Scarborough Gets Served

How can Scarborough work as a professional news gatherer and still sound like he believes in Santa when engaging in a conversation about international politics?

Take a break from the pundits and try reading a book for a change. I pray your patience will survive the journey.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ongoing Attack in Gaza

BBC:
Current death toll 220
Current injured over 700

the future of news

I've become quite a fan of ANP since I found out about them in July. Cutbacks of the major news outlets in addition to huge budget cuts of public media companies has created a vacuum of media news content. The internet is to be the new center for distribution of investigative journalism/ documentary content. This democratizing shift not only makes media more accessible, but allows for a development of a new interconnected media that allows viewers to have an active role in developing stories. Even though the reach of sites like ANP are nowhere near the reach of the cable news networks, the potential for massive audiences larger than that of CNN is there.

The move to the internet as a means of media distribution also frees companies of the traditional censorship and ratings groping seen in traditional broadcast. Smaller budgets and audiences with longer attention spans spells for better quality.

Viewer support and viral social video networks for small media projects like ANP will ensure the growth and self sufficiency of ANP and others like it. Enjoy your new world of media and don't settle for less.

reason wins today.

Narcy's song, The Real Arab Money actually made a difference.

read more here.

Narcy's reaction

more thoughts later.

Remembering Vahdat

It's been a while since I've talked about Warring Factions. The project is currently sitting in the in-boxes of multiple film festivals. I have been really careful not to over step my festival run. I have multiple tentative screenings for the film which will be released once the film makes it's first big screening.

I wanted to post some raw audio from the film which we filmed inside of Zurkhuneh Vahdat in Tehran. Vahdat means unity and in this case it's referring to the concept of unifying humanity in the spirit of Divine unity.

These two audio tracks were recorded during a demonstration of young varzeshkaran, "athletes", who were coached by Agha Fattahi who was also my teacher. The morshed was a young man whose name escapes me at the moment but I remember that he was one of the most technically talented morsheds that I met in Tehran.

Steps Towards Reconciliation

*photo courtesy of Reuters: Atef Hassan

Today Iran and Iraq exchanged prisoner remains for the first time since 2003. Steps of reconciliation like these are needed in the Muslim world, where conflicts of the past have a major effect on the policies and sentiments of the present. The Iran-Iraq war was one of the bloodiest contemporary wars in the Middle East and it's legacy is constantly downplayed by Western media sources. For there to be any type of healing and dignified sovereignty in the region there must be an open relationship between Iran and Iraq without interference of 3rd parties (i.e. the US).

read more
[BBC]

who is really winning this arm wrestling match?

Handala

I saw Handala at the On the Boundary conference at Baylor. I was able to meet the film's producer Peder Wiegner and one of the main subjects of the doc, Lucia Pizarro. Handala takes an interesting look at the occupation and deserves a wide audience. The film also focuses on the growth of non violent resistance movements within Palestine and Israel in addition to foreign organizations that are active in the occupied territories. Handala relates that the ultimate security and peace to the region is a one state solution and not the "roadmap" to a two state myth that will never go anywhere.

Lucia Pizarro, a Mexican convert to Judaism from Catholocism, is one of the subjects to the film that I had the honor to meet. She explained to me the dark irony of her Israeli citizenship. She told me that as a Mexican, she has absolute no connection to Palestine whatsoever. However, her Israeli citizenship and identity as a Jew has given her more rights than a native Palestinian who cannot even live in the land which his or her father lived. Lucia's work with ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) has gotten her forcefully removed from the site of a Palestinian house reconstruction but has never landed her in an Israeli jail like it has her Palestinian co-workers.

Handala is currently screening on a grass roots level to small cinemas, universities, and community centers. Screening information is available on the film's blog.

Red Bull BC One Recap

This was the first bboy battle that has ever been streamed live on the internet, so that in itself is a bit of a milestone. Paris was a perfect venue for the event because Bboy culture is alive there more than it ever was in the US. Parisian culture mixed with the poor immigrant presence in France is a perfect environment for an art like Breakin.



On a production note, the segments that were produced to air before the battles were cool but really awkward. The directing of the extra segments are downright poor. The only portion of the pre battle footage that felt natural was the underground battle in Paris and Lilou playing soccer with kids in a park. The production of the battles were great but had some faulty directing choices in the early battles.

The battles themselves were dope and looked great in the high quality flash player on the site. The bboys this year were probably the best of any of the previous BC Ones. I went into it looking forward to seeing Just Do it, Taisuke, and Kid David.


I had seen Just Do it (Germany) from a couple clips on the internet and was really impressed by his dynamic flow and creative blow ups. I think the judges should have given him the win in the first round over Cico because even though Cico's power is incredible, all of his enders were either flopped or he just quit early. His presentation was quite low and his tops were non existent. In the judges defense, Just Do It was holding back a lot. A newcomer to the BC One should know that if you're battling someone like Cico you have to come 100%. If he would have came as hard as he did during his German qualifier he could have taken it to the finals.


Kid David has only been around as a newcomer to the big scene for about a year. I met Kid David when he was much younger in 2005 when he came to Tucson for a 2 on 2 battle.
Jesus and I showed up to this battle with some ridiculous outfits which Jesus still claims to this day messed up his performance. We lost to them in the finals after running into the crowd while flopping a double team we came up with called the 2 man coin. Kid David is the protege of Roxrite, who is one of the smartest battlers and one of the original stack style bboys. Kid David has developed his style and has more character than most. I wanted to see Kid David go further but Lil Ceng's execution of some of the most difficult power tricks I have ever seen knocked David out early in the event.


I favored Taisuke from Japan to win the whole thing this year after I saw him at Freestyle Session 11. His beat rocking skills and character in addition to being well rounded with power and tricks make him the model for an amazing bboy. He showed a lot of great battle strategy in the early rounds but eventually fell flat in the finals where it seemed like he was running low on juice and moves. The final battle was a bit disappointing overall because of the fatigue of both competitors. 1 on 1 battles are incredibly difficult and can only be won by bboys with endurance and a full arsenal of moves. Wing of South Korea definitely showed that he had those ingredients.


My dream for next year, is to have a bboy from Iran in the BC One but it's going to take a lot of training to get there. If I go back within the next year, I will train the someone to be the next BC One competitor, God Willing.

*all photos courtesy of Red Bull BC One

Red Bull BC One 2008

Watch it here

[LINK]

A New Page

It looks like what seemed very unlikely has just happened... More comments to come after I figure out what this all could mean for the world.

لا حول ولاقوة إلا بالله

but I hope this is right

Karl Rove predicts Obama to win

McCain is going to win the election

I apologize for this prediction blog but I feel like it's something that I have to say.
This election season has been quite interesting and unique considering that Barack Obama has gotten so far as a Presidential Candidate. However, my prediction that Obama will lose today is solely based on my cultural and media observations. I would say that the media frenzy surrounding Sarah Palin was a major turning point for the Republican party. Even though the Obama camp was able to out fundraise the Republicans, Sarah Palin attracted more press than they could have ever paid for. The way TV producer's drooled over Palin's presence was testament to the fact that this woman was TV gold in front of the camera.

Now you may be saying, "Palin has gotten a lot of publicity for looking unintelligent and unqualified so that should hurt the Republican campaign." This would be a great argument in a country that didn't elect George W. Bush twice. No matter how unintelligent the candidate may be, many of the voting public do not base their decisions on the issues most rational people would. From what I

have seen in the last year, those who will be voting McCain this election are either;
a. People who who put adherence to conservative interpretation of social issues before anything else.
b. Wealthy Americans who fear that new fiscal plans may threaten their standard of living.
c. People who see a person of color in office as a threat to the fabric of American (read "white") values.
Sarah Palin's media phenomenon has further perpetuated the appeal to "real" Americans who may not have all the right answers at the right times but they represent someone "we wouldn't mind leaving our kids with" and "are a friendly, familiar face we can trust."
There are many Americans who wouldn't trust a black man with their kids, what makes us think they would elect him into the highest elected office?
I'll say that I hope and pray that I am wrong about what I have said but don't be surprised if McCain wins. Barack Obama winning the election would be a major turn in America for the better, not because Obama is capable of changing the whole country but the election of a man of color into the presidency would give hope to millions of people who feel they will never be able to accomplish much nor be treated as equals. In addition, Obama winning could bring us a tad closer to an America that sees more people like Cynthia McKinney in Congress.

*PHOTO CREDIT: JONATHON GRUENKE | KALAMAZOO GAZETTE

On my way to Baylor

I've been invited to give a talk on Tuesday at Baylor University as a part of their conference, On The Boundary. I'll be speaking about Jihad in America so I'm sure there should be a turnout of curious Texans and Baylor students to hear me try to string sentences together, God willing. I'll be speaking at 9am at the Center for Jewish Studies for all of my Texas readers. I'm the only non-professor speaking so etemas dua to the fullest :)

I'll probably be posting the audio of my presentation next week so stay tuned.

Best Selling Trash vol. I

Walking through a bookstore is a painful experience for most Muslim Americans. This is one reason why.

Post Traumatic Stress and Love

...The Americans gave the slender young woman from Fallujah a job as an interpreter and a room to live in. She earned $1,050 a month, more money than she had ever seen before. But she would never go home to see her family again.

I gave myself bruises listening to this story on my way home from work.

Ramadhan Thoughts

For those that don't know, Ramadhan is a time which Muslims fast from food and drink during daylight hours. However, there is more to the month than the tradition of abstaining from food and drink. This year has been unique for me because it has been my first Ramadhan outside of the Islamic community that I grew up with. Organizing an Islamic program, picking up food, cleaning up the place of gathering has been something I have done for the last few years of my life an now I am in a new stage. Due to recent events in my life, I have been exposed to a different Ramadhan experience. For the first time, I am realizing the value of family and gathering more frequently in this month. The daily schedule is revised in this month to be conducive to spiritual growth and family bonding. Waking up in the morning before the time of the morning prayer increases the moments the devote spend in reflecting their lives in relation to the Divine. The pangs of
hunger during daylight hours brings the believer to a
state of humility while drawing attention to their motives for making such a sacrifice. As the time for the night prayer comes close, the believer waits with anticipation of dedicating his or her fast to God and reaching out towards the Infinite in the form of formal prayer.

This month is also designed as a time for self reflection but one cannot take advantage of it completely without making time for such spiritual exercise. It was not until the night of the 21st that I realized the magnitude of prayers that are said in this month and the effect of the Divine promise to answer those prayers. At the end of a 20 hour work shift, a call to an Islamic television station from Iran painted this picture clearly. Laying in bed a man desperately sought spiritual guidance in his time of passing. His cancer had escalated to a stage which he felt more productive in asking his Creator to take him from this life than asking to be cured. His greatest disappointment being that he was unable to partake in fasting even though his condition made him exempt from it. His heartache was one based in his inability to reach his Creator in a way that his fellow Muslims took for granted.

As the month comes to a close I realize that love for proximity to Greatness is the greatest of wealth.

*photo courtesy of Deviantart

An apology

I felt I needed to share this. It's worth the read.
[LINK]

RAGE and Friends at RNC

.story here.


also.. coverage of Labor day show

Amy Goodman and DN reporters arrested at RNC

Video from RNC