tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79405352011-08-16T13:25:03.572+03:00still fat, fuzzy and as bent as a dog's tail.<br> (that's a3uaj mithil thail al-chalib if you're Iraqi)salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comBlogger991100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-21902558400634180622009-01-09T20:38:00.001+03:002009-01-09T20:38:22.274+03:00

Collected Salam Pax blogs and new blog on my wordpress blog: Salam Pax

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1153228354649424392006-07-18T17:09:00.000+04:002006-07-18T17:22:48.283+04:00

New [Baghdad Blogger] report for Newsnight went out a week ago.You can watch it HERE - needs Real Player - it is slightly squished because they have the 16:9 transmitted version on that site instead of the 3:4 version.The second film has been shelved until August.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1149244699265131462006-06-02T14:29:00.000+04:002006-06-02T14:38:19.283+04:00

I am working on two new 'Video Blogs' for Newsnight and as usual it takes a bit of time until I find out what it is I am looking for in Baghdad these days. I started going around the city with a camera 6 days ago. and it took me all these 6 days to know where I was going with this.I thought this was going to be about violent death and how it has become part of our lives but I guess it is turning

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147787353185928452006-05-16T17:46:00.000+04:002006-05-16T17:49:13.203+04:00

And the weirdness continues.Ahmad’s father is attacked while in a taxi in the Shula district. Mind you, nothing personal, he is just a lowly employee in a government job he means nothing on the scale of the big fish. Just some freak who probably was bored and decided to shoot a random car. Luckily he and the taxi driver are only wounded and rushed to the hospital near by.Ahmad gets a phone call

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147597748723386102006-05-14T13:05:00.000+04:002006-05-14T13:09:08.733+04:00

Boys and girls do yourselves a favour and go read Iraqi Screen.You will thank me.She is funny, she is wise and she could kick your ass if you looked her up the wrong way.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147299595232703242006-05-10T02:19:00.000+04:002006-05-11T02:19:55.233+04:00

This is a bit related to the earlier post. It seems the ministry of Higher Education (Universities) has joined the ministry of Education (Schools and High Schools) in admitting that they cannot really take responsibility for their charges. The ministry of Higher Education has announced today that it is giving Universities the right to choose the date for their final exams which is sort of telling

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147299570867671842006-05-08T02:19:00.000+04:002006-05-11T02:19:30.866+04:00

The District of Ameryiah (west of Baghdad) has entered some sort of parallel universe. It has been living this one for a while but from what I had heard yesterday it has officially left the galaxy we know and entered a galaxy ruled by an alien race called Sunni Fundamentalists .There have been killings of barbers who shave beards for a while there. Shops were bombed because they sell un-Islamic

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147299542857933912006-05-07T02:18:00.000+04:002006-05-11T02:19:02.860+04:00

Today there was an interview with the minister of Justice in the newspaper.There have been rumours that inmates who have been sentenced to death for crimes related to terrorism have been walking out of their cells by the truckload. And there is one wild rumour circulating about a group of another terrorists in a “high security” Iraqi jail in a remote area digging a tunnel out of their jail.What

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1147299473510772642006-05-03T02:14:00.000+04:002006-05-11T02:17:53.513+04:00

R is a shop owner - electronics, mobile phone accessories that sort of thing – he’d gotten married recently and his wife was pregnant. He also had his parents and sister to support which is why he thought it would be a good idea to expand his business a bit so he borrowed some money to expand. He borrows and lends money all the time. Part of doing business but this time he borrowed from the wrong

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1139393625597104932006-02-08T13:07:00.000+03:002006-02-08T14:56:17.750+03:00

Chris Allbritton is in Baghdad, again.Back to Iraq 3.0 has just started a couple of days ago. iTunes even has a podcast link but there is nothing there yet.I found a theme song for him :Back to Baghdad - The Tomatoes.They might sound like derivative Sex Pistols wannabes but what fun to be shouting along while your car is barreling at 180 km/h through the western desert.Welcome back.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1139390957766091492006-02-08T12:21:00.000+03:002006-02-08T15:04:02.170+03:00

Here's a conundrum for you to solve:To achieve a level of security that would allow the coalition forces to go home without leaving a big mess behind them we need money, this money will only come from oil exports and to achieve that level of oil production we need big foreign investment in the maintenance of oil fields but that investment won't come unless the security situation improves.Again:

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1138661729008594412006-01-31T01:50:00.000+03:002006-01-31T02:51:38.433+03:00

Today we celebrate a new holiday in Iraq. It’s Democracy day. On this day last year we voted for the first time after the war. Now give me a moment to do my Happy Dance to celebrate the fact that we have a couple of religious extremists sitting in parliament and deciding what my future will look like. I guess the only consolation is the fact that this is happening wherever the much-celebrated

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1135261040234512222005-12-22T17:08:00.000+03:002005-12-22T17:55:50.256+03:00

I slightly feel like the wind has been knocked out of me and I have been avoiding all the news and election predictions as much as I can. So Iraqis chose hard-line Shia and hard-line Sunni.Forget liberalism, forget secularism and bring out the Hijabs. Well, it’s a good thing I already have the beard and I don’t wear ties (the tie being an Infidel/Christian/Heathen invention for those who are

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1133775352549198992005-12-05T12:34:00.000+03:002005-12-05T12:35:52.566+03:00

It is really painful to watch the proceedings of Saddam’s trial. Some Iraqi newspapers have described the judge as patient, I don’t know really. It seems to be getting more out of hand with every day of the proceedings. It is very clear what is going on, Saddam’s lawyers will keep going on and on about the legitimacy of the court and will never give a chance to the proceedings to go on.Saddam

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1133420913927325382005-12-01T09:58:00.000+03:002005-12-01T10:09:59.553+03:00

First rumours about bombing al-Jazeera and today this:U.S. Is Said to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers.The US administration isn’t having a particularly good media week here in the Middle East.Being my own propaganda operation I have been planting articles in the Western press. Instant Democracy was on the Guardian’s Newsblog last week and there should be a new blog post there today as well.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1132234940129056522005-11-17T16:35:00.000+03:002005-12-22T17:19:08.300+03:00

I was watching a press conference held by the Ministry of Interior Affairs when I remembered that we are less than a month away from general elections. The minister was fierce. He defended all his officers and is very clearly ready to sink with them. He insists that there was nothing wrong happening at the Jaderiyah bunker and this has been just a case of bad shit-stirring by rival political

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1132156731535061052005-11-16T17:53:00.000+03:002005-11-16T19:47:37.246+03:00

More on the Ministry of Interior Affairs torture bunkerFirst there is a really interesting article on Reuters AlertNet which you might want to take a look at if you are following this horrendous scandal:Guard shows no remorse over Iraq bunker prisonersA police guard at the former palace said he had often seen Interior Ministry vehicles bring prisoners to the bunker."It was usually during the

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1132073475641727982005-11-15T19:47:00.000+03:002005-11-15T19:51:15.653+03:00

I heard this bit of news earlier today but really thought that it can’t be true, but now it is on Reuters and some Iraqi spokesman is commenting on it. Really nasty stuff:Iraq investigates abuse of prisoners"There were 161 detainees in all and they were being treated in an inappropriate way ... they were being abused," Hussein Kamal, a deputy interior minister, told Reuters.Actually saying they

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1132085785386818032005-11-15T16:13:00.000+03:002005-12-22T17:24:29.946+03:00

I buy loads of music and I am strong believer that one of the best ways to discover new music is by recommendation. I have a long list of MP3 blogs which I read every now and then and get to sample really interesting music that way. And I buy music because I have “sampled” tracks from these blogs.Another way I put myself in the path of new music is that I buy CDs for the most stupid reason you

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1131730239422798602005-11-11T20:26:00.000+03:002005-11-12T11:02:52.413+03:00

Iraq restaurant bomb kills dozensAround 30 people having breakfast there were killed and about 50 injured.That was Kaduri’s. If you are person who likes BIG Iraqi breakfasts then that’s your place. While G and I were working for the NY Times we used to joke that the best way to put western media in Iraq out of action is to attack Kaduri’s. Every morning drivers, interpreters and fixers for many

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1131718077334889192005-11-11T17:01:00.000+03:002005-11-11T20:21:31.723+03:00

I’ve been back in Baghdad for two weeks now. It usually takes this long to get back in tune with things here for me. The first two weeks are usually spent trying to get to terms with the changes, the deaths and the marriages. Update and new music coming very soon.In the mean time, if you wanna, you could take a look at one of the things I was working on:http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=19124

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1127729420362940552005-09-26T14:05:00.000+04:002005-12-01T10:44:26.476+03:00

Three weeks away from the national referendum on the Iraqi constitution and I still have not seen the promised 5 million copies of the draft that were supposed to be printed and distributed. Obviously there are ways you can get hold of a copy if you wanted to but I somehow assumed that it was the duty of the government to inform us what they are asking us to vote for.We are seeing the same

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1127727270380056822005-09-26T13:22:00.000+04:002005-12-01T10:42:59.146+03:00

Jaafari’s government is soon coming to an end. And I wonder what he tells himself at night just before he goes to sleep? I wonder if he looks at the news in the morning and thinks to himself ‘god I’ve done a lousy job’?Things have reached another record low, whole districts in Baghdad are under the insurgent’s control and the promises the Shia Coalition came to power with, the promise of security

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1127581588794841572005-09-24T20:51:00.000+04:002005-09-24T21:06:32.633+04:00

Did you check Google Earth recently?go now and take a look at Baghdad, they seem to have updated their images to post war pictures. You can tell from the pictures of the republica palace, before you used to see the gardens now you see the rows and rows of trailers the coalition has set up there. In other places you can see the hige sand boxes and t-walls set up in various spots in Baghdad.When I

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1127407020450014442005-09-22T20:32:00.000+04:002005-09-22T20:37:00.486+04:00

should be back home to my trusted web connection in a couple of days.New York Times journalist killed in Basra this is for the memory of Fakher haider, murdered in Basra on the 19th of September 2005.-----------------------------------19 SeptemberI know you have smarty-smart journalists who tell you the most amazing stories from foreign lands and explain everything for you, but there are many

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1126883404827206742005-09-16T19:06:00.000+04:002005-09-16T19:10:04.843+04:00

Don't have the same internet access as I usually have for the next couple of days. Updates come when it is possible to get to an internet cafe. here are two.12/9It seems like the streets are better. That draconian decision to only allow odd or even cars to move around seems to have had some good effect on the streets. But I guess what we do learn from it is that there are more cars on the streets

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1126350447220495352005-09-10T14:28:00.000+04:002005-09-10T16:15:24.916+04:00

If you can read Arabic I strongly suggest you read this article published today on page 9 in al-Sabah Newspaper. (Page 9.pdf – the bottom half of the page). If you can’t read Arabic the following is a sort of quick translation of my favourite bits.Notes on Article 2 of the Constitution(This is a pick and mix translation, please excuse)Ala-Sabah Newspaper published on the 28th of August an article

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1126268880629782512005-09-09T16:09:00.000+04:002005-09-09T16:28:00.636+04:00

We have a saying in Arabic that says, “it’s like a camel pissing”, i.e. backwards*. Now read this and think of camels.Ontario is considering a report which recommends that it allow Sharia religious arbitration for issues such as divorce and child custody.How bizarre!!But the proposal has alarmed women's' and human rights groups. They say sharia law does not view women as equal to men. I have

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1126260470138011072005-09-09T13:56:00.000+04:002005-09-09T14:07:50.146+04:00

Random FunFact.I found out yesterday that [Ben] is the second most occurring first name for an artist in my iTunes library. Rufus taking the No.1 spot (as in Rufus Wainwright, but we’ve already been there).And to celebrate this pointless random coincidence, which seemed magical and made me irrationally happy, and since it’s the weekend I decided to invite all cousins and cousin-ettes (including

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125996214172841802005-09-06T12:42:00.000+04:002005-09-06T13:02:27.210+04:00

Yesterday a number of honorable members of the Iraqi National Assembly Called for a ONE-MONTH HOLIDAY for the whole assembly!Honorable members being so very exhausted from the difficult negotiations 10% of the Assembly had to go through to achieve the wonderful all-inclusive draft of the constitution Iraqis feel so happy with, and following the honorable Prophet’s saying: “The believers are like

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125947466432985942005-09-05T23:05:00.000+04:002005-09-05T23:38:03.616+04:00

So to add to everybody’s problems the minister of oil has come up with a marvelous plan to complicate our lives just a bit more. He decided to amuse us a bit with an Odd/Even game.Starting tomorrow you will have to check if your car number is odd or even because His Oiliness has decided that since he can’t do ANYTHING at all to solve the fuel problem he will just ban odd cars from going on the

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125846100973316882005-09-04T19:00:00.000+04:002005-09-04T20:48:02.550+04:00

Lately I’ve been really missing the days just after the war there was such a feeling of optimism. Anything was possible. Just wait a couple of months. Every development, every change in the political scene, in the movement of troops, in the type of soft drinks available on the market was for some stupid reason exciting. New shops opened and we went shopping in them. New restaurants opened and we

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125835991332662202005-09-04T16:04:00.000+04:002005-09-04T19:35:52.486+04:00

I’ve been a bit distracted with lining up my duckies for Blogger 12,which doesn’t really mean much at the moment other than sending emails and waiting for answers. I’m not so good with mutli-tasking. And I also do a lot of worrying which takes up a considerable amount of time.Like many around the world I’ve been watching with disbelief what Katrina left in her wake. For the first time I find MBC

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125500935324412552005-08-31T18:48:00.000+04:002005-08-31T19:18:51.883+04:00

Juan Cole at Informed Comment asks, “Is the US Still Tinkering with the Iraqi Constitution?”And quotes and AP article that saysThe U.S. ambassador suggested Tuesday there may be further changes to the draft constitution to win Sunni Arab approval, saying he believed a final edited draft had not been presented.He also talks about rumors that there are a number of issues still in flux “from Iraq's

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125490875844883942005-08-31T15:58:00.000+04:002005-08-31T16:29:58.036+04:00

I am guessing the numbers will get close to the 800 deaths by tonight; it is already more than 650. Such an unbelievable disaster. I guess we can only be thankful that almost everyone agrees that this wasn’t an attack. But it is still early.First a couple of Placemarks for your Google Earth (right-click and save, then open from your desktop). If you don’t have Google Earth then download it here

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125238496914816262005-08-28T17:58:00.000+04:002005-08-28T18:14:56.986+04:00

39 pages still warm from the photocopying machine......I am sure there are people out there who are much better at legal-ese who will translate this beast."We, the people of Mesopotamia..... "Brings a smile, doesn't it. Sort of imagine myself standing sidways wearing a sarong-type thingy like a Sumerian relief on a wall.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1125077631614476942005-08-26T21:27:00.000+04:002005-08-26T21:38:01.510+04:00

....and the next dedication goes out to the National Assembly and everybody involved in the Constitution writing process, may the power to extend extension endlessly be with you. You will you won't You do you don't You're saying you will But you know you won't

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124917403773900052005-08-25T00:58:00.000+04:002005-08-25T01:03:23.776+04:00

What the hell is going on in Najaf? The amount of damage control the Iraqi government has been trying to exercise makes me almost think the shit has hit the fan down there real bad. Al-Jafari is now on TV (00:20) doing some sort of live announcement concerning Najaf!!! I am too low and down to watch it.UPDATE: it seems that Sadr City is on fire as well. Is it Sadr felxing his muscle again?and

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124914811081300392005-08-24T22:25:00.000+04:002005-08-25T00:56:47.530+04:00

I'm gonna need to find a happy medium to make my future look goodToday's officially endorsed Fat Whiner song is Malcolm Middleton's [A Happy Medium] because at the moment, from where I'm sitting, the future does not look that good at all.The Shia want Shiastan, the Kurds already have Kurdistan and they have both signed a draft, which they think is agreeable to both groups. It is the rest who

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124739019608706412005-08-22T23:26:00.000+04:002005-08-23T01:09:23.266+04:00

23:30Jarafi and the rest of the political leaders have just come into the Assembly and they are all smiling. The commentator on TV is saying that he sees many of the MPs reading a paper which he thinks is the draft. Talabani also just walked in and Chalabi has arrived at the convention centre too. They are all here.Iraqi TV, by the way, has been showing happy-happy-joy-joy songs for the last half

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124718931113908072005-08-22T17:45:00.000+04:002005-08-22T17:55:31.123+04:00

Electricity was off for the last 10 hours (thank you Basra!), water’s gone as well and the news from the National Assembly doesn’t really sound very optimistic.So looking for some distraction I clicked through my bookmarks and stumbled upon this post from The Religious Policeman (via. Iraqi Bloggers Central)Welcome to Sunny Saudi ArabiaIf you have not read it yet then go it is really funny, IBC

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124615055540483712005-08-21T12:47:00.000+04:002005-08-21T13:04:15.546+04:00

Remember the little brouhaha about Basra and a couple of other cities in the south wanting to have weekend days other than the ones in the rest of Iraq? Well…. The kids have grown up and are now doing some serious arm-twisting. A couple of days ago one of the main lines feeding a major electricity generating facility in Baghdad was hit, this plunged Baghdad into even more darkness. Yesterday some

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124551983033350002005-08-20T19:13:00.000+04:002005-08-20T19:38:08.656+04:00

More constitution gossip…….Did you read today’s guest editorial on the excellent Informed Comment?Amendment and Empire (Andrew Arato)You should. Go read it now and come back.I find it amazing how at times like these someone like me who usually throws around words like they are Dinar notes at a wedding realizes how careful many others are with their use of words. I’m loving this.Andrew Arato in

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124469584178342212005-08-19T20:26:00.000+04:002005-08-19T20:51:45.476+04:00

Too much going on which sort of confuses me.I was out of the country for 5 weeks and look at the state they got themselves into.Pah! These emerging democracies are so unreliable. And no one even cracked a smile when the Iraqi National Assembly decided to do something unconstitutional to save the constitution writing process!Yes, I am sure the one-week extension is unconstitutional. I was looking

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1124454474342953532005-08-19T16:21:00.000+04:002005-08-19T16:35:24.770+04:00

You look away for a second and the "Iraqi metal scene" kids start discussing headbanging and Iron Maiden. I know it is only two posts (here and here) but that's already two posts too many. And I almost like the Konfused Kid enough to want to save him from the evil clutches of the guitar solo. But then there is that unfortunate blog URL.....Anyway, for now my good deed of the day is going to be

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118876635714583942005-06-16T03:03:00.000+04:002005-06-16T03:03:55.716+04:00

Three times a week we get a live feed from the meetings of the Iraqi National Assembly on al-Iraqyia television. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. At times this is more like comic relief from the daily car bomb report on others it is an interesting insight into what goes on there.My jury is still out on whether I think the Iraqi National Assembly is a farce or a serious group of people. I watch the

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118876588296253472005-06-16T02:55:00.000+04:002005-06-16T03:03:08.306+04:00

This is Souad Massi’s [Yawlidi]Souad Massi is a North African city planner who lives now in France after she lost her job years ago when all things where up in the air in Algeria. The song title means [My Son]. It is written from the point of view of a mother who is telling her son he should wake up early, to go to school, learn to read and become someone important and later you will abandon us

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118876113924382392005-06-16T02:50:00.000+04:002005-06-16T02:55:13.933+04:00

Something happened today which I thought would never happen. I found something an Iraqi MP who is part of a Sadr-ist movement more than just reasonable but necessary.During the debate in the National Assembly this guy brought up a subject that wasn’t relevant to the discussion but boy did he poke a hornet’s nest with his question. The question was how could he have sent Zebari (minister for

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118657648399411352005-06-13T13:39:00.000+04:002005-06-13T15:32:04.880+04:00

Talking about presidents in Iraq these days is a bit confusing we had too many in such a short time. Saddam was followed by “pin up of the month” style presidential council during our IGC phase, followed by Ghazi al-Yawer and now Jalal Talabani .We all know where Saddam is, we know where most of the IGC guys are (the National Assembly) and Jalal Talabani is on TV every now and then - he is my

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118663603897648042005-06-13T13:20:00.000+04:002005-06-13T16:49:29.433+04:00

Glitchy German tech-pop. Mmmmm.They are called Transformer Di Roboter.They have a song [Stranger in Moscow] that will make you sing its chorus line every time you turn on your Mac and it has a somewhat pointless (yet charming) video of two Transformer types having their pop moment.It's brilliant.and while we're on the subject of good music and weird videos.....God Has Rejected The Western World

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1118325218796884602005-06-09T17:43:00.000+04:002005-06-09T17:53:38.806+04:00

So the Badr Brigade is being upgraded to a “political entity” from its status as a militia."Badr is a patriotic group that works for Iraq's interest and it will not be dragged into sectarian or any other kind of conflict," said Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, SCIRI's leader and the former commander of the Badr Brigade. "Badr is for all Iraqis," he added.*cough* *cough* bullshit*cough*May we all please sit

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117667463964500212005-06-02T02:55:00.000+04:002005-06-02T03:25:00.333+04:00

If you scroll quickly down my iTunes you will notice that the only other band/artist with almost as many tracks as Rufus Wainwright are, embarrassingly, The Pet Shop Boys and this only because I bought the Pop Art 3 disc edition.What makes this worrying isn’t just Rufus. There is Rufus’s father Loudon, Rufus's sister Martha (really nice album, really), Rufus’s mom and aunt (the Mc Garrigle Hour

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117482425241139632005-05-30T23:23:00.000+04:002005-06-17T16:47:42.516+04:00

he was detained by mistake !!Oh...... get out of here. Mistake? Abdul-Hameed? You don't know who Abdul-Hamid is? Where the hell have you been the last two years?and could you have chosen a better time? This was the last thing we needed, while we try to heal a wound you jab your finger in it?It is very difficult to argue for your good will as it is and with the "mistakes" you keep making.....I

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117460834802578762005-05-30T17:39:00.000+04:002005-06-17T16:45:43.803+04:00

So finally they sit down and write something on paper.The first thing the Constitution Committee put down on paper are 16 short paragraphs they are calling Principles for the constitution. It looks like a number of guidelines or things everyone basically agrees upon and would form the skeleton of future discussions.Until yesterday they were only 15, paragraph 16 was added today after more heated

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117449610381204132005-05-30T14:37:00.000+04:002005-05-30T14:45:00.833+04:00

What the hell do you think you’re doing?So while the current Iraqi government is trying REALLY hard to bring in the Sunni factions which boycotted the elections into the fold again to sit down and work on the constitution what does the US forces do? They go and arrest the head of the most important Sunni political party.Iraq Sunni political leader arrested.(AFP) - The leader of Iraq's main Sunni

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117150400781847042005-05-27T03:23:00.000+04:002005-06-17T16:44:06.396+04:00

Our favorite firebrand cleric has made an appearance on Iraqi TV. It was two days ago, 10 minutes just before the “Terrorists Horror Show”.Interviewer (asking from an obviously agreed upon list of questions):- So is this a comeback to the political arena?- Habibi, Don't call it a comeback, I been here for years rockin' the mic, puttin' suckers in fear.(So I paraphrase a bit. But I swear he did

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117149798639870412005-05-27T03:22:00.000+04:002005-05-27T03:23:18.640+04:00

The debate over which day the weekend should be extended to is not over yet. Basra’s governing council has decided it doesn’t like Saturdays and announced that starting June the weekend will be Thursday and Saturday. Now I am trying to figure out what job I need to apply to so that I can have a three day weekend. Thursday/Friday in the south and Friday/Saturday in the rest of Iraq.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1117149741138495252005-05-27T03:02:00.001+04:002005-05-27T03:22:21.140+04:00

Ok, the whole podcast thing didn’t work out. Too much work and my iPodder refused to catch the two I’ve posted. Music and other things will be posted randomly and you can stitch the words to the music if you wanna. It is like a podcast you buy at a DIY place.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1116788367800788382005-05-22T22:38:00.000+04:002005-05-23T00:45:58.596+04:00

(recorded 17/5/2005)In today’s podcast:I wonder what happened to the deck of cards.I get a bit upset at how sectarian the Iraqi National Assembly is acting.I unashamedly admit being smitten by Australian pop Divas who wear feathery headgear. And there is a song about fantastic cats.Music Links (in order of appearance) Aiwa (Iraqi-French hiphop thingy) Takako Minekawa Massive Attack / Kylie

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1116631131687350942005-05-21T03:11:00.000+04:002005-05-25T18:08:48.400+04:00

recorded 13/05/2005(The title of the post is actually a direct link to the mp3 file. I am still figuring out how this is going to work. For the moment you can subscribe to the feed here. I am not yet sure it works so hold your horses until I find my way around this. thanks)Music Links (in order or appearance) The Robot Ate Me ClientOBI The DonnasThe City Lights Links to Things I Talk About

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1116543502678875562005-05-20T02:58:00.000+04:002005-05-20T02:58:22.676+04:00

----

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1097505866008710732004-10-11T17:39:00.000+03:002004-10-11T17:44:26.010+03:00

well, possibly maybe. Vancouver was very good fun, thank you guys. the films looked a bit too rough but the audience was very patient and I had one person walk out saying that this is just propaganda. next stop is going to be the US of A, I hope. Visa issues to be finalized tomorrow and then I will need guides to show an ignorant Iraqi how democracy works. I want to go to rallies, I want to

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1095188212161423052004-09-14T22:55:00.000+04:002004-09-14T22:56:52.163+04:00

The Mahdi Army film is going to be shown tonight on Newsnight. They changed theri minds again and decided to show it tonight.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1095113876684683662004-09-14T02:00:00.000+04:002004-09-14T02:17:56.683+04:00

he got injured he is OK. he was more concerned about his filing deadline than his head imjury when I called him. I wish I was in baghdad to chain him to his bed for a week and would you keep those fucking bullets awat from my friend for fuck's sake... now go look at the pictures he filed

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1094160128308859372004-09-03T01:12:00.000+04:002004-09-03T01:22:08.306+04:00

Today is my cousin's engagement bash and I am leaving the early next morning to a secret location to edit. we do have a probable transmission date for the first, if all goes as planned it should be on the 16th, so make sure you have beer in your fridge and crunchy munchies. So see you in a month, I will either be back in Baghdad or blogging from Vancouver. and I expect loads of presents for my

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1094067590852510382004-09-01T23:39:00.000+04:002004-09-02T08:59:59.636+04:00

it had a small inscription near the base: "we are living the American democracy". I am kind of glad it isn't life-size but it still makes you wince. -------since I am not prepared to get myself in pointless discussions and all the headache..... this post was going to be titled [Why it is great to be living in Baghdad these days]; and that refers to the beautiful fact that with all the mess we

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093928247402714482004-08-31T08:40:00.000+04:002004-08-31T08:57:27.403+04:00

what do the Iraqi Symphony Orchestra, the Basra traditional arts group, galleris on Abu Nawas street and a Tattoo shop have in common? A second Pax TV film. getting this stuff lined up was taking too much of my time. the tattoo place is a fucking disaster, he licks the needle before dipping in it detol or something. The bear paw tattoo I wanted to have on my neck is not going to happen.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093703987198466432004-08-28T18:29:00.000+04:002004-08-28T18:42:28.103+04:00

oh dear, oh dear. I am going to the lowest level in Shia hell followed by the LLama Butchers, they took up the makeover challenge.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093702736516416722004-08-28T18:09:00.000+04:002004-08-28T18:18:56.516+04:00

Went to Sadr City again today, I felt I needed more material and was hoping to see some sort of welcoming festivities. I don't really like going there very much, it depresses me. It looks bad, it smells bad and there are no happy faces just worried old faces and frowning young ones. and I seem to have slept on the wrong side of the bed; I woke up in a lousy mood. Les Rythmes Digitales (real

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093701976639395342004-08-28T18:01:00.000+04:002004-08-28T18:13:02.806+04:00

A joke overheard at the Guardian house in Baghdad: How many Iraqis benefited from the American occupation? 27, The 25 Governing Council members, Salam and Ghaith. And this from people who are supposed to like us.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093701180274480322004-08-28T12:49:00.000+04:002004-08-28T18:16:32.523+04:00

Look it! My “video diaries” get screened at the Vancouver Film Festival. They use [filmmaker] and my name in the same sentence, teehee. I truly apologize to all fimmakers on their behalf.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093558184226522122004-08-27T01:33:00.000+04:002004-08-27T02:09:44.226+04:00

I mean look at the beard! he is trying to throw his weight around these days and he really needs to work on his image. Ungroomed facial hair will not get you very far habibi. right.. and now for something compeletly different.... You know why it is fun to have a minister in the Iraqi government in your house these days? You can watch the government go into shock collectively. There is

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093555967840912372004-08-27T01:19:00.000+04:002004-08-27T01:32:47.840+04:00

In other news: among the group of thirty journalists arrested by the Iraqi police the day before yesterday was G. they were released hours later but knowing how he feels about confined spaces, I got my first hand experience with claustrophobics when I got stuck for 10 minutes in an elevator with him years ago, I suggest you go and send him some warm fuzzies. He’s been taking amazing pictures

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093555127867513552004-08-27T01:09:00.000+04:002004-08-27T01:18:47.866+04:00

New York Times [Ayatollah Calls for Rally to End Fighting in Najaf] Grim rumors began to circulate, most of them suggesting that the end was near. One rumor had it that the militiamen, especially those who had come to fight from outside Najaf, were selling their weapons cheap and skirting out of town. "I want you to tell me the truth," said Hadir Syed, tugging an ice cart outside the Old City.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093298990812784662004-08-24T02:05:00.000+04:002004-08-24T02:46:07.266+04:00

I fucken hate "hello from picasa". why can't I post pictures the old way, each picture is a seperate entry. sorry about that. Now watch me get all serious as I put together a 450 words pitch for a 15 minutes film based on what I have from Najaf and Sadr City. I can't remember the last time I was that serious, by allah if you are going to make fun of me I will start crying. The current Iraqi

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297484014760492004-08-24T01:44:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:44:44.013+04:00

"this way this way" a mahdi dude showing me where I will meet my death, and that is half of G in on the left

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297422763281702004-08-24T01:43:00.001+04:002004-08-24T01:43:42.763+04:00

frontline action

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297380682529502004-08-24T01:43:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:43:00.683+04:00

damn it don't point that at me! he was being funny, saying things like "if you don't show me on sattelite TV so that my mom knows I'm OK I will kill you! ha ha ha". so "mom" please tell him that you saw him.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297210408983312004-08-24T01:40:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:40:10.406+04:00

the shrine of Imam Ali. You cannot imagine the relief I felt when we got there after having to walk thru all those tiny streets trying to avoid snipers.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297141917216742004-08-24T01:39:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:39:01.916+04:00

friendly enough to drop his RPG launcher before shaking hands with us, wouldn't want that pointing in my direction.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093297042705116152004-08-24T01:37:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:37:22.706+04:00

do you see that thing on the left? that is a container for mortar rounds, there is only one left.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296982528184582004-08-24T01:36:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:36:22.526+04:00

more big guns

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296752923736882004-08-24T01:32:00.001+04:002004-08-24T01:32:32.923+04:00

Mahdi guy who joined three months ago. "I come and go depending on where I am needed". he is from Amara in the south

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296724030031702004-08-24T01:32:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:32:04.030+04:00

that's what you have to do every time you cross a street, snipers were having a hell of a day. at one point two idiots stood right in the middle of an intersection shaking hands a chatting totally oblivious to the american sniper looking out one of the windows until he got really sick of them and shouted "Yo! is this going to take much longer"

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296511912943192004-08-24T01:28:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:28:31.913+04:00

creepy Mahdi dude, he was dancing and cheering while the gun shots kept hitting the other side of the wall.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296180417237812004-08-24T01:23:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:23:00.416+04:00

this is close to the "frontline", which at the time was the cemetery. Mahdi dude taking a cigarette break.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093296105342750602004-08-24T01:21:00.000+04:002004-08-24T01:21:45.343+04:00

this guy was introduced as a hero, they told me he shot a helicopter down with his big gun.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1093126579221250512004-08-22T02:11:00.000+04:002004-08-22T02:40:49.170+04:00

It is 9:30am. Everybody is outside with their flak jackets, notebooks and cameras wondering where the others will be going today and if anyone feels like venturing into the shrine area. I don’t want to put on my flak jacket until the last possible moment; it is too heavy and hot. A photographer whom I barely know is standing in front of me suddenly she gets too close and says: “This is a

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092885174768126682004-08-19T07:06:00.000+04:002004-08-19T07:16:28.630+04:00

off to Najaf for three days. not sure I will be able to blog from there. I will if I can beg a couple of minutes online time from one of the journos down there so watch this space.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092813590203123072004-08-18T10:55:00.000+04:002004-08-18T11:19:50.203+04:00

We are standing at what he decided was the safer end of the Ahrar bridge. Less than 20 minutes ago there was a little exchange of high velocity lethal lead along this bridge. He thinks that this time the safer side to go take pictures from is the American side; the insurgents attacking the Americans this time are not Mahdi’s Army – the Militia lead by Moqtada al-Sadir (hard line religious leader

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092632403507748502004-08-16T08:53:00.000+04:002004-08-16T09:00:03.506+04:00

Baghdad hits you head on like a big heavy truck barreling down a highway. Ka-poww, you’re out! Flat on your back wondering what that was. It doesn’t make a difference whether you live here or you from foreign; once you are away from here for more than a week you forget how things are. You forget because you really get away the mess and just live a “normal” couple of days. These days the first

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092354495407661402004-08-13T03:48:00.000+04:002004-08-13T03:53:35.826+04:00

Get your war on.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092350282200791562004-08-13T02:30:00.000+04:002004-08-13T02:38:02.200+04:00

This one is very true any way .. i was watching near by table in the club a man my age with family and friends.. after 1 second of stoping fire the man just rested his head on his chest and still sitting the same way ... with blood going out of his head .. he got shot with a lost bullet in the head It was the talk of the town. The rich, hunting club going part of town that is. Now excuse me, have

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092349023528897572004-08-13T02:07:00.000+04:002004-08-13T02:17:03.526+04:00

G.'s invasion of the Guardian continues: Tigris Tales on the 9th and a report on the events in Najaf on the 10th. and he is taking some kick ass photos while there.

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092349809767877052004-08-13T01:26:00.000+04:002004-08-13T02:30:09.766+04:00

Informed Comment mentioned in a recent post Ibrahim al-Jafaari’s comment concerning the presence of coalition forces in Najaf: "I call for multinational forces to leave Najaf and for only Iraqi forces to remain there," Jafari said in remarks broadcast on al-Jazeera satellite television network on Wednesday. "Iraqi forces can administer Najaf to end this phenomenon of violence in this city that

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092347841991299292004-08-12T00:39:00.000+04:002004-08-13T04:48:35.426+04:00

Baghdad Flash Mob! what do people actually do in those flash mobs, and will they all be attending wearing same color t-shirts, because if not baghdad these days looks like one big flash mob. More worringly in this some devilsh way to get bloggers and internet geeks to congregate in one place so that the freaky jihadis can get ris of them in one single go? is this the first Flash Mob suicide

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092348318549647932004-08-12T00:11:00.000+04:002004-08-13T04:35:11.413+04:00

In her latest post Riverbend writes: So is this a part of the reconstruction effort promised to the Shi’a in the south of the country? Najaf is considered the holiest city in Iraq. It is visited by Shi’a from all over the world, and yet, during the last two days, it has seen a rain of bombs and shells from none other than the ‘saviors’ of the oppressed Shi’a- the Americans. So is this the ‘Sunni

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092347475388837562004-08-11T03:14:00.000+04:002004-08-13T04:26:56.523+04:00

Things are worse than yesterday. My father’s security people asked us all not to leave the house today without telling them. Everybody is a bit freaked out after the announcement from Zarqawi yesterday that Allawi and his government are going to be his next targets.As if we were going anywhere; my poor mom can’t even look after her own garden with so many strangers in our house with big guns. My

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940535.post-1092347197527332112004-08-09T02:48:00.000+04:002004-08-13T04:19:34.503+04:00

Anyway................... coming back to Baghdad these days is always difficult. It really is the equivalent of hearing your car tires deflate; a long pfffffffft that makes think: (oh fuck). A couple of months before it was very different, every time I came back I came with a sense of hope now this is gone because I know I am coming back to something that is worst than I left. I hate feeling this

salamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203320769945083949noreply@blogger.com