Secrets laundering?
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Tearful goodbye
Roxy promotes female surfers – but without the surfing
If you’re reading this blog, you probably don’t need me to tell you all about the problematic history of media coverage as it relates to female athletes. From news profiles of the first professional female ball players that focused on their cooking skills to obsessive analysis of the waistlines and hairstyles of the Olympians in London, media of all kinds has shown an embarrassing tendency to focus on everything about female athletes but their athleticism.
Now, I do think there has been some progress. For instance, Nike has done some pretty great work portraying female athletes in action, while ESPN: The Magazine’s Body Issue, while not perfect, has published nude portraits of female athletes that are not only beautiful but also powerful and exciting. We are a long, long ways from the days when people could only deal with seeing female athletes as long as they have been assured that…
View original post 845 more words
Driving Force
What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares
We’ve discussed the matter of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon over and over and over again. And then some.
Every aspect of the issue has been exposed. Racism, realism, illusionism – all forms of arguments have been used.
And yet, in the midst of the 1,000,000 plus refugees that our country has received, very few polls have taken it to the Lebanese who are not on social media, who do not have blogs and who do not tweet the day away.
A recent study published by Fafo attempted to see what the Lebanese population thought of the increasing Syrian presence. You can check the study here. Some of the findings are as follows:
View original post 372 more words
What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees | A Separate State of Mind | A Lebanese Blog
Some of the findings are as follows:
52% believe Syrian refugees pose a threat to national security. This number rises to 80% in responders from North Lebanon.
71% of responders believe sectarian clashes will erupt soon. The number is high among Sunnis and low among Shiites, expressing the ongoing divide in the country (and strengthening the study, perhaps?)
67% of Lebanese believe the conflict in Syria will drive Lebanon to a new civil war.
82% of Lebanese find Syrian refugees are taking away their jobs. 75% believe they are the cause of decreasing wages across the country.
50% believe the Syrian refugees are receiving too much money. This number rises to 74% in the North.
61% of Lebanese are not comfortable having Syrian neighbors. This number is higher among young people and among Christians as well.
A lot of the information revealed in the study is old news to most of us who are living among the people who fall into those many percentages. But are all the woes invalid?
A recent lecture I attended at medical school with Doctors Without Borders revealed to us that the situation of the Lebanese citizens in Bab el Tebbane, Jabal Mohsen and Akkar is far, far worse than the worst conditions they’ve seen with the Syrian refugees. This prompted me to ask the head of the MSF envoy to Lebanon about what was expected of Lebanon regarding the Syrian refugees given the state of many of its citizens?
He couldn’t answer.
via What Lebanese People Think of the Syrian Refugees | A Separate State of Mind | A Lebanese Blog.
Here’s why Egyptians are glad the military ousted their president
This piece originally published in The Globe and Mail, I republish it here in case you missed it.
It may seem illogical or even reckless. Why is this huge crowd in Egypt celebrating as they watch their democratically elected president being deposed by the army? There is no simple answer. Egypt’s scene is multidimensional and therefore hard for onlookers to understand immediately.
To start, let’s agree that it was a military coup, but a coup with public consent; a coup backed by a civil uprising and millions of Egyptians protesting in the streets of all regions of Egypt demanding the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.
We should also clarify the context. The first step is to appreciate the factors involved in the uprising. First, Mr. Morsi had only managed to secure 25 per cent of votes in the first round of the presidential election, and he won the…
View original post 1,026 more words
Theresa May Announces Critical Thinking To Become Class C Drug
Following lead of Texas Governor Perry, of whom she is a fan…?
(satire?)
Possession and use of free will – already banned in the US and most European countries – set to become illegal in UK
The home secretary, Theresa May, has defied her own expert advisers and announced a decision to ban independent thought, a mild stimulant that is traditionally used by Britain’s Perceptive, Cognizant and Thinking communities.
May said that autonomous thinking would become a class C drug after warning that since the US and other European countries had already banned acts of volition and personal choice, there was a serious risk that Britain could become a “single, regional hub” for the illegal onward trafficking of independent thought.
She said that the penalties for personal possession of an open mind would be similar to those for cannabis – with a warning issued for a first-time offence, leading to arrest and prosecution for persistent possession and use of free will.
May…
View original post 321 more words
Angst over spying in Germany – Heuchler
The German government has reacted with ostentatious outrage at the most recent media reports on US surveillance measures. According to these reports, the US military’s NSA (National Security Agency) intelligence agency not only has under surveillance approximately 500 million telephone calls, SMSes, and emails, in Germany alone, it also has EU facilities in Washington, New York and Brussels, along with UN diplomatic missions of France, Italy and Greece under surveillance. “That is unacceptable,” declared Angela Merkel, through her spokesperson. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich demanded an apology from the USA. The German President has also declared that the reports are “very disturbing.”[1] Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the US ambassador. The debate has escalated, since it became known that the NSA is not only spying on private individuals but also on official organs.
Lebanon Is Not Egypt
Being in the middle – sort of – offers some protection against some dangers but makes positive change at a reasonable pace – nearly impossible and is maddening to those who see how good a different future could be…
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares
The title is stating the obvious. Sadly, it’s not that apparent.
It was 2011. The Egyptians took it to the streets. They removed Mubarak. A sense of pride swept around the Middle East. The “Arab Spring” they called it. Freedom this way comes. Everyone wanted to be Egyptian. Everyone was proud of Egypt.
But none so more than Lebanese.
We felt more involved in what was happening in Egypt than whatever was happening back home. Fun fact: January 2011 was our own mini coup happened. Many Lebanese wished they could become Egyptian – patriotic opioids sure run across borders.
A few months later, as the events in Syria raged and the promise of an “Arab Spring” started quickly running down wintery lanes, Egypt disappointed as well. The Lebanese sentiment quickly turned to “Morsi” et au revoir. We had gotten over it.
It is now 2013. The Egyptians took it to…
View original post 925 more words
You must be logged in to post a comment.