For me, and other bloggers here in Doha to attend the 2nd Al Jazeera Forum, the panel that I look forward to the most will be the one on blogs. The New Media: Bloggers and Participatory Journalism panel will be the first of its kind in the Arab World, and to be frank, I was really surprised that a traditional media organization such as Al Jazeera would care enough about blogging to dedicate a whole panel for this topic. It is the very first time for me to attend an event like this, and with this big number of people here, the whole thing is just a little bit overwhelming to me. So, I'm off now to have my breakfast, and then attend the first panel this morning. Meanwhile, check out this interesting post on Kottke blog on the competition between citizen media and traditional media. # »
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Today I will travel to Doha, Qatar, to attend the 2nd Al Jazeera Forum (Arabic). The theme for this year's forum will be "Defending Freedom, Defining Responsibility," and it's supposed to be interesting. I'm also looking forward to meet some online friends for the first time. # »
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Back to Hassa, and not much to talk about. Except this: While I was there, my friends at KFUPM told me that all the academic buildings in the university are now equipped with Wi-Fi connection. They say the students dorms are next. Meanwhile, everything related to IT in KSU is an absolute awful state. # »
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Did you know that Google has a page for music search. I was looking for some info about an album, and I noticed there was an additional button at the top says "Search Music." It is nice. They have pages for artists, where you can find their albums, photos, and more. Maybe it was there before but I never seen it till today. Check it out. # »
Al-Hayat website has a very long interview with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hizbullah. # »
Friday, January 27, 2006
Dear reader, come with us and watch two Arab News reporters while they endure the procedures of renewing a driver's license by our really overpaid pencil-pushers. "IBM, the apocryphal acronym for the three stages of dealing with government departments, is well founded. It is a testimony to the mangled hopes of a well-disposed citizen wishing to comply with the law and his eventual frustration at the combination of confusion and obfuscation that surrounds the simplest of official paperwork. IBM — Inshallah (God willing); bukra (tomorrow); maalesh (Sorry or take it easy)!" # »
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Asharq al-Awsat interviews Rajaa al-Sanea, author of the controversial novel Banat al-Riyadh (Riyadh Girls). # »
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
During the first Club World Championship, FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter was asked about his opinion in the Saudi team al-Nassr, which was representing Asia at the tournament. Being the diplomatic guy that he is, Blatter praised al-Nassr, saying it was a good team. Al-Nassr went out of the tournament at the first round after losing two matches out of three. The thing is, Blatter was just being nice, but al-Nassr have taken it seriously and came back to the Kingdom bragging about the so-called endorsement they got from the president of the highest football authority in the world.
The same thing has just happened this week, when the Brazilian football legend Pele was in Jeddah as an ambassador for MasterCard, to launch a campaign for the National Commercial Bank. “It is my expectation that Brazil will meet Saudi Arabia in the World Cup final,” he said in a press conference. He either was joking, or simply just being nice, but the Saudi sports media, as idiotic as usual, carried that statement as the main headline the next day. I don't think that the disaster of 2002 will be repeated this year, but with this kind of idiotic media that we have here every possibility must be taken seriously. Seriously? I'm afraid our media have no idea what that word means. # »
The same thing has just happened this week, when the Brazilian football legend Pele was in Jeddah as an ambassador for MasterCard, to launch a campaign for the National Commercial Bank. “It is my expectation that Brazil will meet Saudi Arabia in the World Cup final,” he said in a press conference. He either was joking, or simply just being nice, but the Saudi sports media, as idiotic as usual, carried that statement as the main headline the next day. I don't think that the disaster of 2002 will be repeated this year, but with this kind of idiotic media that we have here every possibility must be taken seriously. Seriously? I'm afraid our media have no idea what that word means. # »
BTW, the website Lasyk Networks is a great resource for the owners of Sony Ericsson mobiles looking for themes, wallpapers, games, and much more. # »
This morning, I was going through this website looking for some themes for my brand new Sony Ericsson W550i mobile phone, when I came across this. It was a weird surprise. I mean, the last thing I expected to find here was a theme for the Saudi singer Rabeh Saqr. I don't like Rabeh Saqr, but to find his theme alongside those of Madonna and 50 Cent, that was something! Later, I found that the same guy has also designed a theme for Nancy Ajram and Mobily. # »
Mail Big File is a free tool for transferring large files up to 1GB, without clogging up your email. # »
Monday, January 23, 2006
I guess that when it comes to history, the first word to come to the mind of Saudis is “destroy.” Maybe it is too late now to cry over our bulldozed history, but I think that we should give credit when credit is due. This time, it is Madinah Governor Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majid, who rejected suggestions to destroy the Uhud Cave, where the Prophet took rest during the Battle of Uhud. I have been to Madinah last summer, and visited the location where the Battle of Uhud took place, but did not have much time to check out the cave. Here is some photos I took at the location.
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# »Saturday, January 21, 2006
Elaph has some photos for the female supporters from the Saudi-Sweden match, and there was at least one Saudi woman in the audience.
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# »It has been a long time since I read anything by Mody al-Khalaf, but yesterday she was back with a good column at Arab News. This time, al-Khalaf comments on letter to King Abdullah that was written by 500 women asking for what they called “their Islamic rights.” These women asked the king to ignore the calls for “Western” rights for women.
Al-Khalaf makes a good argument, even though most of what she talks about is well-known to those of us who choose to look at things in a way that really makes sense. She writes, “I ask for my Islamic right to work in marketing, sales, catering, medicine, law, politics, engineering, fashion, the military or any other occupation which I might choose.”
Are we going to see Saudi women gain more rights this year? I hope so. I'm optimistic, and with people like al-Khalaf and others, including many Saudi female bloggers that I'm really proud of, I am sure they will. “And finally, as a Muslim, I ask for my right to choose. In any argument, a Muslim has the right to choose the interpretations he or she wants instead of being forced to go along with other people’s choices,” al-Khalaf concludes. # »
Al-Khalaf makes a good argument, even though most of what she talks about is well-known to those of us who choose to look at things in a way that really makes sense. She writes, “I ask for my Islamic right to work in marketing, sales, catering, medicine, law, politics, engineering, fashion, the military or any other occupation which I might choose.”
Are we going to see Saudi women gain more rights this year? I hope so. I'm optimistic, and with people like al-Khalaf and others, including many Saudi female bloggers that I'm really proud of, I am sure they will. “And finally, as a Muslim, I ask for my right to choose. In any argument, a Muslim has the right to choose the interpretations he or she wants instead of being forced to go along with other people’s choices,” al-Khalaf concludes. # »
Friday, January 20, 2006
Good News For Me: According to a scientific study conducted in Saudi Arabia, there are more than 2,000 job opportunities available for Saudi pharmacists with the number expected to rise soon to 5,000. # »
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Shorooq al-Fawaz writes about the new Saudi obsession with stock market. Last year, we experienced several IPO's that raised people's interest in stock market, leading to what I liked to call The Stock Market Mania. Suddenly, the only thing everybody was talking about is the stock market, and the subject has become the ideal ice-breaker for everyone. When a public service such as the National Railways Organization starts to install huge screens showing MSNBC Arabiya 24/7 in the waiting areas of their stations, I think that we have reached a scary stage.
About half of the Kingdom's population have participated in the last IPO in 2005, and with 30 new IPO's expected in this new year, it is hard to see when all this mania will stop. A friend of mine told me that the growth of the stock market is an opportunity that should not be missed. It is the second boom. "Our fathers have missed the oil boom of the '80s, and someday our children and grandchildren would come and say the we have missed a second boom," he said. # »
About half of the Kingdom's population have participated in the last IPO in 2005, and with 30 new IPO's expected in this new year, it is hard to see when all this mania will stop. A friend of mine told me that the growth of the stock market is an opportunity that should not be missed. It is the second boom. "Our fathers have missed the oil boom of the '80s, and someday our children and grandchildren would come and say the we have missed a second boom," he said. # »
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
I have been following the Saudi sports press in the past few days, and there are not much information about the friendly match against Sweden. The Saudi papers said the Swedish team would come without their stars because they are busy with their clubs, which is true, but there more that Saudi papers did not know about. A Scandinavian reader has told me the Swedish press reported that Saudis will pay for the whole trip of the Swedish team to the Middle East, including the accommodation in Abdu Dhabi and the cost for another friendly match against Jordan there. Now I can understand that we will pay them to come to Riyadh, even though that playing against the reserve team might be a total waste of money. But to pay for their trip to the UAE and to play another match there against Jordan? That's just plain non-sense. # »
Something interesting might happen tonight in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is going to play an international football match against Sweden, which pressured Saudis to allow women to attend the match. Sweden is going to play with their reserve team, as most of their stars refused to join the team for this match. However, according to FIFA website, the news that both Swedish and Saudi women would be blocked from attending the game did not go down well. "[I]t is important that Sweden very clearly speaks out when women are discriminated against. This is a good occasion," Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds said.
The Swedish embassy in Riyadh say that Saudis told them Prince Faisal Stadium in Mallaz, where the match will be played, is open for everyone, including Saudi women. I really suspect this. I wish I was in Riyadh to attend the match and see how are they going to handle this. I'm afraid that Saudis told Swedish embassy such thing because they are sure no Saudi woman would dare to show up at the stadium. And for the foreign women, if there were any, they will seat them at the area dedicated for journalists and media people. However, I'd like to see some Saudi women in the audience at the match tonight. # »
The Swedish embassy in Riyadh say that Saudis told them Prince Faisal Stadium in Mallaz, where the match will be played, is open for everyone, including Saudi women. I really suspect this. I wish I was in Riyadh to attend the match and see how are they going to handle this. I'm afraid that Saudis told Swedish embassy such thing because they are sure no Saudi woman would dare to show up at the stadium. And for the foreign women, if there were any, they will seat them at the area dedicated for journalists and media people. However, I'd like to see some Saudi women in the audience at the match tonight. # »
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
We have talked about gel pens, but today I found this great fountain pen. What I like about fountain pen is that they are so elegant. (via Mighty Goods)
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# »Monday, January 16, 2006
Saud al-Balawi thinks that our Saudi idea of privacy, "which is really a form of isolation," is one of the problems behind banning cinema theaters in Saudi Arabia. This is true, but I think the domination of the extremists on many aspects of life in the country is the main problem. We let them to control our lives in the past, but we should not allow them to enjoy that for any longer. # »
Sunday, January 15, 2006
A young teenage boy enters Herfy Restaurant holding two large cups of Pepsi in his hands. He puts them on the counter, and starts yelling at the first employee he sees. "Change this with strawberry milkshake, and put some ice in the other one, now!" "Sorry, sir. You can't change it like this. You have to pay one riyal more," the employee says. "Are you a donkey? I'm telling you, do it now!" the boy yells again. "Sorry, sir. I told you I can't," the employee told him. "You don't understand?! My uncle Abu Khaled owns this place, and you told me I can't do whatever I want!" the boy yells, even louder.
I guess that boy is one of the little princes who cruise the streets of Riyadh in their fancy cars, thinking they own the whole city. And I guess by Abu Khaled he meant Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, which the Herfy Restaurant are a part of his large group of businesses. # »
I guess that boy is one of the little princes who cruise the streets of Riyadh in their fancy cars, thinking they own the whole city. And I guess by Abu Khaled he meant Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, which the Herfy Restaurant are a part of his large group of businesses. # »
I am a sucker for pens. Even though I use text editors to write all my stuff now, but I still cannot resist the urge to buy more and more pens. One of the good pens I have come across recently is this Inoxcrom Short Gel Pen. I never used to like gel pens, but this little thing was really good that I started to change the way I look at gel pens.
In addition to gold and silver, it is available in black, blue, red, green, and purple. For those in Saudi Arabia and the gulf, you can find this pen at Jarir Bookstore. # »
In addition to gold and silver, it is available in black, blue, red, green, and purple. For those in Saudi Arabia and the gulf, you can find this pen at Jarir Bookstore. # »
I am hooked to Imogen Heap's song Say Goodnight And Go. The first time I heard about this singer was last summer, when a dear friend of mine told me about her. I thought the name was weird, so I did not try to Google it and find out more about her. But a few weeks ago, I accidentally stumbled upon that song, and since then I can't get it out of my head.
"... Why'd you have to be so cute
It's impossible to ignore you
Must you make me laugh so much
It's bad enough we get along so well
Say goodnight and go..." # »
"... Why'd you have to be so cute
It's impossible to ignore you
Must you make me laugh so much
It's bad enough we get along so well
Say goodnight and go..." # »
One of the many problems regarding the religious police in Saudi Arabia is that they don't know when they cross the line. I really suspect they know there is a line in the first place. They think that they can do whatsoever they want, just because they are doing it under the name of religion. What they should know is that using religion to achieve goals on their private agenda has nothing to do with religion. Actually, it is against religion.
Recently, the religious police have banned a play (Arabic) in Safwa, east of Saudi Arabia, because it has included a male actor who plays a role of a woman. As far as I know, female actors are not allowed to take part in such plays, but the law says nothing about a male actor playing the role of a woman. Moreover, this play was already permitted by the ministry of culture of information, which is the government body responsible for regulating such activities. So, how could the religious police interfere in this matter?
The religious police have justified their action saying there is a fatwa issued by the governmental Permanent Committee for Scientific Research and Fatwa, a committee that prominent Saudi scholar Abdul-Mohsen Al-Obeikan once described as the "sleeping committee," that prohibits acting scenes which include men imitating women. Such fatwa is just another example of many fatwa's that make no sense, and unfortunately, there are many people out there ready to defend them.
These fatwa's, and the scholars behind them, are just making life here worse for everybody by getting their nose in every freaking side of our already messed up lives. I also got the feeling that this case, like many other previous cases where the religious police were involved, has a sectarian aspect, but I won't comment on it, because I don't want to get accused with sectarianism; an accusation, along with antinationalism and Americanism, that I frequently get since I started this blog less than two years ago.
Technorati tags: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Religious Police, theatre, fatwa. # »
Recently, the religious police have banned a play (Arabic) in Safwa, east of Saudi Arabia, because it has included a male actor who plays a role of a woman. As far as I know, female actors are not allowed to take part in such plays, but the law says nothing about a male actor playing the role of a woman. Moreover, this play was already permitted by the ministry of culture of information, which is the government body responsible for regulating such activities. So, how could the religious police interfere in this matter?
The religious police have justified their action saying there is a fatwa issued by the governmental Permanent Committee for Scientific Research and Fatwa, a committee that prominent Saudi scholar Abdul-Mohsen Al-Obeikan once described as the "sleeping committee," that prohibits acting scenes which include men imitating women. Such fatwa is just another example of many fatwa's that make no sense, and unfortunately, there are many people out there ready to defend them.
These fatwa's, and the scholars behind them, are just making life here worse for everybody by getting their nose in every freaking side of our already messed up lives. I also got the feeling that this case, like many other previous cases where the religious police were involved, has a sectarian aspect, but I won't comment on it, because I don't want to get accused with sectarianism; an accusation, along with antinationalism and Americanism, that I frequently get since I started this blog less than two years ago.
Technorati tags: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Religious Police, theatre, fatwa. # »
I'm back, finally. I would like to thank all of you who left comments on my posts during my absence. Also, thanks to the Blogger team for including me in their Blogs of Note list. You could see that I have made some minor design modifications. I have reorganized the sidebar and made it easier for you to add your comments. Now, let's get some serious blogging done... # »
