Word!

بينما مصر متحيرة بين فريقين كلاهما على علاقة جيدة بالولايات المتحدة وكلاهما ينوي الإبقاء على اتفاقية السلام مع إسرائيل وكلاهما لا مانع لديه من اعتقال خصومه السياسيين الجدد ولو كانوا حلفاءه القدامى، وبينما الضفة وغزة تنتظران إلى أين تميل الرياح المصرية والسورية، وبينما تقصف إسرائيل سوريا مجددا فيرد الجيش السوري على مواطنيه، وترد المعارضة السورية على مواطنيها كذلك ولا يرد أحد على إسرائيل...يخرج اليوم فتيان وفتيات فلسطين المحتلة عام ١٩٤٨، أقدمنا احتلالاً، وأولنا دفعاً لثمن التشرذم العربي، وأملنا الباقي للضغط على إسرائيل، الفتيان والفتيان الذين يهددون وجود إسرائيل بمحض وجودهم، يهددونها كلما أحبت فتاة منهم فتى وولد لهما ولدان أو أكثر، أقول يخرج هؤلاء لرفض مصادرة إسرائيل لأراضي أهلنا العرب في النقب...ربما لا يكون لهم جلال العدد المصري ولا جلال السلاح اللبناني، ولكنهم، على الأقل هذه الأيام، الوحيدون الذين يوجهون غضبهم إلى الجهة الصحيحة... الوحيدون الذين يعرفون، عدوك الأول، عدوك الأَولى هو الاحتلال، لا اخوك ولا ابن عمك وأن طالت بينكما المرارات.

تميم البرغوثي 

Oh Thank You!: Academic Nonsense

Look what I found! I really Loved this text, it alleviated old miseries of trying to read academic papers and feeling like a total dork! Thank you to whoever wrote this!   


There is no reason to become impressed or annoyed by the apparent complexity of this text, it
is not as difficult as it seems. All one has to bear in mind is that academic writers sometimes
have a tendency to make the same point twice, which often confuses the inexperienced
reader, who thinks that two different statements have been made and tries to figure out the
difference between them. Another obstacle is the use of elaborate phrases in stead of simple
statements. This is done to make the statement more precise, but sometimes it grows into a
bad habit.

A Fuenral in Theater: Nidal Saijary

Nidal Saijary died after a long struggle with cancer. A struggle that was so hurtful as we saw him lose his larynx and participate in his very last show totally mute!

It fills me with agony. Throughout those last years of the Syrian Revolution (if I may call it so) (because it got really confusing lately) we saw many actors pass away, we did not even tell how did they die, whether they had a normal death or if we lost them in explosions or if they were targeted by snipers or aerial bombardment.

We just did not know anything, they kept falling and now watching a Syrian series is like walking down memory lane, remembering all of those who died.

When I was looking at Nidal's funeral I loved the music, it reminded me of Semana Santa in Granada, the same musical instruments, but when I looked back I thought I was going to see a mosque, a church or a warship house, simply because I dont know what Nidal's religion was.

But there was none of that. There was the national theater of Latakia.
If I saw this a couple of months ago, I would have criticized it. I would have said things about the ends being dedicated to God and God only, I would have said that death is too serious to be taken in trips to theaters and where else.

But in those last months I learned something about how precious life is. Why have I always thought - or led to think - that not celebrating life is a religious sign of asceticism? Why did I believe that it is holy to put your life passions away when you think about the end? How superficial is that! The life that you have lived and the interests that you had are the mold that shapes your perspective towards life and death.

I have to admit, that If I ever have the Cafe' that I always wanted to have I would not want my funeral to leave from there. I am not that person, maybe not yet, but I now believe that If you gave your life to one thing then maybe your end must have something to do with it. Just like Nidal's dedication to acting and art and his final farewell from the national theater of his city.

Rest in Peace, and may Syria resuscitate from its ashes. Amen