The eleventh quatrain in the first edition Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám became one of the more famed poems in the English language. It epitomized romance for people in the late 19th and through the 20 century. Nervous young men brought it along on dates to read out as an ice […]
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Middle East
Gaza Diary: How I risk Death to feed my Family
Hassan Herzallah Before the war, Hassan was a university student chasing his dreams. Now he risks his life every day to feed his family (OpenDemocracy.net ) – It’s 7am. My alarm rings and I get myself ready, just as I used to in the days when I would drink a cup of mint tea and […]
“With me along some Strip of Herbage Strown:” Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám 1:10
The tenth quatrain in the first edition of Edward FitzGerald’s Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám continues the theme of the irrelevance of political power to happiness, which lies instead in love. The Persian originals make clear the meaning here, which is a little cryptic in FitzGerald’s rendering. X. With me along some Strip of Herbage strown […]
Trump threatens UN Visa Ban for Brazil over Pro-Palestine Stance
By Eman Abusidu ( Middle East Monitor ) – US President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Brazil on Friday (5), labeling the South American country’s current government as “radical left” and suggesting that Brazilian officials could be barred from attending the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. The statement came during a White […]
Morocco Produces 1 gigawatt of Solar Panels Annually, as it turns to Floatovoltaics
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Morocco continues to be a pioneer in renewable energy in Africa and the Arab world. The International Trade Administration notes of Morocco, “Total installed capacity from renewable energy sources stands at 4,550 MW, corresponding to 38.2 percent of total installed electrical capacity.” The country plans to generate 56% of its […]
Genocide Scholars: Israel is Committing a Genocide in Gaza, and we Should Know
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On the last day of August, 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a scholarly body with more than 500 members, passed a resolution with 86% support of those who voted, concluding that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. These scholars study genocide professionally, researching it, theorizing it, and […]
Israel’s ‘Refuseniks’: a growing Number of Soldiers are refusing to Serve in Netanyahu’s War on Gaza
By Leonie Fleischmann, City St George’s, University of London (The Conversation) – The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to step up the offensive on Gaza City, despite internal and international condemnation. Amid accusations by the International Association of Genocide Scholars that Israel is committing genocide, some 40,000 reservist soldiers […]
A Reluctant (Iranian) Exile: Minister without Portfolio
A Review of Minister Without Portfolio: Memoir of a Reluctant Exile by Hooman Majd. Detroit (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Everybody needs a home. For Iranian-American writer Hooman Majd, finding a home was an elusive pursuit. He lays out his lifelong struggle for identity and belonging in his wonderful new book, Minister Without Portfolio: […]
Will Cancer Prove to be Another Weapon in Israel’s War in Gaza?
( Tomdispatch.com ) – A week after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, a large explosion incinerated a parking lot near the busy Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, killing more than 470 people. It was a horrifying, chaotic scene. Burnt clothing was strewn about, scorched vehicles piled atop one another, and charred buildings […]
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