Thank You
At some hour, while I was sleeping, the blog hit 1M hits. Pretty cool, even though it is just a number.
AdventureMan said “how about if I take you out for dinner tonight to celebrate.”
(Thursday night is always date night. We always go out for dinner. He was being funny.)
But he reminded me that I used to thank my readers, and I haven’t done that for a long time.
Most of us who blog, and who continue blogging (it’s the continuing part that is hard work) blog because that’s the way God made us – he created us wanting to share the written word. For me, it’s sort of like thinking out loud, and many times I throw out ideas hoping to get other points of view to help me see things more fully, from more perspectives.
You, my readers, have given me unexpected points of view many, many times, and I thank you. Months after I write an article, you will read it and comment – and I read every comment. Thank you.
Coming soon, AdventureMan and I are starting a whole new adventure. I’m not so sure I am going to continue blogging. I won’t be living in an exotic country; I will be living a more normal American life, as a Grandmama. I know it will fascinate me, but I am not so sure you will find it all that interesting, LOL.
Again, thank you for your support and input these three years of blogging, and for finding me and my ideas and my fascination with current events much more interesting than I find myself. 😉
And, for those of you who always ask, yes, the Qattari Cat will be going with us, and yes, he is till with us (crying right now because AdventureMan has left for work and his heart is broken), I just haven’t taken a lot of photos lately because mostly he sleeps, and he looks pretty much the same.
24 Hours: 1 Million
I know, I know, numbers are just numbers.
However.
In the next 24 hours, my blog is going to hit 1 million hits. There are blogs who get a lot more visitors than I do, but never did I believe I would get a million hits. Never. LOL, I’m surprised I’m still blogging!
Pink Glove Dance Reaches Millions :-)
Remember the Pink Glove Dance? Today, in AOL News, is a report that over three million people have clicked on the U-Tube Video promoting free mammograms for women who can’t afford them:
Pink Glove Dance Reaching Millions
AOL News
(Dec. 5) — A video showing hundreds of dancing hospital employees wearing pink gloves in support of breast cancer awareness has become an Internet sensation.
The video, put together over two days with the help of 200 employees at a Portland, Oregon hospital, has more than 3 million hits and thousands of comments on YouTube.
Martie Moore, nursing manager at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, told CNN the hospital has received hundreds of calls, e-mails and notes about the video.
The idea for the video came from Medline Industries Inc., the company that makes the pink gloves. The company said it would donate a portion of its glove sales to fund mammograms for women who would struggle to pay for them, ABC News reported.
The employees dance to “Down” by singer Jay Sean. Moore said many of the employees had been personally affected by breast cancer.
The janitor who closes out the video with a solo performance had a mother who battled with breast cancer. Moore said he told her, “This is just a disease that just keeps touching lives.”
He turns a desert into pools of water
One of today’s readings in The Lectionary are these verses from a much longer reading, Psalm 107. When I read these lines, I can’t help thinking how this very dull and flat land, Qatar, this little thumb sticking up into the Gulf, has greened, how the oil and gas have served to green this land, to change its face, and how much money is flowing out from this country to many other countries of the world.
All those of us from far away countries who labor here are benefitting from these springs of wealth, sending money home.
33He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
38By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
42The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
For my Christian readers, Muslims also use the Psalms as holy readings –
“The Qur’an (Surah An-Nisa 4:163) states “and to David We gave the Psalms”. Therefore, Islam confirms the Psalms as being inspired of God.”
Did you know that?
Big Change; No Smoking
Sometimes change happens, and it happens so slowly or so subtly that you don’t really realize it has happened until something draws it to your attention.
Kuwait blogger Touche, one of my old virtual-blogging-buddies commented on a driving post, wondering about the baby steps it takes to change a mentality. The subject was driving, and I know he was right, I am writing “endlessly” about how annoyed I get by the lack of civility in driving here.
What I am not writing about, I noticed, is how annoying it is to be breathing other people’s smoke while I am eating.
Because it is not happening.
Who knew?
When we lived in Qatar before, people would sit right under the NO SMOKING signs and light up.
I saw things change in Kuwait. From the time we got there to the time we left, there were fewer and fewer times someone would light up in a restaurant.
Things CHANGED.
Expectations changed. I am guessing the smokers felt pressure, not just from the community, but also from family members. I don’t know if there are fewer smokers; I am inclined to think not, because I can see them smoking in their own cars. Hey – as long as I do not have to breathe their smoke, it’s fine with me, it’s their choice.
But the significant thing is – I didn’t believe it could ever change. And it did change, and it changed faster than I would have thought possible.
So I have hope for the driving issue. I think it starts with seat belts. I think if Mothers and wives start buckling up, and buckling up their children, that will be a first step. I think if there is an emphasis on driving manners, things could change. It’s a mind-shift before a behavior shift, an awareness of safety and an awareness of our interconnectedness. One thing I have seen in the Gulf is that parents raise their children to have good manners; manners are an important consideration also when considering a mate. If you take the driving problem as a manners problem, and emphasize the need for good manners on the road, maybe there is a possibility of change . . .
There is another area where I think change can happen – throwing things out the car window. If it becomes a commonly held value that throwing trash / cigarette butts / food wrappers out the window is bad behavior, I think it will stop. Maybe hand out car trash bags to raise awareness?
Have you seen the change in smoking? What I am noticing is that my dinners are no longer ruined by someone nearby lighting up. I don’t smell smoke in the malls. I don’t smell smoke in the airports. Pretty amazing, don’t you think?
Debate on Media Freedom in Doha, Qatar
From today’s Gulf Times:
Debate on Qatari press law
The Doha Centre for Media Freedom (DCMF) will hold a roundtable discussion on the Qatari press law that dates back to 1979, on Wednesday, at The Ritz-Carlton Doha, an official said yesterday.
According to the official, under the discussion will be the need for a Qatari media, and the view concerning modification and changes to the accrual Press Law, in order for it to match the requirements of the current era.
Discussions will be moderated by DCMF deputy director general Maryam al-Khater, while senior media officials of the country, editor-in-chiefs, senior journalists, heads of media organisations and others are expected to be in attendance.
After an introductory presentation of the most-recent study prepared by DCMF on the Press Law, comprising recommendations, suggestions, and analyses, the floor will be opened to what is expected to be a “vigorous debate”, the official said.
“The DCMF calls on all media specialists to exercise their right of expression by participating in this gathering and sharing their thoughts about the possibility of amending the negative provisions of the law for journalists’ rights as well as adding provisions which respond to their ambitions,” the official added.
The event coincides with the National Day for Human Rights, which falls on November 11 every year.
There was an earlier report, on June 24th, that most of the original members of the DCMF had resigned:
Media Freedom Centre team leaves office
DOHA: Robert Ménard, director- general of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom and his team have left the Centre.
“We no longer have either the freedom or the resources to do our work,” said Menard, in a statement issued yesterday.
The heads of the assistance, research and communications departments have also left the Centre, said the statement.
The Center was set up on the initiative of H H Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and Reporters Without Borders in December 2007.
Ménard, who became director-general on April 1, 2008, was the founder of Reporters Without Borders, which he headed for 23 years.
I imagine this is going to be a very interesting “vigorous” debate, of interest to all those who write – or blog – on Qatar. One of the things I notice in both Kuwait and Qatar is that in the interest of self-preservation, the newspapers self-censor. For example, when a crime is committed, if it is an Asian, or even, rarely, a westerner, the name of the criminal can be printed. If it is a local citizen, they do not print the names, not ever, unless it is a rare case where the defendant is convicted and appeals – on rare occasions, the name will appear then. In order to spare the family the embarrassment, I have been told, but I would think that the fear of embarrassing the family would have a strong deterrent effect on young men, for example, who think it is OK to abduct, rape and humiliate young men and women, without fear of having their crime made public.
In Kuwait, they publish the crimes committed, at least. In Qatar, you would think from reading the papers, that these crimes don’t exist. They do. They aren’t reported.
I think it is very cool that in Qatar, many of these issues are opened for public debate, as in this media debate, and in the ongoing Doha Debate series.
Setting Up for the TriBeca Film Fest
A lot of my life is just like yours – fairly routine. Regular meetings, regular obligations, regular trips to the market to keep my family in food, meal preparations, etc.
Lately, even my mother commented I’ve been eating out a lot. No! No! It’s not true!
We do eat out a couple times a week. I don’t always take photos because many of the places we eat, we have already reviewed at least once.
When guests come to town, we often eat out a little more because we are on the go.
And so like during one trip, I can take photos for a number of different posts. One trip to Souq al Waqif and I have mermaid fabric photos, a restaurant review, a photo of the new tower, maybe a few shots for the school calendar, some traffic revision shots upon leaving – see what I mean? It’s not like I am eating out all the time, but when we go someplace new or when I need something to blog about, I dig them out.
This is one of those “just one more thing” shots – they are setting up at both the Museum of Islamic Arts and at the Souq al Waqif for the upcoming Tribeca Film Fest. They say Robert de Niro will be here (Wooo HOOOOOO!) There is a lot of excitement building, and I can understand – they are going to a lot of trouble to make sure it is a BIG deal.
You can find out more about the Tribeca Film Fest 2009 by clicking on the blue type.
Reminder: Blog Action Day Thursday 15 October 209
Hey Everyone,
Blog Action Day is this Thursday, October 15!
We’re excited to report that more than 5000 bloggers have already registered from 126 countries, with more signing up each day.
If you haven’t registered yet, it is not too late. Sign up here: http://www.blogactionday.org/en/blogs/new
Once you’ve signed up all you need to do is write a post about climate change this Thursday. We’ll have a live feed of all your posts on our homepage so you can track the conversation.
But, you may be asking, what am I going to write about?
We’re here to help. Climate climate impacts nearly all aspects of our lives, from business and technology to food, transportation and travel. Here’s a list of ideas and places to look for inspiration when deciding what to post on Thursday.
Food: Agricultural production around the world is responsible for nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions as all forms of transportation put together, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the food choices we make have a big impact on the climate. Read more and check out a few explanatory videos here.
Travel: More than 30 top travel blogs are participating in Blog Action Day. Check out who’s blogging and get ideas for writing about the connection between travel, geography, transit and climate change.
Events: If you want to write about what people around the world are doing locally to take action on climate change, check out our friends at 350.org. They’re organizing an International Day of Climate Action around the world on October 24. You can also check out their tools specifically for bloggers. For more events and actions to write about, go to: http://blogactionday.org/en/takeaction.
Business: Take a look at our post on 5 Ways Climate Change Will Change Business in the 21st Century to get some ideas of where climate change will have a big impact, and opportunities for the business sector.
Politics: It’s hard to ignore the connection between climate change and politics — from international negotiations to local and domestic policy debates. We’ve profiled some of the best political blogs participating in Blog Action Day this year where you can brush up on the inside information.
None of these topics fit your interest? We just put up a blog post with a longer list of topics and how they connect to climate, including design, technology, family, health and more. Take a look and add your ideas in the comments for everyone to see.
How you write about the way climate change affects our lives is up to you. The most important thing is that you participate so that together, we can help create an expanding global conversation about one of the most important issues we face.
Thanks so much,
Robin Beck
Lead Organizer
Blog Action Day 09: Climate Change.
Kuwait Censors ‘Terror’ Blogs, Websites
Teeny Teeny Tiny Article in today’s Gulf Times:
Kuwait censors ‘terror’blogs, websites: report
Kuwait has blocked a number of Internet blogs and websites with links to “terror” cells and groups, a top official said in comments published yesterday. “The ministry has blocked blogs … used by some to communicate with terror cells and extremist groups,” communications ministry undersecretary Abdulmohsen al-Mazeedi told Kuwait’s An-Nahar newspaper. He said the ministry had also blocked sites deemed offensive to God and the emir and which undermined what he called national unity, in addition to sites promoting pornography. Mazeedi said the ministry was applying the law and “aims to preserve Islamic values.”
More information, from Al Watan:
Kuwait blocks terrorـlinked Web sites
KUWAIT: Kuwait has blocked a number of Internet blogs and Web sites with links to “terror” cells and groups, a top official said in comments published on Friday.
“The ministry has blocked blogs …used by some to communicate with terror cells and extremist groups,”Communications Ministry undersecretary Abdulmohsen AlـMazeedi told Kuwait”s AnـNahar newspaper.
He said the ministry has also blocked “sites deemed offensive to Almighty God and to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlـAhmad AlـSabah and which undermined national unity,” in addition to sites promoting pornography. Mazeedi said the ministry was applying the law and “aims to preserve Islamic values.” However before blocking any site, the ministry takes permission from the Public Prosecution.
A number of MPs have described the ministry”s monitoring of blogs as a breach of the Constitution and threatened to question the communications minister in Parliament.
Last year, the Public Prosecution questioned Mohammed Abdulqader AlـJassem for writing an article on his Web site that was deemed offensive to the country”s crown prince.
In 2007, blogger and journalist Bashar AlـSayegh was detained for two days after comments deemed offensive to the Gulf state”s ruler were posted on his Web site.
The man, who posted the comments, a Kuwaiti citizen, was jailed for two years.ـAFP
Last updated on Saturday 26/9/2009
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