text:
American Blogger in the land of “Down with USA” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

View from Iran has always been a very attractive blog for me. An American blogger based in Iran writes about her daily experiences in the land of “down with America”. Tori Egherman, the American blogger, has now left Iran. She and her husband have just published a book of photos and essays about their four year experience living in there. I spoke to her about her blog, book and real and virtual life in Iran.
Q: Would you introduce yourself, your blog and your book?
For the past four years, I lived in Iran where I found myself in need of creating new identities for myself. Online, I became Esther Herman, the American who wrote the blog View from Iran and for Mideast Youth. To others, I remained Tori Egherman. My husband and I spent almost four years living in Tehran where we struggled with day-to-day issues, the problems of running a small business, and got to know his family better (he had spent his entire adult life in the Netherlands and in the US and had not seen the bulk of his family for almost 22 years before we went to Tehran).
Our blog started as a way for us to communicate with family and friends and soon became a more public forum. Our book Iran: View from Here is a book of essays and photographs that Kamran and I took while we were in Iran. The photos tell the story of our experiences there and present an Iran that can be hard to imagine. Kamran and I were interested in the public aspects of daily life in Iran. Many books deal with historical Iran, beautiful Iran, and ethnic Iran. Ours is a look at day-to-day Iran. (Click here for a Flash presentation of the book)
“A stranger in Tehran”
Q: How was it to be American and live in Iran where “down with America” is almost it's state slogan?
I can count the times I was made to feel uncomfortable about being an American on one hand. The Iranians I met were just so unfailingly polite and kind. Everywhere I went, people were genuinely excited to meet an American. During my stay in Iran, I met Iranians from all walks of life: from the religious to the secular to the revolutionary and everything in between. During that whole time, I met one person who scared me. When I told Kamran that the guy scared me, he said, “That guy? That guy scares everyone, so don't worry. It's not because you are American.”
One time my husband, a British friend, and I travelled to Bandar Abbas: an ethnically Arab part of Iran near the Persian Gulf. “I am not going to tell anyone that I am American,” I told Kamran and our friend Kate. The chaos that ensued after the US attack on Iraq made me nervous about revealing my nationality to Arabs. At the airport, we got a taxi. The driver, quite predictably, asked Kamran where we were from and Kamran answered, “Our friend is British and my wife is American but she wants me to tell everyone that she is from Canada.” The driver laughed, explained that we were all brothers and sisters, and then launched into an anti-regime complaint. So the only time I decided to be Canadian instead of American my talkative husband foiled my plans.
There are many people in Iran with anti-American sentiments, and my husband Kamran met quite a few of them. The thing you have to understand is that in Iran hospitality almost always trumps ideology and belief. I always say that hospitality is Iran's first religion. If I did meet people with anti-American sentiments, they would have repressed those feelings rather than insult me.
That said, I hate the “Down with America” chanting. I remember watching Iranian pilgrims at Mecca raising their fists and chanting “Down with America!” When I would complain, my Iranian friends would say, “It means nothing, why does it bother you?” I told them, “When I go to religious services, we don't chant “Down with Iran!”. We don't go into the streets to chant against your country.” It's a different world. In Iran, these kinds of slogans have very little weight. In America, they mean a lot.
Taxi Talk
Q: In view from Iran you have a category called “taxi talk.” Can you explain it a little bit?
We, like many people in Iran, did not have a car (or a driver). Everyday, Kamran and I took at least two taxis. Sometimes more. Sometimes we took private taxis and sometimes the public taxis. Public taxis have a set route and pick up passengers along that route. In both cases, you could find yourself involved in conversations on a myriad of issues: politics, society, culture, sports, health… A friend of ours speculated that Iran's taxis were a kind of informal polling system.
Drivers will tell you that one in three of them works for intelligence. Most people I met in Iran would confirm this figure. While one in three might be high, there is no doubt that many drivers do report to intelligence services. The taxis are an informal network that is, in many ways, Iran's most effective communication net. Rumors and news are discussed, jokes are passed around, juicy bits of gossip come out. During the recent crackdown on women's dress, for instance, the taxi drivers were the ones with the most information. They knew where women were being spoken to gently (but firmly) and they knew where women were being physically harassed.
Blogs humanize Iran
Q: How do you evaluate blogs influence in Iran?
The main influence of blogs is to allow people to have a forum for ideas and experiences that cannot be discussed in public. In Iran, there are few opportunities for public discussion or and for meeting strangers and making new friends. The blogoshpere has offered this opportunity to many Iranians.
I think that their influence on the political sphere in Iran itself is limited. On the other hand, I think the blogs offer a valuable insight into Iranian life for people living outside of Iran. They humanize Iran.
Image vs.Reality
Q: Do you think in the West, do we have an accurate image of Iran? Do you think blogs can play a role to make a bridge between west and Iran?
No I do not think that we have an accurate image of Iran. I do think that blogs can play a role in linking the two. I would caution that Iran is an extremely class-based society. The Iranians I met seemed to use their own experiences of Iran to extrapolate about the whole of Iran. Here is a story that exemplifies this: It is common for travelers to meet Iranians who say something like: “In the West you think we are a country of deserts and camels. We are not. You won’t see camels in Iran or very much desert.” Well the fact is, much of Iran is desert and there are wild camels living all over that desert. I've seen them! Iranians tend to travel in Iran to see family… they rarely break out of their own social class or social circle, and they believe that everyone else in Iran shares their views.
Q: Do you see any similarity between Iranian blogs and American ones?
Yes! Iranian blogs are amazingly diverse, just like American ones. You have political blogs like Kamangir‘s, Abtahi‘s, even Ahamadinejad‘s … our nieces and nephews in Iran read blogs about Harry Potter and David Beckham. There are blogs from people of all walks of life. Think, when Iraq had one blog (Salaam Pax now blogging at Raed in the middle) Iran reportedly had 70,000!
Filtering Hurts
Q: Can you tell me the names of some English sites that get filtered in Iran?
Many English sites get blocked in Iran. My favorite, The Onion, is blocked. I think that is so that Iranian reporters do not unwittingly use it as a source the way The Beijing Evening News once did. A design site called Boxes and Arrows is also blocked. I sent in protests every day for about a year, but the site was never unblocked. Women's health sites are blocked. This, I am certain, is the accidental side effect of the regime's over-protective filtering policy.
And even though most women's health sites are blocked, you can still read Savage Love. (don't tell anyone though ;-) ) At our site, I have a list of a few of a few of the sites that were blocked when I tried to access them. Just scroll down the to “Filtered” on the sidebar of the site.

author: Fred Petrossian


text:
Bahamas, Cuba: Embassy Downgrade?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com makes a call for the Bahamas to downgrade their embassy in Cuba.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Bahrain: Call for Justice · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif writes about the launch of a new campaign to bring former secret service head Ian Henderson to justice.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Bahrain: Housing Crisis  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini emoodz writes about his country's mounting housing crisis here.


text:
Barbados, Haiti: UN Head to Visit · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Bajan Reporter wonders about the motivating factors behind UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's upcoming visit to the Caribbean.


text:
Chile: A Controversial Agreement with Microsoft · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

There is a feeling among Chilean bloggers that the agreement signed between the Economy Minister, Alejandro Ferreiro and Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer de Microsoft Corporation on May 9th is not good for Chile. The title of this post written by Christian in elfrancotirador [ES]  explains the situation in a simple way:
“Chicos, ¿qué me dirían si les cuento que desde hoy, los 15 millones de chilenos (todos) vamos a ser usuarios de Microsoft… lo queramos o no. Lo imaginé.
¿Y qué tal si agrego al paquete que, en adelante, realizar cualquier trámite estatal o municipal requerirá el uso de software Microsoft? Pero no nos conformemos. Sumen que toda la educación chilena será ejecutada sobre plataformas Microsoft y que -no conforme con eso- cada estudiante matriculado de nuestro país se convertirá en “cliente preferencial” de la empresa.”
Guys: what would you say if I told you that starting today that the 15 million of Chileans will (all) be users of Microsoft, even if we wanted to or not?  That's what I thought.
And, what if I added, that from now on, to make any state or municipal transaction will require the use of Microsoft software? Don’t be content with this beacause in addition, the entire Chilean education system will be carried out through the Microsoft platform-and that's not it, but every registered student of our country will turn into a “preferential client” of the company.
Microsoft buying Chilean citizen’s information?
Carlos in diabloendetalles [ES] give us some extract of the agreement (ES):
The common creation of a “space” where the citizens have access to all the relevant notification information and interaction with the public institutions
Microsoft commits to supply 15 million users the platform Live (mail, Messenger, Spaces and mobile) for the mail service, instant communication, blogs and the access to them from mobiles for free. Microsoft agrees to assume the operational cost and administration of the infrastructure associated.
For many, this agreement continues to get worse and worse. The Economy Ministry also commits to give the information from the Internal Revenue Service to charge the citizens’ accounts. As Fayerwayer [ES] explains, Microsoft also commits to teach all the Chileans between 18 and 35 to use Windows, Word, Explorer and the rest of the Microsoft platform.
No a usar un computador, no a usar un procesador de texto, no a navegar la web, sino más bien a utilizar sus productos y únicamente sus productos — ¡gracias Microsoft!
Not to use a computer, not to use a data processor, not to use the web, rather only use their products and only their products- Thank you Microsoft!
Other view of the agreement is from Rodrigo Walker [ES], that the agreement should have been done through a public bidding, but which also ruled out the chance of free software.
Blogger reactions didn't wait, “The Front of Digital Liberation” [ES] is a movement that was created to alert, inform and report on all the digital development decisions. This initiative was created as a reaction of the agreement with Microsoft. Bloggers can support this initiative that has all ready 738 signatures.
To track the forums discussion (all in Spanish): Tarreo and Atina Chile

author: Rosario Lizana


text:
China: Hiding Up The Shirtless Migrant Workers? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated a discussion about the anxiety that shirtless migrant workers (who do all the construction work) would affect the image of Olympic in Beijing.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
China: Reporter Recieved Death Threat · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Pang Jia-ming wrote in his blog that he had received some death threats through mobile text messages and e-mails. According to another blogger, Wang Kei qin, Pang is an investigative reporter from China Economic Times (zh). In order to show support to Pang, Wang reposted Pang's message.


text:
Cuba: Castro’s Keynote Speech · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“So Raul described large problems that are of great interest to average Cubans…he is creating public expectations that some kind of change is coming, and that in time it will measure up to the challenges he himself has defined,” writes The Cuban Triangle of Castro's 26th July speech, while Child of the Revolution asks, “How do we read Raul Castro’s keynote address in Camaguey?  Reformist? More of the same? Full of contradictions?”


text:
Egypt: Present for Tunisians  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Zeinobia has a present for her Tunisian readers here.


text:
Fighting HIV/AIDS in ‘post-Islamist’ Sudan · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

zizou from Djerba, a Tunisian blogger, works for the Sudanese Ministry of Health's AIDS prevention program in Khartoum.
Zizou writes that in contrast to its neighbors to the north,” Sudan has already moved into a “post-Islamist” period marked by an increasing openness to modern ideas.
He offers as evidence a photograph of one of his coworkers, face veiled in a Niqab, reading an academic article about gays and lesbians in Russia:
Ma collegue s'interesse en effet aux populations vulnerables et plus specialement aux hommes ayant des relations sexuelles avec des hommes. Elle a meme effectue une etude sur le sujet ou elle a interviewe (en Niqab) plus de 100 homosexuels soudanais des deux sexes.
Il n'ya pas mieux que l'exemple de cette fille pour parler de l'epoque post- islamiste qui characterise le Soudan. Contrairement a ses voisins arabes du nord ou la fascination pour l'islam politique ne fait qu'augmenter. Le Soudan est deja passe par sa periode islamiste. Cette periode n'est jamais regrette et ne reveille chez les gens que je rencontre que de mauvais souvenirs.
Les Soudanais y ont pourtant cru… L'application de la Sharia, l'islam comme solution a tout… mais le resultat de cette politique a beaucoup decu et la vie des soudanais et soudanaises est devenue plus dure qu'avant… Et c'est avec plaisir que la plupart des soudanais ont accueilli le vent d'ouverture qui souffle depuis qlq annees deja.
My colleague is interested in vulnerable populations, especially in men who have sexual relations with other men.  She even did a study on the subject where she interviewed (in Niqab) over 100 Sudanese homosexuals of both sexes.
To talk about the post-Islamist period that characterizes Sudan, there is no better example than this girl.  In contrast to its Arab neighbors to the north, where the fascination with political Islam is only increasing, Sudan has already passed its Islamist period.  That period is never missed and never stirs in the people I've come across anything but bad memories.
Then the Sudanese believed in the application of Sharia, Islam as a solution to everything…but the result of this policy disappointed many and the life of the men and women of Sudan became worse than before…Most Sudanese have already been welcoming with pleasure the winds of opening for many years.
Zizou is quick to point out that despite the liberalism in certain quarters, Sudanese society is still deeply conservative, a fact that makes his work for the AIDS program challenging.  “Opening yes!  But not too much!…It's almost impossible to move from discussing abstinence to promoting condom use,” he writes.
But he derives hope from the “embers” glowing brightly among the “ashes,” like his Niqab-wearing coworker, who says she would no longer wear the veil if only Sudan would pass a French-style law against it.

author: Jennifer Brea


text:
Hong Kong: Mainstream Media VS Cyber bullying · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Erynnyes from Those were the days commented on the recent cyber bullying case and pointed out that the blogger and editor Zhou Li had also made unfair comments on Mr. Nike, as she drew groundless correlation between the uploading of Japanese AV to the increase of youth sex crime. The blogger pointed out that the cyber bullying on Zhou would only result in psychological stress while her writing would result in criminal charge of Mr. Nike (who had disappeared from the internet) (zh).


text:
Hong Kong: Union Organizer Arrested · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In response to a call from the International Trade Union Confederation（ITF), unionists in Hong Kong organized a peaceful protest at the Iran Consulate in Hong Kong against the illegal arrest of Iranian union leader Mansour Osanloo in July 13. However, according to coolloud citizen report, after two weeks, the organizer of the protest, Song Chi tak was arrested for intruding private property.


text:
India: Deras In Punjab · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Known Turf goes to Punjab, and takes a look at the “deras” – which were at the heart of a controversy recently.

author: Neha Viswanathan


text:
Iran:International support for two jailed worker activists · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kaargar(worker) says[Fa] that international labour organizations such as International Trade Union Confederation calls for world wide demonstrations on 9th of August against Iranian government.These organizations ask for freedom of two famous jailed worker activists:Mansour Osanlou and Mahmoud Salehi.


text:
Israel: New Textbook · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Issandr El Amrani, who is based in Egypt, suggests that Israel is an apartheid state because its Arab citizens have separate schools and textbooks.


text:
Israel: No Fun for Palestinian Children  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Israeli Desert Peace mocks  summer jobs available to Palestinian youngsters from Jenin.


text:
Jamaica: What Every Writer Should Know… · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

It's all about you – or is it?  Jamaican blogger Geoffrey Philp posts the Top Ten Things Every Writer Should Know…


text:
Jordan: Call for Help for Iraqi Refuguees · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordan and Syria are calling for international help to deal with the escalating crisis with the influx of Iraqi refugees, writes Natasha Tynes from Jordan.


text:
Jordan: New Developments at Airport  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Naseem Al Tarawnah from Jordan writes about new ‘developments’ at Jordan's Queen Alia's Airport.


text:
Jordan: Picture Stories · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Ohoud from Jordan  explains to us why a picture tells a thousand tales here.


text:
Kuwait: Day 25  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti Zeena continues to update us on her weight loss regime here.


text:
Kuwait: One Year · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

It's been a year since someone broke Desert Girl‘s heart, who expresses her feelings in this intense post.


text:
Kuwait: Shadowman Puzzle · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“I understand why cleavage or nudity is usually covered with a black marker, but covering this man completely from head to toe I don’t understand…” writes Lebanese Mark, who lives in Kuwait.


text:
Libya: No Help for Iraqi Children · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Highlander from Libya is enraged that while there is a helpline for Harry Potter fans, Iraqi children are left alone to deal with the atrocities and horrors of war.


text:
Madagascar: Community, Identity and the Malagasy diaspora · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

As it is sometimes the case for sub-Saharan African nations, the Malagasy diaspora carries a substantial weight of the cultural, political and virtual activities related to Madagascar. In the World Wide Web, the bandwidth limitation is a major encumbrance to a larger participation of bloggers from Madagascar in the global conversation.
Still, the Malagasy blogosphere as a whole has steadily grown from its debut a decade ago when only a handful of bloggers were actively telling stories. The Malagasy blogosphere now spans the globe from Ho Chi Minh City to Vancouver with the usual  strongholds  in Antananarivo, Paris, Rome, Geneva, DC and Montréal. Bloggers converse in  Malagasy, French, English or Italian. The Blogosphere has also grown with respect to topic of interests and nature of the conversation. Nowdays, you can find Malagasy weblogs that would be defined as activists, other as observers. Some blogs are more personal, other communitarian.
However, the conversation would often return  to the question of cultural identity, especially for the communities located overseas.
A large meeting was recently organized in Washington, DC inviting all Malagasy in North-America to a friendly competition in different sporting events.
The meeting was a resounding success. It also started a conversation on how different the Malagasy community in North-America is  from the Malagasy community based in Europe.
Sipakv states that:
“ll y a beaucoup d’opinions negatives sur les Gasy d’Andafy sur le web et la blogosphere, je ne vais pas reprendre les arguments repris ailleurs, de toute facon, en general, je suis de l’avis que si on n’a pas de bonnes choses a dire, mieux vaut se taire… »
There are a lot of negative opinions of the Malagasy diaspora on the web. I will not repeat the arguments heard here and there. In any case, generally speaking, I am of the opinion that if you do not have anything positive to say, you are better off not speaking at all…”
Sipakv adds:
“This said I have to agree that the Malagasy communities I have found here in the US (cannot speak for the Canadian one as I don’t know it very well), are vastly different from the Malagasy in France. Maybe it is due to its reduced size, maybe it is due to our environment, maybe it is due to the background of most Gasies who have ended up here, who knows?
I, for one, have found our Malagasies here to have a less elitist state of mind and to be more tsotsotra ( author’s translation: easygoing)  If you disagree with me, you Canadians or other Be Kintana (author’s translation: US residents), then you certainly have the right to do so and to comment on my observation. Something that has always fascinated me how our surroundings shape us…”
Tattum asks the Malagasy community what were the reasons for wanting to leave the country or deciding to go back:
“A ceux qui vivent à Madagascar depuis toujours, pourquoi vous (du moins certains) rêvez de partir?A ceux qui sont expatriés, pourquoi pensez-vous que vous ne reviendrez probablement pas vivre à Madagascar?A ceux qui sont loin, pourquoi voulez-vous rentrer à coup sûr? »
”To those who live in Madagascar, why would you (at least some) want to leave? To those who are expatriates, why do you think you probably would not return to live in Madagascar? To those who are far away, why would you want to return by all means?”
Hery who resides in Italy has a nice description of one of the idiosyncrasies of the Malagasy language as spoken by the youngsters nowdays. He writes in Malagasy:
“Ny teny hoe “Sady tsotra no simple” dia fomba fiteny anisan'ny tautologie ampiasain'ny tanora malagasy. Matoa izy mampiasa io teny io dia te-hanamafy bebe kokoa ny tena fahatsoran'ny zavatra lazainy. Tsy fanambaniana na fanamaivanan-javatra io fomba fiteny io fa efa “état d'âme” mihitsy.”
The phrase “ simple and easygoing” is a tautology used by Malagasy youngsters. They are using this figure of speech to emphasize their point. It is not to be mistaken with a condescending  remark or a rhetoric to lighten a subject but to it really is a way to convey your mood of the moment.
Finally, Jogany and Harinjaka urge the community to participate in a fundraiser-blogathon for children in Madagascar on Sat. July, 28th.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


text:
Nepal: Dialogue · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Democracy For Nepal has the way forward for a dialogue within the Maoist groups.


text:
Pakistan: America’s Got Talent · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Metroblogging Lahore on a Karachite who makes it to the semifinals of the TV reality series America's Got Talent.


text:
Pakistan: Blast in Islamabad · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

The Pakistani Spectator writes immediately after a bomb blast in Islamabad killing several people.


text:
Palestine: Hillary Apology? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian Haitham Sabbah suggests that Hillary Clinton apologises to the UN for the death of a peace-keeper in Lebanon, after approving the sale of cluster bombs to Israel.


text:
Pan American Games, Brazilian Style · Global Voices
Jose Murilo

Neil at London 2012 presents an extensive report about the Brazilian and Carioca [from Rio de Janeiro] way of hosting the Pan American Games.

author: Jose Murilo


text:
Qatar: It’s getting hot in here · Global Voices
Mohamed Nanabhay

The arrival of summer in Qatar usually means an exodus of both locals and expatriates who can afford a vacation somewhere with a more welcoming climate. As temperatures rise above 45 degrees Celsius (over 110 Fahrenheit) bloggers in Qatar are discussing how to deal with the heat (and humidity).
Jane in Doha sums up the weather with a Jane Austin quote (noting that she could have been describing a Qatar summer): “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance.”
Jane has no idea how people survived in this weather before there were air-conditioners everywhere. She tries to explain what it is like to live through a Qatar summer:
She suggests taking a holiday to escape the heat. This is exactly what LotusGem and Camper's families have done. Camper blogs that he's home alone and that it's like being at university again (movies, junk food, card games and sports). He explains why his family left Qatar:
Lots of people who do not live in Qatar find the exodus of our families during summertime strange and a bit weird. You'll often get “you wife is gone for HOW long!?” as if they are trying to figure out if you are having marital problems
Of course, the reason most our families go home during these months is simple : HEAT and HUMIDITY. The current climate in Qatar is almost unbearable. It's okay since our homes, cars and offices are airconditioned. But if you're a kid, this place is a nightmare. You can't play outside for months. Now imagine being a parent of a child who is going mad being inside the house for extended periods…
So, the solution is simple. Usually our wives and kids pack off to Jordan/Egypt/UK and stay with the grandparents for a month or two. The kids love it since they are back home with family and friends. The parents gets a break and some help.
This seems like a perfect solution apart from the fact that he is already missing them!
And we get to relish in the fun of being alone…for a couple of days until we realise how much we miss our families and wish they were here!
On the practical side of things, xtian001, Caryle and Marjorie all describe how their cold water taps flow with boiling hot water. Marjorie explains
I got in the shower a little after middday yesterday (since I'd spent the morning cleaning the apartment) and turned the tap entirely to “cold.” The water that came out was almost too hot to shower in comfortably.
When I lived in the States I never thought about the fact that “cold,” in this context, really just means “the ambient temperature.” Or rather, in the States tap water is only predictably cold because it's coming into your house from underground pipes. Here in Qatar, “cold” water comes from the water tank sitting in full sunlight right outside your apartment. At this time of year, that water can in no way be described as “cold.”
Some people switch the hot and cold taps during the summer. Turning off your water heater converts your hot water tank (which is indoors, and thus air conditioned) into a reservoir of cold water. That “hot” water can then be used to cool down the actually-hot water that comes from the tap marked “cold.” It gets confusing to remember which tap is which, though.
If all of this still hasn't convincved you of how unpleasant the weather is at the moment, LotusGem decided to try a little “experiment” to provide proof:
I spent the hours between 11AM and 2:30PM under the sun, with degrees around 40-45c. In and out of the water, laying on my chair and floating on a mattress in the sea. Needless to say I was starting to feel a little heat beneath my skin, in the flesh, so I decided to spend sometime in the Jacuzzi, which now I know isn't a very good idea. Not that I was clueless before doing it, which puts “deliberate idiocy” above in context.
Towards the late afternoon, I moved under the shaded area near the pool which wasn't as bad. But I could feel the heat of the sun roasting my shoulders and legs through the holes in the canopy above. And though it wasn’t really doing that, but in my mind here is it what it all looked like: A blindingly bright laser penetrating through my skin and scorching the flesh and making “fizzzz” sounds as it moves slowly leaving a line of destroyed human flesh in its wake.
The result:
…I was so red that night that I was glowing in the dark. Literally. No Really!
I turned off the lights and I could see my body pulsating with a red glow. I was like a just-put-out match stick with that fading red glow….
Felt horrible, couldn't sleep at all that night. I applied a small cow’s worth of daily yogurt production on the “glowy” areas, tried burn creams from the Dr. and even regular deep moisturizers. But nothing seems to help; it took a few days before I could sleep with any comfort.
This all reminded him of the martial arts concept that “the best defense is not to be there”! Colt45 agrees with this sentiment and suggests we spend more time online in this ode:
Temperature soaring… work so boring,
All you loosers… get on those computers,
Stay with QL… until you hear the end of work bell
If you do have to go out, remember the sunscreen!

author: Mohamed Nanabhay


text:
Russia: Gorbachev & Louis Vuitton · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog writes on Mikhail Gorbachev's new role: a model for Louis Vuitton ads, photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
Russia: High-Heeled Sprint · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light reports on this year's high-heeled sprint that took place in St. Petersburg this past weekend.


text:
Russia: Krasnodar Taxi · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Inside Krasnodar reports on a new taxi service, which uses Mercedes B Class 170 white minivans and doesn't charge too much.


text:
Russia: Kvas · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Some pictures and a report on kvas, a favorite summer drink – at Russian Kafe.


text:
Russia: Olimpiada · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sochi Travel reports that since the victory in the 2014 Sochi Olympics bid, several newborn girls have been named Olimpiada.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Anniversary of Attempted Coup · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both Club Soda and Salt and Notes from a small island acknowledge the 17th anniversary of the attempted coup in Trinidad and Tobago.


text:
Turkey Makes The Right Choice · Global Voices
Mohamed Nanabhay

Abdurahman believes that Turkey made the right choice by electing the AK Party. He writes that the “election was widely followed in the Middle East” and that “in the last few years, in every fair election, an Islamic-leaning party won or were denied a clear victory. Hamas in Palestine, Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Algeria in the early 90s. People are fed up with corrupt regimes and perceive Islamic parties to be clean, and the AK party is a good example.”


text:
Uzbekistan: Domestic violence, a prison for Uzbek Paris Hiltons and “Iran, go home!”  · Global Voices
Tolkun

Women are often treated badly in Uzbekistan and domestic violence has unfortunately become a part of normal life in many families. The worst thing is that people are getting used to it, thus creating a big chance for domestic violence to develop into a kind of tradition in Uzbek culture. The role of women and how women are treated in Uzbekistan was raised by Uzbekistan Womens Blog (UWB) in two posts.
The first post is about Mehriniso (RUS), an Uzbek woman with six children (the eldest is 16 and the youngest two years old), who killed her husband and was sentenced for twelve years of imprisonment. The reason for murder was that her husband was unemployed and drank a lot. Being drunk, he often used to beat her and their children, calling it an “educational process”. Unlike most women, Mehriniso approached the problem in a different way that turned out to be fatal for her husband.
One day, her husband came home very drunk, which was usual for him. Barely passing the entrance, he began cursing his wife. Thinking that the “educational process” was not finished, he beat Mehriniso and the children. The wife ran off to another room crying. She was crying and asking herself why she deserved such a fate. Soon enough, she could hear her husbands snoring from another room. Mehriniso quit crying and started looking around until she saw a kitchen knife…
Interestingly enough, the article does not judge Mehriniso or her husband. The article accuses the society which nowadays often neglects such vital problems as domestic violence, and quotes a famous publicist:
Do not be afraid of your enemies. At most, they can kill you. Do not be afraid of your friends. At most, they can betray you. Be afraid of indifferent people! It is due to their silent indifference that the worst things happen in the world.
The second post is a letter from a reader of UWB (RUS), where she tells about the life of a woman with little twin children, who left her husband and house, and had to move to another city. The reason was that her husband didn’t work, drank a lot and beat her. This woman deserves admiration, as not many women can dare to leave their husbands, as it is considered to be against the traditions.
In sharp contrast to the stories above stands Gulnara Karimova, a daughter of president Islam Karimov. The blog For Free Journalism discusses (RUS) the personality of Gulnara Karimova that is becoming an image of deity among the youth. According to the blog, this is due to the government controlled media that is portraying Gulnara Karimova as an idol.
The press in Uzbekistan does not speak about how Gulnara Karimova seizes businesses from entrepreneurs and illegally takes control over profitable companies. It only tells what a beautiful and successful businesswoman she is and how she is so kind that she offers grants to the youth. Gulnara, of course, understands that 60% of the population in Uzbekistan is youth. And it is this youth that can help her achieve her goal.
The blog does not clarify what Gulnara Karimova's goals are, though it can be assumed that one of her goals is to replace her father – Islam Karimov, as the president of Uzbekistan.
The blog Civil Society of Uzbekistan writes (RUS) about a meeting of the international project “For the defense of society”, a project of the World Movement for Democracy, where participants discussed the current condition of civil societies in countries of the CIS and Central Europe.
Uzbekistan was found to be a country where civil society is being squeezed, as there are many cases of “pressing” on journalists and human rights activists, repression of the opposition and  religious leaders after the Andijan massacre, and also many international organizations are being closed and it is really hard to get grants and register nongovernmental organizations, etc.
Rowan Wagner writes  in his blog about one of the interesting phenomenons in Uzbek culture – “gap” culture, which was also discussed on neweurasia.
Gaps [is] the ancient system of the mahalla or Jamuot (Tajikistan) where selected men would meet to discuss key community issues once a month rotating the place of honor each month, women too would do this as means of keeping informed about other issues such as finding wives/husbands, new births, etc… The practice was expanded during Soviet times to all members of society as means a social cohesion in organized structure such as collective farms or among graduates of schools and universities to maintain the bonds of friendship. My experiences is even today most gaps are gender oriented and built around close friendships from home villages or schools, where people primarily get together and catch-up on the latest news or events that have occurred to the members of the gap.
Jamiyat talks  about a prison for Uzbek “Paris Hilton”s.
…a new prison for civil servants with a capacity of 150 inmates was built in Tashkent.
Thus, this category of inmates will be kept away from passing on the national secrets to a “wider public”. Indeed, there should be a lot to keep in secret. Not to forget that one can't put such influential people in cells of Jaslyk. Because inmates there might have either a negative influence, or show no tolerance towards newcomers, who in fact, might have actually put them in these premises.
Besides, one has to secure a better nest, in case things might just go wrong.
Jamiyat also writes  about the interesting case which happened in the Asian Football Cup taking place in Malaysia. The young talented Uzbek football player Aziz Haydarov came to the press conference before the match between Iran and Uzbekistan with a piece of paper reading “Iran Go Home”. Jamiyat thinks that the statement of the young football player did not only cause dissatisfaction of football observers, but also politicians back in Uzbekistan.
This mistake was surely also noticed back in Uzbekistan. Because such a statement, in my opinion, in the light of improving Uzbek-Iranian bilateral relations and Western pressure on Iran would sound quite inappropriate and ambiguous of the Uzbek political stance towards this country.
While Jamiyat talks about the possible political reactions to this case, Uzbek football fans are already giving their apologies  on the silly action of the Uzbek football player.
Yes, this a fact that our Aziz Haydarov came to the press conference with a piece of paper havnig ‘Iran Go Home’ on it in big letters… He is a very young player, and maybe didn't know what was he doing at that time. So, please accept his apologies dear Iranian friends, I am so sorry for that!

author: Tolkun


text:
Zimbabwe: Economics by terror · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Cry Beloved Zimbabwe: “5000 business executives and store managers have been arrested in Zimbabwe since Mugabe started his crackdown on business accusing them of hiking the prices of basic commodities in order to topple his government.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


text:
Africa: how to take care of African fabrics · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ladybrille blogs about African fabrics: “Ladies, especially those in Europe and America, have you ever tried buying African fabrics? They never seem to come with instructions! How frustrating is that? What do you do with them. Where is the back, where is the front? Should they be dry cleaned or machine washed? An online search generally comes up with scare information on just the basics of African fabrics. Well, I'm tired of the lack of the information!”


text:
Africa: Stop trying to save Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Joshua joins the “Stop trying to save Africa” debate: “Those in the Afro-blogosphere have heard these points many times, though they seem to stick more when they come from a provocative headline penned by a much acclaimed young novelist whose classmates (he graduated from Harvard in 2005) are the ‘perky young blondes’ working on Save Darfur and other post-9/11 youth led grassroots movements. I want to address one particular subtle point that Uzo makes.”


text:
Barbados, Jamaica: Let’s Talk About Voting  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

With elections facing the nation possibly as early as October, Barbados Free Press wants to stimulate discussion on the voting process, while Living in Barbados says, “Spending a few days in Jamaica right now is interesting” as the island gears up for elections on August 27.


text:
Korea: Remember 5.18 · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

History seems unforgettable. Especially tragedies. A movie that just opened in Korea brings up a piece of history, the Kwangju Uprising or Kwangju Democracy Movement (known in Korea as 5.18), and has been touted as a film Koreans should watch. The film touches on issues of patriotism, the plight of 5.18’s victims, the question of how to punish its perpetrators, and the way Koreans have been taught about 5.18. The movie has become popular very quickly.
The title of the movie is ‘Hoaryeohan Hyuga (Remember 518)’
Flowstar writes about the film.
‘흥행해야만하는'영화.
5.18관련자들을 의자에 묶어서라도 저 영화를 보게 만들고 싶다.
그동안 광주를 비춰오던 ‘외신'과 ‘과거를 증언'하는 시점에서 벗어나
‘그들'의 시점으로 이야기를 진행시켜나가는 영화,
그렇기 때문에 눈물선을 툭툭-건들이는 영화,
‘정말 저런일이 가능해?'라는 의문이 자꾸 드는 영화.
하지만 저것은 ‘그나마 미화'된 것이라는 이야기까지 나오는 영화.
‘꿈이었으면 좋겠다'는 이요원의 대사가
너무나, 너무나 아프게 쑤시고 들어오는 영화,
‘우리는 폭도가 아니다.'라고 외치는 김상경을
‘당신들은 그저 시민이에요.'하고 달래주고싶게 만드는 영화.
국가가 시키는 대로 살아온 시민들,
정말, 소시민들.
누가 그들을 ‘폭도'로 만들고, 누가 그들을 ‘빨갱이'로 만든것인가.
삼인성호(三人成虎),
세 사람이면 없던 호랑이도 만든다는 뜻,
사람의 혀가 얼마나 무서운지 보여주는 고사성어,
그리고, 전두환이, 전두환의 부하들이, 심지어 언론까지.
그들을 폭도라 했고, 빨갱이라 했다.
그당시 우리에게 그들은 폭도였고, 빨갱이였다.
하지만 지금의 그들은
민주주의를 지킨 영웅이요, 숭고한 시민들이다.
‘우리는 최후까지 싸울것입니다.
우리는 광주를 지켜내고야 말것입니다.
우리를 잊지말아주세요.’
라며 울부짖었던 그들을, 죽어가며 싸웠던 그들을,
잊지말자. 잊지말고 기억하자.
그게 지금 우리가, 먼저 간, 희생한 그들을 위해 해줄 수 있는 최선의 일이다.
Contratry to ‘foreign news’ and ‘point of views about how to interpret about Kwangju in the past’, the movie talks about the story from ‘their’ (victims’) own views. A movie blurry with tears. A movie to question me on and on, ‘Is it really possible such a thing could happen?’ But I heard the movie couldn’t even show everything that really happened at that time.’
“I hope it is a dream” the main actress said. It still hurts me so deelply. The main actor shouts ‘we’re not mobsters.’ I wanted to shout back to him, ‘you’re just citizens.’
People who lived by the orders of the nation, good citizens.
Who made them rioters, who made them ‘Commies’?
‘Three people can make a tiger.’
It means that three mouths can create a tiger.
It’s a pharse to show how humans’ tongues are scary.
And, Chun Doohwan, his officials, and even mass media.
They called those good citizens rioters, and Commies.
At that time, to us, they were rioters and Commies.
But now they are heroes to keep democracy and they are righteous citizens.
‘We will fight to the end. We will keep Kwangju. Don’t forget us.’
Don’t forget.
Let’s remember people who cried out and fought to the death.
That’s what we can do the best for people who sacrified themselves.
Bloggers like Hacker show what can be learned about the real history through the movie.
부모님과 함께 화려한 휴가를 봤습니다.
부모님도 저런 일이 있었다는 걸 몰랐다고 하시는군요.
부모님께 저 말을 들으니 더 웃기고 통탄스럽더군요.
화려한 휴가는 꼭 봐야 할 영화입니다.
꼭 보십시오.
그리고 이 영화는 논픽션입니다. 픽션이 아닙니다.
실제로 있었던 일입니다.
꼭 잊지 말고 기억해야 할 일입니다.
Not a few bloggers are dissatisfied with that the people who took part in the violent suppression have not been questioned.
정말 그랬을까?
중학생때 엄마랑 시내에서 우연히 흑백사진을 바닥에 깔고
무언가 나눠주던 사람을 보았다.
바닥에 잔뜩 깔린 사진은 시신이었다.
누군가에게 심하게 맞고 , 혹은 군인에게 잡혀가는 사진이었던것 같다
아무 아련히 그 사진들이 기억에 남는다.
가장 기억에 남는 사진은 나무 관속에 누워있는 찟긴 얼굴로 누워있는
이름 모를 젊은 청년.
나중에 알았다.
우연히 보게된 5.18 화보에서
중학생때 본 그 사진이 5.18 사진이었다는 것을.
5.18 광주 민중항쟁에 대한 지식이 어느정도 있다고 생각하고 본 영화였지만
눈앞에 펼쳐지는 광경은 믿을수 없을만큼
잔혹하고, 어떻게 저런일이 불과 27년전에 일어날수 있었을까..
의심이 들정도이다.
그리고
그 사람들을 죽이고 학살했던 사람들은 여전히 떵떵거리고 살고 있다…
A blogger sent a letter to Chun Doo-hwan, the president who was supposed to order the violent suppresion.
전두환 씨, 25일 개봉한 영화 ‘화려한 휴가’를 보셨나요?
전 재산이 29만 원밖에 없으니 형편이 여의치 않겠지만 꼭 보시길 ‘강추’합니다.
끔찍한 한국 현대사의 아픔이 여전히 계속되고 있다는 것을 잘 보여줄 테니까요.
영화에서 당신을 부릅니다.
“우린 폭도가 아니라고, 이 개새끼들아”
뭔가 답변을 해야지 않겠습니까?영화 제작사가 한 인터넷 영화사이트와 함께 진행한 이벤트에 따르면 ‘화려한 휴가’를 꼭 봐야 하는 사람 1위로 당신을 꼽았다고 합니다…
영화에서 국민 배우 안성기가 열연한 예비역 대령 박흥수는 이렇게 말합니다.
“총알보다 무서운 것이 바로 사람이다.”
왜 사람이 무서운 줄 아십니까? 바로 기억하는 동물이기 때문입니다…
‘80년 광주’에서 끔찍한 일들을 겪었던 사람들, 그 일을 기억하는 사람들의 DNA는 모두 ‘전두환’ 당신의 이름 세 글자를 잊지 못할 것입니다.
태극기를 흔들며 ‘대한민국 만세’를 외쳤던 자국민을 서슬 퍼런 총칼로 학살했던 군인이 처벌은커녕 대대손손 호가호위하며 살았다는 사실을 우리는 영원히 잊지 않을 것입니다.

author: Hyejin Kim


text:
Philippines: I am not Plastic · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Cathy introduces her new venture that reduces plastic waste by creating their own range of fashion conscious reusable shopping bags. “Our initial step is to get Filipino shoppers into the habit of refusing plastic bags when they shop. Our next step is to create even more bags which will have more of a statement and function beyond what can be seen.”

author: Preetam Rai


text:
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Blue Mountain Hike · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Yes, this is my water bottle atop the trig marker on Blue Mountain Peak–for a few minutes last Sunday, it was the highest water bottle in Jamaica.” Nicholas Laughlin posts some photos of his hiking expedition.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Dominica: On the Bookshelf · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Instead of getting caught up in Potter-mania, Andre Bagoo has “fallen prey to the wonderful tone of White Teeth, a book I had avoided reading for years because of its bulk. Blake, my favorite poet, is also fashionable these days and I finished Jean Rhys’ gem A Voyage in the Dark which I enjoyed immensely because of its economy of expression.”


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: WICB and Digicel  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

West Indies Cricket Blog is “desperately trying to refrain from thinking the worst thoughts” about the West Indies Cricket Board‘s “hastily extended and now contentious” sponsorship contract with a mobile service provider.


text:
Bahrain: Congratulations Iraq  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif congratulates Iraq on winning the Asian Cup Championship (football).


text:
Bahrain: The Return of the British ‘Butcher of Bahrain’ · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Politics and human rights are, as ever, the chief topics of discussion on Bahrain’s blogs this week, but we also hear about things that aid and interrupt sleep, creatures that won’t buzz off, and stories of both loneliness and new friendship.
‘The Butcher of Bahrain’
This week has seen the arrival of Ian Henderson in Bahrain, and Bahrain’s bloggers are not happy about it. Ian Henderson was the head of the state security services in Bahrain for over 30 years; he is accused of having employed brutal tactics to suppress the opposition in Bahrain, such as imprisonment, torture and forcible exile, and has been given the moniker ‘The Butcher of Bahrain’. Mohammed AlMaskati couldn’t believe the news:
When I first heard it I thought it’s another one of those rumors that float around every once in a while, something within the same lines as the “Naturalization of 50,000 Baathist Iraqis of the Fedayeen Saddam” or that of a nationwide full payment of all outstanding debt of locals, but the pictures proved me wrong.
[…]
How inconsiderate could this really be? Allowing this monster, a symbol of the 90’s era, an icon to the horrors that took place not so long ago on this island, a reminder of the screams and pains of the tortured the blood of the martyrs, the lives of the families that were destroyed because of imprisonment and forcible exile, we have became the first country in the world to deport its own citizens and then demand that other countries refuse to give them asylum.
It is honestly sad to see that international authorities investigating the torture allegations against him instead of our own government, which not only turn a blind eye to the issue at hand but absurdly grants him free access to the country. The US State Department, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other international Human Rights organizations have all produced veritable mountains of documented evidence of such abuse and torture and linking Mr. Henderson to them.
Mahmood wants to welcome Mr Henderson:
Your exalted excellency, you are in excellent company here, sir, do relax and enjoy the festivities in your honour and let whoever asks for reparations with your past be damned. You are – after all – a retired gentleman of 81 and could not be held responsible for bygone eras, surely. The world’s powers – to one of which you belong – have turned a blind eye, and why shouldn’t they, it has become their culture. Generations who will continue to have nightmares for the rest of their lives and those who succeed them be damned. The almighty Pound and Dollar rule supreme.
Welcome welcome your excellency, to the land of milk and honey!
Both he and LuLu report on a campaign spearheaded by the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights to bring Henderson to justice:
The concept of forgiving and forgetting has been repeatedly used and abused as a slogan to shelter violators of human rights in Bahrain. To an extent, this may have been tolerable if the government had shown signs of seriousness about acknowledging, compensating, and re-integrating torture victims. However, the recent arrival of Mr. Henderson to Bahrain and the semi-official welcome he received is a sign that no such intent exists. I'm not sure what he is doing here but simply receiving this guy here is a slap in the face to anyone who had taken government promises seriously.
So, while this may seem like a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights had launched a campaign to support justice and human rights in Bahrain– by calling for trial of Bahrain's major human rights abuse symbol, Officer Ian Henderson, Head of Bahraini Security and Intelligence Bureau (1966-2000). Shamefully, he continues to be sheltered by the Bahraini (reformist) government, despite his instrumental role in orchestrating arrests, torture, and exile of national activists.
Summer dreams and nightmares
It seems some bloggers can’t stop thinking about politics, even in their sleep. Haythoo isn’t sure if exams or politics are giving him nightmares:
Yagoob waxes lyrical about the sounds of summer nights:
Ahhhh don’t you just love the sound of switched on window air conditioners * TRA-HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM* and feel the cool cool breeze turning your room into a heat free sanctuary, whilst you roll up in your blanket like a cocoon…
Ahhhh don’t you just love the sound of switched on window air conditioners * TRA-HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*, with that sound which is so reassuring and loving like a mother wishing her child a good night’s sleep before kissing him goodnight…
Ahhhh don’t you just hate when that sweet * TRA-HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM* turns into silence in the middle of the night where it’s too dark to know what’s going on and the formerly suppressed heat creeps back in through the walls. Ugh!
Bugged
Two bloggers have had enough of various winged creatures. Um Naief is at breaking point:
What is up with the flies in this country? Never have I seen flies that don't go away and aren't afraid of humans.
When I was a young girl, I hated them so much that I would go outside, taking the fly swatter with me, and kill as many flies as I could in order to keep them from coming into the house….. yeah, ok… I was young… so bear with me here! :) I would spend hours killing them. My mom would always be home and I can remember her telling me on more than one occasion that it wouldn't make a difference, but it never deterred my determination. For I was the Fly Killer and proud of it!!!
Now… living here in Bahrain, I don't think I'd ever be able to swat one of these dang little creatures… they're so fast. Not only that, but they seem to withstand even the hardest swat with the hand…. so would they even be affected by the good ‘ole swatter?
And Notes From Behind The Bike Shed entertains us with a description of trying to practise tai chi in the grounds of a luxury hotel when a wasp has other ideas:
As I sat immobile, nursing my swollen feet, my mind was left to ponder how I was supposed to react to this. Here I am trying to commune with the universe and find some inner peace and along comes this wasp and violently (it really hurt) disrupts my exercise. I mean, sure, I was stepping on his home and blocking him from getting out, but I certainly wasn't being Israeli about it. After all, I pay exorbitantly for the privilege of trampling on that grass. Couldn't he wait until I was done?
The thing is, once you do tai chi outside, it is a totally different experience from practicing inside. It really does feel different (the expression that described the difference best: practicing outside was like eating off fine bone china after having eaten off paper plates). I guess my choice of metaphor kinda explains my waistline.
… At first, I tried to choose where I practiced carefully, looking for telltale mounds where the wasps had burrowed underground. Then I tried different times of day when I thought they might either be at sleep or out and about taking care of their waspy chores. Eventually, I got so tired of watching the wasps that I gave up and just went out, not caring too much what would happen. And that was when it started to change for me.
The wasps would circle around me so I tried to keep extra still, my feet became lighter on the ground cause I was overly careful about any wasps underneath and I was always watchful of what was happening around me, which took my mind off my form and helped me relax about the movements I was making. All in all, my tai chi improved tremendously and I enjoyed my practice more than ever and I have been given the Native Indian name: dances with wasps
Feelings of loneliness…
Ashish Gorde is prompted by article analysing the work of the American artist Edward Hopper, to wonder if feelings of social isolation are solely a Western phenomenon:
From a purely Asian or even Middle-Eastern perspective, such descriptions would lend credence to the more popular indictments we have about the West as a place that lacks familial relationships, and where individuals are left to fend for themselves without parental or any other support. Isolation as a cultural motif and not an exception to the general rule of social decorum.
[…]
It would be almost blasphemous to suggest that loneliness is a familiar pattern in our societies because we've been trained to acknowledge the supportive presence of family, tribe and community. Togetherness is, what we believe, to be the natural state of people in our communities, and individuals, if there be any, exist only in relation to someone else. Individuals cannot exist on their own, and if they do, then, there is something decidedly wrong with them. Wrong as in, morally wrong.
But the fact of the matter is, lonely people do exist in our societies, and their loneliness is made even more acute because no one expects them to be. Perhaps parallel could be drawn between Hopper's portraits because just like the supposed incongruity of those images neither does anyone expect painful isolation to be part of our social landscape.
…and making new friends
A group of female bloggers met up for first time this week, and Gardens of Sand was pleasantly surprised:
July, 21st 2007 marked the first female bloggers’ meeting, or at least the very first I attended. Us gals met in Dolce cafe (am I saying the name right) at 11am. Me being myself and Bahraini on top of that arrived a few, ok more like 20, minutes late. … Ok, back to the meeting; it was quite good! I expected to either be dreadful or great. Fortunately, it turned out to be the latter.
[…]
The turn out was good, 8 of us there I think. I met some ladies that I can see myself befriending! … The meeting reaffirmed that I should never judge the book by its cover. Or in this case, never judge the book cover by the book's contents. It is amazing how one form's this notion of another's appearance and behavior based on their writings. You expect them to be and look a certain way, and boom! You meet in person and they are not at all how you thought they would be. It is funny how quick we are to peg someone. I also decided to read more Arabic blogs. I am missing out on some really good blogs. … Ladies, here is to all you gals, may we continue to successfully and happily blog away and may friendships blossom out of our experiences.
Appearances matter
We end this week with a poem by Hisham Khalifa, called Intelligentsia:
See and be seen
know and be known
It’s the game of society
we play
Run like a champ
avoid the chimps
A few tips
for sounding intelligent
When someone says something, nod ever so slightly, as if you’re agreeing, then stop as if you’re disagreeing. A subtle frown might add to the effect.
When someone mentions the “government,” look distressed and say “1984.”
Quote Oscar Wilde whenever someone talks about literature.
For the rest of the poem, see here.
More from Bahrain next week.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


text:
Bangladesh: The threat of floods and current politics · Global Voices
Rezwan

A flood on its way
Like many places in the world it has been raining incessantly in many parts of Bangladesh for a number of days. The rain water had waterlogged many places. Back to Bangladesh posts some pictures of some parts of the waterlogged Dhaka. He wonders whether there will be flood in Bangladesh this year.
Canadian Expat blogger Mikey Leung shares his experience of surviving a fall into a hole in the footpath and the generosity of the passersby who helped him get out instead of laughing at him. He says these holes may create a problem during flood:
Random gaping holes in roadways, back streets and footpaths, are a fact of life in Bangladesh. During the incredible downpours of Bangladesh’s monsoon season, they often become dangerously obscured to the inattentive visitor.
So watch out when you are walking in a waterlogged Dhaka street.
Expat Tom posts pictures of temporary water-logs near his house. He also describes the ingenuity of a Taxi driver who drove in pouring rain with an out-of-order wiper:
He had attached a small wire to the right hand wiper which was hanging down against the side of the car. As we drove along he had his arm out of the window pulling the wire and thereby replicating a rudimentary windscreen wiper, allowing him a small patch to see out which enabled him to continue to drive like a lunatic, the common state in Dhaka come wind or shine.
E-Bangladesh is reporting that flooding in Bangladesh is turning towards a disaster as major rivers are flowing above danger levels.
Blogger Safayet of Nagarik [bn] blog urges bloggers to stand besides the flood affected people by creating a relief fund.
Bangladesh politics:
The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety uses his verses to describe the current state of Bangladesh politics.
He signs off with a slogan:
there is no slogan worthy of our respect
than to DEMAND FREEDOM or
Be DAMMED..
Following a comment of Gen. Matin, the advisor and spokesman of National Coordination Committee on the current anti-corruption drive and the religious party Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Shahzaman Mazumder comments on Gen Matin's statement “It just may be that Jamaat leaders were not involved in corruption”:
Jamaat is not free from corruption. However, the definition of corruption needs to be widened and should include abuse of power and violation of established laws and regulations of the country.
Shahzaman Mazumder also analyzes Jamaat's ideologies and agendas and interprets:
In a sense, the current caretaker government is now implementing part of Jamaat’s plans by “recast(ing) economy, education system and administration, i.e., the total political system of this country.” The caretaker government is a blatant failure of the mainstream political parties. It shows that the mainstream political parties are incapable of resolving their disputes through the constitutional institutions of the country. The only way to combat Jamaat is to replace these aging and corrupt political structures with more potent and honest ones.
In the Middle of Nowhere lists seven instances where civil bureaucrats were replaced by military bureaucrats and asks a pertinent question:
Are military bureaucrats better, more efficient, more honest than civil bureaucrats?
The price of the essensial commodities in Bangladesh are increasing and have already crossed tolerable level. An Ordinary Citizen says:
Politics is also playing a part in the instability of the prices of essential commodities in the market.

author: Rezwan


text:
China: To blog to dream · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Two American bloggers based in southern China's Guangzhou city are gearing up for a year's worth of blogging trips which will take them through all twenty-two provinces in mainland China and see them raising funds for charities, offering scholarships for Chinese students to go study in the West as well as raising funds to cover medical costs for people struggling with cancer back in the heavily-industrialized Pearl River Delta, where cancer rates run high.
Lonnie B. Hodge, the elder of the two, US army veteran, past recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts and resident of Asia for nearly two decades, has played a very active role in China's English-language blogging community since he started OneManBandwidth in 2004, supporting not just top blogger and photo contests, but also charity initiatives being played out across the country, all on top of maintaining a business column and drawing on life experiences (and a PhD) in decoding life as a teacher and business consultant in today's China on everything from cancer to censorship to corruption on campuses.
Cancer has been a central topic on OneManBandwidth for the past year as Hodge has followed closely the lives of what he is calling The League of Extraordinary Chinese Women, linked by their shared suffering of breast cancer; where once there five, only one is still living today. As those around him continue to pass away, Hodge himself does not have long left to go.
And thus the inspiration for what Hodge and his Macau University of Science and Technology teaching colleague David DeGeest are calling The Dreamblogue: Traveling China for Charity and Understanding.
The first trip will take the pair to Tibet on August 15 and more information will be released shortly. One recent post looks at the Asia Library Project initiative mentioned in the short video, taken in Guangzhou this past week, below:
Hodge and DeGeest's first step toward making people's dreams come true has been  to invite readers to share them on The Dreamblogue:
Dreamblogue readers and corporate sponsors are already helping fulfill some of the dreams posted here. For how you can help us visit our help page and continue to follow our adventures in China. All ad revenue will from this site benefits Chinese and American individuals with dreams deferred by health, or social circumstances.
And several have already come in:
tdgardens’s dream:
That every child have a book to hug, hold, and carry them to a dream all their own.
hailvict’s dream:
To become someone who makes a difference every day of their life.
mmhalim’s dream:
travell to china i cannot imagine what is the great system that can organize all this people and in the same time they are be one of the great country in the world
Taitai’s Dream:
My main dream right now is that the lumps found in my mother-in-law’s lung are benign. That would be lovely, thank you.
kevin’s dream:
I hope the project of “Blog of dreams” will be successful.
Roxi Copland’s Dream:
touring worldwide as a vocalist and pianist

author: John Kennedy


text:
Egypt: Water Problems  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Baheyya writes about water shortages and the problems they cause in Giza, Egypt.


text:
Iraq: Goooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal !!!!! · Global Voices
Salam Adil

… or Kicking off at the Iraqi Blogodrome.
a happy sink
a dirty heart
a playful leaf
the soul of art
: ) ( :
poem by April Girl
It's a football special today. With Iraq through to the finals of the Asian Cup bloggers are alight with comment on the national team. And there's more, read about how one Iraqi blogger has had enough of blogging; how to survive a trip through Baghdad International Airport; what it is like to have the Iraqi army move in next door; Why Iraqi oil is so critical to the world and much,much more. And, if you read to the end, why one blogger got banned from YouTube. Today's side quotes are from Iraqi poet and blogger April Girl.
all sparks happy
all sparks sad
nothing makes sense
and nothing is bad
i write for nothing
and nothing i write
to please my soul
or satisfy my mind
to tear my heart
or tear do my eyes
sigh-filled lungs
and restless beats
of a pump of tongues
poem by April Girl
If you read no other blog post this week read this one…
Marshmallow26 has had enough of blogging and signs off with spite and vitriol:
I know the fact that “Bloggin” is something to vent and express your ways and thoughts and come up with something new every time you write, but since my thoughts keep reoccurring in my posts like an echo and tells no story about life and experience except for: death, killing, boring, bombs, terror, surviving as if the terrorism becomes something we should bow for when it comes to talk about it…as if we will lose our taste of writing and visitors to the site if we don’t mention that we are the most Dog on poor nation on earth! And yet, we are!!
What will I gain if I still talk and blab about the Iraqi prime vampire and his entourage? Nothing but a pointless drivel!!
What difference will my articles make? Nothing!! Who cares if I say that I spent 30 consecutive hours at home begging God with my prayers to get the power back on?? Not much!
What is my goal in this shitty life after I lost so many opportunities of studying abroad? Bewail my bad luck and try the same shit again! What am I doing trying to encourage those who lost hope and faith while I’m acting worse?? Mocking them!! …
The chaos and violence escalation affect my daily basis life big time, I can’t digest all that and keep going in this life…what have I done to live in the war and experience the difference between the sound of explosions whether its and IED or VBIED??? What? HUH?? What is my fault to have such a heart, a heart that melts and aches for its beloved folks, or for any bloody scene in reality or on TV?? Why should I care that much?
I need a break from my blog, … until there will be something new, fun, real and exciting to write about I will get back with Iraqi Roses…
Until then…peace be with you all.
And its for rants like this that I really want her to come back :(
we might discover
or we might not
the truth of time
and that of the dot
be with me
or be not
be to be
and for nothing else
it might matter
when we rot
an easy ending
a bright red rock
a hardened smile
on an old maidens frock
show me the way
to disengage
and free this thought
poem by April Girl
Football crazy
This is the first time that Iraq has made it this far in the Asian Cup. For Neurotic Iraqi Wife the significance of this means more to her than (to quote Muqtada Al-Sadr) watching grown men running after a ball:
The game on Sunday is crucial. Especially because its against the Saudis. God, I hope and pray we will win, I really do. I wanna bring their noses down for once. I know I shouldnt be judgemental and I know I shouldnt generalize for many of my friends are Lebanese, Jordanians and Palestinians but in general the Arabs did nothing but hurt us. They hate us, they hate us because they dont want to see a beautiful unified flourishing Iraq….
Iraqis were always respected in the Arab world, before and during Saddam's time. People from Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Jordan begged to come here to get the Iraqi nationality. Ofcourse with their benevolent leader, they were always treated better than the Iraqis themselves. I remember when I used to travel with my parents and say we are Iraqis, its like we've just said we are royalty. But now, now being an Iraqi means nothing but a destitute poor country. …  This is the reality that we live in. We have become like some disease that everyone runs away from.
No Pain No Gain adds:
Seeing Iraq win in soccer is one of the most cherished sensations for an Iraqi. To see the team play soccer has become reality and it is a reality many yearn for… It is the success not to win the cup but to reminiscence the identity of Iraq and what it stood and will continue to stand for as long as there will be something valuable to remember Iraq by
The Iraqi team has won a new supporter from Sunshine who admits that she never watched a football match in her life but now is a devoted fan. She writes:
Today was a different day , really nice day , we achieved a great success , won the football game and reached the [finals] … Our football players won today .. and that made Iraqis extremely happy , our streets are full of young men celebrating , it was a day that all Iraqis united , I am so glad not only because we won ,but , because all the Iraqis today were feeling the same way , when we achieve a goal or miss one , we all jumped when we won , and prayed while the players were playing to win the game ..
The Iraqi football team and the match bring together all the Iraqis , regardless on our religions or castes , whether they are , Arabs , Turkmen , Kurds , Muslims ( Sunnis , Shiites ) , Christians , etc …
I know our country news are in every where … BUT this time (for the first time) It will be good news.. I want Iraq’s name to be high and it’s flag fluttering so high .
Laith thanks the team…
Our forward star Younis Mahmoud … took us to a new world where no politicians could ever take us too because Younis Mahmoud is a real Iraqi man while our politicians … having two citizenships, they are never pure Iraqis and they will never be ones. I just wanted to say thank you very much our young men, thank you for pleasing all the Iraqis, thank you for unifying all the Iraqis, thank you for being so loyal Iraqis. Thank you Younis for your great efforts, Thank you Karrar, Thank you Nash'at, thank you Abbas and thank you all. GOD Bless Iraq, GOD Bless you young men, GO Forward men and get the golden cup to return smile back to the drooping lips of your people.
Nibras Kazimi sees the Western media failing Iraq:
The celebrations of Iraqis … have been truly remarkable. But it seems that most foreign news agencies, which cover every nitty gritty about Iraq, are not interested in the jubilant spectacle.
The images are amazing, Al-Iraqiya TV has been doing a good job reporting on the happy, spontaneous carnival, and from around Iraq, including Mosul.
Everyone who grabs the microphone is shouting out a positive message, and the recurring theme is that all Iraqis are united on this day.
Civil war? Despair? “Iraq is lost” ?
I think not but spoilsports-of-the-match go to two political blogger from the left and right wings of the field. Iraqi Pundit saw politics inside sports during the last match between Iraq and Iran at the WAFF championship:
I couldn't help but notice striking similarites between their football and politics (with regards to Iraq). After they scored the first two goals, which I admit were excellent, they seemed to have only one thing on their minds. It was almost as if they were subconsciously telling each other ‘when ever an Iraqi has the ball, break his legs'…
Iraq started to gain momentum and were playing brilliant attacking football, nice moves, nice passes, but just as they go near the goal they slow down and lose the ball. That is also how Iraqi politics is, all the hype, all the hard work, all the effort…but just no results.
and Truth About Iraqis goes looking for disunity among the Iraqi football team and finds it. He writes:
hoopla over how united the Iraqi team is and how the country is united in celebration.
B***s***. The team itself is highly divided.
In the first half of the Iraq-Thailand game, two Iraqi players headbutted each other. The referee had to restrain both. In the Iraq-Vietnam game, the players were simply not communicating with one another. But when they did, it was usually with strife. …  Sharqiya commentators even noticed this and said the Iraqi players were performing with anger and selfishness. And this is for a team that was leading at half-time 1:0.
But, the last word goes to Dulaimy who writes:
Today, we danced for like 30 minutes or maybe an hour. i don't know i lost sense of time while we where dancing. it felt so good. We did not have such a good time for a long time. i have to say the place look different; shiny.
I am so happy for what happened today.
I miss normal life… I miss it so much.
: ) ( :
poem by April Girl
Word from the streets
An Iraqi Army Battalion moving in next door brought back painful childhood memories to Chikitita of the dreaded “Pink House”, which she describes as “a perfect set for scary movies.” A house her family rented for a time which over looked a building run by the notorious Iraq Intelligence Agency and where they were warned not to be seen looking out of the windows for fear of getting into “big trouble “. A house where she used to have “nightmares … of men in uniform breaking into our residence and huge rats nibbling at my toes.” But her fears turned out be completely unfounded. She writes:
As the days went by I noticed that we were making their job more difficult than they did our lives, mum noticed that in the mornings, they never faced our house until we’re all downstairs. … They seemed to do whatever it takes to gain our trust.
What I like the most about their presence is the fact that our neighbourhood is getting cleaner. It takes an army uniform and a rifle to stop people from throwing trash in front of our house. Of course they’re only doing it to avert any IED emplacing attempts, but it was for our own good.
Their presence might entail more mortar attacks and shootouts but our house has not been searched in months, now that’s something!
Sheko Mako recalls his life as an Iraqi doctor, from graduating with top marks at school to practising medicine in Iraq during the sanctions making a monthly salary of $2, to years of exile as an “illegal immigrant” in the UK and finally gaining the right to live and work as a doctor in Britain just one day after another Iraqi doctor decided to attempt blowing himself up at Glasgow airport. He wonders:
But most importantly shall I be able to cope with the restrictions, policies and demands of the medical authorities here. In the “good doctor guide” sent along with my GMC registration license, the words “you must” were mentioned nearly 75 times. And if eighteen years ago I did not know whether I would like to be a doctor or not, now the question that buzzes in my head “do I still have the energy, physically and mentally, to carry on with the profession? The answer is simply again: I don’t know.
Staying on the medical theme A&Eiraqi compares the way infirm elderly people are treated in the UK compared to Iraq:
I remember an elderly man was admitted to the hospital when I was working in Northern England; he was depressed as his wife had died and he had no one but a son who visits him 10 minutes a year, the poor man kept saying he doesn’t want to live anymore.
For a while I thought this is the worst thing could happen to a person who lives here, yet, while working in the casualty unit, I received a 69 year old lady who presented unconscious and no one knew what happened to her, as no one had phoned her since a week before she presented to us. No one of her sons had bothered himself to ask about his mother, their mother was dying silently; probably they were busy with things more important than her!
I was always impressed that there is a great system in [the UK] for looking after elderly and disabled people … Yet, being in touch with those old people made me get an entirely different view. Everyday I see many old people who are dirty, smelly, depressed and in a bad health condition, they’re being left in their houses visited once a day by their carers … who are receiving money from the government to look after their parents, however, they don’t really do their duties in a complete way. …
I know that there are many people who are neglected back home but end of the day there is someone who care about them, I’ve never seen someone who was left for a week without asking about him … I also noticed that the ones of Eastern origin (Arabs, Indians and Pakistanis) are in much better condition than the English ones, as they’re always surrounded by their relatives.
I know it is variable but I think elderly people back home live shorter, with poorer health but they feel better. … Despite all the horror we lived, we still care about the family relationships and we insist on tightening them.
And Neurotic Iraqi Wife gives the essential guide for flying to Baghdad International Airport. How to pass through passport control quickly when you're desperate for the toilet; why you should never use the toilets at the airport; and the essential difference between luxury hotels in Dubai and accommodation in the Green Zone. Read more about her journey back to Iraq here.
the vow of silence is not yet in place
it has not been uttered
these moments have no choice but to be
and in my moments here
i leave you
i don't leave you
i leave you a part of the disenfranchised self
the one, not in search, but in still mode
to extend moments in which it exists
to find some truth and then some peace
in that moment, or in this one
so be here, in this moment, and this one too
to see and hear and touch and taste and then maybe smell
and beyond this limitation if you can go, take me along
i try and try and i laugh at boundaries and shells
at misunderstandings and misconceptions
at hateful glances and fake smiles
at soulless hugs and bored shrugs
i side with illusions and smile
it takes my mind and hops away
to the ultimate non-place un-place placeless place
: )
: )
: )
( :
( :
( :
poem by April Girl
The Political World
Great Baghdad gets a letter from a friend talking about unity and Iraqi oil:
…there are No problems among Iraqis ( as people) whither they are Sunnis, Shia, Kurds or Turkmmen. the problem is that the Iraqi politics after 9/4/2003 was built on sectarian and ethnic bases. When you bring Kurdish parties and Shia parties and Sunni Parties you are building politics on sectarian and ethnic bases. They are not social parties or liberal democrat parties. So it became a matter of Rivalry between sects and when there are elections there would be winners and losers.
The Bases on which the whole political process is wrong. Iraqis were not at each other's throat before the war, but they became like that when sectarian polarizations started and each sect felt threatened by the other.
The American administration is the one who laid those bases and after the structure came up they discovered the grave mistake they made and now they have to put down that Ugly structure that they have been building and supporting for 4 years and start from the scratch.
…
The Importance of the Iraqi oil lies in 3 crucial facts.1st, … Iraq is the 2nd largest oil reserve in the world …( which means it could easily be number one, once we really figure out how much oil we actually got)… 2nd the Iraqi oil is cheap and easy to get out from the ground. 3rd, and most importantly, is that the Iraqi oil does not have to be exported through the Gulf. It could be exported to Europe and the rest of the western world through the Mediterranean…
Why all that is important?? because if any gulf country fell in the hand of Extremists or for example Iran wanted to stop all the oil Tankers from getting out of the region by closing the Gulf … there would be a global fuel crisis, and then Iraq would be the Safety valve with its abundant, easy to get out and deliverable oil that dose not have to go through the Gulf.
This is the strategic importance of Iraq's oil and that is why the whole world would not mind, not only thousands but even hundred of thousands die to keep that safety valve under control. but the question is HOW??!! and on what expense??
And talking about oil, Al-Ghad gets yet another draft of the Iraqi Oil Law. It picks through some of the changes and concludes:
It is not clear whether this was a jumbled proposal, or to trick Iraqi MPs into passing the latest Draft Oil Law. What is becoming obvious, however, is that this continuous stream of amended drafts is more like the twisting story of a con-man trying to swindle an unsuspecting person out of his income than the sober proceedings of a constitutional government.
Baghdad Connect deconstructs the War on Terror:
The world citizens are once again fighting a proxy war and paying the price dearly for the vile and terrorizing works [of] Reagan’s Takfiri Freedom Fighters and Suicide Bombers… {editor's note: this a reference to the fact that Al-Qaida grew from Islamic forces that were trained and equipped by America to defeat the USSR in Afghanistan].
Iraqis may have to get a grip to their reality and comprehend that War on Terror is a war against all the vice and havoc done by both the invaders and ex-Soviet Union to control global resources…
It is a choice that we need to make; do we carry on with this war on terror and keep on cleaning up the feces behind the superpowers or to heed to reasoning and become a self-determined, Mesopotamian-constitutionalized nation?
And, 24 Steps to Liberty looks at the actions of the Iraqi government and sees a new dictatorship:
When did the dictatorship return to Iraq? Why no one is writing about it? … Listen to this: The Iraqi Parliament, after long discussions and several days of debates, decided to issue diplomatic passports to its members and their families! Is this what the rest of the 20 million Iraqis inside Iraq and the three to four million displaced citizens are waiting for?  …
because of the constitution, even if there are Sunnis or Kurds or Christians or any other minorities, who are more qualified for the position, we cannot vote for them to lead our government because the constitution states clearly that the poisonous Mullahs …  get to choose…
The politicians in Iraq think that they inherited their positions from the years “of struggle” against Hussein’s government. … They do believe that the president should be Talbani and the president of Kurdistan should be Masoud Barzani, because they fought against Saddam Hussein, even if Barzani did call Hussein’s republican guards to murder Talbani’s people, fellow Kurds, in the 1990s…
Are there no other Iraqis who struggled under Hussein’s regime that are qualified to lead Iraq? When did it become a family issue to appoint ministers and leaders in the government?
Is not this what Saddam Hussein did for 25 years or am I mistaken?
And Finally…
Veteran blogger Zeyad had his YouTube account permanently suspended and all his videos deleted. He writes:
The reason they gave me was “repeated attempts to upload inappropriate videos.” I have been receiving several angry messages from Iraqis who did not like the videos I had published of Mahdi Army militiamen blowing up Sunni mosques in Baghdad and Basrah, and from some Kurds who objected to [a video of Kurdish soldiers assassinating a man in Mousul], which I had uploaded two days ago before my account was blocked.
Is YouTube right for censoring like this? What do you think?

author: Salam Adil


text:
How horror movies can be advertised. · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

How horror movies can be advertised. A blogger came across girls with blood streaming down their faces in the middle of downtown Seoul.


text:
Internet shopping  · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

A blogger shares her experience with internet shopping in Korea.


text:
Japan: Protester nearly killed at Henoko Bay · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

An activist protesting environmental surveys currently being conducted in Henoko Bay (Okinawa) in preparation for the construction of a new military base was reportedly nearly killed when government-contracted divers attacked him. While the Defense Facilities Administration Agency (DFAA) denies the incident, the activist himself, pastor Taira Natsume, released a statement last Thursday which confirms the sequence of events as he experienced them [Ja].
A blog entry at Kichi Kensetsu Soshi [Stop Construction of the Base] describes the event in detail:
7/21夜までの情報です。今日は阻止行動をやって来たなかで最悪の事件が起こりました。東京新聞には早くも記事が載っていました。流石です。
15:00の段階の「辺野古から緊急情報」で、作業ダイバーによる暴行が酷すぎて阻止行動中止しています、と流しました。経過説明と事件に関する緊急声明をアップします。
まず今日は朝6:00前から5船団10隻の作業船が出ていて、阻止行動の船1隻、ゴムボート1艇、カヌー3艇で出たところパッシブソナーのメンテ作業は終わっていました。大浦湾より北の嘉陽での作業までは追えていなかったのですが、リーフ内での作業を阻止しようとダイバーが潜っていたところ、業者の作業ダイバーがハンマーで殴りつけ、蹴りつけ、マスクを引き剥がすという暴行を繰り返すのです。
その中で、作業員1人がこちらのダイバーを羽交い締めにしたうえで、もう１人がボンベのバルブを締めたため息が出来ない状態で海上にも上がれないという事態が引き起こされました。危うくこちらのダイバーが死ぬ寸前でした。水深3〜4m付近でのことでしたので、何とか振り切って海上まで浮上出来ましたが、重大な危険行為です。
さらにもっと深い所だったら浮上前に意識を失うか、肺に障がいが残るかしたはずです。このため相手からの暴力のあまりの酷さに阻止行動を中止し、15:00から辺野古の命を守る会事務所で記者会見をしました。過失という部類の話ではなく「故意の殺人未遂」です。以下に「緊急声明」をアップします。
The statement itself (quoted in the blog entry) outlines the background to reasons for the protests, describes the involvement of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), and notes that the survey operations have continued despite local resistance. It also repeats information about the incident itself.
The blog entry then continues:
とにかく今日の事件は、「殺人未遂」どころか「暗殺未遂」と言ってもいいほどのものでした。ある意味密室の海底で、三人掛かりで襲いかかって、羽交い締めにして空気ボンベのバルブを閉めるということは、脅しではなく完全な「殺意」が認められるということです。
羽交い締めにして、バルブを閉めて空気を遮断し、意識がなくなったのを確認してバルブを戻せば、夏芽さん個人の過失による事故死を証拠を残すことなくでっち上げることが出来ます。ボンベからその水深に合った気圧の空気を吸うためのレギュレーターという機材は、自分で吸わなければ空気は出てきません。
つまり意識を失ってしまったならばバルブを戻しても空気は吸えず、あとは溺死するしかありません。3人の作業ダイバーはそういう知識のプロです。暗殺未遂を引き起こした彼等は、海に生きるダイバーとしてはもちろん、人間として完全に失格です。

author: Chris Salzberg


text:
Jordan: Sexual Diseases  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Hareega has been transfered to the sexually transmitted diseases clinic – as a doctor- and has spilled some beans here. Hareega works in the US.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


text:
Kuwait: Pictures, Sights and Events · Global Voices
Abdullatif AlOmar

Kuwaiti bloggers are leaping into action, discovering their surroundings, attending events and covering them, keeping tabs on the latest developments on the arrest of the Monster of Hawali and looking for racial slurs on the shelves of supermarkets. Read this post by Abdullatif Al Omar to see what else is happening.
K.Thekuwaiti writes of what he thinks all the Kuwaiti bloggers are categorized into:
1. The Language-Challenged Blogger:
This is the category of bloggers who have trouble differentiating between languages, e.g. “I got into a car accident oo Ri7t ma5far Shamiya ilyom.” Writing a word or a sentence to refer to a specific person, place or thing in Arablish is fine, but writing the whole post – think several paragraphs – is just plain retarded
zdistrict speaks of problems that face small businesses in Kuwait.
Entrepreneurs in Kuwait have a difficult time getting themselves up and off the ground because of all the rules they make you jump through. There is no incentives for business in Kuwait to start something new, or for someone young to get some help in businesses in Kuwait.
There have also been a couple of events in Kuwait, which some bloggers covered.
Zahra over at Kuwait-Style went to the Kuwait for Kenya event.
Kuwait for Kenya (LOYAC) is having an exhibition that will start today at Bait Lothan. You can visit the exhibition on July 23rd and July 24th, from 6PM to 9PM.
Kuwait-Style had a sneak peak into the collection that contains an assortment of Kenyan objects from masks to paintings and from jewellery to kitchen utensils. Prices are very reasonable and if you wish to donate more there will be a donation jar at the entrance.
outlaw goes to the Charles Chaplin movie screening in Kuwait.
I've read and heard a lot in the news, blogs, etc about Charles Chaplin's movie's and that a lot of people are there and all the non-sense, so i decided to go there and spend some quality time with my Lil bro and sis since i like old movies and old stuff, so after i got lost cause i don't know where the place is a finally found it that's the plaaaaace
Exzombie posts about a movie screening too – this time its a documentary called Occupation 101.
The event will take place on Tuesday, July 24th, at the Cinemagic Courtyard in Bait Lothan, Salmiya, and will run between 7:30 p.m – 9:30 p.m.
This week, we will be screening Award-Winning Documentary “Occupation 101″.
A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Da over at chillnite posts a picture that shows how the weather was in Kuwait.
…what you see is not fog, nor is it air-pollution, just plain old Humidity!
Tat The Don takes us on a trip into the past – his past as a young delinquent!
I did not want to post about the past since it’s dead and gone. But it came to my attention that some of you don’t understand me or in fact deny what it was like for me and my peers. So I’m gonna enlighten you on how it was being a teenager in Kuwait during the 90’s. We didn’t have Marina Malls or Virgin in fact we were not even allowed to go inside a mall
One case that was on the minds of bloggers this past week was the arrest of a criminal in Kuwait – a pedophile who was called the Monster of Hawali (the area were most crimes were committed).
First off, Frankom talks about something he find not right.
Also Saints of Kuwait talks about another aspect of that case.
And last but not least, Forzaq8 saw a logo which drew his attention at the local supermarket and wonders what its creators were thinking of when they made it!
Yesterday i went to pickup grocery for the house. The Co-OP is gold mine for comedy with misspelled words and such
but i think we need to draw a line here
this is just too much
Click on the link to see the product and read the comments on that post.

author: Abdullatif AlOmar


text:
Mideast: New Radio Station  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Mideast Youth has launched it own radio station, according to Bahraini Esra'a here.


text:
Morocco: The Intellectual Capabilities of Sheep · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As summer wears on and the heat rises to 45 degrees, Moroccan bloggers are posting even more frequently (perhaps they have air conditioning), even though Moroccan news seems to be at a standstill.  One major story involves two Moroccan journalists on trial for leaking top secret security information.  Laila Lalami comments:
In the course of investigative work, journalists the world over try to get access to classified information, so the idea that obtaining these documents is a crime in itself is a little bizarre. An independent court system might have helped Ariri and Hormatallah regain their freedom, but don't hold your breath. The case is likely to be influenced by politics.
Regardless of the lack of news, bloggers still find things to talk about.  One major subject this week was culture; Braveheart-does-the-Maghreb  discussed the differences between French and Moroccan cultures:
If you have traveled to France you know it is custom and good manners there to announce yourself when entering a shop with “Bon jour” and to signify your leaving with “Au Revoir”. It is much the same here, but you get much better service if you take the time to say hello in Arabic or French, , and then ask after the health of the shopkeeper. You will receive handshakes, smiles, and an array of tidbits such as fresh, tasty walnuts, dates, and an invitation to the back of the shop where he keeps the fresh spices.
The blogger also shared an interesting tidbit about a special summer custom in Morocco:
Another custom here is the sprinkling of water on the front stoop and the street, followed usually by a sweeping with a squeegee device. At certain times of the day in the morning and the afternoon around three you have to dodge the water being tossed in the Medina. As Q points out it doesn’t appear to really clean anything but rather to keep the dust down.
While those anecdotes deal with Morocco's urban culture, Samuel Gunter of Life Called… ruminates on the rural culture in which he lives by asking whether or not sheep are intelligent – he personally believes they're not, explaining:
Because they follow each other around and would follow each other off of a cliff it that's where they were led. I've seen them repeatedly walk into a fence to try to get to the other side when the door is 3 feet away. Not the brightest animal in God's creation.
Apparently his Moroccan counterparts disagree, claiming that sheep are, in fact, quite smart.  The blogger concludes:
The sheep here are the same sheep in the rest of the world, the only difference is what the people deem praiseworthy. I'm going to let you draw your own conclusions about what that says about our cultural differences.
Throne Day, a holiday which honors the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the throne, is on Monday, July 30.  A national holiday, banks and other offices will close, and many Moroccans will celebrate.  The View From Fez informs us that Fez's Jewish community has already held a special celebration:
To start the proceedings, the Rabbi said a prayer in Hebrew praising His Majesty, which was followed by another in Arabic. Finally, the grandson of Dr Guigui, President of the Jewish Community, read a prayer in French.
Finally, we'll close this week's post with a few special haiku written by one of Morocco's many Peace Corps volunteers, 27monthswithoutbaseball
Cactus and palm trees
Ocean outside the window
Gleaming white buildings
Washing tiled floors
Hanging laundry on the line
Clean? Then the dust comes
Labyrinth of streets
Surprises and mysteries
The romance of Fes
Photo of sheep – Agouray, Morocco by Jillian York

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Palestine: The Plight of Women · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Although many discussions within the Palestinian blogosphere are politics as usual, I've decided to change focus this week.  Rather than government and Gaza and patriarchy, this week's roundup will tackle a subject of a different kind – the subject of women.
First up is the story of Hind Mohammed Eid, a young Egyptian girl who was raped and gave birth to a child, thus prompting a nationwide discussion on hijab as protection against such crimes (an article on this story is available in Arabic here)  Improvisations: Arab Woman Progressive Voice discussed the case:
What is the connection between rape and veiling?
Well, the patriarchal logic goes like this: if a girl or a woman gets raped, it is because she was provocative. She was not fully covered and therefore it is her fault. So a 7-year- old girl who is raped is to blame. Or at least her parents are to blame because they left her exposed, thus tempting some man to rape her.
According to this logic, the girl must be veiled to protect the man from temptation. He is the victim.
Rapists rape girls as young as one year old. Shall we veil those temptresses too? Rapists rape men and boys. Why don't we veil those seducers as well?
Let us veil the whole universe to protect rapists from temptation. Veil the trees, veil the sea, and don't forget the air because all can be sensuous, all can be sensual, all can be dangerous.
The blogger's comments prompted a discussion of what could deter rape, if not the veil.  Qwaider قويدر commented:
In this respect, I really appreciate the Jordanian law adding the death sentence for any underage rape (doesn't matter what the gender is) I think such strong consequence might work as a good deterrent against these matters.
James Stanhope responded:
In the U.S., both adult-on-adult rape and adult-on-adolescent rape (statutory rape) are decided by state criminal law, and, since these cases are nearly always decided by juries, it is not clear that the death sentence would act as a deterrent. In the U.S. state of Georgia, where I live, studies show that perpetrators of apparently both premeditated and impulsive violent crimes are not deterred by awareness of the punishment (including the death penalty) because these perpetrators expect not to be detected or apprehended.
Raising Yousuf, Unplugged: diary of a Palestinian mother is an extremely interesting blog which recently returned after a short hiatus.  The blogger is a Palestinian mother who documents her life as such; in this post, she speaks of exiting Gaza and the difficulties it presents:
We spent 14 grueling hours on the crossing, along with thousands of other Palestinians, desperate to either leave or enter the Strip. Busload after busload, entire families and their children and spouses were clinging to the ceilings, crushed inside, or piled on top of the luggage in back. Some fainted. Others erupted in hysterics. Everyone had a reason to. There were mothers separated from their spouses. Students needing to return to college. The ill. The elderly. And those with nothing particularly remarkable to preface their reason for traveling with-it was their right, after all.
Our last stop this week is KABOBfest, where the talk is about the video for Hilary Duff's song Stranger.  The blogger criticizes the video clip for being orientalist:
Hilary Duff's current music video “Stranger”, an Orientalist's wetdream come to life-that bizarre fusion of all Arabian, North African and Indian cultural elements into a unified vision of the overly-sexualized “Exotic East” that “strange” culture, has effectively hit the top of every pop chart and disturbed the fuck out of me.
Photo of women at the Rafah border crossing by Raising yousuf, Unplugged: diary of a Palestinian mother