Archive by Author
Would you Buy Shares at Twitter? Posted by jesa on Nov 8, 2013
Marhaba! Today, I am sharing a video from Al Arabiya news station that discusses how Twitter, the social networking company prepares to go public and sell shares. Similar to what Facebook did in May 2012, Twitter is following the same financial strategy. Today I have decided to provide you with a listening comprehension exercise. After…
Habibi, the Arabic Adagio by Majida el Roumi Posted by jesa on Oct 24, 2013
Marhaba! In a previous post I introduced you all to the Lebanese diva Majida el Roumi. Today, I am sharing another musical masterpiece by Majida called ‘Habibi’ (حبيبي) which literally means My Love. The song is based on a classical piece called Adagio in G Minor by the famous 18th century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni…
The Coldest October in 25 Years for the Arabs – Answers Posted by jesa on Oct 16, 2013
Marhaba! I hope you found the video in the previous post interesting. I am confident you have all worked hard to answer the questions. In this post, I would like to present you with the answers. I want to stress again and again that such listening comprehension exercises are important because as you have seen…
The Coldest October in 25 Years for the Arabs Posted by jesa on Oct 15, 2013
Marhaba! First of all, allow me to wish you all Adha Mubarak (أضحى مبارك)! Today, I am sharing a video from Al Arabiya news station that discusses why October 2013 is proving to be the coldest month of the year for many Arabs in the Middle East. Rather than provide you with a reading comprehension…
Learn 100 of the Most Common Words in Arabic Posted by jesa on Oct 10, 2013
In this post, I share the 100 most commonly used words in Arabic. For those looking to learn a language quickly, Tim Ferris (of the 4 Hour Work Week) recommends you learn vocabulary based on frequency. For example, the 100 most frequently used words in English writing make up about 25% of all English writing…
Fairouz and the Resonant Arabic Guitar Posted by jesa on Sep 29, 2013
Marhaba! You all know by now that Fairouz (فيروز) is one of my favorite Arab artists and that almost all her songs are beautiful and reflect the true cultural nature of different Arab societies. Her songs capture how Arab societies view love, patriotism, and nationalism, among other important themes. Based on my previous post that…
How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves Posted by jesa on Sep 24, 2013
Marhaba! Today I am going to teach you how to prepare and make Veggie Grape Leaves (ورق عريش محشي قاطع). I feel that most of the recipes that I have shared lately are more for meat lovers. In this post I would like to share a recipe that my wife and I use when preparing…