In the state of siege, time becomes space
Transfixed in its eternity
In the state of siege, space becomes time
That has missed its yesterday and its tomorrow…
The siege will last in order to convince us we must choose
an enslavement that does no harm, in fullest liberty!
- Under Siege by Mahmoud Darwish
Gaza is still under siege
Mahmoud Darwish […]

With the approved budget expanding by leaps and bounds this year, the deficit is on the rise. The lifting subsidies may end up helping the government save a decent amount of money (close to $1.5 billion according to officials) but then the likely question becomes: what good is all that money if it’s outmatched by […]

I think the only thing possibly worse than that chaos associated with actual snow in the country are those few days leading up to a potential snow fall, when everyone is talking about it. The topic is so dominant in everyday conversation that the war and conflict which surrounds us is rendered insignificant. Weather information […]

Here is a selection of my delicious picks: a few interesting articles/links from across the Net.
- Robert Fisk recalls his first meeting with assassinated Hizballah commander, Imad Mougnieh, in 1991.
- Arab information ministers have met in Cairo to endorse an Arab League charter, which allows host countries to annul or suspend the licence of any […]

At first glance, the film about a shy, introvert who makes believe a sex doll is his girlfriend, has the makings of a goofy, romantic comedy. Lars And The Real Girl, is actually anything but that. With a pretty bold performance by Ryan Gosling, the story is really about true love, loneliness, and family. Described […]

Human Rights Watch has appealed to Saudi Arabia to halt the execution of a woman convicted of witchcraft. In a letter to King Abdullah, the rights group described the trial and conviction of Fawza Falih as a miscarriage of justice.
The illiterate woman was detained by religious police in 2005 and allegedly beaten and forced to […]

I feel like just another passive observer when it comes to the problems Lebanon is facing today, and I think a lot of Arabs are feeling that way. The region’s conflict portfolio has grown tremendously in the past few years. In fact, it’s hard to believe that three, yes three whole years have passed since […]

Sixty Six: The number of hot dogs eaten by World record holder Joey Chestnut in 15 minutes at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championships in 2007.
Sixty Six: Noah Webster completed his American Dictionary of the English Language 1825 at age 66
Sixty Six: The number of days Saudi blogger Fouad Farhan has been stuck in jail […]

I’ve always wondered about this infatuation we have with license plate numbers. I mean it’s one thing to pay for specialty or vanity plates that have customized words/names, but the idea of paying thousands for just a pretty average number is kind of crazy. It’s been less than a year since license plates were changed […]

Sixty Five: The code for international direct dial phone calls to Singapore.
Sixty Five: The year Emperor Nero kills his pregnant wife, Poppea Sabina, with a kick to the stomach.
Sixty Five: The number of days Saudi blogger Fouad Farhan has been stuck in jail as of today. He is yet to be charged.
- Forty
- Fifty
- Sixty […]

I’m as cynical as the next guy when it comes to Valentines day in the Arab world, but this may be going a tad too far, no? It’s funny in a sad way.
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s religious police have banned red roses ahead of Valentine’s Day, forcing couples in the conservative Muslim nation to […]

Sixty Four: The maximum number of strokes in any Chinese character
Sixty Four: The amount of crayons in the popular Crayola 64 pack
Sixty Four: In chess or checkers, the total number of black and white squares on the game board.
Sixty Four: The number of days Saudi blogger Fouad Farhan has been stuck in jail as of […]

It’s been interesting to note these last couple of days, the heightened interest Jordanians seem to have in US primary elections, especially post Super Tuesday. It’s the kind of attention usually given to the general elections, but I suppose there are various reasons which may explain the sudden interest. First of all, both satellite television […]

Sixty Three: The year Augustus Octavius Caesar, the first Roman Emperor, was born.
Sixty Three: The atomic number of europium.
Sixty Three: The number of days Saudi blogger Fouad Farhan has been stuck in jail as of today. He is yet to be charged.
- Forty
- Fifty
- Sixty One
- Sixty Two
We Are All Fouads

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After a lengthy discussion with friends last night about the craziness of prices in the country, courtesy of recent oil subsidy disappearances, we decided there was a need to do something inexpensive just to feel that the world still made sense. Hence we drove down to the balad in search of qasab sukar (sugar cane […]

Sixty Two: The atomic number of samarium
Sixty Two: Age of David Ben-Gurion upon becoming Israel’s 1st Prime Minister
Sixty Two: The number of days Saudi blogger Fouad Farhan has been stuck in jail as of today. He is yet to be charged.
- Forty
- Fifty
- Sixty One
We Are All Fouads

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