Hani Almadhoun: Why Arabs Don't Compete in the Winter Olympics

Habbibi
The New York Times looks at Habbibi, Manhattan's long-running dance party for gay Arabs. In the D.J.’s booth, Abraham kept the hits coming — mainly from Egypt and Lebanon, but also some South Asian and Indian pop. “Anything with a belly dance beat,” he said. “Keeping people on the dance floor is a natural high for me.” The dancers included plenty of non-Arab men, many of whom Abraham said were regulars. "Hummus queens,” a 24-year-old grocery clerk from Queens nam

Most Arabs believe Nasrallah's starting point: '"Israel is behind many of the events that intensify conflict & sectarianism in t
"... Politically, Hezbollah managed to assert itself in both the previous ruling coalition and the current March 14 coalition by exercising its Military superiority in the confrontations of 2008. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah continues to be among the most popular in the Arab World—with his opponents looking weaker by the day through the continuous revelations coming out of Wikileaks. Expected new releases about the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict are likely to play into Hezbollah’s ...

The Sudanese at a Crossroads and the Arab League
On Sunday, the southern Sudanese began voting on a Referendum to secede from the Republic of Sudan and establish their own sovereign nation. By all accounts, they will soon secede from the Arab, Islamic country and form an independent African, Christian and animist state. The consequences of their actions will reverberate around the world. This week’s Referendum takes place in accordance with the US-brokered Comprehensive Peace Treaty between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People...

Green ways to ski and snowboard
Some tips to help you fight Climate Change and save the slopes. A snowy winter season is of optimal importance for the skiing and snowboarding industry. But less Snowfall and higher temperatures due to Climate Change increasingly threaten the length and success of the season, creating an environment that may one day be inhospitable for skiers and boarders. Forty-seven Alpine resorts couldn’t open in 2007 due to a lack of snow. The Winter Sports industry is in an awkward position: Large ski ...

More on Arab and European support for 'Palestinian' terror
In an earlier post, I wrote about the proposed Knesset investigation into the funding of Israel's radical Left, and that much of the funding is coming from Arab countries. Caroline Glick devoted her column this week to the report by Im Tirtzu that precipitated the demand for an investigation. On Saturday night, there was a demonstration against the proposed commission of inquiry in Tel Aviv. Im Tirtzu's report is titled, "Support by Arab foundations and states for organizations working against...

Terrorist's replacement arrested in Dubai?
The replacement for Hamas Terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was allegedly liquidated by the Mossad a year ago, may have been arrested in Dubai. Sources in the United Arab Emirates said local authorities have detained Abd al-Aziz al-Khalidi, who manages Hamas' funds in Gaza, a website affiliated with Fatah reported Thursday evening. The report's credibility is unclear. Hmmm. Labels: Hamas rockets, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh ...

Clarkson U. working on new luge sled design
Two engineers from Clarkson University are going to work on designing more aerodynamic sled for the U.S. luge team. Mechanical engineering Professors Douglas G. Bohl and Brian Helenbrook will use computer models and wind tunnels in an effort to reduce drag and increase the speed of the sleds. Bohl got involved after his son tried out for the USA Luge development team last year. Luge is the only Winter Olympics sport measured in thousandths of a second, so very small changes in drag can greatly a...

'Gulf World Cup' plan criticised
The contest to hold the 2022 World Cup should be re-opened, rather than allowing other Gulf nations to co-host with Qatar, Iran's coach has said. Afshin Ghotbi was responding to a plan by Uefa's Michel Platini to let Qatar's neighbours to share the tournament. Critics have queried whether a country as small as Qatar would be able to host the cup. Ghotbi said to "change the landscape" by changing the venues would be unfair to the unsuccessful 2022 bidders. "I think if they are n...

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Stephan -- 60 years
PARISHVILLE — Mr. and Mrs. Richard Stephan, 1744 Route 72, observed their 60th Wedding anniversary Jan. 6. Mr. Stephan and Dory Fleming were married Jan. 6, 1951, at Atonement Lutheran Church, Buffalo, with the Rev. Goetz officiating. Mr. Stephan received a bachelor's degree in music education from SUNY Fredonia and a master's degree in music from Eastman School of Music, Rochester. He continued his studies in music education at the University at Buffalo and Brigham Young Unive...

'Coming Up Next on TLC... Alvin Greene's South Carolina.'
The lighter conclusion of the final Morning Jolt of the week: Am I correct in theorizing that the key conduit for a shocking amount of these stupid, fact-free arguments is Politico? I’m not saying that their correspondents are stupid; they work like maniacs and get scoops like clockwork. But sometimes you get the feeling they’ll write about anything. Ed Schultz accuses Palin of using “rhetorical dog whistles” in the term “Blood Libel,” and Abracadabra! A 650...

Poll: By a 35% to 30% Margin East Jerusalem Arabs Would Prefer to Live Under Israeli Rule Than a Future Palestinian State
Maybe da Joooos aren’t so evil after all. WASHINGTON - The future of Jerusalem is considered one of the core issues in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and one of the most significant obstacles to a permanent agreement between the two sides. However, it appears that on the Palestinian side, those who live in Jerusalem have already made their decision on the matter - and the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah may not like it. A Public Opinion poll carried out by Americ...

WikiLeaks [36]: Shi'as in Lebanon are "frightening"...
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 001327 SUBJECT: ALGERIAN MFA WARY ON EVE OF ASAD VISIT ¶1. (S) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche December 21 to the MFA Director General for Arab Affairs on the eve of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad's expected visit. On foreign fighters, DG Abdelhamid Bouzaher said that the flow into Iraq had declined in recent years from a 2003-05 peak. He added that many young returning Algerian fighters had been "disillusioned" by their experience, not wanting t...

E.Jerusalem Arabs split on where to live
JERUSALEM, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Most East Jerusalem Arabs indicated they would not move if their neighborhoods became part of a Palestinian state, a poll released Thursday indicated. Thirty-five percent of participants said they were willing to move if their neighborhoods were absorbed into a future Palestinian state, while 54 percent of respondents said they would stay put, Haaretz reported. Thirty percent percent said they preferred Palestinian Citizenship to Israeli, Haaretz reported, while 35 pe...

Tunisia and Islamism (II)
The weakness of Tunisia’s Islamist opposition also makes it difficult to forecast how other Middle Eastern regimes would react to similar Protests. It is unthinkable, for example, that Mubarak would not choose to crack down more viciously on Protesters given the very real possibility that, if overthrown, Egypt would become an Islamist state. Given the unique nature of Tunisian society, observers hoping that Ben Ali’s fall will portend a similar fate for other Arab autocrats may be ...

Would East Jerusalem Arabs rather be citizens of Israel or Palestine?
In new survey, 35% say they are willing to relocate if their neighborhoods become part of a future Palestinian state; only 30% say they would prefer Palestinian Citizenship over Israeli....

Another US Quagmire? Lebanon Government Falls
Al-Hariri, a Sunni Arab backed by Saudi Arabia, is the son of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005. An international tribunal is still trying to affix blame in that killing, and last summer the Shiite Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah announced that the Tribunal was leaning toward fingering members of his party-militia as the perpetrators. I was in Beirut in August, when Nasrallah attempted to put the blame on the Israelis, but even he admitted that he could make on...

Brooklyn-Jenin: On concentrations camps and Yonatan Pollack
Genocide.co.il I am worried that the 2010 Rabbis’ letter is just the beginning for a much more severe Racism wave. An article published at a weekly religious Zionist publication, which mentioned death camps for “Amalek,” makes me fear even more.  Amalek, a biblical tribe hostile to the Israelites that had to be destroyed by Israel according to God (some religious Jews use this term in slang to describe Arabs/Muslims/Palestinians).   Further, to add to the “

Egypt activists hope Tunisia revolt sparks change
Tunisian youths throw stones at police forces during riots in Tunis, Friday, Jan. 14,2 011. Tunisia's president declared a State of Emergency and announced that he would fire his government as violent Protests escalated Friday, with gunfire echoing in the North African country's usually calm capital and police lobbing Tear Gas at Protesters. Arabs across the region are turning to Twitter, Facebook and blogs to cheer the anti-government Protests that drove the Tunisian president from power after...

What Next in Tunisia?
The unrest in Tunisia has continued. Ghannouchi’s attempt at a “soft coup” has been rejected, and the speaker of the parliament, Fouad Mebaza, is currently acting as interim president. He has reportedly authorized negotiations for the formation of a national unity government. The BBC has its live-blog up again for today. Now that Ghannouchi is out and the “temporary” absence of Ben Ali has become officially a permanent departure, presidential Elections are require...

What is Hillary Clinton Smoking and Inhaling During Her Middle East Tour?
Originally published on January 13, 2011. In 2009, President Obama declared that America is really “one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.” He also bowed low to Saudi King Abdullah and proudly defended America’s stand on behalf of a Muslim woman’s right to veil. Well, that didn’t stop Iran. Next, the Obama Administration tried to force the Israelis—who want peace—to give up…more pieces of land in order to further appease the Arabs—who do not

Egypt activists hope Tunisia revolt sparks change
CAIRO (AP) — Arabs across the region are turning to Twitter, Facebook and blogs to cheer the anti-government Protests that drove the Tunisian president from power after 23 years of iron-fisted rule. Thousands of Tweets congratulating the Tunisian people flooded the Internet and many people changed their profile pictures to Tunisian flags. Egyptian Activists opposed to President Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade regime also looked to Friday’s events in Tunisia with hope. About 50 Egy...

Revolt or Coup In Tunisia?
By Steve Hynd Today's big foreign news comes from Tunisia, where thousands of Protesters had been taking to the streets after the president there had refused to step down. Now President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has sacked the government, declared a State of Emergency and said new parliamentary Elections will be held within six months. The BBC is liveblogging events as they happen and there are indications on Twitter that The Army may have staged an actual coup against the ...

The Vengeance of the Occupation
I know that the Yiddish writer Sholem Asch didn't intend his classic play, God of Vengeance, as an allegory about Israel and the impact of the occupation. The play was first staged 60 years before Israel conquered the West Bank. All the same, what's happening in the Jewish State keeps tempting me to read Asch's drama as an allegory. In "God of Vengeance," a character named Yankel Chapchovich in an unnamed Eastern European town runs a Brothel in his basement while trying to bring up ...

In Tunisia, the Arab street writes a new script
Robin Yassin-Kassab has a celebratory post up at Pulse on the expulsion of Ben Ali from Tunisia. Read the whole thing for his analysis of how Washington has shifted, and how Arab peoples are scripting a new story, but here is the opening... The dictator, thief and Western client Zein al-Abdine Ben Ali, beloved until a few hours ago in Paris and Washington, has been driven from Tunisia. His reign was ended not by a Military or palace coup but by an extraordinarily broad-based popular movement w...

Civility Flashback: Wanda Sykes Jokes About Death/Torture of Rush Limbaugh Obama Yuks it up.
big-pete on Want Your Very Own AZ Mass Murder “Together We Thrive” T-Shirt? Larry7 (prev. just Larry) on Poll: By a 35% to 30% Margin East Jerusalem Arabs Would Prefer to Live Under Israeli Rule Than a Future Palestinian State… The REAL Bob on Busted! CAIR Removes Poster Telling Muslims Not to Talk to FBI the Boodge on Want Your Very Own AZ Mass Murder “Together We Thrive” T-Shirt? Zcat on Want Your Very Own AZ Mass Murder “Together We Thrive” T-Shirt...