Opinion: Newcomer to Tripoli… and I Like It!
By Sophie McBain
22/11/2008 15:16:00 ( source )
"So why Libya?" I am asked for about the three-hundredth time. And I must confess that, for about the three-hundredth time, I am momentarily stumped. Tripoli is not the most obvious choice for a young British girl who is fresh out of university and speaks no Arabic.
I mutter something incoherent about the flagging job market in the UK, my boredom of London and a minor mid-life crisis that came twenty years too early. And yet, if I am still confused about my motives, I have no regrets about my recent move to Tripoli.
Perhaps I had too little time to think things through during my whirlwind last few months in Britain. After the chaotic scramble for a visa, a hasty stuffing of bags and a few rushed good-byes, there was no time left for contemplation.
Before I knew it I was facing the Libyan customs official, peering at him nervously through a blue haze of smoke as he examined my visa, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lower lip. He conversed quickly in incomprehensible Arabic with his colleague and, ever the awkward Brit, I found myself praying that I would not have to face the humiliation of being sent straight back home. But suddenly I was let through.
I had no idea what to expect of Tripoli. A rushed read of the Lonely Planet guidebook had not helped me much. In any case, I have stopped taking guidebooks seriously since one once advised me that 'if you experience a serious earthquake, the best strategy is to curl up and kiss your ass goodbye.'
One thing I had not anticipated was the friendliness and generosity of the people here. To someone who has not yet been to Tripoli, this might sound overly trite. Anyone who doubts that these things make a difference, should visit London. You could easily spend a year living in London and still feel like a stranger to the city.
The British government recently had to put up posters on buses to remind commuters to give up their seats to old people and pregnant women. Rest assured Libyans do not need reminding of such duties.
I have been in Tripoli for just one week and already I feel welcome. I have experienced a myriad of small acts of kindness.
From the people I barely knew who invited me into their homes and plied me with coffee and cake, to the shopkeeper who insisted on carrying my six huge bottles of water home for me and looked embarrassed when I even tried to thank him.
Other newcomers to the city have noticed this too. One friend recounted how she once accidentally left some very expensive electrical equipment in the back of a taxi.
A few hours later, the taxi driver turned up bearing the forgotten goods and apologised whole-heartedly for his delay in returning and for the fact that he’d opened up the bag to see what was inside. In London, this same event would be nothing short of a miracle.
So, I have swapped the bright lights of Oxford Street for wandering around the old city. It is truly refreshing to be able to explore a middle-eastern souq without the constant pressure to buy endless trinkets at "Asda price, spice girl."
In place of evening bar-crawls I go for cappuccinos on the seafront, and I am sure that if they could see how beautiful the beach looks at sunset, my pub-dwelling friends would be jealous. Maybe I will even start enjoying Celine Dion, who is played almost everywhere, but this might take a little longer.
I still need to make a few adjustments to my Tripoli life. I have to learn how to cross roads like a Libyan, so that I don’t spend ten minutes hesitating by the roadside, until a local crosses upstream from me. It would help if I could pronounce my 'ain without resembling a strangled cat and could manage my raa' without sounding like an inebriated Frenchman. Taxi journeys could be a bit easier if I could just remember exactly where I live.
But for all these miscommunications and dodgy directions, I am happy, for the moment at least, to leave London behind.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
So why Libya?
Friday, July 10, 2009
News Report on the Linux Day in Libya
Even though the event covered in this video is a few months old; but it still provides some insight on some of the technological trends in the country and highlights a different, and mostly under reported, segment of the society. Unfortunately for the non-Arabic speaking it's in Arabic :P.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Don't use Twitter
While we're on the topic of heat, there's this funny post that has been floating around the internet for a while now, check it out below :
And that warning doesn't apply to this post :P.
* just in case anyone is going to get self-righteous on me, yeah I did edit the original post alot :P, and trying to read such small font is really pathetic of you. Edited : Damn it isn't that small .
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Hot !!!!!!!!!!!
It's nearly midnight and the temperature is 30 degrees centigrade with 40% humidity, you can literally feel the heat radiating out of the ground and tomorrow's peak is reported to be 41 degrees with 12% humidity. The whole week is going to be in the 40s range ............... #:-S
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Kufra a humanitarian outpost
Nicely written article, even though it has as usual some biases; but a good read nonetheless :
Kufra, A Remote Human Settlement in Libya Helps WFP Deliver Aid to Hundreds of Thousands
20/04/2009 15:16:00
By Sophie McBain The small town of Kufra, close to the Egyptian, Sudanese and Chadian borders in southeastern Libya, is undoubtedly one of the most remote human settlements on earth. Built on an improbable natural groundwater supply in the heart of a virtually impenetrable stretch of the Sahara, the nearest town is over 600 km away. The climate here is unrelenting. Kufra has not seen a drop of rain since 1977. Since 2004, Kufra has also hosted a vast United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) operation to deliver essential food aid to Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in Chad. In 2008 21,700 metric tonnes of food aid was offloaded from ships in Benghazi, 1,300 km away, and transported by truck to Kufra. The road ends 200 km outside of Kufra. Once in Kufra, the food aid is stored in warehouses to be delivered by desert trucks for the remainder of the journey to western Chad. The mission contributes to the feeding of 250,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad, 180,000 Chadian internally displaced people and 57,000 refugees from the Central African Republic. Moreover, the crisis in Sudan has worsened and the number of refugees is increasing exponentially. This year alone, the refugee population caused by the Darfur conflict has doubled and Jacques Collignon, WFP senior regional logistics officer, estimates that this number may yet increase by another 300,000. To make up for this, he believes that the Kufra mission will have to increase its current output, which currently fluctuates around 5000 tonnes per month, to 8,000 tonnes a month. The magnitude of these operations is already breathtaking. WFP has 20 hangers in Kufra, each holding 1,300 tonnes of food aid, but some food has had to be stored outside, protected by tarpaulin covers, due to a shortage of storage space. The operation has around 300 trucks in circulation at one time and each truck carries at load of 25-27 tonnes.  Photo: WFP has 20 hangers in Kufra, each holding 1,300 tonnes of food aid. Scaling up operations in Kufra will never prove easy. "People think of the numbers and these are impressive enough, but they don't really take into account the logistical complexity of this operation" Brian Gleeson, United Nations in Libya Resident Coordinator, commented. The journey from Kufra to Abeche in Chad takes 4-6 weeks to complete; progress is slow when the desert trucks are carrying their massive cargo over shifting desert sand. During this time the drivers must carry with them all the food and water needed for the journey. There are no more stopping points before Abeche, over one thousand kilometres away. If anything goes wrong with the trucks, and by all accounts this is not a rare occurrence, the drivers must fix the problem themselves. When it comes to navigating through this hostile terrain, however, the drivers excel. Many come from Kufra or Chad and their knowledge of the Sahara is unrivalled. Abdelmenam Saleh Benali, Logistics Assistant at WFP Libya tells the story of when he invited an expert from Egypt to monitor the drivers' abilities. Somewhere along the route from Benghazi to Kufra, long after the asphalt road has given way to sand, the Egyptian lost his glasses. He didn't notice until his arrival in Kufra at midnight, at which point he gave up all hope of being able to continue the journey fully-sighted. But a driver offered to pick them up and drove through the other-worldly darkness of the desert at night to retrieve the stranded spectacles. He found the glasses without deviating from his course once. These are men of the Sahara. They know the desert like the back of their hand. It is not only the geographical landscape that makes the journey so arduous. The area the trucks pass through is extremely politically volatile and often the drivers have to plan their route according to different tribal territories in Chad. Recently, the Libyan government has provided a free military escort to the Chadian border and from there on the convoy is escorted by Chadian troops. This does not, however, prevent incidents from occurring.  Photo: Brian Gleeson, L, UN Libya Resident Coordinator, and Omar Ali, WFP Program Coordinator reviewing last minute arrangements before the departure of the convoy. The convoys of up to 100 trucks may be spread out over many kilometres and the military can only ensure a rapid response mechanism, not round-the-clock protection. Abdelmenam Saleh Benali reports that whilst no drivers have been killed, many have to hand over their phones and their money to armed rebels, some of whom are as young as fourteen or fifteen. These are not the only dangers faced along this journey. In early 2008, one young driver was killed by a landmine in South East Libya, close to the Chadian border. The incident happened at night and his horrified companions were stuck to the ground, unable to risk immediately retrieving his body, as Islamic custom requires. The border areas are filled with landmines, a legacy of the Second World War battles that took place here and the 1970-1980 wars with Chad. The United Nations Development Programme in Libya is overseeing the escalation of the Libyan government's de-mining activities, but the risks remain significant. Interested to hear more about the WFP driver's perspective on this dangerous journey, I head down to the warehouses to interview a few of them as they are making their final preparations for departure. There are two people per truck, a driver and an assistant, and they show me the tiny double bunk installed behind their seats, their home for the next few months. On the side of their truck a small kitchen arrangement is installed, 'my restaurant' one of them jokes. Some drivers take a sheep with them, tied to the top of the truck, to provide some meat for on the journey. "The desert is insufferable. It is always too hot or too cold. Sometimes there are sandstorms and you sit down to eat your lunch and all you eat is sand. The first time you do this trip is the worst. In the desert you think of nothing. It's OK now, but you think of nothing" one driver, Mohammed, explains. Another driver, Hakim, tells me he has a wife and six children in Kufra. "It's very hard to leave them for this long, but I have to feed them" he explains. Bound together by a shared fate and quite often blood ties, the camaraderie between the drivers is evident. The trucks travel in groups of around five, and the drivers take it in turns to cook and are on hand to provide assistance if one truck breaks down. In the evenings some listen to tapes and dance. Mohammed is clearly a Francophile, he learnt his French at school in Kufra and speaks it excellently. His favourite artist is Jacques Brel, though his friends prefer Egyptian and Sudanese music, he assures me. Others enjoy less entertainment. Moatasser says he does little but drive and sleep for the long four to six weeks in the desert. He is surprised when I even ask how he finds his job. "It's the desert, of course it's hard." he replies. So what exactly motivates these drivers to undertake this difficult task? Some of them have never even seen the beneficiaries of their food aid. "But we do hear things" adds Mohammed "sometimes you really get the impression that if you don't get things transported quickly these people will just die." Others do make it to the camps and Abdelmenam Saleh Benali describes how the drivers are changed by the experience. "At first these guys are in it for the money. They are hard desert people and they are not easily moved, but when they return their mentality completely changes." Hakim tells me he has seen the camps and that's why he keeps working for WFP, even if he could get higher rates elsewhere. There is no denying however, that in a small, isolated town like Kufra, WFP is big business. Omar Ali, WFP Programme Coordinator, estimates that since the launch of WFP operations in Kufra, it has injected over 60 million Libyan dinars into the town's economy. These changes are evident, in the large amount of building work taking place, the proliferation of new shops and supermarkets and the satellite dish on every rooftop, a valued commodity in a country that was long cut off from the outside world. Indeed, the Libyan government and WFP enjoy a somewhat symbiotic relationship. The government provides the warehouses, a free military escort and a 25% discount on fuel. In return, WFP provides jobs to an area where other opportunities are minimal. With the crisis in Sudan showing no signs of abating, WFP's operations can only expand. These complex missions have played a critical role in the region and not only for the hundreds of thousands whose survival depends on their success. It has also transformed Kufra from an isolated stopping point for the lonely few who venture this deep into the desert, into a vibrant hub of activity. Amidst a conflict of devastating proportions, WFP's activities represent a noteworthy triumph for humanitarianism. | ||
Sunday, June 28, 2009
CIA Crucified Abu Gharib Prisoner
The Central Intelligence Agency crucified a prisoner in Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, according to a report published in The New Yorker magazine.
“A forensic examiner found that he (the prisoner) had essentially been crucified; he died from asphyxiation after having been hung by his arms, in a hood, and suffering broken ribs,” the magazine’s Jane Mayer writes in the magazine’s June 22nd issue. “Military pathologists classified the case a homicide.” The date of the murder was not given.
“No criminal charges have ever been brought against any C.I.A. officer involved in the torture program, despite the fact that at least three prisoners interrogated by agency personnel died as a result of mistreatment,” Mayer notes.
An earlier report, by John Hendren in The Los Angeles Times indicted other torture killings. And Human Rights First says nearly 100 detainees have died in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hendren reported that one Manadel Jamadi died “of blunt-force injuries” complicated by “compromised respiration” at Abu Ghraib prison “while he was with Navy SEALs and other special operations troops.” Another victim, Abdul Jaleel, died while gagged and shackled to a cell door with his hands over his head.” Yet another prisoner, Maj. Gen. Abid Mowhosh, former commander of Iraq’s air defenses, “died of asphyxiation due to smothering and chest compression” in Qaim, Iraq.
"There is no question that U.S. interrogations have resulted in deaths," says Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU. "High-ranking officials who knew about the torture and sat on their hands and those who created and endorsed these policies must be held accountable. America must stop putting its head in the sand and deal with the torture scandal." At least scores of detainees in U.S. custody have died and homicide is suspected. As far back as May, 2004, the Pentagon conceded at least 37 deaths of prisoners in its custody in Iraq and Afghanistan had prompted investigations.
Nathaniel Raymond, of Physicians for Human Rights, told The New Yorker, “We still don’t know how many detainees were in the black sites, or who they were. We don’t fully know the White House’s role, or the C.I.A.’s role. We need a full accounting, especially as it relates to health professionals.”
Recently released Justice memos, he noted, contain numerous references to CIA medical personnel participating in coercive interrogation sessions. “They were the designers, the legitimizers, and the implementers,” Raymond said. “This is arguably the single greatest medical-ethics scandal in American history. We need answers.”
The ACLU obtained its information from the Pentagon through a Freedom of Information suit. Documents received included 44 autopsies and death reports as well as a summary of autopsy reports of people seized in Iraq and Afghanistan. An ACLU statement noted, “This covers just a fraction of the total number of Iraqis and Afghanis who have died while in U.S. custody.” (Italics added).
Torture by the CIA has been facilitated by the Agency’s ability to hide prisoners in “black sites” kept secret from the Red Cross, to hold prisoners off the books, and to detain them for years without bringing charges or providing them with lawyers.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, denounced the Obama administration for considering “prevention detention,” The New Yorker’s Mayer wrote. Roth said this tactic “mimics the Bush Administration’s abusive approach.”
From all indications, CIA Director Panetta has no intention of bringing to justice CIA officials involved in the systematic torture of prisoners. Panetta told Mayer, “I’m going to give people the benefit of the doubt…If they do the job that they’re paid to do, I can’t ask for a hell of a lot more.”
Such sentiments differ markedly from those Panetta wrote in an article published last year in the January Washington Monthly: “We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don’t. There is no middle ground.”
One way to discern who really runs a country is to look to see which individuals, if any, are above the law. In the Obama administration, like its predecessors, they include the employees of the CIA. Crucifixions they execute in the Middle East differ from those reported in the New Testament in at least one important respect: Jesus Christ had a trial.
Sherwood Ross formerly reported for major dailies and wire services. To contact him or contribute to his Anti-War News Service: sherwoodr1@yahoo.com
** The original New Yorker Article
Friday, June 26, 2009
jason Jones Final Report from Iran
Event though I've just made a post,; but after watching last night's dail show episode I really can't not share this .........
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Jason Jones: Behind the Veil - The Kids Are Allah Right | ||||
| ||||
تعريفات ليبية
الزنين:نغمة مزعجة تصدر عن شخص مُلح تؤدى الي الاضطراب والقلق
الوجيج:تراكم للالتزامات والأمور المقلقة تؤدي الى الضجيج والفوضى
الشخشاب:حدثٌ طارئ يعكر الأجواء ويظل قائماً في انتظار الحل
التشحوير:هو طلب فجائى وغير متوقع و مستعجل لا يمكن تاجيله وفى الغالب يقتضى قطع مسافات بعيدة
التعليق :مواعيد مؤجلة وانتظار غير مجدي لأشخاص نعرف ضمناً أنهم لايلتزموا
بعهودهم
التفتيح:حالة يقظة وانتباه مع الوقت تؤدي الى التغميض المزمن
المقالبة:تجارة تبادلية تشمل الخردة واحيانا المشاعر والمواقف تمتاز بالسرعة وانعدام الضمانات
الكولسة:هي الخدمات المرجو اتمامها فى خلوة عن عيون الناس واذانهم وغالبا ما تكون هذه الخدمات غير شرعية الاجرات
الافارى:هو العرض او الفرصة اللتى تكون مرغوبة وغير متاحة ولا يمكن اتمامها الا بطرق لا تجيزها اللوائح والنضم المتبعة
الطياح:إقامة مفتوحة لممارسة التململ
الكساد:محاولة لملء الفراغ وايضاً فراغ لايشجع على المحاولة
الواشون:تضخم أسري يسفر الى تفاقم المصروفات والمسؤلية
الصبايا:جمع من النسوة بعد حذف المزايا والمقومات
الولية:زوجة في صيغة التعتـيم
الضنـا:هم الأبناء مع شرط القيام بما يتعب الوالدين ويضنيهم
السلف:مستحقات ملزمة للدفع تدور في حلقة مفرغة
اللمة:تجمع نسائي بغية الحديث دفعة واحدة وبشكل جماعي
الزردة:ممارسات فوضوية بقصد التنزه وعادة سنوية رديئة لايمكن التخلى عنها
السهرية:سهرة في مأتم ينقصها بعض الكماليات
الشتاوة:رسالة قصيرة ذات شحنة عالية غالباً لاتحتمل التخزين
الغناوة:ألحان تئن تحت وقع كلمات صلبة مفادها الحزن والكآبة
الكشك:حالة تصيب البدو بجفاف في الحلق مع احمرار في الأكف يؤدى الى تفريغ شحنات نفسية
الزغروتة:سلوك نسائى يتضمن تذبذب اللسان بشدة مع اصدار صوت مميز وعادتا تصدره النساء فى اوقات الفرح والسعادة
الشنة:غطاءٌ يوضع على رأس الرجل وأيضاً يُوضع على المصلحة العامة
الرنة:كلمة زائدة غالبا ما تعطف على الشنة
. التمتيع:صراخٌ في عرض الطريق غالبا ما يكون بواسطة سيارة بي ام قديمة وهو يقصد به نكاية في أكداس القوانين المعطلة .
الزعزاعة:حدث ٌ جلل وغير متوقع يخلط الاوراق ويقلب الطاولة والبركة ف الساعات
التزليط:سخونة مع احمرار في الوجه يُعبر عنه بحرف واااااو.
أعمال جارية:لشدة جريانها تقطع الطرقات والأرصفة أم الردم واعادة الترميم فالغالب لايكونان ضمن الأعمال الجارية بل ضمن الاعمال الزاحفة
تخفيضات هائلة:التخفيضات عائدة على الجودة أما الهول عائد على الصلاحية
مرفوع من الخدمة:إشهار ضمنى لمن يتصل بهذا الرقم أن صاحبه لايلتزم
بالسداد
الشرمولة:خلطة من الخضروات تقطع وتهرس باليد لتاكل وقد تستخدم الكلمة
للدلالة على عدم الانتضام فى عمل ما
الرفس:هو تعجين البازين مع الادام لياكل العيش ويقصد به ضمنيا خلط الامور
السكنان: هو عدم اعطاء فرصة للبال للراحة
التعشيش: هو اشد انواع السكنان
