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July 19th, 2007
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Eastern Europe: Swedish Blog Update 2007
· 21:47
Should a foreign minister be allowed to blog? This has been a burning issue in the Swedish media and blogosphere this year. The blog in question, Carl Bildt's Alla dessa dagar, is a personal weblog, describing the daily chores and reflections of his life as foreign minister. His critics, mostly representing traditional media, hold that this sort of one-way-communication belittles the critical role of media, and that Bildt runs Sweden's foreign policy through a blog.
That Bildt is next to the only prominent Swedish blogger who regularly writes about Eastern Europe is a little recognised fact. With a life-long commitment to regional issues, support for the independence of the Baltic States in the early 1990s, and role as EU mediator in former Yugoslavia, Bildt has insights and knowledge in this area unique to Swedish politics. Regrettably, and in contrast to his dormant Bildt Comments, his current Swedish-language blogging efforts at Alla dessa dagar are but daily notes dotted down in the margins of a life as a travelling salesman in foreign policy, and lack the clear views and analysis that he previously provided his readers with. It would probably have been much more interesting if Bildt's critics had been proven right, viz. that he would actually run Swedish foreign policy through a blog. Instead, it might seem that Bildt has fallen victim to the noblesse oblige of his office, by self-imposed censorship. The truth of the matter may, however, be much closer at hand: As foreign minister, life is simply too demanding to write analytically in the precious little spare time available.
In comparison to the 2006 review of Swedish blogs on Eastern Europe, Bildt is one of the few bloggers remaining. Only about half of the blogs in the 2006 survey are still active. On the positive side though, the number of Swedish East Europe bloggers has expanded, including some very promising new blogs, forming potential nuclea of blog clusters. The evolving pattern is thus a division into media, politcal, Slavophile, organisational, and expat blogs.
A decisive point for the expansion of the issue-specific blogosphere was probably the October 2006 murder of Anna Politkovskaya. The leading Swedish evening paper, Aftonbladet, intensified coverage on Russia, and started cooperating with Novaya Gazeta. Recently, some experiments have also been made with blogging, by Johanna Melén's Moskva direkt, and one might expect this to become a recurrent feature of reporting.
The most regionally initiated blogger among Swedish journalists is indisputably Kalle Kniivilä of the Sydsvenska Dagbladet daily. He regularly posts stories, mainly about politics, in Swedish, Finnish, Esperanto, and Russian at his blog diVERse. Kniivilä's enthusiasm for his subject clearly shines through, and despite clear and strong views, he delivers a reasonably balanced coverage. The only downside of it is that you never know which language to expect, potentially discouraging regular reading. Still, it is definitely worth the effort.
Another journalist blogging about Russia is Sylvia Asklöf of Barometern-OT daily. She regularly blogs in Swedish at Sylvanien - a title obviously alluding to both her own name and the subjects she covers. The intention is to deliver her own reactions to our time, developments in Russia, and some tidbits about Swedish politics. By blogging, she shares her reflections and experiences of some 15 years as a russophile.
An infant Swedish East European blog cluster is the political, totally dominated by liberals. With the Swedish International Liberal Forum (SILC) as a base, a number of blogs about the region have been started. The first was Tobias Ljungvall's blog on Belarus, which regrettably closed down about a year ago. Instead, SILC activities have given rise to e.g. Amanda Lövkvist's blog Lindrig huliganism (Swedish), whose main focus is on the situation of the Russian liberal opposition. Lövkvist - as was the case with Ljungvall - had also a book published by SILC on the topic of her blog. It also seems Amanda is running a blog in Russian called olydiagron, with views from Stockholm and St. Petersburg.
Another liberal in the blogosphere is Andreas Ribbefjord, with Andreas's Blog on Russian and Swedish foreign policy and current affairs. Coverage on Russia is, to a great extent, based on experiences from cooperation between the Swedish liberal party and its Russian counterpart Yabloko and the dissenters' movement.
Similar to both the political and media blogs are a few Slavophile blogs, which often offer interesting views and insights. Mi Lennhag at demo.se provides really good coverage of Eastern Europe with a focus on Russia. Anna-Maria Norman posts various pieces on Ukraine at en salig blandning, and currently also runs a summer 2007 Ukrainian travelogue - ukraina 2007 - with her friend Hanna Söderbaum. Norman has both commitment to and insight into Ukraine, which hopefully will encourage her further publishing efforts. A recent Slavophile addition is blogger Bjolso, who writes about politics and society at Ett annat Ryssland and about music at Russian music video blog.
The third tendency is that organisations and institutions dealing with the region are beginning to discover the blog media. Already last year, the Swedish Union of Journalists used Fredrik Nejman's Ukraina-blogg to cover a cooperation project with its Ukrainian counterpart. Now, as this cooperation seems finalised, its blog will probably go into hiatus. An NGO-activist, Swedish Amnesty Russia coordinator, is Johanna Lärken, who runs Med blicken mot öster, which regularly presents views and reflections on Russian politics and civil society. Also, Gunilla Lindberg - a member of the Swedish-Polish Association - publishes Bulletinenbloggen, as a complement to a Swedish-Polish online journal. A nascent Polish exile blogger community is also discernible, revolving around the foremost Swedish expert on Polish politics, Jakub Święcicki. At the Święcicki blog, he writes about politics and society - currently Poland under the reign of the Kaczyński twins. Politics, culture, and society are also the subjects of choice for other bloggers in this promising group of Polish exile kulturnye and intellectuals. Furthermore, the special Swedish system of adult education - the Folk High Schools - leaves its imprints on the blogosphere by Ove R. Eriksson's blog Eurasia Studies, reflecting on the experiences of East European studies at Österlens folkhögskola. The organisational category may also include Göran Dalin's Allt om Georgien - a hub for the Georgian diaspora community in Sweden - covered already in last year's review.
Then, there are the expat blogs. A blogger already known to many interested in the area is Erik Petersson's Dushanbe Pictures, which is still going strong in contrast to his Moscow blog Samtidigt i Moskva that seems to have gone into indefinite hiatus. With Dushanbe Pictures, Petersson regularly posts pictures from Tajikistan, and his photos are really worth seeing. The Central Asian perspective is complemented by a Caucasian, with C-G Erixon's CG Bloggin' - until recently based in Abkhazia.
Among the seniors of Swedish East European bloggers is Murmansk-based Wictoria Majby's Ryska Rövarhistorier, which after a period of hiatus, has recently resumed posting Russian cock-and-bull stories. A welcome addition is A Russia of my own, by Josefina - an aspiring writer based in Yekaterinburg. Writing in English, she posts stories and reflections from a provincial perspective of the Russian Urals, with the motto “Ambition mixed with vodka gets me up in the morning.” However, she is not exclusive among regional reporters. Erik i Ryssland is a Swedish expat who has been living in and reporting from Rostov-na-Donu ever since 2005.
Turning to the big cities, another fine newcomer is Expat i Ryssland by female boxer Anna Ingman, who blogs about a training-existence in St. Petersburg. She also contributes with regular chronicles to the Västerbottens-Kuriren daily. Guran i Moskva and Thomas i Moskva are two blogs by Swedish teachers, telling about life and school in Russia. Furthermore, Kina i Moskva blogs about experiences and fashion in the Eastern metropolis. Turning west, Mats i Warszwa writes about his endeavours in the Polish capital. Last but not least, Sweden has - for the last year - had a welcome visit by one of the long-standing Russia bloggers, namely American expat Megan Case. Her unpretentious and down-to-earth accounts of life in Russia have gradually developed into an indispensable component of the expat Russia blogosphere, and she has also recently started blogging in Russian at американка, к сожалению.
To sum up, the Swedish blogosphere on Eastern Europe is undergoing expansion and some of the necessary stabilisation to form the dynamic density needed for a blog community. What is also positively surprising is that the number of women blogging about Eastern Europe equals that of the men, which seems an exception to the international East European blogosphere. A disadvantage for the international audience is that blogs, with few exceptions, are in Swedish. For Swedish bloggers though, the domestic audience seems larger than the international, even when blogging about events and phenomena taking place abroad.
As for contents, it is obvious that the Swedish blogosphere on Eastern Europe is much more Swedish than it is East European. For better or for worse, much of it reflects both the norms and values of Swedish society, and its views and perceptions of Eastern Europe. This is especially so when it comes to Russia blogging, where the idealistic often takes precedence over the realistic, which may prove dubious in the long-run, as Swedish views and Russian realities become too divergent. Still, despite this caveat, the Swedish blogosphere on Eastern Europe seems to meet with a bright future - a situation unforeseen but a year ago.
5 comments · »»Arabeyes: Saudi Women Fight for Men's Rights
· 20:06
Saudi women are grabbing the headlines once again - this time with a protest to demand the freedom of their husbands and kin arrested under ‘terrorism' charges, in the conservative kingdom where women are not even allowed to drive.
Demonstration in Qassim
Writing in English, Saudi Jeans, notes:
Fifteen women and seven children have demonstrated outside a state security HQ demanding a fair public trial for their husbands, stop torture, and transfer them back to a local prison. Fouad al-Farhan, the blogger who has been on hiatus for a long time and now is back, broke the story on his blog.
This is important because it is the first time for women to hold a public demonstration in protest in Saudi Arabia. I doubt that mainstream media would actually cover the story, and hence it is important to spread the word online in blogs and forums. Go to Fouad’s blog now and sign your name in support of these women, and make sure this reaches as many people as possible.
Brave Sit-in
His colleagues, writing in Arabic, have more to say. Ghareeb Al Aber, from Riyadh, describes the sit-in as “brave.” He adds:
1- محاكمة علنية لأزاجهن وابنائهن
2- إعطائهم الحق في تعيين محامين للدفاع عنهم
3- وقف التعذيب
4- مراقبة السجون - إشراف القضاء على السجون
5- إعادة المساجين إلى منطقة القصيم
أعتقد ان جميع ما تقدم مطالب شرعية تتطابق مع كافة القوانين الشرعية و الإنسانية التي تكفل بها الشرع ولا يوجد أي غبار عليها
الجميع طالب بتحقيق مطالب هؤلان النسوة الشرعية ، وانا اطاللب بالإضافة إلى ذلك … بل أتحدى … الصحافة السعودية ان تكون شجاعة ولو بقدر ضئيل والإشارة إلى مثل هذا الخبر
1. Public trials for their husbands and sons
2. Allowing them the right to appoint defense lawyers
3. Ending torture
4. Monitoring Prisons - making the judiciary in charge of prisons
5. Returning the prisoners to Qassim
I believe that all these are legitimate demands which are in line with legal and humanitarian legislation. Everyone is calling for implementing those women's demands.. and I demand.. or rather I challenge, the Saudi Press to be brave enough - even to a small extent - and cover this incident.
Historic Day for Saudi Women
Fouad Al Farhan, who broke the story, describes the protest as “historic.” He notes:
الوقوف مع هؤلاء النسوة هو أقل الواجب علينا. على المرأة السعودية أن تقوم بالواجب تجاه أخواتها وتوقع هنا تأييداً لهن. وعلى الرجل السعودي أن يمحي العار عن نفسه ويوقع بإسمه الصريح. طلب التوقيع ليس محصوراً على السعوديين، بل هو واجب على كل إنسان يؤمن بالوقوف مع المظلومين أياً كانوا. لا عذر ولا مبرر لك أياً كانت جنسيتك ووطنك، أن تتخلف عن التوقيع.
الرجاء وضع الإسم، المدينة، البلد، وعبارة تشجيعيه
10 Ways to Support the Protest
* أدعوا لهم بتحقيق مطالبهم
* ارسل الخبر كرسالة جوال للأرقام التي في جوالك
* ارسل الخبر عبر الأيميل لمن تعرف عناوينهم الإلكترونية
* اكتب عن هذه القضية في مدونتك أو منتدى حواري
* صمم بانر دعائي تضامني مع هذه القضية
* اكتب شعراً، اكتب نثراً، عبر عن مساندتك
* تكلم مع عائلتك عن قضيتهم
* تكلم في العمل عن قضيتهم
* أكتب عبارة تضامنية على ورقة وعلقها على أحد أبواب منزلك (الداخلية أو الخارجية)
* كن إيجابياً وتحرك من أجل نصرة المظلومين
* Pray for them to achieve their goals
* Spread news about their protest using SMS
* Send news of their plight through emails to everyone on your contact list
* Write about this incident on your blog or online forums
* Design a banner to draw attention to their ordeal
* Speak to your relatives about this incident
* Write a support message to those women and hang it on one of the doors in your home
* Be positive and move to support the oppressed
The Role of the Public Order Police
Mashi Sah, or On the Right Path, weighs in:
المرأة السعودية سطرت يوم أمس درساً في الحرية والمطالبة بالعدالة و الحقوق سيظل محفوراً في تاريخ الأجيال
Pioneering Role of Saudi Women
Mushahed writes:
لقد أثبتت المرأة السعودية انها الرائدة في المسائل الحقوقية
Protesters Arrested
Needless to add, some of the protesters have since been detained. Saudi Jeans reports:
5 comments · »»Following their demonstration outside a state security HQ in Qassim, Rima al-Juraish and four other women were arrested today. Moreover, Abdullah al-Hamid, a well-known reformist and attorney of Rima al-Juraish’s husband Mohammed al-Hamily, was also arrested. Al-Hamid, who was previously jailed in the past after demanding constitutional reforms but was later pardoned by King Abdullah, has asked the authorities to allow his family to bring him his medicines.
Ugandan bloggers all play, no peace talks
· 18:05
At last month’s Uganda Bloggers Happy Hour, I took an informal poll of why the blogren do what they do. My favorite response came from Carlo, who said that blogging is “just like Facebook,” the social networking site that’s currently sweeping the young, internet-connected world. Every blogger present declared blogging in Uganda to be a purely social exercise, evidenced by the recent “8 Random Things” meme circulating among Ivan, Magoola, Magintu and others.
Perhaps that’s why hardly anyone has mentioned last week’s one-year anniversary of the beginning of the peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a “sadistic rebel militia which ha[s] made a hell out of the north of the country for two decades.” Those who are writing — mainly expatriates living in Uganda and activists in the United States — are expressing cautious hope for the success of the talks.
The major obstacle to peace over the last year has been the tension between restorative and retributive justice, recently examined by Nora Boustany in the Washington Post. A restorative approach would include traditional reconciliation rituals such as the mato oput ceremony, described by Glenna Gordon:
People in Uganda's north would prefer “mato oput”, a form of traditional justice, which literally means to drink a bitter potion made from the oput tree….
Mato oput could solve the problem for them, but the government isn't ready to concede to such a bitter solution.
Retributive justice would most likely mean trials for top LRA commanders at the International Criminal Court, an approach that has met with serious resistance not only from the LRA itself but also from many northern Ugandans. Willy Akena of the Diocese of Northern Uganda writes:
One year down the road, the major question is the ICC. While many people in the north think the ICC is a stumbling block to the peace process, the ICC prosecutor Louis Ocampo thinks that is what Kony wants people to believe. And the prosecutor thinks Kony will get a fair trial in the court.
The Diocese blog also features an excellent chronology of the talks.
Finally, just outside of Gulu, northern Uganda, Locus Amoenus reflects on the effects the talks have had on life in the many camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs):
2 comments · »»On the ground, this translates into another notch of success in strengthening the fragile sense of security in the region. After a decade of life in the camps, IDPs are going home. At Paicho, this means that during the day adults and older children are traveling to their ancestral lands to begin digging and planting – a return to the rich agricultural tradition of Acholiland, and a hopeful sign for a people beginning to feed themselves. The signal of a future step away from the packs from UN World Food Program. It truly is a sign of hope, albeit a mixed one for the children back at Paicho, who are unsupervised until about 2 p.m., when the adults typically return from tilling the land. Another fold in the ever-complex issue of achieving peace and development in this region.
Kurdistance: The Price of Oil
· 15:57
The oil control issue in the Northern Iraq/Southern Kurdistan city of Kirkuk is again at the forefront of Kurdish bloggers' fingertips. With large oil companies and the US pushing for the passing of a regulatory oil law in Iraq, fears reignite that a sinister “Plan B” might be launched in order to gain control of the oil reserves…involving a Turkish incursion into the region.
The Oil Law
In order to ease the fears of Sunni populations in Iraq (and hopefully quell further rebellion) a new oil law is being pushed in Iraq that would regulate the oil industry and evenly distribute the proceeds among the population. In the oil rich and Kurdish city of Kirkuk, this is an unacceptable bill to sign. The referendum for Kirkuk to vote to become part of the Kurdish regional government is set for December of this year. If Kirkuk decides to be part of the KRG than that places the Kurdish government in an excellent position to declare independence as the oil industry there would make that possible. Independence plans in the region would be completely shut out if the oil bill were to be signed.
However, the issue of the oil and the money that will and can be generated from it is being pushed by many sides..especially independent oil companies that stand to profit from the oil law arrangement like Exxon-Mobile. Kurdish blogger Hevallo was the first to post information showing the link between Exxon-Mobile's attempt at changing the foreign policy (vis-a-vis oil) in Iraq:
ExxonMobil, the US oil company that is eager to get its hands on Kurdish oil in Kirkuk, is paying groups to bring about change in US foreign policy.
Here we have the first shot of the American Enterprise Institute, that was joined recently by Paul Wolfowitz and is funded by ExxonMobil. It is delivered by Michael Rubin of the same ‘think tank'. Read here some more of Michael Rubins lies
This speech is clearly aimed at changing US foreign policy in favour of Turkey and away from the Kurds.
You will notice how there is a, not so subtle change, from the Kurds are our friends and allies, to the Kurds are the enemy's of Turkey and of democracy. This is not the maverick Scott Sullivan, who presumably is also in the pay of ExxonMobil and was the outrider, this is Michael Rubin speaking to policy makers of the US Foreign Affairs Committee!
In support of Hevallo's work, Rasti posted the following:
Well, well, well . . . it looks like Hevallo wrote something he shouldn't have written–something like the truth.
Earlier today, Hevallo wrote a post in which he put forth the proposition that ExxonMobil may be paying the AEI to change foreign policy vis-a-vis Iraq. Naturally, such a foreign policy change would also be directed against South Kurdistan. To support his proposition, he includes a link to a new screed from the virulent anti-Kurdish AEI resident scholar, Michael Rubin. By the way, this new screed was presented as testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Don't remember Rubin? Rubin's the guy who pretends to have no clue as to the bloody repression the Ankara regime has inflicted on Kurds since 1923.
Hevallo points out that it was just at the beginning of this year that ExxonMobil was found to have paid a number of ideology factories to lie to the public about the state of global warming. Prominent among those ideology factories was Michael Rubin's AEI. See Hevallo's post for the link.
It's not out of the ordinary for big corporations to pay to have propaganda deposited in the American mainstream media. Philip Morris, the huge tobacco corporation, gave $100,000 to the AEI in 1997 and it was in the same year that the Washington Post published a report on how Philip Morris had tried to “systematically woo[ed] scientists who might help the company counter the growing consensus on the health risks of secondhand tobacco smoke and ‘keep the controversy alive.'” According to the WaPo, Philip Morris was up to this particular propaganda trick way back in 1988.
Basically, ExxonMobil attempted the same thing with AEI over climate change. Since AEI accepted the bribe, we might as well conclude that it's been in the business of propagandizing for the corporate world for some time.
Hevallo states that if the oil law is not signed than a “Plan B” might result in order for US oil companies to get access to the oil in the region:
And considering how the massive Iraqi and Kurdish opposition to the law is slowing it down and perhaps halting it, leads one to the very obvious conclusion. That if they cannot bullying the Iraq and Kurdish governments into signing the ‘oil law' they have a ‘Plan B'!
Plan B?
Plan B is over 140,000 Turkish troops on the border just waiting for the green light from the USA. The signs are already clear. And I bet that green light will be switched on when and if the Iraqi and Kurdish governments refuse to sign the oil law handing over Iraqi/Kurdish oil to US oil companies.Turkey won't have any such problem with signing an oil deal with the US and will jump at the chance to enter Kurdistan. It is all becoming horribly clear.
Bloggers alone are not the only ones worried about this possible situation.
Mahmoud Othman, a prominent Kurdish MP believes that the United States of America will side with Turkey in any upcoming conflict. His statements come as a massive blast hit the offices of the PUK in Kirkuk killing at least 80 people.
Mr Othman said, “Our experience as Kurds with the United States has been negative all along and that is why our fears and concerns are legitimate.”
The Role of Turkey
It is no secret that Turkey has the necessary troops available in order to go into Northern Iraq, but as the Turkish parliamentary elections draw nearer more and more Kurds within Turkey are being harassed. While Kurdish parties are trying to actively participate in the elections, there have been many obstacles:
This coming Sunday will be election day in Turkey. Many remember that the Ankara regime, and both the AKP and CHP in particular, has done what it can since the Amed Serhildan to marginalize the pro-Kurdish DTP. The regime has refused to engage in a dialog with DTP politicians. It has sent army officers to register soldiers to vote in “The Southeast.” It continues to support the racist 10% threshold. It's even attempted to prevent illiterate Kurds from voting for the independent candidates–and all of DTP's candidates are running as independents–by changing the ballot at the last minute:
“As regards independent candidates, on the other hand, no one can defend that either the ruling AKP or the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) performed in any manner compatible with democracy when they legislated in haste to include names on independents in the joint ballot sheets rather than letting them run on separate voting papers. They did that hoping that the practice will lead to confusion among the mostly illiterate voters of the southeast “where many pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) people are running as independent candidates” and thus the number of “unwanted DTP people” in Parliament would be limited.”
And that's aside from the fact that no one seems to be asking why a regime which has expressed a desire to enter the EU has not invested in a part of its own territory, a part which it treats as an internal colony and not as an equal region of the nation. There is no discussion of why the Ankara regime maintains its internal Kurdish colony in extreme poverty, why it destroyed what little economy existed there after the destruction it wrought in the days following the founding of the modern state, why there is no investment in jobs, infrastructure, services, housing, or education. Things, you know, that are taken for granted in civilized nations.
Another thing being taken for granted within Turkey is the treatment of POW's as new Kurdish blog Independent Kurdistan Journalism reports:
A wounded Kurdish Guerrilla named (Hassan Metin 42), who must have been treated as a prison of war (POW), is beaten up by Turkish Hospital Staff and civilians in the Turkish city of Erican!! This Kurdish Freedom Fighter was recently injured and captured by Turkish troops 2 days after he was wounded. But while he was potentially under the police arrest and protection, these people seen in the pictures, beating him up!
Other Kurdish News
In other Kurdish news, Roj Bash reports about the fate of two Kurdish journalists in Iran:
On 16th July 2007, the “Revolutionnary Tribunal” of Marivan condemned to death two Kurdish journalists, Adnan HASSANPOUR et Hiva BOTIMAR, for « espionage ».
They have been just transfered to the central prison of Sanandaj (Sine), the capital of the province of Kurdistan, for the execution of their judgment.
These collaborators of ASO magazine (Horizons), published in Kurdish and Persan in Sanandaj, were arrested at the end of December 2006, by the dreadful Iranian police ITILAAT. At the time of their detention in the prison of Marivan, they were severely tortured. To protest against these maltreatments, they had made several hunger strikes.
The arrest of these two peaceful Kurdish journalists, of which one is engaged in an ecologist movement, is a part of a vast campaign of repression, launched by Iranian president Ahmedinejad’s regime against “the interior enemies”. During the last months, 150 intellectuals, journalists, and representatives of the Kurdish civil society were thus arrested. Most of them risk heavy judgments, facing the legal machinery of a regime founded by a leader, Ayyatollah Khomeini, who, since August 1979, called million of Kurds in Iran “enemies and children of Satan”, for the only motive that they are not shiite and support a laic and democratic regime.
Without an urgent intervention of the international community, both journalists will be executed and their martyrdom could open the way with a series of execution of other political prisoners, Kurdish and Iranian.
Additionally, news reports have indicated that the President of Syria, Bashir Assad, has readdressed the issue of granting Syrian Kurds citizenship rights. The Kurdish community seems to be withholding judgment on this one at the moment…perhaps next week will wield more on the issue.
1 comment · »»Egypt: Another Letter from Imprisoned Blogger, Two bloggers Released, Co-blogging gets Popular and More
· 15:40
In this week's round-up from Egypt imprisoned blogger Karim Amer sends another letter from prison expressing his loneliness and feelings of injustice, the bloggers who were arrested this week were released, movies at the headquarters of Al-Ghad party, the phenomenon of co-blogging gets popular in Egypt and more.
Send Karim Letters in Prison: Wa7damasrya is calling upon everyone to show solidarity with Egyptian blogger Karim Amer who is sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly insulting Islam and defaming the president of Egypt. She said on her blog that she received another letter from Karim and that he needs support to encourage and comfort him. She believes little words will do. She published Karim’s address in prison for anyone interested in sending him a note.
Abdel Karim Nabeel Soliman
Borg El Arab Prison
Department 24 Room 10
Arab Republic of Egypt
In the same context, Free Kareem is blogging about a letter sent to the Egyptian Embassy in Romania calling for interceding on behalf of Kareem to drop charges. The blog is reporting that the letter was ignored.
Movie Showtime in Al-Ghad Party HQ: 7rnksh is letting us know that Al-Ghad party is organizing two campaigns; “our country’s art for our people” and “let’s watch our movies” on Thursday July 19 at the party’s headquarters.
Imprisoned political leader Ayman Nour is the leader of Al-Ghad. He ran against President Hosni Mubarak in the presidential elections in 2005. Nour is spending five years in prison for allegedly forging papers.
Co-Blogging Gets Popular: Hany George of Bikya is confirming to us in a blog post that co-blogging as a phenomenon is spreading in the Egyptian blogosphere. He thinks it is very positive that bloggers are joining hands to blog. Believing in co-blogging, George became one of them in tama7eek, a blog where a number of bloggers write on a weekly or a monthly basis.
Cairo Metro on High Alert: Manfa blog is describing this week’s security procedures after unveiling and attempt to plant a bomb in the Cairo metro network. Citizens with any kind of bags are subjected to security checks and in some instances IDs are requested. Manfa is puzzled by the procedures especially that he is a regular metro passenger and he normally carries a bag for work-related reasons. He says people standing in lines waiting for the security check-ups keep asking what’s wrong and the security staff reply back “nothing wrong.” He thinks this is not a way to answer the people’s concerns in such a critical time.
Two Bloggers Released: Tahyyes confirms the release of the two arrested bloggers - Moataz Adel and Ahmed El-Geizawy. The two bloggers were arrested on their way to a military court session to cover it in blog posts. Congratulations on the release!
That's it for this week's round up from Egypt. I will leave you with good news and until next week!
2 comments · »»Lebanon: One year Anniversary of the July War
· 15:33
Last year, around this time, Israel was waging what it later dubbed as “Second Lebanon War” against Lebanon. So last week, most Lebanese bloggers wrote about this war. The posts were about their recollections, reflections, analysis, etc, focusing on the 33 days of summer 2006 in Lebanon. The posts reflect the diverse opinions and perspectives regarding this conflict. This summary attempts to give a sample of as wide a variety of points of view as possible. Anyway, more bloggers can be reached through links on the blogs quoted below or in previous (or later) summaries of the Lebanese blogosphere. Here we go:
Beirut Spring recalls how the war began as his family was preparing for his engagement party. He mentions how the party went on as planned on July 13, the second day of the war. In his post, which contains many links to posts during the war, he states his position at the time of the war:
We will support Hezbollah for now. We will unite behind them as long as we’re under attack. We will not criticize them publicly. They are welcome in our houses and in our cities. This is a time for unity, not squabbling.
[but after it’s all over]
We will make it clear to the world that Hezbollah is not speaking for all the Lebanese. We will make it well known that we will no longer accept unilateral decisions pertaining to war and peace
For Jamal, there was more to that war than met the eye. He sees it as one battle in a long war that has and is taking place in the region. A war which he doesn't seem to see an eminent end to:
The war did not start on July 12, 2006. I have memories of war stashed away right next to the memory of my first electronic Spelling game that my parents got me to accelerate my learning of the alphabet in the pre-kindergarten years of the pre-Atari era. The war started in the year 12 b.h.n. (before Hassan Nasrallah) and it hasn’t ended yet. The July, Lebanon’s Second, or Sixth labels are just chapter titles to distinguish the 33 days of open military warfare as opposed to the covert military ops that preceded and continued after that period.
The problem is that Israel in its current version is not compatible with peace. Maybe version 2.0 will have that option programmed into it but until then it’ll be war.
Abu Kais wrote about the physical and psychological torture that both sides of the conflict inflicted on the people of both countries:
Arab satellite networks are bombarding their viewers with documentaries on the “July war” between Hizbullah and Israel, which started on July 12, 2006. Emile Lahoud and Fouad Siniora both gave speeches on the occasion. The speeches were diametrically opposite. I won't bother quoting. Having covered that war extensively on this blog, I have not forgotten the psychological torture Nasrallah and Israel subjected us to. Torture that, naturally, pales in comparison to that lived by victims on both sides. Yes, both sides. This blogger believes in “moral equivalence shit”.
Sophia wrote in detail about her trip to Lebanon just before the war, what she saw and felt while visiting villages and town across Lebanon and how the 2006 war changed the mood into a state of despair that has not left her since:
In 12 days, we drove Lebanon from north to south, from Bcharré to Qana and the southern border, taking all the small roads and totalling some 6000 kms in a country of 200kms long and 80 kms, at most, large. I arrived to my village unannounced. I walked to my grand'parents'. The door was open, as in most village houses. My aunt came to the door and asked who we were. I said: I am your niece. We embraced while my husband and children were behind crying. I visited our empty house in the village, gathered some old pictures, talked with neighbours and old friends, took a walk to the olive orchards, trecked deep in the Qadisha valley, drove among crazy Lebanese drivers, bathed in the sea near Tyre, sampled baklavas at major Lebanese pastry stores in Tripoli and Saida, ate Falafel in Saida's souk, slept on the sound of the nearby prayer of the muezzin near Saida's souk, walked one day in the ugly Beyrouth downtown ultrarenovated as to erase the memory of any past or future wars.
The visit was like a therapy for me. But when I returned I start to be obsessed with the security situation in Lebanon, not being able to pass a day without looking at the news from there. And as the news from there were becoming more and more alarming, culminating in the 2006 Israeli agression on the country, I started to despair and I am still in this mood.
One would expect that lessons were learned by both sides of the conflict. In a lengthy analysis, MFL writes about the lessons learned by the Lebanese and the Israelis from the July. He introduces his analysis by stating that:
The July War probably will always be remembered as what Kofi Anan, when he was UN General Secretary, “the war where children died more than the combatants”. This of course was from the Lebanese side, whereby 1/3 of over 1200 martyrs were children. Till this very day, civilians are wounded or killed from cluster bombs left from the racist Zionist nation: Israel. Best archive regarding the details of the July War, situation of the refugees, attrocities of the Israelis, media war, and everything else is the official Samidoun Website.
What has happened in Lebanon since the cease-fire was declared? This is what Liliane listed in one of her posts. She talks about the sad state of affairs in Lebanon during the past year after the war was waged.
Arab Media raises the issue that, in Lebanese politics and conflicts, things are not simply black or white, as Western or American politicians sometimes imply. He uses as an example “Haifa Wehbe, Lebanon's super sexy pop starlet” to prove his point:
She is a Shiite from South Lebanon, an area that has been subjected to repeated Israeli incursions, massacres and poundings since 1948. Look at these photos [linked to in the post] and ask yourself whether she looks like an “extremist”.
Now read this article [link in post], and ask yourself why does this extreme sextress
(not extremist) support Nasrallah and the resistance?The reason is because ordinary and sexy people around the world (not just extremists) believe that if somebody attacks you in your own homeland, as the Israelis did beginning with the Hula massacre in 1948, and subsequent incursions and attacks in 1968, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2006, you have the right to defend yourself against aggression. It's also interesting to note that Hizbullah as a resistance movement did not come into formal existence until 1985, in the middle of Israel's 22-year-long occupation of South Lebanon (1978-2000).
Finally, MacDara recalls his experience as he and other foreign nationals were evacuated from Lebanon:
Its a year since MacDara was woken at 5.30 in the morning by two loud explosions, The Israeli’s had just bombed the Port which was five minutes from MacDara’s Apartment. The Alarm that had been set for Six as it was evacuation day was not needed and with the bags all ready packed it meant we had plenty of time to enjoy a last coffee on our Balcony and think about what we were leaving behind. We did know at the time if we would be back and we were feeling slightly guilty for leaving friends but there was never really any thought of staying.
MacDara ends his post by saying:
4 comments · »»Once is enough and hopefully an evacuation will not be needed again.
Armenia/Azerbaijan: Presidential elections in Nagorno Karabakh
· 12:00
15.2 km South of Lachin, Kashatagh Region, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2006
Today, presidential elections took place in the breakaway and self-declared Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (a source of constant dispute and armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan). These days, Nagorno-Karabakh is populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians and functions more or less as a part of Armenia (meaning citizens hold Armenian passports, and the local currency is the Armenian dram).
Discussing the Karabakh issue is a potential minefield, and at international conferences in the UK or the US you can usually witness the amount of resentment between Armenians and Azeris over the disputed territory. Both countries are still at war with each other officially, although a ceasefire has been kept more or less intact since the end of large-scale fighting in 1994.
As with so many things pertaining to Karabakh, it's usually just the Armenian blogosphere that is covering landmark events such as today's poll. Therefore, what follows are several excerpts from Armenian blog posts over the past couple of days.
On the situation in Stepanakert (Karabakh's capital), Raffi of Life in Armenia wrote yesterday:
The town is humming, loads of people around from Yerevan and abroad, hotels packed, friends from Yerevan and the US are around, and locals are busy, making it a bit hard to get things accomplished here on the Janapar. Gamats, gamats as they say.
The voting itself is supposed to happen according to fairly clean and transparent standards (something with which the neighbours of the small republic have more problems with). Furthermore, the authorities are helping journalists as much as they can, reports Onnik Krikorian:
The Karabakh authorities have even established a press room with an internet connection so they can file their reports, something which seems like a great idea and one which should be introduced in Armenia given the high cost even for low-quality dial-up services. The press center even appears to be allowing access to bloggers as well, something that must make the Karabakh election very progressive indeed.
Christian Garbis and Onnik Krikorian have some differences over the Nagorno Karabakh issue and comment on each other's blog posts. Christian, on his Notes from Hareinik, writes:
Quite simply, Armenians need to unite on the Nagorno-Karabagh issue once and for all, and discussions which I would describe as patriotic calling for the refusal of handing over Armenian-controlled lands are healthy. The Armenian position should solidify if there is indeed a building support for maintaining Armenia’s territorial integrity from within, and patriotism should flourish nationwide. The rampant display of the tri-color national flag in a grandiose display of patriotism would be a nice start to rally the masses (it is hardly visible anywhere, even on government buildings) along with bold declarations made by politicians, pro-government and opposition alike. Despite some concerns regarding what the international community might say, Armenia really has nothing to lose.
Onnik finds some rather strong words in the comments:
In my opinion, this is all emotive based on your ARF-D background but using arguments formulated total isolation from the region around you. Still, the same knee jerk nationalist (not patriotic) attitude can be found in Azerbaijan so it's only natural that it's found here.
It's just ironic to consider that almost everyone in Armenia and Azerbaijan who says there should be no concessions by either side are the very same people who would never go to fight in a new war.
They won't fight for nationalism or patriotism, in fact. Others can go and die to do that for them. Still, it's all irrelevant really. Most politicians and analysts here realize the need for a compromise peace deal whereas Azerbaijan is playing a waiting game with Armenia and its continuing isolation.
Christian's stance on Nagorno Karabakh seems to be part of a wider trend. A couple of weeks back, Onnik Krikorian found that Armenian civil society was taking a tougher stance on the Karabakh issue:
Unfortunately, many organizations and even publications in Armenia are now taking a more nationalist line on continuing moves to strike a still elusive peace deal.
As much as Nagorno Karabakh is a the heart of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, one should still understand local people's desire to run things by themselves. A year back, Brendan Hoffman interviewed Karabakh politicians in an article on neweurasia:
“We’ve ignored the threat of war to allow democracy to develop. It’s hard to find other countries in a similar situation.” A peaceful solution is more likely, Petrosian believes, if leaders with slightly more respect for democracy come to power in Azerbaijan and Armenia. Still, Ghulian says, “participation in the talks isn’t an end in itself.” The goal is international recognition of their independence.
Toughening rhetorics in both Azerbaijan and Armenia makes the little breakaway republic's future destiny impossible to foretell. The seven rules of nationalism, a humourous take on the frozen conflicts in the former Soviet Union posted by TOL's Steady State, make for a rather grim reading in the Nagorno Karabakh context:
1. If an area was ours for 500 years and yours for 50, it should belong to us – you are merely an occupier.
2. If an area was yours for 500 years and ours for 50, it should belong to us – borders must not be changed.
3. If an area belonged to us 500 years ago but never since then, it should belong to us – it is the Cradle of our Nation.
4. If a majority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must enjoy the right to self-determination.
5. If a minority of our people live there, it must belong to us – they must be protected against your oppression.
6. All of the above rules apply to us but not to you.
7. Our dream of greatness is Historical Necessity, yours is Fascism.
Kyrgyzstan: Interview with Bektour Iskender
· 10:04
Q: Bektour, it's nice to meet you. Can you tell me what Kloop is and how it works?
A: Kloop is a web portal that consists of a news section and a blog platform. At the moment, the news is written by young reporters, mostly high school and university students. The blogs are open for everyone, and we already have 66 blogs registered on the website. One of the most important aims is also to create a citizen journalism service, where everyone can post news to the website through different means (by mobile phone for example). Of course the posts will be moderated by our staff.
Q: You say you are moderating posts - do you do this on people's personal blogs or just on your news aggregation site?
A: No, we do this in the news section only. We never moderate blogs.
Q: Are you getting funded for your operations?
A: Kloop is sponsored by Hivos, and is created by the Kloop Media Foundation in partnership with the Children's Media Centre, an experienced youth media organization from Bishkek.
Q: What made you start with this ambitious project?
A: There were two initial founders of Kloop: me and Rinat Tuhvatshin. I suppose it was in the end of 2005 when I started being interested in blogging so much. I thought (and I still think) it is great that every person on the Earth can potentially become a journalist and publish online, and with blog platforms it is really easy to do.
At the same time Rinat Tuhvatshin was inspired by the idea of citizen journalism. We just gathered our ideas together and decided to create a web portal that would contain both of these ideas.
Q: Were you inspired by something that has worked in other countries and made you start this Kyrgyzstani service?
A: Initially, I was inspired by such blog services as Livejournal and Blogspot. These were actually the first blogs I saw. Later I found Global Voices and neweurasia which were even more similar to our idea, but I found these sites when our idea had been constructed already.
Q: What do Kloop bloggers blog about?
A: Different issues are discussed… We've got several photoblogs, my favourite one is chess.kloop.kg, whose author, Chingiz Narynov, is a young film director from Bishkek. We've got quite a politicized blog created by the user sahlan – the last target of his criticism was our prime minister Almazbek Atambayev.
We will never ban our bloggers for their political views, but the news section of Kloop is always neutral. That is our policy. There are few reasons to delete the blog: pornography, propaganda of violence and so on.
Q: Why do you think will Kloop be successful in Kyrgyzstan? What makes it different from other blog platforms such as LJ and Wordpress.com?
A: There is a very important financial reason: we are located on a local server. That means that for many Internet users in Kyrgyzstan it is much cheaper to have a blog on Kloop rather than on a foreign platform. Besides that, our bloggers don't need to pay for better skins (as it is on LJ).
We are preparing more things for the future. That will be mostly connected with advertising. When our text ad service is ready (hopefully, that will happen before September), every blogger will be able to join our website advertising system and get some profit from it.
Q: How will you sign up more people for your service? Is there an upper limit?
A: Well, at the moment we've got 320 GB of space in the net, thanks to Hivos who sponsored the acquisition of a separate web server for Kloop. We give every blog a space of 100 MB, which means that if there are 1000 blogs, some 100 GB will be reserved for them. Certainly, we will try to buy more servers in the future, I think that in a year we will come to a moment when we will need much more webspace.
Our advertising campaign will start in August. The Kloop ad banners will be placed mostly on the most popular Kyrgyz websites. But we also plan some unusual advertising actions, like drawing graffiti with our logo. We've got several ideas of free advertising of such a kind. I hope it will work.
Q: Are you working together with other citizen journalism networks?
A: We are close friends with neweurasia, if this project can be called citizen journalism… We plan to conduct some joint new media and blogging trainings in the future, mostly for people from Central Asia. We'll probably hold the first one at the end of this year.
Q: Can you tell us about the potential of blogging in a country like Kyrgyzstan, where not many people go online regularly?
A: I cannot exactly cite the source right now, but as far as I know, every fifth Kyrgyzstani citizen has access to the Internet. I suppose these are the figures of 2006. 20 per cent is a really high figure for the former Soviet Union. I am happy with the fact that the Internet is not censored in our country and it is also very cheap. You usually have to pay just 25 soms (which is less than 1 USD) to get an hour of access in the Internet café. If it continues that way, I think that quite a high proportion of the population will go online regularly.
Q: Usually, it's mostly people from Bishkek and Osh who go online regularly. How can you make the voices from the regions heard?
A: This year we got in touch with American Corners in Kyrgyzstan. These are centres located in five cities of Kyrgyzstan: Karakol, Kant, Talas, Jalalabat and Batken. All of them are equipped with a library and with several computers connected to high-speed Internet. We plan to cooperate with them and to hold journalism trainings for the local youth in these Corners. While Internet is free in these centres, we hope that they would become some kind of local Kloop bureaus. And that way we can attract quite a lot of bloggers from the little towns of Kyrgyzstan. I certainly hope so.
The first towns we'll go to are Karakol and Kant. If everything goes well there, we'll popularise the Internet in other regions as well.
Q: What other blogs do you read?
A: When I learned about Global Voices, I was really glad that there is some kind of a centre point of blog reviews from all around the world. This is probably my favourite blog reviews site. One of the last things I read (and was shocked with) was a link to the Iraqi female blogger who described how she avoided the bomb blast and almost lost her life.
I've got an old LJ account and still read my friends feed there. There are some interesting bloggers in Kyrgyzstan whose blogs I do like to read very much, such as Elena Skochilo, for example. She posted news about our coup d'etat of March 2005, and she was working faster than the local news sites in these days.
Q: Do you plan to introduce the site in Kyrgyz and maybe Uzbek languages?
A: We'll certainly need to do that, especially if we start working outside Bishkek. We don't have enough funds yet to hire Kyrgyz-language staff and to develop the Kyrgyz version. But we plan to do that the next year. We need to set up the Russian version first.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
A: Still, the most challenging aspect is that too many people in our region (I mean the whole of Central Asia) either do not know about blogging and citizen journalism or do not believe in that. On the other hand, we are really glad to be one of the first here to develop these new spheres of media.
Q: Bektour, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer the questions!
Comment Ben: I met with Bektour Iskender in Prague last weekend and was surprised to hear of his website. One of the problems I find especially with projects that receive money from the same donors (disclosure: Global Voices, neweurasia and Kloop are receiving funds from Hivos, a Dutch NGO) is that they don't link up enough among themselves. Now that we know of Bektour's website, I'm sure we'll be in touch with him more often and also link to the blogs on his server frequently.
4 comments · »»Japan: A Week of Typhoons, Earthquakes, and Nuke Leaks
· 02:46
Living directly on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, in a region known for its seismic activity and unstable climatic conditions, in a country with more earthquakes than any other in the world, Japanese are accustomed to the threat of natural disasters. A week of record-setting earthquakes and typhoons — not to mention a calamity of humankind's own creation — has, however, served as a powerful and painful reminder that ultimately humans are no match for nature's wrath.
Last week on Friday, Typhoon No. 4 [Man-yi] hit the islands of Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, flooding areas with torrential rains, before moving on to Kyushu and then finally on out to sea. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes as the typhoon, with record wind speeds of up to 216 km/h and air pressure reaching 945 hectopascals, tore at houses and city infrastructure, precipitating floods and landslides and sweeping away one 11-year-old boy in a river. The fury of the storm, however, did not stop some people from venturing out to have a look for themselves, with predictable consequences.
No longer had the typhoon made its departure than a massive earthquake hit the region of Niigata, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale and upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. Dramatic footage broadcast on Japanese TV, taken from the security camera in a supermarket, shows store shelves rocked by violent seismic waves; another home video shows a kid hiding under the table as his dad tells him everything will be okay. Television showed people at shelters lining up to get water and take a bath as the Self-Defense Forces were called in to provide housing and support.
The most ominous result of the series of disasters over the past week was without doubt the finding that the world's largest nuclear reactor, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant, which erupted in flames directly following the powerful earthquake, is sitting directly above an active faultline. While officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company initially denied any leaks, they later revealed that 1200 litres of radioactive water had washed into the sea, and that 100 drums containing low-level nuclear waste had fallen over, causing “several” to lose their lids. While some have compared the nuke incident to Three Mile Island, others argue that facts in the spill incident are being trampled by hysteria.
Blogger r at r-studio provides a quick summary of the week's events, noting that the majority of them happened in a span of 24 hours:
昨日は凄まじい日でしたね。
1. やっと台風4号が太平洋へ抜けていった。
2. 新潟で震度6強の大地震発生。青森から大阪、兵庫付近まで揺れを観測。
3. 柏崎刈羽原発から放射性物質をふくむ水が海へ流出。
4. 新潟で震度6弱の余震発生。
5. 奈良で震度3の地震発生。近畿地方で揺れを観測。
6. 京都沖を震源とする地震発生。何故か北海道から関東にかけて太平洋側で震度3から4を観測。
7. 大阪と奈良で1時間の降水量が100ミリを超える記録的集中豪雨が発生。
2. In Niigata there was an earthquake registering upper 6 [on the Japanese seismic intensity scale]. Tremors were felt from Aomori to Osaka, and as far as the vincinity of Hyogo [prefecture].
3. Water containing radioactive material leaked from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant into the sea.
4. An aftershock registering 6 [on the Japanese seismic intensity scale] hit Niigata.
5. Nara was hit by an earthquake registering 3 [on the Japanese seismic intensity scale]. Tremors were felt in the Kinki region.
6. Another earthquake centered off the coast of Kyoto erupted. From Hokkaido to the Kanto region, along the side [of Japan] facing the Pacific Ocean, earthquakes of between 3 and 4 [on the Japanese seismic intensity scale] were recorded.
7. A severe rainstorm hit Osaka and Nara, in one hour setting a record with over 100 milimeters of precipitation.
台風は別として、2以降が24時間以内に発生したのです。異常としか思えません。
Blogger oka_5489net in Okinawa describes their first-hand experience living through the typhoon:
先週金曜日から大型で非常に強い台風４号が沖縄を直撃してました。なんと24時間も滞在していたとか。外を見ると、ひどい時はバケツの水が横から降ってくる感じ。近くの建物も激しい雨のせいで見えなくなってました。一旦風雨が止まったすきに出勤したのですが、街路樹の枝葉や、根こそぎ飛んでしまった木々、アンテナや自動販売機のそばにあるようなゴミ箱など散乱状態。今日も那覇市内は時折激しい雨に見まわれぐづくいた天気です。台風が過ぎたと思ったら新潟の 大地震、何か不気味な感じです。（ななえ）
Blogger Matsukun, who runs a cafe in Okinawa, describes his experience of the typhoon:
木曜日深夜。
そいつは予定通りにやってきた。
当日出勤のスタッフも、店の台風対策におおわらわ。
As was predicted, the storm arrived.
The staff who were working that day put a lot of effort into protecting the store from the storm.
金曜日朝。
よく天気予報とかでいう“猛烈な”である。
朝一番に窓を少しだけ開けてみる。
荒れ狂う町。うぉーと叫びたくなる。
この様相で、海沿いの店が無事なわけない。
ある程度覚悟した。
覚悟しつつテレビをつけた。
つかない…。
クーラーつけた。
つかない…。
停電である。
In weather forecasts and so on, [people were using the word] “fierce” a lot.
First thing in the morning I opened the window a bit to see out.
[The weather in] the city was raging. I wanted to scream.
In this type of situation, I realized that waterfront stores are not safe.
I tried to prepared to some degree.
As I was preparing, I switched on the TV.
But it didn't come on.
I turned on the air conditioner.
But it didn't come on.
There was a power failure.
[…]
金曜午後。
少し風がやんだ。
台風の目に入ったか？？
店の様子を見に行く。
ニュースとかでよく流れるやつ。
「店の様子を見に行った人が突風にあおられ怪我をしました」という内容。
あれになってはなるまいと、
おそるおそる見にいく。
厨房内に裏口から入り込んだと思われる雨水が浸入。
ベチャベチャだ。
The wind died down a bit.
Maybe we're in the eye of the storm?
I went to check out the state of the condition of the store.
It's like what you see on the news on TV
[The news was saying] that which goes like: “Someone who went out to check on their store was injured by the fury of the storm.”
So that that kind of thing would not happen to me,
I was very cautious when I went to see.
Water had rushed into the kitchen, I think through the back door.
It was a complete mess.
[…]
しかしラッキーなこともあった。
2階には電気がきている。
停電になっていない。
There was still power going to the second floor.
There wasn't a power failure.
[…]
土曜日朝。
よーし！今日は店開けるぞー！と思ったが、
天気が一向に回復しない。
ランチタイムの営業は諦めた。
よーし！夜こそは店開けるぞー！と気持ちを入れ替えたが、
強風域を出たにもかかわらず、雨風強し。
大雨洪水警報が出された。
I thought to myself: At last! Today we can open the store!, but
the weather didn't improve at all.
I gave up on trying to open for lunch time.
Then I gave it another shot, thinking: Yes! We will open this evening!, but
even though the area was no longer considered a region with strong winds, there was still heavy rain and wind.
They were warning of heavy rain and flooding.
[…]
時間は迫り、結局夜の営業も諦めた。
1年中で最も忙しい今週金曜から海の日月曜…だったのに。
Friday to Monday (Marine Day) of this week is normally the most busy of the year… in the past, anyway.
今あの台風は四国・近畿あたり？？
あいつは、ほんとにやばいです。
This storm is really causing a mess.
The earthquake in Niigata was also the topic of many blog entries. Blogger pangya-junkie reminds readers that there was another giant earthquake in Niigata prefecture just a few years ago:
２年か３年くらい前にも、新潟で大きい地震ありましたよね。
こんなに短い周期でもっかい地震があるとか最悪だなぁと思う。
いくら天災とゎ言ってもね。。。
Another earthquake in such a short time, I think it's really the worst [thing that could happen].
However much people might say that it's just an act of nature…
今まで生きてきてそんなに大きい地震に当たったことがないので、
全然想像つかない世界なんだけど。
it's a world that I can't imagine at all.
The 2004 Niigata earthquake was not the only one in that region, however. Blogger bonton writes about the 1964 eartquake in that region:
1964年。私は新潟地震を経験しました。もっとも、生まれて間もなかったので当時の記憶はありませんが、母が言うに、どの地震も恐ろしかったけれど、新潟地震、中越地震、そして今回の中越沖地震のなかで、「新潟地震が一番怖かった」。と言っています。生まれて間もない私は、昼時、蚊帳の中で寝ていたそうです。その蚊帳が私の命を救ってくれたとの事。タンスの上の段ボール箱やら蛍光灯のかさが私めがけて落ちてきたと言っています。
With all these disasters, what will happen to the agriculture industry in Japan? Blogger sends a message out to Japanese farmers struggling to cope with the effects of the typhoon and eartquakes:
先週の台風4号の被害も、新潟の地震も被災された方々みんな大変だと思いますが、特に同業者である農業に従事されてる方々は、大変な打撃だと思います。大事に育てた作物が、雨風で収穫ができなくなるのは本当につらいものです。私は風や雪でハウスのビニールを破かれるってのは何度も経験してきましたが、作物の被害は最小限で済んできました。でも、ビニールの張替えや後片付けを考えるだけでいやになっていました。それに洪水とかだと作物への影響は計り知れません。土壌状態・作物への病気感染は、後々まで残ってしまいます。
やっぱり有機農業だとか減農薬とかは、自然の恵みでやっていけるもんだと思うし、自然災害が多い日本でみんなホントよく頑張っていると思います。
小さな一言ですが、農業を頑張っている人を応援してください。大事な日本の食糧生産者ですから、みんなで応援してください。
いま一年分の収入を失くしたお米の生産者もいるかもしれませんが、農家の皆さんも恵まれた自然のなかで農業頑張りましょう！
I will only say these few short words: please support these people struggling in the agriculture industry. These people work in Japan's very important food production industry, so please give them your support.
The rice producers have perhaps lost a full year of earnings, but please everyone in the agriculture industry, all the farmers who harvest the gifts of nature, don't give up!
Links for Roundups
Eastern & Central Europe
Law in Moldova summarises the findings of a recent report on the rule of law in Moldova.