RSSSociety & Culture Archives
November 04, 2007
MENA Idiocies overheard
Actually - I do bloody swear - at my hotel lobby this evening:
Group of Americans (I presume given where I am business or American development assistance people) talking:
"You know there has never been a war between two countries with Mc Donalds"
[blithering on about McDo]
"We should work harder to get McDonalds in these [presumably MENA] countries, and the culture of getting along will improve [or grow, frankly I forget the precise wording]"
Ensued was a long, statistically illiterate discussion on the impact of FDI and peace, politics, pro Americanness, etc. which provoked a deep desire to jump and shot "Black Swan, Nassim Taleb" and obscenities.
As I have to suspect the American government subsidized or otherwise promoted this illiteracy, I give my condolences to those who tax payments are subsidizing sheer idiocy... (although frankly the understanding of the limited applicability of certain kinds of observations or stat analysis is not politically driven so I have to limit my ranting)
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:23 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 07, 2007
US of A: Bizzaro World Provincialism
I confess I have never understood the shrieking fear of "foreign" that grips the US now and again: but above all in that strange mixture on the US right of Liberalism and Paranoia. The bizarre Ron Paul, "Libertarian" - sadly not really a synonym for classic liberalism in the US, but some strange mixture of Know Nothingism, petite bourgeois pseudo liberalism and just outright bizarre paranoia [fixed the bloody link you whingers]
Amero?
In any case, I think my somewhat leftish centre friends at Fistful of Euros have a point linking this strange fear and paranoia regarding treaties with the current Administration's approach. I have to suspect (although this is really Hogan material) some connexion.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:31 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
September 28, 2007
Blonde Girls & Dark Moors
Laila Lalimi reminded me of something irritating from Euro TV as I am trapped in La Blanche in a soulless hotel (which strangely gets no Arab Sats). As Laila links to the Moroccan rag, The Matin of Every Kingly Move discussing the scandal of a blonde little girl in Northern Morocco mistaken for that tiresome British bondie that went missing.... it reminded me that I saw the discussed interview with the moronic Spanish tourist with her hick accent en direct.
The short of it is the idiotic Spanish bint went on about how the little blonde girl must have been kidnapped because Moroccans are brown and not blonde.
Bloody idiotic stereotypes, the idiotic Spanish bint bouncing around the Rif, no doubt acquiring Kif - at least I hope she was - should have noticed the odd number of rather European looking locals.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 11, 2007
Reflexions on Reform & Jordan, Education and Change
I thought I would bring attention to a small set of commentary I indulged in, and perhaps shall later reproduce and expand on The Cunning Realist who was sadly sold by your rather typical Jordanian Royal Hype on the latest cool thing the King is doing in respects to setting up an Andover like academy in Jordan.
As I noted in comments, while it is without doubt more useful that wasting billions on an idiotic war in Iraq, and incompetently at that, the hopes that the Cunning Realist were sadly sold on come from at once swallowing Royal Agitprop undiluted, and second fundamentally misunderstanding the challenges in the Middle East (as well as I presume having a rather narrow understanding driven by Friedman Source Jordanians - i.e. the Jordanians who serve as Tom Friedman's sounding board).
Pity Cunning Realist is a good sort, got sold some rubbish though.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:29 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
April 23, 2007
Elmer Fudd
I would observe that my hotel room is very, very big - clearly made for the Saudi visitors - and to date the only interesting thing on my mind is being startled in seeing a picture of Elmer himself, head of Hizbullah (Lebanon) and the fronting display of a cell phone shop in es-Seef area. That was unexpected (of course plenty of Shia around, but odd choice in my mind for the front display of a cell phone shop.....).
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:04 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 16, 2007
French Political Tests, and relationship to MENA
Via Ibn Kafka (whose comments on the recent Casablanca bombings are very much following), a test for your Francophone political instincts.
Continue reading "French Political Tests, and relationship to MENA"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:39 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
March 06, 2007
Hijab et Football, FIFA et Reaction
While it doesn't surprise me that personages as fearful and ill-informed as Andrew Sullivan confuse the Hijab and the Niqab (a recent posting of his on the issue of the Hijab in Europe had a pic of a full out Saudi ninja gear woman), it does seem rather disappointing (if the blog got it right) that FIFA confuses the issue as well.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:00 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Opportunity Cost
I just had an amusing, even hilarious for me, lunch with my attorney who was ranting on about how his local clients have to be brow-beaten (and we're talking corporates, name brand even) into conveying timely information, to him, their attorney, for work they've demanded.
I actually have the exact same experience. It's amazing, really, what it takes to get the simplest fucking things done in this region. Efficiency. What's most irritating and yet in some ways puzzling (in others not when you think about internal organisational structures and incentives) is the foot dragging raises their costs as much as mine (or the attorney's). Of course the constant whinging on about costs etc when they sit down with a bill makes this even more infuriating.
But there are clear organisation incentives to non-performance in the typical MENA company, nothing shocking that doesn't exist in the West of course - see Dilbert. But as always, these things are a question of degree, and indeed the weakness of countervailing incentives.
In some ways it's a good way to look at the failures of Iraq, since the American decision makers innocently assumed the exact same incentive structures, decisional processes and worst yet, reactivity. And being arrogantly blinded to the sometimes (indeed often) subtle differences - any one of which may be individually trivial, but cumulatively is fatal - were unable to react, to adjust and change at once tactics and conceptual strategy in ways that actually responded to the real incentive structures.
I've noted in places like our fool Andrew Sullivan (and even more egregiously chez the Moustache of Understanding) comments tending to indicate that Arabs (or Muslims, en grosso modo) don't value / want / desire Liberty, etc. etc. That's bollocks - but the operational incentives for making changes to achieve those things require different approaches, and realisation that the near term incentive structure is weighted towards avoidance of decisions etc. - nails get pounded down - unless one has a means to control - as in guns.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 05, 2007
Externalities: Some Uses for Scum
Externalities.
In haircuts. Now that the authorities have shut the Khaliji whoring hotel across the street from my overly expensive hair cutter, the visual quality of the support staff has noticeably declined.
Continue reading "Externalities: Some Uses for Scum"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:27 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 15, 2007
Razor's and Preciousness, or I'm so very Muslim posturing
Tardily, but I thought I would share this. Of course I am right, as always, but I am sure many will disagree with my viewpoint but frankly I am tired of reading Muslim [it seems esp. an Indo-Pak non-native Arab speaker disease] writing in English that pretentiously uses Arab-lish translits for religious terms that are perfectly adequately expressed in ordinary English.
Worse, the idiotic responses pretending to tell me how "Muslims" speak about such issues (amusing pretention that), or trying to imply a lack of familiarity - rather than grasping the unnecessary self-segregation and foolish pretentiousness of injecting such terms.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:07 PM | Comments (43) | TrackBack
January 14, 2007
Bikini, Burqa and Bollocks - Or Sex & Bathing
Via eerie I presumje, a profoundly annoying article from Down Under lands on a ridiculously and most unfelicitiously named "burqini" in a rather ham-handed bit of pious preciousness for what amounts to an old 1950s style suit with a funny hood/cap on it.
The item which most annoyed, this:
Before the Burqini, Muslim women either avoided swimming or tried to swim in full clothes.
Which is complete bollocks.
It might more profitably read, "highly conservative Muslim women, rather unlike the hordes of not conservative women Muslims [or Muslimahs to adopt the precious langauge favoured in certain circles where Arablishisms are taken to be a sign of peity] who head to the beach and swim without oddly named retreads of pre-bikini era swim wear."
I should note my irritation is not with any woman choosing to wear the queerly named thing, but with the blanket declaration.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 12:07 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack
January 07, 2007
Parisian Serving Soup un-Kosher, un-Halal
A queer little article from the Financial Times on the Conseil d'Etat of France decision forbiding Solidarité des Français from distributing its soup containing pig ears, feet and tails to Parisian homeless
I have to say it has an only in France air to it, but gives one a moment to reflect on French approaches to "integration" and a tendecy to favour form over substance. It will surely be an occasion for the Phobics to rail on about "Eurabia" and their fevered imaginings regarding an Islamic threat in Europe.
Continue reading "Parisian Serving Soup un-Kosher, un-Halal"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:46 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 05, 2007
The Burning Issue in the Middle East That Will Resolve All Conflict
Properly designed public and quasi public restrooms that can (i) be properly maintained by sub-literate peasant cleaning staff with only the vaguest acquaintance with the restroom concept, (ii) be used for the various required abulatory pre-prayer functions without forcing said devote praying people into odd contortions such as washing their feet in the same sink I want to use to wash me face, (iii) for men, ideally with urinals that are at once functional, marginally water efficient and set a height that a reasonably constructed male can use without untoward events.
Continue reading "The Burning Issue in the Middle East That Will Resolve All Conflict"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:00 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
October 29, 2006
France, Immigration: On Delusions & Ignorance
Clive Davis has drawn my attention (in some ways I curse him) to a new round of utterly idiotic ignorant American whanking on about the problems in the French immigrant and native-born ethnic minority ghettoes.
While the violence infesting the immigrant and native born ethnic minority ghettoes is clearly reaching grotesque proportions, I have to question the sanity (or in the alternative honesty and/or intelligence) of writers that can send off missives characterising this as an issue of "Islamic militias" or of mass (white) emmigration to North America (the later proposition rather clearly racist).
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:16 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
October 22, 2006
Maghrebine Rap - Mashreqi Complexes
I was just listening to some Maghrebine rap sent by a friend and I have to say I was impressed - by the quality of making Maghrebine Derrija fit into the newest styling of Ragga style rap, of which I am generally a great fan of actually as it recalls my dissolute youth (which I suppose I can write as someone some of the last maneuvers of the Red Army as an adult) and my obsession at the time with Carribbean things, from the music to the clubs to the chicas.
I also thought of a conversation I had a number of years ago with a Jordanian friend who was quite the Rap fan and despite being a banker also spent much time working on his little Rap group. However, he refused to do it in Arabic. For which I constantly mocked him, with the prediction that the Maghrebines would adopt the form and nativize it into Arabic to the point that they'd be as good or better than its origins.
Indeed they have. And my amigo is still rapping in Arabo-English. (Of course he really is quite fluent in English)
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 10, 2006
Soup Operas
Drawing attention to an amusing arty in the FT on the annual Soup Opera scandals. I previously was interested in the Tash Ma Tash Soup Opera, although initially for its sardonic imagery re the 'War on Vague Abstractions in the Place of Concrete Policy'.
Continue reading "Soup Operas"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 08, 2006
Introducing Ramadan
Amusing intro to Ramadan: Ramadan, When Less Is More - from the Washington Post, but evidently an Egyptian-American journo. Only an Egyptian would feature snot soup as a Ramadan meal.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:30 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
October 07, 2006
Mr Straw & The Niqab
It appears that For. Sec. Straw's comments on the Niqab, the face veil, have set off a bit of a storm. From The Financial Times to The Times coverage of his original comments regarding prefering women not wear the face veil as divisive through to coverage of The Poodle's craven and inconsistent pandering and on to coverage (the sooner he is gone the better, I await with impatience The New York Times (but British official, I am come on, how about Brit For. Sec.?).
I am not sure if that is good or bad, but it bears some commenting on. First, when I first saw the comments I wasn't sure if he meant the hijab, which would have been annoyingly tedious, or the niqab, which I agree with. I am pleased to see it is about the covering of the face. There is a vast and important difference between the ninja get-ups that are so very Saudi Wahhabite neo-Islamic rot, and a woman covering her hair with a scarf.
Continue reading "Mr Straw & The Niqab"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:32 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
October 01, 2006
Violence, Christians, Muslims - Fallacious Framing, bis:
I caught an interesting article in The Washington Post on Somali shopkeepers and violence which I think is a decent point of illustration of the easy, fallacious framing that often occurs.
Now, in this instance, the article focuses on the xenophobic reaction of Xhosa to Somali shopkeepers, telling known by a name derived from Islamic and Somali vocabulary - baraka, which as many readers know is simply the Arabic for "blessing(s)," although not as the journo incorrectly puts it "God's blessings" as a phrase, merely understood, as in English low church usage that it's God that does blessing. Somalis are known as barakas. Now, the article, aside from some ethnic superficialities, is quite good. However, in reading it and reflecting on how such stories get framed I rather thought it typical of, in particular, Western journo reporting in Africa and elsewhere on violence where an ethno-religious cleavage exists.
Continue reading "Violence, Christians, Muslims - Fallacious Framing, bis:"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 11, 2006
Amplifying A Review
Today our comrade Tamerlane put up a quick little review of the new edition of the classic survey of Islamic societies, Lapidus' A History of Islamic Societies, a highly readable survey and overview of the scholarship on Islamic societies' history from inception through the modern era, explicetely covering not only the core Middle East, but also giving effective and substantial attention to the 'fringes' in Africa and Asia.
I think it worthwhile to expand on his very brief note to observe that this edition greatly expands on 19th and 20th century history - the first edition effectively broke off with the 19th century although it contained some overview of materials on 19th and 20th century. This edition summarises the history and the scholarship right up until 2000 fairly effectively, and while in terms of the 20th century coverage one can complain of a tinge of the standard academic left illiteracies with respect to business and economics, this are faint and clear enough.
For readers seeking a single tome overview of the MENA region and its environs, they can't do better than this. It is a far better choice than either the favourites of the academic left or Bernard Lewis.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:55 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
July 29, 2006
Thoughts on Prejudice, 3rd World etc.
Before turning to Lebanon and the continued idiocy, I thought I might draw attention to an interesting little note by FT columnist Sathnam Sanghera, racist customers who can take their custom elsewhere from a week back.
Sathnam, an amusing columnist from FT, takes a moment to reflect on a writer taking exception to one of his generally quite silly columns, who queerly wrote “spoilt snobby shite”, [Well, that's a fair cop re Sathnam, but it's part of his charm!] helpfully suggested I get back to “India or whatever filthy medieval country [I] come from”.
(I may add the following observation alone, however is worth the column: "“Northwest State Correctional Facility”, beginning with the improbable line “I am a prisoner and an FT subscriber”...." Well a quality paper gains readers in the oddest places)
Continue reading "Thoughts on Prejudice, 3rd World etc."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 28, 2006
Crossroad Cities: Tangiers & Topless Movie Stars
Taking a break from the All Leb (or Israel depending on jurisdiction) Massacres All The Time Media Frenzy, a quick comment on a well-placed (if sadly poorly timed for attention) arty in The Sunday Times on culture clash in tourism destination North Africa, specifically the historic city of Tangiers, long time city of sin, scum and other fine things that I like.
Continue reading "Crossroad Cities: Tangiers & Topless Movie Stars"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 26, 2006
Finding the amusing side to Leb Land crisis TV
Inappropriate but I was just cackling like a hyena over the truly silly interview that Al Arabiyah just had with a UNICEF official (Leb by accent) who rather gauchely praised the Qatari grants and aid to Lebanon (on Arabiyah after all, the KSA backed channel) the presenter rapidly interrupted her to mention the Saudi efforts as well...
It was pure gold. Well for those of us amused by such things.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 21, 2006
On lighter matters
I just caught what may be the queerest combination of music I have heard to date (that still merits the name music, meaning leaving aside the horrible clownish screeching that Cairo studios put out): Ragga-Rai.
Think a combination of Rai a la (ex-Cheb) Khaled and Shaggy.
Odd but compelling in a queer way.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:39 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 10, 2006
Updated References - Lapidus History of Islamic Societies, new edition
I just stumbled across this, and might even write something, but I thought a quick note that the A History of Islamic Societies (Paperback) 2nd edition (2002) is out. Well, okay, a few years late, but I hadn't noticed the updated edition. A quick review showed it's well-worth updating.
I also should share that this book is number two on the Amazon recommendations to me:
Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors
by Stephen G. Moyer
Average Customer Review:
Usually ships in 24 hours
Publication Date: November 1, 2004
The robot is smarter than I thought.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:16 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
June 27, 2006
France. Zidane.
Rot. That was good. But now I'm really in a pickle as I liked the Spanish better on some level, and now I am faced with Brasil-France......
Bollocks. I'm faced with pain no matter what.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:02 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 22, 2006
KSA Spain
I am predicting utter destruction.
I think I will start singing "Ya Saudi....."
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:35 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
June 05, 2006
Maghrebine Movies: Sex on the Beach & War in Europe
As I am on a Maghrebine roll at the moment, I thought I would draw attention to two Maghrebine films, Moroccan to be precise that deserve whatever puny attention I can bring.
Continue reading "Maghrebine Movies: Sex on the Beach & War in Europe"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:02 AM | Comments (22) | TrackBack
June 04, 2006
Deserving Further Comment: Muslim Women as Victims - Lalami's "Missionary Position"
In a rather longish piece in the American Leftist dinosaur paper, The Nation, expatriate Moroccan author Laila Lalami takes a whack at one of eerie's favourite topics, Muslim Victim Women Reformers in an arty entitled "The Missionary Position".
While I am not normally inclined to read such things as The Nation, the highlighting by The Arabist were enough to induce a read.
I cannot say that I am a fan of such hackneyed phrases as "supporters of empire", above when used seriously, but what can I expect out of literary types?
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 07, 2006
Bloody Annoying Whanking Morons
My dear friend and 'Aqoul quasi-colleague, as well as Dubai commentator extraordinaire, Secret Dubai has done a terrible thing.
Abusing her privs (well not really, but I indulge myself), she linked to a Totten piece on Libya on our main page via the 'Picks' function, without any warning or sign, leading me to innocently click through and afflict myself with my least favourite idiot's article on the country.
Now that I have polluted myself, I must purge. Which means a quick comment on this contemptible superficial git of a monolingual fool's typically impoverished comment on Libya.
Continue reading "Bloody Annoying Whanking Morons"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:38 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 13, 2006
Massaouie. Should be spared.
I am not often moved to comment on purely American matters, but the fiasco that is the Massaouie trial including today's latest bizarities move me to comment.
First, Massaouie is a complete loon. It strikes me as painfully clear Massaouie is clinically insane. He's a vile, bloodthirsty disgrace to his family, his people, and his religion, but he's also clearly utterly mad.
There is a common tradition across many legal traditions that one does not execute the insane. It strikes me this comes from a deep and profound sense of pity for the state of insanity, although not the individuals.
In the case of Massaouie, I personally have no regard for him at all. In many ways he's the very face of the Takfiri-Salafi incubus, the face of evil. In another way, he's a pitiful wreck of a confused loon. His latest antics on the stand, as reported by the Washington Post, confirm that.
I also find it .... more than moderately irritating that for many Americans, Massaouie's confused, rambling pretensions are going to be their first introduction to Islamic thought and theology. I suppose for the intelligent observer it is clear Massaouie's theology is a la carte, whatever works for his revence fantasies. For others, I fear, it may be "the" picture. Bloody minded monsters getting to put their sick views up as "the correct views." They win in a way through that.
Life in prison. An appropriate punishment for this sick, incompetent loon.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:58 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
February 28, 2006
Wikipedia, the game of obsessives
I passed - no wasted - some time this evening reading and arguing about several Wiki entries on the otherwise obscure conflict in the Western Sahara. This little remnant of the colonial era has found quite a little home among naive little American college students seeking causes.
Among the things I "leanred" was that there is an "intefada" going on in Morocco of the "Sahraouie" - oops, Sahrawi- people against the "most oppressive nation in the region" - that would be Morocco.
Weird, intefada, I have to say, as I travelled down south in Morocco last year and noted nothing. But according to the little American activists, there's an intefada. Silly me, having been in the Occupied Territories and detained by Israelis at gunpoint once, I would have thought I would spot on an intefada.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 05:58 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 30, 2006
For the Language Nerd
I stumbled across this site, in fact I have before come to think of it, but for the language nerd out there, I share this fine small introduction to Maghrebi dialects, part of a longer excerpts on the Arabic language. For those of you who speak Arabic, and wondered why the Maghrebine dialects were such a pain in the ass, here you have a nice intro. Fascinating, I learned a few things, and there was much linguistics mumbo jumbo I did not follow.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:44 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
January 17, 2006
Random Thoughts - News
Now that I have been back in the United States since a month and a half, a random observation.
That random observation is that US TV and in particular news has become atrocious, far worse than I recall. Bloody entertainment TV disguised as news. Even CNN and HN.
What is odd is international CNN has a rather better standard.
It renders, for me, ironic, the fulminations I read online from US bloggers about foriegn news sources.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:13 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 15, 2006
The Constant Gardner - Left Anti Global Rot
Now, I like the odd thriller and can put up with silly politics in my Hollywood films, but this film deeply irritated me.
The cartoonish portrayal of multinational drug firms working in emerging markets (yes, yes, for full disclosure I did once work for one of the largest pharma's in the world on such things, but I'm not uncritical) was deeply annoying, cartoonish and absolutely lapping up the most simple-minded empty minded anti-corporate anti-globalisation rubbish from the anti-globos droolers.
Pity, I liked the concept of the Ralph Feines character and a somewhat less cartoonish structure to the film (e.g. Syriana) might have made for some real lessons as I know full well from personal experience that my dear former pharma world can be idiotic (lawyers, I blame the lawyers in general).
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:47 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
December 23, 2005
Wafa bint Yelsam Bin Laden (bint Dufour) [added link and de rigeur illustration, plus further reflexions]
An odd piece of news. GQ is doing a sexy spread of Wafa Dufour (Bin Laden) (also see the online partial arty at GQ)
Not sure if this is a good idea or not (probably not, although the facile like Andrew Sullivan will trumpet it), but it is interesting.
By the way, the arty says Yeslam spells his name differently. No, he transcribes it differently. Who can blame him, given even the looney Left has it out for his fams.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 08:09 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack
October 30, 2005
An item to return to: the Maghrebine & Muslim diaspora in Europe and Jihad
Stopping by Daniel Drezner I found something of interest to comment on, notably The trouble with European Muslims...., based off of an arty in the European edition of Time Magazine, The Enemy Within
Rootless and restive, young Muslims in Europe are increasingly turning to religious extremism. An inside look at the threat from homegrown militants
Lacking time immediately to comment, I note that as is typical the comments section is tending toward the expected paranioa, but interesting questions are raised. Although with false dichotomies.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:44 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Press Freedom & Peevishness
The Moroccan business press carried an amusingly peevish reaction to the Reporters sans frontieres latest press freedom report (I confess I find it myself somewhat unconvincing as to methodology, but lack the interest to pursue further).
There was much whinging on about the unfairness of the rating, but the winning article closing I have to quote: "Morocco, remains, nevertheless, better placed than Palestine (132) or Egypt (143)."
I grant the writer my "Hey, but we're still better than the stinking Egyptians" award.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:39 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
October 12, 2005
Some observations on socialisation, expattedness, plumbers and afternoon apartment sex, videos and US foreign policy in MENA, from a personal perspective
Well, pratike is proving a good soucre of items to comment on in the past week, and since I do enjoy myself in this respect, let me present some comments on his comment, Why do they hate us? in my typically useful manner.
Our dear Man in Le Caire focuses on a snippet from a commentary in Foreign Affaires that I can not be bothered to read as of yet, but the snippet is quite good: "Forty-six percent of Egyptians polled identified U.S. policy as the source of their feelings, compared with 43 percent who stressed American values."
Well as the Man says, it is rather highish. The icky American values part that is. Leaving aside substantive questions as to the poll and the article, I prefer for the moment to entertain myself with pratike and commentators. More sporting, besides, I'm feeling ill.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:38 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
October 09, 2005
On Arabic II: Training, Translation & Intelligence
I nipped by "Liberals Against Terrorism" (an atrocious name I may add that never ceases to irritate me) and found Pratike commenting on Arabic again, on indeed financing of Arabic studies by the United States.
That incited me to comment.
First on the financing issues, given what I saw when learning Arabic in the dark ages there certainly could be (and here I refer to the Anglo world not being in any way conversant with actual teaching materials elsewhere - except in terms of in MENA region, which are regardless of language (including Arabic), risible) better finaning of efforts to develop better pedagogical materials - preprepared texts, targetted vocabularies and all the sorts of things I recall from German (although this was wasted on me, after I decided I loathed German) and French (although in this case I was young and impressionable).
Continue reading "On Arabic II: Training, Translation & Intelligence"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 10:28 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack
October 06, 2005
Queer Conversations
I had a most peculiar experience a few evenings ago, indeed it was unique in my experience to date in the region.
Continue reading "Queer Conversations"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 09:59 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
October 01, 2005
On Arabic, for Praktike
I noted the ever productive praktike has had a series of comments on Arabic that somewhat reek of the new learner.
I thought I might engage in a public service of a comment or two.
First, from this note
Incidentally, I'm now at the point in my Arabic studies where I can at least recognize who is and isn't a comfortable MSA speaker, and I'm beginning to understand As'ad AbuKhalil's snobbiness in this area. Gamal Mubarak speaks somewhat haltingly and melds Egyptian colloquial with MSA, whereas the Al Jazeera anchors and my teachers can prattle along like it ain't no thang, the latter with case endings and everything. I can imagine that being schooled abroad stunted Gamal's linguistic development.
Abu Khalil is a snotty prat of an arch literary leftist snob with regards to Arabic; arch purists like him should be disregarded,
Continue reading "On Arabic, for Praktike"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 03:31 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
September 28, 2005
Sexy Abaya wearing Arab Women, Assumptions: US Pub Diplo Meet in KSA
Returning to a subject more or less dear to 'Aqoul, women in the Arab world, for a moment, I wanted to draw attention to this intriguing article from the visit by US public diplomacy director Karen Hughes to Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Women Have Message for U.S. Envoy
Let me first say little in the article was surprising to me (including Ms. Hughes surprise that the "Sisters" did not look at their cultural heritage and mores in the same light as she expected), but it is a useful one for reflexion. Thus some comments on the article:
Update: The Financial Times also has this story. Better done actually.
Further update: Daniel Drezner has comments on the FT article and in comments I was amused by the commentator thinking that Saudis would be driving other Saudis as a general rule (or that middle class Saudis would find it a financial hardship to have servants...).
Continue reading "Sexy Abaya wearing Arab Women, Assumptions: US Pub Diplo Meet in KSA"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 02:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 05, 2005
On Sex & MENA: The Local Porn Industry
I have a longish reflection on this very subject, and on the issue of prostitution, general dress and the like. It needs editing (and has for months), but this week's report in La Gazette, a mainstream weekly, and some observations I made this weekend while shopping in my tres chic office-shopping mall complex provoke me to a small interim observation:
First, of course, I am not surprised that the article I cited, entitled "L’industrie du film X au Maroc" was published, given recent scandals in Agadir and hints of the same in Marrakech. Poverty combined with lack of opportunity combined with vast wealth differences always produces these kinds of things (although that has nothing perhaps to do with the Euro porn stars cited as having come to Marrakech).
I should note that the physical version of this article is rather more graphic and rather longer.
Continue reading "On Sex & MENA: The Local Porn Industry"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 06:12 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
New Orleans & MENA Coverage & Lessons (updated)
A number of comments and an email or two asked me about what I was seeing in regards to coverage of New Orleans.
A quick characterisation, with the following caveats: (i) recall, I am businessman, I consume media here for my own purposes, not as a full time media or political blitherer, (ii) I tend to consume only the useful mainstream media - the weird fringe papers and Salafi lunacy online is not part of my world, although I do not what I consume tends to reflect what "average Mohammed" might consume if he's not a loon or whatnot.
With those caveats, my note on coverage on New Orleans is that it largely was marginal until Saturday. The bridge massacre/catastrophe in Iraq, elections in Egypt, the grinding blithering on about Isreal-Palestine all (although especially the thousand odd dead in Iraq) tended to push the US off the radar.
On the weekend, as the astonishing incompetence of the US response to its own disaster became ever clearer (and the Iraqi catastrophe especially began to fade in the news cycle), New Orleans cropped up. I am chary to over-characterise the coverage as I had others things to worry about and did not pay terribly close attention, but the major themes from the Arab Sats struck me as (i) Incompetence, (ii) Racism - very much played up, (iii) Violence.
Unsurprising themes - note I refer here to the normal news and not to editorial content programs - which fit into the typical (and after New Orleans, perhaps one has to admit not baseless) stereotype of America as a racist violent society unable to control itself.
Nothing particularly new or interesting there. The incompetence angle - the feet of clay as it were - however is newish. Well, at least no one brought up how fat the average Louisianna resident appears to be.
[updated:]
I thought of a seperate post but rather than cluttering, this one should suffice as I hardly need to add to the New Orleans chatter any further.
Continue reading "New Orleans & MENA Coverage & Lessons (updated)"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 11:02 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 25, 2005
The Steven Vincent Tempest in a Tea Pot
I noted - by stumbling on Juan Cole's note in his Informed Comment - that there is a little mini-controversy in regards to some comments by Cole in regards to the journo Steven Vincent.
It's a queer little affaire, but seems to have set off the Right Bolshies a bit, as well as those easily offended, and the man's widow.
Well, like in the Nicholas Berg case, let me be my usual self and opine without regards to namby pambyism and faux concern.
Continue reading "The Steven Vincent Tempest in a Tea Pot"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 01:49 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
August 19, 2005
Entirely Because of Bou Aradvrak - Belly Dancing, Orientalism, Academic Cant and Pure Bemusement [And some added thoughts on Business Enviroment Data and Obsessive Charting]
I wish to share with my 'Aqoul compadres, cohorts, or whatever the bloody hell they are, the following:
Belly Dancing Resource of some kind and in particular, the Bellydancers and Harem Girls -- A[n] Historical/Cheesecake Gallery.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:00 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
August 03, 2005
Tempests & Tea Pots
In reading around the usual suspects I note a rather absurd and overdone debate has emerged due to the following posts:
First, Juan Cole's War on Terror Over at Bush Administration
Second, Glittering Eye's Critics - Neo Colonialists
Third, (and stopping there for sheer laziness in this unedifying circle jerk), Fisking Cole Photo Montage
My call, a bunch of absurd overreading, mixed in with the usual tedious American politics being fought via strained foreign policy pretexts. Also, confrimed for me Totten is a gullible idiot (not that his idiocies about the Lebanese intefada did not already), and a fool, as in the idiotic mix and match with Hizbullah, Dar Far etc.
Continue reading "Tempests & Tea Pots"
Posted by The Lounsbury at 04:24 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
Idiots: Marching in al-Qods
Stabbings at Jerusalem gay march
Attacker stabs marcher: Religious groups opposed the march going ahead
A religious protester has stabbed three people taking part in an annual gay pride parade in Jerusalem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4639731.stm
I had read about this previously, and thought it stupid, so let me say that organizing a gay pride march in Jerusalem is fucking stupid.
I have nothing against such marches as such, but in the context of Jerusalem, it is idiotic.
Posted by The Lounsbury at 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
