Shlonkom Bakazay?

I will be offering 5 minute podcasts of a 1960 Department of Defense (American) issued Arabic lessons in the coming days. They will be set to music I make on the fly. The last Irakast was definitely off, but I hope you enjoyed the old Lebanese record. Part one just includes the lesson with some more hearty and interesting beats and a fresher introduction.

There's no doubt it will take some time to the podkast running smoothly.

I spent a better part of the evening getting a really nice 15 minute package set to the best music I've done in some time. Being really exhausted I accidentally pulled the plug while it was saving so I lost the whole damn thing. I almost blew a gasket. (is "gasket" right?) I was very angry, but would not rest until I could bring you this 5 minute piece in raw form. Perhaps the simplicity of it works better than my super-edited version I carelessly lost and wasted my time on earlier. An=yway, I am thinking 5 minute clips will be more pleasing to me and more of a gimmick to get you to come back to my blog. Good for you, good for me.

So this is all me and the Department of Defense. Your tax-payer dollars post-Kennedy years had nothing to do with this project.

Enjoy learning while you walk around with those silly white earphones. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have breakfast and pass out for a few hours.

Eat your heart out Rummy.
Limmmmmmmmy

Irakast 4, Liminal Radio Presents the Department of Defence as my bitch

Show: 4.0
Length: 5:43
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 128 kbs
Size: 6.5 mb

Subscribe to the best podcast in the world by clicking below.

Oh My God she's doing some sort of chicken dance thing and the music is hot.

Three Words. Eastern Goddess raps.

All right, just because I'm not blogging doesn't mean I can't come up with some new ideas to educate you.

Why does your podkast still suck?

I must preface this all by saying a couple things. First, I need a new mic. My current mic was given to me, so of course it's a piece of shit. So, excuse the mic problems. Second, this is a trial run with my new set-up. I may re-do it. The music I made via my 505 is BS, but at least it lets you tap your foot.

What's in this crap podkast?

In the following podkast I give you some songs off my family's old record collection. The record featured is from Lebanon in the mid-sixties, called "Village Wedding". It's so old that the cover is in black and white. My mom brought this all the way from Lebanon. It's not one of those stupid scammed buys from a used record store...been in my family for at least 40 years. And it's got that old typewriter font. Sweeeet. The other record is from 1960. It's called "Arabic: Language Familiarization Course". The cover includes "Prepared by Educational Services for The Department of Defense." Well, at least they were trying in 1960. I'd say we should re-issue the "Records not Bombs" policy. So this, on the other hand, is a particularly peculiar piece of vinyl I procured from a used shop a while ago. Seeing as it's public property, I want to offer it as a lesson to you language-dumb infidels. Anuh'mah'nah PEE AH!

Stop BS'ing me and give me the run-down on this podkast you whining asshole:

Ok, fine.

In summary, this podkast is the hipster way you can learn a few words of Arabic. You're occupying my country, so you might as well learn something.

If there is ever a demand for my crap, I will offer it in OGG. This will cut the file size in half. For now, I'm doing this for the spoiled western world and Japan/South Korea ;) ...and the lucky few in the Near-east with broadband or the time/patience.

Enjoy.

Irakast 3, Liminal Radio is Born Unto This Dispicable Earth

Show: 3.0
Length: 17:14
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 128 kbs
Size: 19.7 mb

SHHHHHH...I'm still on my break.


* * *

lmost two months have passed since Iraq's elections, and people there are understandably impatient to see a new government take office. But the real problem isn't the delay. Lengthy haggling over cabinet posts and other turf issues was inevitable among fledging politicians with no previous experience of democratic give-and-take. What is far more troubling are the significant sections of the Iraqi population whose rights could be sacrificed when the Shiite religious parties and autonomy-minded Kurdish leaders who were the election's biggest winners cut their final deal. Those who need to worry most at this point are women, Sunni Arabs and secular Iraqis of both sexes.

Saddam Hussein's sadistic and murderous dictatorship was no feminist paradise. But Iraqi women still managed to maintain access to educational, professional and personal opportunities denied to many of their sisters in neighboring Arab and Islamic countries. Now the future of these freedoms is in serious question. The dominant bloc of Shiite religious parties, along with their candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, want Iraq's new constitution to be directly inspired by conservative Islamic religious teachings derived from the Koran.

The secular Kurdish parties whose agreement is also needed to form a governing majority have the most leverage to resist these religious pressures. But the Kurds are focused mainly on maximizing their own region's independence. They seem far more interested in spending their political capital attaching the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to the territory of a future Kurdistan than in protecting the rights of secular Iraqis. Already, the Shiites seem set to control the powerful Interior Ministry, which will run major police agencies. If the Kurds also concede to them ministries like education and women's affairs, they could be consigning Iraqi women to a life of subjugation and millions of secular Iraqis, male and female, to a bleak, Iran-like future.

The other unspoken issue haunting these negotiations is the violently estranged Sunni Arab minority. With very few representative Sunnis now at the table, finding a way to recognize a legitimate Sunni leadership in the government will require some creative ingenuity. Yet until Shiite and Kurdish leaders recognize their own vital interest in making this happen, no progress is likely. With a new, permanent constitution due to be drawn up later this year, time is rapidly running out.

It is now out of the question for Washington to try and micromanage Iraqi political development. That would mock the elections and the claims of Iraqi self-government. But with more than 1,500 American troops already dead in Iraq and the next Iraqi government clearly dependent on the protection of more than 100,000 United States troops, Washington is not just entitled, but obliged to make clear America's interest in a free, democratic and unified Iraq. This country cannot be complicit in allowing haggling politicians to subordinate those goals to their own narrow religious, separatist or divisive agendas.

Duke Wen of Zhu divined by the turtle shell to determine if he should move his capital to the city of Yi. The historian who conducted the divination replied, "The move will benifit the people but not their ruler."

The ruler of Zhu said, "If it benifits the people, it benifits me. Heavan gave birth to the people and set up a ruler in order to benifit them. If the people enjoy the benifit, I am bound to share in it."

Those around the ruler said, "If by taking warning from the divination you can prolong your destiny, why not do so?"

The ruler replied, "My destiny lies in nourishing the people. Whether death comes to me early or late is merely a matter of time. If the people will benifit thereby, then nothing could be more auspicious than to move the capital."

In the end he moved the capital to Yi. In the fifth month Duke Wen of Zhu died.

The noble person remarks: He understood the meaning of destiny.

(189)

-Between mindless distractions like steroids and Schiavo, divisiveness of racists and -power-mongers living amongst us, knowing destruction of the physical and mental -environment we live in for short-term gain, and the constant meddling of religion in politics, -you'd think leaders today didn't know the difference between what's important and what's -wasteful. I'm sure of one thing more than anything today. Real heros, leaders, and role models -are neither those xtra large imaginary people in the news nor are they the politicians made -more famous by blunders than successes. Real leaders are those usually at home reading to -they're children, sending an email or making a phone-call of encouragement and care, and -doing little more than truly loving their neighbor. Those who are selfish in their actions -and/or regards of others will enjoy nothing but my contempt.

Have a nice day.

This is the story in the UK Times that describes in gruesome detail the deaths of the students Zeyad spoke of in the post I posted in full because of its importance.

Here are the last three paragraphs in his initial post on the matter. As relevant as ever...

No reaction yet from the Governorate council, the police, or the British forces in Basrah. Thousands of students have been demonstrating in front of the Basrah Governorate building in Asharr for the last three days, shouting 'No to political Islam', 'No to the new tyranny' and 'No to Sadr'. The police (which is loyal to Da'wa in Basrah) reportedly attacked the students in order to disperse the demonstrations.

All this while some people are campaigning for Sistani to receive the Nobel peace prize. One can't help but wonder if these kinds of events are what the Islamists have in store for us when they insist on 'respecting the Islamic identity of Iraq'.

They can blame Jordan, Syria, the Ba'ath, Salifis, Wahhabis as much as they want, but they cannot utter a single word about the old new medieval Inquisition we have to deal with every day, under the sanctity of Sistani and his ilk. The new Taliban.

Now the following is the Times story with all the atrocious details of the story first reported by Zeyad. Bloggers say in unison, "Why'd it take you so long MainStreamMedia?" It's both terribly tragic and an important event. There's also a USAToday story, too.

***

March 23, 2005 By Catherine Philp Students are beaten to death for playing music as Shia militiamen run amok

The students had begun to lay out their picnic in the spring sunshine when the men attacked.

“There were dozens of them, armed with guns, and they poured into the park,” Ali al-Azawi, 21, the engineering student who had organised the gathering in Basra, said.

“They started shouting at us that we were immoral, that we were meeting boys and girls together and playing music and that this was against Islam.

“They began shooting in the air and people screamed. Then, with one order, they began beating us with their sticks and rifle butts.” Two students were said to have been killed.

Standing over them as the blows rained down was the man who gave the order, dressed in dark clerical garb and wearing a black turban. Ali recognised him immediately as a follower of Hojatoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia cleric. Ali realised then that the armed men were members of Hojatoleslam al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army, a private militia that fought American forces last year and is now enforcing its own firebrand version of Islam.

The picnic had run foul of the Islamist powers that increasingly hold sway in the fly-blown southern city, where religious militias rule the streets, forcing women to don the veil and closing down shops that sell alcohol or music.

In the election in January, the battle between secular and religious forces in Basra came down to the ballot box. The main Shia alliance triumphed with 70 per cent of the province’s vote, most of the rest going to a secular rival.

That victory has brought to a head the issue of whether Iraq’s new constitution will adopt Islamic law — or Sharia — as most religious Shia leaders desire.

In Basra, however, Islamic militias already are beginning to apply their own version of that law, without authority from above or any challenge from the police.

Students say that there was nothing spontaneous about the attack. Police were guarding the picnic in the park, as is customary at any large public gathering, but allowed the armed men in without any resistance.

One brought a video camera to record the sinful spectacle of the picnic, footage of which was later released to the public as a warning to others.

It showed images of one girl struggling as a gunman ripped her blouse off, leaving her half-naked. “We will send these pictures to your parents so they can see how you were dancing naked with men,” a gunman told her. Two students who went to her aid were shot — one in the leg, the other twice in the stomach. The latter was said to have died of his injuries. Fellow students say that the girl later committed suicide. Another girl who was severely beaten around the head lost her sight.

Far from disavowing the attack, senior al-Sadr loyalists said that they had a duty to stop the students’ “dancing, sexy dress and corruption”.

“We beat them because we are authorised by Allah to do so and that is our duty,” Sheik Ahmed al-Basri said after the attack. “It is we who should deal with such disobedience and not the police.”

After escaping with two students, Ali reached a police station and asked for help. “What do you expect me to do about it?” a uniformed officer asked.

Ali went to the British military base at al-Maakal and pleaded with the duty officer at the gate. “You’re a sovereign country now. We can’t help. You have to go to the Iraqi authorities,” the soldier replied.

When the students tried to organise demonstrations, they were broken up by the Mehdi Army. Later the university was surrounded by militiamen, who distributed leaflets threatening to mortar the campus if they did not call off the protests.

When the militia began to set up checkpoints and arrest students, Ali fled to Baghdad.

A British spokesman said that troops were unable to intervene unless asked to by the Iraqi authorities.

Colonel Kareem al-Zeidy, Basra’s police chief, pleaded helplessness. “What can I do? There is no government, no one to give us authority,” he said. “The political parties are the most powerful force in Basra right now.”

The students have begun an indefinite strike, but fear that there is little that they can do to stop the march of violent fundamentalism. Saleh, 21, another engineering student, said: “If this is how they deal with the most educated in Basra, how would they deal with ordinary people? The soul of our city is at stake.”

This was posted on Lebanese Blogger Forum. Whenever I feel it's important crosspost, I will. Reminds me of my disturbed Agora days. Anyway, this was a terrible tragedy. Please read the post. I wish I could bring the comments over from LBF, too. I urge you to click the above link if you'd like to view the comments.

Zeyad has updated this post again. If you want to read it from the beginning, go to Zeyad's page. If you're familiar with the story and you want to read the newest update only, you'll find it directly below.

Another Update: Here is a detailed account of the incident from the Times which confirms the death of the two students, and here is a Yahoo News story.
There have been rumours that nobody died from the attacks but it seems that these rumours originated from sympathetic Islamic parties and their supporters, all of whom are Shi'ite, and for some bizarre reason they are denying that it was a Christian girl that died, but a Muslim one, as if that is going to make it any less outrageous. The same people who rant about Wahhabi and Salafi crimes everyday. Pot meet kettle.

Friends from Basrah say the sit-in at Basrah university is still in effect, with Sadr's militia now threatening to bomb the campus with mortars if the students do not return to their classes. Governmental authorities and the police force in Basrah have publicly admitted that they are helpless and incapable of doing anything to stop the Sadrists.

Actually, all this is for the good of Iraq. At least the Iraqis can now realise what kind of 'progressive' and 'blessed' monsters they have elected to govern them and write their constitution.

Update: The post has been updated. Thank you Zeyad.

The Governor of Basrah appeared on Fayhaa tv yesterday claiming that the problem with Sadr's office was resolved peacefully. How exactly was this achieved? The esteemed Governor (who is a member of Da'wa) met with representatives from Sadr's office under the mediation of the Shia Islamic parties in Basrah (Da'wa, SCIRI, Fadheela, Thar Allah) and it appears that Sadr's aides had agreed to 'punish the guilty parties under a special religious court that would convene for this purpose' and to compensate the students and to return all stolen items to the students. The Governor then cheerfully met with the family of another Christian girl who was badly injured, 'generously' offering her free treatment in any country she chooses.

No mention of the rule of law here. No involvement of Basrah's civil courts at all. The whole incident was mopped up in an Iraqi-style tribal-religious meeting, but this time on the Governorate level. The guilty parties were sinisterly assigned the job of punishing themselves. A great lesson in democracy. But then, no one was punished for the executions and torture at religious courts in Najaf the last time anyway.

What is even worse, the official statement from Sadr's office in Basrah. It asks for the names of the students that were 'allegedly mistreated' in order to compensate them. And listen to this; 'Sadr's office in Basrah offers to provide the universities of Basrah with groups to protect the students in their future field trips.' This following Sheikh As'ad Al-Basri's fiery statements that the students had 'disobeyed his orders, and the stick was for those who disobeyed,' alasa limen asa. He also alleged that the students had shouted 'No to Islam' in their demonstrations this week, insolently adding that the students should be punished for their 'blasphemy'.

The Governor literally appointed Sadr's office as judge, witness and law-enforcer. We might even say that the Sadrists were in fact rewarded for their vile act. What would the Ministry of Higher Education say about this? Or the Ministry of Interior? Or our ludicrous Human Rights Ministry, which only seems interested in what kind of cookies Saddam is having with his tea, or in Ali Hassan Majid's nocturnal toilet activities.

The students of Basrah have made their demands clear; bringing the Sadrist militiamen to a public trial in the presence of representatives from Basrah's student groups, banning Islamist armed groups from entering campus or running Islamist student groups, and the dissolution of the infamous 'Security Committee' which operates in most of Basrah's colleges, and which is reminiscient of the Ba'ath's 'University Security' but taking a Shi'ite Islamic appearance instead of a fascist nationalistic one.

Student groups from Baghdad, Arbil and Suleimaniya have sent statements of support to Basrah. Incidentally, four students were injured in Suleimaniya during demonstrations that have been taking place for the second week in row against the privatisation of educational institutions in the Kurdish region.

Still no condemnation from the the Hawza, when the attack against the students was done in its name.

They're protesting in Basra now. Another healthy reaction to madness. Thanks to LB for the picture.


Here's Zeyad's post. It needs no introduction. I have no energy to react yet. Go to his blog here. Again, being blog-PC is hardly a concern of mine in such an instance.

No one seems to have reported the latest events in Basrah. Not any of the news services or the blogs.

Students of the Basrah and Shatt Al-Arab universities in Basrah city have been on strike for the last three days as a reaction to the attack last week by Sadrists and Mahdi Army militiamen on tens of students organising a field trip or a picnic at Al-Andalus park, downtown Basrah.

Hooded men assaulted the students with rubber cables and truncheons which resulted in the death of a Christian girl, Zahra Ashour, and another student who came to her rescue after militiamen had tore off her clothes and were beating her to death. He was shot in the head.

Students say that their belongings, such as mobile phones, cameras, stereo players and loudspeakers, were stolen or smashed to pieces by the militiamen. Girl students not wearing headscarves, most of them Christian, were severely beaten and at least 20 students were kidnapped and taken to Sadr's office in Al-Tuwaisa for 'interrogation' and were only released late at night.

Students also say the police and British soldiers were nearby but did not intervene.

A Sheikh As'ad Al-Basri, one of Sadr's aides in Basrah, stated that the 'believers' of the Mahdi Army did what they did in an act of 'divine intervention' in order to punish the students for their 'immoral and outrageous behaviour' during the 'holy month of Muharram, while the blood of Imam Hussein is yet to dry.' He added that he had sent the 'group of believers' to observe and photograph the students, and on witnessing them playing loud music, 'the kind they play in bars and discos', and openly talking to female students, the 'believers had to straighten things out'.

No reaction yet from the Governorate council, the police, or the British forces in Basrah. Thousands of students have been demonstrating in front of the Basrah Governorate building in Asharr for the last three days, shouting 'No to political Islam', 'No to the new tyranny' and 'No to Sadr'. The police (which is loyal to Da'wa in Basrah) reportedly attacked the students in order to disperse the demonstrations.

All this while some people are campaigning for Sistani to receive the Nobel peace prize. One can't help but wonder if these kinds of events are what the Islamists have in store for us when they insist on 'respecting the Islamic identity of Iraq'.

They can blame Jordan, Syria, the Ba'ath, Salifis, Wahhabis as much as they want, but they cannot utter a single word about the old new medieval Inquisition we have to deal with every day, under the sanctity of Sistani and his ilk. The new Taliban

Ammar Abdulhamid speaks from Syria. Wise words. To continue reading this post, click "Mainline" or here! What voice and eloquence!

American policies are not set in stone. There have been thousands of documents like Clean Break that never amounted to anything but wishful thinking. They were either shelved in favor of other policy options or were simply overtaken by events. Those in the Middle East who fear the “ominous” content of Clean Break should realize that the implementation of it, no matter how influential its authors seem to be at this stage, could, nonetheless, be seriously undermined through the adoption of a more pragmatic and proactive attitude by the regimes and parties concerned.

Dealing with US policy with a sense of fatalism will only justify the basic claims and arguments of the Clean Break advocates, namely that most ME societies, especially traditional Arab societies, along with the ruling regimes they have spewed and regurgitated over the years, are simply irreformable, irredeemable, unsalvageable, and, in short, incapable of working out their own salvation. As such, external interference is a must even if, on the short to intermediate run, it means chaos. For a chaotic dynamism is much better, from their view, than static nihilism.

In all this, America, regardless of where it is located with regard to this at a given moment, is all too simply and earnestly seeking to achieve its own interests. What else?

For politics, frequent recourse to moral justifications notwithstanding, is an amoral science par excellence. Only victims of this science tend to complain about its nature and applications. The beneficiaries, on the other hand, will simply state that this is the way things have been since time immemorial.

For instance, all Arab nationalists are willing to condemn American imperialism but none is willing to condemn the Arab imperialist experiment that took place under the banner of Islam. We can all understand the special circumstance and context of the imperialist ventures of our forefathers, but we are completely unwilling to fathom the logic behind the imperialist ventures perpetrated against us at any given moment, so long as we remain the victims thereof. This is only natural of course. No one likes to be a victim.

Follow this link to hear Tariq Ali interview Noam Chomsky on 26 January 2005.

There's also a reading.

"If we do not believe in freedom of speech for those we despise, we do not believe in it at all." - N. Chomsky

Stop the war

Stop the war

Stop the war

Stop the war damnit

This is a dedication to Kevin Drum and the everlasting beauty of meme-hood:


All the world's problems...America might invade Iran, North Korea is still building nuclear bombs, the UN and the World Bank is getting ready to implode, AIDS is rampant, we're merrily running a 427 billion dollar budget deficit (that doesn't include expenses in Iraq) and close to 8 trillion dollars in national debt, unemployment continues to creep upward, and through it all we're still being led by a man who seems unable to string two coherent sentences together. It's enough to just make you scream and scream and scream and...

But then I turn around and look through the doorway. She sure doesn't seem to care, does she? It's 68 degrees inside, she doesn't need food, no evangelical Christians around to deny her right to exist, and no trips to the scrap-yard are planned. So what's to worry about? Not to mention, she probably doesn't give a rat's ass about what you think or how soon humans will destroy the earth.

Also, cyborgs are always in some way artificially "living".

See Kevin's orginal post that I scammed this from here. Note: In case you were wondering, Kevin Drum is the first person to use "Cat-Blogging".

Shlonkom Bakazay, embracing the future one cyborg at a time.

Signing off for the day,

Liminal

And watch him saying, "The secretary's building has 38 stories. If it lost ten stories today, it wouldn't make a bit of difference." He's gonna be such a swell ambassador to the UN!

You can also download and spread this video elsewhere. It's important to show the rest of the world what America is truly like. And doesn't he seem like such a kind man? Just adorable, if you ask me.

They will have to find something else to play with.

***

I'd like to thank Praktike and chez Nadezhda for the picture of Hugo Chavez accepting Iranian President Khatemi in Venezuala. I thought it would be nice to switch up gears a bit. A little bit of that typical "Sunday inevitable alliance blogging".

I'm getting used to this blogging thing after all. Who knows, maybe someday I'll exit my denial of being a blogger. By the way, what the hell is up with all the Cat blogging on Fridays. I love cats. But is it because they imply laziness and resting from blogging is necessary? I assume this much, but I don't want to say it's this reason for sure unless I have somebody give me the root reason for it.

Ok then! I hope everybody out there is doing well! I've got serious email lag. I'm talking one month behind. So, please accept my apologies and don't think I'm ignoring you. I'm just in the middle of a lot right now. My best wishes to you and yours!

Peace!

LIMMMMMMMMinal

I will celebrate this by mourning the unnecessary deaths of the sons and daughters of both America and Iraq. I will celebrate by mourning the unecessary humiliation caused by Abu Ghraib and other system problems that have yet to have any person to hold account for. I mourn the overall lack of accountability in such matters and the lack of respect for the world you continue to show by appointing such anathemas of internationalism to two important positions, John Bolton and Paul Wolfowitz. I mourn the policies that continue to destroy my people. And I mourn your wishes to hijack Lebanese freedom to meet your own ends. I mourn the fact that Donald Rumsfeld is not in jail yet. He deserves much worse than being held up as a great protector of the nation. Similarly, Dick Cheney needs to be held to account for his continued lies about the connections between Iraq and Al Qaeda. If you could say there is a walking self-fulfilling prophecy in your administration it would be him. It appears as though Cheney's sick-waking dream was to make sure there was a connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda, when there clearly was not. Cheney has operated as Al Qaeda's PR man in Iraq, in effect. So, today I mourn the incompetence that you people continue to carry yourselves with while you have no regard for human rights when appointing the fool for torture, Alberto Gonzales. You seem to only want make the Arab world angier and angier. So, if this is your goal, you're acheiving it magnificently. One more thing: Leave Lebanon alone. You've caused enough problems elsewhere. Do not think you are the reason Lebanese are wanting to be rid of Syria. Because you're not. So, get out of Iraq Mr. Bush. And Syria, get out of Lebanon. Do not use violence to justify your stay. I knew it would come to this. I said on 14 February. So my advice to you Mr. President and you Mr. Al'Assad or J.Sayyid or Rostum... Don't play with fire or you will burn. Somebody must be held accountable for the atrocities you continue to committ in order to secure privatization of Iraq's Oil and for political points in the Near East. And somebody must be held to account for murdering 18 people in Lebanon on 14 February. There must be an international investigation if we hope Lebanon to regain its calm. TO BOTH OF YOU: You should heed the people's wishes before you try and selfishly heed your own. We're sick of all the war, all the violence.

I have much more to say about what I mourn on this anniversary of your illegal war. But right now I mourn your short-sightedness most of all. Your lack of vision is alarming and is destroying the world.

Yay Iceland!!!

Iceland is to give Bobby Fischer a special foreigners' passport and rights to residence. This is great news and a good resolution for this man of conscience and principle.

And Lewis Black makes it clear.

God, Norm...you always seem to put up the clips of The Daily Show that I want others to see! Is there some telepathy going on er what?

UPDATE: VIEW THE BBC PROGRAM! Thankfully, democracy now has broadcast it today. You can go here for the transcript and to listen or see it.

This is huge. Not that we couldn't guess there was something afoot. Here's more pudding to prove it now.

--- Greg Palast Reporting...

The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.

Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protesters claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists".

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

Insiders told Newsnight that planning began "within weeks" of Bush's first taking office in 2001, long before the September 11th attack on the US.

"We saw an increase in the bombing of oil facilities and pipelines [in Iraq] built on the premise that privatisation is coming." -Mr Falah Aljibury

An Iraqi-born oil industry consultant, Falah Aljibury, says he took part in the secret meetings in California, Washington and the Middle East. He described a State Department plan for a forced coup d'etat.

Mr. Aljibury himself told Newsnight that he interviewed potential successors to Saddam Hussein on behalf of the Bush administration.

I wish I had time to comment on this now. I will as soon as I can.

Greg Palast's tenacity has paid off yet again.

Read the entire report on the BBC here. View newsnight's program

Update: Anticipating this program possibly disappearing on the web, I've recorded the audio of it here in two sections. Listen to Section 1 & Section 2 in MP3 format. The first section is 3 minutes, the second is 10 minutes.

You may find the Harpers Magazine article that is to be out in Harpers next edition out on newstands on Tuesday, March 22, right here.

Go to Greg Palast's website to view more details about this important news story.

When there's more information on the story I'll try to update it here.

In other news, you have somebody with the IQ above 40 at the New York Times with a piece entitled, Many Iraqis Losing Hope That Politics Will Yield Real Change. Oh how could that possibly be? We Iraqis are such whiners, aren't we?

UPDATE: Norm of onegoodmove provides the video to John Stewart's show yesterday. Click the pic below to get the VID (7MB, Quicktime Required) of a segment on Wolfy the NEOcon. Thank you Norm! And Billmon with his usual ingenuity.

If you ask me, this proves their guilt. Stand trial to their hand-picked judges??? Give me a break. Or will they stand trial at the ICC?

A top Lebanese security chief has said he and other officials are willing to stand trial to clear their names over opposition allegations of negligence in the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.

Jamil Sayyid, head of the powerful General Security Department, lashed out on Thursday at opposition demands for the resignation of security chiefs, indicating they will not step down.

They only make themselves look worse by speaking out like this. If they would just grant an international investigation and stand trial at the ICC!!!

PS. The best way to see the diversity of the last huge protest in Lebanon is through PANORAMA!!!

Does anybody know the artist behind this chobi? I'm curious. I found it on a cd I had laying around while I was cleaning up. Please email me or leave a comment if you know who did this tune. I'll leave it up for a little bit.

Thank U

Dedicated to Italia and Silvio Berlusconi!

Show: 2.0
Length: approx. 20 min
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 64 kbs
Size: 10 mb

Click to the left to subscribe to my podcast feed.

I should say, perhaps only Neopolitans will understand me completely. Sorry, my second podcast is an amateur affair. But I spent 5 minutes planning for it this time! So, love me two times.

Warning: Only download Irakast #2 if you want to hear me whisper sweet Machiavelli into your ears and some other cracked-out, yet meaningful things. Right now the podcasting is meant to entertain me more than you. I find myself laughing hysterically both when I try to do them and when I listen to them. So, something's gotta be right about it. Soon, however, I will do something more professional. So enjoy this while it lasts! ;)

What did I tell ya?


In big news, the fourth largest contingent of the coalition of the willing (to be lied to and have their people pay the price for it), Italy, is going to start pulling their 3,000 troops from Iraq in September 2005. Shocking news to some, I'm not surprised at all. I knew it. Good for Silvio for finally hearing his people. I would never imagine myself saying it, but he's wise for this move. He would surely be voted out of office if he doesn't pull from Iraq. And if you know Silvio, you know he wouldn't risk his own hide for American PR. And, of course, he should get Italy out much sooner. But knowing they will be leaving is a positive step in the right direction.

• UN finds evidence of official cover-up in Hariri assassination: 14.03.05
  
• What the Lebanese fear most is not Syria's army but a power vacuum: 13.03.05
• Another Species of Cedar: 09.03.05
• Is Lebanon walking into another nightmare? : 08.03.05

1 million or more...The images are mind-boggling.

Very interesting checking out satellite TV today...

I'm hearing all these Lahud puppet government officials come on the Lebanese political shows and speak so kindly of democracy. It's silly when puppets try to act as if they're controlling their strings.

And, ok, I really appreciate Al Jazeera...but I got to call them out on being disingenious today. When the pro-Syria Hizb'allah organized protest happened all you heard was half a million on their station (on the ticker and in the mouths of reporters) and their website. Half a million, half a million, half a million...over and over...

Now when twice that number or more show up to protest against the standing puppets, you have a headline on their website that says "Thousands rally against Syria in Beirut". This is exactly what American news outfits were doing when they were reporting numbers about the protesets against the last Iraq war. The same thing was on the station's news ticker just now too. Seriously people...

And this protest obviously had more diversity and represented more faiths and political parties inside Lebanon than the Hizb'allah organized protest.

There is still reason to be scared that the same sectarian strife will hit Lebanon. This protest by no means makes everything better. But it is a healthy act that was not organized by one party. And it is more representative of Lebanese opinion.

I'll leave you with some questions...I'm sorry because I'm really busy, but I hope to have more later.

Isn't Syrian guilt complicit if they do not allow an international investigation to solve the perpetrator of the 14 February bombing?

And, when will they dismiss the heads of seven Lebanese intelligence organizations?

What is not being said or done tells one more about the situation than what is...

Who knows what will happen next. But the same corrupt government is still in office. And it makes me sick to my stomach.

Na na na na NA NA...WICKED! All inept puppet governments in the Middle East are shaking in their boots (eg, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, et al*). Iraq doesn't have a government yet, so they don't count.



What a remarkable turnout. I congratulate everybody that took part of this event. I wish I could have witnessed it in person. Just breath-taking!

It's a big mistake to think you can make people forget about your policies. When the Pentagon clears the Pentagon for mistakes the Pentagon makes, then it is clear there are no longer the appropriate checks and balances in place to ensure just accountability for the errors made. This may only lead to worse things down the line. How unfortunately inept.

The new release by the US Army Box Office's Iraq division, Ramadi Madness, doesn't hold a candle to the heart-thumping realism in the formerly successful Abu Ghraib INSANITY! Due to the film's lack of success in the Iraqi market, Ramadi Madness is coming to theatres in America with less of an expected impact on the US viewer. Here are some exclusive previews of the film, via the Palm Beach Post, which is expected to debut next week in a few selected theatres. It will reach most audiences by March 21st.

Ramadi Madness

Watch excerpts of a local National Guard video shot in Iraq and investigated by the Army. Investigators determined there was no abuse. Warning : This footage contains graphic themes and images. Audio has been edited to remove obscenities. • Truck incident • Noose • Super special skill • Have you seen Haj • Newman & his Toy • Haji cat • Mayor's cell • See Haj run • Crafty little • Blood clot • Asa Lama Lakim • Another day • Copenhagen NOTE: Gruesome footage of the aftermath of a suicide bombing has been omitted. Audio has been edited to remove obscenities.

These are some of my thoughts about the last 9 days or so in Lebanon. Where can I possibly begin? I have the feeling there was essentially a delayed vote of confidence in order to bide time to organize the pro-Syria protest. Karami never really resigned. It was a very cunning move by the Syrian government and intelligence forces. We can now probably conclude the thinking that Lebanese politics comprises only of Mount Lebanon and Beirut is incorrect. Hizb'allah has scarily shown they are a force to be reckoned with in the political sphere. Of course, many Lebanese are saying there are half a million Palestinians in Beirut, a million Syrian workers...and the pro-Syrian protest doesn't represent the Lebanese. I agree with that in principle, yet pragmatically it doesn't fly. The political influence of guys slobering all over pictures of that slimey man Hafez Al-Assad in Beirut is completely crazy, but it resonates deeply. Syria is sending the signal, "Lebanon is ours." We now see the Syrian strategy naked before us. The Karami puppet-government called off the vote of confidence and resigned. This mollified some and calmed the situation slightly as they organized the two big shows of people power in favor of both the dead Hafez and Bashar Al-Assad in Beirut on Tuesday and today in Damascus. Of course, I read right through this. And it's really disingenuous to me, but Hizb'allah is extremely organized. You've got to give them that much. The opposition in Lebanon is not nearly as organized and I see our chances at a true independence from Syrian control fading fast. I'm very pessimistic about things now. So, don't try to tell me otherwise. Syria is not going anywhere without bringing Lebanon down in the blood of its own people...similar to the last civil war. I'm extremely depressed about this, so if you make some off-color comments to me expect to be forever nixed from my blog.

For me, a secular leaning, Assyrian Orthodox raised person, it is alarming. I don't like Hizb'allah one bit in that they mix religion with politics in a very ingenious way: by providing basic services (food, water, schools) to disenfranchised people in Lebanon. It kind of reminds me of how the religious right in America uses religion to invoke patriotism of the sort we saw in Kentucky. PLEASE NOTE: I am a firm believer in a very very strong separation between religion and state. It is extremely IRONIC, isn't it? And John Stewart was right-on tonight when he mentioned that it seems like this American administration is working to spread irony throughout the world.


So, Hizb'allah is very effective because they provide where the Lebanese government fails to provide. Imagine if an organization was making sure your family was fed well, had plenty of free or cheap water and access to a free education. And this organization did it much better than your own government! Where would your loyalties be? With the government that hasn't done a damn thing for you, or for that organization. Well, that's what we're facing with Hizb'allah in Lebanon. That's scary when you combine it with radical views, if you ask me. And they have, indeed, done good things for many poor in Lebanon (believe it or not). So, we've got to face the facts. And we've got to ask the question, why does Hizb'allah even exist? We've got to take a deep look at its history and how the empowered Shia populations across the near-east will have a monopolizing influence in regional politics in the coming years.

Right now, I don't feel like dealing with anybody's comments regarding this subject matter. Especially after the last full post I made. So, I'm closing the comments in this post. Email me if you like. We can still communicate, you know. It doesn't have to be an excercise of exhibitionism, as a blog sometimes becomes. I'm very open to communicate as long as you're civil with me. When you cross the line, I show you the door.

Peace to all,

Lim.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is now saying the car obeyed orders to stop and was subsequently fired upon. This matter is being lifted to a higher level with such a dramatic announcement.

From the perspective of a neocon, it makes sense to shoot down Giuliana Sgrena. Now, bear with me. This administration feels very strongly about "not negotiating with terrorists", don't they? Well if they really did, why did they hide or play-down the fact that they were having negotiations with Iraqis that were part of the insurgency a couple weeks back? OK, they didn't really hide it, but they said it "wasn't official" if I recall correctly. Yea, ok, whatever. Eventually, there is going to have to be (if there already isn't) full-fledged negotiations with the resistance if this war is going to stop any time in the future. There is no military solution to the Iraq war. If you continue to flatten entire towns like what was done in Fallujah, it will only increase enmity.

Anyway, if it was discovered that Italy paid 4-5 million dollars for Ms. Sgrena's safe release, this would change the dynamic of how hostage situations were handled by members of the coalition. Once one is released this way, there would be many situations where the resistance in Iraq would take advantage of this shift in strategy by members of the "coalition of the willing" to return their citizens to safety. So, if (and I say if) it was intentional, then it makes sense to me when I put myself in John Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, or Donald Rumsfeld's shoes. They are really serious when they mean no negotiations (yea - [cough]- bullshit), yet why have they spoke to a commander of the resistance in Iraq, if they're so serious? It seems to be a double-standard if you ask me.

I'm inclined to deduce this administration is more and more concerned about being isolated on their Iraq policy with countries dropping out of the oh-so-willing coaltion or "weakening" their stance with regards to hostage situations. It's plain to see, that many countries are not willing to have their citizens die for President Bush's errors. The Dutch are leaving. The Ukranians will follow soon. The Polish already left, right? So, who's next?

I think if Berlusconi does not get to the bottom of this case, he could lose his grip on power in Italy. So, it's significant in European relations alone. And you thought Italians were against the war before? Just wait and see how they'll respond to another slap on the wrist of some unwitting and low-ranking soldier. To me, this seems very very suspicious. I'm not saying that I'm concluding it was deliberate yet. It just aligns cleanly with other incidents of targeting journalists in Iraq. Remember Tariq Ayoub of Al Jazeera? You don't? Well, watch Control Room. Only now that it's a westerner and in such a suspect situation are people up in arms. If it was an Arab reporter, nobody would give a damn.

Anyway, here are Guiliana Sgrena's own words about the incident published in the Guardian today.

PS. Again, there's zero tolerance for personal attacks on this site. I have the right to say whatever the hell I want to say. If you don't like it, tough. Make your own blog and cry all you want to there. If there is nothing constructive about your comments and you attack me personally, you will be banished from this kingdom forthwith! Thou art foul in my midst! As though 'tis your mouth that has the shitz! Mine own medicine for your kind...is the simplist reaction to the blind. Thou scandalous onion-eyed serpents-egg! Thou accursed white-livered codpiece! Thou spongy weather-bitten flax-wench! Thou viperous hag-born mangy-dog! Thou infectious shard-borne bear-whelp! Thou mewling earth-vexing measle!!! Thou dissembling doghearted incontinent varlet!!! Muahhhaahahahaahahaaaaa!!!

PPS. And by the way, I love Brooklyn.

PPPS. LB has some good advice about checkpoints in Iraq. And that's what this whole incident should be about: preventing these unnecessary deaths. It shouldn't be about pointing fingers. It's a terrible tragedy, but what happened, happened. Hundreds upon hundreds of innocent Iraqis have been killed in this manner and nobody has said a damn thing. I guess that is why I'm so sensitive to this very issue. Now we must focus on making things safer for Iraqis and everybody else. Not just everybody else. It's this selfishness that will get everybody nowhere in Iraq. It's this selfishness that I despise. As if the Iraqi didn't matter. So listen to Ladybird and the journalist from CSM. THINK, ACT, SOLVE the PROBLEM. As far as the Italian incident goes...everybody, as far as I've read, knew they were coming. They even stopped when ordered to, yet somebody still died that shouldn't have died. It's just suspect to me. I only hope that more awareness about how innocent people have died at checkpoints is the result of this terrible tragedy.

Maj. Isaiah Wilson, the official historian of the US Army for the Iraq war has written that the US military lost its dominance in Iraq during the summer of 2003.

A report by the U.S. Army official historian said the military was hampered by the failure to occupy and stabilize Iraq in 2003. As a result, the military lost its dominance by July 2003 and has yet to regain that position.

"In the two to three months of ambiguous transition, U.S. forces slowly lost the momentum and the initiative gained over an off-balanced enemy," the report said. "The United States, its Army and its coalition of the willing have been playing catch-up ever since."

I--just this minute--had the chance to read the Fisk article. Please note, he has lived in Beirut for 30 years now. He knows Lebanon. And I know why I avoided reading the article for so long:

To the outside world, this may seem a victory devoutly to be wished: just two weeks after the murder of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri - a prominent opponent of the Syrian presence in Lebanon - the army of Damascus is pulling out of the country it has dominated for 29 long years. At last, free elections might be held in Lebanon, further proof that - thanks to Mr Bush - democracy is breaking out across the Arab world. Iraq held elections, Saudi Arabia held local elections, President Hosni Mubarak promises a contended election for the presidency of Egypt. So why shouldn't Lebanon be happy?

Have we forgotten 150,000 dead? Have we forgotten the Western hostages? Have we forgotten the 241 Americans who died in the suicide bombing of 23 October 1983? This democracy, if it comes, will be drenched with blood - but the blood will be that of the Lebanese who live here, not that of the foreigners who wish to bestow freedom upon them.

...

[Y]et again, Lebanon risks becoming a battlefield for the wars of non- Lebanese.

For 30 years, America has tolerated - even supported - Syria's military presence in Lebanon. In 1976, both the Israelis and the Americans wanted Syrian troops in Lebanon - because they would be able to "control" the 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon - but now Mr Bush's real concern is Syria's supposed support for the insurgency in Iraq.

The irony is extraordinary: 140,000 American troops occupy Iraq - we shall leave the Israeli occupation forces in Palestinian lands out of this equation - while their President demands the withdrawal of 14,000 Syrian troops from Lebanon.

This is ...gosh. What can I possibly say now?

[Enter Hizbullah]

What happens now?

Well, what I quoted Brent Scrowcroft saying in the podcast from FP comes to mind:

Those who know the president well suggest that George W. Bush’s decisiveness might be attributed, in part, to a higher power. Scowcroft was quoted late last year as saying, “It’s possible that the transformation came with 9/11, and the current president, who is a very religious person, thought that there was something unique if not divine about a catastrophe like 9/11 happening when he was president. That somehow that was meant to be, and his mission is to deal with the war on terrorism.” But, as Scowcroft also notes, the problem with absolutist beliefs “is that they can get you into traps in which the ends justify the means. It can be dangerous to believe that one’s motives are so noble that therefore anything we do becomes okay because we are doing it for a good cause.” The paradoxical implication is clear: From undercutting traditional relationships with allies to Abu Ghraib, the less moral ambiguity you have in your worldview, the more of it you can justify in your actions.

Another problem with this approach, according to Scowcroft, comes from the fact that “if you believe you are pursuing absolute good then it is a sin to depart from it.” Which means that absolutism either creates dangerous policy handcuffs or, alternatively, it leaves the United States open to charges of hypocrisy. “For example,” Scowcroft observes, “we advocate the export of democracy and yet we find ourselves embracing a number of leaders who are anything but democratic in order to advance other policies or even the spread of democracy elsewhere. You can not argue for absolutes and then practice pragmatism without opening yourself up to criticism.”

How can this go on? It's untenable. When Bush says the Lebanese people deserve to have free and fair elections in Lebanon, while at the same time occupying Baghdad...you cannot help but see how it smacks of hypocrisy. How free and fair was the election in Iraq? So, sure, he's correct to say that Lebanese should have free and fair elections. But so should Iraqis.

So, America, GET OUT OF IRAQ NOW.
And, Syria, GET OUT OF LEBANON NOW.

It should be done soon, but in a retracted fashion. Both America and Syria, leave your occupations behind. Make a plan. Then leave. I want a timetable from Syria and America to withdraw their forces from Lebanon and Iraq respectively.

Excuse my idealism.

As far as Hizb'allah goes...well, I'm afraid the popularity of Hizb'allah is a consequence of the misguided foreign policy America has been using in the past half-century (and more) in the Arab world. Yes, I'm blaming American foreign policy for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. And when evangelicals in the US are doing things like allowing for such disgusting displays of nationalism in the sanctuary of a holy place (I mean, they couldn't even leave the weapons behind?) -- like what we saw in the Baptist Church in Kentucky -- then a compounded hypocrisy prevails.

Religion and Politics should be separate. American foreign policy has got to change if there is to be any hope for a safe future and the preservation of liberty and freedom. Terrorism feeds terrorism. Until we realize there is such a thing as state terrorism, then we're only fooling ourselves. And when you fool yourself, you're only hurting yourself.

I am for a free Lebanon. I am for a free Iraq. I am for a free America.

Again, pardon my idealism.

Uncertainty thickens as 100,000 or more protest.

I saw some of the most ridiculous footage of people kissing a Hafez Al-Assad picture. I mean, the guy was practically slobering all over it. And the camera took such a tight shot of him. Ewwwww!!!

So, I heard people were using "Zoom Out!" to describe how these cameras were trying to capture the counter-demonstrators as being more in number than they actually were.

You know you're desparate when you're trying to pull off such BS tactics.

This can't hold. I feel better already. When Syria and the Puppet regime with Lahoud are making such mistakes, they are bound to lose.

Update: Um, nevermind. I don't feel better anymore.

"But Mr Fini said Calipari had made 'all the necessary contacts' with the US authorities before making the journey."

American news outfits are saying that Calipari did not make any contact with US authorities. Whereas now we have the Italian Foreign Minister saying they had made "all the necessary contacts" with them. Hm...who to believe?

I realize the other file is kind of big, so I've put it in .ogg format here. The best ogg player out there is the open-source VLC player. Those of you unfamiliar with VLC, it can be used in all operating systems. And you can even play all types of video and all other types of audio with it...very useful. If you're patient enough to download it, then you won't regret it.

Also, I'm aware there are some portables that play .ogg format, like the iRiver. So here's the .ogg version of the first Irakast. I hope it's slightly enjoyable. I'll do much better next time!

Peace, Lim


Irakast 1, From Chinese Reggae to Flipping through FP

Show: 1.0
Length: 17:36
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 64
Size: 7MB

So I've done my first real Irakast for your listening pleasure! Exciting! I have to warn you, it's a bit raw. I was like, screw it...I'm just gonna do it. The links below were not all discussed. But I hope to address the articles I left out in the next irakast. I promise to actually put a bit of thought into it next time (and make a smaller file). Although I get the drift that not really having a plan could be fun. As long as you like my intro then we're cool.

Irakast 1, From Chinese Reggae to Flipping through FP

Show: 1.0
Length: 17:36
Format: mp3
Bit rate: 128 kbs
Size: 16.5 mb



Here are the links for the "show" :

• Inside the Committee that Runs the World
• Two Degrees of Henry Kissinger ("literal and figurative heads of foreign policy")
• Think Again: Middle East Democracy
• A World Without Israel
• Reactions by Brian Klug, Mouin Rabbani, Ilan Pappe, Juan Cole, Anatol Lieven, and Fouad Ajami.
• A counter-reaction by Joffe
• Lebanese National Anthem (Words in Arabic and English)

Peace out,

L to Da L

UPDATE: If you listen to .ogg vorbis format here's a 7MB version of the Irakast. I'll add it to the feed as well.

Neocon John Bolton is announced as the new US ambassador to the UN. Expect little change in US foreign policy in the next four years. This man is about as scary as they come. Please tell me what the hell is going on. "Isn't appointing John Bolton to the U.N. a little like appointing Dracula to a blood bank?"



"There's no such thing as the United Nations." - John Bolton, 1994, at a panel discussion spoonsered by World Federalist Association

"If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of a difference."
- John Bolton, same WFA panel

Oh, there's more:

• During the July 2001 global U.N. conference on small arms and light weapons, Bolton told delegates that the United States was not only opposed to any agreement restricting civilian possession of small arms, it also didn't appreciate "the promotion of international advocacy activity by international or non-governmental organizations." Bolton 's delegation was accompanied by that distinguished American NGO the National Rifle Association. (7)

• In 1998, when he was senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, Bolton described the International Criminal Court (ICC) as "a product of fuzzy-minded romanticism [that] is not just naïve, but dangerous." (6)

• Bolton told the Wall Street Journal that signing the letter informing the U.N. that Washington was renouncing the Rome Treaty to create the ICC "was the happiest moment of my government service." (6)

• Regarding efforts to add a verification proposal to the bioweapons convention, Bolton told colleagues in 2001, "It's dead, dead, dead, and I don't want it coming back from the dead." (6)

Clearly, he's a man of internationalism.

Update: Note in the video that Jesse Helms, a member of the board of directors of the American Taliban, is quoted as saying about John Bolton on The Daily Show as..."The kind of man with whom I would want to stand at armageddon, if it should be my lot to be on hand for what is forecast to be the final battle between good and evil in the world."

When somebody like Helms says something so kind, it makes my tummy all warm and fuzzy.

Somebody sent me this image from Iraq. What? The body language of the people reading it says it all. It reads, "For an Iraq 'Free of Terrorists', we support the new Iraqi government's decision to rid the country of all 'Arabs'."

Robert Fisk's latest article: Is Lebanon walking into another nightmare? I haven't read it, but I'm afraid of what he might have to say. Because I've got more and more of a bad feeling about how things are developing. I haven't seen any of his stuff on robert-fisk.com in over a couple weeks. If anybody finds his last two articles, please direct me to it.

Many Arabic peoples expect the worst so that if something bad happens, we will not be surprised. Of course, it's best to have a more hope. Unfortunately, it's made more difficult if you're cursed with knowledge of history. Arabic peoples are the most manipulated people on the planet. At the same time, we're the most quarrelsome with ourselves.

Another thing: The oil is our curse. And if I could wish it to disappear beneath our lands, I would. We would all be living better lives now if there never was the oil.

Right now, I've got a bad feeling about Lebanon. As recently as three days ago, I felt positive about it. But something is wrong right now. And I've felt that for the past couple days...like there's a cloud-storm gathering above it. I could excuse it as the uncertainty of the political situation. But I feel a sort of deja-vuey forboding thing going on.

I hope I'm wrong. I really do.

In the process of revamping a bit, I was completely had by the shark photo. Turns out it was photo-shopped. Thanks to whomever found it out. You've gotta admit it's really hard to tell. Anyway...hahaha. When I come to think of it...it is pretty damn ridiculous.

Oh well, so, yeah I'm going to do a podkast now. The feed is here: . And my side-bar will have some welcome new sections. My new email (if you haven't seen it) is liminal DOT symbol AT gmail DOT com. Please reach me there.