صبري، وهو أيضًا كاتب السيناريو والحوار:

"كلنا بنبني اسوار حوالين نفسنا علشان نحميها من الوجع والالم. علشان كدة لما بنشوف الظلم بيحصل لغيرنا اسهل حاجة نعملها اننا نقنع نفسنا ان ده مش حيحصلنا، لأن أكيد ضحاية الظلم عملوا حاجة تستوجب عقابهم. ويمكن الضحاية دول بيؤمنوا بآفكار غير أفكارنا أو بيعيشوا بطريقة مش على مزاجنا فيبقى الموضوع اسهل بكتير. ولما العجلة تدور ونقع تحتيها حنلاقي غيرنا بيقولوا لنفسهم نفس الكلام لحد مايبقاش فيه حد ماداقش الظلم."

مع تزايد الموجة المتحفظة والمتشددة في مصر والعالم العربي في السنوات الأخيرة، أصبح الفنان العربي لا يستطيع أن يتناول الكثير من الموضوعات التي تناولتها السينما المصرية في الماضي. مثال علی ذلك، في العام الماضي عندما عُرض الفيلم المصري "عمارة يعقوبيان، " قام 112 عضو من اعضاء مجلس الشعب، ربع اعضاء المجلس، بالتوقيع على بيان يطالبون فيه بحذف مشاهد الشخصية المثلية. وبالمقارنة بين الطريقة التي قُدمت بها الشخصية المثلية في هذا الفيلم وبين الطريقة التي قدمت بها الشخصية المثلية مثلًا في فيلم "حمام الملاطيلي" (١٩٧٣) نجد ان مخرج "عمارة يعقوبيان" كان أكثر تحفظًا من نظيره في السبعينيات. فيلم "طول عمري"، واللذي صور بطريقة تعرف باسم سينما الغوريلا يقوم بكسر كل التابوهات والمحرمات التي تفرضها الرقابة المصرية، سواء كانت جنسية أو إجتماعية أو سياسية.

وعن ذلك يقول مخرج الفيلم:

"الرقابة عبارة عن خنجر في قلب الحركة الإبداعية. الرقيب بيعاملني زي الطفل بيحدد لي كإنسان أقرا إيه، وأسمع إيه، وأشوف إيه. وبالتالي بيحدد لي أفكر إزاي وأعبّر إزاي. كل ده باسم "حماية الصالح العام" لكن بالفعل هو "حماية السلطة والكرسي" الرقابة مش موجودة غير في البلاد اللي تحت حكومات فاسدة ومستبدة واللي بتخاف إن شعبها يكون عنده وعي وبكده تضمن ان الوضع يفضل على ماهو عليه. وزي ما ثورة الإنترنت فتحت الباب للتاس اتها تعبر عن نفسها بالكتابة من غير رقابة ، ثورة صناعة الافلام الديجيتال حققتلي نفس الفرصة. من البداية وانا عارف ان الفيلم بتاعي مش حايتسمح له يتعرض بشكل رسمي لكن متأكد إن الناس حاتشوفو لان تحت الفساد، قرصنة الڤيديو شغالة علی ودنه. يعني بعد المهرجانات حتلاقي الفيلم بيتباع عالرصيف مع كل الافلام الممنوعة. يمكن بالطريقة دي مش حاعوض تكاليف الفيلم، لكن حأحقق إشباع ذاتي."

Well, Hello There Stranger.....

2009-08-31T15:29:00.003-04:00

Sami and Suleiman - Their Love Flourishes...

2009-07-29T16:05:00.003-04:00

Our Civilized "Allies"

2009-06-21T16:45:00.000-04:00

Sixty-seven Filipino men working in Saudi Arabia face jail and lashes for "imitating women" after being arrested at a party in which a number were dressed in drag, a Philippines embassy official said on Saturday.

Riyadh police arrested all 67 men at a private party and drag show in a resort villa near Riyadh on June 13, Philippines embassy Vice Consul Roussel Reyes told the news agency AFP.

"They had alcohol and some were dressed up like women," he said.

Both drinking and cross-dressing are forbidden under Saudi Arabia's conservative Islam-based sharia laws, and both could bring up to six months in prison and lashes.

None were charged with homosexual acts, a much more serious charge under Saudi law, Reyes said.

The men have all been released to their employers while formal charges are drawn up, he added.

Some one million Filipinos work in Saudi Arabia.

Help... Censorship

2009-05-29T13:52:00.004-04:00

Remember that scene in the wonderful "Cinema Paradiso" (Oscar for best foreign movie, 1990) where the village priest, a one-hand censorship committee, sits all alone in the darkened movie theater to do his dirty deed while Philippe Noiret's Alfredo plays him the latest flick? The one-handed deed being, of course, that every time the screen flashes anything approaching the hint of a kiss or a flash of flesh, up goes the priest's hand in the hysterical sign--not of a cross, exactly, but close: of scissors. It's the prelate's unspoken signal to Alfredo in the projection room to cut the offending bit of celluloid (often a cousin of unpriestly cellulite) and cast it to the dust-devils of Alfredo's cutting-room floor. So it was in 1950s Giancarlo, the tiny southern Italian town of Giuseppe Tornatore's lip-smacking imagination.

And so it is still, it seems, in 21st century Lebanon, where something else deserves a smack.

"Help" is a Lebanese film by director Marc Abi-Rached. It's the mostly platonic triangular story of a delinquent teenager called Ali who lives in an abandoned van in a junkyard, who befriends a prostitute called Soraya, who rooms with her gay friend Janot. The themes are more daring than the scenes (for Lebanon, anyway, where befriending a junkie can provoke all sorts of suspicions).

So far so cool. Abi-Rached got permission to distribute his movie in July 2008 from the ominously called Lebanese General Security board, which serves as the country's film licensing authority. The board asked Abi-Rached to tone down one image that purportedly flashed something Eve Ensler would have a monologue about, and to restrict the movie to adults. Abi-Rached complied and got himself a license--license number 1460, to be precise. The movie was shown to reviewers on Feb. 12, who gave it pretty good reviews, and it was scheduled to open on Feb. 19. And why not? There's a good bit of cursing and frank discussions about homosexuality, but this is Beirut, after all, the Christopher Street of the Middle East. On Feb. 16, the license was pulled. What gave?

Lebanon's clerics--Maronite Christian, Catholic, Sunni, Druze, Shiite in all their sect-ual denominations--can be a powerful bunch (put them together and they could probably field a hell of a team on soccer's senior circuit, if it existed). They control the film board, ensuring against immorality. But Lebanon isn't Wahhabi Saudi Arabia. It's not even Lebanon, if by recent re-definitions of Lebanon we mean what Hezbollah's turbaned Jansenists are doing to the country's relative liberalism: Hezbollah's influence would keep a movie like "Help" from playing in southern cities like Tyre or Sidon, but it couldn't keep it from playing in Beirut, Junieh or even Sunni Tripoli way up north. Besides, it's for movies like "Help" that the Arab world's hypocrites take their vacations in Lebanon. (They want their Beirut and eat it too.)

So what could have happened to the movie? It's Lebanon, therefore it's conspiracy time. The religious element is obvious, but too obvious. Too convenient. The homosexual element may be a bit more convincing. Lebanon isn't Iowa, after all (or Vermont or Massachusetts or California). It's more like the sort of place where Antonin Scalia and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could still feel comfortable--where homosexual acts are illegal.

So maybe that's what did it. Lebanon's moviemakers, from Nadine Labaki ("Caramel") to the emerging great Philipe Aractingi ("Bosta," "Under the Bombs") and the fitfully fabulous Ziad Doueiri ("West Beyrouth," "Lila dit ça") are an undiscovered country of force and wonders. But they tread on themes close to Lebanon's broken heart. In "Help," Marc Abi-Rached tries the Star Trek approach--going where no Lebanese moviemaker has gone before. Gay theme, full monty. A dare too far?

My theory is this: it has nothing to do with the gay theme, nothing to do with the cursing (the occasional Brooklyn Likudist aside, no one curses better than a Lebanese) or the glimpses of nudity. No. It's about Joanna Andraos. She's one of the stars of the movie. She's also the daughter of Antoine Andraos. Antoine Andraos is a member of Lebanon's Parliament. Not only that. He's a member or the ruling March 14 Alliance. He's running for reelection in June's parliamentary bash. And he, like the rest of the March 14 Alliance that represents Lebanon's alleged "Cedar Revolution" (and western outlook) is in a fight for the coalition's life as Hezbollah's coalition appears poised to make big gains, and perhaps demolish the March 14 coalition.

Antoine Andraos doesn't want to lose. He doesn't want his daughter's movie thrown up in his face every time he delivers a speech. If you know Lebanese families, if you know Lebanese fathers, you probably know the kind of anguished, top-of-the-lung screaming match that may have taken place in the Andraos living room. Spacious as it is, as all Lebanese living rooms are, it wouldn't have been spacious enough to contain the decibels of Father Andraos shouting his despair at his daughter's transformation into a prostitute, however fictional the transformation.

So Andraos did what any self-respecting despotic Lebanese father would do. He pulled strings. He had "Help"'s license revoked. End of story. That, anyway, is my theory. I doubt it's the end of the story, though now, for all my sympathies for the venal and corrupt and ineffectual March 14 coalition (for all its venality, the alternative is worse), I'm kind of rooting for Antoine Andraos to lose. If that's how he treats his daughter's freedom of expression.

By the way, at the end of "Cinema Paradiso" Toto got a special treat from Alfredo, from beyond the grave: all the scenes that had ever been cut (enough to make you fall in love with life all over again). There's hope yet, Marc Abi-Rached. You're the winner here, not the censors. I can't wait to see your movie, uncut and unturbaned.

From ForeignMoviesddl.com

Power And Torture

2009-04-30T00:35:00.001-04:00

A real disturbing clip about a serious torture case from Abu Dhabi....

Oh, The Chutzpah

2009-04-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

This morning, Reuters is reporting that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that he and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had decided to recall Ambassador Ilan Elgar from Berne "for consultations and in protest at the conference in Geneva". The conference in subject is a UN gathering planned to discuss global issues of racism.

Once again, many countries are, rightfully IMHO, trying to equate Zionism with Racism. The US as expected, is boycotting the conference on orders from AIPAC on the hill.

And now, we have Netanyahu, the prime minister who said that Israel should have gone all the way in Gaza, apparently over 1,000 civilian deaths were not enough for him, and Lieberman who openly advocates mass transfer of Palestinians from their '48 lands protesting the gathering..

oh, while we're at it, war is peace and ignorance is bliss...

Murders In Baghdad

2009-04-05T12:40:00.001-04:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said.

In the most recent attack, two men were killed Thursday in Sadr City area of Baghdad after they were disowned by relatives, the official said.

The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims.

On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives.

The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire.

Skokie, Palestine

2009-03-25T19:26:00.003-04:00

There was rioting in the Palestinian town of Umm El Fahm in Israel yesterday due to a planned march by an ultra nationalist Israeli group who insisted on parading the middle of town. The Israeli high court gave permission to the highly controversial request, but police had postponed it several times, fearing violence.

Reading that, I was reminded of a similar incident that happened in the town of Skokie, a suburb of Chicago IL back in 1977. The National Socialist Party of America (a Neo-Nazi group) planned a march in the middle of town which had a largely Jewish community including many Holocaust survivors.

sad, no?

Defending Bashir

2009-03-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

I was laying in bed this morning listening to RMC-Doualiya the popular NPR- like station based in Paris and covering the entire Arab world. The program was called Oxygen and consisted of a blend of popular pop songs along with call-ins by listeners to discuss current events.

While the host of the show was trying to suggest various topics of conversations, caller after caller seemed intent on discussing one issue and one issue only; that of the warrant of arrest against Omar Bashir, the president of Sudan.

What was interesting and scary is that none of the callers believed Bashir to be guilty and there was a unanimous belief that the whole thing was nothing more than a US (read Zionist) led conspiracy to go, not only after Bashir, but after every Arab leader in the region. One woman even suggested that the UN passes laws protecting all presidents from prosecution.

While the host of the show tried to raise some questions regarding Bashir's own flaws, that didn't seem to change the opinions of the callers. Just like in the days before we took down Saddam in Iraq, at least on the popular front, there was once again, the sentiment that by going after the leader, you are going after the country. The two are simply the same.

If there is anything that Arab leaders were successful at, this was it..

Protecting The Homeland?

2009-02-24T11:46:00.002-05:00

Gay Protest In Beirut

2009-02-23T10:12:00.002-05:00

In response to recent police brutality incidents, HELEM, the Lebanese LGBT organization organized a demonstration in Beirut yesterday...

this is the first ever protest of this kind in the region....

Check out the video:

The Medium Is The Message

2009-01-27T09:55:00.000-05:00

Obama's "first official" interview on Al Arabiya struck all the right notes, but too bad it happened on the wrong station. Obama's aides should know better that, just like in the US, the medium is the message. Al Arabiya, a Saudi funded network out of Dubai, is regionally perceived as being too pro-America and pretty much in support of established regimes and monarchies. As such, despite their very strong penetration in Arab markets, their audience is rather small and falls behind many other networks such as LBC, Future, and the notorious Al Jazeera.

And speaking of Al Jazeera.. love it or hate it, it is by far the leading network in the regions, and thru its English outlet (AJE), rapidly becoming a leading news organization worldwide. Our enemies and foes realize that and that is why they go out of their way to ensure that their messages are somehow carried there. Even the Israelis, who have long resisted dealing with AJE have finally realized that it is the network of choice to speak to the Arab Street/Muslim World.

Knowing Obama, I know this won't be his last interview for that region.. let's just hope that better planning and media realities are taken into consideration next time.

Let me suggest a sit down with Sir David Frost or Riz Khan...

Image Of A "Terrorist"

2008-12-30T13:19:00.001-05:00

According to Israel

What? Did We Run Out Of Shoes??

2008-12-22T23:41:00.002-05:00

While Bush himself didn't fare nearly as well, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raked in at least $316,000 in gem-encrusted baubles from the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia alone, making her one of top recipients among U.S. officials of gifts from foreign heads of state and government and their aides in 2007.

In January, Jordan's King Abdullah II gave Rice an emerald and diamond necklace, ring, bracelet and earrings estimated to be worth $147,000, according to the State Department's annual inventory of such items released Monday just in time for Christmas.

The king and his wife, Queen Rania, also gave Rice a less expensive necklace and earrings along with a jewelry box valued at $4,630, the document shows.

Not to be outdone, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia presented Rice with a ruby and diamond necklace with matching earrings, bracelet and ring worth $165,000 in July. The inventory also includes a $170,000 flower petal motif necklace the Saudi monarch gave to Rice in 2005, which the department says was not previously disclosed.

Meanwhile, back in Gaza....

Friends Of The Clintons

2008-12-18T14:18:00.000-05:00

I know the elections are behind us.. but this is too delicious to pass..

The Clinton Foundation has finally released their list of contributors, and here are some of the more interesting findings:

- Blackwater, the mercenary group in Iraq (and other places) donated upwards of $25K to the Foundation

- The Saudi government also donated $25K, but private contributions from other Saudi individuals and corporations come closer to $500K

- Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei and Oman gave $1 million to $5 million each.

- Saudi businessman Nasser Al-Rashid gave $1 million to $5 million.

- Friends of Saudi Arabia and the Dubai Foundation each gave $1 million to $5 million

- Harold Snyder, director for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the largest drug company in Israel. His son, Jay T. Snyder, serves on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, which oversees State Department activities, and served as a senior U.S. adviser to the United Nations, where he worked on international trade and poverty. Jay Snyder donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the foundation.

- Issam Fares, a former deputy prime minister of Lebanon, donated close to $100,000

- TV producer Haim Saban and his family foundation, who donated between $5 million and $10 million, splits his time between homes in Israel and California. "I'm a one-issue guy and my issue is Israel," he told The New York Times in 2004.

- Slim-Fast diet foods tycoon S. Daniel Abraham, a donor of between $1 million and $5 million, has been a board member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which promotes Israel's interests before the U.S. government. (I'm so ready to give up on my diet now)

and many more.. for a complete list, go to: http://www.clintonfoundation.org/contributors

Now, keep in mind that most of the money goes to charity, particularly the fight against AIDS, famine and poverty... while some goes towards the Clinton library in Arkansas..

Still, you have to wonder, what favors did the Clintons have to provide in return? and now that Hillary is about to head the state department, how are these revelations going to affect policy?

What assurances do we have that there will be a complete separation between the work of the foundation, Bill, and Hillary?

Shoes Of The Season

2008-12-15T10:41:00.002-05:00

I just love the way how US media outlets, in their coverage of the shoe incident, have to explain (in a very National Geographic tone) that throwing shoes at someone is considered a form of insult in the Arab world.

Really? Why? Is throwing shoes at somebody in the US considered a term of endearment?

Showtime In The Kingdom

2008-12-09T12:21:00.002-05:00

Audiences in Saudi Arabia can finally go to the movies again.

Saudi Arabia has officially lifted the ban on movie theaters. Movies will open on two screens in Jeddah and Taef on Dec. 9.

The first movie to play in the kingdom will be "Milk" the story of the gay civil rights hero as portrayed by Sean Penn. (ok, that's actually a joke)

The first title is actually a local film titled "Menahi"; a $2 million movie directed by Ayman Makram, it is the first bigscreen incarnation of popular Saudi TV persona Menahi, a naive, humble farmer who often finds himself involved in comic escapades. It centers on Menahi's involvement in a get-rich-quick scheme and traveling from his tribal homeland to the booming metropolis of Dubai.

The movie has already opened in neighboring Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

Saudi film execs have been inching their way toward this day for many months. In May this year, the Dammam Literary Club held the the conservative kingdom's first official film fest.

Playlist in Beirut - Part 2

2008-12-07T19:08:00.000-05:00

Playlist In Beirut

2008-12-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

Special episode of Playlist about the emerging music scene in Beirut

Do you REALLY want to hurt me?

2008-12-05T10:02:00.001-05:00

Boy George was found guilty on Friday of falsely imprisoning a Norwegian male escort by handcuffing him to a wall.

The former Culture Club frontman was at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London to hear the verdict, which came at the end of a two-week trial.

The jury broke to consider its verdict at around noon on Thursday. He will be sentenced later.

The 47-year-old, tried under his real name George O'Dowd, denied falsely imprisoning Audun Carlsen at his flat in April last year, the Press Association reported.

O'Dowd told police he had invited Carlsen to his home after a cocaine-fueled pornographic photo shoot in January because he suspected the Norwegian of stealing pictures from his computer. During the trial, Carlsen countered that the singer had handcuffed him to a wall and beaten him with a chain because he was angry he had refused to sleep with him when they first met. O'Dowd did not give evidence during the trial. The court heard Carlsen describe how he sustained injuries during their meeting in April, 2007, from being beaten and handcuffed.

O'Dowd's lawyer said the injuries were consistent with bondage gear the Norwegian had worn.

The singer shot to fame in the 1980s, thanks to his distinctive voice and androgynous image, and Culture Club topped the charts with hits like "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"

But he has struggled with drug problems, and in 2006 served community service in New York after admitting to falsely reporting a burglary. Police responding to his call found 13 bags of cocaine in his apartment.

Prop 8 - The Musical

2008-12-03T10:51:00.007-05:00

Britney Rules Search

2008-12-02T10:19:00.004-05:00

Yahoo just released their "Top Search Terms" for 2008.

Despite a year full of turmoil, hurricanes and other natural disasters, not to mention a very heated election, Britney Spears was the most searched on "term" for the entire year.

Number two was "World Wrestling Federation" and third was "Obama"

Hey, whatever happened to "Sex" and "Free Porn"?

What He Did For Love....(or that he just owes her)

2008-12-01T10:47:00.001-05:00

To make it possible for his wife to become the top U.S. diplomat, the officials said, former President Clinton agreed:

to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward.
to refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference.
to cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
to volunteer to step away from day-to-day management of the foundation while his wife is secretary of state.
to submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and White House counsel.
to submit any new sources of income to a similar ethical review.

Joey Fatone Takes A Dump In Times Square

2008-11-24T13:20:00.003-05:00

What a relief! The free public restrooms operated by the Charmin toilet paper company in Times Square during the holidays are being rolled out for another year.

It's the third straight year for the 20 deluxe stalls.

The plush potties feature flat-screen televisions, attendants dressed in tuxedos and plenty of Charmin.

The loos are so luxurious that Charmin promises Times Square tourists will feel like kings sitting on their thrones before making their royal flushes.

The toilets are being inaugurated Monday with a ceremonial first flush by pop singer and Broadway star Joey Fatone.

They'll be open every day through the end of the year except Christmas Day. For the first time they'll be open on New Year's Eve for the crowd watching the 2009 ball drop.

and with the right glory holes, you may even get to see Joey's Balls dropping

What A Stupid Moron

2008-11-20T17:11:00.004-05:00

The head of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party, MP Walid Jumblatt, said Thursday that communication with the US government "might be more difficult in the coming phase" as Washington makes the transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama, adding that the Lebanese "would deploy all efforts to promote ties with the new administration."
Jumblatt's statements came during a dinner held in his honor by the PSP in Washington.
The PSP leader concluded his visit to the US by meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator John Kerry, and other senior US officials (who clearly have no problems meeting with a so-called socialist).
Jumblatt thanked the United States for what he called its "continuous support for Lebanon," adding that recent US political strategy in Lebanon was a "successful example" for the coming administration.

If the last few years qualify as a "success" for Jumblatt, I would hate to see his idea of failure...

Betrayed By The Democrats

2008-11-18T17:06:00.004-05:00

This is an outrage...just after Americans clearly voted for change, Democrats clearly did not get the message.. In a "secret" (WTF?) vote they decided to reward the senator from Tel Aviv, Joe Lieberman for the betrayal of his own party.

Note to Democrats.. this will not be politics as usual in DC.. we will remember this in 2010, 2012...

Zune Paint

2008-11-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

Kids Playing

2008-11-17T11:37:00.004-05:00

By Sabine Weiss

Excellent CD - Arab Tango by Soumaya Baalbaki

2008-11-16T00:55:00.001-05:00

I picked up her CD today.. absolutely wonderful.. lush, romantic, great for late night listening with a glass or wine and a razor

Like Father, Like Son? Hope Not...

2008-11-07T11:47:00.003-05:00

In an interview with the Israeli daily "Ma'ariv", Rahm Emanuel's father, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel, said he was convinced that his son's appointment as Obama's chief of staff would be good for Israel.

"Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," he was quoted
as saying. "Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House."

What an ass....

La Vie En Vert

2008-11-02T12:13:00.003-05:00

French Diva, Mireille Mathieu, performed for Libya's tyrant Muamar Ghaddafi during his visit to Moscow yesterday. In a typical Ghaddafi style, a massive tent was set up outside the Kremlin for everyone to party and hang out...

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T15:25:00.000-04:00

Ignorance In North Carolina

2008-10-31T13:49:00.001-04:00

Out Of The Closet With Palin

2008-10-28T11:32:00.001-04:00

How To Spend The RNC $150K

2008-10-22T11:39:00.007-04:00

Piper Palin carrying her new Louis Vuiton bag... very small town "value", except, unlike the ones you find at the typical small town local flea market, this one is not fake and came from Neiman Marcus.

Before the RNC allowance

After

Palin in a $2,500 Valentino jacket from Saks Fifth Avenue

Palin's Hairy Past

2008-10-22T10:40:00.001-04:00

Because we pay attention to that sort of stuff....

Inspirational

2008-10-20T16:42:00.001-04:00

Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash.

The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail

Bears Are So In

2008-10-18T12:10:00.002-04:00

Never mind the credit crunch: A 1,000 euro, or $1,400 at current exchange rates, Karl Lagerfeld teddy bear by German maker Steiff found willing buyers during its unveiling at Colette on Friday. “I bought two, ssssh,” whispered Camille McMillan, a Los Angeles-based design student, who got one of the bears signed by the man himself. “When I saw it I thought that’s the best Christmas present in the world,” said Gareth Pugh, though he won’t be indulging that whim. “Are you kidding us? Do you know how much they are?” he exclaimed while snapping a flock of eager Lagerfeld fans for his blog on Style.com. Lagerfeld, meanwhile, departed with number one of the 2,500 numbered bears, which wear his “uniform” jeans, jacket and tie from the K Karl Lagerfeld collection and his signature black shades from his eyewear line.

I See Your True Colors Shining Through

2008-10-15T15:55:00.000-04:00

McCain and Decent Arabs

2008-10-15T09:52:00.003-04:00

Hilarious commentary from the Daily Show regarding the racism coming out of the McPalin campaign. (About 4 minutes into the clip)

Thank You Ms. Brown

2008-10-14T13:21:00.001-04:00

Right On Sister

Planet Green... Riz Khan Interviews Thomas Friedman

2008-10-14T12:58:00.003-04:00

While I disagee with Tom on his position regarding the Middle East, when it comes to global warming and other environmental concerns, he makes a lot of sense..

Watch for his hilarious comments regarding Sarah Palin (about five minutes into the interview)

Where Homophobia and Islamophobia Intersect

2008-10-13T10:25:00.005-04:00

One of the nice things about having the day off from work (it's Columbus Day here in the US) is the joy of catching up with daytime TV.

So, here I am flipping channels as I'm sipping tea, and I land on ABC's Family Channel which still carries Pat Robertson's 700 Club.. in High Def Too

So, two stories in a row... one about the CT Gay Marriage rule that was passed last week, followed by an interview with a dutch right wing activist about the scary rise of Islam in his country and how that is an ideology (not a religion) of hate, barbarism, and submission...

Needless to say that old Pat was outraged about both stories and went on ranting about the evils that both Gay and Muslims present to our "values".. the "Judeo-Christian" values... you know, the values that are responsible for most was in history and the death of countless humans.. those values.

I remember watching Pat's hate fests ever since the 80's.. nice to see somethings never change, except the tons of additional make-up needed for the high definition feed.

UPDATE

The Ladies from the View rock... well, except for Elisabeth...

Dad.. Can You Get Us In?

2008-10-10T12:04:00.003-04:00

In A Vegas Mood

2008-10-10T11:08:00.002-04:00

Banned In The UAE

2008-10-09T14:08:00.004-04:00

The United Arab Emirates has been identified as one of the countries that extensively filters content online in a global survey by the OpenNet Initiative.

The UAE not only blocks content that is religiously, culturally and socially inappropriate, but also filters political content. The report pointed out that internet users in the country were also prevented from legitimately using privacy and anonymizing tools and online translation services as they could be used to bypass filtering systems.

The software SmartFilter, from the US-based firm Secure Computing, is used to filter content from specified categories outside the free zones in the UAE. According to the report, the UAE does not just “...extensively block targeted content but they also unnecessarily overblock unrelated content. For instance, Iran and the United Arab Emirates block flickr.com entirely because they have deemed some of the photographs posted on the site objectionable.” The country was given a rank of ‘low’ for its consistency in filtering content.

Based on the global survey, 25 out of 40 countries were found to prohibit access to certain content online. 11 out of those 25 countries are from the Middle East and North Africa region - Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

Interestingly, broadband internet access is growing faster in the MEA region than any other region in the world.

Obsessive Propaganda

2008-10-09T12:02:00.003-04:00

If you live in an American swing state you may have received a copy of ‘Obsession’ in your Sunday paper. ‘Obsession’ isn’t a perfume: it’s a documentary about ‘radical Islam’s war against the West’. In the last two weeks of September, 28 million copies of the film were enclosed as an advertising supplement in 74 newspapers, including the New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education. ‘The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today,’ the sleeve announces. ‘It’s our responsibility to ensure we can make an informed vote in November.’

The Clarion Fund, the supplement’s sponsor, doesn’t explicitly endorse McCain, so as not to jeopardise its tax-exempt status, but the message is clear enough, and its circulation just happened to coincide with Obama’s leap in the polls.

The Clarion Fund is a front for neoconservative and Israeli pressure groups. It has an office, or at least an address, in Manhattan at Grace Corporate Park Executive Suites, which rents out ‘virtual office identity packages’ for $75 a month. Its website, clarionfund.org, provides neither a list of staff nor a board of directors, and the group still hasn’t disclosed where it gets its money, as required by the IRS. Who paid to make ‘Obsession’ isn’t clear – it cost $400,000. According to Rabbi Raphael Shore, the film’s Canadian-Israeli producer, 80 per cent of the money came from the executive producer ‘Peter Mier’, but that’s just an alias, as is the name of the film’s production manager, ‘Brett Halperin’. Shore claims ‘Mier’ and ‘Halperin’, whoever they are, are simply taking precautions, though it isn’t clear against what. The danger (whatever it is) hasn’t stopped Shore – or the director, Wayne Kopping, a South African neocon – from going on television to promote their work.

The 60-minute film was first released in 2006 and shown during the mid-term elections on Fox News. Since then it has received top billing at ‘Islamo-Fascism Awareness’ week on American campuses, at Christian-Zionist conferences and at events organised by Republican politicians in Florida. It has found a powerful backer in the real estate magnate Sheldon Adelson, who describes himself as ‘the world’s richest Jew’. The Endowment for Middle East Truth, a neoconservative think tank in Washington DC which recently hosted a series of seminars named after Adelson and his wife, arranged distribution of ‘Obsession’, at a cost in the tens of millions.

The makers of the film, like their subjects, are soldiers of God. Almost everyone associated with it or with Clarion has worked for Aish HaTorah, an ‘education’ group with offices in East Jerusalem and strong links to the settler movement. Clarion was incorporated in Delaware to the New York offices of Aish HaTorah and Rabbi Shore was the director, as well as the founder of its media organisation, Honest Reporting, which campaigns against a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine. It’s illegal in the US for nonprofit organisations, or for foreign nationals, to try to influence the outcome of an election.

The film’s chief claim is that 2008 is like 1938, only worse, since there are more Muslims than Germans and they’re more spread out geographically: ‘They’re not outside our borders, they are here.’ Violent raptures and spectacular carnage unfold in slick montages set to throbbing Middle Eastern music: Pakistanis deliriously burning the American flag, Palestinians celebrating the 9/11 attacks, Hizbullah chanting ‘death to America’, clerics praising the ‘magnificent 19’ and the murder of unbelievers, children training to become suicide bombers, the planes crashing into the towers. These images are interspersed with footage of Nazi rallies and Hitler’s speeches. A chapter – narrated by Martin Gilbert, Churchill’s biographer – is devoted to the Mufti’s collaboration with Hitler.

Scary Muslims are everywhere, and the umma stands more united than ever, driven by hatred of infidels and Jews and determined to conquer the West, a civilisation gone soft, weakened by self-doubt, political correctness bordering on treason, and, worst of all, a ‘culture of denial’. Gilbert spells it out:

In the 1930s, the danger of Nazism was there . . . but people thought, well, this is a German problem, it’s a limited problem . . . And I think the same is true today . . . They don’t see that Islamic fundamentalism is a global network and a global problem . . .because if you come to that conclusion – and I’m sure it’s the true conclusion – then you have to do something about it.
‘Obsession’ doesn’t say what we should do – except steer well clear of dialogue and negotiation.
Although there are interviews with the usual ‘terrorism experts’ – Daniel Pipes, Alan Dershowitz et al – the film’s portrayal of the region is mostly left to native informants like Nonie Darwish (a leader of Arabs for Israel and the daughter of a slain fighter from Gaza), Brigitte Gabriel (the Lebanese-Christian author of They Must Be Stopped) and Walid Shoebat, a ‘former PLO terrorist’ who operates under a pseudonym – for security reasons, of course. Shoebat runs the Walid Shoebat Foundation, described on its website as an ‘organisation that cries out for the Justice of Israel and the Jewish people’. He’s made a career of recounting his journey from Islamic terror to Christian Zionism before audiences at Evangelical gatherings and the US Air Force Academy. It’s not clear, though, that he ever laid a hand on anyone. According to a relative, ‘the biggest act of terror he ever committed was to glue Palestinian flags on street posts.’ What is very clear is that, for the makers of ‘Obsession’, having once hated Jews gives you privileged access to the Muslim mind, and not only if you’re an ex-Muslim. Among the film’s authorities on radical Islam is a former leader of the Hitler Youth, Alfons Heck, who says that ‘what the Muslims do to their own children is even worse’ than the things the Nazis did to young Germans – as only a Nazi could know.

If you didn’t receive ‘Obsession’ with your paper, you can watch it on YouTube. It’s been posted by a former Muslim whose screen identity is ‘fuckmohammad’.

Cadillac Revolution

2008-10-09T11:40:00.001-04:00

If the bailout plan really is a ‘socialist’ measure, it is a very peculiar one: a ‘socialist’ measure whose aim is to help not the poor but the rich, not those who borrow but those who lend.

‘Socialism’ is OK, it seems, when it serves to save capitalism. But what if ‘moral hazard’ is inscribed in the fundamental structure of capitalism?

The problem is that there is no way to separate the welfare of Main Street from that of Wall Street. Their relationship is non-transitive: what is good for Wall Street isn’t necessarily good for Main Street, but Main Street can’t thrive if Wall Street isn’t doing well – and this asymmetry gives an a priori advantage to Wall Street.

From Slavoj Zizek's piece in today's edition of the LRB

A Regime Change Starting In Wall Street???

2008-10-09T10:24:00.002-04:00

The following quote is from today's NYT headline story:"US May Take Ownership Stake In Banks":

Fed officials increasingly talk about the challenge they face with a phrase that President Bush used in another context: “regime change.”

This regime change refers to a change in the economic environment so radical that, at least for a while, economic policy makers will need to suspend what are usually sacred principles: minimal interference in free markets, gradualism and predictability.

So, really, socialism comes to the US, courtesy of wealthy bankers and traders... what next? restaurants? gas stations?

and, is that really such a bad thing?

Discuss...

Take The Land, But Don't Touch My Hummus

2008-10-07T14:13:00.003-04:00

The latest conflict simmering between Lebanon and Israel is all about food. Lebanese businessme are accusing Israel of stealing traditional Middle Eastern dishes like hummus.

Fadi Abboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association, said Tuesday his group plans to sue Israel to stop it from marketing hummus and other regional dishes as Israeli.

"It is not enough they (Israelis) are stealing our land. They are also stealing our civilization and our cuisine," said Abboud.

He said his group also seeks to claim the eggplant spread baba ghannouj and tabbouleh, a salad made of chopped parsley and tomatoes, as Lebanon's own.

Hummus — made from mashed chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic — has been eaten in the Middle East for centuries. Its exact origin is unknown, though it's generally seen as an Arab dish.

But it is also immensely popular in Israel — served in everyday meals and at many restaurants — and its popularity is growing around the globe.

While Abboud cites a history of complaints by Lebanese businessmen about Israel exporting and marketing Lebanese dishes as Israeli, it's not clear where the Lebanese might file suit since the two countries are officially at war.

Israel's Food Industries Association and the Foreign Ministry both declined comment.

Abboud compares his suit to the one over feta cheese in which a European Union court ruled in 2002 the cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goats milk to bear the name feta. That ruling is only valid for products sold in the EU.

Abboud acknowledged an uphill battle, particularly over hummus — which Palestinians also claim as their own.

"Hummus might be debatable, in any case we will be happy if the Palestinians win... But nobody can even discuss whether tabbouleh or baba ghannouj are Lebanese," Abboud added. "We don't have to win. The important thing is to try."

AMD's New "Arab" Money

2008-10-07T10:47:00.003-04:00

Advanced Micro Devices teamed up today with IBM and Abu Dhabi to create a new global manufacturing company, The Foundry Company.

The new company will have plants in both Germany and Upstate New York. In New York alone, the company will create an estimated 14,000 new jobs. As anyone who has been to that part of that state, this is great news for the local economy which has been suffering a lot lately.

Yet, in a CNBC interview with the new CEO of the Foundry Company and AMD, the anchor TWICE questions the motives of Abu Dhabi investors in such a deal... Call me paranoid here, but would that question be raised if those investors came from Russia, China, or any other non-Arab country?

Click Here To Watch The Interview

For Those In Beirut.. Or Nearby

2008-10-06T12:53:00.000-04:00

Keating Economics

2008-10-06T12:28:00.001-04:00

Watch, then send to a friend

New York Remembers Darwish

2008-10-06T12:07:00.004-04:00

WNYC, New York's popular public station, broadcast a great piece on New Yorkers getting together to remember the great Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish.

Click Here To Listen

Occupation Idol

2008-10-03T09:15:00.001-04:00

When national euphoria broke out last year after an Iraqi singer won a talent contest in Lebanon, the U.S. military considered producing an Iraqi version of "American Idol" to help build nonsectarian nationalism.

The idea was shelved as too expensive, an official said, but "we're trying to think out of the box on" reconciliation.

Sadly, Not Fiction

2008-10-02T09:36:00.002-04:00

Talking To The Taliban?

2008-10-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

The New York Times is reporting today that our man in Afghanistan, (and new friend of Sarah Palin)Hamid Karzai, was in Saudi Arabia urging the royal family to help set up talks with the Taliban...

So much for the "We Don't Talk To Terrorists" crap

Walking Away From HP

2008-09-29T17:43:00.000-04:00

Precious Quote

2008-09-29T12:51:00.000-04:00

"Madam Speaker, this bill offends my principles. But I'm going to vote for this bill, in order to preserve my principles. "

Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Resist.. Prove You Exist

2008-09-23T09:22:00.001-04:00

It would be a grave mistake to underestimate the right's ability to use this crisis -- created by deregulation and privatization -- to demand more of the same.

Naomi Klein - Now is the time to Resist

Bailout Or Carte Blanche?

2008-09-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

More

Drill Baby, Drill

2008-09-17T09:16:00.005-04:00

Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for ‘The Vagina Monologues’, wrote the following about Sarah Palin:

Drill, Drill, Drill

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it’s their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don’t like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them.. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists. But everything Sa rah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story — connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.

Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God’s plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin’s view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, ‘It was a task from God.’

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist’s baby or not. She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.

Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God’s name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we cr eate policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack.. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don’t move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, ‘Drill Drill Drill.’ I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Eve Ensler

September 5, 2008

Lost In Translation

2008-09-16T17:20:00.002-04:00

Republican Voter Button

2008-09-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

Three Fixes For America

2008-09-15T09:45:00.001-04:00

First, make sure that the patents the new capitalists in Asia are working on -- continue to be "made in the USA." Second, make sure that people in Asia and elsewhere continue to think that Yale and Princeton offer the best possible education for the movers and shakers of the world. And third, ensure that American banks continue to offer the most sophisticated and secure financial services to those in possession of the world's accrued profits. As long as America retains full control of these three sectors, it will continue to hold the keys to real power. As long as the world continues to rely on America in the areas of scientific innovation, training the elite and allocating its assets, the important elements will be safe.

Bernard-Henri Levy in today's Huffington Post

Hilarious...

2008-09-14T17:50:00.001-04:00

Arab American Beauty

2008-09-11T13:06:00.005-04:00

"Towel Head",the new movie from Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, American Beauty) opens tomorrow in most US cities.

It's sort of a typical teenage angst flick,with added Anti-Arab bigotry to give it that extra realistic feel.

Oh,and Peter Macdisi, the hot Lebanese American actor, is in it too. He plays the heroine's father. You may remember him as the adorable prick, Olivier, in Six Feet Under.

Two Thousand Days Of Occupation

2008-09-11T10:50:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 2000 day since the illegal occupation of Iraq by US forces. The irony that this falls on Sept. 11, the fake excuse W used to launch his war, speaks volumes.

We're Back

2008-09-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

Apologies to all readers... Google shut down the blog due to a "Terms Violation"... We're still not sure what that was, but we are guessing it involved the F word.

Thanks to all who wrote and asked...

What do you think of the new look? Very Fall, no?

QA