Camel adventures

Camels are an ordinary sight here in Libya, but I don't know what is this one doing in this vehicle - a bit too tight of a spot for such a large animal.

This is a Honda Civic parked in front of a garage door obviously in Libya.

What do you think ? and how did he fit in here ? But the camel is soooooooooo cute :)

Libyan blogs

Have been a bit lazy lately and delayed the introduction of some more Libyan blogs :).
Anyway they are doing pretty well without it ... still here we are everybody please welcome 7mada ( you've seen him commenting here) . He is so refreshing and lives in Britain.

The other blog Flying Birds has 3 members : A. , Serrag and Esra. Thanks Khadijateri for leading us to it.

That's all for today , if I get more news I will share them here.

H Out.

Ipod mania

A frivolous post to lighten up the mood . I am officially an ipod fan! yay . I recently acquired the nano , more like a few months back and totally forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago . Since then its been so great I just wonder why did it take me so long to accept it ? Maybe I did not want to be blindly following fashion ? be one of the herd . Oh but it is sooooo convenient, I have converted my favourite tracks there and it is such fun , especially when you have it on shuffle . Plus you can add your favourite photos as well ! Use it in the car , walking , shopping , working out ... I love it , it brought back the days of the CD walkman and other stuff.

Now "Denim giant Levi Strauss designs a pair of jeans able to control the wearer's iPod music player" ... I wonder how that is done ? I may want one of these .. fashion accessory ? imagine buying jeans to wear with your ipod ...

Yahoo messenger announcement

To all those who left me offline messages, I am not ignoring you my friends, I honestly could not read them as they get dropped when I loose internet connection. Somebody decided to repair something in my street and the nitwits have been working for the past 2 weeks ruining my telephone cables in the process!!! I don't know why should the vibrations of a buldozers cut the telephone tone ? ( any engineers out there with hints ?) . It makes for unhappy haphazard blogging and surfing.

So please bear with me, I wil reply to your emails, listen to your voice messages , and answer your questions . The only thing I cannot do is know what you wrote in the offline messenges, therefore if it was important please email it to me and I shall eventually see it, and if it was urgent then call me ( those who have my number).

Eid Adha Mabrouk everyone. Please let me not interrupt you from the discussions on the other posts.

H.

Divination, oracles, prophecies and analysis of the future

Predicting the future has become a favourite pastime on New Year’s Eve. We are familiar with the scores of psychics and analysts lined up on TV shows who bombard us with what they ‘read’ will happen in the next year. Also we must not forget the written media too. In our era knowledge is the most important commodity and if you know the future then you can prepare strategies for it, or wait in awe.

I can’t recall which philosopher stated that if we knew what the future had in store for us we would choose not to find out but rather to let it happen if anyone knows this quote please send it to me, I’m too lazy to research it!). On the other hand, an old Arab saying states ‘kadaba al munajum wa law sadaqu, i.e astrologers are lying even if they say the truth , the purpose of this is that supposedly these oracles can find out about parts of the ‘present-future’ due to their dabbling with the occult etc.. but only God knows the what the future holds and hence they ‘lie’ because they cannot predict all of and are bound to make mistakes which could be fatal.

December 2005 was no exception, and the Lebanese TV is never one to miss that. In Libya we watch a lot of Lebanese satellite TV stations (along with other of course) and it has become a tradition to decipher what the stars have in store for us. Many wait for this night and cancel any appointments to watch the pundits.

I won’t analyze what each tarot reader, crystal gazer, astrologist or analyst said, but I’ll attempt to give you the gist.

Because of the events going on in their country, and it being a Lebanese channel, the utterings of the guest speakers were especially valuable, with a sense of urgency for the Lebanese viewers. I noticed how even the hostess of the talk seemed nervous and somber. This comes in the aftermath of all the 2004 prophecies for 2005 coming true, or at least could be interpreted to adapt to the occasion –Hariri etc.. So Lebanese were understandably anxious.

Summary from TV:

Fortune teller A: ‘if you thought that 2005 was bad for the Middle East , I can assure you that 2006 will have nothing to envy it’.

Fortune teller B: ‘the current cycle of violence and bad karma for ME started in 2000 and will last for 10 years. That is only after 2010 will death and killing stop’. Thank you that’s encouraging, only 4 more years of blood baths.

Fortune teller C: ‘I’m sorry I will not be able to have our usual chat this year , I have specific orders not to talk about any event’ . I guess the government does not wish to increase the citizen’s panic. The situation is very precarious indeed.

Fortune teller D: ‘I lift the veil a little , Sharon will be gravely ill and probably die, his successor will be even more of a hardliner and this will translate into more hardship for Palestinians’. Ok so far we know that Ariel Sharon is in a coma . ‘The situation in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon will not see any change until 2007 were the planet X will affect the ascending Y and something will happen’. D does not say if it is good or bad, donc we assume the worst.

Needless to say the Lebanese and Arab viewer a quite concerned and worried , specially about the guy who refrained to talk. At the end of the show you could see that the hostess was getting quite emotional.

Falling into this category are the annual reviews and analyses and ‘estimations’ for next year. Aljazeera carried out an interesting one Libyan Leader and the Egyptian thinker/journalist Mohamed Hassanein Haykal.

In his comments about the region, Libyan Leader said that Damascus had done it’s role in Lebanon and holds the merit for effectively ending the civil war, and its pull- out has resulted in a lot of calamities.

With regards to common Arab cooperation, roughly translated he said ‘it is a common Arab hypocrisy , malice and an alliance with the enemy against one’ , it seems he forecasts that the Arabs will never have any ‘presence’ or future.

Haykal on the other hand, warned about the dangers in the ME (we know them habibi we have been aware of these for so long), and of the Israeli agenda. With regards to Iraq he thinks that the US will not pullout but would rather seek to control the oil wells despite the loss of some of its soldiers. He feels that comparisons with Vietnam are not logical because the Iraqi resistance is not unified and because he thinks the US objective is oil.( again)


Simpson from the BBC, thinks that “Osama bin Laden will be tracked down, but will not be captured alive” . While I think that if whoever was tracking him wanted to get him they would have years ago, he serves his purpose better alive than dead and also better on the run than in prison where he could not be blamed for every deviant youth.

Another breed of oracles is the Futurologist . While some see reasons to be cheerful in 2006 , Jihad el Khazen (3/1/06, Ayoon Wa Azan -we’ve been losing for 13 centuries) at Dar al Hayat, thinks the Arabs have been losing for 13 centuries. That’s a mighty statement, seeing our mistake is ok , but labeling ourselves as eternal losers is certainly not and self-hate is not good either . I will leave on a cheerful note with an excerpt from his article, his recipe for reasons for Arab readers to be happy in 2006;
Of particular note are points 4, 6 and 7 !

“As for the average Arab citizen, what would make him or her happy?
One, if the government were to leave office, that would be a big reason for happiness. Even bigger if the government leaves office and goes to South America. I would suggest seeing ministers go on trial, but that could lead to people dying of happiness.
Two, US forces and terrorists defeat each other in Iraq, so that Iraqis could get on with their lives.
Three, the government talks about democracy so much that it believes itself, and democracy is established and the government falls.
Four, during the upcoming com! petition between Likud and Kadima, Ariel Sharon kills Benjamin Netanyahu, or vice versa, while the killer is sent to prison for life. Labor returns to office to continue the peace process from the point where Sharon broke it off.
Five, the reader is blessed with friends, job opportunities, good health, a bad memory, and a hidden conscience. If the reader remembers that there is something he or she wants but hasn't obtained, he or she will be happy with the things he or she has, and not wants.
Six, they say (who's they?) that happiness is a married woman and a single man. But this takes into the realm of the impossible. We should remind the reader that Haifa Wehbi, Nancy Ajram, and Shirine are all single. The reader will truly become happy if he marries one of them in 2006, even though they say being single is a condition for happiness among men.
Seven, the reader falls asleep and doesn't wake up until 2007, or 2017, to get beyond 2006 and every year that won't br! ing happiness to Arabs.
Eight, half of Arab newspapers and magazine s, and three-fourths of satellite stations go bankrupt and are permanently closed. In fact, more than half of the Arab press and about 90% of Arab satellite stations are already bankrupt, but they continue to operate, magically, through unseen means, just like Arab governments.
Nine, 2006 passes without seeing the dreams of Arab optimists fulfilled, and neither the nightmares of Arab pessimists.
Ten, we defeat Burkina Faso in football (there have been no military victories since the conquest of Andalusia; we've been losing capital for 13 centuries).
Eleven, the government stops issuing laws that deprive citizens of everything that makes them happy.
Twelve, an intelligence agent receives a bomb from his president, to assassinate another Lebanese journalist, but it explodes and kills them both. The investigation continues and reveals a terrorist network responsible for all of the crimes committed in Lebanon since 14 February 2005.
Thirteen - I'll stop here, sinc! e the number 13 is unlucky. They say you get double bad luck if the 13th falls on a Friday, so I'll just let the reader dream of a better year [sic]”.

Praying for Ariel Sharon

The jaw dropping is audible, but hear me out folks. It seems there is no way to get out of the compulsory Sharon post…

Sooner or later, it was going to happen – the stroke I mean- the guy is hyperactive and overweight, has a lot of pent up anger, worries about Israel’s security, about voters , about the corruption case he was implicated in. I am surprised he held out this long. But Sharon is a tough man I must give that to him.

As a human being regardless of his cruel and bloody past I will ask that may God prolong his life and spare him or shorten his pain if he is dying.

As someone who has done a lot of harm in the ME and who was blatant about it then I must admit that I felt it is kind of ironic that he may soon join Arafat his archenemy in the afterlife.


If as the medical reports say that even if he survives he may be severely brain damaged, I think that would be a very cruel way to spend the rest of his life..some people may call it Karma.

For many Israelis he is a hero, and for the other camp he is a butcher. I absolutely understand the way he acted, because he was being true to his vision, and he stuck to it.
Sharon’s death will not herald a new era of peace, because in my opinion , the next PM will try to outdo Sharon to sound credible to his people and that can only bring more cruelty and bloodshed in the ME. I am going to pray for his recovery. God let Sharon live, at least he knows the situation and the people know how to deal with him.

The trend in Syria bashing

An Arab proverb, (and I’m not sure if it is Libyan or not anymore) states that ‘when the cow falls, the number of knives increases’. Basically the number of those ready to butcher it increases when such a massive animal is unable to defend itself.

This allegory in my opinion perfectly fits the situation of Syria currently. Syria is now caught between a rock and a hard place and no one is willing to give it a chance. Moreover, MSM, journalistic pretenders and pundits are riding this wave because it makes good coverage and serves to sell front page news.

I don’t object in principle to constructive criticism and analyses. However, I find it hypocritical to jump on the bandwagon once Syria and its regime are no longer under the aegis of western power who have discarded it like a used towel. That is, to me at least it seems as if western interests do not include Syria anymore and so the shield of respectability it provided for her is gone, uncovering Syria’s raw flesh to the ‘hungry’ masses clamouring for blood.

Bloggers are no exception to what is happening and the Lebanese blogosphere is full of speculations and accusations about Syria’s alleged responsibility in the wave of destructive murders of political and media personalities which have taken place since the killing of Hariri. Hariri’s death is the issue of an ongoing UN investigation, and the famous Mehlis report if you read it carefully does not prove anything but mainly speculates and attempts to connect the strings to find out the truth. As we stand many of the strings lead to Damascus but nothing more. There is absolutely no evidence. So maybe the ‘innocent until found guilty’ and ‘due process’ should be applied in this case as opposed to sanctions, war, unrest, and the democratization process a la Bush to destabilize the country.

“When Lewis Libby [US Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff] was accused [of perjury in October], President Bush said he was innocent until proven guilty. Why didn’t Bush apply the same principle in judging Syria?”

I WANT THE TRUTH just like everybody else.

I can understand the feelings and approach of the Lebanese bloggers, but I don’t think that other bloggers myself included could pretend to know what is better for Lebanon and Syria more than those concerned. And though I do not advocate censoring, but at times silence is indeed golden, sensational blogging no matter how good can perpetuate a lot of myths in the mind of readers unfamiliar with the Middle East.

Sandmonkey, one of my favourite Egyptian bloggers, is a wonderful, witty blogger and his site is one of my daily stops. His humour, insight fill me with amazement even though I sometimes find myself disagreeing with some points, though I highly respect the thought process that leads him to these conclusions. (The guy is a genius , but please don't tell him I said that mish 7and'ar 3aleh 'abadan ba3dein)
So when I saw his recent , loud and frank anti-Syrian rhetoric , I was slightly bemuzzled knowing his usual fairness in treating any issue. This prompted me to change my approach and seek the Syrian bloggers and what do they have to say on the historical events unfolding in their countries. After all, would not they have more first hand experience of Lebanon and Syria than myself or anyone else? I mean I’m not going to stand here theorizing and inciting hatred or love when they could say so much better.

If I thought that the Tunisian blogosphere was varied and interesting, I was amazed at the quality of the Syrian blogosphere. The spectrum of opinions is large, to name but a few randomly : Karfan (against everything is he for real?), Catherine (courageous with thorny subjects), Sasa (budding journalism), Damascene ( her family's Iraqi ordeal), Ayman (check the tallest Christmas tree in the ME) and numerous others. I have a whole new world to discover, their links will lead you to other unimagined riches.

Highlights of 2005 , Happy New Year 2006

Reflecting on the ending year of 2005, it has not really been one of the best in the world you are all aware of the events that took place so I'm not going to bore you with them here . But I think for Libya it has not been that bad, it is slowly but surely patching up its relationship with the West in general and the US in particular. I still am not sure if that is such a great thing or not but anything that would lift it out of isolation and get it back on its track is good , details can be taken care of later inshallah.

On the other hand,2005 has been cathartic for me as I've had some closures and made tons of new friends among bloggers and readers. I've met some bloggers in real life also ( Arab and non-Arab) , you know who you are, I'm not going to talk about that , but I would like to say that the bloggers I met where even better than I imagined they would be. The blogosphere is a nice community. I just wish I had the opportunity to meet the others, and I'm planning to meet some more in 2006 !I also wish the anonymous Libyan readers would email me as well. I love you all .


In Libya we do not have a tradition to celebrate the Gregorian calendar New Year, but we do wish people and each other a Happy New Year. So while I will not be partying I shall be relaxing at home with family or chatting and talking to friends online ( note for those who left me offline messages on yahoo or invitation to chat, they may have been lost as my line dropped a lot these last few weeks). Our own Eid al Kabir ( great feast) or Eid al -Adha which comes right at the end of the Hajj will be in about ten days time, while the Muslim New Year ( Hijiri) should be in approximately one month...which is a low key affair. Here are some Islamic holidays.

Anyway I'm not going to write a special post for today although I do have a few controversial topics up my sleeve ( viz. Bulgarian nurses, Ramadan TV series, the Rise of Islamism , yes or no ( for outlaw Michael)? Syria bashing etc..), because anyway you are all going to be busy enjoying your time hopefully with family, friends and loved ones...no time to read the rantings of a Libyan from her rock ;)

However, I would like to leave you with a compilation of my most popular posts since I began blogging , at least this is what the stats tell me are the ones that you guys keep reading over and over or whoever lands on my blog reads.

Scarves, hijab, veil, modesty and the right to choose ....

My night of terror...

Milud, the Prophet's Birthday in Libya..

My trip to Egypt 2004...

Scarves part II...

Replies to your questions I ...

Replies to your question II...

The trip to Syria series One, two, three , four .....and life in Syria... since Syria has been thrust on the international scene it is a popular topic .

The Libyan system of governance ( in theory)... and Thea's impression .

Italian occupation 101 ...where most who searched for Omar Mukhtar got that link there are 3 posts but this one is the most linked to I guess no one wanted to know about the genocide and concentration camps .

Christmas trip to the ME...Egypt, Syria, Jordan..

A midsummer night in Libya...

While some of my personal favourites were:

The motives for western warming towards Libya...

Acts of barbarism...

Eid Al adha in Libya...

My nightmare before Hariri's death which opened 'gates of hell'...


Highlander's blog in Spanish he he he and in Japanese ...I'm blushing, wish these readers would get in touch with me.

Tour of old city in Libya and a synagoge..

Is there humanity or are we all monsters... it's a pity that DNA pulled the plug :( - hope he is reading this and decides to blog again or at least let us know his news.

The black hole...

The Lover....

The purpose of blogging..and blogging in the Arab world.

Katrina and lessons in humanity..

Ramadan TV series ...sequel coming up soon.

Hybrid languages..

And the photolog ...

If all the above are not enough , I'm sure you will find something to your taste in the sidebar. In some of my older posts the comment section had not been activated. If you wish to leave a comment about any of the above please do it on this post and point to wich title it refers, it will just make it easier to all of us :). I always reply to comments by the way.


Peace everyone and happy new year, and as is the tradition here in Libya, I would like to ask forgiveness from each and everyone of you if I have hurt them unintentionally or intentionally!. We all need a clean slate to start a fresh year . سامحوني وكل سنة وانتم طيبين

A summer night in Libya : 10th of July 2002

Feeling a little bit blue, I rummaged through some old diaries and came up with this entry . I recall how good it felt to write and wished to share it with you.

Now let me tell you about a summer night in my beloved country.
In Africa summer nights are enchanting so imagine how it could be in an African Arab country on the coast…you feel you have stepped into wonderland ..as if a magician has used a big wand to make everything just perfect !
As soon as the sun sets very late at around 8 PM a dark purple light gradually fills the sky and suddenly everything seems somehow dimmer…then the night in all its glory is upon you . I'd be sitting in the swing in our garden enjoying the light summer sea breeze and almost falling asleep with the pleasure, when slowly I would realize that there was a silence within the silence. Truly it is a blessed piece of land. My area is comparable to a village. It is so silent, yet so alive. I could hear the happy trills of the women at a wedding in the 'street ' behind us . The dogs who were resting throughout the day start to roam and cats are looking for a prey and a bit of fun. People are sitting on mats in their own gardens or backyards sipping green tea and eating watermelons . The crickets are singing ..you can hear all that yet the silence is overwhelming so much so that I have the impression that the clicking sound made by my keyboard is terribly disrupting to inner peace. Yet I continue to write because apart from telepathy , e-mail is the quickest way to convey a message.
As the night gets darker, the sky is sapphire blue and the stars illuminate everything ..there are no street lamps ..and so you really feel out of the century ....out of time. The palm trees make a lovely curtain to the velvety smooth sky. I have the impression that I could touch the stars and hold them in my little hand if I wish.
The night here is so beautiful it feels like a blasphemy to think otherwise. Then the smell of the earth rises up to your nostrils …you could almost think you were in heaven…At such times I remember even more God's grace & mercy upon us and fall down on my knees to thank Him. I have learnt that you do not pray to God when you are unwell or want something..you have to remember him even when you are full of happiness to thank him gracefully for his blessings.

Alhamdulilah

Libyan Arab Airlines

The national carrier of Libya since it was a kingdom. Whenever I recall LAA I’m flooded with warm childhood memories of travels and adventures from Tripoli to other lands. LAA has a distinctive logo which won a prize for best logo back in the 70s. LAA won best airline in 1978 only to go downhill following the implementation of UN and US sanctions.

I was a bit saddened to read this month (see photo) that it will be soon replaced by the Libyan Airlines Company : LAC.

Please note the disappearance of the word ‘Arab’, I guess it is more western-friendly ;) .. sigh

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, because anyway in Arabic they always used to say Libyan airlines.

Whoever remembers what the logo meant in Arabic please forward it to me . I know it was something about a gazelle overtaking someone ..but I’m not sure if it was the competition or what. I will look it up but I appreciate if someone already has the answer. I hope they keep the logo it really is unique.

We will miss you LAR.

Note : other Libyan carriers are Afriqiyah and Buraq.

Merry Christmas

....it seems even the world is taking a break from killing sprees ..so while this lull lasts I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

My 5 secrets ...

It's meme time again; Khadijateri has tagged me ( thank you ) : "Five things that most people don't know about me " ...so you want to know my secrets ? eh ?seriously ...hm lets see

1. I believe in aliens , i. e extraterrestrials, but please behave as if had not said that; I'm really not the tinfoil hat type ..
2. I dream of having Condolizza Rice's job , just don't tell her that please.
3. As much as I love travelling , the US was never on my top list I don't know why really, but India was especially the Rajisthan..but now I'm saving up for a visit next year :)
4. I like to think that I'm an expert bellydancer - but it's probably only wishful thinking ..

update 24/12/05 I guess I hit the publish post too fast or I don't have that many dark secrets anyway :) thanks Khadijateri for reminding me that I forgot no.5 my bad , so here it is folks:

5. Oh and I can't wait to start learning Hebrew and Farsi ....

Arabizi, Franco-Arab, Arabeng and other evolving linguistic hybridization

This recent article ( from Aljazeera) about the phenomenon of speaking a mixture of Arabic and English that is sweeping a certain strata of the Jordanian society has brought to my mind earlier conversations and viewpoints discussed with peers in the past.

But first let's see what “Arabizi” is? It's a contraction of the word Arabi-Englizi (Arabic -English), coined by Jordanian youth.

"Mixing Arabic with foreign languages has long been commonplace among Western-educated elites in Arab countries".

This was especially evident in Lebanon where your status was proportional to how many French words you managed to put in one sentence. I'm talking about this with firm experience. If I spoke generic Arabic with no accent where my interlocutor could not place if I was from the Gulf countries or other non-oil Arab countries ( therefore poor) I would be treated differently. I decided to try it for myself. As soon as I added phrases en Francais to the conversation, the attention span would pick up and the mood would become friendlier. In this way I have the seal of approval of belonging to an 'elite' of some kind.

In Algeria it is different, although most of their conversation is strewn with French it is not really a sign of elitism but rather mostly due to the protracted period of French colonialism - since 1830 - which tried to eradicate that country's heritage and effectively make it a part of the Republique.

Tunis is midway between both, a relic from the colonial era, but also a status symbol for the westernized people.

"But in Jordan, a poor desert country" states the article” the sudden popularity of Arabizi reflects deep changes in society since the early 1990s".

Another word synonymous with Arabizi , is Franco-Arab, this word was popular among my parents' generation where French was more of an international language especially among the cultured elite. It also covers the earlier mixture of Arabic and Western music which created many interesting hits which our parents enjoyed as teenagers and youth. This hybrid music is now of course 'normal' and we see it not just between Arab and western music, but western and Latin American, or even Asian. A good example is the new punjabi beat, or some of Shakira's hits. It's great for dancing.

"Linguists blame the growing use of English among young Jordanians on American pop culture inundating the Arab world.”

I'm not sure about that, because we have always been watching American pop culture. Moreover, I don't agree that Arabizi or other such manifestations is any threat to Arabic language or culture. Arabic in my opinion is a rich language, with a continuous potential for growth (I won't even get into the argument that it is the language of the Koran and hence its longetivity is guaranteed, because that is faith based).

Hybrid language™ ;) maybe new to Jordanian youth in general but I'm sure it is not new to graduates of science and medical schools in many Arab countries. For example in Libya, medical college students use it not as a cultural expression but out of necessity because their syllabus is in English. But the fun thing in Libya is that they end up Arabizing the English language or vice versa, and I'm not the first one who brought that up in the blogosphere. Dunia which calls it “Arabeng” has posted about it here , let me quote a hilarious extract from her post.

“Another example of Arabeng is a really funny sentence my little brother used a few days ago: "he ifsheled". Now to "ifshel" in Arabic is to fail, as in fashala, yafshulu, fa hua fashil. So "he ifsheled" uses the Arabic verb, but the English pronoun, and the English past tense suffix "-ed".”

“Arabeng is not restricted to Arabic words with English grammar though. There are quite a few instances of English lexemes changed with Arabic grammer morphemes tagged on. Usually, and a bit confusingly, those people who use Arabic words and add on English grammar are more used to English rules, and those people who use English words with Arabic grammar are more used to speaking Arabic. I think.[sic]”


A long time ago I tended to use a hybrid language with my peers unconsciously but a few weeks in Libya knocked that habit out of me because I would actually be looked down on as someone who was trying to show off.
Using a hybrid language then could also be threatening enough to destroy a relationship. A vivid example is that of my friend's cousin R. R is an MD married to an officer. Every time she meets her friends in social gatherings or would talk on the phone she would sometimes use medical expressions in English just out of habit. Her husband (who obviously has insecurity issues - sorry R if you're reading this) would never pass the opportunity to denigrate her by saying 'oh we know you are a doctor and can speak English, stop showing of'.

As for me I consciously started using a generic Arabic, and only lapsing into hybrid with those who would be of the same mentality. Of course if I'm in Lebanon or at any event in which Arabizi or Franco-Arab or any hybrid Arabic is preferable and more advantageous socially I would not hesitate to use it to further my cause or blend in, even though I believe to be fully capable of convincing someone of my point of view in classical Arabic.

Libya and the World Heritage

You love your country and you know it is beautiful and contains wonderful and magical site, yet because you live in it you are used to the presence of these treasures on a day to day basis. So once in a while when you think deeply about it you realise how lucky indeed you are .
I am one of these people and have at times taken for granted all the gorgeous yet familiar landmarks in Libya.
I would like to share the most recognised of them international. Did you know that there are at least 5 registered UNESCO world heritage sites in Libya?


Many bloggers such as Khadijateri , Fatimaslibya, Redenclave, have shown their photos of some of these place. But if you want more here is an official site, with tons of photos and relevant links.

If you have been to Libya ages ago or recently, have photos, love Libya and want to share them with us why don't you put them online and send the link in the comment section ? I'm sure everyone would appreciate it.

Bird flu: is there a reason to worry ?

In the past few weeks there have been rumours of ‘bird flu’ contamination in Libya, with accusations and disclaimers flowing back and forth .Of course upon hearing that there is even a remote possibility that this could be true and some poultry is indeed contaminated, I started to worry. Worrying is inversely proportional to knowledge, especially when world wide press and so called experts warn of the next pandemic , whipping our collective fear.

What does that mean ? simply that because I know nothing I’m just as likely to be scared. The logical step was to tell my GP about this and ask his advice. He was very cool about it and said ‘this is rubbish , you shouldn’t worry, bird flu does not affect humans’ . Hmm I’m telling myself, that’s comforting ..so what is the fuss about then? Apart from the evident loss of poultry stock , which is very saddening it is not the human tragedy we have been led to expect. I wasn’t satisfied by this answer, dismissing my fears as if they were idiotic is not ok. So I tried to do a little research by myself to allay these fears and fill the lacunae. I’m sure you have read it all somewhere but I wish to add my 2 cents.

Basically bird flu ( or avian flu ) is propagated among the bird population, that is, it supposedly does not jump species. However, according to the CDC :
“infections with these viruses [though rare] can occur in humans [and] confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.”
So far that does not sound bad, especially that the individuals most likely to fall sick are “people who have contact with infected birds or surfaces that have been contaminated with secretions or excretions from infected birds”.

The H5N1 strain, reportedly the most deadly is the one being contested locally, so an outbreak could be fatal , the WHO has nevertheless reported only 130 cases in the world since January 2004.
Birds migrate, and poultry is imported from abroad so these events cannot be hermetically controlled . Currently cases have been confirmed in Asia and Europe . The White House it seems is testing the federal readiness for such an onslaught with a sophisticated ‘drill’ and experts are ‘watching’ … “Because these viruses do not commonly infect humans, there is little or no immune protection against them in the human population”.There is no vaccine and the antiviral treatments are expensive and not always targeted at the particular virus. So may God help anyone who catches this virus.

So now I’m not worried anymore, my GP was right. I figured out that the lowly common flu is just as deadly in the right environment. I have an equal chance of dying of cancer or any other disease anyway. Death is inevitable. If bird flu is present we should do something about the poultry infected and take no risk with the humans involved in their care. Basic hygiene/sterilisation procedures in farms and laboratories should do the trick. As for imported poultry for consumption well what are the quality control and quarantine people doing ? They should guard our borders, and I’m positive they are doing this in view of all these leaked rumours. As for migratory birds? You cannot do anything about that .
So I’ll continue eating chicken and turkey and fowl, there is nothing that fire and microwave cannot take care of.

For further info check the bird flu Q&A here, it is jargon free and comprehensive.

Tunis Trip 2005 PART III

I had to divide the post into a third part as I've been having connection problems these last few days in Tripoli due to the rain and wind. The satellite dish almost flew off our roof this year and each time it rains there is so much static on the telephone line that there is hardly any tone.


What was I talking about ? aaah the Tunisian capital is a charming little city, please have a look at some of the streets.



A restaurant cafe?


In each country I go to I like visiting their main ‘old’ market, well here is the entrance to the medina/souk .Just like we have one in Tripoli only more commercial , i.e. geared for tourists perhaps ? I loved the antiquarians, but I have no way of knowing if those are real antiques or not so I did not buy any.


Souk.....


Their traditional clothes carry a lot of similarities to ours, witness those beautiful silks here..

So I'll log off and let you enjoy Tunis.

Tunis Part II


As I was saying, this trip to Tunis was my best one so far. I really had a great time enjoying the famed Tunisian hospitality. But first let me just wrap up the rest of the WSIS exhibition. You’ve probably heard a lot about it on the news, and Tunisian bloggers have covered it quite extensively.


I was thrilled to see the unveiling of the cheap laptop to be used for ‘third world’ countries. When produced – hopefully by next year – it is supposed not to cost more than 100$ . Many countries have already pledged funds for this. I’m just wondering will the disadvantaged really benefit from this technology ? or will it end up as a gadget to be shown off by those in power and their offsprings in the poor countries at which this is aimed? I mean imagine you have a sturdy, portable tiny computer which can rewind manually when you need electricity and which is able to run basically the programs we are used to including browsing the internet all for approximately 100$? Hell I want one of those for my self why should I go buy the state of the art one for 3000 Dollars , then have to take an insurance for fear that it falls or gets stolen or the new Dell Inspiron ?


At the exposition the participants were asked if they needed a hostess for their stands …to make things look nicer and more attractive I guess ;) well look at this gorgeous Tunisian babe.


While I was taking a break at the cafeteria this girl was talking with her colleague then a Tunisian man came over to them and told them why are they dressed like this they should cover their legs and charms as the other men were looking at them in a bad way. She replied “ well it’s their problem not mine . I’m fine like this and this is the uniform of the company that I’m representing and I’m working for them now. If I have pretty legs it’s none of their business”. The guy was flabbergasted, he had to apologize saying that as far as he was concerned they were free to do what they wanted, but he was just warning them what most of the Tunisian guys were thinking behind their backs, and he was afraid for their reputations. I was under the impression that Tunisian men were permissive, it seems I was wrong. Talking about reputation here is a good comparative post from an Egyptian blogger Freedom for Egyptians (hattip Programmer_Craig ). She tackles women’s reputation and its importance in Egypt versus the US. Please remember she is talking about Egypt not about other Arab countries so do not make hasty judgments.


Another interesting item I found at the exposition ( yes we are still talking about it ) was a kiosk : called the ‘freedom toaster’ – no not related to freedom fries. Do you give up? Well in South Africa an entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth came up with the brilliant scheme of installing these little kiosks everywhere. The idea is that they contain open source software which is distributed for free. You only bring your blank CDs and burn/download it fast inside it . It can ‘toast’ 3 CDs at a time. I think that is a swell idea because if you have a slow dial up and it takes you ages to get this stuff online you can do it in a couple of minutes here for more details chexk their website . I relished getting my own CDs though I’m still using Microsoft and Windows XP , but it’s good to know I have alternative choices.

Did you know that the the UNDP supported by Sakhr ( an Arabic software development company) had launched project ICTARB which means 'get closer'. It aims to help the blind and those with special needs to get involved in ICT ? I think we need more of this in the Arab world.

World Energy Report in Arabic

The EIA ( Energy Information Administration) has recently released an Arabic version of the International Energy Outlook 2005 which forecast energy consumption.


The Annual Energy Outlook presents a midterm forecast and analysis of US energy supply, demand, and prices through 2025. The projections are based on results from the Energy Information Administration's National Energy Modeling System. AEO2005 includes a reference case and over 30 sensitivities

Well it 's about time there is an Arabic version especially that a very large share of the oil is in the Arab world. Anyway according to this report the annual consumption of oil will increase from 78 million barrels per day in 2002 to 119 mpd in 2025. Moreover, the US demand for oil will increase to 28 mbd in 2025. Please check the tables in the link provided above if you are interested.

So why am I bringing this up ? simply because if these forecasts are accurate. Then not much will change 20 years from now, the US governement will be forced to accomodate those entities strong enough to impose their will on it with the democratic process and the lobbying at the expence of the average American John Doe in the name of "special interests" which will continue to poison lives. i.e. Middle East unchanged with all that this implies.

Sorting hat ?


I has been official for a long time that I'm a Harry Potter fan, so I when I saw this quiz on Sandmonkey's I could not resist .... do you want to check it too?

I'm from Ravenclaw!

Hogwart's Sorting Hat Quiz

made by The Genki Gang

From here and there

Have been gone for a while since Tunis right? well sorry about that, was just too caught up in a lot of work - yes I work for a living you know :) not always blogging !

Anyways I wanted to say that I am officially back from Tunis. It was a lovely trip, I met many interesting people. A few of them I'm sure will become friends for life. I've been too Tunis several times before but this trip was one of the nicest, despite the internet connection that kept 'dropping' in my hotel even though it was the week of the 'information' summit. Lool it was a crazy, busy time but very enlightening. I'll blog the second part a bit later.

I first wanted to thank whoever had enquired about my absence ( special reference to Twosret :)) . No I have not quit blogging ...just did not feel like it.


Second I'd like to thank the Maghrebian bloggers and especially Tunisian blogger Adib (who blogs in French) for visiting here and for caring to search for Libyan bloggers and mentioning them - including yours truly- on the Maghrebian compilation blog. Dare I say that Adib is very prolific in his writings, and due to him I'm happy to note that traffic from Tunis has increased over here. I've been reading several Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian blogs but tried to keep a low profile ...Now my little secret is out :). ! All you francophone people go check his sidebar links for great reads. One correction Adib, I'm not an expatriate, I live in Tripoli just a travel often...

What else has been happening? Oh you'd be delighted to know that it is 11 degrees Celcius in Tripoli , it's rained a few times since I returned, I already had the flu - no not that one silly . I also find the winter flies pretty annoying..aargh

What has been happening in the Libyan blogosphere ? hmmm let's see Smokey is still AWOL . But then we know by now she works in bursts of excitement. Khadijateri has told us about Jenna's freckles and attending a wedding with overexcited teenagers, about finnaly getting tiles for her new house but also about the tragic death of her friend's husband recently ( driving in Libya is a HAZARD). Redenclave is 'enjoying' the cold weather in Turkey. Do go and check her photos and cheer her up. Tareq has been silent for a month now . Is he busy too with the new house ? where are you Tareq? Tyenness has also moved to a new house and has no internet access there , so she reports to the blogosphere sporadically from those famous Tripolitanian internet cafes, all her posts are cool but my favourite is the Libyan folktale...please go read it ! Hibo is telling us about the recent tradition of 'singing tents' i.e. tents specially set up to gather a wide range of Libyan artists who will perform to either live audiences or for TV. The songs/lyrics are usually of great quality. This tradition has become a must in Ramadan and I believe that this was picked up by other Arab countries like Lebanon and Jordan and Egypt -with their particular add-ons- were Ramadan evening are spent eating listening to singers , drinking/smoking sheesha etc.. ( those elaborations do not take part in the Libyan version which is less materialistic- no offense to anyone). But if you are curious like me and click on Hibo's sidebar links :) you will discover that she has another blog - well done my dear - hip hip hurray for Libyan female bloggers. Hanu is celebrating the 7th annivesary of her wedding - check the story of the lamb with a pink scarf - alf mabrouk habibti. Nura has moved to Canada and is still settling in, we hope to hear from her soon. We love you Nura ! Barnita from India is still very busy !

Oh and last but not least, do you recall when I was wondering aloud about a Libyan blog aggregator? Well we had been chatting about it with Smokey a while back, but it was ever-active Hanu (thank you) who actually took the initiative and created a Libyan Hub for us. It has been up for a while but we had not officially shared it yet.You are all welcome into our combined piece of Libya. It's still humble but a lot of fun ! - Redenclave I'm sure would love to put the link up ! Thanks Haitham for the suggestion, I may still take you on it !

This post was supposed to be short and sweet, some kind of comeback but has turned into a marathon so I'll stop here and start working on the next one . I'm sure you'll have fun with all the links..should keep you busy .