tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67622064755489839222024-03-04T21:38:14.767-08:00Realm of Stories::: They say writers don't write, they re-write. But I never proofread; may be because I'm not a writer, just a blogger :::Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-71393958297531161022013-04-21T11:48:00.000-07:002013-04-21T11:48:20.415-07:00 Game of thrones, game of scenarios: the next president of the KRG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Today's Zaman: <span class="left-date">21 April 2013 /SHALAW FATAH*</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="detail-spot">These are interesting times in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The power play is reaching its peak.</span></span></div>
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<span class="detail-text"> Massoud Barzani, the current
president of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, seems indecisive about
insisting on the legality of another term as president. But really, the
question is not whether he has a legal basis to make himself a candidate
or not, since he can do so one way or another, but rather whether he
has enough of a popular base to guarantee his re-election.<br />
When it
comes to the issue of legality, there are certain major documents to
review: the draft constitution and the law of the presidency. In the
draft constitution, each eligible candidate has a right to two terms in
the office of the presidency. However, since the draft is not yet
approved, it is not in effect. Another document that is more pertinent
is the Law of the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region (2005), which
permits only two terms for any president.<br />
But, since the document was
approved slightly after Barzani’s first term began, he may claim that
his first term was not subject to this law and claim the right to run
for the presidency in the next election. At the end of the day, the
authority in the KRG can make it legal if they want it so. <br />
As we
said above, the question is not about legality but about the chances of
re-election. Opposition parties, currently with more than 30 percent of
the parliament, are not going to vote for Barzani, as they have rejected
a proposal to give Barzani two more years in the office of the
presidency. The trickier position is that of the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK).<br />
The PUK is intentionally playing a game of getting the
most from his alliances. The public may be convinced that the PUK is
still very much dependent on the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), but
the conflict between high-ranking PUK cadres and the public demand for a
different stance may change the PUK overnight.<br />
Barzani knows that
very well. That is why he is still silent. He does not even give
signals. Last week, a delegation of senior members of the KDP and PUK
visited all the opposition groups asking for two more years for Barzani.
However Barzani urged the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC)
to set a date for all elections, including the presidential election, no
later than Sept. 9, 2013. The statement came even before the opposition
rejected the joint proposal. To make everything more interesting, the
spokesman for the KDP denied all the claims that they had asked to
lengthen Barzani’s tenure in office for two more years.<br />
Barzani is
not sure that he will be re-elected, that’s why he is waiting for more
signs. He is very irritated by the PUK’s position. The PUK wants to
exploit the office of the presidency to gain whatever they want in the
KRG, as the KDP did to the PUK last time to secure the Iraqi presidency.
It is very hard for the KDP to imagine a position weaker than its
current one, but they must accept that it is possible.<br />
To get
re-elected, one may easily expect a new draft of the strategic alliance
between the two powers (PUK and KDP) where the power sharing is more
even than it is now. It is interesting and may be the final push for the
KDP, but would it really be a final push for Barzani?<br />
No. Barzani
knows very well that PUK members are not bound to the command of their
higher cadres when it comes to matters related to the KDP, especially
when current President of Iraq Jalal Talabani is in a coma. If the
opposition parties put a candidate forward and throw their support
behind him against Barzani, it will be a nightmare for him.<br />
Because he
is certain that not all PUK members will vote for him, let alone
opposition parties. That’s why the joint delegations were not, in fact,
really looking to see about lengthening the president’s tenure in
office, as the KDP has already denied, but to see if the opposition has
the intention of electing a candidate or not.<br />
Like many other
leaders in the KRG, a revolutionary leader like Barzani does not easily
compromise or accept defeat. If he knows there is the slightest chance
of losing, he will not take part in the elections. That is why if
Barzani insists on re-election, the potential weakness would be if
opposition parties do not honor a promise not to support a candidate, or
more informal measures like changing the election results. This game of
thrones gets more interesting each day.<br />
Now, can the opposition seize
the day and create change? That depends on all the other elements of the
equation. Such as, will the KDP insist on preventing such a move using
all available tools? I have a feeling that the answer to the former of
these questions is “yes,” but what if the answer to the latter is also
“yes”?<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><em>*Shalaw Fatah is a Middle East research assistant at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM)</em></span><br />
<em>Link on Today's Zaman: <br /><a href="http://www.todayszaman.com/news-313216-game-of-thrones-game-of-scenarios-the-next-president-of-the-krg.html">http://www.todayszaman.com/news-313216-game-of-thrones-game-of-scenarios-the-next-president-of-the-krg.html</a></em></span></span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-19827979433250759312012-10-01T11:43:00.000-07:002012-10-01T11:43:29.983-07:00Strategic Agreement between PUK and KDP<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">We may shorten the importance and reality of the strategic agreement between the two ruling parties of the Kurdistan region, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in one phrase, ‘de facto constitution’.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">KRG constitution has not yet been accepted, and neglected before its birth. The real constitution for the ruling parties is the strategic agreement signed on July 27 2007 where the two ruling parties decided on a unification of the apparatus of governments and addressing the issues facing KRG with one voice.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">Since 1991, KRG has faced many wars hot and cold. The real civil war began between PUK and Islamic parties on land reigning in 1991, where PUK could remove the Islamists and marginalize them to the borders of Iran. The irony is the war started with an argument between two ordinary neighbours on a goose, where one of them sought refuge to the PUK, the other to the Islamic Movement of this time.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">The more dangerous war began in 1994 where PUK and KDP could not easily accept the results of the 1991 elections and each tried to remove the other. KDP did not take part in an American conspiracy against Baath regime in 1995 only because PUK was in the leading, not only that but KDP even opposed it. The anonymity was so strong that thousands of lives were lost, and KDP sought refuge to the arch enemy of the KRG, Baath party and threw PUK out to Iran. PUK rearranged its forces and could take over Sulaimani and Garmiyan again, but not Erbil and Duhok anymore.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">As a kid back then, I remember people saying no power ever could put these two parties into agreement and the civil war has a big chance to happen again. It was right if it was not for the Americans, were Madeleine Albright the US State Dept of the time being could make an agreement between them in 1998.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">But the agreement was only a ceasefire, otherwise the lands of KRG was almost evenly divided between KDP and PUK. 2003 was a great turn, but as much great as to put KDP and PUK together in one administration. Their administrative unification came in a time were the Iraqi politicians were saying, “Shall we talk with the KRG govt of Barzani or Talabani?” Sensing the growing unpopularity, KDP and PUK signed the so called strategic agreement in 2007, a preface and 26 points, to unify the administrative apparatus of the two governments in one.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">The opposition criticizes the agreement as a conspiracy to divide the wealth of KRG. The unpopularity of the agreement is growing between some PUK medium and high cadres too since they sense that the agreement reduced their party to a mere puppet in the hands of KDP.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">While the agreement has its positive features, it’s called outdated and unnecessary for the present time. Some apparatus of government, such as armed forces are yet to be unified. The promises have been given without any sort of realization. KDP is very worried about any sort of modification of the agreement, while PUK is longing for it, and opposition tries to exploit this growing sense among PUK cadres since disbanding the agreement might mean change in the balance of power in the KRG.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #002244; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">Published on ORSAM: </span><br />
<a href="http://orsam.org.tr/en/showArticle.aspx?ID=1925">http://orsam.org.tr/en/showArticle.aspx?ID=1925</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-88320671752169477812012-08-28T16:16:00.000-07:002012-08-28T16:16:22.698-07:00Hard to tell, KRG’s future!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasRO03PmH8PD7YBtzxsvvBI3Epu6UBf2ZHKSF_vHUXlIWU1F8gomMszHwObhWa2mqClX1S5TqWWj8OYIhXbKjS5kzaxSBHbsWfa6w3-XxJR9hD1ZBdfHFiTa6U5NsKkTZ7M51_m568m8i/s1600/oiloil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasRO03PmH8PD7YBtzxsvvBI3Epu6UBf2ZHKSF_vHUXlIWU1F8gomMszHwObhWa2mqClX1S5TqWWj8OYIhXbKjS5kzaxSBHbsWfa6w3-XxJR9hD1ZBdfHFiTa6U5NsKkTZ7M51_m568m8i/s640/oiloil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #e06666;">Oil in Kurdistan region of Iraq - Source: The Levant Business</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">“Either
civil war or uprising,” in short! That’s what I sense the future of the
Kurdistan region of Iraq will be. I know all about the grand success stories
and praises have been written and said about this experience. However, as a
resident, I must tell you a story which might be accidentally far more accurate
than the giant western journalists about this region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I
make it short; since I believe the dumbest creatures are those pseudo-philosophers
who write novel-like articles tiring all, even those who are eager to write a
critic on them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Here
it is: I don’t believe in miracles. But unless they happen, the future of
Kurdistan region will end up either in an uprising, a sort of popular
revolution, or civil war. The bottom line is there are some guys who swim
against the current, act against the popular will and mood; never ever tired of
getting more power. They use everything to stay in power, and by ‘everything’ I
mean it! Coupled with a growing collective consciousness about a fair society, more
equal and more free, what will you expect?! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Men
in power in Kurdistan, with all my respect, are not men of principle. However,
the country needs men of principle at that time more than ever! Self-interest,
wrongly understood, has become the sole religion, better than religion and
nation among the men of power in this region. Everything to stay in power, with
a new generation which does not understand ‘the burden of the gunmen’ over
them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Then
why not only uprising, why civil war?! Because there are some strongmen
politicians who crave for power. Some, whom people predict very bold moves.
People have been expecting such moves to be taken by those men, otherwise Kurdistan
is not Arab gulf, don’t take it wrong! We’ll all regret it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-43298327390310734982012-08-26T15:42:00.002-07:002012-08-26T15:43:27.463-07:00Kirkuk, disputed city photos on flickr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvt1XQjGWOnLWNI5sg3NyUNdfQSduM1dyhGGLHET1mCCaR0Cv2Auuo2djxzsUSIY35MAiQoBi2b0AD0-YCPvC3rTCVavuL-LM_ueO6Fw1fR5a7bobH5_B3lYHGz5wUcPPAv3xWT4ET24d/s1600/Kirkuk+Citadel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvt1XQjGWOnLWNI5sg3NyUNdfQSduM1dyhGGLHET1mCCaR0Cv2Auuo2djxzsUSIY35MAiQoBi2b0AD0-YCPvC3rTCVavuL-LM_ueO6Fw1fR5a7bobH5_B3lYHGz5wUcPPAv3xWT4ET24d/s640/Kirkuk+Citadel.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
See my photos of Kirkuk on flickr:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirkuknow/page3/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirkuknow/page3/ </a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-48080231539274734052012-08-18T16:11:00.001-07:002012-08-18T16:11:45.930-07:00Aleppo, City on Fire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We were sitting in a bazaar in Aleppo;
our friend in the Free Syrian Army was holding a lighter with a flash light on.
He said, “If we throw this lighter into the air, the snipers will blow it up
before reaching earth,” he added, “It’s not an accident. We’ve done it many
times. Shall we try it again?!” He asked.*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">As the largest city in Syria, Aleppo
is decisive in the current political turmoil in the country. It’s been a month
since attacks and retaliations have been rocking the city hard. The stories of
this city are very much similar to the Hollywood versions of WWI and WWII stories,
if not more interesting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsmN1ISsRhsMaEeWVd7yRiM63M7vrC6HBLbSAonlYp6HqoT787kOphCvShfpZTfzb_KbjQcsSa_kcoSq6b-lBkhPiXqaAeBG-EZuYOI_Fol2jT8dEQCaIAqjkuq1HZQXPkDywOzmsmjsI/s1600/Aleppo+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsmN1ISsRhsMaEeWVd7yRiM63M7vrC6HBLbSAonlYp6HqoT787kOphCvShfpZTfzb_KbjQcsSa_kcoSq6b-lBkhPiXqaAeBG-EZuYOI_Fol2jT8dEQCaIAqjkuq1HZQXPkDywOzmsmjsI/s640/Aleppo+22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><b><u>Aleppo Now!<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We were counting, about 12 rockets
were hitting the city each minute. The rockets were cluster rockets; each one
contains several rockets at a time. If not an alley, they remove an apartment
wholly once they are blown up! The snipers do not let birds to fly if they
want. Children are dying in hunger, others were in the embrace of their dying
moms. The others are in the hospitals, not just inside but waiting in line outside
as far as you can see. Some alleys are targeted, as they are in the hands of
the free Syrian Army. No wonder if you woke up one morning just to see an alley
is removed on earth totally, this happens in Syria. When Meg planes chase you,
you are done, same with Apache copters; the snipers have a similar but faster
effect on people. On the other side of the story is a young man who told me, “I
told my mom, I’ll go either martyred or succeeded!” <br />
Aleppo is quite like the images of the end of WWII, the only difference is the
earlier war was ended; the latter is far from ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><b><u>Shah, Caesar and Levant<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Many jokes are told in the journey
to Syria, one of them was about Iranians. Sometimes the war is not only with
the guns, but words. Knowing their front apartment was mobbed by the regime’s
men, the free Syrian army men were swearing at them through the opened window.
There was a strange thing, the others could not swear in a proper Arabic. They
just repeat what you say. Feeling something, the Free soldiers were swearing at
Khomeini, the leader of Iranian revolution of 1979, now the others understood
and answered with some bullets fired! The aid of Iran to the Syrian regime in
every form is some sort of axiom to the Free Syrian army. They have tens of
stories to tell about it. Among them is an agreement between Iran, Iraq and Russia
which permits the Russians to send aid to the regime via Iran, Iraq sky. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Among them were the snipers,
which the militants said to be Iranian, or at least Iranian trained. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We were sitting in a bazaar in Aleppo; our friend in the Free
Syrian Army was holding a lighter with a flash light on. He said, “If we throw
this lighter into the air, the snipers will blow it up before reaching earth,”
he added, “It’s not an accident. We’ve done it many times. Shall we try it
again?!” He asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><b><u>Sex and Sacred <o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“Come and rip us apart, no problem;
but don’t touch our families!” That’s what one of the revolutionaries told us! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">He narrated a story about tens of young girls forced to remove
their clothes and walk in bazaar in a group! “You want freedom?! That’s freedom!”
The girls were told by regime soldiers. Rape and attacking mosques are becoming
two norms of this civil war in Syria, which bothered the militants the most.
They say sometimes the regime men attack a village, killing all the men, raping
all the women. “Let the men be murdered, but don’t touch the girls,” that’s
what a revolutionary told us!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><b><u>PKK and Kurdish State <o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“We were exposed to an ambush at
night; when we were asked about our identity, we said we are comrades of
Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). Then the regime men said, Oh, Okay Okay pass!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Kurdish areas, including some neighborhoods
of Aleppo are in the hands of PKK. The neighborhoods are not touched with a
bullet. There is a pact between Syrian regime and PKK, the regime has given the
right of ruling to PKK’s PYD ‘until the regime returns its full power’. PKK in
return does not fight the regime or its enemies; it just rules some areas
through several new institutions, including new Kurdish schools and education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">When they are asked how they
trust a regime which denied the right of citizenship for 300 thousand Kurds in
its normal condition, they do not have a clear answer. Although they have an
answer, they may be not very open to share it now. The fact is they are not
sure about the revolutionaries too. For them as Kurds, it might be going from
bad to worse, who knows?! No one is ready to discuss Kurdish issue at the time.
They are only ready to discuss the regime as a whole! Turkey, fearing from PKK’s
exploitation of the situation, has tried to influence the situation through
Barzani and Talabani in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. They have formed a new
council with 16 Kurdish parties to counter balance PKK’s influence in the
region. But the de facto ruler, with a huge public support is PKK, not the others,
even in the Kurdish neighborhoods of Aleppo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: Ali_K_Alwand; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">*All the stories are taken from a
journalist who spent some time in Syria recently. </span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-30494528238738732122012-06-08T09:45:00.002-07:002012-06-10T09:24:54.400-07:00Swastika and Iraqi Kurds!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Recently, I read an interesting article written by Judit Neurink on her blog, concerning the use of swastika among the Kurds in Iraq. She seems to be confused about 'how dare' they post it on their cars, and paint it on walls. However, as someone living here, I may understand the reason behind this so called swastika insensitivity. Here's Judit's article on her blog (Iraq under my skin): <a href="http://www.iraqundermyskin.com/2012/06/what-do-they-teach-in-kurdish-schools.html?spref=fb" target="_blank">Link to the article</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMK06ScAtLjUmgnch8f19ScSlozRqgpKEXWXxEUFL6nhwob9_5gFdFCXU82tcC2dKhuyT_b69p8eu13XXbA0jjjKCYKpZPHJy-L_Dnlmu6SStoa5DfNjEQEdfGsAn7kX0z-w7Gs5biGU3p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-06-08+at+7.35.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMK06ScAtLjUmgnch8f19ScSlozRqgpKEXWXxEUFL6nhwob9_5gFdFCXU82tcC2dKhuyT_b69p8eu13XXbA0jjjKCYKpZPHJy-L_Dnlmu6SStoa5DfNjEQEdfGsAn7kX0z-w7Gs5biGU3p/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-06-08+at+7.35.33+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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First of all, swastika is not considered as anything significant here, it's just a symbol. Since it's associated with someone who was 'willing and tough' then ordinary people may very well like it. In the west, if you paint it over the walls, there might be serious charges against it. However, here if someone asks you why do you paint this the answer is a surprising look, "What's wrong with that?"<br />
The negativity of Hitler is not heard much here, what's heard about him is his fight against the whole world. Since people here carry many years of humiliation under oppressive regimes from outside and within, they favor anyone who have guts to fight and unite people, no matter if he/she is a tyrant or not. But we don't carry fears of Hitler, one of the most vicious dictators ever lived.<br />
For some people here, the first impression of Hitler is not the Jew-killer or genocidal maniac, it's someone once 'fearsome, willing and brave'. It's someone who not only made his nation stronger, but made it on the top of the others. These are might be attractive features for those who have experienced nothing but being a victims. The mentality is that 'successful and willing' leaders needed, even oppressive or tyrants. People here long for someone who has ability to unite people and different factions, they despise being divided over and over again. That's why a strongman always keeps Iraq unified better than the others. The extereemsts prefer Hitler to the puppets of Iran or US. Is that sound? Of course not, but it's understandable, or at least for me.<br />
For some people here, Hitler might have been evil, but it's not their problem. He's gone and his oppression was not against us. What's left is the fiery rhetoric and the cult if leadership that could not only unify the Germans but lead them into a position never imagined. His failure, is justified with the fact that in a war one side must lose, and his suicide makes him something mysterious. I've seen educated friends showing admiration concerning his "plans to rebuild Berlin in three months if it destroyed". The 'will and ability' are favored features among Kurds, no matter where they come from. You may be even more surprised if I tell that the series who praised Gengis Khan, the destroyer of civilizations was adored by people, although he might be the responsible one for misery most people live now. Wasn't he much worse than Hitler? Then why some people in the east and the west adore it?<br />
And what about using his sick intentions? Well, for some people, being deceived and destroyed by western powers for a century, it's easy to doubt the reality of this evil character. People in Kurdistan blame England for not only dividing Kurdistan but dividing it in a way that hurts the most. If Mosul was on Turkey this region might be well prosperous much better.<br />
For Kurds, they were left alone in 1975 in Algeria accord to be oppressed between Iraq and Iran, they were left alone in 1991 to be oppressed by Iraq, and they were left alone in 2011 among the sectarian tension and parlous regional situation. So much disappointment and seeing a huge media propaganda is easy enough to make people say, "Well, who says he was such a tyrant? History is written by the winners and he was not the winner! Otherwise he would be as loved as Churchill."<br />
For me, While admitting the American negligence in 1975, 1991, and 2011, their efforts of no-fly zone 1991, their efforts of ending the civil war between Kurdish parties 1996, their efforts in 2003-2005 to enhance Kurds statue in Iraq are all counted, but for them, it's the empty half of the bottle which is seen.<br />
It's not justified if someone loves Hitler or swastika, however it should be understandable under certain circumstances. It's not only some 'Kurdish youths' who like it. I'm sure it's loved between some 'rebellious youths' in the west as much as it's liked (if it's not more) in the east. Here, it's drawn on a wall, there it's inserted as a tattoo on the body.<br />
Judit blames education to the problem, however I think it's not education. Education should be blamed for many things but not some people holding an unwanted symbol. Education should be concerned with the fact that research papers are thrown to garbages, concerned with not having one serious research here in Kurdistan, concerned with the fact that everyone paraphrases what's written instead of doing something that benefits the community, concerned with thousands of people leaving the country, concerned with not having a system and institution that works right anywhere in the region, concerned with a thousand and one issues more serious than the symbol.<br />
That's all about swastika insensitivity that I know.<br />
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-41197733672901864892012-05-17T07:56:00.000-07:002012-05-17T07:57:58.028-07:00Inside Kirkuk Citadel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo: Shalaw Fatah <span id="more-4554" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></strong></div>
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Kirkuk citadel is located in the centre of kirkuk. Overlooking the city and the now dried up Khasa river from its 130 feet hill, it is considered the most ancient part of the city. The citadel was constructed between 884-858 B.C. by King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria.<br />
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1-Kirkuk-Citadel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1-Kirkuk-Citadel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1-Kirkuk-Citadel.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">It’s considered as the final resting place of the prophet Daniel. The citadel was a small city and people lived there until 1990, until Saddam Hussein launched an initiative to beautify the site, and removed 800 to 900 Kurds and Turkmen families from the citadel.</span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The citadel once housed a Jewish temple, a Christian church and later, Muslim mosques. The remnants of these old places are still visible.</span><br />
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2-Kirkuk-Gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2-Kirkuk-Gate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The citadel is a symbol of unity between the different ethnic and religious factions of the city, as all factions share a common history.</span></div>
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3-Gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/3-Gate.jpg" width="621" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">By now, most of the citadel is damaged, mostly by human actions.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/4-Zoom-In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/4-Zoom-In.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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Several efforts are in place to reconstruct the citadel. UNESCO also calls for and supports urgent care.</div>
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Turkmens cosider the citadel a very important part of their history, since there were many Turkmen neighberhoods. Kurds also consider it as the capital city of the Gutium Kingdom; an old kingdom which Kurds consider as part of their history.</div>
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/7-Graveyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/7-Graveyard.jpg" width="553" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/8-Grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="http://kirkuknow.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/8-Grave.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although some reconstruction efforts were in place after 2003, the site still looks much like a ruin.</div>
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To see all of the photos taken, visit this link on Kirkuk Now: </div>
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/index.php/2011/09/inside-kirkuk-citadel-photo-story/">http://kirkuknow.com/english/index.php/2011/09/inside-kirkuk-citadel-photo-story/</a></div>
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Or this link on Flickr:</div>
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<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/index.php/2011/09/inside-kirkuk-citadel-photo-story/">http://kirkuknow.com/english/index.php/2011/09/inside-kirkuk-citadel-photo-story/</a></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-13707439738970290562012-05-13T15:31:00.001-07:002012-05-13T15:31:29.401-07:00Balkanization of the Middle East?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #676767; font-family: museo-slab, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 16px;">by <a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/author/shalaw/" rel="author" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.3s; -webkit-transition-property: color; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; color: #00a5cd; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Shalaw Fatah">Shalaw Fatah</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #676767; font-family: museo-slab, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 23px;"></span><br />
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Middle East is not easy to understand, as is always misled the foreign powers to mis-shape it according to their own understanding of the region. Since a century ago, Middle East’s borders have been in a constant change. Changes with one thing in common, always imposed by foreign powers. These changes has one more thing in common, the tendency toward splitting the region into smaller administrative regions.</div>
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Changes took an awkward turn when oil found, as many states were created out of tribes not nations. Looking at today’s Middle East, you either see failed states, or small consumer entities that cannot depend on themselves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wdIdn-CvVBEJiQd2U-9Kh3KB4Hj68M5V-CRpBussJ5j6ZljcyOFUcp0CZhg77-RpvsthvzpT9Jw6I5DRyFhsupO1TjIbkFzZvj8-d4YExvJID0ugwp6EBsmCAlw0FhU_kgVlCpHaQ1YC/s1600/USA_New_Middle_East_Map2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wdIdn-CvVBEJiQd2U-9Kh3KB4Hj68M5V-CRpBussJ5j6ZljcyOFUcp0CZhg77-RpvsthvzpT9Jw6I5DRyFhsupO1TjIbkFzZvj8-d4YExvJID0ugwp6EBsmCAlw0FhU_kgVlCpHaQ1YC/s400/USA_New_Middle_East_Map2.jpg" width="400" /></a>Why the region failed when it was once one of the leading progressive entities in the world?</div>
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Rulership has always been a strange thing: when it stems from the demand of those who were ruled (we are not talking about democracy here), it’s always more successful. When it’s imposed by the others, it alienates itself form the ruled, even if it’s sufficient enough.</div>
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When the Middle East is not ruled by the others, it’s ruled by those who are dependent on the others, or have a strict belief in the other’s way of life and politics.</div>
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Middle East finds it difficult to stabilize because it does not have local rulers, local researchers, local ambitions, etc. As the rulers advocate for democracy while imposing dictatorship, the researchers try to find out the latest trend in the west, while youths suffer from lack of places to reside.</div>
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As a Middle Eastern, I see the problem as: a people with no hope of making something out parlous situation. The vision of future is sacrificed to the waiting for the invincible westerns to surprise us with any invention, far beyond our imagination.</div>
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This is true not only for iPad and BlackBerry, but the way of life and ruling. And it’s hard for me to say we’d always be losing unless we grow some sort of local thinking. In the other words, unless we improve our self-esteem and try to surprise the world, and even help them with what we can do.</div>
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Unless people decide to act for a big project in mind, nothing can appear from those who are delighted with discussing Apple’s latest invention, or Fukuyama’s latest theory.</div>
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Don’t take me wrong, I’m not saying the ‘evil other’ is the cause, but saying we are the cause since we do not have a hope of making ourselves something instead of waiting for the mercy of the other.</div>
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The change which we see at the moment carries hope, yet we should know the real change should be in people’s way of thought not rulers, otherwise we may see Middle East caught in a huge trend of Balkanization, as it once did one century ago.</div>
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This article is also published on Mideastyouth.com </div>
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<a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/05/13/balkanization-of-the-middle-east/">http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/05/13/balkanization-of-the-middle-east/</a></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-86068514820305575912012-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:002012-02-14T12:48:44.875-08:00Clean up the mess<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's my article concerning the current situation of Kirkuk, published on Kirkuk Now in four languges,<br />
<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/english/index.php/2012/02/clean-up-the-mess/" target="_blank">English: Click here</a><br />
<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/kurdish/?p=9047" target="_blank">Kurdish: Click here</a><br />
<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/arabic/?p=9394" target="_blank">Arabic: Click here</a><br />
<a href="http://kirkuknow.com/turkmen/index.php/2012/02/su-pisligi-temizleyin/" target="_blank">Turkish: Click here</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3L_ZFfVe05t3-EPvLUPZi-0iOYbIql31_crTWbefx7IGtdxNTle-x0HIurP9YXQtJWGszQNIwT7DQ6SYQFS5kXLpzR6ewKzr1qHwuv8Xqj2Mj_HUhCVSfp3qkjYDzH7GEdHvQHnFpLcJ/s1600/Kirkuk+Citadel....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3L_ZFfVe05t3-EPvLUPZi-0iOYbIql31_crTWbefx7IGtdxNTle-x0HIurP9YXQtJWGszQNIwT7DQ6SYQFS5kXLpzR6ewKzr1qHwuv8Xqj2Mj_HUhCVSfp3qkjYDzH7GEdHvQHnFpLcJ/s640/Kirkuk+Citadel....jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"> Kirkuk Citadel...Photo Shalaw Fatah</span></td></tr>
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<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shalaw Fatah</strong></div>
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Once upon a time, there was a strange town where everyone agreed to punish those who had dirty houses. A family just arrived at the town without having any knowledge of the rules and mores. At night, when someone came to welcome them, he brought them bad news: If they were seen like that tomorrow, they would be punished. The family caught up in fear, began praying to God not to raise the sun the day after. But it seemed like God raised the sun sooner than the other mornings.</div>
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When it comes to article 140, the question comes up whether it is still valid or not. Let’s say it’s valid or not valid anymore, you choose. But what changes does it make? Does it solve the problem of Kirkuk and other disputed areas by simply saying it’s valid or not? I’m afraid, no.</div>
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From time to time, we hear that the Iraqi parliament forms a committee to solve the problem, or to implement the article. We hear that such and such pressure groups are formed to do that. We also hear some politicians saying, the article is doomed and should not be discussed, others retaliating by the opposite. Experts and analysts urge all sides to compromise, as all sides do not know. But it’s all hiding from the sun that rises in the morning.</div>
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It’s easy for “pragmatic” journalists and politicians to say, Kirkuk issue would never be solved. We have a legacy of things “that would never be solved” in the Middle East, as there are such things at all. If it were for the Crisis Group or New York Times, the issue would have long incited a civil war and chaos in the region. As far as I know, other unpredictable events could trigger civil war in Kirkuk, such as an accidental conflict between a Peshmarga and a member of the Iraqi army, but not 140.</div>
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In Iraq, there are many huge issues; between them are the disputed areas. It’s big not because of its consequences, since the consequences are yet to be predicted, but because Iraqi officials are unwilling to start solving this problem.</div>
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The issue is so much like the other issues of the region, so puffed that seems invincible, while it might be very fragile. Two years from now, it would be hilarious to think about an uprising that might bring about many changes to the Middle East, yet it began very simply. Although not finished, the outcome is either way dramatic.</div>
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Instead of praying, so God would not bring about tomorrow that may expose our dirty house; wouldn’t it be wiser to clean it at night while the others are busy and maybe asleep? What it takes is not that big; bring these tough guys into the table. There’s not many options, but all of them may be better than postponing the issue to a time when we all have strong armies to depend on, and others are not busy sleeping or doing their own things, but ready to intervene in our dirty house.</div>
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In our culture, there’s a saying: Do not delay today’s duty to tomorrow. The saying ends here, but everyone knows that what it said afterwards; it would be very hard to do it tomorrow as you have other things to do, and you may collapse under so much pressure. Stop murmuring and start cleaning the mess you have made. </div>
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<a href="mailto:kurdemail@yahoo.com" target="_blank">Email</a></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-13336414028150908832011-11-27T08:17:00.001-08:002011-11-27T08:42:09.856-08:00The dangerous move<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6VI12buMNxIE3kQTLT15MI24-_85ShJnpX14GW0wHn2VcMe_qQfamGULHinjUS1VNaD6G7AigUkym9u1xpPM9fkwVEprZdo5hauWwcOB-p26RS2DZ2VBjtD5rR954UDwxaxarzmmehCR/s1600/Dr+barham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6VI12buMNxIE3kQTLT15MI24-_85ShJnpX14GW0wHn2VcMe_qQfamGULHinjUS1VNaD6G7AigUkym9u1xpPM9fkwVEprZdo5hauWwcOB-p26RS2DZ2VBjtD5rR954UDwxaxarzmmehCR/s1600/Dr+barham.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left" style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> Dr. Barham Salih, current KRG PM Source: Getty Images</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
The news is, Dr. Barham Salih, the current PM of KRG may leave his position to someone in KDP, according to the strategic agreement between KDP and PUK. The verification is, it's been publicly shown that KDP wants the position back, and PUK is willing to give it up. It's been discussed in their politburos, and steps are taken toward that. It's just a matter of a month or two, everything will be cleared after. <br />
But the interesting part is the consequences:<br />
With this move, the KDP-PUK relations would never be the same. PUK needs that position since it's still in a shock and crisis. But they can't push hard to gain it. KDP will strike a hard blow on the face of PUK by this move. PUK will be weak and some high-ranking officials may resign. The interesting part is not that one of the ruling parties of KRG will be weak, but the reaction of PUK:<br />
PUK may join the opposition soon after the two years finished. By that move, the political process of the KRG will change forever. PUK is not inexperienced, they can endure crisis and seek retaliation, but KDP doesn't hold that nature.<br />
In the short run, one can pity PUK, and in the long run, PUK is not that much better, but in the long run, one may feel very sorry for KDP. That does not mean the opposition parties will come forward, this part is not very much clear yet. But if only KDP takes that step, the change will break the political stagnation and make the political process very interesting. <br />
Let's wait a month or two and see how it goes... </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-62697933488461617142011-11-10T03:59:00.000-08:002011-11-10T11:27:34.744-08:00The British Consulate-General in Erbil, the paper tiger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EzyerfI_zrLCMCiWx6ckN3eQXsWiczLICr8P1iPserr6cmWGhWFGxIKi9GjMveoMQ9weRFRtQpGzIvtikOJYkMPaBqb5px1Q3yO4qbTKpegAO0FOtUBzDCeb5nCiOVbYZrY4hICKI5Xn/s1600/Erbil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EzyerfI_zrLCMCiWx6ckN3eQXsWiczLICr8P1iPserr6cmWGhWFGxIKi9GjMveoMQ9weRFRtQpGzIvtikOJYkMPaBqb5px1Q3yO4qbTKpegAO0FOtUBzDCeb5nCiOVbYZrY4hICKI5Xn/s640/Erbil.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="color: #666666;">British Consulate-General, Erbil website</span></b></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">When I met him first, he was
praising himself for being a
journalist before being a consulate. If someone is inclined to know his ‘former’ career, it’s not very
hard to reveal. You see him on the various media outlets, from authority
affiliated papers, to the opposition, and so-called independent ones. That’s no
one but Chris Powers, the UK consulate in Erbil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">But why is the British Consulate-General in Erbil the subject of this
post? Well, recently I read one of Powers’s articles concerning the relation
between Kurdistan and North Ireland. There, Powers says, “We are pleased to see
most of the students choose UK to study (postgraduate), UK is a major investor
in the Kurdistan region now. Our relations are strong and we tend to make it
stronger.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">This is not the first time that Mr.
Powers praises the relations between UK and the Kurdistan region, and it won’t
be the last. When you read his articles, you feel like these two entities will
soon reach visa free phase.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">But there’s something wrong here. But just as a test, call the British consulate in Erbil and tell them that you are invited by a family or friend to visit Britain. The answer of the consulate is, “We don’t
issue visa for private visits here,” they will add, “you should either go to Amman,
or Beirut!” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s not hard to understand that
Kurdistan is a post war region and it might be hard to assume everything to be
normal between UK and the region. But the problem is, Powers should be honest
enough to write the reality about their consulate. The relation between UK and
Kurdistan is not what you read on the Kurdish papers, it’s what we experience! At
first, he should work on ‘private visa’ later to call the relations, ‘major’ or
‘strong’. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-27596271197698199772011-11-03T14:32:00.000-07:002011-11-04T00:56:08.671-07:00"I'm not Paul Bremer!"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9z0sffASh4BIRrF6ohERXOFMDOJu2pyoZAMs9-otEmxXosG3UIIe0hvYempeJQOGs3i4XKrRK_RhVDtbROnhEo3MMhaNEOOwBTE4WULlHKfp6WJ1661nsATdnL9keclKvigU27791mBa/s1600/Last+year%2527s+meeting+with+Alexander+Laskaris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9z0sffASh4BIRrF6ohERXOFMDOJu2pyoZAMs9-otEmxXosG3UIIe0hvYempeJQOGs3i4XKrRK_RhVDtbROnhEo3MMhaNEOOwBTE4WULlHKfp6WJ1661nsATdnL9keclKvigU27791mBa/s640/Last+year%2527s+meeting+with+Alexander+Laskaris.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left" style="background-color: white; color: #999999;"><td class="tr-caption"><b>Last year's visit of Alexander Laskaris to AUIS...Photo auis.edu.iq</b></td></tr>
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<br />
I haven't been posting since school started. Yet, last week, the US Consulate in Erbil, Alexander Laskaris visited us at AUIS, and many interesting stories came up. Instead of making it fictional, I'd like to write a chronicle of the events that happened.<br />
When I went there, my friends were there chatting in waiting of the consulate, since he was already late. I gave a hint to my friends to talk about a 'current events' like withdrawal. They had already planned to do so, so I wasn't a very good adviser.<br />
<br />
Alex Laskaris came, with his usual suit and eloquence. Consulate admired us all by asking us about whether we know who was the first Kurd who met the prophet Muahamd, no one knew that. He handed a passage of Sharafnama, Kurdish history written by Sharaf Khan Bitlisi, mentioning a legend about someone who first met the prophet. Later, the consulate handed a piece from Federalist, the famous book written by three founders of the US nation. Through examining some abstract terms like faction, the consulate tried to raise some concerns about politics. Yet, when I tried to relate the subjects to our own country, the consulate was clever to make it more abstract, and the conversation was going on.<br />
<br />
Dana, one of my friends didn't want to play around the bush but hit the button directly. He told the consualte that we 'really appreciate your knowledge concerning history and politics, yet we've come to ask you some questions as the representative of US not a lecturer.' Dana's remarks were tough as usual. When the consular showed his readiness, Dana talked about history of the US and Kurds, and 'how US betrayed Kurds three times,Dana said:<br />
- We ask for your apology. <br />
<br />
My friends, Karwan and Kawyar, raised some arguments concerning KRG and
PKK, they also contributed to the discussion with their fine arguments.
If I was the consulate, I'd say they really gave me a hard time where
I'd come to lecture some school kids. <br />
<br />
Yet we all know what does it mean to be a diplomat. He said that don't blame all the US history on him, but he is only Alex Laskaris. So it was my time,<br />
- I know Alex Laskaris, you are a good person and I like you. I still remember in times of the protests, I saw you in the hill of Gorran, and other plcaes. I even remeber when I asked you a question with a broken English and you answered with a broken Kurdish. But here I've come to speak with the US consulate not Alex Laskaris which I like as I said. After all, why are you really running away from your position? Is it your discontent with your administration's decision toward Iraq now, or what?<br />
Laskaris showed what a diplomat must show, rejecting the argument with sweet words.<br />
<br />
Yet, I didn't quit. I blamed them for misinterpreting the Kurdish community. I reminded him of one his confindentail letters to the US administration leaked by Wikileaks, where he was mentioning Mullahs and Islamism. I said you still favor the traditional leaders in fear of an unknown alternative. You still consider something like Islamism as a threat, which is not true.<br />
Dana completed the speech by reminding the consulate about Paul Bremer, the administrator of Iraq after 2003, when he saw the picture of Mullah Mustafa Barzani, he was asking, "Who is this?" The consulate rebuffed harshly saying, "I'm not Paul Bremer. I know Mustafa Barzani, his father, his grandfather, his grand grand father, etc!" <br />
and I admit, he wasn't! <br />
<br />
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-92177751033929693122011-09-11T13:46:00.000-07:002011-09-11T13:46:32.705-07:00Banaz Jawad, another beautiful death<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jxpBQbeWQXr2Bdvg8NP2QhZErA2sGGv1_t2t4QcluBV9puRFHULuRrH3WuVvsGTrEPqZZ6nr6sDPuhecPKj12k2Qd7pZ6FDASVmDV-PnfQyfnTGA64BYU22T3PUgWJ9jEkWgNYMdSB0z/s1600/Banaz+Jawad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jxpBQbeWQXr2Bdvg8NP2QhZErA2sGGv1_t2t4QcluBV9puRFHULuRrH3WuVvsGTrEPqZZ6nr6sDPuhecPKj12k2Qd7pZ6FDASVmDV-PnfQyfnTGA64BYU22T3PUgWJ9jEkWgNYMdSB0z/s1600/Banaz+Jawad.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b><span style="color: #999999;">Banaz Jawad ... Photo: Sbeiy.com</span></b></td></tr>
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Mystreious and might be agonizing, death has never been peculiar to me. When someone dies, I'm very much interested in telling his/her story, especially, when someone dies beautifully. I'm sure one day, I'll be blamed for 'death-loving' or something like that, but for me, death is part of life, and it should be dealt with as any other parts.<br />
Today, September 11 2011, Banaz Jawad died, or to say, set herself on fire. What's her story? Well, rather different from other whom burn themselves for love or repression, etc. Banaz graduated from Admnistration department nearly 2 years ago. From this day on, she was waiting her employment. But alas, yesterday the list of employed people were published, and her name was missing again!<br />
<br />
How hopless she might be, when she turns her recorder on and leaves a voice message telling the reason of her death that she can't take it anymore! Leaving her recorder, Banaz goes prepares to evacuate the soul, something many brave people can't do. But in a moment, she's gone, as a light, even faster. Who knows, clean souls might be the only thing in the universe which is faster than light when it goes to heavens.<br />
<br />
An official says, accoridng to her record, no one is responsible for her death! She did it herself! How surprising, or Jackpot! When no one is responsible for someone's death in the community, that may mean everyone is responsible.<br />
<br />
Heaven is not our porblm, rather than earth and what's going on here. Her voice is still with us, and should be a testimony against many people in the court. Why in the hell should someone sacrifices herself for a job after graduation while we have so many imagenary institutions and positions where one can't count?!<br />
Banaz's death remineded me of Muhammad Bouazizi, where he set himself on fire, and changed the whole region, could Banaz's fire turn the light of change in our region?! History should answer this question.<br />
The event is so tragic that I can't revise what I've written, nor can I check to the beauty of writing, I just leave it like that, as Banaz left it. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-30563976179634242142011-09-01T14:42:00.000-07:002011-09-01T15:30:50.930-07:00The Hill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Tonight, I want to share my view on a very special subject, and it's the meaning of hills in Suli. The hill is a buzzword here, but one should be careful since it can indicate to very different places in the city.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhh2OC_uXOlqvjQqBgTIPwBp-W0GK0ZrRjNiew9VRkUay-36lcK3xYlpIX5TzlC_DwaqzNZEglM_K6nhQz5V-bHaDly7dAckeHadh5-yINSclbqG0SPEkmWE9HERjUSvWJOhSJF1njc6M/s1600/The+hill+or+base+of+Gorran+opposition...Photo+Shalaw+Fatah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhh2OC_uXOlqvjQqBgTIPwBp-W0GK0ZrRjNiew9VRkUay-36lcK3xYlpIX5TzlC_DwaqzNZEglM_K6nhQz5V-bHaDly7dAckeHadh5-yINSclbqG0SPEkmWE9HERjUSvWJOhSJF1njc6M/s640/The+hill+or+base+of+Gorran+opposition...Photo+Shalaw+Fatah.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">The Hill, Gorran movement base Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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Sulaimani is a mountainous city, the city is built behind <i>Azmar </i>and <i>Goizha </i>mountains. One can find many hills in the city. The hills are different, but they all are relevant to people. I'm not naming all of them since the purpose of my writing is different, but we should know that hills are divided into three categories, political hills, business hills and entertainment hills. Is there anything common between them?!<br />
Probably yes. My writing is about the first hill: hill of political. Before hills, people depended on mountains. We can see mountain easily in Kurdish literature. One slogan of revolutionaries says, "God and Mountains are supporting us, we don't need anything else." Mountains creates its own legends, and fanciful characters, one like Mula Mustafai Barzani.<br />
However, mountain is very different from a plain city. When revolutionaries came into the scene, they still had something from mountains left in their lives. So they didn't surrender to the ground soon. Parties tried to make the same legendary leaders whom they did in the mountains. But in the city, there is no ground to such fancy things, so they depended on the hills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXFMKjiyUxHbRboj1m5DyFjMSwxpEzFjuGaSGx5QnuwjUKzDh31SAWFq28I3TarycsqXIDhQvPvqoqQW4Zx1pec3VY3S-FIiow2C2Q5CqDbK-Are9UNn9-QCNrYgpvsWJKAKjCZoub8Ii/s1600/Business+Hill%252C+tallest+hotel+in+Kurdistan...Photo+Shalaw+Fatah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXFMKjiyUxHbRboj1m5DyFjMSwxpEzFjuGaSGx5QnuwjUKzDh31SAWFq28I3TarycsqXIDhQvPvqoqQW4Zx1pec3VY3S-FIiow2C2Q5CqDbK-Are9UNn9-QCNrYgpvsWJKAKjCZoub8Ii/s640/Business+Hill%252C+tallest+hotel+in+Kurdistan...Photo+Shalaw+Fatah.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Tallest building in Kurdisan region (Business hill). Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></td></tr>
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What kind of people does the culture of hill creates?! Someone between mountain and the ground. He's not the legend, neither the cunning politician. He works as a politician but is a leader. He doesn't compromise on many things, but continues with everyday life tricks. <br />
The ground, or a plain city makes trivial politicians. They are screwed by people everyday. Unlike that, mountain creates uncompromising leaders. The hill represents the transitional period, someone in between them.<br />
Transitional Period: <br />
Mountain ---->Hill---->Ground </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-55471431264688883372011-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:002011-08-31T13:34:44.888-07:00In praise of Sera Square -Photo Story-<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEm_A2URvsRiqzvpdwd6ABZfueZMqFBEHCXwyfpZE48pyPh-QjcbnUCJkc5J_1Zn6PaG7NoIeVsJWIZ06k6VBycBMFi9EU9o0DiVStQ_07ZiZ5tf5iIa9dA5w9IJ5e6CtQaLW6IQnealM/s1600/Sera+Square+IMG-20110415-00134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEm_A2URvsRiqzvpdwd6ABZfueZMqFBEHCXwyfpZE48pyPh-QjcbnUCJkc5J_1Zn6PaG7NoIeVsJWIZ06k6VBycBMFi9EU9o0DiVStQ_07ZiZ5tf5iIa9dA5w9IJ5e6CtQaLW6IQnealM/s640/Sera+Square+IMG-20110415-00134.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Young people started the uprising. Sky was their limit. They waited every day until the moon appeared and urged them to relax so they can return next day. Sera was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>vox populi</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, sort of people's hope and demand, against nepotism and corruption. Many said they would become tired, but it turned to be wrong expectation. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FqWmMiXhNSOORPVRfg-ETCBr2KKTzg8rjTGdUOXN5ALFmDcp6quijitpGdct3vw8Shd_vRapOnl4PYf3R6NWoNoLOuFtf03kq3LEPOsnrRy7rbgrsdNNi7SEmSy95JpqBO7NWoJS3FEz/s1600/In+Praise+of+Sera+Square1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FqWmMiXhNSOORPVRfg-ETCBr2KKTzg8rjTGdUOXN5ALFmDcp6quijitpGdct3vw8Shd_vRapOnl4PYf3R6NWoNoLOuFtf03kq3LEPOsnrRy7rbgrsdNNi7SEmSy95JpqBO7NWoJS3FEz/s320/In+Praise+of+Sera+Square1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">We celebrated Nawroz there...Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></td></tr>
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Nawroz, our national holiday was celebrated there in Sera Square. I remember people could hardly move. It was the first time in Suli's history to see such a crowded gathering. It was my favorite Nawroz, unlike all the others. We decided to celebrate many events there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvIG4xkd8Cb7Iyhu7x5nA1T18tPFxNLKa46AB_FM8-B5QJb_JhapAq-_VDzI2iYAn2jL9ebxEAoVtp4pa8lkuzQD7uzmqBjG6Qq9kZuJnEAZItzjNr3oKwZ8mypKBolZXhSqQzsoCnT04/s1600/Protest+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvIG4xkd8Cb7Iyhu7x5nA1T18tPFxNLKa46AB_FM8-B5QJb_JhapAq-_VDzI2iYAn2jL9ebxEAoVtp4pa8lkuzQD7uzmqBjG6Qq9kZuJnEAZItzjNr3oKwZ8mypKBolZXhSqQzsoCnT04/s640/Protest+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Great dreams, big enthusiasm...Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> People could force authority to rethink its options and address their demands. They urged us to leave so they can solve the problems, but people were in doubt about such promises. We all knew something is going to happen, but none of us knew what was it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1xeS_wpX8uOvq00vAeRWXk_W99jG3jN8-IBv5wWe4eL0Mw_5cbZRYuoVg1M0tg75ThMP-E2phRKV-dcl1fKC-cRlTZEP8bn9VY71gQ4kx56iuyiVIA8Yn0CNmH4U_zvPcdoGuRfShNQ5/s1600/Security+forces+to+keep+to+avoid+protests+spreading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1xeS_wpX8uOvq00vAeRWXk_W99jG3jN8-IBv5wWe4eL0Mw_5cbZRYuoVg1M0tg75ThMP-E2phRKV-dcl1fKC-cRlTZEP8bn9VY71gQ4kx56iuyiVIA8Yn0CNmH4U_zvPcdoGuRfShNQ5/s640/Security+forces+to+keep+to+avoid+protests+spreading.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Security Forces were on alert...Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> It was the same old story, security forces came into the scene, arrested many people. Shots were fired, and I saw, with my own eyes, tens of military cars, all without numbers, on alert to do something. That night, I urged my friends to go home since we had exams tomorrow, but they didn't, and they were all arrested.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUQtTP3XZyMvCZD6JCltt0oPnF8-rMDvHuHSxAzxQDWMM23YqFXtVUpW0PLBogQX_6-ywx2kGPMTNtCzP9UR4PDr2Cd6IZXMmpfgTm3ecHHr8rOMDg0G9r0SVCuRba6XBfnTB9i2f1poI/s1600/Sera+SquareIMG-20110519-00284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUQtTP3XZyMvCZD6JCltt0oPnF8-rMDvHuHSxAzxQDWMM23YqFXtVUpW0PLBogQX_6-ywx2kGPMTNtCzP9UR4PDr2Cd6IZXMmpfgTm3ecHHr8rOMDg0G9r0SVCuRba6XBfnTB9i2f1poI/s640/Sera+SquareIMG-20110519-00284.jpg" width="394" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Sera is empty...Photo Tabeen Raouf</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sera is empty, I go there on regular basis. Sometimes, I expect someone shouting, "<i>Serai Azadi sheri le nabre</i>" or Sera would never run out of brave people, but it's just my imagination, or is it?! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-52857303130176725632011-08-30T12:28:00.000-07:002011-08-30T12:28:06.901-07:00Eid in Suli<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>We didn't expect the Eid, since we thought Ramadan would be 30, but that's a different story. How's Eid in Suli? Is it different from the other places?</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93O4GdBPfmmwcJgwzuZBzI52_zqrzc9kIdQtsh3eByKsdAc_qsAhUlTcuoDwDUUtkbIK8uenhJFPh-g5S83jBolzkZ8ObPkt9Ge3lLqtPvDDQrs1Eq-pLQqqOqHC4JIVnbKPj_SHA_CI/s1600/Sulaimani+focus+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD93O4GdBPfmmwcJgwzuZBzI52_zqrzc9kIdQtsh3eByKsdAc_qsAhUlTcuoDwDUUtkbIK8uenhJFPh-g5S83jBolzkZ8ObPkt9Ge3lLqtPvDDQrs1Eq-pLQqqOqHC4JIVnbKPj_SHA_CI/s640/Sulaimani+focus+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><b style="background-color: white; color: #999999;">Sulaimani, first day of Eid September 30 2011 Photo Shalaw Fatah</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I've got to tell you that Eid is quite different in Suli. I'd like to mention some do's and don'ts of Eid here. We call it <i>Jazhn</i>, in Kurdish meaning feast, with a strong joyful connotation.<br />
People don't walk out to public places, fireworks aren't used very much. It's not an event for gathering people in the Public, but to gather them in their houses.<br />
Instead of gathering in public places, people visit each others' house, mostly neighbors and relatives. When we walk into the other's house, we say, "<i>Gardnn Azad ka</i>." meaning forgive us if I ever told or did something wrong to you. That's some sort of religious and cultural statement, and used commonly, in response, the other will say, "<i>Gardnt Azad bet</i>" or you are forgiven. That's a social reconcilation used among those who have problem and those who don't.<br />
We divide the day of Eid into to parts, before lunch and after lunch. Most of the families decide to go to the relatives and neighbors either before lunch or after lunch, and wait the others to come in the other half. The visits are short and everyone is given a chocolate or a sweet.<br />
Some families gather at Eid, since most of the families are Nuclear family, the gathering is quite crowded, despite children playing everywhere.<br />
Contrary to the other ceremonies, most of the public places are closed, even bazaar. People take Eid as a holiday where everyone should relax. If you open your shop, you are not blamed but it's better not to do so.<br />
I almost forgot the starting point, where families awake early in the morning to eat an extensive meal; the one of its kind in the whole year except for the two Eids. The meal contains meat, mostly turkey or chicken, or animals.<br />
Even if we stay at home, we are prepared as we are going to a very special ceremony. People are well-dressed and perfumed, until we go somewhere to say, <i>Jazhntan piroz bet</i>, or Happy Eid.<br />
Jazhntan Piroz bet w Gardnman Azad kan. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-89240358540975330572011-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:002011-08-29T15:37:14.932-07:00Story of a city<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>How's Sulaimani now? Well, for foreigners, it's the same story: watch how people may misbehave or what's wrong with their culture. But how's it for the residents? That's quite a different story.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_hWh7xl39KMZeJZIeswlbctJxi06wY9eStr8UP6o6NOwe85SqnJlme8gjsc6Ncj-s7ZIS20BGCMzH3Xqfv1ApG9jPnZYbHuMY8zs103-sSLZyztjnLTt32TJBBMwQNbO-6zHgfEMdYqz/s1600/Sulimani+at+night...Photo+Nwenar+Fatih.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_hWh7xl39KMZeJZIeswlbctJxi06wY9eStr8UP6o6NOwe85SqnJlme8gjsc6Ncj-s7ZIS20BGCMzH3Xqfv1ApG9jPnZYbHuMY8zs103-sSLZyztjnLTt32TJBBMwQNbO-6zHgfEMdYqz/s640/Sulimani+at+night...Photo+Nwenar+Fatih.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Sulaimani at night...Photo Nwenar Fatih</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
These days, the city is in doubt and sorrow. Suli has always been a rebellious city toward any ruler, almost any ruler in her history: that's our charm. But what makes the city sad right now?! That's somehow difficult to answer.<br />
It's not just about how neighboring counties and Baghdad are reacting to people's demands in the Kurdistan region since we are used to that.<br />
It's also about the internal dynamics of the city, in terms of politics, culture and economy. Suli is the one who should bear the pain of the transitional period in the region's history. That's to say, she's the one who should sacrifice the most - of course the others also will, but Suli takes the most -.<br />
There's some sort of political stagnation in the region, parties are at odds with each other, that's to say people's ideologies and beliefs are at odds with each other. This reached a point where some people were killed and protests were forcibly repressed.<br />
This city used to be the happiest one, the one which everyone looked up to when it came to reform and change in the region. But right now, people are not sure to where they have been led and how can they manage the probablities of future.<br />
How can we summerize the city's mood right now: waiting (with melancholy) or that's how I see it. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-49876793852916162942011-08-28T03:35:00.000-07:002011-08-28T05:34:30.353-07:00Protest held in Sulaimani against civilian killings by Turkish planes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Demonstrations held in Sulaimani against killing seven civilians by Turkish planes in the surrounding areas of Mount Qandil, where Kurdish rebels exist. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1-IhVosMzgiaJt1BgpqT_cgXunmql7G6kK1akyc3twwJjey3sgi4dK_-lRLQmvaeiNbZ1J1Ly8yDRN7U9Es7vu1w9L8HCGio6QVrxZmEr97iizhq-5Cp_ninuwdpWMynz15dM3mQ645L/s1600/Suli+Protest...Photo+Nwenar+Fatih.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1-IhVosMzgiaJt1BgpqT_cgXunmql7G6kK1akyc3twwJjey3sgi4dK_-lRLQmvaeiNbZ1J1Ly8yDRN7U9Es7vu1w9L8HCGio6QVrxZmEr97iizhq-5Cp_ninuwdpWMynz15dM3mQ645L/s320/Suli+Protest...Photo+Nwenar+Fatih.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #999999;">Suli protest...Photo Nwenar Fatih</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
In the second activity of its kind, many people protested in the Sulaimani, an eastern city of the Kurdistan region of Iraq against crossing borders by the neighboring forces of Turkey and Iran. Early this month, both Turkey and Iran launched several attacks on Qandil mountain, where Labors Party of Kurdistan or so called PKK and Life Party of Kurdistan, PJAK based. <br />
PKK and PJAK are blamed for having secessionist ambitions in Turkey and Iran. They fight for independent, or at least autonomous Kurdish region in their respective countries. Turkey and Iran have launched many attacks on these parties, up until now Turkey has launched 26 military operations against PKK. In the last operation, seven civilians were killed and their photos were released, which caused a wide-spread protest in both Kurdistan region and Baghdad. yesterday, Turkish authorities claimed that no civilians were killed by their planes and blamed PKK for making such 'scenarios'.<br />
PKK and Turkey have been fighting since 1984; 40 thousand people have been killed from both sides. Turkey has launched several cross border operations to the north of Iraq, which caused anger and fear among residents of the Kurdistan region. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sulaymaniyah, Iraq35.553999999999988 45.44960000000003235.531699999999987 45.410900000000034 35.576299999999989 45.488300000000031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-2555451996415688452011-08-26T15:19:00.000-07:002011-08-28T04:29:08.043-07:00Confused world: in defense of soldiers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">"Men are slaughterd!" he shouted, "what kind of creature are you, how can you kill 3 people at once?"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzbvgMQcndzDDqsqoxVLqTXmhKnoV-Bpg3K5DPevPP-sWKL-4kQbpO4Sb32VdVilI6l2KQQhy5CM7L4bkPUg6JlaSJWGNdQ994mz1LKM5jnxFclmM9BUhGPe5Kw0a2CsNYNsbVViJeg_D/s1600/Unknown+Soldier...Photo+Sue+Lambourne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzbvgMQcndzDDqsqoxVLqTXmhKnoV-Bpg3K5DPevPP-sWKL-4kQbpO4Sb32VdVilI6l2KQQhy5CM7L4bkPUg6JlaSJWGNdQ994mz1LKM5jnxFclmM9BUhGPe5Kw0a2CsNYNsbVViJeg_D/s320/Unknown+Soldier...Photo+Sue+Lambourne.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Unknown Soldier...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Photo Sue Lambourne</b></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>He had a habbit of not waiting my response. He just wanted to express his anger, as a child breaks down a cup of glass when he's angry.<br />
When you are a soldier, you don't know how to stop. As a child is ought to write whatever his lecturer tells her, a solider is supposed to do whatever his commander says. We all know what kind of feeling a child can have when he is lazy, but none of us know about a lazy soldier.<br />
When I shot them, I felt the warmth of the blood in my head. The moment they were done, I felt the coldness of blood in my brain. Did I think about justice when I killed them? Of course not. I was given enough justification to continue fighting, that's what an honorable humanbeing needs to do anything.<br />
People are just going with life, as soldiers. They don't know whether they are on the right track or not, that's why we see most of them are not comfortable inside.<br />
I decided to write down my story because I'm a murderer. The only one who is not shy about his injuries. I look inside my soul and see it white still. Sometimes, I want to ask it why it's still white, but I have a habbit of not waiting to its response.<br />
I still don't know why did I killed them. When it's your profession to kill, it's hard to be busy with thinking of justice, because when you do so, a bullet stops you from doing.<br />
I end up here, I'm sure people will say, "So?" They have a habbit of story, judgment, lesson. But I don't, when you have a profession of telling what's happening in the real world, it's hard to think about the conclusion or lessons given in a story, because when you do so, a story writes you down, makes a dead characters speaking on a page. When you do so, you'll be a tool of a story, not a story-teller. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6762206475548983922.post-47129515287064803322011-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:002011-08-28T05:24:50.791-07:00Realm of stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGdlaP98qssrMwMs2ASkBIryoNfRKrlq_q4Zp2f8xnKizM-vgAGtXGQ-g4SsDakAnLfJwFddZV39HoULS2MRkK9V0e4Oni5ksaoZSNj4V4vrv8CvCgOJ3OwET1IrR3zVOqrBepGIPuNTG/s1600/Realm+of+Stories....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGdlaP98qssrMwMs2ASkBIryoNfRKrlq_q4Zp2f8xnKizM-vgAGtXGQ-g4SsDakAnLfJwFddZV39HoULS2MRkK9V0e4Oni5ksaoZSNj4V4vrv8CvCgOJ3OwET1IrR3zVOqrBepGIPuNTG/s320/Realm+of+Stories....jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #999999;">Colors of Rainbow...Photo Thomas Bolke</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Sometimes, it's abnormal to stay calm while people are repressed, and immoral to stay silent while the world is suffering. This blog can't be bread for hungry people, medicine to injuried, or remedy to sufferings, but it's a voice of attitude through stories. It's part of the to be-balance in an unbalanced world. Realm of stories is a realm where stories narrate themselves as they want, not as a confused story-teller want to re-write it complying with the ill-infected demands of the modern world. This blog tries to be a unique one, nothing less or more! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0