Archive | March, 2007

Vlog 36: It’s Friday again!

You know me, it can’t be a Friday without me doing something, and this weekend once again I attacked another part of the garden. At the rate I’m going, I’ll have to buy the neighbour’s house and kick them out so that I have more garden space!

Remember I went to the Bahrain International Garden Show on Thursday with Frances and got a few things from the Pepiniere Issa? Well, I was at the gates of the exhibition centre at 10 on Friday morning to continue my shopping. I’ve spotted a few more things I wanted to get – yes, if I had an unlimited budget I would have cleaned them out! Some of the exotic cactii, aloes and other exotic plants they have are breathtaking. I ended up buying 9 plants, and naturally, I spent Friday preparing their new homes. Most reside now in the Frangipani patch where I installed a new trellis for the new passion flower (Passiflora quadrangularis – Giant Granadilla) and put the rest in various places around the garden. The majority in the new cactus patch by the old lady (the old Frangipani).

You could view all the details in the vlog above which I hope you will like. The new (technical) thing about this video is that I bought a cheap microphone (about BD7 I think) and used that to record my voice, the difference is astonishing! I’ll have to dig out the two lapel mics I bought but never used and if they provide sound as good as this I’ll be happy. I’ve also dug out my DV camera (I thought you guys deserve better quality than my regular phonecam videos!) and spent part of this morning editing it.

Before that, I did a little bit of gardening. I’m trying my luck in planting seeds in trays. I planted a new type of gazanias, chrisanthimums, tomato and dahlias. Let’s see how those grow. Summer planting should start now as I think I left the others a bit too late late… gaining experience I am!

Okay, what did I get from Pepiniere Issa I hear you ask? I got a Passiflora quadrangularis (Giant granadilla), Capparis Spinosa (Caper), Aloe Ferox, Aloe Zebrina (Zebra Leaf Aloe), Aloe Marlothii (Mountain Aloe), Crassula ovata (Jade plant/money tree), Erythrina crista-galli (Cockspur coral tree), Hesperaloe parviflora (Red yucca) and Palargonium (Stellar Red Dancer).

I bet you’re waiting to see these beauties in full bloom!

I didn’t go!

And I’m kicking myself for not getting tickets ahead of time. I am really angry with myself, this was a golden opportunity that I was waiting for for some time now to attend Marcel Khalife’s performance and the last two nights were apparently magical especially that this time Marcel was in collaboration with Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad with an interpretation of Majnoon Layla.

The performance was so good that the Islamists are up in arms against it threatening to question the minister of information and sms messages have been doing the rounds against the Spring of Culture generally. And when these things happen, you know that you missed a major cultural event, as culture is the very farthest thing from those peoples’ minds.

I envy all of those who attended, but applaud them for showing “the others” that we – unlike them – do appreciate culture and want more of it.

BYSHR’s Electronic Journalism Freedom and the Role of Blogs in Supporting Human Rights Workshop

Mohammed Al-Maskati and myself participated in the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights’ Electronic Journalism Freedom and the Role of Blogs in Supporting Human Rights Workshop last night at the Bahrain Human Rights Society’s premises in Adliya.

The inaugural session was presented by the Al-Wasat columnist Mohammed Al-Othman in which he discussed the ethics of journalism, the repercussions of the Press & Publications Law 47/2002 and how it impacts journalism and blogging. He outlined the Journalists Union analysis on that law and outlined their recommendations on what should be changed and why. Al-Othman’s session was enriching to say the very least. I was not aware of the analysis done on such a law nor its background before his presentation.

Although I make it a point to read his column daily, I have never met him before, so last night was a very good opportunity to shake his hand and exchange cards. I also discovered that we have somethings in common, one of which is having the pleasure of having some tea with the public prosecutor!

Mohammed Al-Maskati took over in the second session in which he presented the trials and tribulations of blogging in general and the impact of the law and restrictions of freedoms of expression in Bahrain on blogs and forums. He also listed the times where moderators and bloggers have been presented to the legal system as well as the list of blocked sites in Bahrain.

Mohammed’s excellent presentation could be downloaded (pdf) from here.

I was the last to go and my presentation was the Ethics of Blogging. I took the time to translate them into Arabic. I gave examples of how implementing these ethics would not only protect the blogger legally, but would also make the content of the blog much more professional and credible.

My presentation including the handouts in Arabic and English could be downloaded (zip) from here.

The workshop continues over the next three days and I think if the first day is anything to go by, it is certainly worth attending. I have enjoyed spending some time with so many enthusiastic people who I hope will start blogging or continue blogging if they already have a blog and implement the ideas that were discussed at the workshop.

I would like to thank the BYSHR’s Mohammed Abdulnabi Al-Maskati for inviting us and for their hospitality. I hope that we can contribute more to the community by being involved in more of these activities.

Hyacinth blooming

Hyacinth blooming, originally uploaded by malyousif.

Hope and beauty!

This is one of the bulbs I received from Patty a couple of weeks ago, they’re all doing well and some have already started to show signs of blooming, like this little guy.

I’ve planted them all in pots and lined the breakfast area’s wall with them; they’re certainly a nice sight to see first thing in the morning.

Although Bahrain is quite dusty today, don’t get the dust get your mood down. I’m off to the Garden Show (which is disappointing, but more on that in a blog later) to grab whatever I can from the single stand that is selling somethings worth acquiring.

Have a wonderful Friday my friends…

King’s Freedom of Expression Vow Ignored

Journalist Ja’afar Al-Jamri of Al-Wasat being sued for libel

No sooner than our king vowing to protect the freedoms of expression in Bahrain, than we get yet another journalist dragged in for questioning by the public prosecutor!

The honour this time goes to Ja’afer Al-Jamri of Al-Wasat with a complaint brought against him by a government ex-employee for libel even though it has been proven that the complainant was in the wrong! This of course gives rise to various questions, chief amongst them is why does the public prosecution bother with these cases? Wouldn’t it have been better for them to throw the complaint out and save themselves some time?

Not so, it seems, and I agree with Radhi Al-Mousawi’s conclusions in this regard: this continuous hauling of opinion writers and journalists to the public prosecutor is the first line of “warning” these people to toe the line, especially when it is tied with criticism against the government, one of its employees or any other person society deems as “influential”.

This method is quite effective actually and I can tell you this from first hand experience. Not that I have stopped criticising (constructively still, mind you) but this method has been successful in varying degrees in silencing opinion writers who do not wish to spend some time being questioned, nor have their jobs and livelihood put in jeopardy. I have absolutely no problem with those who chose to take heed of these warnings and I completely understand why they did so. What I do have a problem with is that it looks like the government still regards criticism as “disrespect” – probably in a tribal mentality – rather than a freely provided consultancy to better its ways!

His majesty understands this point fully, I feel, which is exactly why he made his vow only a couple of days ago that he fully supports the God-given freedom of expression. So it just remains now to translate his vision and inculcate it fully in written laws which should be coded in a way to protect those freedoms as his majesty understands and wishes.

One thing that would speed that process up is to instruct parliament to finish discussing Law 47/2002′s Press & Publications Law amendments – which magically supplanted Ebrahim Bashmi’s much better proposal – the parliament started discussing in its last term and has not touched in the almost inaugural 100 days of its convening.

Ja’afar, my friend, I am with you all the way. I do not see how you committed a wrong. On the contrary, all you’ve done is provide free consultancy for which you should have been thanked!