Global Voices Online » 2007 » May

Stories

Rising Voices Seeks Micro-grant Proposals for Blog Outreach

David Sasaki · 23:08

lingua → es · fr · zhs · zht · bn · pt · ru · zht

Application Deadline: June 15, 2007

Rising Voices, the outreach arm of Global Voices, is now accepting project proposals for the first round of microgrant funding of up to $5,000 for new media outreach projects. Ideal applicants will present innovative and detailed proposals to teach citizen media techniques to communities that are poorly positioned to discover and take advantage of tools like blogging, video-blogging, and podcasting on their own.

As the internet becomes more accessible to more people, as computers become cheaper, and as software applications move from the desktop to the web, the so-called digital divide seems to be narrowing. In its place, however, we see a participation gap in which the vast majority of blogs, podcasts, and online video are being produced in middle-class neighborhoods in major cities around the world.

Rising Voices aims to help bring new voices from new communities and speaking new languages to the conversational web, by providing resources and funding to local groups reaching out to underrepresented communities. Examples of potential projects include:

Purchasing an affordable digital video camera and teaching a group of rural students how to produce an ongoing video-blog documentary about the lives of their grandparents.
Organizing a regular workshop on blogging and photography at a local orphanage. Portions of the budget could be used on cheap digital cameras and internet cafe costs so that participants could describe their local neighborhoods to a global audience with text and photos.
Working with a local NGO or social entrepreneur so that their challenges, successes, and stories are told to a global audience.
Translating our new media curriculum to an indigenous language, like Quechua or Wolof, that is currently not represented in the blogosphere or “podosphere.” Then use the learning modules to encourage bloggers to write in those languages.

The sky is the limit, but unfortunately funding is not. Rising Voices outreach grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000. Please be as thoughtful, specific, and realistic as possible when drafting your budgets.

Successful projects will be prominently featured on Global Voices.

Completed applications will be accepted no later than Friday, June 15. Please email them to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org

Download grant application in .DOC format
Download grant application in .RTF format

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below or by sending an email to outreach@globalvoicesonline.org

61 comments · »»

Bolivia: A Country Unites Behind FIFA Ban on Stadiums at High Altitudes

Eduardo Avila · 21:11

lingua → zht · zhs

Sitting in the middle of the Miraflores neighborhood of La Paz, Bolivia, the Hernando Siles stadium is home to several local professional football teams and is home to the Bolivian National Team. Even though the squad has finished at the bottom of the table for the past three World Cup qualifying process, the advantage that high altitude is said to give was one of the catalysts in the qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, Bolivia’s first and only appearance. Santa Cruz blogger E. writes in Voz Boliviana [ES], “In 1993, when we qualified for the World Cup USA ‘94, the entire country was in a state of joy, optimism, and nationalism. The feat was merited because we qualified by our own efforts.”

Recently, the international football governing body, FIFA, announced that international matches will no longer be permitted to be played in stadiums above 2500 m, putting many stadiums in Bolivia off-limits, and dashing the hopes for qualifying once again for the world’s biggest sporting event.

The decision mobilized the Bolivian government headed by President Evo Morales, a self-professed football fanatic, who sent a high-ranking delegation to Zurich, Switzerland to speak directly with FIFA President Sepp Blatter and declared it “Challenge Day“. Marches and demonstrations against the ban took place across the country. Bloggers also joined the united voice against this decision.

The decision is drawing the ire of Bolivians across the country and cutting across ideological lines. Andres Pucci [ES] of Santa Cruz, writes:

El deporte, sea cual fuese es algo universal, que se lo practica desde los lugares mas calientes y húmedos hasta los mas fríos y secos, desde lo mas bajo hasta lo mas alto.

Para algunos jugadores es también difícil jugar por ejemplo en Recife Brasil a las 1500 horas a mas de 40 grados Celcius, como subir a mas de 3500 metros es difícil para otros , pero es parte del deporte, de la visita que se hace a otro pueblo, lugar, región para disputar algún encuentro

The universal sport is played in the hottest and most humid places to the coldest and most humid to the lowest altitude.

For some players, it is also very difficult, for example, to play in Recife, Brazil at 3:00 p.m. at a tempreature of 40 degrees Celsius than it is to play at 3500 meters above sea level, which is difficult for others. This a part of the sport, to visit another country, place, or region to play a match.

Sergio Asturizaga, a Bolivian living in Brazil, blogs at Así como me ves me tienes [ES] and recalls a time that Blatter visited La Paz at a time when there was constant debate regarding matches at high altitude. Blatter reassured the Bolivian federation and lent his support for the stadium. To commemorate this visit and his statements, a large plaque was placed on the stadium exterior walls. Hugo Miranda of Angel Caido [ES] provides us with the text of these words that are found on the stadium wall.

I was born in the mountains.

My hometown in Switzerland sits across from the highest mountains in Europe. For that reason, I am not afraid of the altitude.

Joseph Blatter, FIFA President on February 11, 2000

Miranda lives in Oruro, which is one of the cities that would be affected. He draws conclusions to what this decision is really about by this ban:

A FIFA solo busca dinero y lamentablemente para que sus patrocinadores sigan desenbolsando esas cantidades de dinero necesita que los de siempre: Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay esten en sus torneos.

FIFA is only looking for money and unfortunately that in order that its sponsors continue to give out these amounts of money they need the same teams: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay to be part of the tournament.

Carlos Machiado Salas of Guccio’s [ES] writes:

Si quieren vetar los stadios de las ciudades de altura, donde hasta ahora no ha muerto nadie por el tema de la altura, deberían vetar también los stadios de Buenos Aires y Sao Paulo, donde al mes muere una persona a lo menos por la violencia de las barras bravas.

If they want to ban the stadiums located in high-altitude cities, where until now, no one has died because of the altitude, then they should also ban the stadiums in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, where at least one person dies per month due to the violence within the barra bravas (supporter groups).

If international football is outlawed from being placed in these places, what comes next? Willy Andres [ES] wonders if all sports might be affected from being placed at high altitudes. Gery M. of Nacido en Bolivia [ES] writes that this decision from FIFA might have other long lasting affects on the youth of these coutries, who might be discouraged from playing sports, which can help improve the quality of life in these countries.

6 comments · »»

Arabeyes: Short Skirts Looked Down at in Tunisia

Amira Al Hussaini · 19:22

lingua → es

From a conversation about her friend Fatima, Tunisian blogger Maheva takes us deep into an argument about education, freedom of choice and personal preferences.

صديقتي فاطمة سيدة متعلمة تحصلت على الإجازة في الآداب الفرنسية في وقت كان فيه بعض الآباء يعترضون على تعليم بناتهم في المدارس الابتدائية. تعلقت فاطمة بالأدب الفرنسي كأشدّ ما يكون التعلق و درست نصوص فلاسفة الأنوار و تشبّعت بها وآمنت بأن لا مجال لشعب ما بأن يتحرّر من الظلم و الاضطهاد إذا لم يكسر القيود التي تكبّله اجتماعيا و فكريا. عندما تتحاور مع فاطمة تبهرك بالكمّ المعرفي الذي لديها عن روسو و فولتير، عن لامارتين وبودلير و عن كورناي و موليار

My friend Fatima is an educated woman who has obtained a degree in French literature at a time when some parents were against having their daughters complete their primary education. Fatima was attached to French literature and studied the literature of the Age of Enlightenment philosophers and dived into it. She believed that people had no other option than to free themselves from oppression and injustice and could not achieve this before breaking themselves free from social and intellectual bonds. When you speak to Fatima you would be amazed with the amount of information she has amassed about Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Lamartine, Baudrillard and Molière.

شاهدتني فاطمة مرّة وأنا أرتدي فستانا يصل إلى مستوى الركبتين فنظرت إلي مستغربة وقالت: “هل يسمح لك زوجك بارتداء هذا الفستان”؟

ما الذي جعل فاطمة تطرح هذا السؤال؟
فاطمة صادرت حريتها كفرد و أعطت المفاتيح لزوجها حتى يسمح لها أو لا يسمح بارتداء ثوب ما أو بتسريح شعرها بطريقة ما أو بمصادقة شخص ما. و هي عندما قامت بذلك لم تفكر لحظة واحدة أنّ هذه مسائل تهمّها هي بالدرجة الأولى. و هي إذ تمارس بهذا الشكل و تقبل هذا التدخل في شؤونها من قبل زوجها تعتبر أنه أمر بديهي و لا يناقش لا من حيث وجهة نظرها فحسب و إنما من وجهة نظر الآخرين أيضا. و هي بعد أن صادرت حريتها بنفسها أصبحت تجوّز لنفسها أن تمارس سلطة تجاه الآخرين تصادر بها حرياتهم، و هي ترى أن من صلاحياتها أن “تحميك” أنت نفسك من ممارسة حريتك الشخصية

One day Fatima saw me wearing a knee-length dress. She looked at me with surprise and asked me whether my husband allowed me to wear such a dress. What made Fatima ask me this question? As an individual, Fatima has given up her freedom and gave the command to her husband to allow or ban her from wearing dresses, styling her hair or making friends as she chose. When she did that, she didn't realise that these were personal preferences that effected her alone. In her opinion, giving up her rights and allowing her husband to interfere in her private affairs is something obvious and needs no discussion. After giving up her rights, she has also given herself the authority to restrict the freedom of others - and she also sees herself responsible for ‘protecting' you from your own personal freedom.

ما هو الرد الذي كانت فاطمة تنتظره منّي؟
إن البناء الفكري الذي يحرك أشخاصا من هذا النوع يهيّئهم في اعتقادي إلى الحصول على إجابة من نوع
“هل تعتقدين أن فستاني قصير؟ “
أو ربّما “نعم زوجي يسمح لي بذلك و هو أمر لا يزعجه”
أو في الحالات القصوى “في الحقيقة هو لا يسمح لي بذلك و لكني أفعل ما أريد”

مسكينة فاطمة!!! سمعت منّي ردا جعلها في غاية الاندهاش إذ لم يكن في الحسبان رغم صدقه و عفويّته فلقدت أجبتها ببراءة و بدون تفكير “و ما شأن زوجي بهذا الموضوع؟ هل هو الذي سيرتدي الفستان أم أنا”؟
فاطمة و امثالها عديدون فهل هم مجرد وعاء محشو بجملة من القيم و المعارف؟ هم غير مؤهلين على التعاطي معها إيجابيا
كيف تستطيع فاطمة وأمثالها أن يتمثلوا مضمون هذه القيم وهذه المعارف؟

What were possibly the responses Fatima expected from me? I think that people of her intellectual composition may expect an answer of this sort: “Do you think that my dress is short?” or perhaps something like: “Yes, my husband allows me to wear such a dress. It is something that doesn't bother him.” In extreme cases, my answer could be: “In reality, my husband doesn't allow me to, but I do whatever I fancy.”

Poor Fatima!! What she heard from me was a response which shocked her as she did not expect it - despite it being truthful and spontaneous. In all innocence and without giving it a second thought I blurted out: “And what has my husband got to do with it? Is he the one who will wear the dress or me?” There are a lot of people like Fatima, who are after all just vessels filled with information and values they are not qualified to interact positively with. How will people like Fatima ever be able to grasp the content of such ideas?

عندما يؤمن الإنسان بحرّيته الشخصية لا يحتاج إلى تبرير سلوكه أمام الآخر في مسائل عادة لا تهـمّ سواه. ما يمنعنا من أن نكون أحرارا هو أنّنا نكبّـل أنفسنا بقيود من الأوهام التي نصنعها بأنفسنا ثمّ لا نجد منها خلاصا و نتخيّل سيناريوهات يحاسبنا فيها الآخر عن ممارستنا أو حتى عن أفكارنا. و يمثِـّل هذا الآخر عادة سلطة معنويّـة علينا و هذه السلطة لا يستمدّها من قدرة حقيقيّة لديه بل من قدرة صوريّة بحتة
تجد نفسك دون وعي تتساءل: “و ماذا لو لم يعجب هذا التصرّف فلانا؟” و في غالب الأحيان يتمثّـل فلان هذا في أحد والديك أو في شريك حياتك (زوج أو زوجة) و هو في حدّ ذاته شيء مريع. و لكنّ الأسوأ من ذلك أنّه قد يكون صديقك أو جارك أو مديرك في العمل أو مجرّد زميل لك في الدراسة أو في الشغل

When a person believes in his own personal freedom, he doesn't have to make excuses for others in matters which only concern him alone. What prevents us from being free is that we shackle ourselves with chains of illusions which we create on our own. Such thoughts then stick with us and we are not able to get rid of them. We imagine scenarios in which others question our practises and our ideas. The ‘others' in this case are usually people who have a moral authority over us - and they carry this authority not in real terms. You sometimes ask yourself: “What if so-and-so doesn't like what I did?.” In most cases the ‘others' are usually one of your parents or partner (husband or wife) and this is something soothing. But it is worse when this question concerns your friend, or neighbour, or your boss at work or simply a colleague at work or school.

إذا كنت غير قادر على المطالبة بحرّيتك الشخصية في مجالات الحياة اليومية التي تبدو تافهة، و ذلك عن طريق الفعل الممارس مهما يبدو لك بسيطا، فإنك غير قادر على أن تطالب بالحرية للآخر أو بالتأسيس للمجتمع المدني أو للديمقراطية
حريتك الشخصية قد تكون مجالا للتفاوض يوميا مع أحد والديك أو قرينك أو أحد أبنائك، مع زميلك في العمل، مع أحد الجيران أو حتى مع بائع السمك. إذا لم تحافظ عليها فهي لن تكترث لما قد يحدث لك

If you are unable to demand your personal freedom in everyday life, however silly things may seem, you will not be able to demand freedom for others or develop the basis for a civil society or lay the foundations of achieving a democracy. Your personal freedom may be open for discussion everyday with one of your parents, or a relative, or your partner, or one of your children, with your colleague at work, with a neighbour or even with the fish monger - but if you are not able to protect it, you will not care for whatever else happens to you.

1 comment · »»

Interview with Caroline Nellemann, Danish Researcher of Iranian Blogs

Hamid Tehrani · 16:23

lingua → zht · zhs

Danish researcher Caroline Nellemann has done her Master's thesis on Iranian blogs and was involved for three months with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society in Harvard. In order to meet Iranian bloggers and to be more in touch with Iran she took a trip to Iran recently. Caroline shares some of her ideas, photos and research experience with us in this interview.

iranian bloggers

The photo is from a blog event where “The Frogomist Award” (Golden Frog) for the best Iranian blogs in various categories was given. (Caroline is on the second right with the back pack).

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your interest in blogging and especially Iranian blogs?

I have just finished my master's thesis which focuses on the Iranian blogosphere. The purpose of the thesis is to examine how blogs become a part of the public sphere. Iran is an interesting example for several reasons. First of all, blogs in Farsi are extremely widespread both in Iran as well as within the Iranian Diaspora. Secondly, it is interesting to look at blogs as an alternative, freer media in a country where public discussion is restricted. When I talk about the public sphere in this context I primarily refer to the press.

I had the chance to go to Iran in April for three weeks on a grant from the Danish Institute in Damascus, where the purpose is to encourage cultural and scholarly exchange between Denmark and the Muslim worlds. When I got to Iran I was completely overwhelmed by the friendly and hospitable atmosphere I met as well as intrigued by the many contradictions e.g. the great contrast between public and private life.

What are some interesting characteristics about Iranian blogs and what is their presence in Iran's media?

Unfortunately I do not read Farsi but I have read a lot of examples from blogs that were translated, and have followed some of the Iranian blogs in English. My primary source of information was communication with Iranian bloggers who discussed the content of their blogs as well as their experiences and ideas about blogging. In Iran I met with ten different bloggers, and I would like to thank the many helpful people in this process, including Hamid Tehrani from Global Voices. The bloggers I met had very different profiles regarding age and gender. Some of them focused on social and political matters, while others had blogs that were more personal.

It does not seem like blogs are on the list of favourite subjects in the mainstream media in Iran, although one of the reformist newspapers has a column that discusses what is currently happening in the Iranian blogosphere. Some of the people I talked with explained that blogs are described in Iranian media as a phenomenon for well-to-do youth. In that respect one might get the impression that the authorities are not interested in promoting this medium. On the other hand, the current Iranian president has launched his own blog as well as an official blog festival with awards for the best technical and religious blogs. These initiatives should be seen in the light of the constant upgrading of Internet filtering and no Internet speeds over 128 kb. One could argue that this dualistic approach to blogs and the Internet reflects the continuing schism between tradition and modernity in the Islamic Republic.

During your trip to Iran, did you find a radical difference between how Iran is presented in western media and real society?

park Going to the airport in Copenhagen on my way to Iran the taxi driver asked where I was going. When I told him my destination was Tehran, he thought I was out of my mind to go there. Of course not every one has that idea, but I believe that the Western media have presented Iran in such a way that only a very limited aspect of an otherwise highly complex society is shown. At the same time I think that it is exactly this one-sided picture of life in Iran that the Iranian authorities want to present to the world. When I was in Iran I experienced that a lot of people were very concerned about how Iran and the Iranians were depicted in Western media. They were very eager to point out positive aspects of Iranian society and requested that the “other side of the story” be told to as many people as possible.

How can we make a dynamic bridge between Iranian and Western bloggers?

A lot of the bloggers I talked to were only writing in Farsi even though their English was extremely good. They said that they felt that the subjects they wrote about were mostly relevant for Farsi speaking readers inside or outside of Iran. A few even expressed that they did not want to add to the negative picture of Iran that Westerners seem to have. So they would rather keep their critique to themselves and their fellow countrymen.

On the other hand, I believe that blogs are a way of opposing prejudice. The blogosphere enables a pluralistic exchange of opinion and contributes to the eradication of prejudice. Most of the bloggers I talked to explained that they are participating in the blogosphere regardless of whether they agree or disagree with the blogs they read. This indicates that the blogosphere is not just a free-for-all for ideas, but at the same time promotes networking and allowing people to be better informed as well as more politically conscious citizens. Reading about everyday life in Iran and seeing pictures on a photo blog from Tehran might change a lot of Western idea about Iranian society. One of the Iranian bloggers I met developed a more nuanced view of the hejab after reading about women who actually wore it voluntarily.

Do you have any ideas to share with GV's audience?

The conclusions in my thesis have changed somewhat after my trip to Iran. Before my departure I was very optimistic about the possibility of mobilizing public opinion by means of internet and blogosphere. I am still optimistic, but perhaps a bit more realistic. Although the virtual and real worlds are interconnected, there are still important distinctions between the two. On the one hand, the internet can have a very positive effect on the people who communicate with each other, but from there to real life outside cyberspace is something else. The society-transforming potential of blogs depends on how the medium is utilized, since technological media are only instruments for social interactions. As with all other media, the social context determines how blogs function as a part of the public sphere.

2 comments · »»

Nagorno Karabakh conflict: “Liberated Territories” in Focus

Artur Papyan · 15:31

The Armenian blogosphere is full of speculations about the seven regions in Azerbaijan currently under the control of Armenian and Karabakh forces, which are referred to as the “Liberated Territories” by those with a more nationalistic perspective.
Now that the parliamentary elections are behind us the international community is once again turning to what is perhaps the number one problem in the regions - unresolved frozen conflicts and in particular, Nagorno Karabakh, says Onnik Krikoryan looking at the latest developments on way of conflict resolution examining RFE / RL, Today.az and Eurasia Daily Monitor.

No surprise to discover that mediators from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were in Yerevan earlier in the week before moving on to Baku. According to RFE/RL’s report posted on the day of their departure, the OSCE Minsk Group mediators have said they hope that the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will meet on the sidelines of a summit to be held in St. Petersburg on 10 June. With presidential elections set to take place in both Armenia and Azerbaijan next year, there really is very little time and only a small window of opportunity for a long anticipated breakthrough framework agreement.

While Oneworld Multimedia is looking for possible solutions to the conflict, Armenian Breaking News reports that Turkey is inciting Azerbaijan to war in Karabakh:

«The Nagorno Karabakh conflict cannot be settled peacefully. Everyone should know that lands which were seized with bloodshed cannot be returned bloodlessly,» said lieutenant general Yasak Demikbilek, former chief of Turkish intelligence agency.

As noted also by Onnik Krikoryan in the post referenced above, the problem of seven regions in Azerbaijan currently under the control of Armenian and Karabakh forces, continues to bother politicians and activists in Armenia. Via Ahousekeeper (ru) I learned that Anaid1708 (am) has posted some video extracts from the presentation of the book “Liberated Areas of Armenia”, where Armen Ayvazyan (political scientist) and Zori Balayan (publicist, writer) speak about the importance of keeping these lands in the Armenian hands and putting this issue in the context of solving the Armenian Question, which is a diplomatic term, referring to the protection and the freedoms of Armenians from their neighboring communities.

The new wave of discussions seem to have started at OpenArmenia forum, after which Kornelij Glas (ru) posted about the petition signed by a number of internet resources (ru) against the surrender of the liberated territories, saying that the negotiations currently in progress are based on “the readiness of Armenia to surrender already all seven (!) liberated territories around NKR, living only the Lachin corridor (not the region).” In exchange Karabakh would gain the right to conduct a referendum on its status after about 5-15 years. Kornelij Glas (ru) says that his opinion — that this will definitely lead to a new war in which Armenia will be on the losing side — is only shared by a few people, and of those few, most think, that Robert Sedrakovich (president of Armenia) is from Karabakh and would never make concession on the issue.

Ahousekeeper (am) here, here and here as well as the Freedomfight777 (am) and Hayblog (ru) are also joining the petition and urging everybody to sign the petition “AGAINST THE SURRENDER OF THE LIBERATED TERRITORY” at http://www.miacum.ru. Armenia Breaking News is writing that according to Vahram Atanesyan, chair of the NKR Parliamentary Committee of External Relations, all the issues discussed during the talks must become subject of public debates:

I think the people of NKR are to solve the question of status of NKR and the territories surrounding former NKAR[Nagorno Karabakh], because only people are empowered.

Looking at all the polemics in the blogosphere Uzogh (ru) is stating that there is no way to go without Kharabakh conflict resolution and is asking - what are the options?

I know 2 [positions in circulation currently]: the position of Jirayr Sefilyan (which can be described in short as: “the hell do we care about resolution, we are OK as we are now”), which rejects the concept of resolution per se, and we have vague suppositions, that can be reduced to the phrase “surrender of 7 regions”.

Uzogh’s (ru) post has definitely generated a lot of interest: 103 comments when I last checked it, which by Armenian blogging standards is pretty big deal.

Pigh (ru) says he won’t sign the petition. This is all pointless noise the blogger says: “Serge and Robert [Prime Minister and President] would never surrender Karabakh - 100%”.

One thing is sure - if Armenia wants peace and integration in this region, we have to be prepared to surrender something. But what will be the true price?

3 comments · »»

Egyptian Blogger Monem to Be Freed

Freedom For Egyptians · 13:01

lingua → fr

Abdulmonem Mahmood - Arrested Egyptian Blogger

A recent clampdown on Egyptian bloggers encompassed bloggers of different political orientations. Egyptian blogger Abdul Monem Mahmood who has been detained for 46 days on political allegations belongs to the banned Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. However, various bloggers of different backgrounds showed support to Monem without discrimination.

According to Monem's blog, he is in jail under inhuman conditions, denied to attend his post-graduate studies exams and barely succeeded in visiting his ailing father few days ago.

Egyptian bloggers received the news of Monem's release with apprehension reflecting the amount of distrust in the Egyptian security. Nora Younis said “the release decision came as surprise like the detention order…I am still apprehensive. I won't congratulate Monem before I see him with my eyes.”

In an earlier blog post titled “Freedom for Internet”, Jar El Kamar suggests that the reason behind Monem's detention is his blog posts on torture by state security to him, participation in conferences, and for being an active journalist defending human rights. Jar El Kamar says: “the accumulation of fear feelings leads to strict self censorship… I am sad because the only place where I felt free is now cordoned.”

The release of Monem this Saturday does decide on future procedures regarding other bloggers expressing themselves freely in the Egyptian blogosphere which explains why some received the news with silence, apprehension and cautioned happiness. The only clear procedures so far are setting legal precedents with Egyptian bloggers to succumb them to a level of censorship.

7 comments · »»

Touring Libyan Blogs: Tony Blair, Watermelons, Shock and Awe and a Really Hot Summer

Fozia Mohamed · 02:41

Certainly these last two days Tripoli has been abuzz with the talk about British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit. I have never seen such security displayed in my entire life. You could guess the guest of honour's itinerary from the security arrangement. If this is what Tony Blair gets then what will happen if Mr Bush decides to pay us a visit before he leaves the White House ?

Blogger Highlander is only interested in one aspect of Blair's trip, namely the fact that he visited the families of the Libyan children AIDS victims.

“It is a good PR move [..]as it is not often that I see sympathy or care shown to them in the media but only to the Bulgarian nurse and ~~without~~ not the Palestinian doctor.”

We have to thank General Graziani for the invention of the 'shock and awe' tactic which was pioneered on Libyans during Italy's fascist colonial past.

Gheriani has dug another historical gem, I urge you to read his post to witness the atrocities.

Below is an extract from what Dr. Asad whom Gheriani is quoting said :

“The Italians adopted the new tactics of making surprise raids by mechanized units on the Bedouin encampments, slaughtering man and beast indiscriminately, and destroying the grain stores, In these raids, on what in a noncolonial war would be regarded as the civilian population, the purpose was to kill as many of the Bedouin as possible, striking terror into the hearts of shepherd folk of Cyrenaica. When the rains came and mechanized transport could no longer be used, the camps were bombed and machine-gunned from the air.”

On another note there is new aggregator for Libyan bloggers in which Libyano has encapsulated the essence of Libya with the icon he chose دلاع -'the watermelon' .

Lastly, I think that the Libyan bloggers like all other Libyans are busy or their family is busy with end of year exams. Either that or the summer which has dawned upon us with a bang this week is affecting the blogging. A friend told me it was 49 degree Celsius in the shade on Sunday. Well check Libyano's experience he posits it's going to be a hard summer:

I open the door
My face shrivels up
My hair sticks up
My forehead is dripping with sweat
My lips stick together
What a horrible day (my translation)

0 comments · »»

Archive forMay 31st, 2007

Stories

Links for Roundups

Archive for
May 31st, 2007