Obama Talking to Just Arabs/Iran/MENA?

Matthew Hogan | Comments (0)
June 6, 2009 09:40 AM

So says the Jakarta Post. That's in Indonesia. Jakarta, that is, not the Post. Well, the Post too but there are Posts everywhere. At least three - democracy promotion, religious freedom and women's rights - of his seven points are more relevant to a region who's [sic] governments are bastions...[More]

Iran Blocks Facebook Before Election

Matthew Hogan | Comments (6)
May 27, 2009 08:27 PM

Tyranny likes this. Ahmadinejad sends Bad Karma to opposition....[More]

Divided Dubai

Top Secret Anonymous Guy | Comments (2)
May 21, 2009 07:35 AM

Dubai is a remarkable exercise in segregation. If your entire acquaintance with the place is through glossy articles in the media, you might well wonder how this could be. After all, Dubai is often described as a cosmopolitan city. You can find a remarkable range of nationalities and cuisines here,...[More]

Muslim Defiant Piousness Cures Swine Flu

Shaheen | Comments (4)
May 7, 2009 01:22 AM

Videos like this one really irritate me. In fact, the whole Muslim obsession with prayers or the length of women clothing gets on my nerves, particularly when actual issues are overlooked. Quick notes to my fellow Muslims:...[More]

Emirates Torture, goes "global"

The Lounsbury | Comments (4)
May 2, 2009 07:56 AM

Well, it appears that the Abu Dhabi ruling family has gotten itself into a pickle with one of its more "tradition" minded royals. That is the torture video of Sheik Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The age of youtube and fast diffusion of such media wrongfooting their Emirates image-branding. I confess...[More]

Happy May Day! New Month Post

evaluna | Comments (21)
May 1, 2009 12:01 AM

Happy Real Labor Day, everyone! Well, I suppose Site News is the most appropriate category for this little announcement...Tom and I are getting hitched, most probably at the beginning of September. I blame Aqoul - it's all about increasing contact and improving communication between people of various faith backgrounds, right?...[More]

A Public Service Clarification for non MENA Readers, re Pig Flu

The Lounsbury | Comments (9)
April 29, 2009 07:30 PM

Contrary to some heated speculation about Arab Muslims being scandalised that there is a Swine Flu potential epidemic, as seen on certain blogs, etc, I am happy to report Arab language media in MENA is not, to date, scandalised. As it would happen, most non-psychotic Muslims are (i) Aware that...[More]

Palmyra's Last New Month Post?

Shaheen - July 1, 2009 01:07 PM | Comments (4)
Filed Under: Site News

For the first time in years, Aqoul skipped this tradition last June. Not many new posts, most contributors have deserted and comments on The Lounsbury's journal are even disabled - with no sign of life from the gentleman.


Can Iran Firmly Sustain An Election? Links and Stuff

Matthew Hogan - June 16, 2009 08:51 PM | Comments (5)
Filed Under: Central Asia , Gulf , Islam & Politics , Islamism , Political Development , Press Freedom , Society & Culture

Some numbers crunching here and analysis with gossip here. Word of mouthy reports of human rights leaders being arrested here. A danger of hanging chadors. Links and or leads to them, courtesy of Aqoulite Eva Luna who is too engaged to otherwise post.

So, who won?


Books & Media

Under the Cover of War: the Zionist Expulsion of the Palestinians

dubaiwalla | Comments (1)

The Arab-Israeli conflict is central to any discussion of Middle Eastern history over the past few decades, and the fate of Palestinian refugees lies at the heart of problem. In her book, Rosemarie Esber examines the last few months of...[More]



Journals

Sadly not engagedd

The Lounsbury - July 1, 2009 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
Filed Under: Blog Notes - Admin

I am afraid that yours truly is more than a bit distracted by the MENA echoes on the global crisis and the rather unpleasant charge of "rationalising" staff across several offices, as well as designing a new regional strategy. This...[More]

Rediscovering the Redesign

eerie - January 7, 2009 11:56 PM | Comments (12)
Filed Under: Site News

I was poking around today on my laptop and came across a number of half-finished mockups for Aqoul's new design. Here's one approach, very modern and clean. Might implement it if I ever get some free time... By the way,...[More]

Gender Differences, part 657

Matthew Hogan - May 22, 2009 10:16 PM | Comments (3)
Filed Under: American Culture , Egghead Stuff , Irony Watch , Random Personal , Rants- General

Just noticed over the course of a lifetime, though perhaps just in my narrow experience or my still narrower imagination, a subtle difference in how the shock-driven harrumph is expressed:...[More]