Sleep is worth the wait

Right now I am in Poland, at a fairly large AIESEC conference. It is 3.30am. This is my best attempt yet at going to sleep early. Something has to be said for an organisation that can keep people alive and motivated 20 hours a day for two weeks straight. The last few nights have been 'sunrisers'. Sleep now is good.

More government mischief

Google Earth back online

By TARIQ KHONJI

THREE free web-based services were back online again yesterday. But the mystery surrounding earlier disappearances of Google Earth, Google Maps and Google Videos went unexplained yet again.

The online services were not accessible on Monday, with online satellite imaging service Google Earth having been offline for several days.

Several officials at the Information Ministry have been contacted regarding the issue, but none have agreed to speak on the record.

A Batelco spokesman again maintained that the company was not responsible for such decisions yesterday.

He said earlier that the company would not block any web service unless it had been ordered to do so by the Information Ministry.

Meanwhile, Batelco's Internet helpline said yesterday that the company had not blocked Google Earth and blamed problems with the service on Google.

A Google spokeswoman based in the UK said she was seeking more information on alleged blocking of their services.

Controversy over alleged blocking of the services has prompted criticisms from users and human rights activists.

Former vice-president of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab said the government was also responsible for blocking sites with political content.

They include Bahrain Online (bahrainonline.org), Montadayat Al Bahrain (montadayat.org), Bahrain National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture (shaheedbh.com), Sarah Al Wattani (wattani.net), Ahrar Al Bahrain (ahraralbahrain.com), Bahrain Times (bahraintimes.org), Al Saheefa (al saheefa.net) and Tubli.net.

When users try to access the above sites in Bahrain, they are told the site is either "forbidden" or that the page cannot be displayed.

"The BCHR calls upon the relevant government authorities to unblock the aforementioned websites immediately and urges civil society and the media to continue applying pressure and shedding light on the issue until this happens," said Mr Rajab.

New people, new places

Last night I sat in an old schooley Arab styled cafe, walls decorated in powerful stuff, plump cushioned chairs, waiters rushing around delivering hot coal for the many shishas giving off their gentle watery smoke, an Arab/flamenco guitarist singing and playing his way through the night, locals clapping and cheering as old favourites came and went. I sat there and was struck by how surreal everything was. I was in a new country, a new cafe, talking about life, love, family, growing up, perspectives and perceptions with two people I had met less than 48 hours prior. Strange how given the slightest chance we can easily find it in us to have meaningful conversation with people that, according to social norms, should have been considered strangers. There is something about travelling that brings out the best, the most social in people. So here's to new friends, new places and new moments.

I stand by my idea that it is only by travelling, by experiencing how you react in multiple environments in a short period of time can you start to gain an understanding of what is a core characteristic of yourself and what is a characteristic that you are simply reflecting from the community around you, social conditioning if you will, not always a bad thing. So there we had it, a small group of people, of similiar age and education, from three very different parts of the world, coming together to chew the fat and pass the time away in each others company. Cheers guys.

Who's been messing with my Earth?

The news of this week: the government here decided it would be a good idea to block Google Earth. This makes it one of the few countries in the world to do so. It was down last monday, it was down again today. You can open the program but it won't stream any of the places that you haven't already been to. You get an error message about the connection with the server...

interesting aye. I have never enjoyed the privilage of having my internet so oppenly restricted. Conspiracy theorists abound as to why... the government has been turning the service on and off again all week.

A powerful week

Man, this week has been a complete rush. Today is only Sunday, first day of the week. Today we elected the first leaders of AIESEC Bahrain: Mahmood Hoori and Ala al-Saleh, the two project co-ordinators for the Bahrain Finance pbox. You guys were amazing, we could tell from the minute you stood and presented your initial research for the projects.

This week has featured a range of characters, a succession of thoughts, realisations and generally cool stuff. It has had the highs and lows of a hard week. We are all pretty tired, but wired up on the energy being given off from the project. The best thing is when we sit and think about the idea of bringing what we are bringing to this part of the world. Not for numbers, results or prestige... but because it is a fundamtentally cool program with a killer development kick.

Last friday I decided to explore Bab al Bahrain (the Gateway to Bahrain), in itself it is not overly exciting, I hear it is comparable to a generic street in India. Actually Indians are the main feature, no bags flowing with multi-coloured spices, no cool clothes, or ancient lamps of forgotten power... think watches, wallets, and tourist stuff... this is not to say that one cannot make their own fun.

Accompanied by a Goan named Simmo (Simon from India - who I ran into in a KFC, thought I would take a chance and introduce myself) we wandered the 'crowded' (come on the population is not huge) streets, up and down alleyways, generally absorbing all that was going on. Of late I am in walkabout mode, so much walking abounded. I am also in religion exploration mode: so much churching abounded. I kid you not, I went to mass, Catholic mass, on Friday. The place was chockers with Filipino and Indian Catholics. We stayed around fifteen minutes and then went and chilled in a sanctuary. I could have been in India.

Very interesting. There are still a lot of places I have yet to explore here in Bahrain. Last night Terbo took us for a drive down to the south end of the island, we drove through the deserts under a full moon, past the military bases, the oil refinaries, down to where they are building new islands and new investment opportunities. I like the deserts. I like the moon. It took forty minutes to cross the island.

Heaven and Hell

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,"Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like. "The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.

They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said,

"You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, "I don't understand."

It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires just one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.


Moral: "Its people's attitude that makes this earth, a hell or heaven to them!!"