Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Green zone

green zone
This is a new blog by an Iraqi from Baquba, Diyala, where oranges come from in Iraq :)
Ali, an engineer, and an administrator of a network in Diyala introduced himself:

Alsalamoalaikom
How are you all i hope fine it`s my first post in this bolg and i hope you all like it,I`m a mechanical engineer imegrate in the last year from a university in baghdad called al-Mustansirya if hearing a bout it it`s the second university in iraq after baghdad university and i`m like a hounderd of young iraqi engineer still without a job because of the bad situation of my country therefore i`m working in another job not like my specialism like the other people here in iraq working as an admestrative on an internet network in my town(baquba) and we very suffering from the bad electricity that`s cause many problem to our network and we suffering to from the bad using to the net because the internet enter iraq only from 3 years ago therefore the most of iraqi users are new and didn`t knew how to use the internet in safe,I think that you said it`s a rubbish word and i forgive you but it`s my simple life in my wounded country.
Thanks to all for your patinece and reading my blog.

Ali


So here you have it, the first Iraqi blog from Diyala, hope this will only open a gate for others.
Please go visit Ali's green zone and welcome him to the blogsphere..

new; 1
total; 186

Initial Review of Using Arabic by Mahdi Alosh

I purchased "Using Arabic: A Guide to Contemporary Usage" by Mahdi Alosh a week or so ago (See my previous post for more information aobut the book). I have spent a few hours going through the book since and have found it to be worth the 25$ I paid. The book is basically made up of two main sections - vocabulary and grammar. What I perhaps most enjoy about this book is the breadth of coverage. Most any grammatical aspect, usual or exceptional, is found in the book. The advantage of this book is that is written by an American Arab and it hasn't been translated from German or any other language. Yes, I am referring to certain reference grammars written in the 1800s and republished in the 1900s and 2000s. Those older grammar reference books seem to mostly attract stuffy old-school professors and diplomats who don't want to admit that spoken Arabic should be taught to students and that the glory of Arabic is found in knowing the most obscure structures that can only be used in the most uncommon of cirsumstances. This is, of course, only my anecdotal opnion.

My intial opinion of this book is that it is quite useful as a reference grammar for students of Arabic ranging from intermediate to advanced. The vocabulary sections could be better with some contextual sentences or readings, but it is useful in itself because it contains current phrases and words found in media, political and other genres.

This is the kind of book I might study from systematically day to day if I were in an intensive program. I would go through 5-10 pages a day and harvest the most useful vocabulary for memorization. I would then try to use the vocab throughout the day/week. As for the grammar, I would not spend too much time trying to internalize the rare aspects...but it would be useful to look through systematically as well.

Jeremy Palmer

Crossing the Rubicon

It looks as if everything has pretty much fallen into place for my February departure to study in Yemen for what I am expecting to be about twelve months in length.

This week I begin the process of getting from Seattle, Washington to Sana’a, Yemen. I decided to attend the Center for Arabic and Eastern Studies (CALES - http://www.y.net.ye/cales/).

To be honest, my first choice was the Yemen Language Center (YLC - http://www.ylcint.com/) but since I couldn’t get any email response from YLC, I decided to attend CALES, which responded to every email I sent.

My immediate preparations for departure are as follows:

Wire a $200 deposit to CALES (To “arrange for your accommodations, for the first month”)

Meet with a travel agent regarding a flight itinerary

Send my visa paperwork off to the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen in Washington, D.C. (http://www.yemenembassy.org/)

Hopefully I’ll get this portion done by the end of the week.

Note: Although on their website CALES indicates that they can assist in obtaining a visa, I was told that it was faster and cheaper to do this on my own (shrug). CALES recommended I apply for a tourist visa and after I arrive in Yemen they will assist me in getting a student visa. You can obtain the visa application form along with all the information you need on the embassy’s website that I’ve linked above.

Now, I don’t know about anybody else, but I have found the lack of authoritative information on studying in the ME to be very frustrating. So, if anybody is interested, I shall be blogging my progress from start to finish. Of course, this will be for study in Yemen, particularly at CALES (although I’ll try and find out information on other academies in Sana’a). For information on studying abroad in Syria, I recommend you go to Jeremy Palmer’s blog at: http://arabicacquisition.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Using Arabic - grammar book

MarHaban,

I bought this book today and look forward to going through it. Mahdi Alosh is perhaps the premier Arabic grammarian and linguist. Click on the title of this post to go to the publisher's site. Anybody ever used it? What did you think? Here is the info from the publisher's website (Cambridge):


Using Arabic
A Guide to Contemporary Usage
Mahdi Alosh
Ohio State University

Paperback

(ISBN-10: 0521648327 | ISBN-13: 9780521648325)
Published June 2005 | 356 pages | 238 x 169 mm
In stock
(Stock level updated: 17:58 GMT, 20 December 2005)
£15.99
Textbook
Lecturers can request inspection copies of this title.
Courses: Arabic Grammar, Intermediate Arabic Conversation, Intermediate Modern Arabic, Advanced Modern Arabic, Arabic Society and Culture, Studying Arabic Prose.
Using Arabic is a guide to Arabic usage for students who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge. Focusing mainly on Modern Standard Arabic, it is divided into three clear sections on varieties of Arabic, grammar, and vocabulary. ‘Varieties of Arabic’ describes the linguistic situation in the Arab world, showing students variations in register through the use of authentic texts. The vocabulary section is designed not only to expand students’ knowledge of Arabic words, but also to show them which words are most current, and which are appropriate to different registers. The final chapter provides an overview of Arabic grammar, giving many modern-day examples, and highlighting common errors. Clear, readable and easy to consult, Using Arabic will prove an invaluable reference for students seeking to improve their fluency and confidence in Arabic.

• Defines aspects of the Arabic language clearly and functionally

• Provides examples of ‘real’ Arabic from the media

• Gives a concise yet adequate overview of Arabic grammar, and expands students’ vocabulary

Contents

Part I. Varieties of Arabic: 1. What is Arabic?; 2. Arabic diglossia; 3. Diglossia versus bilingualism; 4. Register; 5. Representative texts; Part II. Vocabulary: 1. Vocabulary study; 2. Word information; 3. Conceptual organization of words; 4. Semantic processing of words; Part III. Grammar: 1. What is grammar?; 2. An outline of Arabic grammar; 3. Grammatical categories; 4. The nominal sentence; 5. The verbal sentence; 6. Prepositions; 7. Negation; 8. Demonstratives; 9. Relative pronouns; 10. Interrogatives; 11. Conditionals; 12. Transition words; 13. Numbers; 14. Partitives; 15. Nominal forms with a verbal force; 16. The diminutive; 17. The vocative; 18. Relative adjectives; 19. Words of emphasis; 20. The permutative; 21. Conjunctions; 22. Exception; 23. The Construct; 24. Comparative/superlative adjectives; 25. Defective nouns; 26. Common errors.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

The Arabic Alphabet Song

I realize that many if not all of you that come to this site may be well into your study of Arabic, but this is so cute I couldn't help myself, so here it is - the link to the Arabic alphabet song:

http://www.funwitharabic.com/song.htm

Aswaat Arabiyya


This website is super cool. Click on the title of this posting to go to the site. Mahmoud Al-Batal (project director) showed it to a group of us at a teacher training session in 2003. I forgot about this website for some time until the author of a new Arabic learning blog "The Arabist" at http://arabistfancy.blogspot.com/ posted it recently. The website contains television programs in Arabic from the Middle East for students of varying levels of Arabic knowledge. One of the coolest things about this site is that you can slow down some of the video clips for careful listening. The project is hosted by Emory College in Atlanta.


Check it out and enjoy! (Click on the title of this post to go to the site for Aswaat Arabiyya)

Jeremy

Monday, December 19, 2005

Gov't seeks Arabic translators


As if you didn't know, the US Gov is looking for Arabic translators. I wish the US Gov were also looking so energetically for Arabic seakers to build bridges of cultural understanding and appreciation along with the document translation and other activities. The above image that shows which agencies are looking for Arabic speakers and what they are paying. This article is from the Chicago Sun-Times. You can go to the article by clicking on the title.

Jeremy

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Online Arabic Listening Materials

I’ve posted a new website on my link section - Aswaat Arabiyya (http://langqtss.library.emory.edu/arabic_listening/index.html).

I was quite happy to happen upon this site and I think you’ll find it of use too. Here’s a quick blurb about the site taken from their homepage:

“Aswaat Arabiyya provides listening materials and accompanying activities that are intended for the various levels of proficiency from Novice to Superior. These listening materials have been selected from television stations throughout the Arab world and they treat a wide variety of topics and listening genres.”

It appears to be sponsored/created by the Emory College Language Center and is free of charge. It works pretty much as advertised although not everything works perfectly. I don’t know how often or even if the content updates, but perhaps we would stand a better chance of it updating if we emailed them our appreciation for the effort that was put into creating the site.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Shalash il 3iraqi..

Some of the best short-stories i read since the war..Were signed by Shalash il 3iraqi..
stories that come "right from the hood", with extremely simple characters, and extremely difficult language if you are not Iraqi but actually it's the language of the most simple people in Iraq, if you are a foreigner, you need to study Arabic for two years, and then Iraqi for 12 years, and then live among Iraqis for 20 years, to understand all the words he uses, yet, the content is so simple, speaks out the mind of the regular Iraqi person in the street, and very humorous too.
I always wanted to know where they come form and how they spread so quickly, not anymore though:

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's my honor to introduce http://shalashaliraqi.blogspot.com/ , gathered and published by Imad Khadduri.

The blog is in Arabic, I suggest you drop the idea of trying a translation program because it might get a severe headache and explode.
enjoy it!
khalid*
ps: you can also check the blog http://shalashreview.blogspot.com/ where he put the reviews and the articles other people wrote about the phenomena of Shalash il Iraqi..
and I thought I was the one with the biggest ego! haha:)
---------------------------------
new: 2
total: 185

Typing in Arabic Script Using MS Office and Windows XP

For anybody that ever thought it would be neat/fun/useful to be able to type in Arabic script - the following link will explain how to do so:

http://www.geocities.com/frrrrrankie/loadingarabic.htm

I was able to follow the directions without any problems and it works very well. I also saved a copy of the instructions in MS Word format in case the link ever goes away. Please feel free to email me if you would like me to send you a copy.

A Review of Arabic Study Materials, Part 3

Welcome to the third installment of my review of Arabic study materials. Today’s review is another language vocabulary program – Vocab Clinic’s - Modern Standard Arabic (www.vocabclinic.com), $59.00, available by download or CD-Rom.

Although this is not a flashcard based program like Transparent Language’s - Before You Know It Deluxe, it is a vocabulary program. Vocab Clinic has helpfully grouped the words according to category. The categories differ enough from BYKI to enough of a degree that one will find it useful to purchase both programs. Like BYKI, Vocab Clinic allows you to download a demo version of its program. It’s a very limited version of it, but sufficient for ascertaining whether you feel it is a program for you.

Vocab Clinic’s - Modern Standard Arabic includes the spelling in Arabic and transliteration. They also give the past/present form and the singular/plural form. The feminine spelling is included where applicable. All given spellings include the pronunciation by a native speaker of Arabic.

The program also comes with the ability to print select words from within a category or the entire list of words in a category in English to Arabic script or English to Transliterated Arabic. At first glance I thought it was kind of pointless, but after exploring that function I warmed up to it.

I actually like to utilize this program in a very low-tech way – I review the words in the program to hear them spoken and then I copy the words over to blank flashcards. I do this because I can review the flashcards practically anywhere I happen to be when I find myself with a little free time. The words are spelled in the program with the necessary short vowels and I can copy of any notes I feel necessary from the language use section.

What I like about Vocab Clinic’s - Modern Standard Arabic is that it includes language notes on the use of the words and it has an extensive selection of words in each category.

What I don’t like about Vocab Clinic’s - Modern Standard Arabic is that there seems to be a two-installation limit on the software. I haven’t actually tested this yet as I am going to be purchasing a new laptop shortly and want to use the second installation on it, but it did seem to be rather clear that there was a limit in place.

Some may find it of interest that Vocab Clinic also offers what appears to be the same program but for Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, and supposedly, a Modern Standard Arabic Verb Clinic is in the works.

Although I am concerned about the possible (probable?) installation limit, I would have to say that Vocab Clinic’s - Modern Standard Arabic is definitely worth the money. Enjoy!

Carnival of the relatives

This is the only time I wish my relatives do not blog much :((

Let's see... 1... 2... 3.. GO

Dad:
Mama's turn:

Here, I'd like to thank uncle Ahmed and his wife for saving so much of my time :) If you ever think of coming back, you might consider a little gift for me, for doing extra work I mean :)

Now, it's Hassan's turn.. I was thinking of letting him do some of the work here, but he's never online these days!!! WHERE ARE YOU HASSAN???
My turn (Not counting my posts in IBC this time)
Kais's turn: Wondering who's Kais? He's Raghda's brother.. But I'd like you all to note that his blog has been hacked or something, so it's no longer his..

HNK's trun:
A big applaud for you my sis, for not being such a blogoholic like the rest of us..

Dalia posted some photos, and changed to a beautiful template..!

Raghda has new... Guess what? ... RIGHT, Cat photos..

Sunshine's turn:

Sanyora's turn:

Gee, it takes so much time to compile this, check out the first carnival of the relatives.. Now, that was fun to do..!!!

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Out of country code

The following post by Vahal contains crucial information on all the locations of the out-of-country vote including websites for the different participating countries..

http://iraqivote.blogspot.com/2005/12/out-of-country-vote.html

Friday, December 9, 2005

Talisman gate

"Welcome to my blog. This is the place where I explore issues like whether Nostradamus had predicted the whole Zarqawi phenomena, and is Walid Jumblat the real Hariri killer. In other words, this space is devoted to all the stuff that would peg me a crank should I try to put it out in print. But what the hell, journalistic credibility is way too over-regarded. Plus, blogging is an exercise in vanity; it is the joy-ride of ego-trips. So, excuse my pompous self-righteousness, and try to enjoy your stay."
"The purpose of this blog is to help me write a book about the Middle East by the end of 2006. Expect it to be messy and bi-lingual."

Nibras Kazimi, a "visiting Scholar at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC" has started a new blog.. Check it out!

New; 1
Total; 183

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Teaching Spoken Arabic and Motivation

One of the few articles that presents quantifiable data in support of teaching spoken Arabic (There are none that I know of that support the teaching of only Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)). The two go hand in hand it seems... to some extent. Teaching MSA only is a quick way to demotivate learners due to the lack of ability to speak with Arabs like they speak (ok, I don't have data to back up this claim). This article is about the teaching of spoken Arabic to young learners in Israel. The results show that student attitudes and motivation increased with the teaching of spoken Arabic. Here is the title followed by the source and authors:

The Effects of Teaching Spoken Arabic on Students’ Attitudes and Motivation in Israel

Modern Language Journal, Summer2004, Vol. 88 Issue 2, p217, 12p, 6 charts. Donitsa-Schmidt, Smadar; Inbar, Ofra; Shohamy, Elana

Here is the abstract:

The study investigated whether changes in the educational context of teaching Arabic as a second language in Israeli schools affect students' attitudes towards the language, its speakers and culture, and motivation to study the language. These changes included teaching spoken Arabic rather than Modern Standard Arabic and lowering the starting age of instruction. Self-report questionnaires were distributed to 692 students (4th–6th grade) and 362 parents from 14 elementary schools. The findings revealed that students who study spoken Arabic (experimental group), as opposed to those who do not (control group), report holding more positive attitudes towards the Arabic language, its culture, and speakers, and also claim to be more motivated to study the language. Findings also confirm the important role that parents have over their children's behavior because parents' attitudes constituted one of the predictors of students' motivation to study Arabic. Yet, the variable that best predicted students' motivation was their satisfaction with their Arabic study program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here is a paragraph from the body of the article:

"based on this research, it seems vital to include the spoken variety as a major component of the curricula. This inclusion is likely to allow students to communicate with Arabs using the colloquial variety of thelanguagethat isusedininformal settings
and may eventually lead to improved cultural understanding and better relations between the two ethnolinguistic groups. Finally, it is important to develop high quality programs and curricula for the teaching of the language in order to raise the level of satisfaction among students and their parents."


My comments:

One must take this article and my comments with a grain of salt. This article is talking specifically about the situation in Israel, and the research was performed on younger learners - not the kind reading this blog most likely. We can, however, learn from this article and follow the suggestions for future research as the field attempts to figure out how to teach MSA and spoken together. There are so many variables that such discussion is often simply avoided. For example, which dialect should be taught? How often? What about heritage learners? How can we present a spoken language to students? etc. Much more research needs to be done.

This article appeared in the Modern Language Journal, which is one of the most wide read and prestigious journals in the field of language learning. That fact alone gives the article credit.

Your comments?

Monday, December 5, 2005

A Review of Arabic Study Materials, Part 2

It was with much excitement that I made my (online) purchase of Vis-Ed’s Arabic Vocabulary Cards ($13.95).

I'm a big fan of using flashcards to build one’s vocabulary. With a strong vocabulary and the ability to conjugate the verbs of your target language, one is well on the path to fluency. Flashcards give one the chance to do both at the same time, while being portable enough to take with you anywhere. They give one a visual component of seeing the word and the aural component of hearing the word (if you say it to yourself and you should if you’re trying to learn it). It is this type of active learning that makes flashcards so effective. But there are flashcards and then there are flashcards…

Unfortunately per Vis-Ed, “It should be noted that as in most printed Arabic materials, the short vowels are omitted.” What in the world was Vis-Ed thinking when they made the decision not to include the small vowels? With that single decision, Vis-Ed ruined what should have been a very important weapon in a student's study arsenal.

Without the short vowels, pronunciation of the words is, for all intents and purposes, impossible. There is nothing on the outside of the box or on the online description that warns the potential buyer of this oversight. I suppose that one could always look the words up in an English – Arabic dictionary and write in the short vowels but that is rather pathetic. One would be better served to buy blank flashcards from the local bookstore and create their own flashcards (which is also a good idea).

In summation, flashcards = good. Vis’Ed’s flashcard implementation = bad.

Sunday, December 4, 2005

The Iraqi Vote

The Iraqi Vote

Vahal is following the IRAQI VOTE.. Counting down to the election day, 11 days left..

Let's count with him!

Saturday, December 3, 2005

To Iraqi Rebel

To Iraqi Rebel,

If it happens and you're reading this, please know that I really appreciate your blog..
I tried to comment, but it seems you forget to moderate, or else you shouldn't have 0 comments!!
I tried to e-mail, and there is no e-mail?

I just thought I'd tell you there's no other way to tell you that we like the blog other than posting about it, and you might not be reading this!!

Najma

Read him if you want, you're going to enjoy it!

Friday, December 2, 2005

A Review of Arabic Study Materials, Part 1

Anybody that has decided to study Arabic might well wonder why finding good Arabic study materials takes an almost Herculean effort nearly four years after the language was thrust into the forefront of the American consciousness.

When I first decided to study Arabic after a 12 year hiatus, I assumed that finding good study materials would be as easy as walking into the nearest Barnes & Noble and heading for the foreign language section - but no. I was still upbeat as I knew that my city library would be bursting with Arabic learning materials. Nothing could be further from the truth here in Seattle, Washington and I imagine it must be even more difficult in a small city.

Online retailers provide a number of choices but there really is no way to tell what you’re getting until the purchase has been made. I wanted to begin posting reviews of different resources I’ve come across to help potential learners of the Arabic language begin their journey as smoothly as possible!

Because I have a strong foundation from my study of Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, my reviews won’t focus on the absolute beginner. I do, however, recommend the Alif Baa with DVDs primer. This is one book written specifically for those beginning to learn Arabic and will give you a firm grasp of the basics that are needed to begin your study of the language.

First up for review is Transparent Language’s, Before You Know It Deluxe (BYKI), $59.95, available by download or CD-Rom. This is one of my favorite programs for building vocabulary. The program comes with 75 word lists that are organized by theme (office, body parts, adjectives, verbs, etc.). The words on the list are presented, in Arabic, on virtual flashcards that you flip to reveal the translation. This can be done in the following different learning modes:

  • Review It – Review your cards without being scored.
  • Recognize It – See the information from one side of your card (Arabic) and think or say the information from side two (English).
  • Know It – See the information from one side of your card (Arabic) and then type the information from side two (English).
  • Produce It – See the information from side two of your cards (English) and think or say the information from side one (Arabic)
  • Own It – See the information from side two of your card (English) and type the information from side one (Arabic)

Each word is spoken, in Arabic, as it is presented and can be made to replay the pronunciation by clicking on the appropriate button. The program keeps track of your successes and failures during each learning mode and when you have successfully completed the list you are given the option to continue practicing or to review a new list. If you need to stop in the middle of studying the list in question, BYKI will remember your responses for that list and you can pick up where you left off at a later time.

In addition to the above mentioned “Flashcard” mode, BYKI comes with an “Activities” tab that offers Multiple Choice in either of the above mentioned Recognize it and Know It modes. The Activities tab also offers a Pronunciation mode to let you compare your pronunciation to a native speaker’s and a Dictation selection to spell the Arabic word that you hear (Done by use of a virtual Arabic keyboard).

BYKI also has an “Alphabet Exploder” tab that will let you choose an individual Arabic letter and pronounce it for you and also show you how it is written in the Isolated, Initial, Medial, and Final position.

Perhaps one of the more interesting features is the ability to create your own lists or add words to the existing lists (utilizing the virtual Arabic keyboard or in transliterated form) and associating that word with a sound recording of the pronunciation and/or image. You can also share the lists you create with your friends.

There is no limit that I’ve found to the number of times the program can be installed. BYKI also allows multiple user profiles. Transparent Language will let you download, for free, a “lite” version of the program that contains only about seven of the lists, but otherwise offers full functionality, giving you a chance to decide if this is the program for you before you actually buy it.

I personally cannot fault BYKI Deluxe on any level. I would have preferred if some of the words came with some context as to their use but to be fair, this is more nitpicking on my part and not really criticism of the product.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Arabic Word of the Day

I've moved my Arabic Word of the Day section over to a new blog (http://awotd.blogspot.com/).

Within a week or so I hope to begin posting reviews of Arabic learning materials!

Monday, November 28, 2005

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Arabic Word of the Day

Understood (m/f/pl) مَفْهُومُون / مَفْهُومَة / مَفْهُوم

I’ve heard this word used by itself with a questioning tone as in: Understood? (مَفْهوم؟ )

Arabic Word of the Day

رَجَا / يَرْجُو to hope/wish


يَرْجُو ان يَذْهَب He wishes to go.

Friday, November 25, 2005

Iraqi Rebel

Although the title Iraqi Rebel might seem exciting. But the blogger doesn't really write about politics. He says:
Not a good introduction I'd say. So anyway, I'm just your average Iraqi Joe... or should I say Mo. You'll find here my random posts on life in Iraq under the occupation (or liberation or however else you see it). Don't expect anything coherent here or the kind of political punditry you'd find on other Iraqi blogs. Just plain thoughts and stories, that would also include whatever rumors or jokes are flying around Baghdad at the moment. Hell, what do I care? There probably won't be anyone around to read this shit. So I guess that's all for now.


I wouldn't count on the fact that your blog is not going to be read. Riverbend thought that too at first. Look at her blog now.

New: 1
Total: 182

NOTE

The new Iraq Blog Count e-mail is:
iraqblogcount@gmail.com

We'd appreciate it if you inform us of any new blogs by an e-mail.
If you're one of the members of this blog, and you want access to that e-mail, write an e-mail.
If you're an Iraqi blogger, and you'd like joining us here to count and observe, write an e-mail.

PS: Does anyone have a list of e-mails for Iraqi bloggers?

Don't Bomb Us - A blog by Al Jazeera Staffers

The blogsphere, a more exciting place once more..

Don't Bomb Us - A blog by Al Jazeera Staffers


What else to be said other than: GO SEE IT!

Hat tip: Global voices online.

What's the Best Place to Study Arabic?

I previously studied at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California. Although I felt that the program was solid and probably better than most college based programs, it was my belief then, as it is now, that foreign language study in the United States, however intense or realistic, is ultimately flawed.

Foreign language study in the United States is both slow and insufficient to meet the needs of an aspiring Arabic linguist. When a student of the Arabic language leaves class in the United States, they are immediately bombarded by English, not Arabic. Their primary source of information, entertainment, and expression takes place not in their target language but in English. There is no program of study in the United States that can prepare a foreign language student the way studying abroad does. A graduate of a stateside program will not have the ability to understand the nuances of the Arabic language or have a proper understanding of the Arabic culture/mindset.

For the past several months, I researched Arabic language programs abroad and have narrowed my search to two places for differing reasons. The first of the two (in no specific order) is in Egypt (basically Cairo). Egypt is the Hollywood of the Middle East and the Egyptian dialect is most likely to be understood by the widest majority of Arabs one might encounter, and just as our speech is peppered with colloquialisms from movies and television, one would expect that any Arabic they might hear, in the course of their job as a linguist, would contain such references.

My second choice is in Sana’a, Yemen. Sana’a is an interesting choice. There has been little Western influence in Yemen and the people speak Arabic almost exclusively. This should provide one with the rare opportunity to be immersed in the Arabic language completely and provide an effective and stimulating setting. There are three language academies recommended by the American Institute for Yemeni Studies (http://www.aiys.org/index.html), in Sana’a: The Center for Arabic Studies and Eastern Languages (CALES - http://www.y.net.ye/cales/welcome.htm), The Yemen Language Center (YLC - http://www.ylcint.com/), and Sana’a Institute for the Arabic Language (SIAL - http://www.sialyemen.com/english/index.htm).

I like Egypt as it is more modern that Yemen, but the language schools there require you to find your own lodging, which may end up being a good walk from the school. The cost of studying in Egypt seems to be one-third to one-half more expense than in Yemen. All three schools that I mentioned in Yemen provide housing within a five minute walk from school and the Yemen Language Center offers a meal plan. The Yemen school’s costs seem to be all inclusive, including books and even airport pickup. So, if money is no object, I’d probably go to Egypt, but Yemen definitely has the advantage for the budget minded.

This is not to say that one cannot locate a good school in another Arab country; however, I believe that one would have to have an unyielding desire to ignore the facts to come to the conclusion that another country provides a better learning environment.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Spliting Work

I don't know how Emigre ran this blog by herself. Now there are two of us (Me and Najma) and if it wasn't for spliting work one of us would have been covered to his neck with the work needed to keep this blog going.
New Blogs:
Koranic phenomenologyf
I chose this title as starting point from which my thesis of Koranic phenomenology will travil.
Husserl started his phenomenological method by doing the logical investigation, for this reason,phenomenology is discovered after hard searching & investigations rather than just speculations & opinions.

Show Time
darkest greetting for you My name is Mohammed T. Abbas and I'm from Iraq, you will find in this blog the things I like and the things I do, its just about ma life, hope you'll enjoy it, peace out

Turkmeneli
This page is created by Turkmeneli National Union in cooperation and support of Iraqi Turkmen Cultural Assositation of Danmark. The union is established in Kerkuk/Kirkuk /Iraq for the aim of defending human rights and political rights of Turkmeneli (Northern Iraq) population(Turkmen and Arap and Assyrian And Kurds) in the democratisation process.

ب?ره‌وه‌ر? و ?ـــــاده‌كانم
This is a Kurdish blog. Since I do not know the language. All I can do is link to it. No quote.

New; 4
Total 181

CASA Damascus

It looks like CASA Damascus is becoming a reality! It looks like the program might start up in 2007. This is excellent for Syria and America. Stay tuned for more info. If you don't know what CASA is - it is the best consistent overseas intensive Arabic program in the world. It is presently in Cairo. What wonderful news that it is coming to Damascus. Here is general info about at

CASA Egypt Program


BTW - I got this info from an insider source that is 100% "in the know". I'm not sure when it will be announced in written format.

Jeremy

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Still alive

Two blogs of the same author:
How to deserve it? I don't know how, just trying to figure out.
My letters to America.

Found them while reading the comments at 24 steps to liberty.

What does it mean to have a second chance?
It happened to me. I want to deserve it. I want to make this one work.
To do that, I need to see what inside me in a mirror. This blog is not for anyone to read, why would someone care about my daily illusions, feelings and thoughts. I will put some of my old diaries too. It is my footprints in life, so when I mess it up again or give up I find a STOP sign turn my head to see the route I chose and know where to go . This time I will live a real life, this time when the day come and I hear that voice again " that's it, your time is over" I wont say "not now !" I wont say "I haven't lived yet!" ... or scream "not like this!!!I don't wont to die like this ! None on earth deserve to die like this".... Next time I die, it will be peaceful and easy...no matter what, there will be no regret.
new; 2
total; 177

Friday, November 18, 2005

Abdol-Kareem freed

The detained Egyptian blogger Emigre talked about earlier: here, here , and here got freed today as he stated on the 14th of this month...

Haven't noticed that before, sorry!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

But... Life goes on

Emigre might be on a strike, I chose to stay on the side and leave no opinion to that.. I went to the settings of the blog today, she's removed herself, and has made us all moderators.
So:
It's our responsibility now.. Emigre might be on strike, but blogs keep coming.. I know many of you have only been known because of Iraq Blog Count, and by Emigre, and I'd feel sorry for the coming generation of blogs..

Please, for any member here, who feels like contributing to keep this alive, just e-mail me and we'll split work or something. I'm in the sixth grade, you know!

Emigre might have cut any contact with Iraq Blog Count, but she still has her blog.. And you can still reach her by e-mail:
In case anyone is wondering, Emigre has "withdrawn forces" from Iraq Blog Count. In an unforeseen twist of fate, the blog is now occupied by Iraqis. I am still available by email.
In my first step towards bring back the counter, I'll add two blogs:

The Iraqi vote
:
Facts, statistics and views on the December 15, 2005 elections in Iraq.
And, I was there:
I am a lucky person who was able to get and see every thing that many others couldn't, and because of that, I wanted to share my experience with the others, so I became a flying instructor then a reporter for one of the well known newspapers(I was lucky in that too), and now I decided to share it with you through this Blog, so the people will know what I know, and will learn what I learned; to work in places, like the ones that I use to work in, gave me the chance to discover so many secrets that many still asking about it or does not know about it; I couldn't talk about it before, but now I will put every thing in my Blog so if I will die, these things will not die with me; I will start talking, and I will talk about every thing I saw or I will see, because I was there...
New: 2
Total: 175

PS: Emigre, I'm sure you're reading this.. Anytime, just anytime, just drop me a note and I'll add you back..
PPS: The Iraq Blog Count e-mail might no longer be as functional.. If you have a new blog, e-mail me or one of the other blog members.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Simpsons become Shamsoon


The classic American cartoon The Simpsons is being Arabicised into The Shamsoons. Let me know what you think about the Arabic version! Here is a link to a newspaper article about it:
article
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Emigre on strike

Well, this is it. I am so over war that I am going on strike.

I am tired of all the sh*t stirring, online and off. I am tired of all the provocation, online and off. I am tired of all the pitting of factions against one another, online and off. I am tired of intervening "un-named" parties, online and off. I am tired of my blood and my history which I can't change, online and off. I am tired of watching the blame game, all over the place. I am tired of the Americans who bawl "you hate us for being US" and I am tired of anyone else who bawls "you hate me because you are racist" (like as if - color on the web? Only in rainbows thanks).

I am tired of all of life. I am tired of being shat on by right wing factions for mentioning how very much western constitutional tweakings and terror laws, and wars, remind me of Adolf. And I am tired of being shat on by left wing factions whenever I draw a parallel between the forged protocols of Zion and anti-Zionist hysteria now. Whoever wants to shit on me for comparing fear of Judaism last century to fear of Islam this century - take your pick. Or maybe you can do your business in turns.

I am tired of reading and watching news footage of other people in other places dying horribly, and I am tired of reading and watching news footage of other people ignoring other people in other places dying horribly. I am tired of the coverups. I am tired of the lies. I am tired of the charlatans who claim to tell the truth and I am tired of the real truth hanging over my head like Louison's blade.

I am tired of my government. I am tired of yours.

There are 173 blogs in the blogrole and several other bloggers with access to this blog. Carry it on if you like, after this post I am removing myself.

See you when the war is over.

Oh, one last thing, half the blogs in the blogrole - I don't know whose they are - some American who likes causing trouble and has been getting away with manipulating the truth for way too long. You just threw a wobbly at the wrong person once too often, anonymous.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

New and dissolute Blog

An Iraqi tear, by "the woman I was".

I am an Iraqi single mother who managed to survive the wars and the sanctions; yet I could not manage living under the occupation; writing is a resort to forget the idea of leaving Iraq. read blog.


New: 1
Total: 173

Australian Wheat Board propped up Saddam

An interim post between blogcounts.

The story itself isn't new, been floating about for a while and everybody pretends to ignore it. Can't say it's really taken the Australian media scene by storm, doesn't have the same impact as Parisian riot or terror laws, and the Wheat Board are understandably happy to keep their heads down over it all.

What is new, in it's latest surfacing, is that the story now suggests somebody in Baghdad has decided to boycott the AWB until the AWB repays the hundreds of millions of dollars it made through cosy UN oil for food deals, which kept both the AWB and Saddam's bank accounts out of the red.

So, has anybody heard anything about this anywhere,um, else? Howard is trying to imagine it hasn't happened but he sounds a bit rattled.

Probe into wheat 'cancellation'

Australia is investigating reports Iraq has suspended all future orders for Australian wheat.

But the Prime Minister, John Howard, has warned Baghdad cannot easily walk away from its current obligations.

The Federal Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, has asked the Australian embassy to investigate a newspaper report that Baghdad had suspended orders until wheat marketer AWB repaid the hundreds of millions of dollars used as kickbacks to prop up dictator Saddam Hussein.

Mr Howard said today AWB could not confirm the report more.


Plus Aus agriculturalists and farmers, who mostly vote for Howard either with a direct vote to Howie's party or indirectly through his co-ally the National party, are livid because here they thought they were combating the war on terror by feeding the needy but woops looks like they were just lining another despots cloud. Is Mr Global Popular having an off day, or what? I bet US wheat deals haven't been cancelled yet. Imagine the stink if US grain deals were, what an outrage - Iraqi farmers growing their own wheat! Un-aided! What next, Iraqi's extracting their own oil?

UPDATE: Wheat Board continues longstanding relationship;

"Mr Chalabi said that he denied emphatically that he said Iraq had suspended future orders of Australian wheat," Mr Downer told ABC radio...

"And the long-standing commercial relationship with Australia and the Australian wheat industry was important to the Iraqi Government." more


The longstanding relationship hey, one moment supplying wheat and the next opening fire.

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Comment moderation

I expect a number of bloggers will be happy to hear about this, blogger has introduced comment moderation to blogspot.

Should Iraq Blog Count use comment moderation? If you have reason to object, or not, please lodge your reasoned objection, or not, in a comment (which will be reviewed) or by email.

Update:


  • If no-one says anything should a yes be accepted by default and comment moderation turned on?
  • Should administrators be able to moderate comments or should all blog members?


UPDATE:
general consensus so far - moderation by blog contributors. Switched it on. All blog contributors are able to moderate comments. See you later, am tired of everybody yelling murder. If you don't hear from me I'm probably secreted in the attic awaiting reprisal attacks (for real). I don't suppose it's occurred to anyone that the scapegoat in waiting here is the same one as usual. Only a matter of time. Only a matter of time now. Already references to "jewish terrorism" are creeping into our headlines, adorned by subtle implication. The most unfashionable faith of all. So be it. I await trial.

More UPDATE: Does anyone find this strange? Where do all these factions come from, and why do some parties seem so keen to have them all throw bricks at each other. Did it ever occur to anyone, that tension between Israel and Palestine is just the ticket to keep the ME in perpetual feudal disorder, the perfect climate for sowing seeds of deceit and reaping revenge? Oh sure, toss in a few theocracies and pseudo democracies, shake a few hands and put a show on the road every once in a while. But by Cain, pentagon strategy lies in pitting neighbours against one another, by doling out reward and punishment on whim without reason, by spreading rumour, and by generally keeping one poverty stricken group hurling insults at another poverty stricken group. Where is the tension? On the margins. On the borders, where two factions in extremism are provoked to regale one another with obscenity if not outright violence. Is anybody tired of this yet? If the number of bloggers apparently boycotting their blogs is any indication, a good number are tired of it.

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

Everything happens at once

Oh crud. I stayed up late last night, reading and listening to music and then at the last minute was inspired to write a brilliant and uplifting piece full of links to everyone. Then I caught a few eyes-shut of sleep and when I woke up again the world had turned on it's head and the force was disturbed and I'm tired. Basically, new terror legislation where I am, in Australia, was passed last week and today was the first of the dawn raids. After feeling depressed for a bit I checked my email and the Americans were mutinying. Then I suddenly thought to check a soldier whose blog showed signs of being hauled offline last month and it looks like it has been now, if I'm not mistaken I don't rightly recall him mentioning anything about his laptop being rough as guts before or about his hard drive being external. Surprising he lasted as long as he did, considering.

Anyway, I really need to go right now. I have like, crosses to bear. Will return.

Update: make art not war.

Monday, November 7, 2005

New blog

Pearls of Iraq, a blog extracting wisdom. Better beauty remain hidden? Oh metaphor, treacherous salt, sand in our eye. That one day tide turns, and creatures suffer less for knowledge.

New: 1
Total: 172

Sunday, November 6, 2005

Blog Directory

This is the sort of thing I always secretly thought might be a good idea.

The Wikablog, a blog directory where anyone can add their blog and edit entries. Why not add yours?

And while you're adding your name there, why not go and add it to the petition for Abdolkarim (grown by double and a half times already).

Free Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman!

Just what everyone's been waiting for, the petition. Be one of the first to sign!

See CTPB for more.

Saturday, November 5, 2005

Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman

Just emailed the Australian Egyptian Embassy. Feel free to copy paste/edit to preference (addresses here if anyone feels moved to write). Will update.

Dear Consul

I am writing regarding a recently detained Egyptian internet diarist, Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman.

Of course I would prefer he was not held in detention at all, but short of that am emailing your office to enquire after his welfare and to find out how the Embassy might be monitoring the situation.

Please reply at your earliest convenience.

Regards

Emigre Lucere


Not forgetting Abd al-Raziq al-Mansuri, seasoned Libyan dissident.

Update:
Looking for words? Wondering how to appeal to an ambassador? It doesn't matter what you write, it's the expression of concern that counts. There's a great letter attached to the petition explaining the situation too.

Egypt blog situation update

Oh I see. An election. And an arrested blogger. Well well. Shadi Hamid discusses US silence:

The response (or lack thereof) to the upcoming elections (Egypt) - and the voter intimidation and detention of opposition activists which will surely take place - will tell us a great deal about the current thinking in the Bush administration. I can't say, however, that I'm particularly optimistic. more

Hmm, ok, 2+2= some other people in some other places rent regime rooms in Egyptian prisons. Known as "extraordinary rendition". In return some other people in some other places shutup about some bad things that some landlords do with their own tenants.

Taking an Egyptian diversion this week. Sure everyone won't mind much. Bit of a refresher, visiting other people's troubles (takes my mind off my own imminent arrest anyway).

Shadi piece via Miss Mabrouk.

Libyan blogger imprisoned

Arrested Libyan blogger Abdel Raziq al-Mansuri is being beautified.

CAIRO, Egypt - Libya has sent to prison for 18 months a blogger who criticized the government on the Internet, Human Rights Watch says in a report that inspired a series of Web tributes to the dissident Friday more.


Read blog ordinations. Read mainstream reports.

Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman Update

More Egyptian Embassy emails from Olivebranch:

Australia:
consular@egypt.org.au
info@egypt.org.au

Jordan:
egypt@embegyptjordan.com

Canada:
cetech@cetech.ca

United States of America:
embassy@egyptembdc.org
[that one took some searching]

Egypt in UN:
egypt@un.int


Decorative trimmings for your blog: Fayrouz.

Mainstream coverage: ptpnet and cnet and, erm, pardon my english.

Meanwhile:
  • Moroccan king pardons 1,111 people for Eid.
  • Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani pardons some.
  • Malawi president Bingu wa Mutharika reprieves 803.
  • Even the infidel and monstrous apparatus jackbooting around in Iraq released 500 prisoners from Abu Ghraib this week.
Does Egyptian PR realise, I wonder, that they are creating a blog hero and martyr by detaining a critic at this time of month and year. The blogsphere, for all it's vibrant diversity, is filled with willfull obstinance. Some find solace in intractable pessimism, others like mules insist on green pasture. All take pride in their falls. An arrest for a blogger is nothing short of sainthood.

Friday, November 4, 2005

Google blindspot








Was just looking about to see to see if anyone'd created a petition for Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, and noticed a few things.

  • Google searching "Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman" returns 0 on the main page, and2 on google news.

  • Searching "Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman" with bloggers blog search tool returns 17 results.

  • Searching "Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman" with technorati returns 22 results. All blogs.


Thankfully two semi-mainstream sites picked up on it, otherwise the detention of Egyptian blogger Abdolkarim (Kareem Amer) would be entirely invisible to english readers on the number one world's most used search engine. I dislike google's segregation of blogs for this reason alone. If google wants to create filters, an improvement might be a "blog" option on the main google search page next to the "images" "groups" and "news" options.

Google do you hear me. Visibility helps a bunch. I'm not whinging about fame, I'm talking about burying human rights abuse for the sake of the dollar.

Am still looking to see what's happening in the petition department, and what the human rights situation is on dealing with blogger detentions in Egypt. So far the response seems to be: provide information, get the story out rationally. In the meantime ihath has supplied Egyptian embassy addresses.

I'm in an awful quandary about posting this, Hassan's Eid gift is receding slowly into the archives.

Another piece of history

New blog: Iraqi Texts نصوص عراقية

New: 1
Total: 171

Emergency, arrest

Another blogger has gone and got arrested, which is a total nuisance because it means I have to post on top of Hassan's historical retrospective. Still, this cannot be swept under the carpet. See Committee to Protect Bloggers for more info. Some of you probably know this guy. Watch ctpb for updates and petitions.

Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, if you get out, you have a big mouth. Still, that does not warrant arrest and I will defend your right to be a PITA undisturbed as long as I may live.

Iraqi Bloggers: From Pax to Sanyora

     It took me some time to put this up. This is the journey the Iraqi bloggers made ever since Salam Pax first signed in blogger on June 2002 until the day I write this post.


History


     I can't find a blog that was started anytime close to this date by Pax. But it seems that Raed Jarrar is an old timer too. Joined blogger on December 2002 and probably started the Original Iraqi Blog: Dear Raed (Where is Raed). Year 2002 ended with only two Iraqi bloggers in the Sphere.


     One year after Pax entered the Sphere G joins it. But stops blogging mysteriously on September the same year. May 2003, a blogger named Jalloul creates a series of blogs in English, Arabic, French and Swedish .On July 2003 Nawar starts blogging, he too stopped mysteriously after one month of blogging. The Sphere gets a lot more interesting when on August 2003 the famous Riverbend joins the journey. She still blogs to this day. Ironic thing is that on her first post she says :"So this is the beginning for me, I guess. I never thought I'd start my own weblog... All I could think, every time I wanted to start one was "but who will read it?" I guess I've got nothing to lose". If only she knew how famous she was going to turn out to be.


On October that same year Zeyad starts blogging. He blogs to this day, barley. He too on his first post didn't expect what this was going to turn out to be. He said "Unfortunately, there haven't been enough Iraqis running weblogs lately. There are only five of them as far as I know. I took it upon myself to start a weblog and introduce other Iraqis to this new (to us at least) and exciting world". There are 170 Iraqi blogs now according the Blog Count. Guess your mission has been accomplished Zeyad.


Fayrouz and Ihath join on October too, Fayrouz creates another blog called Fay's Catholic Thoughts on August 2004, which she still blogs on, a third blog she created is called Fayrouz Break Room which was started one month before the previous one, on July 2004, and she is still blogging on it. Then Ihath creates another blog, of which she blogs on it in Arabic. Another Iraqi blogger joins on October, Fadhil is the first Iraqi blogger to start blogging all time in Arabic. A few weeks later, he creates another blog, but he hasn't posted on it since May 2004. Still blogs to this moment on his original blog. Then he creates another blog on July 2005, makes his last post on it on September 2005. Then the first Iraqi Kurdish blogger Kurdo starts blogging on October too, marking the entrance of Kurdish bloggers to the sphere.Alaa, Ays, Hammorabi and Nabil all start blogging on November 2003. Still posting to this day. Andy and Firas both start on November too but Andy stops on April 2004 and Firas stops on March 2005. Although Andy creates another blog of which he still blogs on it to this day.


November just keeps getting more exciting as the first one of the ITM brothers, Omar joins the blogsphere and start Iraq The Model. Ali makes his first post from Omar's account on December 2003. He ends the post by saying "By Ali". Mohammad uses the same method a few days later to begin posting from Omar's account himself, and posts his first post a welcome to the new year. Right now, Omar and Mohammad still blog at Iraq The Model, separate accounts for each one. While Ali has started his own blog on December 2004, he had made his last post on August 2005, but he mentioned he was going to be away for a couple of months, so we don't know if he had stopped or not. Maybe not.


December 2003 Wild Fire or Jo starts blogging, hes blog is a weird blog, and it took some time to figure out her first post. On December too, the Jarrars family is all blogging. Raed starts the family blog. Majid is the first one to write on it, however he waits another two months untill it is February 2004 to start his own blog. Khalid on the other hand, starts blogging on his own blog on December 9 before he starts blogging on the family blog on December 20. But Khalid creates another blog on April 2005, doesn't blog on it any more than the end of the month. Faiza starts blogging on the family blog one day after Khalid on December 21. She doesn't have a personal blog but posts usually to the family blog. Raed, Khalid and Faiza are still blogging to this day. Majid stopped on March 2005.


Alaasmary started blogging on December 2003 but he stopped on January 2005.


Year 2003 ends, with 22 Iraqi bloggers on the web. This day only 15 of them still blogging, while most of the others quit a long time ago.


On 2004 Iraqi bloggers went rising in numbers so fast it was hard to track them all. But it seems that the first new Iraqi blogger of the year 2004 is U who starts blogging on the first day of the new year. Hadn't posted since June 2005.Liminal starts blogging on January 6 2004. He is still writing to this day but less frequently. January 26 is the date O first began blogging. But he stops at May 2005. ZZ starts blogging on January 2004, with a very moving post that was written in memory of his beloved father. He still blogs. On the same month January 2004, he creates another blog but he hasn't blogged on it since September 2005,


The largest Iraqi blogging family is introduced to blogger when on January 2004 my uncle Ahmad Kharrufa started blogging. Although he had stopped on May 2005, but the flag has been carried. Najma joined on June 2004, and is still blogging to this day. Raghda started on July the same year, she is still blogging to this day. Dalia starts blogging on July too, but she hadn't posted since August 2005.HNK starts on July too, and is still blogging to this day. Rose Ahmad's wife, starts on August 2004, her last post was made on September 2005. Kais started blogging January 2005, but he blogged rarely, and has not posted since June. Dr.Truth Teller joins on January too, and is still blogging to this day. February 2005 is the date Hassan Kharrufa (myself) joins the blogger.com community. You are reading a post I have written, so I'm still blogging to this day. Sunshine starts on April 2005, and is still blogging to this day. The latest family member to joins the blogsphere isEmotions who starts blogging on July 2005, and is still blogging.


Abbas starts on February 2004, he is still blogging. Abu Hadi starts blogging on March but stops on April the same year. March 2004 Faiza starts a new Jarrars blog, she makes most of the posts, but she stops writing on it on October 2004. Ahmad is the fastest multi-post Iraqi blogger to quit blogging, he blogged for only ten days from April 16 to April 26.


Baghdadi starts blogging on April 2004, and stops on June the same year. Tareek starts on April 2004 too, he still posts. March 2004 Suha starts blogging. Though her name was a mystery at first, as there was no profile or anything whatsoever as to who created the blog. But A little digging up revealed her name. She stopped blogging on May 2005. . Ayad started blogging on March too. But he hadn't posted since April. Then Happy Bushra starts his first blog on this month, he still blogs on it this day. He creates his Second Blog on September 2004, it seems that it is mainly a pictures blog, the last post on it is dated April 2005.


May 2004, Abu Khaleel joins the group and is blogging to this day. Abu Khaleel himself started five other blogs which he writes in them sometimes. Rapid Democracy in Iraq, Meethaq for Iraq, A Glimpse of Iraq, Us Mistaked in Iraq and Disgrunted Americans


Shaggy chooses this month to start blogging too, and he has kept on blogging ever since.Hala Fattah posts for the first time on May 2004, but her last post was on September the same year. Reading her Profile, she seems like a very educated person. IRAQ makes his first post on May 2004, a very funny one indeed. But he hadn't posted since August 2005.


As June 2004 comes, Ibn_Alrafidain writes his first post. He seems to be still blogging. On the last day of June 2004, Sara starts blogging. While Ferid starts a couple of weeks later. Sara is still on the blogs, while Ferid has made his last post on August 2005. Maas starts on July too, but it seems that she was shy at the beginning, as her first posts were pictures only, it is August 2004 when she makes her first text-only post, still posting to this day. On the same month, IraqPundit begins blogging, and continues to blog to this day.


Ali Mohamed starts on August 2004, his first post is an Email Me post. Second post is a 32 pictures post. He continues to blog by photos. He stops at the end of the month. But he comes back on May 2005 to post a welcoming post!!. Neurotic Iraqi Wife starts on August. This day she is working in the Green Zone, so her posts are very infrequent, but she doesn't seem like quitting. The Pin Cushion is a one post blogger, his post was made on August 2004. While 13 or more known as Anarki, starts on August too, but unlike The Pin Cushion, he still blogs. Ibrahim Khalil makes his Intoduction on August 2004. Last post on February 2005. Maitham joins on August too, but his last post was made on October 2004. August 2004 is the starting date of Nancy as she wrote her first post on this month, she kept on blogging since that time.


Downfall first blogs on the first day of September 2004. But stops on June 2005. Othman is a one post blogger too, he makes his post on September 2004. PuRGaToR starts blogging on this month too. Then on December 2004 he creates another blog which he mostly posted photos at, he stops blogging on both sites on January 2005.


October 2004, Sami first posts, he doesn't look to be posting anymore, his last post was on October 5. Iraq Humanity starts blogging on the same month. His last post was made on August 2005. On November 2004 Black Eagle starts blogging, and has not stopped since then.


December 2004, the year is about to end as Husayn joins the blogsphere. Last post made on July 2005. Imad Khadduri, A Free Writer and The Iraqi all start blogging on December 2004, and continuous to blog now. Another blogger who is not interested in politics join the sphere on this month, Nameer nooon chooses this month to blog, he blogs mostly in pictures away from politics. Then a group of ChaldoAssyrian Christians created another blog, which they are still posting on to the moment. Najeeb Hanoudi starts blogging on this month too, he kept on blogging ever since. Sahil begins to blog on this month too, he is still blogging at the moment.


Year 2004 ends. 46 Iraqi bloggers has joined the blogsphere, only 22 of them are still bloging today. So that makes a sum of 66 Iraqi bloggers to join the sphere since June 2002. Right now 37 of them are blogging.


Here comes year 2005. The first blogger of this year, is a rather funny blogger. Dog of a Son makes his first entry on the first day of the new year. He blogs to this day. Duraid makes his first post on this month too, but he hadn't posted since April 2005. Although he had created another blog on February 2005, but he had stopped blogging on it on June the same year. January 12, Ishtarria starts blogging, and she is still posting. The Grandson too chooses January 2005 to begin blogging, and he keeps blogging at the moment. Then another Iraqi non-politics blogger begins blogging on this month too, Alfil is a cinema interested blogger, and he hadn't bloged anything else since that date. He keeps on blogging now.


Then comes Zan, who seems to be creating blogs more than he is posting. His first and main blog is started on January 2005, but the last post on it was on April 2005. Second blog was made on January 2005 too, but doesn't get beyond the month. Third blog is created on February 2005, but the last post was also on April 2005. Fourth and Fifth were both March 2005 exclusive. On February 2005 Mark Tuma started blogging and kept on blogging ever since.


On March 2005, Najma creates a Family Blog in an attempt to persuade her mother to blog, her mother started blogging on it, but made her last post on April 2005. Another all time Arabic blogger joined the sphere on this month too, Tara who is fully capable of understanding English chooses not to blog in anything but Arabic. A nice blogger starts blogging on March 2005, Vahal Abdulrahman blogs in the form of letters sent to Baghdad. He sends his last letter in a very moving post.


A weird and later hated-from-Arabs blogger started blogging on April 2005, The Iraqi Mistress does not get beyond May 2005. Narsay is another one month Iraqi blogger, he posts only on April 2005. Which is the starting month of S.R.Z, while her stopping date is on May 2005. Akba writes his first post on this month too, he doesn't seem to be blogging anymore, as his last post was made on October 19 2005. Wafaa' begins blogging on April 2005, she still blogs this day. soon joins on April 2005 too, and he is still posting to this day. On April 2005, Haneen starts and kept on ever since. Then on October 2005 Haneen creates a blog titled Photos From Iraq which she blogs on it in photos, and offers any other Iraqi to put pictures on it.


May 2005 comes with another blogger, as انا استرالي joins the sphere on it. His last post was on August 2005. It seems that a site named Niqash starts hosting blogs on this month. As many bloggers start blogging on it. Iraqi Diaries in English, Abbas, Abdul Muhsin, Sheymaa, Iraqi Diaries in Arabic, Naseer, Tayseer, Yaseen, Al-Shmius Media Network, Avin, Ihsan and Niqash Press Blog all start their blogs on it. Iraqi Diaries in English start on June 2005, and the last post is made on August 2005. Abbas and Abdul Muhsin only blog on June 2005. Shymaa blogs only from June 2005 to July 2005. Iraqi Diaries in Arabic blogs from June 2005 and is still on the blogs. Nasser and Tayseer blog only on July 2005. Yaseen blogs from July 2005 to October 2005. Al-Shmius Media Network blogs only on July 2005. Avin and Ihsan who are Kurdish bloggers blog from June 2005 to October 2005. While Niqash Press Blogs starts from July 2005, and still blogs to this day.


Al-Shekhili posts only twice on July 2005, and quits after that. 3yOoN_BaGhDaDiA starts blogging on this month, and she is still blogging at the moment. Then The Iraqi Roulette starts on July 2005 and is still blogging. The Little Snippet starts on the last day of this month. He is still blogging at the moment. The Kid Himself starts blogging on the end of July 2005. He has kept on blogging ever since


Hassan Blasim makes a single post on August 2005. Truth About Iraqis joins on the same month, and is still blogging till now. Another one post blogger joins the sphere on August 2005, Sami blogs his single post on this month. Treasure of Baghdad joins on this month too and he is still blogging. 24 Steps to Liberty is too a blogger who joins on August 2005 and continuous to blog.


Another weird blogger chooses to start blogging on September 2005. Caesar of Pentra is still blogging since that date. Another one post blogger is Security who posts his single post on September 2005. Alaa chooses this month as a date, and the children of Iraq as a subject to blog about. He kept on blogging to this day. Attawie joins the blogsphere on this month too, and he is still blogging to this date. Micho La Jolie Fille is a blogger who demonstrate her skills in Arabic, English and French in her posts, she is still posting at the moment. The last Iraqi blogger to join the blogsphere is apparently Sanyora who joins the blogsphere on October 17 2005.


On the date of the last update of this post, which is November 3 2005. Year 2005 has witnessed 46 new Iraqi bloggers so far. Right now 22 of them are still blogging. The total sum of the Iraqi bloggers to join the blogsphere since Pax first signed in on June 2002 is 112, of those there are only 59 active right now.


Looking for a certain blogger??. Don't try to read the whole post looking for a certain blogger, if you find him then you are very lucky, this post is very long and you could easily slip past a blogger or two, I recommend using the search tool in you browser to find the blogger you want. Search for bloggers not blogs and the name of blogs are sometimes not mentioned. If you still can't find a certain blogger drop me a comment, I will find him for you. Finally I would like to say that this post should be considered a biography for all Iraqi bloggers, and I'm presenting it as a gift to the Iraqi Bloggers for the Eid Al-Feter of the year 2005.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Motivated?

Feel like I should post. It's been almost two years. Perhaps I owe something, perhaps a truth or two. Perhaps something of myself in exchange for every blogger whose ever blogged before. You know, like how where Jodie Foster exposes her vulnerabilities - except with hopefully less silenced lambs. Bad joke, rotten metaphor, sorry.

So an answer perhaps. You may or may not recognise the question.

"What's in it for you, emigre, this blog-counting?"

It would be untruthful to say no diarist ever started without an ulterior motive. Oh yes I had them. And how pure those motives seemed, virtuous. What, leave blog-linking to the self proclaimed "war bloggers"? Ga no, thought I. Ga no, why, I shall link in the name of peace and free-speech! Fight I shall! Neutrally! Courageously! Without weapons! With words! Oh cutting blade, how righteous the pen (yes, I still ballpoint stuff at times. Generally on the backs of old receipts and recycled printer paper). What a battle shall be waged! And how fearless shall I be, speaking truths and outing blogs and inspiring and egging on and logging the unloggable and generally you know, being brave from here behind my pseudonym requiping things that other people think up (always acknowledging sources and cleverly collaging quotes). An all inclusive list of blogs! Thought I. Oh how compelling, that there ought be a blog count. A blog count of diversity! The pro-war linked by no-war (and hopefully vice versa). Surely peace cannot help but spring out across the bridges that surely will be engineered!

But now? Well now I have nothing to prove. Peace cannot be proven, just as war cannot. It's blindingly obvious to anyone with an eye on history that no war is ever just, in that no war is exempt from atrocity. Blindingly obvious that dictators and weak leaders prop themselves up with war, having no other means to convince a population. Despots choose rule by fear, there is no secret in that. And it is equally obvious that people find peace at their own pace. Peace cannot be forced, coerced, artificially replicated or converted into poster boys and pin-up girls. Peace is no rivulet wearing away stone, tempting as it is to believe so. Nor is peace chipped off shoulders or even from old blocks. Peace is not an acronym. So many things peace is not! Is peace an absence then? Of troops perhaps? Well maybe, except that even troop withdrawal is a superficial solution and fails to address the creation of armies and the bodies that will remain long after official forces have shipped out.

Oh well. There you have it, a piece of my mind. I guess I will stick about anyway.