Ayoon Wa Azan (Amid the Barrage of News)

Below are some news stories that the Arab reader may have missed amid the barrage of depressing news in our countries: - A study by Professor Dick Simpson of the University of Illinois in Chicago has shown that the city is the most corrupt in America. We know that Barack Obama was a Senator for Illinois before he moved to the White House, but that is not to say that he was accused of anything. The study showed that there were 1531 corruption cases brought before courts in Chicago since 1976. Los Angeles trailed behind Chicago, with 1275 corruption cases brought before the courts over the same period. Professor Simpson said that while California and New York have seen more corruption cases than Illinois, the population of both states is significantly larger than Illinois’s. It is worth mentioning here that the former governor of the state Rod Blagojevich was convicted of corruption, and I read that he will serve his sentence in Colorado. - According to a story published by Al-Hayat, the German President Christian Wulff has resigned after prosecutors asked Parliament to strip him of his immunity from prosecution over accusations of improper ties to wealthy businessmen. I did not see in the list of accusations more than the fact that he had gone on vacations with these rich businessmen, or received gifts. There was also talk about a shady loan. Clearly, their standards for integrity are not the same as ours. - I wrote many times that the gang behind the Iraq war must stand trial, especially George W. Bush, the neocons and Tony Blair in Britain. Now there is a book written by Gareth Peirce entitled “Dispatches from the Dark Side: on torture and the death of justice”, which describes how the war crimes committed by Tony Blair and his government were suppressed. Peirce is Britain’s most distinguished human rights lawyer, and is therefore an authority on this subject. The above shows that on the one hand, corruption is not a purely Arab invention, and what is considered a crime in the West is no more than a misdemeanor in our countries […] On the other hand, it shows that Arabs and Muslims are fair game, in that they are killed and the killers get away with it. Continuing with other news stories: - When I was turning into an adolescent in Beirut, we used to have this sophomoric hymn that went something like: Chevrolet or Cadillac / Oldsmobile or Pontiac / Any car you want / Buick, Buick, Buick. But the financial crises have killed many famous brands in the world of automobiles, such as the Plymouth, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Mercury, Saturn and Hummer, and before them all of Edsel. Presently, Swedish carmaker Saab seems to be following suit, having found no buyer to save the company. I salute Dr. Raed Arafat, who is of Palestinia origin. When Dr. Raed Arafat resigned as undersecretary of state at the Romanian Ministry of Health, people took to the streets and there were acts of violence in protest. Dr. Arafat (who is not related to Yasser Arafat) went back on his resignation and returned to his post a week later. The Prime Minister Emil Boc then resigned, and President Traian Băsescu backtracked from his accusation that Arafat had lied, when he said in a television interview that the government wanted to destroy the emergency health system built by Dr. Arafat. If Dr. Arafat had remained in Palestine, then the settlers would have occupied his home, or burned his car, and the fascist government would have jailed him on charges of supporting terrorism. - I recently lost two dear colleagues, who are Mohamed Annan and Tawfik Mashlawi. I wrote about them especially that I was not aware that Annan had passed away, and then wrote about Mashlawi only weeks after he died because of my constant travelling. Last week, the Lebanese American journalist Anthony Shadid left us. Shadid was one of the best and most professional and objective New York Times reporters, and the most knowledgeable on the Middle East. Shadid was not a personal friend of mine like Mohammed and Tawfiq were, but I had always followed his work and I admired him. He contacted me several times from Beirut to ask me about names and news and whether I had any views on them. Shadid passed away after suffering a health crisis; may he rest in peace. - I conclude with something lighter than both corruption and death. I received an e-mail asking: Are you looking for a husband or wife? Those who are already married, and not looking, have it hard enough with their spouses to begin with. All they can say is “never again”.