Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Israeli state by now has a long and sanguinary history of murdering writers and journalists in cold blood. In 1972, Israeli commandos murdered novelist, painter and short story writer Ghassan Kanafani in Beirut with a car bomb — the weapon of choice for terrorists ever since — killing his […]
Protesting Gaza War, Massive Crowds Shut down Tel Aviv, Storm TV Station, Call for General Strike
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Rubaie Sawaid, writing for the Israeli newspaper Arab 48, reports that on Saturday enormous crowds demonstrated in Israel against the government’s plan to take over all of Gaza, demanding that the release of the remaining over two dozen Israeli hostages in the Strip be prioritized. He writes that the families […]
“Those who Stood before the Tavern” – FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:3
Omar Khayyam Persian Poetry
“Awake my little ones and fill the Cup!” FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:2
Persian poetry of life and love
FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:1
British man of letters Edward FitzGerald translated the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám from two Persian manuscripts and published it in 1859. He had substantial help from young Orientalist Edward Cowell, who discovered a manuscript of the Rubáiyát dated 1460 CE in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Rubáiyát means “quatrains,” and in Persian poetry they consist […]
US Green Beret: Israeli “Hunger Games in Gaza” (h/t Sen. Chris Van Hollen)
Senator Chris Van Hollen interviews Anthony Aguilar, former Green Beret and former contractor in Gaza, on what Aguilar witnessed there. Warning: Graphic language, Images. Transcript: This is the YouTube auto-generated transcript but cleaned up by Google Gemini. Caveat Emptor. Senator Van Hollen: Well, thank you for getting together. Let me start by thanking you for […]
Wildfire “Apocalypse” in Türkiye as Temperature rises to Record 122.9º F.
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Türkiye is facing “apocalyptic” wildfires according to one official in the northwest Bursa region. Temperatures in central Anatolia hit an unusual 108.32º F [42.4º C.]. But the record-breaking temperature was recorded in the southeastern town of Silopi — of 122.9º F. [50.5º C.] — in the largely Kurdish Şırnak province. […]
Pariah State: Israeli Cruise Ship, Rebuffed at Greek Island Ports over Gaza Genocide, becomes Flying Dutchman
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Extreme-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to turn Israel into a 21st century version of the Flying Dutchman. Britannica tells us that Europe produced the legend of the “Flying Dutchman,” a ghostly vessel that is fated to sail forever. When sailors descry it in the distance, they know […]
Islanders of Tuvalu Prepare first Mass Migration because of Sea Level Rise, as ICJ grants them Right to Sue
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The entire nation of Tuvalu, 11,000 people, is making preparations to relocate, reports Sophie Mak at Nikkei Asia . The nine atolls making up Tuvalu are for the most part only two feet above sea level, which is rising as our carbon dioxide emissions are causing surface ice to melt […]
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