Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Saudi bust up over a play. I got excited watching this on aljazeera today because it eerily resembles a scene in Orhan Pamuk's book, Snow, in which a nationalist coup ensues on stage in a Turkish town called Kars, following a play that ridicules the islamic headscarf and it is all filmed on live TV for the whole country to see.
Spoon bender
This one-trick jinni called Uri Geller really does bend spoons. He bent the spoon I was eating my houmous and bread with in a restaurant once. I'm not kidding I actually have the spoon somewhere which the restaurant charged me for. I didnt even ask him to come and bend my spoon. He just read my mind because he knew I recognised him when he walked in and then voluntarily came over and bent the spoon. I spent the rest of the meal holding onto my seat I was so freaked out thinking "what else can this jinni do with his x-ray eyes?".Monday, January 22, 2007
Petition
Please do SIGN this petition calling for the release of two Bahraini detainees of conscience.Petition
Thanks.
Opinions
"Why would I want to hear your opinions when I've got so many more interesting ones of my own?" Charlie Booker of the Guardian states.Then he goes on to state "Opinionated people are everywhere... Never in history have there been so many opportunities to put your opinion across. You can print it in papers, shout it on the radio, text it to the news channels or whack it on the internet. And it all happens so quickly, you don't even have to think your opinions through; if you can't be bothered doing the brainwork, you can simply repeat what someone else has said using slightly different words. And poorer spelling."
In my case I have ceased to see the value of having an opinion particularly on this blog. Does it seriously matter? Of course, I am more than happy to give it when I am asked a question. However, offering an opinion nowadays is like banging another pan in the cacophony of self-important voices with very little marginal instrumental contribution to what is now incomprehensible script. Reading anything nowadays is more of an exercise in filtering what is of informative value and what is ineffable tedium. And even this post, in all modesty contributes to the latter, so what is the point of this blog all together.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Meet my friend's shrink...
He is thinking "you might as well kill yourself now"(feel free to write a caption for this photo!)
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Disobedient 'slaves'
Slavery still exists in all shapes and forms, especially in the Gulf, except we call it a 'migrant labour force'. New type of de facto slave is the one 'bought' and in return is expected to give absolute allegience and loyalty according to particular tribal mentality that governs and dictates so.Our country needs more Jawhers and Albandars to revolt against their paymasters. Nothing irks them [the powers that be] more than a 'disobedient zanji slave' as they see it, ultimate treachory and betrayal of people perceived to be disposable. I can just hear them saying, "for god's sake we even gave you a hardcore bedoin name like Jawher you ungrateful *******".
If it is patriotism that drives you to go scouting for Kenyan athletes, Syrian singers, Sudani advisors, Egyptian judges, Jordanian constitution-writers, Yemeni policemen to displace local natives in these positions, then it is my patriotic duty that drives me to rejoice at each backslap you get in the hope you will come to the realisation that ultimately we all lose.
Note: this may sound like some right-wing nationalistic anti-immigration diatribe. It is (until the rule of law returns to this lost land of disfunctionality).
The 'liberal-moderate' strain
Arab 'liberals' and 'moderates' are much abused terms. It now means any person/country who is self-hating, pro-israeli, pro-american, pro-war and pro-White Man. I feel sorry for anyone who ever gets called that, there isn't a better way of discrediting a person/country. Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are now 'moderate-liberal states', as well as a few writers, politicians, and well-known bloggers out there who go out of their way to prove their 'liberality'.The Marriage Market
I thought this debate is hilarious. Is polygamy an efficient outcome in an unregulated "marriage market"? Some argue that polygamy should actually raise women's bargaining power, since they'll have more marriage options to choose.Issues to consider market efficiency, demand and supply, bargaining power, competition, etc :)
The Initiative for Open Arab internet (المبادرة العربية لإنترنت حر) on Bahrain (in Arabic):
"ويبدو الوضع بالنسبة لحرية الإنترنت غريبا فى مملكة البحرين، فبينما لا تمارس الحكومة الحظر العام أو المكثف على الشبكة خاصة فيما يتعلق بالمواقع التى تروج الإباحية، فإن الوضع يختلف كثيرا بالنسبة للمواقع السياسية.
قبل إجراء الانتخابات البرلمانية التى طالبت بعض القوى السياسية بمقاطعتها، قامت شركة "بتلكو" بإغلاق أكثر من عشرة مواقع بحرينية خشية استغلالها أثناء فترة الانتخابات"
The Angry Arab News Service. Read it. Follow it. Link it
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy bladdy blah
We apologise for the intermittant correspondance of blogger to blog on this site. This is due to the unexpected pressure of bad news in the area which has overwhelmed the blogger's mental bandwidth. We hope new systems are put in place in the new year to replace faulty rulers and restore Arabia once again in order to improve this blog's service to it's valued readers.Happy eid, happy new year, happy bladdy blah
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