The Shisha car 21, February 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Hookah, Hubble bubble, Shisha, Shisha car, Shisha picture
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Hitchens on North Korea 20, February 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Chritsopher Hitchens, North Korea, Slate
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Here the never dull Christoper Hitchens concludes a book review of The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters for Slate Magazine. A touch dramatic, perhaps, but a fascinating idea nonetheless.
Here are the two most shattering facts about North Korea. First, when viewed by satellite photography at night, it is an area of unrelieved darkness. Barely a scintilla of light is visible even in the capital city. (See this famous photograph.) Second, a North Korean is on average six inches shorter than a South Korean. You may care to imagine how much surplus value has been wrung out of such a slave, and for how long, in order to feed and sustain the militarized crime family that completely owns both the country and its people.
But this is what proves Myers right. Unlike previous racist dictatorships, the North Korean one has actually succeeded in producing a sort of new species. Starving and stunted dwarves, living in the dark, kept in perpetual ignorance and fear, brainwashed into the hatred of others, regimented and coerced and inculcated with a death cult: This horror show is in our future, and is so ghastly that our own darling leaders dare not face it and can only peep through their fingers at what is coming.
Man deceived into marrying bearded woman 11, February 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Bearded woman, Niqab
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Apologies for the Gulf Blog’s recent hiatus but I was incommunicado in the depths of the French countryside eating my own bodyweight in cheese and wine. But, fear not, I’m back now to bring you the cutting-edge and critical news stories from the Middle East.
Various news sources report that an Arab Ambassador in Dubai is demanding a divorce after discovering after marrying a woman that she had a beard and was cross-eyed. Seemingly, the mother of the woman showed his mother photos of another woman claiming that they were of his bride to be. The Shaira court granted the divorce but rejected the Ambassador’s demands for his pre-wedding gifts to be returned.
Hat tip: Abstract JK
How the news is made 1, February 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: BBC news reports, Charlie Brooker, News
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Charlie Brooker perfectly apes essentially all news stories on British TV (especially regional news) in this little clip explaining exactly how a 1.30 piece is put together. As funny as it is, it does raise a good point that I’ve been wittering to myself about for years now: I don’t watch the news to see what ‘the average person’ thinks about it. I watch news to have well informed experts tell me their opinions. Not what Bill from Hull ‘rekons’ on global warming or on the latest tax on milk bottles…Mitchell and Web clearly agree with me.
Islamic solidarity games cancelled for lack of solidarity 18, January 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Arabian Gulf, Islamic Solidarity Games, Islamic Solidarity Games canceled, Persian Gulf, The Gulf
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Some time ago I wrote about the threat to the Islamic Solidarity Games being cancelled because of a disagreement between Arabs and Persians. The second Islamic Solidarity Games were due to be held in Iran in October 2009 but before issues of whether they were going to go ahead at all could be resolved, Swine Flu came to the rescue and forced planners to cancel the games. Iran was due to reprise (or prise?!) its role in April this year, but this time the Games have been canceled because of the dispute.
The key issue is over the medals and other promotional material being emblazoned with the phrase Persian Gulf. Despite the fact that Persian Gulf is the historical and contemporary legal name for the body of water, Arab states do not like it and prefer to call it the Arabian Gulf or just the Gulf.
Floor collapses at Weight Watchers meeting 18, January 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Floor collapse, Weight watchers
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The power of charts 13, January 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Chart wars, Data visual movement, Power of charts, Statistics, Tufte
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There’s a great 2 minute long presentation on statistical charts and their foibles over at the Daily Dish. I realise just how dull this sounds, but don’t worry, it’s really quite interesting. For one thing it proves that global warming is actually caused by the reducing number of pirates in the world.
Go to Comment Central to watch it (I can’t seem to embed it here).
Chopping and changing 4, January 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: Change, New Year, regulus, themes
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So, as you loyal followers may have noticed, I’ve gone back to the original design. The previous one was ok but had issues with YouTube embeds and, more to the point, it wasn’t this one. No prizes for guessing that I very much dislike change. Nevertheless, I’ve sated my desire to tinker at the start of the new year with the profoundly changing colour change.
A new year, a new look 2, January 2010
Posted by davidbroberts in Random.Tags: New Year
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So then, what do you think? For two long years now thegulflblog.com had a quasi-stargazery and yellowy look to it. Quite nice, I thought personally. Yet, I thought that perhaps I’d ring a few changes. This theme is certainly a bit white, but I think that the articles look better when they’re viewed one to a page, if you see what I mean. Anyway, if you’ve any thoughts either which way, do let me know. Happy new year once again.
