Iman’s constant cravings…

Gaza on our minds…

Under: Palestine, Uncategorized @ 9:24 pm on Saturday, 01.3.09

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We, Palestinians, Love Life…

Under: Around The World, Music, Palestine, Uncategorized, What I Love @ 3:56 pm on Wednesday, 12.31.08

Snippets of Marcel Khalife’s tour And We Love Life - a Salute to Mahmoud Darwish in Damascus, sealing a week long tour with his Al Mayadine Ensemble; with the last two concerts dedicated to Gaza.

Gaza has been undergoing the latest barbaric airstrikes by israel since Saturday (12/27) leaving 395 dead and 2,000 injured. [source]
“Never to forgive, Never to forget,” Bachar Khalife thought aloud, his eyes brimming with steely defiance as he reflected on the rising death toll in Gaza and the continuing occupation of Palestine. [source]

“Remembering them [Palestinians] is the greatest thing I can do right now. I saw footage of the bombardment before the concert and I cried. I couldn’t believe it. I would like them [israel] to understand that they will not come by a result in this way, with guns and weapons. This [Palestinian] race has a right to exist. They have the right to continue to fight to protect this right. I don’t know why there is silence about this issue in the Arab world. There is no stance. How is a race being killed everyday? Houses are being destroyed. Nobody is speaking out. How could they not see?” - Omaima Khalil. [source]

If you’re in the USA, I encourage you to attend Marcel Khalife at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC on March 7, 2009. Details here or here.

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israel’s genocide by name…

Under: Around The World, How Outrageous, Palestine, Uncategorized @ 9:43 am on Wednesday, 12.31.08

All that you have done to our people is registered in our notebooks - Mahmoud Darwish.

—-

The Palestinian Health Ministry on Wednesday released a list of 187 Palestinians killed in the first two days of Israeli airstrikes.

The death toll through Wednesday at midday had exceeded 390, and the ministry is trying to collect all the names of the slain and the wounded.

The Health Ministry will have details of how many civilians were killed and injured in order to present documents to international humanitarian organizations when it files legal procedures against Israel.

The first 187 victims were identified as: [source]

Ibrahim Al-Jamaj
Isma’il Al-Husari
Isma’il Salem
Isma’il Ghneim
Eyman Natour
Eyhab Ash-Shaer
Ibrahim Mahfoudh
Abu Ali Ar-Rahhal
Ahmad Al-Halabi
Ahmad Al-Kurd
Ahmad Al-Lahham
Ahmad Al-Hums
Ahmad At-Talouli
Ahmad Zu’rub
Ahmad Abu Jazar
Ahmad Radwan
Ahmad ‘Udah
Ahmad Abu Mousa
Ahmad Tbeil
Adham Al-Areini
Osama Abu Ar-Rus
Osama Abu Ar-Reish
Osama Darweish
Ashraf Ash-Sharabasi
Ashraf Abu Suhweil
Amjad Abu Jazar
Ameen Az-Zarbatli
Anas Hamad
Anwar Al-Bardini
Anwar Al-Kurd
Ayman Abu Ammouna
Ayman An-Nahhal
Ibrahim Abu Ar-Rus
Basil Dababish
Bassam Makkawi
Bilal Omar
Bahaa Abu Zuhri
Tamir Qreinawi
Tamir Abu Afsha
Tawfiq Al-Fallit
Tawfiq Jabir
Thaer Madi
Jabir Jarbu’
Hatim Abu Sha’ira
Hamid Yasin
Husam Ayyash
Hasan Baraka
Hasan Abid Rabbo
Hasan Al-Majayda
Hussein Al-A’raj
Hussein Dawood
Hussein ‘Uroq
Hakam Abu Mansi
Hamada Abu Duqqa
Hamada Safi
Hamdan Abu Nu’eira
Haydar Hassuna
Khalid Zu’rub
Khalid Abu Hasna
Khalid An-Nashasi
Khalid Shaheen
Raed Dughmush
Rami Ash-Sheikh
Raafat Shamiyya
Riziq Salman
Rif’at Sa’da
Rafiq Na’im
Ramzi Al-Haddad
Ziyad Abu ‘Ubada
Sarah Al-Hawajiri
Salim Abu Shamla
Salim Qreinawi
Sa’id Hamada
Salim Al-Gharir
Suheil Tambura
Shadi Sbakhi
Shahada Quffa
Shahada Abd ar-Rahman
Sabir Al-Mabhouh
Suhayb Abu ‘Iffat
Suhayb Abd al-‘aal
Tal’at Salman
Tal’at Basal
‘Aasim Ash-Shaer
‘Aasim Abu Kamil
Abid Ad-Dahshan
Abd ar-Raziq Shahtu
Abd as-Sami’ An-Nashar
Abdul-Fattah Abu ‘Uteiwi
Abdul-Fattah Fadil
Abdullah Juneid
Abdullah Al-Ghafari
Abdullah Rantisi
Abdullah Wahbi
Arafat Farajallah
Azmi Abu Dalal
Isam Al-Ghirbawi
‘Alaa Al-Qatrawi
‘Alaa Al-Kahlout
‘Alaa ‘Uqeilan
‘Alaa Nasr Ar-Ra’i
Ali Awad
Imab Abu Al-Hajj
Omar Darawsha
Omran Ar-ran
Anan Ghaliya
Gharib Al-Assar
Fayiz Riyad Al-Madhoun
Fayiz Ayada Al-Madhoun
Fayiz Abu Al-Qumsan
Camellia Al-Bardini
Ma’moun Sleim
Mazin ‘Ulayyan
Muhammad Al-Ghimri
Muhammad Al-Halabi
Muhammad Asaliyya
Muhammad Az-Zatma
Muhammad Az-ahra
Muhammad Gaza
Muhammad An-Nuri
Muhammad Abu Sabra
Muhammad Abu ‘Amir
Muhammad Abu Libda
Muhammad Hboush
Muhammad Al-Mabhouh
Muhammad Sha’ban
Muhammad Abu ‘Abdo
Muhammad Salih
Muhammad Tabasha
Muhammad Al-Habeil
Muhammad Abdullah Aziz
Muhammad Abdul-Wahhab Aziz
Muhammad Awad
Muhammad Abd An-Nabi
Muhammad Salih
Muhammad An-Najari
Muhammad Hamad
Muhammad Barakat
Muhammad Muhanna
Mahmoud Al-Khalidi
Mahmoud Abu Harbeid
Mahmoud Abu Matar
Mahmoud Abu Tabour
Mahmoud Abu Nahla
Mustafa Al-Khateib
Mustafa As-Sabbak
Mu’ein Hamada
Mu’ein Al-Hasan
Mumtaz An- Najjar
Mansour Al-Gharra
Nasser Al-Gharra
Nahidh Abu Namous
Nabil Al-Breim
Nathir Al-Louqa
Ni’ma Al-Maghari
Na’im Kheit
Na’im Al-Kafarna
Na’im Al-Anzi
Nimir Amoum
Hisham Rantisi
Hisham Al-Masdar
Hisham Abu ‘Uda
Hisham ‘Uweida
Humam An-Najjar
Hanaa Al-Mabhouh
Haytham Hamdan
Haytham Ash-Sher
Wadei’ Al-Muzayyin
Wasim Azaza
Walid Abu Hein
Walid Jabir Abu Hein
Yasser Ash-Shaer
Yasser Al-Lahham
Yahya Al-Hayik
Yahya Sheikha
Yahya Mahmoud Sheikha
Yousif Thabit
Yousif Al-Jallad
Yousif Sha’ban
Yousif Diab
Yousif Al-Anani
Yousif An-Najjar
Younis Ad-Deiri

R.I.P

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To Gaza, Palestine

Under: Around The World, Palestine, Uncategorized @ 8:59 pm on Sunday, 12.28.08

“We Palestinians are just like the flowers. No matter how in the cold and harsh winter they are broken, no matter how in the hot summer they are burned and dried, no matter where in the autumn wind they are scattered, a day comes when they bloom again, fresh, young and so beautiful.”

[illustration by Amal Kaawash]

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Enjoy this Encore…

Under: Around The World, Art & Culture, Music, Uncategorized, What I Love @ 11:27 pm on Tuesday, 11.25.08

Qatar Philharmonic - Arabian Concerto. Composed by Marcel Khalife and featuring Bachar Khalife on Tabla.

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mmm, I don’t know…

Under: Random Thoughts, Ugh!, Uncategorized @ 1:12 pm on Monday, 10.20.08

Reading Zait o Za3tar’s comment kinda makes me wonder why some (i.e., Palestinians) were destined to be occupied, oppressed, humiliated …

why some (over 1 billion people) were destined to be poor …

The notion - which some would/do argue - of live miserably (while maintaining your faith) in this temporary world so you can enjoy the forever and eternal hereafter sometimes doesn’t make much sense to me!

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Finding yourself

Under: Music, Random Thoughts, What I Love @ 9:26 am on Friday, 10.17.08

I love singing. I do it for myself. Actually it helped me a lot in building my self-esteem. It’s a long story, but what’s important here is that I just love singing. I think it’s amazing to be able to do things in your life that you enjoy and love and find yourself into. But that’s all. I don’t want to be labeled as a singer or anything. Seriously I wouldn’t want to. I am not taking the whole thing seriously, if I do it wont be fun anymore…if you know what I mean said a friend when I asked her if she would ever consider going public with her songs/music.

What do you find yourself (with)in…

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Poverty in quotes & numbers …

Under: Around The World, Uncategorized @ 10:27 am on Wednesday, 10.15.08

In this new century, millions of people in the world’s poorest countries remain imprisoned, enslaved and in chains. They are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. - Nelson Mandela

It is a tragic mix-up when the United States spends $500,000 for every enemy soldier killed, and only $53 annually on the victims of poverty. - MLK

When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no
food, they call me a communist. -Archbishop Dom Helder

Political Priorities by the Numbers:

$30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.

$540 billion: Annual U.S. Defense Budget.
$170 billion: Annual U.S. War Spending.
Sources: FAO & Center for Arms Control

We can – and must – make it a priority of our foreign policy to commit to eliminating extreme poverty and ensuring every child has food, shelter, and clean drinking water. As we strive to rebuild America’s standing in the world, this legislation will not only commit to reducing global poverty, but will also demonstrate our promise and support to those in the developing world. - Sen. (and future president of the USA) Barack Obama

More than 1.2 billion people, one in every five on earth, survive on less than $1 a day.

Of the 49 least developed countries, 31 receive less aid today than they did in 1990.

Over 800 million people go to bed hungry every day…300 million are children.

Of these 300 million children, only eight percent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. The vast majority are suffering from long-term, chronic hunger.

Go here for more information and how you can help make ending poverty a priority.

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Banksy’s fake pet shop

Under: Around The World, Art & Culture, Interesting, Uncategorized @ 2:34 pm on Friday, 10.10.08

Banksy said: “New Yorkers don’t care about art, they care about pets. So I’m exhibiting them instead.”
The fake pet shop aims to question “our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming” [more] & [more]

Every now and then, I think about how ‘alive’ what I am eating at the moment was once before and I get grossed out …but seconds later, I resume chewing that fillet mignon or that cheeseburger or that shrimp or that chicken nugget…

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Contemplating…

Under: Random Thoughts, Uncategorized @ 2:16 pm on Friday, 10.10.08

I don’t think I wanna vote Nov 4th.

I’ve been so bad lately, it hurts. I should stop.

Each time I hear the financial news, I feel like driving my car off a cliff or into a pole.

If I don’t drive my car off a cliff… Europe or Malaysia … or both?!

If I see her today on my way home holding the ‘Single Mother, in need of money’ sign, I should ask her if she needs help finding a job…right?

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If animals could speak…

Under: Random Thoughts, Uncategorized @ 12:43 pm on Tuesday, 10.7.08

I wonder what they’ll have to say about the Palestinian - Israeli conflict…

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Worldwide reading in memory of Darwish

Under: Around The World, Art & Culture, Memories, Palestine, Poetry, What I Love @ 1:53 pm on Friday, 09.19.08

Worldwide reading in memory of Mahmoud Darwish on 5 October 2008

The Berlin International Literature Festival is appealing for a worldwide reading of Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry on 5 October 2008. This appeal is directed at cultural institutions, radio stations, schools, universities, theatres and all other Darwish enthusiasts all over.

Where is Jordan? Lebanon? Syria?

You can have a reading of your own, too.

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