March 22, 2003
Sites' Site, R.I.P.
The first time I saw Kevin Sites’ Blog, I thought: a) it’s great that someone will be over there to tell us what’s going on through some channel other than mainstream media, b) “Warboy” is a rather flippant name for a war journal, and c) how can a CNN reporter be allowed to simultaneously report on the air and independently on his own site?
Well, the last one’s been answered. CNN has shut him down. Is this censorship? I don’t think so—he’s only in Iraq, and well-equipped for reporting, due to CNN giving him a job and paying his fare. Your boss would probably be rightfully pissed off if he caught you sitting at work blogging, so why not CNN?
Let’s hope that Christopher Allbritton gets some sort of useful access once he gets over there.
There's Salam!
Salam Pax’s site disappeared last night. I feared the worst, but “Where is Raed?” is back. Strangely enough, his “Support Democracy in Iraq” graphic doesn’t seem to be loading. A little look around reveals that different people have been getting different results from his site. Diane has a bit more knowledge. He hasn’t posted since before last night’s bombing. Strong wishes go to him and all Iraqis for the days ahead.
You Can't Keep a Good Big Brother Down
The Total Information Awareness program has given me a great deal of rant material. It’s on the ropes (if only slightly, and not yet completely thrown out of the ring), but that’s okay, we’ve got a whole new colour-coded way to key an eye on you. It’s spy time at the airport! Take a trip? Hmm, don’t leave the country, or you could be code yellow for 50 years.
Does this sort of thing piss you off? Show your irritation and support the ACLU by buying a kick-ass t-shirt. God I’m glad I have the choice to live in a country where they value privacy.
A New Vision Look for English
I can’t say that I’ve ever really thought about reading the Christian Science Monitor. But this is just too rich. Hate the French? Pissed off about their resistance to the war? Have your freedom fries, and eat them too.
March 21, 2003
Mary Ying Welsh
Regardless of driving to Berlin tomorrow morning and having quite a lot to do tonight to prepare, I’ve been glued to the t.v. and computer since I got home.
Shortly before reaching my bullshit tolerance limit, CNN resorted (strangely enough) to a live report from an independant journalist, Mary Ying Welsh. Her voice was the most intelligent and thoughtful thing I’ve heard on CNN in months.
Mary took the opportunity to set a few things straight: the average Iraqi on the street (she’s interviewed bunches over the last week or two) are not weeping with joy at being “liberated” by America. For example, she’s already heard from many that they were enraged when US troops raised the US flag on Iraqi soil. She said that Rumsfeld’s suggestion that Iraqi soldiers “do the honourable thing” and surrender illustrated the complete lack of American understanding of Iraqi and middle-eastern thinking. And regardless of Rumsfeld minutes ago calling the bombing a “humane effort”, she says Iraqis naturally feel targeted and terrified.
Without actually saying it directly, her comments came across quite clearly as a critique of CNN and other mainstream media, and of the US government. In the exchange, she missed something that Jim Clancy asked her, and he quickly took that opportunity to cut her off.
Thanks Mary. It’s good to know someone over there isn’t “embedded”, and is not just reporting but also thinking. Here is what I could find of Mary’s work on the web: two video reports (one and two) on Iraq, and a story at Channel News Asia (older story, from Jan. 31). Leave me a comment below if you have any more links and I’ll add them.
Where's Salam?
Salam’s site appears to have disappeared.
I mentioned him and his site a couple posts ago. That post was made about two hours ago. Between then and now the bombing of Baghdad started, and now his site’s gone.
Hope you’re okay Salam. Anyone who knows anything about his site’s disappearance, please let me know.
Are We Next?
The American displeasure at the principles of Germany and France has become well known over the last few weeks. Today the US military sent them a message. When does the bombing of Hamburg start?
Best of Luck, Salam Pax
A unique site, “Where is Raed ?” is all over the blogsphere right now. The author, Salam Pax (a pseudonym—”peace” in Arabic and Latin respectively), writes about his daily life like most bloggers, but he does it from Baghdad.
Last night was very quiet in Baghdad. Today in the morning I went out to get bread and groceries. There were no Ba’ath party people stopping us from leaving the area where we live, this apparently happens after the evening prayers. But they are still everywhere. The streets are empty only bakeries areand some grocery shops charging 4 times the normal prices, while I was buying bread a police car stopped in front of the bakery and asked the baker if they had enough flour and asked when theyd; the baker told me that they have been informed that they musttheir shops and they get flour delivered to them daily. (Link) Salam’s an Iraqi, his English is very good, and there are reports his German’s also not bad. He writes about daily life in Baghdad, and it’s been an extremely interesting read to see what an intelligent Iraqi has had to say in the months leading up to the war. Nowadays he usually just makes me sad with reports of air-raid sirens, food shortages, etc. But if you want to see what’s really going on over there, check him out.
The questions is, of course, is he for real? Could it be that he’s just some smart-ass kid in Jersey? Or is it the more sinister version—a CIA or Mossad front?
The questions been shot around quite a lot this week, and so far I’ve found two well-written answers, from Diana at “Letter From Gotham” and Paul Boutin. Nobody’s certain, but they both lean much more towards believing in him.
I’m on their side. I think Salam’s real, and I wish him and his friends and family the best of luck in getting through the coming horror unscathed.
March 18, 2003
The Sydney Opera Billboard
A brave Aussie had something to say, and he said it large.
I can understand his frustration. Australians, in spite of being charming, intelligent and creative people, somehow always take the little brother position. If America says it’s good, it’s good. The current Australian government can always be counted on to play the lap dog. Perhaps if the PM, John Howard (pictured here attempting to rip the head off of an Aboriginal child) truly believed in his country—believed that Aussies can stand alone without a Queen or a war-hungry Yank to prop them up—and started properly supporting the great minds of Australia (who’ve been leaving for decades to countries where they can actually earn money with their brains), Australia could finally stand on the world stage, instead of on American and British coat-tails.
Peace and War
What a very strange evening it’s been.
Most of it was spent translating the very last bit of the statue catalogue text. The text describes a large exhibit of Tibetan Buddhist statues in detail. Phrases such as ”…embodies the joy nature of all Buddhas…” or ”…the inseperable nature of space and joy…” come up again and again in explaining the symbolism of the statues.
While translating this interesting and positive text, I was often distracted by CNN and BBC:
The U.S., U.K and Spain drop their second resolution. Annan withdraws inspectors from Iraq. Journalists and foreign nationals evacuate out of Iraq. Robin Cook, the leader of the Commons in the U.K., resigns from parliament in protest. A deadly new strain of pneumonia spreads around the world.
Looks like the world desperately needs some powerful Buddhas. I’ll be making strong wishes for a quick war with as few lives lost as possible.
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