Mahmood's Den

• The GDN goes into an unstoppable tizz reporting Good News™ and how excellent the government is at serving its people
• Al-Wasat reports Bad News™ and shows how bad the government is at serving it’s people’s needs
• Al-Ayam, Al-Bilad and of course Akhbar Al-Khaleej try to negate columns appearing in Al-Wasat
• While Al-Watan continues to stoke sectarian fires and sides with the ruling regime and the bearded ones with no regard to where they are nor the consequences of their actions
• The Bahrain Tribune, well, it’s in a world of its own with a completely dysfunctional website

The PM casting his vote

but above all…

• The Royal and Princely visits suddenly increase in frequency to areas no one dreams of seeing them at! Visits are also coupled with promises of immediate relief to housing, health and the acceleration of other popular public demands

To top all of these, there appears to be a new “Elections TV Channel” about to be launched around mid-August (government funded of course) to, well, “increase the political awareness of citizens”, that together with the obfuscated bahrain2010.com site, should provide some comic relief at these sweltering times.

But it is at times like these that I truly miss Al-Waqt. It wasn’t perfect, but to me, it was much better than the crop of crap we’ve got now.

Bring it on! This almost (but not quite) make me regret leaving for a holiday at this most interesting time!

Are there any other indicators you’ve noticed this year?

Congratulations to the ninth graduating class of Al-Iman School, an Islamic school whose declared philosophy includes educational and behavioral training through educational and cultural composition of the adoption of the Islamic approach in interpreting the origin of the universe and life.

Congratulations to the 40 young persons and wish them luck should they wish to pursue their education further.

I would be interested to know; however, what their chosen paths are. Please educate me if you know. I’m interested to see what graduates of the school that has been honoured by the presence of the Minister of Education no less at their graduation ceremony choose as a path? Or would they feel that as they have satisfied the equity with a BSc, as they have most probably already memorised the Holy Quran, then they might just go direct into the job market? What skills do they have, I wonder, which are different from the countless others waiting for jobs outside the Civil Service Bureau or selling water at major intersections?

I’m just curious and confused about this school (and yes, the various “Hawzahs” too) and who they report to as far as quality of education is concerned. Do they fall under the QAAET too? Or are these institutions are simply glorified “Madrasas” running under their own laws?

I think that if I were on my death bed, I would regret the opportunities I wasted in my life. I’m sure that you probably can relate to that too. Yes, hind-sight is very powerful to be sure, but sometimes when you are told that an opportunity will come knocking, and knocking hard and please take the time to prepare yourself to take advantage of that opportunity, there is really no one to blame for that wasted chance other than yourself.

I’m not a mind reader, but one hopes that Shaikh Muhsin Al-Asfoor is reflecting on that, at least I hope that he is if he’s not still full of himself for shaking the Royal Hand and using his great oratorial skills in front of His Majesty the King, who took the time to visit His Eminence Shaikh Ahmed Al-Asfoor in the village of Boori near A’ali. The event is given some importance in Al-Wasat this morning, while the GDN just glosses over it for some good reason I’m sure.

Al-Wasat reports that while at Al-Asfoor’s majlis, Shaikh Muhsin Al-Asfoor did the traditional welcome speech. In between the sugary plaudits, Al-Asfoor Jr. requested that the King release those apprehended at the moment serving time for killing the Pakistani in Ma’ameer and bundled with the Royal Pardon request are the others incarcerated for burning tyres or hurling rocks etc.

That’s it?

He gets one wish and this is what he uses it for?

I’m happy that he didn’t find Aladdin’s lamp, otherwise the Genie would be rolling in it laughing himself silly! He would be – rightly I guess – be laughing at this infantile request and thinking to himself that with the plethora of issues troubling this country (the Bandar Fiasco, over 100 square kilometers of land misappropriated, gerrymandering, sectarianism, corruption, blood curdling environmental disasters, nepotism, a warped balance of power, imbecilic parliament – both chambers, improper naturalisation and demographic change attempts and their accompanying problems, and oh yes, the disputed Constitution, this respected turbaned gentleman has an opportunity to deliver a prepared speech in front of His Majesty detailing demands… and he requests the release of exploited and gullible kids!

Lovely.

I was worried. Quite worried actually when a few weeks ago I felt what I imagined to be something wrong with the rhythm of my heart. I didn’t do anything about it and tried to blame it on gas or imagination. I didn’t want to worry my wife so I didn’t say anything. I searched the usual sources online for a possible explanation, and fell in the very thing I strongly advise against: only a fool becomes one’s own doctor, and I had. What I read served only to make me more anxious.

A couple of weeks ago the “flutters” were more consistent. I capitulated and together with my wife, decided to drive to the “Chest Pains Clinic” at the BDF. I walked in and was received by the attending nurse. I told her that I have a pain in my chest which I described as a flutter or a murmur, a sort of what I think would be like an air bubble trapped in a tube of liquid. She asked me for my CPR which I proffered, and then was led to a room and invited to take my shirt off and lie down on a bed. I did, and was immediately connected up to an ECG machine. After a flurry of questions and them reading the resulting chart, they decided that I have nothing to fear and go home and told to immediately check with the centre should I feel anything else untoward. “It’s all in the head, then” I thought…

I unfortunately continued to experience discomfort. I know already that three months ago my cholesterol results were way beyond average – in fact, my LDL was at 8.25 while the “norm” for my age group is a mere 2.6. That put me straight in the target site of a heart attack. But although I have changed my diet, I redoubled my efforts at exercise and three months hence I’m happy to say that I am somewhat fitter, weigh less, have discovered extra holes in my belt and reduced the LDL to 7.15, it was hardly enough to scare away a heart attack.

With that information in hand, I decided that I should talk to someone about my concerns. Fate decided that I should meet Prof. Dr. Mary Lynch Tareif, the Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at the Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Cardiac Centre who shared my alarm at the results and decided to look into the situation a bit further. Thanks to her concern, I did another battery of tests at the Centre: another ECG, Echo through to a stress test on a treadmill and then finally a CT scan of the heart. Although some anomalies were discovered, I was told that those were not currently life-threatening, and was let to go home with a a bunch of pills to take care of my cholesterol and a dire warning to take care of myself better, something I shall certainly keep in constant consideration.

I am really happy that I made the effort to go and get thoroughly checked. And, staggeringly, I wasn’t charged a single fils for the privilege, as is the case with any other Bahraini citizen referred to MKCC! I didn’t even have to sign any papers whatsoever!

I’m not sure that there are other specialist cardiac centres in the world in which a citizen (or anyone else for that matter as far as the MKCC is concerned) can simply walk in and just state that they’ve got chest pains and they’re immediately investigated without any further ado.

Thank you MKCC and particularly Dr. Mary for taking such a keen interest. I’m very much indebted to you, as is everyone who has made use of your selfless services, I am sure.

Does it work?

Have a wonderful weekend, courtesy of the Rotary Club of Adliya

click the picture to download the presentation please - 3.9MB

Peaches, originally uploaded by malyousif.

Hope your weekend is wonderful, peaceful and peachy!

I just couldn’t believe how people can descend to these kind of depths:

إرجاء قضية المتهم بالاعتداء على عرض ابنته القاصر

أرجأت المحكمة الكبرى الجنائية قضية بحريني متهم بالاعتداء على عرض ابنته القاصر والبالغة 13 عاماً حتى 21 سبتمبر/ أيلول.
وكانت زوجة المتهم تقدمت ببلاغ ضد زوجها بأنه اعتدى على عرض ابنتهما جنسيّاً، في حين أكدت المجني عليها (13 عاماً) أنها ومنذ شهر كان والدها يتصل بها عندما يكون في العمل مساءً وطلب منها ذات يوم عدم مناداته بـ»بابا» بل مناداته بـ «حبيبي»، كما كان يطلب منها النوم معها في غرفتها، إلا أنها لم تكن تعرف قصد والدها، وكان والدها قد تمادى في اتصالاته فطلبت منه التوقف عن مضايقتها، وأمر قاضي تجديد الحبس حبس أب لمدة 45 يوماً بعدما تم توجيه تهمة الاعتداء على عرض ابنته القاصر (13 عاماً).
وفي أحد الأيام كانت تستحم فتفاجأت بدخول والدها عليها وهي عارية وقام بتصويرها في دورة المياه، وفي اليوم التالي قام بالدخول عليها في غرفة نومها وحاول خلع بنطالها، إلا أنها منعته، وفي أحد الأيام أعاد كرته وتمكن من فتح بنطالها وقام بتحسس أماكن العفة في جسدها، كما كان يقوم بحضنها بطريقة غريبة عند مشاهدتها.
وأضافت المجني عليها أن والدها كان يهددها بإخبار والدتها ويهددها بالضرب، كما قام والدها بتصويرها وهي عارية بعدما قام برفع قميصها عند نومها.
ولفتت المجني عليها إلى أن والدها كان يعرض عليها ممارسة الجنس، وفي أحد الأيام قام بوضع قناة إباحية لها وقت جلوسها في صالة المنزل، كما قام بنزع قميصه أمامها.
وأفادت المجني عليها بأنها كانت تمنعه وتغضب على والدها الذي لم يكترث وعندما شعرت بتمادي والدها قامت بإبلاغ والدتها التي تقدمت ببلاغ إلى مركز الشرطة.

صحيفة الوسط البحرينية – العدد 2875 – الأربعاء 21 يوليو 2010م الموافق 08 شعبان 1431ه

My translation:

The High Criminal Court deferred the case of a Bahraini man accused of assaulting his 13-year-old daughter to 21 September.

The accused’s wife filed a complaint against her husband as he attacked their daughter sexually, while the 13-year-old victim confirmed that a month before the complaint, her father kept telephoning her during his night shift and asked her not to call him “dad” but “lover”, and asked to sleep in her room. Something that she did not understand initially due to her innocence. The father persisted in his telephone calls which prompted the child to ask him to cease harassment, the judge ordered the renewal of solitary confinement father for 45 days after he was charged with assault to the daughter’s honour.

The girl was shocked one day by him barging into the bathroom and filming her while she was showering. This incident was followed up the next day by him entering her room and attempting to remove her clothes but she resisted. He again attempted to remove her clothes on another day and was successful in touching her private parts. He had also hugged her inappropriately on several occasions.

The victim stated that her father threatened to tell her mother and to also beat her. He had photographed her naked during her sleep by lifting her dress.

The father offered to have sex with the victim and that he exhibited a pornographic film to her when she was in the hall at home and had removed his clothes in front of her.

The girl continuously fought off her father’s advances and got angry with him on several occasions, but he was not deterred, which finally prompted her to tell her mother about the incidents who in turn lodged a complaint at the police station.

Al-Wasat 21 July, 2010

I don’t particularly care about the so called “father” and I hope he rots in jail. But knowing how the system works here, he’ll be walking free to assault and harass others in a very short time indeed. What I do care about is the daughter who should immediately be removed from that “home” and put in care.

This is not the first, and sadly won’t be the last of these kind of cases. All the local papers carry such news on a daily basis and the trend is increasing. I’m not sure if they’re just reporting these now as opposed to the past, but at least if we know of such cases, then we can – hopefully – be intelligent enough to seek workable solutions. It’s quite evident that the frequency and repetitive nature of these crimes – especially against minors – that the solutions in place now are completely impotent and need a substantial overhaul.

The government should have a task force in place with enough power to intervene and rescue children from predators. They should also have the power to remove affected children from such homes and put them in care, at least until the situation is fully investigated and the justice system has had its say. Carrying on as we are will just continue to exasperate the situation and allow monsters to walk amongst us with impunity.

As to the pedophiles and sex predators, I think that castration is really too good for them, though I’d settle for chopping their danglies off, I think putting them in prison and throwing away the key – literally – is probably the most appropriate way to go, with no recourse ever be given to them to get away with their crimes by marrying the poor person they’ve attacked, or even if the family or the victim drop the case against them, then a criminal prosecution must be allowed to go ahead in the interest of the public.

Well, model in the sense of a devout and pious young gentleman tested in Islamic and worldly knowledge; things like actually washing the dead to prepare them for burial, counseling pregnant women out of wedlock and helping orphans.

This reality show happens in Malaysia to great acclaim and a huge following. Their Facebook page has about 45,000 followers and press reports suggest and even greater following among young Malaysian women, all hoping for one of the contestants for a husband.

What do they win? Well, other than the assigned cleric’s blessing, the winner gets an all expenses paid trip to perform the Hajj in Mecca, a car, a laptop, a small cash grant and a scholarship in a main mosque in Madina in Saudi Arabia.

Is this creativity at its best or simply pandering to the lowest common denominator and using modern entertainment programming and spin it so that the maximum advertising/subscription revenue possible is milked?

Regardless, I applaud the Malaysian TV channel whose brainchild this is. They obviously recognised a niche and went with it and found success.

I’m quite sure that this new wave of entertainment is going to grace our own meagre Middle Eastern TV offerings very soon, but as usual, I’m afraid that they’re going to make pretty hash job of it. I hope that should it be replicated here or elsewhere; however, it will be done to propagate tolerance and understanding rather than increase the sectarian rift and strife in our part of the world. I somehow think that knowing the kind of religious stations we have here, it will be the latter that will be emphasised.

Nine places to be exact, according to the International Cost of Living Rankings released in April 2010 which using New York as the benchmark and the ranking is for expatriate living.

Bahrain, according to the report, is the most expensive country in the world for clothes, 66th most expensive in the world with only Dubai from the Gulf being more expensive at 26 than Bahrain and Qatar at 41. Dubai is the most expensive for eating out, restaurants and hotels (still).

The currently “happening” place in the Gulf, Abu Dhabi, is at 74, Saudi (Riyadh) at 130th, Kuwait at 134 and Oman is at a comfortable (and best, in this case) at 241st.

Given the huge development happening in both Qatar and Abu Dhabi, I wonder how their rankings are going to be affected next year. I personally think that theirs will actually get better due to the global downturn in the economy, ironically. Qatar’s rents for instance has reduced by 4% this year according to reports, with I daresay a bigger and more substantial drop in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Firefly, originally uploaded by malyousif.

Saw this guy this morning at my pond.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends. Enjoy!

We’ve just come back from watching Toy Story 3 in 3D at the City Centre cinema and must say that we all were blown out by the 3D effect, the story, the animation, the expression on the figures’ faces, the music track, by just about everything in it!

It’s certainly a valid reason to go out and get one of those 3D TVs and rig it up with its peripherals just to watch these kind of films on it.

Very impressive indeed, and a good time spent with the family. Reminds me of when the kids were actually kids!

How time flies…

According to this, it looks like the good lady has had her way.

The Ministry of Information & Culture neé Ministry of Information has now transformed into the Ministry of Culture with the information part devolved into an authority under the leadership of Shaikh Fawaz Al-Khalifa, the ex president of GOYS. Shaikh Fawaz will also inherit the main departments of the erstwhile MoI: Radio & TV, Artistic affairs (?), Foreign Press, the Bahrain News Agency and Press & Publications subdivided under new sections headed by assigned director generals. Although not named yet, if these DGs are the old undersecretaries (who effectively ran the ministry) then we can safely say that no real change will be forthcoming. Sites will remain to be blocked and the freedom of information will continue to be at their whims.

But, let’s wait a few weeks to find out how the chips will fall in that erstwhile ministry.

Another thing which will be closely watched by those inside and outside BRTC; however, is what will happen to those very highly paid Lebanese “experts” who were inducted in droves by Shaikha Mai Al-Khalifa at the complete chagrin of everyone there. Will they remain in their vaulted towers to continue to dictate how “the locals” run their affairs by forcing in obsolete and expensive methods and incomprehensible technologies at odds with the broadcasting world norms, or will they, like her excellency be given the boot?

Believing in rendering services to the community, Mahmood Al-Yousif became a Rotarian in 2007 through his introduction to the Rotary Club of Adliya, the youngest Rotary club in Bahrain with an honorable roll of achievements throughout its young history. The club has raised approximately BD300,000 (US$800k) the vast majority of which has gone directly into helping the local community.

Rotary Clubs around the world elect a new president every Rotary year, which runs from July 1st through to June 30th.

Past and Incoming Presidents cutting the cake inaugurating the Rotary hand-over ceremony

This year, Mahmood Al-Yousif, the founder and CEO of Gulf Broadcast, has the privilege and honour to serve as the Rotary Club of Adliya’s president. He and his board have already discussed various events which will be launched during the year to help raise necessary funds for the projects the Club will support.

Chief amongst these projects is the “Gift of Life – Bahrain” an initiative to create a diagnosis and treatment centre within the Salmaniya Medical Centre – the main health care institution in Bahrain – specifically designed to care for children with congenital cardiovascular defects.

Should you wish to contribute time, effort or money to this cause, please do contact Mahmood who will be happy to provide you with the information you require.

The club aims to raise BD100,000 to not only equip the centre, but also to train a doctor and some nurses in necessary techniques to help those affected children.

Together, we can make a difference.

I’ve never noticed “the gulf” magazine before. It’s normally thrown at our door-step with our GDN subscription. It (like others delivered with the GDN) meets the inside of our recycling bin unopened. But having nothing better to do this morning while waiting for this site to upgrade to the latest and greatest release of WordPress, I rifled through it, looking at the pictures to come across this rather daring gentlemen with some sort of jute sack on his head vigorously biting into an uncooked piece of jerky.

Hungry?

Closer inspection revealed that the delicacy the young (ferocious?) gentleman is enjoying is non other than a snake!

Why would such a picture make it into such a publication in the first place?

Well, your guess is as good as mine, but from experience with the copious output of the august Hilal Publishing Group, you and I would be forgiven for guessing that it’s for filling space, fattening yet another non-descript magazine contributing to the further depletion of the world’s national resources, for the purpose of generating mo money for its publishers.

Why else? Does such a picture (or any of this particular magazine’s contents for that matter) add any value? I personally don’t think so. Though, I fully understand that such enterprises are not produced for the education of the masses (or add a valuable insight for those “7,500, mostly among senior executives and policy makers based in the Middle East or with an interest in the region.”) If it’s distributed by default with the local rag, one would be excused for having serious reservations about the purported reach of such a publication. But, I guess some morons fall for it and spend their company’s hard earned cash to advertise in such slop, which is the object of the game. Smart.

But that’s not why I chose to share this picture with you. The reason was to simply ask why would our highly regarded (cough!) military forces (cough!) find it necessary to demonstrate their “toughness” (persistent cough!) by killing, skinning and then biting into a snake! Is it to scare our enemies? I don’t see the Israelis quacking in their boots because of these demonstrations, do you? The IDF would probably laugh themselves to death looking at this picture. Oh hang on a minute! Maybe that is the plan! Kill Israeli soldiers with laughter and incredulity!

God save us.

This is not the first instant where I watched an image of Arab military prowess. I seem to remember another disgusting episode where a Bahraini military person catching a hapless snake in their military graduation and gnashing into it in front of dignitaries. I remember thinking of several things then which remain unanswered: (1) were the dignitaries able to stomach their lunches or dinners after seeing such gastronomic delight? and (2) where the bloody hell did they find that snake from? Living in Bahrain all my life I’ve only come across one crossing a country road and another little puny thing a friend caught on a farm and stuffed in an old Pepsi bottle. Did they buy that particular one from a pet shot I wonder and released it just in time for the toughie to catch and crunch? Was it the same scenario with our Saudi cousins too? It’s the desert for f**&^k’s sake, any and all self respecting reptiles are underground keeping away from the harsh sun!

Oh I remember an even worse scenario. Yes. Before Saddam finally fell and went slithering into his hole underground, images were broadcast on our televisions showing the undefeatable Revolutionary Guard (or some crap artists like that) chasing down a wolf, catching it and then ripping it apart chewing at it with their bare hands. That was to demonstrate their prowess I’m sure, and to scare off the Allied Forces too. And look what happened to them.

So my humble suggestion to our illustrious armed forces is this: please leave our wildlife – little as it is – the bloody hell alone! They didn’t do anything to you, and the age of having to twist the neck of a little kitten to scare your wives on your wedding nights, or killing a reptile or another animal as your right of passage in your graduation ceremonies is really not required. We all know how tough you are and we are scared even without you having to demonstrate your murderous traits by such kills. We know. We are scared. But, my friends, they aren’t and never have! With these actions, you’re (to them of course, to us we know better) just a laughing stock. So change that right of passage please. Maybe you can consider demonstrating your literacy by writing your name on a board or something for graduation? I don’t know…

Anyway, if anyone knows the gentleman depicted in the picture above, could you please ascertain whether snake tastes like chicken?

No sooner than publishing Faisal Shahzad, yet another dimwit falls for it, I came across this:

Eleven plots against NYC disrupted since Sept. 11

* 2003 – Five Bahraini men were arrested on the border between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. An investigation uncovered a plan on a computer to detonate an explosive device on the New York City subway system that would emit poisonous gas. The device was called the “mubtakkar.”

Get this: mubtakar means “innovative” in Arabic. Might as well slap a “Made in Bahrain” tag on it and franchise it. They say that Pakistan and Afghanistan is a ready market for distribution.

Whatever happened to those five “men” I wonder? Anyone knows?