All posts by nedhamson
Empty yourself of everything

Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the Source. Returning to the Source is stillness, which is the way of nature.
~Lao Tsu
Tao Te Ching, Verse 16
The case of Mehmet Baransu: Criminalisation of journalism in Turkey under way
What should one say if the majority of the media in Turkey report on the detention of a journalist on spying charges in an affirmative manner, some of them even applauding the court’s ruling, as if to say he deserved it?
What would, for example, Glenn Greenwald think if he were to be subjected to such a shameful act of selling out by his colleagues on the Edward Snowden leaks?
The journalist in this case is Mehmet Baransu, a colleague to whom a large amount of military documents were leaked by a whistleblower. He published a series of stories in the Taraf daily based on that information, which led to the famous Sledgehammer trial. The main accusations directed at high-ranking officers were about plotting a coup to topple the elected Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in 2003. About 300 of those accused were sentenced to prison terms and…
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Tea party may be on verge of becoming a 3rd party | News , World | THE DAILY STAR
Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp, one of Boehner’s strongest critics, said a fierce struggle between establishment Republicans and “grassroots conservatives” is brewing. “The war is on,” he said.
And that likely will show itself in continued infighting within party ranks and between the House and the Senate over pending issues like passing a budget, increasing the nation’s borrowing authority and passing a new use of force agreement for Obama in the battle against ISIS militants.
Robin Lauermann, a political scientist at Messiah College, thinks the “war” Huelskamp speaks of will eventually lead to an open split between tea party Republicans and their more mainstream party colleagues. “I think it continues until you have the fatal error, the fatal decision that does not get made that creates a catastrophe, or the fatal decision that does get made,” Lauermann said.
That could well happen over Obama’s health care program, she said. The U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to rule later this year on the constitutionality of a part of the law. If the court rules against the government, Obamacare could be gutted. While the program isn’t widely popular in the United States, a sufficient number of people have begun to see the benefit and could turn against Republicans. That may force the mainstream to kick out the tea party so that mainstream Republicans can begin to find acceptable replacement legislation.
via Tea party may be on verge of becoming a 3rd party | News , World | THE DAILY STAR.
Shame On LBCI and Lebanese Authorities For Cleaning Fadel Shaker’s Image
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares
I don’t usually use the acronym “LOL” but I feel it’s entirely appropriate to the use of the word “قضية.”
Fadel Shaker is the Islamist who cried wolf.
It’s difficult to imagine Shaker as anything other than the bearded Islamist who did a 180 degrees flip from a blasphemous man living in the sin of his songs to one who suddenly saw the light and only wanted to sing to Allah, the one imprinted in our collective memory as Lebanon, who’s been present for only 3 years.
History goes back to 2012 when Shaker popped up in Downtown Beirut at a rally for Assir’s Islamists, harmless and fluffy as they were at the time. I remember how outraged people were at the time: what had he done? Why was he doing that to himself? I even did a meme (link).
Kiss Ahmad el Assir on the forehead he did…
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Inoreader – Afghan Women
If you’ve got 365 days,
Why do we have only one day?
Why don’t you greet us every day, saying
“Happy women’s day!”
Don’t decorate us for just a day
You don’t need to say it annually,
“Today is your day, today is your time!”
“Happy women’s day!”
If you really consider me, make every day my day!
I know who I am,
And I am proud enough to cheer my own existence
I have already been framed
With the beauty of my nature,
With the crown of my soul
Yes! This is my own way!
You degrade us,
Making us feel inferior,
And then on the 8th of March,
You say, it’s our day, our holiday!
“Happy women’s day!”
Make this day every day
Respect me for who I am
I am not a weak symbol
I know who to be, how to stay strong
A hope lies down in my eyes:
That one day everybody will greet me as equal
Every day!
That is what I always pray….
Happy women’s day!
By Sadia S.
Egyptian Aak 2015- Week 10 (March 2-8)
(A combo of image grab taken from a video uploaded to YouTube on July 5, 2013 during clashes between opponents and supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. One of them, a Morsi’s supporter, Mohamed Ramadan was executed on Saturday)
Main Headlines
Monday
- One dead in bomb blast near Egypt’s supreme court
- Egypt’s top prosecutor releases 120 preventively detained prisoners
- Egypt’s Sisi to meet with top Russian security officials
- Thousands rally in Gaza against Egypt’s terrorism ruling
- Egypt got $23B in aid from Gulf in 18 months: Investment Minister
- Egypt ministers head to Sudan for talks over Ethiopian dam
Tuesday
- Egypt court formally delays parliamentary election formally delays this month’s parliamentary election
- Cairo hit by two blasts overnight
- Five improvised bombs exploded in Cairo’s Matariya district in an apparent targeting Vodafone and Mobinil mobile phone stores
- Egypt’s top prosecutor orders no parking area in front of Cairo’s High Court amid…
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Sunday Sulking In Solitude
Hiba Tawaji Wins Her Battle on France’s The Voice
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares
Is it me or are Lebanese women on a roll these couple of days? Rima Karaki is now making headlines around the world for shutting up an Islamist (link), and Hiba Tawaji just presented another side of Lebanese women and artists during her battle on France’s The Voice.
On Françoise Hardy’s classic “Mon Ami La Rose” (YouTube link), Hiba battled 41 year old year Nög in an oriental remix of the very-subdued song, allowing her to show a different side of her voice. Nög, Hiba’s challenger, gave her a run for her money. He was absolutely excellent. The level of competition between him and Hiba has showed that there’s no such thing as someone “professional” competing against “amateurs.” They are all professionals who know what they’re doing, and at 41 Nög probably has a lot of experience under his belt that helped him almost beat the…
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First Lady Michelle Obama greets recipients of the State Department 2015 International Women of Courage Award
First Lady Michelle Obama greets recipients of the State Department 2015 International Women of Courage Award recipients in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House March 7, 2015. From left: Nadia Sharmeen, Bangladesh; Arbana Xharra, Kosovo; May Sabe Phyu, Burma; Marie Claire Tchecola, Guinea; Tabassum Adnan, Pakistan; Sayaka Osakabe, Japan; Rosa Julieta Montano Salvatierra, Bolivia; Captain Niloofar Rahmani; Afghanistan; Majd Chourbaji, Syria.



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