Comments on: Sex, Blogging, and Area Comparisons

By: Sameer, bangaore, india

Sameer, bangaore, india — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:57:26 +0000

The article uses the word ‘expose’. If the writer wishes to publicise that Lebanon has ladies who decide what to do with their time, then its good. Otherwise if the writer wants to criticise these Ladies Of The Night, then the writer is talking like a Hindu on the payroll of Fox TV.

By: Back home… « In the Middle of the East

Back home… « In the Middle of the East — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:51:04 +0000

[...] Back home… By zentor After a few busy weeks work-honeymoon-reunion-holiday in Belgium, I made it back to this country, which has managed to not have a government yet in the time Belgium got five of them together. Meanwhile, Irael is upping the threats of another war, which is being taken seriously by nobody but the most paranod (on the grounds that barking dogs don’t bite, and on the grounds that it will mean the virtual end of ‘Israel’). Some titbits that did happen and characterise this of this wonderful country full of contradictions in a superb way: ‘On a nice Sunday afternoon, one Mercedes ML350, a big black SUV, is heading towards Faqra. On board are two couples planning to have lunch in a restaurant in the area. The car has black dimmed glass all over– remember that this type of glass has been ruled illegal on civilian vehicles. Passenger #1: “Cool ride dude.” Sami (a Typical Lebanese): “Thanks man. It’s my dad’s you know, but all of the extras are the handy work of yours truly.” Passenger #1: “What extras?”And on it roared.For no more than $100, Sami had managed to buy himself the most outrageous, and illegal, of gadgets. He had in his car a police siren device complete with a public address system and a sound amplifier. Is there a need to mention that such a device should belong exclusively to Internal Security police cars? Sami pushed the siren button which instantly started to wail in the most atrocious of ways. He held the microphone to his lips and mimicked the line usually repeated by internal security forces (ISF) when “someone important” is blessing the commoners with his presence among them on the streets. “Silver Toyota move to the right!” And the poor woman driving the Toyota actually moved to the right side of the street. The incident had a surrealist quality: Typical Lebanese– Sami had actually perfected the aggressive tone of ISF officers who always sound like caffeine addicts deprived of their daily dose of the drug. He was maniacally speeding down the sloping hills of Rayfoun, pushing the siren on and on again (the image of a laughing Joker from Batman movies comes to mind), and cars around were obediently moving away from this important-looking death machine.’ Ben Gilbert, in Executive Magazine, writes a comprehensive article on the state of prostitution, which strangely enough turns out to be legal in this country, albeit in typical Lebanese fashion: ‘Siranossian calls the super nightclubs a “fantastic” solution to the problem of prostitution, because it allows the government to regulate and oversee the industry, somewhat akin to the way escort services operate in the US or Europe. Charbel verifies this, noting that police usually stop in three or four times a week. “They’re checking to see if the woman is in the club, and hasn’t gone out with a customer,” he said. Even then, it appears that circumventing the law is relatively easy. Policecorruption in Lebanon is nothing new, and several people acquainted with the industry said that in the past, law enforcement has often looked the other way if enough money is offered. “The law was permitting us,” he said. “When the police come, we’d pay a lot of money, and they’d forget everything for one week, two weeks,” he said.’ (pdf of the article via Qifa Nabki, here). [...]

By: Qifa Nabki

Qifa Nabki — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:40:10 +0000

No, please feel free. I’m glad AK is back and at it.

By: Umm Kais

Umm Kais — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:37:53 +0000

Hey Ras Beirut–

Abu Kais is back to blogging–after a much needed rest. Who can stay away from Lebanese politics for that long, no matter how ridiculous?

Check out AK’s blog. Sorry QN–not trying to promote other stuff on your blog!

By: Qifa Nabki

Qifa Nabki — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:48:45 +0000

On blogging vs. journalism: at the end of the day, it all comes down to how one defines blogging.

If blogging is defined by the medium — online, independently-run (usually with a “staff” of one), and free — then surely there can be some overlap with journalism in certain cases. If a blogger is actually out on the streets, gathering information from primary sources, reporting on events, etc. and writing them up on his/her blog in a just-the-facts-ma’am fashion, then I don’t see how this doesn’t qualify as journalism.

If blogging is defined by the message — i.e. opinion-based commentary on the facts as they are provided by journalists — then we’re really comparing apples and oranges.

By: 3arabawy BookMarx 08/19/2009 (a.m.) at 3arabawy

3arabawy BookMarx 08/19/2009 (a.m.) at 3arabawy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:32:33 +0000

[...] Sex, Blogging, and Area Comparisons « Qifa Nabki [...]

By: J of Chalcedon

J of Chalcedon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:07:24 +0000

There’s an element of professional amour-propre to the first piece which ignores affinities between bloggers and newsprint columnists, a status some journalists attain after years of scrabbling with lowly “facts.”

How’s that for prolix? And I’m not even a lawyer!

More importantly, the piece really doesn’t acknowledge that free speech principles apply in both cases (with civil remedies for libel, rather than criminal punishment. Has any web pundit faced litigation for claiming the mayor is a Freemason with a taste for pre-adolescent gymnasts? Any reason why it shouldn’t happen?).

The argument as framed in the first piece comes close to inadvertently backing press laws in the region that impose criminal penalties for offenses like “publishing false news”, i.e., lapses of “professionalism.” The repressive governments are sharper than defenders of vocational standards on this point.

By: Ras Beirut

Ras Beirut — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:38:02 +0000

Umm Kais,

Hope all is well. I used to read Abu Kais’s blog in the past. Both of you where great. From a selfish point of view, I was dissapointed that Abu Kais gave up blogging, because he was very very good. Really enjoyed all of his writings.

As far as how small Lebanon is comapared to a giangantic piece of land like America or Canada, I think good things come in small packages, and Lebanon is one of them small packages.

Lebanon might be small allright, but it is the prettiest/most intriguing in its own crazy way.

Give my best to Abu Kais.

By: Umm Kais

Umm Kais — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:10:43 +0000

Great area comparison–but it’s quite scary to see how small Lebanon really is!

By: Leila Abu-Saba

Leila Abu-Saba — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:16:24 +0000

Re: the map – I am a little boggled by it, since I know the DC area somewhat.

Reminds me why I used to tease my brother in childhood that if he fell out of bed (while visiting our family in Mieh-Mieh) he’d wake up in Israel. It is just ridiculously close. And yet people in Beirut often think of the South as this incredibly distant, alien, impenetrable region. Meanwhile, I met nice hijabed ladies at the waterfront cafes last year who were down from Beirut (southern suburbs) for the evening, because Saida is more “shaabi”.