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While SARS is moving to the forefront of talking points, the aftermath of the Iraqi war continues to
dominate blog entries.
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There is a growing fascination in blogs from middle-eastern countries.
The Iranian blog
Editor: Myself displayed photos of Iranian bloggers. A comment stated,
"If you didn't know better, you would believe that this looks like a family picnic near Los Angeles. They do not look any more like demons
than we do."
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Week of April 21, 2003
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This blogger in Shanghai illuminates the impact SARS has had on day-to-day living.
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04/17/03:
I happened to talked with a 40-year-old taxi driver today. He comes from the Dazhong taxi company. I asked whether the news of "all taxi are disinfected everyday" is true or not. He just told me: "My taxi was disinfected one month ago - they just push the spayer bottle twice and told me, your car has been disinfected. I don't believe it will have any real effect." He also added. "However, I am not afraid of SARS at all - I don't believe I will get hit."
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Hossein Derakhshan's English weblog on Iran, technology and pop culture.
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04/2003:
Iranian blogger/journalist arrested
Sina Motallebi, well-known blogger and journalist was arrested this morning. He is accused of threatening the national security by giving interviews to Persian language radios outside Iran, wrtiting articles both in newspapers and his weblog.
His weblog, WebGard (i.e. web surfer), was among the top 5 Persian most popular weblogs while his wife, Farnaz, has her own weblog, mostly writing about their newly-born baby boy, Mani.
Sina used to write film reviews for Iranian film magazines in the begining of his career, then joined the reformist paper of Jameah and continued to work with reformist papers. He was the political news editor in Ham-Mihan newspaper which only lasted a few months.
His father, Saeed Motallebi, who is a respected and experienced screenwriter, has been unofficially banned from working after the revolution because of his films in pre-revolution years.
NOTE: Spreading the word may help him to be released earlier. help spread the news!
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Christopher Allbritton, former AP and New York Daily News reporter, has raised money from his readers to fund his travel to Iraq where he is
now reporting war events as an independent journalist. He is currently reporting from Arbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.
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04/20/03: BAGHDAD
Now I’m going home. The stories that I’d like to do require money and time that I simply no longer have. The looming ethnic conflict in northern Iraq, the role of the Turks, the treatment of women, the fate of the political prisoners and the new government’s faltering first steps are all stories that I would love to pursue, with the style and techniques I’ve developed on the site. I’d also wanted to find Salam Pax.
As for the future of B2I, I‘m working on that. The site and listserv will remain up for as long as the server has power, but I’m still undecided on what to do next to push forward the concept of independent, reader-funded journalism. I will use the site and the premium email list to announce anything new, so stop in every now and then to say hello.
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L.T. Smash is an active reserve officer deployed in the Middle East.
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04/21/03
Waited in line an hour and a half for the PX today. It's very small, and we are many.
So many people ask, "what do you guys want in care pacakages?" It really depends on the person.
Toiletries are a big item. We've received several packages from schools, businesses, and families (plus one "from the people of Kuwait"), filled with every kind of toiletry you can imagine, except hair dye. It's as if someone cleared off the shelves of a local drug store and mailed it to us.
Yes, we do use baby wipes to keep clean, especially when we don't have access to a shower. But it's been a couple of weeks since I have had to skip a shower. The original jumbo pack that I brought with me isn't even halfway depleted yet. I don't need any more baby wipes!
What did I buy at the PX today? Some basic toiletries, AA batteries, and a Coke. I would have bought some junk food for my buddies, but we have so much of that already.
Yes, people send us junk food. There always seems to be cookies and snacks around. But please, don't send any more chocolate. It's not holding up well in the heat. A box of Thin Mints becomes a Chocolate Mint Brick. It's not pretty.
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Blog by an american living in Beijing.
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04/15/03:
I started rethinking the odds, factoring in that I live in Beijing, which means I have a higher chance of getting it than someone in a small village that rarely has visitors. But then canceling that out because the cases have mostly been concentrated in southern China.
Then I started thinking about how to get it.
Disease touches my skin. My skin touches my mouth. The virus enters my body. The virus enters my bloodstream. Then I have it, then maybe I die from it.
How can the disease touch my skin?
Sinks, door knobs, money in my hands.
Wash hands. Always wash hands. 'Don't bite your nails, Peter! Wash them first!'
Or the virus doesn't touch my skin -- someone coughs, I inhale it.
Stay away from people. Breathe through my nose. 'Try not to breathe in this crowded elevator, Peter!'
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Hoffman Netter Entertainment is looking for videos of bloggers. The project has some interesting potential.
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If you're interested in
being a part of our TV show, you can do so by submitting a video that encapsulates you and your blog.
We’re looking for fresh POVs, ones generated by bloggers, not the traditional media.
Our philosophy is that any goes. Whatever you want to say and show in your video is fine. After all, it's your blog.
The key is to capture the essence of your blog in video format, and if it's interesting enough, we'll include it in the show, along with the name and URL of your blog.
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Philosopher Picks Highlights
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I was surprised that I didn't get upset. Back in
Berkeley my blood would have boiled simply at the volume of a horn on my ears - I hate sudden loud noises, not to mention the audacity of a driver honking at a pedestrian in a cross walk, simply for their existence. I'm a fast walker, I don't meander, diddle-daddle, or poke along.
I felt calm but alert as I looked at the driver, staring him down. I stood at the side of the street as he passed, turning my arms out as if to ask if he had a message and inviting him to finish it. I didn't feel much of anything, but I was ready for him to get out of the car.
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a few weeks back pinkynicejuice celebrated
the anniversary of her birth in grand style with the purchase of a pair of overpriced mittens with felt dog
faces hand appliqued upon them (and a big shout out to mom who subsidised this extravagance with a generous birthday check).
they really are the most fabulous mittens - and somewhat the envy of certain small children i know. anyhow last thursday, somehow
i managed to lose one of them while walking pokey. this of course, sunk pinky nice juice into deep despair, reminding her (yet again)
that she is simply too irresponsible to deserve something as truly special as a pair of dog mittens...
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Anyway, the staff member wanted me to
understand just how much these cards mean to my kid. Well meaning staff person wants to find something that can be used as an incentive to control her behavior. My kid likes the artwork on these cards and is willing to be on her best behavior if we agree to give her back a card to two a month. Ha! I don't think so! Those cards were confiscated because they are contraband at school. The video series depicts dismemberment as the way to win the game. And even if they were cards with cute little puppy dogs on 'em there is no way I'd let her have them at this point! Hello?! Parenting 101--if the parent gives in after a tantrum/manipulation, it teaches the child that this is the way to get whatever he or she wants.
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