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January 14th, 2008
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World's Eyes on Obama
· 22:20
As his ratings continue to slip in the primaries, US presidential hopeful Barack Obama's popularity is on the rise among bloggers around the world. Global Voices Online editors and contributors joined hands to bring us the reactions of bloggers from Japan, Haiti, Republic of Macedonia, Pakistan, India, Ukraine, Singapore and Chile in this article.
Japan:
Our first stop is in Japan, where Paintbox77 (Jp) says Obama scores brownie points thanks to his patriotism. He explains:
オバマ候補、ソフトムードは良いですが、大統領となったときに世界を牽引する米国の大統領としての指導力はどうか、という気もしますが、強引にイラク戦争を始めてしまったブッシュに比べれば何でも良いかも知れません。
政策は、ヒラリー・クリントンよりもリベラルということで、ジミー・カーターのような感じかも知れません。
但し、リベラルでも、「愛国心」を強調して保守層にも人気を得ているようで、こういうところは、私にも共感できますね。
日本の左翼も、オバマのように、「愛国心」をベースにして訴えればよいのではないか、と、書いているブログもありましたが、私も、そう思います。
Candidate Obama's soft mood [soft-spoken character] is good, and although I wonder about what his leadership will be like as president
of the United States, the country which tows the world, still anything is good compared to Bush, who forcibly started the war in Iraq. His policy is more liberal than Hillary Clinton's, I have the feeling something like that of Jimmy Carter. However, although he is liberal, he emphasizes “patriotism” and is also popular among the conservative class, and in this sense, I can also sympathize. It has been written in many blogs that it would be a good thing if the
left wing in Japan, like Obama, made an appeal in terms of “patriotism”, and I also think this.
Haiti:
For Natifnatal (Fr), a Haitian blogger in Abu Dhabi, UAE, both Obama and his competition Hilary Clinton want to shake the status quo. She writes:
Il est indéniable que et Hilary Clinton et Barack Obama veuillent secouer le status quo. Une femme et un noir portés par le même rêve de présidence de la nation la plus puissante du monde. Devant la défaite essuyée à New Hampshire un charismatique Obama scande trois petits mots qui galvanisent— « yes we can »— alors qu'une Hilary Clinton triomphante proclame que l'homme moyen ne sera pas invisible pour elle. Une Amérique encore à rebâtir veut encore croire que le changement est possible.
It is undeniable that Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama want to shake the status quo. A woman and a black carried by the same dream of presiding over the world's most powerful nation. In the face of defeat in New Hampshire, a charismatic Obama chants three little worlds that galvanize— « yes we can »— while a triumphant Hilary Clinton proclaims that the average man will never be invisible to her. An America that's to rebuild again needs to believe again that change is possible.
Ukraine:
And it is precisely this strong push for ‘change' that doesn't quite cut it for Ukraine blogger Taras, who writes:
‘Change' — not 'stability' — is the buzzword. I learned this after studying CNN and CBS reports on the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. No matter how desperately I searched for 'stability,' my search efforts suffered a massive failure. I couldn’t find a single S-word in the campaign rhetoric of either Democrats or Republicans. All they talk about is change.
Chile:
Chile's Luis Ramirez (Es) likes what he sees in regards to Obama, but hopes that he is able to keep it up. He notes:
Obama es la política como nos gusta: incluyente, esperanzadora, audaz!…Yo sinceramente espero que no se cumpla esa maldición a la que
alude con su cinismo habital The Economist: “El Establishment Siempre Gana”. Por ahora es 1 para Obama y o para el el establishment.
“We like politicians like Obama: inclusive, inspiring hope, bold!.. I sincerely hope that the curse, “The Establishment Always Wins,” which The Economist alludes to, does not come true. For now, it is 1 for Obama, and 0 for the establishment.
Pakistan:
Chapati Mystery, from Pakistan, says Obama's ‘inexperience' is working in his favour. He further explains:
Obama, so far as I can tell, matches Hillary in every aspect of resume “experience” save years. Where she outstrips him leaves the gap many of us, with reservations, have filled with the support that so bewilders America's chattering classes; he is unstoppable precisely because he is inexperienced, because he does not yet carry the taint of the Imperial Corporate Machine that fleeces citizen, subject and enemy alike; he is too young to have investments in their entrenched isms, ists, and grievances; he is too new a convert to consider his ascendancy ordained by Jesus; he is just naive enough to believe that, by building a mandate across parties, races and classes, that he might at last rouse the great and drowsy American spirit that once a century rises to correct the hundred years' of errata preceding it.
India:
On the other side of the fence, Indian Manesh, compares between Obama and Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's Governor. He writes:
Obama is also a second-gen immigrant, much like Bobby Jindal. But in one key way, they're poles apart. Afraid of being niched as an ethnic politician, rather than just an American politician, Jindal has by and large refused to speak out on desi issues after collecting checks from cardiologist uncles. When two Indian LSU students were murdered in their homes, Jindal remained conspicuously silent until even white Louisiana politicians nudged him to speak. … In contrast, Obama has not divorced himself from one of his ancestral homelands. Last week he issued a statement on the post-election violence in Kenya.
Meanwhile, Amardeep Singh discusses how Obama's ‘foreignness' and ‘difference' may be working in his favour.
Singapore:
Though a die-hard Clinton fan, Singapore's Abhijit says Obama's candidacy shows an America “free from racial prejudice.” He further explains:
I admire Obama and admire those who support him. It shows America at its finest, eager for new directions and free from racial prejudice…Democrats are spoilt for choice this time with a plethora of good candidates.
I can understand the impulse to praise Obama. It makes one feel good. He has youth, intelligence, charisma, all the great qualities. But Hillary and Edwards and the other candidates are pretty impressive too. Give them a fair hearing.
Even Obama fans are entitled to enjoy the excitement of a close — and not a one-horse — race.
Republic of Macedonia:
But one blogger from the Republic of Macedonia remains skeptical about Obama's foreign policy. Marko Attila Hoare raises serious concerns about whether an Obama presidency would pursue a responsible policy in the Balkans. He writes:
Let us hope that Obama’s sponsorship of this resolution is simply a cynical ploy to win the Greek-American vote, and will not translate into a genuinely anti-Macedonian policy in the event that he becomes president. For if it does, the consequences for the peace and stability of South East Europe could be catastrophic.
*Chris Salzberg, Jennifer Brea, Veronica Khokhlova, Neha Vishwanathan, Eduardo Avila and Preetam Rai selected links and translated blogs for this article.
2 comments · »»FreeAccess Plus!: Web 2.0 Censorship workaround 
· 20:59
Based on Hamed Saber's “Access Flickr” Firefox extension, which enables users to circumvent the filter currently in effect in Iran and in few other countries that block Flickr, the popular photo-sharing website, another Iranian developer, MohammadR, has released “FreeAccess Plus!“, a nifty extension that turns Firefox into a proxy that bypasses censorship on popular Web 2.0 websites such as YouTube, del.icio.us, Flickr, Technorati.com, FriendSter.com, livejournal.com, MySpace, Hi5 and others. Many of those web sites are barred in Iran.
MohammadR is very satisfied with the response “FreeAccess Plus!” has garnered so far within the Iranian blogsphere. On Balatarin (which means “the highest” in Persian) an Iranian version of Digg, 23 people have voted for a story that praises the FreeAccess Plus! extension as something that is “making miracles” (معجزه میکنید)“.
“Some major Persian bloggers wrote about this extension before it was made available on “Mozilla Addons” site,” MohammadR told Global Voices Advocacy. “Only during the first week, FreeAccess Plus! has been downloaded 150 times. Now, after about one month from it's release, it has been downloaded more than 3500 times,” he added.
MohammadR said that FreeAccess Plus! is very simple to install. “Just go to “https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6139“, and on the bottom of the page, click “Install Now” button. This will pop up a new window where you will be asked to confirm the installation, click again on “Install Now”. Note that you need to restart Firefox before the extension works.”
Just install the plugin and restart your browser; and Firefox will do the rest! You will be able to access Youtube, Flickr, MySpace and all websites listed on the add-ons page.
The current version of “FreeAccess Plus!” does not support the option to add websites to those currently listed. MohammedR said, however, that this feature — an editable and configurable list — will be added in a future version of the program.
MohammedR hops that his “FreeAccess Plus!” plugin will serve his fellow citizens by helping them bypass the censorship that is targeting the social web. “Most of the Iranian bloggers were unhappy about the unreasonable blocking of Web 2.0 and social networking websites” he says.
P.S: For more information about the web 2.0 censorship and anti-censorship, please refer to our Access Denied Map.
8 comments · »»Egypt: Social Responsibilty and the Safety of Individuals
· 20:09
Egyptian blogger Amr Gharbeia looks at the ethics of bloggers and the roles they play in exposing torture against victims. Are they victimising the victims even further by exposing their identities in a society which still washes its dishonour with the victim's blood?
Gharbeia argues his views as follows:
عندما كانت محررة موقع التعذيب في مصر تبدأ العمل، اقترحت عليها أن يكون شعار الموقع “سلامة الأفراد مسؤولية المجتمع”. المنطق كالتالي: الأفراد ضعاف في مواجهة آلات القمع، و الأفراد المحتجزون هم من أقل الفئات قدرة على المبادرة للتأثير في مسار حياتهم. يحتاج هؤلاء و كل الأفراد في العموم لتضامن واسع من المجتمع غرضه حماية سلامتهم الجسدية على الأقل حتى يقدرون على الأخذ بزمام حياتهم.
إلا أن تلك المكاسب كان أمامها خسائر أزعم أنها فادحة. فأثناء العام الماضي اشتركنا في التعريض بأفراد تعاملنا معهم بشكل قد لا نرضاه على أنفسنا، و الأهم أنهم هم لا يرضون عنه. عماد الكبير مثلا، بالرغم من فرحته بحكم القضاء لاحقا بسجن إسلام نبيه، لم يوافق بداية على نشر قصته في الصحف، و لم تهتم الصحف و لا المدونات حينها لموافقته من عدمها. من الممكن أن أقارن تعاملنا مع عماد الكبير بمنطق ممارس التعذيب: هناك مصلحة عليا أكبر من عماد. هذه المصلحة نعرفها نحن أكثر من عماد، و لهذا فإن جرى لعماد مزيد من الضرر في سبيل القضية فلا مانع، و قد لا يجري. أنا هنا طبعا أفترض حسن نية جميع النشطاء ضد التعذيب.
Despite this, I am sure there are people who lost heavily in comparison to our success stories. Last year, we all participated in exposing people in a manner which we would not have allowed for ourselves. Emad Al Kabeer, for instance, despite his delight with the sentencing of Islam Nabih, did not accept at the beginning having his story published in newspapers. Newspapers and blogs at the time did not concern themselves with his disapproval. It is possible that I compare the way we dealt with Emad Al Kabeer from the logic used by tormentors: There was a larger interest than Emad. We know this interest more than Emad and this is why, if Emad suffered a bit for the overall benefit of this case, then there is no harm. In this case, I presume the good intent of all those activists against torture.
شيء من هذا القبيل قد يكون في دور الحدوث فعلا. فمؤخرا حاول وائل عباس التفكير في الضحية. الفلم الأخير الذي نشره وائل يصور إجبار رجل إمرأة على خلع ملابسها أمام الكاميرا و في حضور آخرين، فلم ينشر إلا صورة ثابتة و تسجيلا صوتيا. أحب أن أعرف إن كان دافع وائل هو حماية المرأة لأنها أنثى، و إن كان دافعه سيختلف حال كان الضحية رجلا يجبر على التعري خلاف إرادته.
الضرر هنا ليس فقط نفسيا و مجتمعيا كالضرر الذي عاناه عماد جراء التعريض به. هناك أيضا خطر على سلامة هذه المرأة، و بالذات لأنها أنثى. فنحن في مجتمع لا يغسل فيه الشرفَ إلا الدم.
Iraq: Videos of snow in Baghdad
· 19:20
For the first time in living memory, the people in Baghdad, Iraq got to experience firsthand something many had only heard
about or only seen in movies: snow fell for several hours on their city.
On January 11th, many people took the opportunity to whip out their cameras and record this event: some tout it to a mythical sign of times to come, several blame the climate change and others just enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. You can read some bloggers' opinions in the roundup written by Salam Adil, Iraq: Snow in Baghdad.
Video uploading site YouTube user SpliceandDice is one of those who blames climate change, and on his 1:51 video he shows some shots of commuters and traffic moving under the light snow.
Aliii313, posted a 1:20 second video of the light snowfall. On this video´s description he writes:
this is 1st time in history a light snow fall in baghdad wow, in Jan,11 2008 at 7:00 am…this vedio recorded by mohamed tarik(my brother) in our house garden in ZAYONA-BAGHDAD..ah and the actror was yahia tarik(walk in Boulevard).
Another YouTube user, hq9sctgd, has 3 different short videos of the snow falling as well. Following, is one of them:
For me, it is certainly a bit strange to see snowflakes in the foreground and palm trees in the background, as it can be seen on YSDallali´s 49 second video.
On user aowsalmsafir´s channel you´ll be able to see several other short videos of the snowflakes falling on the palm tree filled background in Baghdad.Tigernip uploaded content from Fox News, where the newscaster reports that the snow had a deeper effect: there were no reports of violence during the morning and early afternoon, as if the whole city just had gotten together to admire the spectacle. You can see that video here.
Snowflake image taken by CaptPiper and used according to Creative Commons License.
6 comments · »»Colombia: Uncertain Future for the Hostage Situation
· 17:27
Clara Rojas and Consuelo González de Perdomo, who had been hostages of the terrorist group FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) for 5 and 6 years respectively, were finally freed on January 10th.
The independent media source equinoXio [es] wrote:
El presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez y el ministro de Defensa colombiano Juan Manuel Santos han confirmado por separado que la ex candidata vicepresidencial Clara Rojas y la ex congresista Consuelo González de Perdomo fueron liberadas en algún lugar del departamento del Guaviare (vereda La Paz, inspección La Libertad del municipio de El Retorno, según la periodista Constanza Vieira, de la agencia IPS) la mañana de este jueves. Chávez había recibido las coordenadas proporcionadas por la comandancia de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), grupo terrorista que secuestró a ambas políticas y que había prometido su liberación hace tres semanas, y anunció la misión humanitaria la tarde del miércoles.
The Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and the Colombian Minister of Defense Juan Manuel Santos have separately confirmed that the former vice-presidential candidate Clara Rojas and the former congresswoman Consuelo González de Perdomo were freed somewhere in the department of Guaviare (La Paz hamlet, in the La Libertad area of the municipality of El Retorno, according to journalist Constanza Vieira from IPS agency) on Thursday morning. Chávez had received the coordinates that the commanders from the Colombian Armed Revolutionary Forces (FARC), terrorist group who kidnapped both politicians and who had promised their liberation three weeks ago, the humanitarian commission announced on Wednesday afternoon.
EquinoXio [es] has kept a very complete and updated report on the events, since before the failed liberation attempt in December to the most recent developments, and it can all be read on their blog.
The liberation of the two women was bittersweet for many bloggers. As an example of the conflicting reactions, Jenny Giraldo writes on her blog Intemperie [es]:
La reacción primaria, tras la liberación de dos mujeres, fue de alegría mezclada con desazón al pensar en las familias de los 700 secuestrados (otras cifras señalan que son casi mil, y en Las voces del secuestro se asegura que en la actualidad hay unas 4200 personas secuestradas) que se quedaron atrás, y que seguramente se olvidarán por un tiempo, pues ya está cumplido el objetivo de la liberación de dos personas que son símbolo y que representan algún peso político.
The first reaction, after both women's liberation, was happiness mixed with unease, thinking of the families of the 700 hostages (other data points to closer than 1000, and in “Las voces del secuestro” it is established that there are currently about 4200 people kidnapped) who are left behind, and who will surely be forgotten for awhile, since the objective to release two symbolical people who have some political weight has been accomplished.
Colombian blogger Víctor Solano from ¿Comunicación? [es] puts in his own 2 cents about the liberation:
Con menos parafernalia, con menos Oliver Stone y comisiones parásitas, y con menos helicópteros llenos de fotógrafos chavistas, Clara Rojas y Consuelo de Perdomo ya están en poder del Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja…Hoy Chávez se hará tomar muchas fotos con sus trofeos de guerra, pero so no debe importar. El círco mediático de esta noche será mucho menor que el del 30 y 31 de diciembre. Bienvenidas Clara y Consuelo. Ahora quedamos a la espera de los otros 700 secuestrados por las Farc y de que no tengamos más episodios bochornosos.
With less show, with less Oliver Stone and parasitic comissions, with less helicopters full of Chavist photographers, Clara Rojas and Consuelo of Perdomo are already in the hands of the International Red Cross Committee… Today Chávez will have many pictures taken with his war trophies, but that won't matter. The media circus tonight will be a lot smaller than the one on December 30th and 31st. Welcome back Clara and Consuelo. Now we are left to wait for the other 700 hostage by the FARC and [hoping] we don't have any more embarrassing episodes.
Other bloggers, such as Carlos Caicedo, noticed a suspicious conversation going on in the liberation videos and wrote about it [es]with transcribed bits:
Mientras todos nos alegrabamos al ver las imágenes de la liberación de Clara Rojas y Consuelo Gonzáles, algunos se percataban de la curiosa (y casi sospechosa) despedida del Ministro del interior de Venezuela, el señor Ramón Rodríguez Chacín al dirigirse al grupo de guerrilleros de las Farc:
“…Ehh…en nombre del Presidente Chavez…estamos muy pendientes de su lucha. Mantengan ese espiritu, mantengan esa fuerza y cuenten con nosotros…
…Cuidenese camaradas”
El video lo pueden encontrar en esta dirección.
While all of us where happy to see images of Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzales' liberation, some noticed the curious (and almost suspicious) farewell between Venezuelan Home minister Mr. Ramón Rodríguez Chacín and the members of the FARC guerrilla:
“Uhm, in the name of President Chavez, we will be paying atention to your struggle. Keep that spirit, keep that strength and count on us…
… take care comrades”
You can find the video by following this link here.
The empathy between the Venezuelan government and the FARC has been palpable this last couple of months, and it seems to increase as the relationship between Venezuela and Colombia desintegrates. Chavez' latest move was the request to the international governments to stop calling FARC terrorists and to consider them as an insurgent group. JammieWearingFool, on their post Better yet, call them activists writes:
You can't make this stuff up.
Here we have Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez calling on world governments to refer to terrorist groups as insurgents and by the fourth paragraph of the story, Reuters indeed refers to them as insurgents.
Why not just call them activists?
Colombian blogger Ricardo Buitrago writes on “Desde mi Caribe Colombiano” referring to Chávez' request [es]:
Quienes ingenua o torpemente creían en la acción humanitaria del mandatario venezolano en la liberación de los secuestrados, e insistían en su intervención para un acuerdo humanitario, ahí tienen la verdadera respuesta sobre las acciones e intenciones del gobernante venezolano.
Those who naively or dimly believed in the humanitarian acts of the Venezuelan mandatary when freeing the hostages, and who insisted in his intervention to get the humanitarian agreement, there you have the real answer to the Venezuelan ruler's actions and intentions.
Nicolás París Alejandro Peláez writes in Machete [es] about his perspective on lifelong debate of what to call the FARC:
El hecho de que un grupo [FARC]tenga ideales o quiera gobernar, en nada cambia su calificación ética. Sí, son políticos, sí, tienen ideales. Pero siguen siendo una porquería. Importa un pepino si masacran a civiles y reclutan niños en nombre del paraíso en esta tierra o a cambio de unos billetes. Un grupo no deja de ser perverso por el simple hecho de hacerlo por un ideal.
The fact that a group [FARC] has ideals and wants to rule, doesn´t change in the least its ethical qualification. Yes, they are politicians, yes, they have ideals. But they are still garbage. It doesn´t matter one bit if they massacre civilians and recruit children in the name of paradise on earth or in exchange for some paper money. A group doesn´t stop being perverse for the simple fact of doing it for an ideal.
Mauricio Duque Arrubla [es] doesn´t see the future brightly, and points out the backward steps he believes the government has taken, which instead of creating greater rejection of las FARC internationally, their popularity seems to have increased:
Se nos avecina otra horrible noche, como la del himno nacional. Tengo frases enteras atragantadas pero solo logran salir diluidas en lágrimas. Estoy triste por mi país.
We are approaching another terrible night, like the one in our national anthem. I have complete phrases stuck in my throat but they only manage to come out diluted by tears. I´m sad for my country.
Through Gacetilla Colombiana, a Colombian popularity article index, I found about a peaceful event organized by ColombiaSoyYo next February 4th at 12 noon Colombian time (GMT-5), where Colombians and friends of Colombia will meet and show their desire to see las FARC dissappear. On their site, they have diverse meeting points all around the world for people to gather and show their dissapproval of the terrorist group. They are also asking people to join the march through their facebook group “A million voices against the FARC” which was only created this past January 4th and which 10 days later already had more than 70 000 members and they claim they have become the largest facebook group created in Colombia. The following excerpt is taken from their objectives page, which are translated into several languages:
We need our voices to be heard. Let’s not be silent anymore, let the world hear us; let every guerrilla man or woman hear us: We repel FARC - EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army). We DON’T want more armed fight.
Image of tv screen taken by novato.com and used according to Creative Commons License.
5 comments · »»Iraq: Snow in Baghdad
· 16:13
Yes, seriously. For the first time in living memory it actually snowed in Baghdad. And for one Iraqi whose blog is titled: “In Iraq, sex is like snow” the irony is not lost on him. Caesar of Pentra writes:
It's cold over here in Baghdad these days. The electric power is off since the beginning of this year, the tap water is available in days unavailable in others, the mobile network coverage is very bad over my nieghborhood & the landphones are out of reach since only god knows when. But the important thing is the security stituation, which is kinda stabled. But I think as a human being, I have the right to enjoy a comortable lifestyle by providing the main civil services like (electric power, feul, water, land phones… etc.). Anyway, let's enjoy the view of snow and hope that the sex part comes later! ;)
The snow even melted the heart of one of the more hardened Iraqi political bloggers. Iraq Pundit takes time off his usual subjects to write:
Iraqis welcomed this week's rare snowfall in Baghdad with smiles and optimism. It might sound funny, but we do believe it's a good sign. To us, it's like manna from Heaven. Because while it does snow in the north of Iraq, nobody had seen it snow in Baghdad for perhaps 100 years. It's only natural for us to ask what message the skies are sending….Before you start laughing, let me remind you that we are a superstitious people. And we look for signs in everything.
Even Fayrouz was happy:
Mother Nature looked at Baghdad early Friday morning and said, “Let it snow in Baghdad. Let the faces of the tired and the wary shine with big smiles. Let the skies bring calmness and joy where it's desperately needed.”So, it snowed in Baghdad yesterday morning.
But not all residents of Baghdad were impressed. Shaggy wrote: “I peeked outside and it was indeed snowing. Unfortunately, the snow melted once it touched the ground. Well after that I was so excited that I went back to sleep.”
There were dreams for a house
scratched on paper …
at odd moments when the corner
of an available room was free
and the light sufficient.
Dreams for a home
while on the run
from dream-killers
and home-destroyers.
Thoughts of reunion
under a roof
when blood mattered
and distance had drawn too long…
Her scratches as emblematic as
sunshine on sunflowers;
groping for a reality
loudly passing away.
Silently scratched on scrap paper
supported by thick books of thought
that were very different
filled with skeleton letters that danced to
a homesick tune…
Hiding from the moonlight
under eroding bus stop signs
escaping the end
though it loomed
as close as the following second…
Then suddenly out of a sunflower second
the dream-killers
seized the scratches
and ripped the paper house to lonely pieces
shredded all dreams of homecoming
and shot the last ‘different' thoughts
back into the skulls of snoozing sunflowers
before the sun could
even dream of a horizon…
Um Ali was an Iraqi communist who was hunted down, detained, tortured and eventually murdered by Saddam’s regime, in the early Eighties. In her run from one hideout to another, escaping Saddams ‘gestapo', she dreamed of building a family home.
Peace in Baghdad
The good news is from Baghdad. There is a certain impression of peace and goodwill settling in city that has taken the brunt of the violence that beset Iraq in the past years. I wish I could say the same for Iraq's second city, Mosul. Sunshine writes about her journey to school last week:
I got ready to go to school in such cold weather with no electricity just like everyday, I was waiting for the driver in the hall when HEAVY shooting started, the driver came with 3 girls, grandma didn’t allow me to go out , when shooting almost calmed down, I ran to the car, and the driver drove fast , we drove among so many tanks, the national guards didn’t allow any car to pass the bridge except ours because they saw we were students and we wouldn’t attack them … as soon as I reached school (at exactly 7:37 pm) a loud explosion happened followed by another few minutes later!! What a great way to start school .. the situation is not good, and many car bombs entered Mosul today, they didn’t explode yet and I hope they won’t, so please don’t forget to pray for us, 2 weeks ago a car exploded at 10 pm, many Iraqis died, poor people they were in their houses, asleep, or having showers, maybe studying, or having dinner, and for no reason an idiot put a car there, killed and injured tens of citizens..
But back in Baghdad, where Sunshine spent her Eid holiday, things were more peaceful:
One of the things that made me happy, is the streets in Baghdad were clean, and in the road junctions there were beautiful gardens with roses and some of them had fountains..it’s strange, how people in Baghdad slept on one day feeling afraid from the unknown future, and had no idea what’s happening, then in the next day suddenly the killing stopped, the situation calmed down, and the sun shone after long time of darkness, no one knows how nor why .. is it a Truce? or it is a bargain?!!!.
Many shops were destroyed , we saw the shop owners cleaning their shops and fixing them. I felt happy to see how they were re-building their shops and I am looking for the day we’ll re-build Iraq.
And the new peace in Baghdad helps Sahar take stock of the situation:
all the deliberate chaos and violence was like a curtain, keeping everyone so distressed there're incapable of seeing the real issues - the ones for which the war was fought in the first place. … They should begin to ask questions and demand answers of those whom they elected. Have many lost faith in their religious leaders? Have they had enough of being manipulated by them in the name of their brand of Islam? … But the government still feels safe, in spite of that. For who will do the serious questioning? The greater majority of the middle class has fled, and the government still has a strong hold upon their own people because of the sectarian fears - the evil seed that was sown after the occupation.
And FInally…
The Muslim Eid Al Ahda celebration came on December 18th. You cannot find a better description of how Iraqis celebrate this holiday than Sunshine's two posts here and here. Most of this can be summed up in one picture:
Mmmm!
11 comments · »»Brazil: Should we fear Venezuela?
· 13:55
Among the few reasonably good TV entertainment options available on Sundays in Brazil, the Globo Network weekly variety show Fantástico has remained strong in popularity since the 70's. The format of Fantástico is an open ended newscast, and topics vary according to local and international news stories. Right at the end of the year, it launched a new satire series called Central de Boatos [Rumour Central], whose aim is to mix humour and fiction to mock real issues debated by the media.
In a piece called ‘Should we fear Venezuela', its first edition, two comedian-reporters tackled the probability of a Venezuelan invasion of Brazil and suggested what Brazilians should do to help defend their country - from providing mongrel dogs to patrol the border to building a Berlin Wall style fortification to separate Brazil from the Hugo Chavez led country. The original video can be seen at Globo's website, where it appears under the ‘journalism' filter. An YouTube version which has been subtitled in English can be seen through Overstreeam.
Rumour Centre
For many spectators, this debut turned out to be a sour recipe as the conversation in the Brazilian version of Yahoo! Answers [pt] shows, with some bloggers and organizations accusing Globo Network of manipulating public opinion and at the same time inciting hatred against Venezuela among Brazilians. Daniel Duende de Carvalho [pt] was among the first bloggers to react to the show, posting on the same Sunday night that it was aired. He said that the series went beyond a joke:
Eu achei EXTREMAMENTE PREOCUPANTE a maneira como aqueles idiotas do Melhores do Mundo (grupo de teatro brasiliense que, se bem me lembro, um dia já foi engraçado) falam da Venezuela e do povo venezuelano na estréia do terrível quadro “Central de Boatos” do Fantástico. Se toda brincadeira tem fundo de verdade, a verdade no fundo das piadas dos caras parece ser uma só: vamos, brincando, jogar todo mundo contra nossos vizinhos latinos mais radicais.
I found the way those idiots from Melhores do Mundo (a theatre group from Brasília that, if I remember well, used to be funny) spoke of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people in the Fastástico's “Rumour Central” series first edition EXTREMELY WORRYING. If there is a little truth behind every joke, the truth at the bottom of these people's jokes seem to be: We will, jokingly, turn everyone against our more radical Latin neighbors.
Roger [pt] stamped his blog with the picture below and affirmed that there should be no surprise considering it comes from Globo Network:
Fazer o quê? Não podia esperar outra coisa vindo de quem veio, né? O que me incomoda é a apatia das esquerdas no Brasil que, ao que tudo indica, tenham realmente sucumbido ao poder e ao capital. LAMENTÁVEL!!!
What can we do? We shouldn't expect anything else from them, right? What bothers me is the Brazilian left wing's apathy, which apparently has fallen for power and capital. LAMENTABLE!
Danger
Rede Globo
Risk of Brain Damage
Nevertheless, some were baffled. Álvaro Andrade [pt], who hadn't watched Fantástico for a while, classified the whole programme as extremely neo-liberal, even beyond the ‘Rumour Central' show:
Pra fechar, entre um bloco e outro do programa, mais sátira em cima de Lula, Evo e Chavez.
To conclude, in between programme breaks, there was more satire upon Lula, Chavez and Evo.
Marcelo Buzetto [pt] posted info on a petition and an open letter to President Lula, both organized by Latin America House, and asked readers to forward the message to everyone. Here is an excerpt from the letter:
Na verdade, a forma humorística com que se apresenta o programa não consegue esconder a grave transgressão aos princípios constitucionais brasileiros, que consagram o convívio pacífico entre os povos e a integração latino-americana.
Truth be told, the humorous way that the programme presents itself could not hide a serious transgression committed against Brazilian constitutional principles which establish the peaceful coexistence and integration between the peoples of Latin American.
Latin America House was not the only organization to demand official action. Jorge Serrão [pt] reported that this series may put Globo in the dock:
Uma piada geopolítica de mau gosto, feita domingo passado por um quadro humorístico-jornalístico do Fantástico, deve levar a Rede Globo ao banco dos réus. O velho e hoje nanico Partido Comunista Brasileiro representou judicialmente contra a Vênus platinada por causa da “sórdida e repugnante matéria, que atiçou o povo brasileiro contra os venezuelanos, insinuando uma suposta invasão militar da Venezuela ao nosso País”. O PCB pede que o Ministério Público Federal acione a Globo para “assegurar direito de resposta, no mesmo espaço, a representantes dos governos ofendidos”.
A geopolitical joke in bad taste, made last Sunday by a Fantástico's satirical-journalistic series, may lead Rede Globo to the dock. The old, and nowadays tiny, Brazilian Communist Party filed a court case [pt] against Venus platinada because of its “sordid and repugnant report, which incited Brazilian people against Venezuelans, suggesting a supposed Venezuelan military invasion of our country”. The PCB [Brazilian Communist Party] demands that the Federal Attorney General sues Globo to “ensure right of reply in the same program to the representatives of offended governments.”
On the other hand, Dorian Carvalho [pt] wrote that this reaction only means a waste of court time and resources. He explained:
Difícil é escolher qual o mais ridículo: Se o quadro do Fantástico ou o texto do processo, onde o PCB diz que a Globo fez “apologia à guerra entre o povo brasileiro e o venezuelano”. Em outro parágrafo do processo os “bolivarianos” do PCB defendem Hugo Chávez do que classificam como intenção de “ridicularizar, satanizar e estereotipar o presidente da Venezuela”. Aliás, ridicularizar Chávez foi o que as FARC fizeram mais recentemente no episódio da não-libertação de sequestrados colombianos.
It is hard to decide which one is more ridiculous: The Fantástico's show or the suit's text, in which PCB says that Globo made an “apology for a war between Brazilian and Venezuelan people.” In another paragraph from the suit, PCB's “bolivarians” defend Hugo Chávez from what they classified as an intention to “mock, demonise and stereotype the Venezuela's president.” Moreover, mocking Chavez was what the FARC did more recently in the case of non-released, kidnapped Colombians.
Reporters/Comedians Victor Leal and Jovane Nunes stand on the border between the two countries
However, not everyone saw harm in the new series. Jéssyca [pt] very much enjoyed the show, whose team in her opinion masters well the art of criticism. She reminded her readers that the definition of rumour is an unofficial piece of news that might be true or invented and that spreads from one person to another. The blogger even thought that the possibility of a Venezuelan invasion is not at all a far-fetched idea:
Sinceramente, do jeito que anda a mente de Hugo Chavéz, não deveríamos nos surpreender tanto com esta possibilidade. Pra quem até mandou reabrir o túmulo de Simón Bolívar (detalhe: morto no século XIX…) para exumar o corpo deste (que corpo?), invadir o vizinho não seria sacrificante. Ele só iria estar aumentando seu domínio ditadorial (não é mesmo?…).
Frankly speaking, the way that Hugo Chavéz's mind is set, we should not be that much surprised with this possibility. For someone who even ordered to have Simón Bolívar's tomb reopened (note: he died in the nineteenth century …) to exhume his body (which body?), invading a neighbour would not be a big deal. He would only be increasing his dictatorial territory (wouldn't he?…).
Meanwhile, Alexandre Haubrich [pt] is convinced that the show was in fact about disinformation:
Algumas emissoras já não sabem mais a que recursos apelar para criar um clima de confronto e de inimizade entre os brasileiros e a esquerda ascendente no restante da América Latina. É o medo de ver o Brasil tomar os mesmos rumos. A desinformação parece ser a melhor arma dessa corja de “defensores da democracia”.
Some broadcasters no longer know what to resort to in order to create an atsmosphere of confrontation and emnity between Brazilians and the upward left wing in the rest of Latin America. This is for fear that Brazil will take the same path. Disinformation seems to be the best weapon for this rabble of “democracy actvists”.
Whereas Renan Reis [pt] suggests that the show should actually be called “Manipulation Central” instead, as he believes that it only contributes to the alienation of the population; the blogger thinks it is a shame that most people are unaware of this, but he is not sure what he can do to help:
O que podemos fazer? Eu pessoalmente não vejo nada que esteja ao meu alcança além de expressar minha indignidade com a questão por meio da internet. O que desejo ao Brasil é que largue sua ignorância, tanto sobre a manipulação que sofre quanto a ignorância de sua própria natureza.
What can we do? I personally see nothing whithin my reach, apart from expressing my indignination regarding this issue through the Internet. What I wish for Brazilians is that they leave their ignorance behind, both about the manipulation they suffer and about the blissful ignorance of themselves.
A Hugo Chavez look alike was hired to try to cross the border on foot, by bike and on horseback
Blogging is always, we would say, a good way to get the ball rolling.
5 comments · »»Japan: Turn off the lights
· 13:10
Since their introduction in the 1970s, convenience stores, popularly called konbini, have developed into a prominent feature of the Japanese landscape. Now the number has grown to about 45,000 stores, 94 per cent of which are running 24-7, offering everything from food, to beverages, to snacks, to ATMs, to ticketing and utility bill payments, you name it.
Recently however, an accusing finger has been pointed at these stores for their wasteful use of energy. At a meeting in November held by the Central Environment and Industrial Structure councils, there arose a debate over whether the 24-hour business schedule of convenience stores should be reviewed in order to cut down energy consumption. The Japan Franchise Association came up with its own analysis that cutting the business hours from 24 down to 16 hours will only reduce CO2 emissions by 3-4 per cent, and that sales will drop by 20 per cent. Some committee members, on the other hand, argued that the change in business time will help people change their nocturnal lifestyle which may lead to positive changes. Although the meeting was concluded without any further progress, some bloggers actively carried on the discussion.
Kino opposes the Association's claim and argues:
…わたしはコンビニとかファーストフード店の２４時間営業とかには反対。
夜中に活動するなよーって思うのです。
前にもここで書いたけど。
何時間か照明消すだけで、何パーセントもの電力が節約できます。
たった何パーセント？でも、日本で消費されてる電力って物凄い量だから、その何パーセントが大きいんだぞ。
I just think: “Don't work at night”.
Just by turning the lights off for a few hours, we can cut electricity consumption by a few per cent.
Only a few per cent? But because the amount of electricity that is consumed in Japan is enormous, these few per cent are big.
On the other hand, the blogger from Momemome3 thinks that forcing convenience stores to shorten their business hours is infeasible.
こんな２４時間営業の店ができたのはそんな昔のことではない。以前は２４時間営業の店などなかったが、さほど不自由した覚えはない。それが、一度慣れてしまうとなかなか後戻りはできない。コンビニの営業時間短縮でさえ一筋縄ではいかない。はたして９０年比で6%削減は可能なのだろうか。
よほどの強制力を働かせない限り、実現困難と思っている。
It's not too long ago that these 24-hour stores were first created. Before that, we didn't have any 24-hour stores, but I don't remember feeling particularly inconvenienced. However, once you get used to them, you can't go back. Even shortening the business hours of convenience stores will not be easy. I wonder if a 6% reduction from the 1990 level is really possible at all.
Unless it is enforced, I don't think it will be feasible.
Glowing in the dark: A typical Japanese convenience store.
syokunn shares her thoughts:
日本は本当に自販機・コンビニの多い国です。
一度ドイツに旅行した事があるのですが、あの国ではそういうものは無かったような記憶があります。
それでも、普通に人々は暮らしているんですよね。
なので、きっと、日本人だって大丈夫の筈！
…と、かなり以前から私自身はいつも思っていて、出来るだけ自販機やコンビニの買い物（緊急以外は）を避けていました。
家庭の電力消費量なんて、全電力量の約２割にしかすぎません。
でも、自販機一台で家数軒分、コンビニだと数十軒分の電力を使っているんだそうです。
なのに、もう街中自販機・コンビニだらけ…。
ちょっとゾッとする光景だと思います。
I once traveled to Germany, and I don't remember seeing anything like that there.
But people are living a normal life.
Therefore, I am sure that Japanese people should be ok too!
…that's what I have been thinking for a while and I have been trying to avoid vending machines and buying things from convenience stores (except in case of emergency).
Household electricity consumption accounts for only twenty per cent of the total.
However, one vending machine consumes as much electricity as one household uses, and in the case of a convenience store it's more than a dozen households.
The town is full of vending machines and convenience stores.
It's a horrifying sight.
hisikayo writes:
コンビニだけをターゲットにしなくても、みんなが早寝早起きをして、電気を使わないようにすればいいんじゃないかと思ってしまった。
これはみんなの問題だから。かく言う私も、こんな時間まで起きてパソコンをいじっているのだから、そう言えたものではないが。
This is everyone's problem. Having said that, I am not really in a position to say this since I am up this late playing around with my PC.
Blogger K is sarcastic about the whole debate, and thinks that convincing people to change their lifestyle by curtailing such a popular service is unrealistic.
仕事、遊び、生活全てに結びついている深夜という時間帯。
もちろん法人側としても、利益を生む時間帯だからこそ24時間営業、深夜営業の店舗、サービスが生まれています。
利益が生まれているということは、国民が当たり前に必要としている事。
現実的な話ではない。
Of course for corporations as well, it's a period of time when they can make profits, and that's why 24-hour and all-night stores and services were born.
That profits are made means that people naturally need the service.
This is not realistic.
[…]
そもそもにして、こういう節約活動に国民が協力する第一条件を誰もわかっていない。
それは、「楽しめる」ということ。
地球規模の責任感を国民ひとりひとりに求めるのは難しい話。
「私が夜中にちゃんと寝ればCO2削減になる」
現実的じゃないでしょ？
どうせ考えるなら、
「ビリヤードやりながらCO2削減」
とか
「運転免許試験に落ちたら寄付」
とかの実現を一所懸命考えたらどうです？さ、コンビニにおでん買いに行こう。
From the start, nobody understands the primary condition for people to cooperate in conservation efforts.
It's “enjoyability”.
Imposing global responsibility on each citizen is difficult.
“If I go to bed, I can cut down CO2″.
It's not realistic, is it?
If you really do it at all, why not think hard about realizing something like:
“cut down on CO2 while playing billiards” or
“donate if you fail a driving test”
OK, I'm off to a convenience store to get some oden.
Maldives: Aftermath of an assassination attempt
· 11:22
It looks like a scene out of a Tintin or Asterix comic book. On January 8, during a campaign tour of a northern atoll, while the Maldives dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was shaking hands with people gathered to welcome him at Hoarafushi island, a 20 year-old lunged at him with a kitchen knife concealed in a national flag. He was intercepted by a 15-year-old Boy Scout who injured his hand while trying to save Asia’s longest serving ruler who has completed 29 years in office. The Boy Scout Mohamed Jaisham becomes an overnight celebrity and a national hero.
Most Maldivians ridiculed the comic nature of this incident and it is only natural that foreigners talk about it with some sense of humour as seen from this post by Sri Lankan blogger Ravana.
Apparently, some Maldivian chap attempted to assassinate their President with a kitchen knife. Coming from a country with a raging internal conflict, personally, I am used to slightly more specialized weaponry. Like a suicide bombing. Or a Claymore mine. Or an AK-47. I find it difficult to comprehend a political assassination with a sharp pointed object first invented in the paleolithic era. It was not even a sword, a machete, or a rambo knife that was used; it was a kitchen knife, presumably stolen from a mother or a wife in the middle of cooking a tuna curry. How quaint, how homegrown…
How bloody ineffective. Predictably, the assassination attempt with the kitchen knife failed. The President’s life was saved by a boyscout, armed to the teeth with scarf and woggle, who happened to be standing nearby.
Ravana received some blunt comments from some Maldivians for his post but a look at Maldivian blogosphere shows that several Maldivians share the same view that the incident had a comic feel.
Moyameeha points out an odd coincidence that it was on a January 8 that Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the scout movement died.
there are some interesting things about this event.especially about the boy scout part.Gayom is the chief scout of maldives.and robert baden powell, the founder of scouting died on 08th january 1941.and also galileo galilei died on that day in 1642 and elvis presley was born on the same day 1935…. not a bad day to die eh? … but once again ‘thanx to mohamed jaisham and allah!', he didn't.
Anarchist Radical Maldivian Youth also makes fun of the fact that Gayoom is the Chief Scout of the Maldives. During his 29 years of autocratic rule in the Maldives, Gayoom had been in several roles and positions including Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Minister of Defense and supreme judicial authority.
Gayoom’s security detail has been ridiculed because it was a Boy Scout who had to step in to save the dictator.
heheh what were they doing? Maybe their MI2 glasses were just too dark for them to see anything.
Seriously, how come they didn't spot anything before the Scout intervened? Anyway, its all over… (I think)
Thakurubey also shares some viewpoints about the role of the bodyguards in the incident.
One may wonder why an assassination attempt, albeit one on a country’s ruler, is taken so lightly by the people. Obviously, this incident shows the level of mistrust that Maldivian people have on their government. A large number of people believe that the incident was faked and staged by Gayoom to win sympathy votes in a forthcoming presidential election that could be the first multi-party election in the country. Political parties were allowed only in 2005.
The President’s Spokesperson was quick to blame the assassination attempt on Gayoom’s political rivals. However, in a press conference on January 13, Maldives Police Service said the incident is under investigation and that they have not found any link to a political or religious grouping so far. The government’s use of the incident to discredit opposition only adds fuel to speculation that it was a staged assassination attempt and a part of a public relations gimmick.
The incident, however, has more serious undertones. On September 29, 2007 the first ever bomb attack in the Indian Ocean archipelago occurred in a public park and injured sightseeing tourists. The attack was masterminded by an extremist religious group. Mohamed Murshid, the young man who lunged at Gayoom with a kitchen knife, is said to have extremist leanings.
The incident also shows the level of frustration in the traditionally peaceful Maldivian society. After enduring torture at the hands of a ruthless regime for almost 30 years, the people are lured into religious fanaticism and political extremism. Despite having the highest per capita income in South Asia, the gap between the rich resort owners and poor islanders is very high. Under Gayoom’s rule, Maldives has become a haven for paedophiles and hell for expatriate workers.
The blogger Iddu gives a good summary of present day Maldivian society.
1 comment · »»Well there is a Maldivian saying that “the ekel you sharpen will pierce in to your own eyes”. This is the reality of this violence. Over the past years people have been deprived of various rights and the worsening socio economic factors lead to the demise of social harmony once enjoyed by us. The terror we face now has not been created on one fine day with the fabrication of party politics in the country. It has been inflating over the past 30 years and blasted out with the inception of party politics and a new wave of freedom.
We are still in an enigma, and most of us are unaware of what freedom means and we are still not aware of our rights. While we talk about common street crimes and violence everyday, the hidden white collar crimes go on raging our economy. Corruption is at its peak and a handful of cronies of the government keep on fattening their coffers.The soccial injustice to common people are ripping them of their moral and ethical values.
Egypt: America Decides
· 00:59
The United States is a the only Super Power in today's Unipolar World. And that's why it takes people here two years to talk about the Presidential Elections there before it even starts, and they continue talking about it for another two years later.
Abdel Rahman Ayyash- Al Ghareeb - wrote an introduction here about the Presidential elections and the struggle between the two major parties in the US:
في أمريكا هناك حزبين رئيسيين ، الحزب الحاكم حاليا ، والحزب الجمهوري ، و يمثله جورج بوش في الرئاسة ، و حزب الاغلبية في الكونجرس ، ومجلس الشيوخ ، و هو الحزب الديمقراطي ، و مثله قبل ذلك ، بل كلينتون ، و يمثله في الانتخابات القادمة ، هيلاري كلينتون ، المرشحة الاوفر حظا ، بل و أول امرأة مرشحة للوصول بقوة لتكون رئيسة الادارة الجديدة .
من يتابع الاعلام الامريكي ، يدرك جيدا أن الصراع على السلطة ، يتعدى كثيرا الصراع بين أفراد ، الصراع تجاوز ذلك إلى صراع ( شركاتي ) تدعم فيه كبرى الشركات ، حملات المرشحين .. كمثال .. حصلت هيلاري على دعم كبير للغاية ( مع العلم أن هيلاري ذاتها هي التي كانت تنتقد الجمهوريين و اطلقت عليهم هذا اللفظ ( شركاتيين ) المعتمدين بنسبة ضخمة على دعم الشركات لهم
In America there are two main parties, the current ruling party, the Republicans, and represented by George Bush as the President, and the majority party in the Congress, the Democrats. And it was represented earlier by Bill Clinton, and [may be] it will be represented in the next election by Hilary Clinton, the candidate who will most likely become the first women to become the President of the United States.
Whoever follows the American media, will know well that the struggle for the power is not is far beyond a struggle between individuals. It's an organization-based struggle, where major firms support candidate campaigns. For example, Hilary got much support (Although she herself criticised the Republicans for the same reason and called them (Firmians) for their dependency on the support of firms).
*****
Zeinobia - Egyptian Chronicles - also wrote here about the mad race:
The American presidential race for year 2008 is like no other seriously, till now each of the two parties has not chosen yet its final candidates so we are watching a huge war between all of them.
First of all it is one of its kind, for the first time a black man runs for Presidency “Obama”, for the first time a woman runs for Presidency “Hilary”, for the first time a Mormon runs for Presidency “Romney” for the first time an Ex-minister runs for Presidency “Huckabee” and for the first time a Liberal runs for Presidency as a republican while he is against the Neo conservatives in public “Ron Paul”.
It is like a mad race and already we did not reach to the final candidates of the democrats and the republicans.
She then wrote about the religious factor in the American presidential race:
The most significant thing in this presidential race is use of religion . We all know that from the results of 9/11 is the rise of the religious talk in America , a country that seemed a sectarian for a long time , Bush and the Neo conservatives are using the election powers of the Religious Christians in America to gain power and it is enough to read the silly stupid Bush statements that he is the shadow of the lord and to know that Condi headed the Pray on Air force one to feel there is something has changed in the official media
Of course we should not forget as Arabs that the rise of the Neo conservatives in the United States means the rise of the Christian Zionism which supports blindly Israel
Of course the Republican candidates are using more the religious tune because already the conservatives are their base , but believe it or not I feel that also the democrats jumped to the wagon too , they are not content with their liberal base any more
I mean look to Obama ,how many times he stands in his church and preaches to his supporters about what he can do to his country and what he believes in …
Of course Hilary has not jumped to the Arena yet already it will not be realistic , she represents the liberal , the very liberal side of the democrats ,already some conservatives consider her as a Marxist !!!!
*****
Abdel Rahman Ayyash describes himself in the “About Me” section that he tries to show good model of a young Egyptian Muslim man, who believes that Islam is the only solution to all problems we face. Hence he tries here to analyze the presidential elections race from an Islamic - and perhaps a Muslim Brotherhood - point of view:
سأحاول هنا أن أظهر بعض المرونة بما يكفي لأحاول فهم نظرية الناخب الامريكي ، و كيف يقيم المرشح الذي يستطيع أن يمثله في الانتخابات ، بالطبع لا مجال للمقارنة بين المجتمع الامريكي و مجتمعاتنا العربية ( باستثناء اللبناني ) من حيث الوعي السياسي ، الذي يشكل نسبة بالغة الاهمية في ثقافة معظم مواطني الولايات المتحدة
I will try here to show some suitable flexibility in order to try to understand the American voters theory, and how those voters evaluate the candidate who can represent them in the elections. For sure it is not possible to compare the American society with that Arab one (except the Lebanese society), in terms of political awareness, which represents an important aspect in the culture of most of the citizens of the United States.
Ayyash then continues to analyse George W. Bush policies and it's effect on the voters decision in the next elections:
سياسة بوش الخاطئة بشكل عام ، أدت إلى ضعف الثقة الشديدة المتبادلة بين الأمريكي و رئيسه ، الفرق الشاسع ( الحديث نسبيا ) بين مستوى الدخول في الولايات المتحدة ، انخفاض الدولار بشكل كبير ، قضايا الضمان الاجتماعي و الأمن القومي و اللرعاية الصحية ، و قبل كل هذا القضية الرئيسية .. العراق .
إذا .. الوضع الحالي بشكل عام .. يقول أن إدارة بوش قد فشلت فشلا ذريعا ( لا أتحدث عن فوكس نيوز و تقاريرها ) لكن .. الدليل على أن إدارة بوش قد فشلت ، هي نتائج استطلاعات الرأي التي تظهر أن شعبيته في أدنى مستوياتها ، بل إن نتائج انتخابات التجديد النصفي للكونجرس و مجلس الشيوخ تثبت بما لا يدع مجالا للشك أن الشعب الأمريكي قد أصبح راغبا في عكس أيديولوجية بوش.
عكس أيديولوجية بوش برأيي هو عكس أيديولوجية صقور البيت الأبيض .. عكس أيديولوجية ديك تشيني .. بكلمة أخرى .. عكس أيديولوجية المحافظين الجدد
Bush bad policies in general, led to a severe weakness in the trust between the American citizen and his president. The huge gap (which is somehow new), between incomes in the United States, and the big drop in dollar prices, as well as the social and national security issues and health care ones, and before all these comes the main issue … Iraq.
So … the situation now generally … dictates that Bush administration had a big failure (I am not talking here about Fox news and its reports) but … the evidence that the Bush administration has failed, it is the results of the polls that shows how his popularity is at its lowest levels now. Also the results of the Congress elections proves that the Americans are looking for a counter-Bush ideology. An opposite ideology for Bush's one in my point of view is an opposite ideology of the White House hawks … the opposite of Dick Cheney … in other words … the opposite of the Neo-Conservatives.
He then continues:
أعتقد أن الناخب الأمريكي يدرك ذلك جيدا لذلك نرى هذه المؤشرات المتزايدة على نجاح الديمقراطيين في انتخابات الرئاسة القادمة ، لأن الديمقراطيين يطرحون السؤال .. من سيخرج أولا من العراق ؟ .. و الاجابة بلا شك محسومة لصالحهم .( على الرغم من أن هيلاري كلينتون شخصيا من مؤيدي الحرب على العراق و أفغانستان )
I think the American voter is really aware of this, and that's why we are seeing an increase in the evidence that the Democrats will succeed in the coming elections, because the Democrats lay the question … Who will get out of Iraq first?