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Iraq: “It's good it wasn't a car bomb!”

Salam Adil · 23:38

lingua → bn · es

What better, after a short break, than to give my audience what they really want to read - words from the street in Baghdad and Mosul. And there is no better time as Chikitita is back blogging from Baghdad giving her impression of a city that she has been away from for many months and Neurotic Wife, takes a tour through the ‘red zone‘. While Baghdad Dentist returns to Mosul after a break in Baghdad and tells us about the difference.

Baghdad Central Train Station by Neurotic Wife

In Baghdad

They say Baghdad has become safer - almost back to normal. And in a way it is true but the issue is one of perception and it is all relative. Chikitita is back in Iraq, visiting her home. She writes:

I sensed some kind of progress in the air; a cab driving through a once Al-Qaida-infested area on its way to a still Badr-controlled one. Last time I was home, this was unheard of! I was amazed by the new changes; all checkpoints have tacky artificial plants as if to divert the beholders’ attention from the camouflage and rifles to the fact that the young servicemen mean no harm.

… As I was promised, … a cruise across the Tigris. It was BREATH-TAKING! For the first time in my life, I was able to take pictures inside my city, on a boat though, pictures that scream I WAS IN BAGHDAD!

The last stop is my favourite place Kadhimiya marketplace, which seemed to have survived. No rip-offs, cheery faces and the good old Iraqi spirit seem to be buzzing with life.

Saddam's Mosque in Mansour (still standing) by Neurotic Wife

But after a few days the reality strikes her:

I seemed to have counted my chickens way too early in my previous post. A fellow commuter, barely catching his breath and checking his trousers for traces of dust, said he survived a bombing by a miracle… the IED tore through the very same childhood neighbourhood of mine. What confused me about this young commuter was the fact that he was smiling as he was running at full speed to catch the bus and his funny comment “it’s good it wasn’t a car bomb!” Aren't we lucky!

Neurotic Wife leaves the Green Zone to take a rare drive through the streets of Baghdad and goes out for a meal in a local restuarant. She says:

That place was crammed. People were coming in and then leaving because there arent any free tables around. I looked at the people, they were happy people. Young ladies dressed in the latest fashion with make up, large fashionable sun glasses over their heads shielding the hairs from their eyes and large hoop earrings dangling from their ears. Everything and everyone around me looked so colourful, so lively. And most importantly, so NORMAL!!!

I had the urge of taking my cam out and snap hundreds upon hundreds of pictures. I wanted everyone in the world to see that no matter what happens to Iraq, the rockets, the bombings, the assassinations, the kidnappings, there is Always Life. ALWAYS.

Some shops in Baghdad by Neurotic Wife

Maybe one of the reasons for the glowing reports of stability in Baghdad come from the wishful thinking of its residents. Chikitita, having seen the world outside of Baghdad, looks at her friend's optimism in a new light. She writes:

I have ceased to look at bright sides in Iraq and given up hope on positive changes, but [my friend] hasn’t. She was so eager to show me life through her eyes, just anything that could give me a false sense of peace and co-existence. She failed. She was right about shops opening after 5:00 p.m., but they close down at 7:00, I couldn’t see any progress there… mosques are still protected by barbed wires, a proof of ongoing mistrust. I heard commuters exchange sectarian insults with each other, not a good sign either and it was her own mother who told me about a private school for girls next door that received threats by militias to expel the qualified senior male teachers or else they blow up the whole school premises.

And Mosul

Baghdad Dentistem returns to work in Mosul after a holiday at home in Baghdad. He gives a picture of life for the single young professional in that city:

it's too dangerous to live in my home because when the national guards or the american soldiers find a young man living alone he'll be considered as a terrorist and will be detained. … [my] neighbours were afraid and hesitated to talk about the situation and they didnt give me a clear answer . …

i met my friends whom i missed and new rotator dentists were there … by night we were laughing and chatting and the sleeping song was 3 blasts and some shooting. … Friday, the alarm was a horrible sound of explosion that woke us up and we were looking at each other to check if some one was injured.

Even the universities and the students cannot escape the violence in that city. Aunt Najma writes:

Today the situation was tense, there was an assassination attempt to kill the university's vice president, and there were many security measurements inside the university.

We discovered today that a dear classmate, M, was shot few days ago. They told me it hit him in the leg and he's okay. I was shocked to hear the news, nobody has told us, as if we do not care.

Toys in a shop window by Neurotic Wife

And finally:

Even if you are stuck at home Marshmallow26 finds a way travel the world from her armchair in Baghdad:

Yes, I was sitting on my chair, enjoying the delicious flavor of my red apple. I visited Austria - Pfaenderhang, Japan, antique shop in Europe. super market at night, and a city square do not know even where…

Every thing is possible when it comes to Google search, I was reading in one of the technological websites, and found a trick word, a mantra that you write in Google's search bar and you get all live cameras around the world…the word is: liveapplet.

You get to see airports, metros, New York times square, factories, Zoos, and you get the picture!

Although I have not been on a plane nor to any other country except Syria, I feel as if I went to all those places which I searched through Google…I always say it, I LOVE TECHNOLOGY.

1 comment · »»

Arabeyes: Rising Cost of Living

Amira Al Hussaini · 21:14

lingua → zht · zhs

Prices of commodities ranging from grocery to building material and rent are going up, up, up and being the true mirrors of their societies, bloggers from Yemen, Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar are speaking up.

Yemen:

From Yemen, Omar Barsawad offers the following explanation for the sharp rise in the cost of food produce. He writes:

World wide - Climate is changing fast. Farmers now grow bio-fuels crops leading to a reduction in the production of food. The World’s population is growing at an alarming rate; on its current growth rate, World population is expected to reach nearly 9 billion by the year 2050. - which would require food production to increase as fast; to keep up. As it is, right now, each day, more and more people have less food to eat or are going hungry.

He then zooms into Hadhramout in Yemen, giving us an account of how prices have changed over the previous year. He writes:

Here in Hadhramout, in the past one year - prices of the main staple foods: wheat and rice, have sharply risen. So have those of cooking oil, milk and meat. And of almost all of the other ingredients used in daily recipes. Other necessities too, have sharply risen in prices: pharmaceutical products and building materials, are now much more expensive than they were a couple of years ago. All these, is now having a direct impact on most people’s lives.

To overcome the problem, BarSawad describes how the Yemenis cope, saying:

But we Yemenis, being so full of pride as we are and at the same time being as humble as we are - do manage. We some how manage to survive and live dignified lives. Families and friends - within Yemen and those outside - who have more, care for and help those who have less. We share. And we care for each other.

On the other side of the equation, he says the prices of electronic goods are falling.

What I find most amazing, is that - while the prices of food and other necessities sharply rise here, the prices of electronic products have been falling. In particular, those of: cell phones, television sets, DVD players, satellite receivers et cetera.

Why is that you may ask. After some investigation, the blogger makes the following discovery:

The answer was simple: older model cell pones had their prices greatly reduced; the latest and newer models were very expensive and only very few could afford them. Same with the other electronic items; the older models had their prices very much slashed. For instance: CRT television
sets, which have become unfashionable and obsolete in America, Europe and other developed countries; and have no market there - are now being
dumped in to Yemen and other poorer, developing countries.

Kuwait:

From Kuwait, Philq8 paints a similar picture. The Filipina blogger explains:

The increase of all commodities in Kuwait nowadays is really unbelievable. Prices in many private supermarkets adjust their tags from 10 to 40 percent. One cart full of groceries before cost only from 30-35 Dinars but now it costs from 50-55 Dinars! Landlord demands increase of rent!

To add insult to injury, the dropping dollar rates aren't much help. Philq8 writes:

Dollar is very weak nowadays which greatly affect our Peso’s exhange rates! Before, when you send Php 20,000, it will only cost around KD108 but now you need KD136 to reach that amount. Well, well…I’m glad that peso has higher value nowadays but what matters to me most is all the commodities in Phil. is also high, the prices did not decrease! Now, I don’t think everybody can survive at all!

Egypt:

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia has another axe to grind and co-relates between the increasing steel prices in the market and corruption. She explains:

I have just knew from resources in Twitter that they stop building houses and building in general because of the prices of Steel in the Sharqia Governate in North Delta !! Already the price of Steel reached there to L.E 7000 !!

The Prices in Egypt especially in the construction field reached to the highest level ever thanks to the Tycoon of Steel.

The contractors in Egypt are complaining because the prices of Steel affected the prices of other materials including the Cement which is already has its own crisis and problem.

The steel and cement in Egypt now are causing huge problem thanks to monopoly. People can't buy houses anymore , apartments not villas are so expensive now.

Even contractors and construction companies are complaining from this rise more than the public , because in the end they can't buy any material to build anything and even if they do build anything no body will buy it because of the prices ,it is just a closed circle.

Qatar:

In Qatar, Harley 60 had to take his landlord to court after doubling his rent. He explains:

My landlord tried to increase the rent on the villa from QR8000 pm to QR16000. Landlord put this in writing as an eviction letter, also stating that otherwise if we don't pay the new amount;he will use the property for his son who is getting married. We took legal advice, started paying the rent through the court and won our case last week. I think the landlord's case was not very solid as he asked for increased rent or eviction and he had 7 other properties in a row beside out villa. So, it is worth sticking up for your rights here and the legal system does not always favour local residents rather than expat residents. Seems that the rent laws are having some effect and that the judges are fair.

Too bad we can't take our grocers to court!

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Israel: Bedouin Youth Use IM to Bypass Cultural Prohibitions

Gilad Lotan · 19:55

lingua → mk · es · zht · zhs · jp · sq · pt

Adnan Gharabiya, 34, lives in Wadi al-Na’am, a Bedouin community adjacent to Ramat Hovav in the south of Israel. The place is not connected to the electricity grid or to running water. While working on his thesis, Gharabiya discovered that instant messaging applications are extremely popular among Bedouin youth, the poorest, most neglected segment of Israel’s population. Girls find IM service extremely useful as it allows them to bypass cultural prohibitions and not be scrutinized for chatting with boys, or even falling in love.

Quotes and link from an interview with Gharabiya below:

“The tribal structure is very strong, and a teenage boy up to age 18 is almost constantly around the tribe and the community,” says Gharabiya. “The Bedouin are usually isolated and cut off also from the rest of Israeli society, from the rest of the Arab sector, which lives mostly in the north, and from Arabs in other countries. Chat rooms open a window.”

The Internet made the greatest change in the lives of young girls. “In Bedouin society there is rather strict separation of the sexes, and a chat room is the only place where they can talk with members of the opposite sex,” says Gharabiya. “It is especially significant for the girls, because their social circle is even smaller, and their freedom of movement is limited. Not all of them can leave their parents’ community. Unlike the boys, girls are not allowed to go to town after classes, or to visit friends. In this respect, technology is very important.”

“In our society, the girl must be respectable and act moderately, because what’s important for a girl in this society is her reputation,” said A., one of the girls interviewed for the research. “In Bedouin society, it is forbidden to talk to a boy, to send him letters and to fall in love with him … but in a chat room, no one knows if you’re talking to boys there. They think you’re a good, respectable girl, and that’s the main thing. You write to people while no one sees you, but you and your real-life behavior are always under scrutiny.”

Chat rooms let them bypass customs and prohibitions, and overcome the strict limits in traditional society, primarily the separation of the sexes and the severe restrictions imposed on women. “There is a lot more freedom in a chat room,” says Gharabiya. “Among the family, it is not common to discuss all subjects, primarily when the children are adolescents. In a chat room, you can discuss everything, if you find someone who is receptive.”

(source)

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Ecuador: Natural Forces Threatening the Country

Milton Ramirez · 19:21

lingua → mg · zht · zhs

Picture by MennoGuy licensed under Creative Commons

The recent diplomatic crisis with its neighbor to the north, Colombia may have took most of the media spotlight off the effects of the heavy rains in Ecuador, but many are still suffering due to these natural disasters. The above picture corresponds to a Ecuadorian locality called Tosagua in the province of Manabi, which was one of at least 15 other provinces affected by heavy floodings. The crisis in this country is such that the President himself has said that for this type of natural events that the government is not well prepared, and what is worse, it has no money. Losses as consequence of the flooding are measured in millions of dollars and it is estimated that it will cost 1 billion dollars for the reconstruction of flooding zones. Crops and livestock have been lost, and it has also claimed 23 lives. To make things worse and more tragic, it is now feared that epidemics, such as dengue will affect the flooded areas.

The Spanish government and the Pope were the first to bring humanitarian aid to the most affected, according to Ecuadorian media. In Guayas and the rest of the Ecuadorian coast, water treatment plants are going to be installed to alleviate some of the possible intestinal problems of the residents of these areas. People from the government, such as Minister of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES), Jeanneth Sanchez said that ‘this is not an emergency, it is a national tragedy' and invited others to join in the Campaign “Return The Happiness” with the purpose of collecting food and clothes for the victims. In this crusade, Megamaxi, Diners Club International, the National Institute for Children and Families (INNFA), MIES have joined.

The truth is that public safety is threatened in Ecuador not only by floodings, but by other natural forces such as the eruptions of the Volcano Tungurahua and has been reported by El Blog de Palulo [es] with pictures. He is not only using microblogging (Twitter) to keep Ecuador updated, but his last post about the volcano says it's calming down:

Genial! fue lo primero que dije al ver al Tungurahua lleno de nieve en su cúspide y con una fumarola saliendo de su cráter. Cuando niño era normal verlo con nieve hasta las faldas, pero ahora, con un proceso eruptivo en curso, imágenes como estas son impresionantes.

Great! It was the first thing I said when I saw the Tungurahua full of snow at its top and a fumes out of its crater. When I was a child, it was normal to see it with snow skirts, but now, with a current eruptive process in progress, images as these pictures are impressive.

Ecuador Periodístico [es] writes about the Vice-President's campaign to get Ecuadorians' spirits high, makes up an history:

No es que la idea sea mala, sino que ¡qué oportuna!, me pregunto si la agencia de publicidad podrá adaptar unos nuevos artes en los que se vea a la gente de la Costa con el agua en el cuello, ¡pero sonriendo…! eso sí sería bueno, serían unos tipazos de positivos. Estamos en emergencia, 15 provincias inundadas, 22 muertos, 100 mil damnificados y… ahora hay que sonreír. Otro arte alterno podría ser aquel de las faldas del Tungurahua llenas de ceniza y las vacas sonriendo, genial no… unas vacas positivas, que le ríen a la adversidad.

Not that the idea is bad, but how timely!, I wonder if the advertising agency may adapt some new advertisement techniques in which the people of the Coast are shown with water up to their neck, but… smiling! So it would be such a great man of positive thinking. We are in an emergency, 15 flooded provinces, 22 dead, 100 thousand injured and . .. Now we have to smile. Another alternative could it be the sides of Tungurahua filled with ash and cows smiling, cool, right?… some positive cows, which will laugh at adversity.

Flooding is still expected to continue for at least one more month along the Ecuadorian coast and major newspapers as El Comercio, La Hora and El Universo confirmed this information. And now these people will suffer from illnesses as a result of the accumulation of mosquitoes bringing malaria and dengue fever due to the accumulation of water. Don Xavier [es] is thoughful about what is expected to be done by national media, which he says is not informing and instead putting on a soap opera:

No sería más útil que se informe por los canales de televisión, que tienen mayor cobertura, donde se puede asistir para buscar refugio o mostraran vías de evacuación y zonas de impacto o por lo menos donde ir para poder abastecerse de alimentos, no he visto en ningún noticiero que estando la gente con el agua hasta el cuello, algún reportero ayudara a esta gente y no me digan que eso no es parte de su trabajo, creo que eso es simplemente HUMANIDAD, que porque puedo decir que no lo hacen, fácil ninguno lo ha mostrado y ya sabemos que por ganar rating cualquier cosa vale, menos informar imparcialmente y con claridad.

Wouldn't it be more useful to report on the television channels, which have greater coverage, where anyone can see where to look for refuge, escape routes, areas of impact, or at least know where to go in order to stock up on food. I have seen no broadcast news that when coming across people with water up to their neck, where the reporter helps these people and don't come and tell me that this is not part of their work, I think this is simply HUMANITY, that why I can say they are not doing it; it is quite easy, nobody has yet to show it and we all know that to win ratings, anything counts, but at least inform impartially and clearly.

Ecuador needs help now, government will import 45 thousand tons of rice to recover the loss in production and with unemployment on the rise the situations calls for international assistance. If netizens can help it is time to do so and if the friendly governments can help, their help will be most welcome.

1 comment · »»

Morocco: An Interview with Rebecca Robinson

Jillian York · 17:17

lingua → de

Rebecca Robinson is a Masters’ candidate in the Department of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State who is currently conducting research on Morocco. I discovered her blog after reading her thoughtful comments on other Morocco-related blogs and immediately wanted to interview her. She was kind enough to share her perspective on the blogoma with me.

Jillian York: What sparked your initial interest in Morocco, and specifically the blogoma?

Rebecca Robinson: I earned my B.A. in International Relations from San Francisco State with an emphasis on the Middle East so my fascination with the region started there. I have wanted to go to Morocco ever since I was 19. All the travelers that I met in Europe recommended going there but I was traveling alone and my funds were disappearing quickly so I did not make it during that trip. Last year, I finally made it and I loved the culture and people. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of why the PJD [ar] [Justice and Development Party] and other Islamic-oriented political parties were gaining popularity. I have been focusing on a combination of theories related to poverty, opposition to the monarchy, rejection of the separation of church and state, Anti-West sentiment (particularly in regard to U.S. foreign policy), and citizens becoming radicalized by being denied meaningful political participation. I was planning on going to Morocco this summer to conduct surveys and interviews but my family would not be able to afford the trip and grants for theses are not very substantial. To further complicate issues, we found out that we are expecting our second child in July. I was thinking about changing topics when one of my professors suggested doing research through the blogosphere. She had completed a comparative study of the Indonesian and Iranian blogospheres without leaving the country. So that's the very long-winded story for why I am here.

JY: What is your initial reaction to Moroccan blogs/bloggers?

RR: What I have seen so far is a group of very dedicated people seeking change. Their campaigns to save Fouad Mourtada and the Moroccan education system are very admirable. I find Moroccans to be very resourceful people and though they are aware that to make any changes it will be a long, uphill battle, they use what they have at their disposal to make a difference. I greatly respect this effort when much of the world has become apathetic in the face of unyielding status quo. They are influencing the national media (they have been mentioned on telquel-online.com several times) so, even if there is not an immediate manifestation of their efforts, they are creating awareness and resistance. I see a strong and growing community.

I detect a certain amount of self-censorship (Fouad's case and a few bloggers deciding not to write anymore reinforce this assumption) but I plan to conduct interviews to find out if this is indeed the case. I have been welcomed by several people in the Blogoma, which is not always the reception that social scientists receive, so I was very pleased. Bloggers have also offered help, which I definitely need, so I was relieved to find that people were willing to propose it.

Rebecca Robinson
Rebecca and her daughter enjoy the Marrakesh souk

JY: What do you think about Fouad Mourtada's case and sentencing?

RR: I was saddened by it but not overly surprised. The Moroccan judicial system seems very unforgiving. I think the Blogoma is feeling the effects of the tragedy- I have read that a few bloggers decided to stop blogging for fear that they could be next. It is difficult for me to comment on this case because it seems like such an absurd action to warrant imprisonment, especially because Fouad did not commit fraud or even damage the reputation of the Prince (I did read several different versions of the events and some painted Fouad in a more scandalous light). Americans take freedom of speech for granted (freedom of action is more suppressed- more and more legislation is implemented to limit peaceful protest), which is why it is so difficult for me to make sense of this misfortune. This incident demonstrates the diversity of beliefs in the Blogoma. While it seemed like the majority of bloggers called for Fouad's pardon, some bloggers agreed that he had committed a crime. On a positive note, I was impressed by the solidarity and the quick reaction from the Blogoma.

JY: What challenges do you see that face the blogoma?

RR: Related to the previous question, obviously freedom of expression is limited. I assume even people outside of the country will abridge what they write to avoid persecution if they decide to return to Morocco. Although the Blogoma is receiving media coverage, it seems concentrated in the dissident press so the efforts of the bloggers will not be exposed in mainstream media or to people that don't already agree with the position of the bloggers (i.e. people opposed to status quo). With the limited availability of the internet, certain voices in Morocco will remain marginalized. Even with the issue of censorship, Morocco is often acclaimed to be the freest blogosphere in the region so I am very excited to see where it will go and the changes it with enact.

5 comments · »»

Madagascar: Lessons learned after 3rd severe tropical cyclone in a month

Lova Rakotomalala · 15:36

lingua → mg · mk · bn · es · zht · zhs · sq

Since late January, 3 severe tropical cyclones have affected Madagascar tremendously, the latest being cyclone Jokwe who made landfall in the northern region of Madagascar, destroying 40 homes and leaving 400 people stranded in Nosy-be. The city of Antsiranana was also affected but not as extensively and Jokwe is now destroying homes on the coast of Mozambique. The sad pun about the current cyclonic season being a cruel “Jok(w)e” from nature notwithstanding, bloggers urge the authorities for more adequate preparedness with respect to natural disasters. An analysis of the reasons for the extent of the catastrophe once landfall is made could help prevent more damages, especially considering that a 4th tropical cyclone, Kamba, is now forming 700 miles east of Madagascar.

jokwe revised
( image credit to planete vivante)
Marie Sophie ( in French) and Tomavana (in Malagasy) list the reasons why cyclones have caused so much damage in Madagascar:
According to Tomavana (mg):

“ny orana[..], fisondrotry ny haavon’ny ranomasina [..], ny onja ateraky ny rivomahery [..] sy ny rivotra [..]no tena fototr’ireo fahasimbana ”

Precipitations [..], the increase of the sea level [..], the strength of the ocean waves caused by the storm [..] and the wind gust [..] are the 4 main causes of destruction.

Marie Sophie explains that (fr):

au nombre des victimes corporelles, souvent important (environ 6 000 décès chaque année), s’ajoute un nombre de sans-abri [..]; les habitations y sont généralement très loin d’une conception paracyclonique adaptée [..]. Les conséquences économiques peuvent également être liées à l’interruption des liaisons aériennes et maritimes ou aux dégâts portés aux réseaux divers (eau, téléphone, électricité) […]parmi les atteintes portées à l’environnement, on distingue les effets directs (destruction de forêts par les vents, dégâts des inondations, etc.) et les effets indirects (pollution des côtes par un naufrage, effets dus à un accident industriel ou technologique, etc.)

Not only the human toll is often substantial (6,000 casualties on average per year), one needs to factor in the number of homelesses […] Homes are in their vast majority not conceived with cyclone prevention in mind [..] The economic outcomes of such disaster also have to factor in the indirect consequences: interruptions of commercial airlines and ferries or the destructions of power lines, phone lines and pipelines […] from a environmental perspective, the damages can be direct ( destruction of forrests, flooding..) but also indirect such as pollution caused by the capsizing of boats at large, industrial accidents etc..)

Joan points to the many relief and rescue organizations where you can make donations for victims of the latest cyclones.

2 comments · »»