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I'm sorry, it's kinda freaky living here in Bahrain right now. I'm not entirely sure why I moved here (I guess it was for the money and adventure), but this adventure is being a bit more crazy than I had hoped. Back when I accepted the job out here like two months ago, it was much more peaceful here, and everyone told me how it's fine and everything. But now there's guards standing by the gate to work wielding MP5s and I'm thousands of miles from everyone I care about, and I just want things to go back to being relatively quiet. Obviously it'd be best if things can be settled without violence and bloodshed. There's a lot I don't know about the culture and religious persecutions and whatever in this part of the world, but I don't want to go and quit and run away just yet or anything. I'm sure this all can be settled peacefully... HJE-Cobra fucked around with this message at 14:56 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 14:54
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Ace Oliveira posted:And nobody will call out the Saudi goverment on their horrible atrocities, because of their massive oil production. Nobody will try to stop them. What would Hassan as-Sabbah do?
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Mar 16, 2011 15:00
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Slantedfloors posted:You know what else is a big deal? A persecuted religious group being targeted by what their government is officially terming a "cleansing".
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Mar 16, 2011 15:03
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THE AWESOME GHOST posted:Are you looking at this from a western point of view because it seems you don't understand that in any given day in the gulf all of your drinking water comes from bottles. Boiling tapwater doesn't make it safe because the contaminants are metals not bacteria, bacteria are removed during desalination. Most common water filters don't remove these contaminants either. I'm saying that while contaminated water is an important concern, it is outweighed by the widespread murder of democratic activists by foreign troops who consider them subhuman due to their religion.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:12
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Well I don't want the widespread murder of activists or anything, but they're on the other side of town. I don't even have a car here. I can't do anything to help either side in this. I'm not even a citizen here, I'm a US citizen with a visitor visa of some sort. Besides, there's no way I'd want to go anywhere near areas with demonstrations or whatever anyway, it'd just put me needlessly in potential danger. But at the end of the day, I DO need to worry about where my food and drink come from. A lot of the stores around here are closing now, and what if they stay closed? How am I going to get water and food? I think it's a worthy concern at the moment.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:31
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Slantedfloors posted:I'm saying that while contaminated water is an important concern, it is outweighed by the widespread murder of democratic activists by foreign troops who consider them subhuman due to their religion. That's easy to say when you're not the one drinking contaminated water.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:37
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Chortles posted:I have to say, that goon has clearer sense of priorities (I said clearer, not better) than most people I know in person, assuming that it isn't just a clumsily-planted attempt at astroturfing. My entire sense of humor is "comedic" sociopathy propped up on a vaguely Buddhist idea that life is suffering. Sinteres posted:That's easy to say when you're not the one drinking contaminated water. Put water in pot. Boil. Allow to cool. Consume.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:41
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HJE-Cobra posted:Obviously it'd be best if things can be settled without violence and bloodshed. There's a lot I don't know about the culture and religious persecutions and whatever in this part of the world, but I don't want to go and quit and run away just yet or anything. I'm sure this all can be settled peacefully... You do realize the violence and bloodshed has already started, right? The only way this will end peacefully is for the oppressed masses to go back home and continue being oppressed. The current power structure has brought in foreign troops to maintain the peace as homegrown troops sometimes have a problem with wanton slaughter. But your office's watercooler not getting filled, that's tragic.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:42
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I'd like to post more news about what's happening in Libya but the only two pieces of information I've seen that aren't a repeat of stuff that's happened in the last 24 hours is firstly Misarata has had it's water cut off, and second of all 7 pilots defected to Benghazi according to a Al Aan journalist. If Gaddafi is attacking Benghazi then no-one is reporting it.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:43
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Hey guys! Let's all make fun of the guy living there, who is just as likely to get shot going outside as anyone else, because he's afraid that the unrest might make it impossible for him to eat or drink! That's totally reasonable! Just because there are people getting brutally murdered there doesn't mean you get to be all "Oh, boo hoo, all you have to worry about is starving."  You're being just as petty as you're claiming he's being by jumping on him for being worried about his food supply instead of the protesters. What sort of horrible suffering are you enduring sitting at home? It's likely he's not the only one there worrying about where they're going to get food or clean water. The Cheshire Cat fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 15:45
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The-Mole posted:Put water in pot. Boil. Allow to cool. Consume. As already mentioned in this thread, that doesn't work when the contaminated water is with minerals instead of bacteria. All our drinking water is bottled, we don't use tap water to drink. Boiling doesn't help. Long story short, I'm alone and scared in a nation in turmoil here. I was just trying to share my personal experiences with it so far.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:47
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The Cheshire Cat posted:Just because there are people getting brutally murdered there doesn't mean you get to be all "Oh, boo hoo, all you have to worry about is starving." He's been there two months. He can go home. They can't.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:48
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Even in the unlikely event that the crackdowns succeed, they will be victories in the same way that the French were victorious over the FLN, or the Japanese were victorious over Pearl Harbor.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:48
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HJE-Cobra posted:Long story short, I'm alone and scared in a nation in turmoil here. I was just trying to share my personal experiences with it so far. I'm just pissed off that people are being murdered pointlessly and probably the best chance that will exist in decades to vastly improve the lives of the people of the Middle East and deal a deathblow to Islamic extremism is being pissed away by fat greedy aristocratic fucks who don't want to share their toys and Western leaders who are too chickenshit to say anything about it.
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Mar 16, 2011 15:56
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HJE-Cobra posted:As already mentioned in this thread, that doesn't work when the contaminated water is with minerals instead of bacteria. All our drinking water is bottled, we don't use tap water to drink. Boiling doesn't help. UV light will probably solve this problem. Maybe you have some lying around? Hardware store?
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Mar 16, 2011 15:57
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THE AWESOME GHOST posted:No water in a desert country where the tapwater is unsafe is a pretty big deal The tap water in Bahrain is fine, don't be a pussy.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:02
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bringer posted:He's been there two months. He can go home. They can't.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:04
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Slantedfloors posted:I'm just pissed off that people are being murdered pointlessly and probably the best chance that will exist in decades to vastly improve the lives of the people of the Middle East and deal a deathblow to Islamic extremism is being pissed away by fat greedy aristocratic fucks who don't want to share their toys and Western leaders who are too chickenshit to say anything about it. Western Leftists and Islamic nationalists bear a large degree of culpability for the West's dragging its feet on this. When any foreign policy action that the West does, no matter how benevolent or unquestionably right, is immediately labeled "IMPERIALIST" by the usual suspects over and over again, it becomes understandable that the West would find it safer to just sit back and let evil continue. West saves Muslims from genocide in Kosovo? IMPERIALIST! West feeds a starving African nation and attempts to take out a genocidal warlord? IMPERIALIST! West overthrows the Taliban? IMPERIALIST! Want to intervene in the Darfur genocide? IMPERIALIST! In Europe, the "IMPERIALIST! IMPERIALIST!" crowd actually has enough political power to hamstring any NATO country that isn't America.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:04
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Rkelly posted:UV light will probably solve this problem. Maybe you have some lying around? UV light wouldn't even help much, honestly. The water is drinkable, but it's not something you'd want to drink every day, or even for a month, which I'm sure this will drag out for at minimum. Cobra, just ignore the morons mocking you, you're in a bad spot right now. Hopefully the worst your life is at risk is just from lack of healthy water. Try and stay safe, and if it starts to look real ugly, you should be able to be evacuated out of there.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:06
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Jut posted:The tap water in Bahrain is fine, don't be a pussy. HJE-Cobra posted:As already mentioned in this thread, that doesn't work when the contaminated water is with minerals instead of bacteria. All our drinking water is bottled, we don't use tap water to drink. Boiling doesn't help. Jut posted:The tap water in Bahrain is fine, don't be a pussy. THE AWESOME GHOST fucked around with this message at 16:13 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 16:08
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Some interesting development about Libya from Europe:quote:4:46pm quote:4:42pm quote:4:34pm quote:4:30pm Maybe something will actually come of this? Rkelly posted:UV light will probably solve this problem. Maybe you have some lying around? UV light is only good for killing microorganisms like bacteria. viruses, etc. It can't physically remove contaminants.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:09
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THE HORSES rear end posted:Western Leftists and Islamic nationalists bear a large degree of culpability for the West's dragging its feet on this. When any foreign policy action that the West does, no matter how benevolent or unquestionably right, is immediately labeled "IMPERIALIST" by the usual suspects over and over again, it becomes understandable that the West would find it safer to just sit back and let evil continue. Um, yeah no. Notice how the Libyans and Liberals basically all around the West are asking for intervention now? It's the Conservatives dragging their feet because there's no way to make money by helping others. Also, I like how you didn't mention Iraq, which was the one action that was really called Imperialism on such a large scale.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:11
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Hmm... apparently tap water in Bahrain contains a bit more sodium and a bit more fluoride which could lead to a salty taste and stronger teeth. Watch "Tapped" for more information about tap water vs. Bottled water.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:15
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quote:Rebecca Harms, a German MEP, said the EU was "refusing to line up on the right side, on the side of the just, and the Arab world will not forget or pardon this weakness from Europe". Refusing to take a side (And preventing others from taking a side) in a fight between genuinely evil people and the oppressed isn't being "neutral", it's actively supporting the people in charge.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:17
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Narmi posted:
The only contaminant in the drinking water in Bahrain is Sodium, and it's only at the level that would affect people who suffer from hypertension, a normal, healthy person is not going to die drinking it. There's a huge marketing campaign by bottled water manufacturers in the UAE/Qatar/Bahrain to encourage the use of bottled water, much in the same way that Coca Cola and Pepsi were encouraging the use of bottled water over tap water in the US (and then selling you bottled tap water instead) Most bottled water you buy out there is fresh from the desalination plant, and the same stuff that comes out of your taps. I remember the company I used to work for, bought a bottled water brand, which was just UAE desal water in a bottle, shipped over to Qatar. The Bahrain events will really test AJ as a news organisation though. Given the Qatari Government, I doubt they will emerge as an independent beacon of journalism. Edit: someone really needs to start a campaign to have the Bahrain GP canceled for good given the events that have taken place. That's a huge cock waving tool for the Royal Family. Jut fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Mar 16, 2011 |
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Mar 16, 2011 16:17
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THE HORSES rear end posted:In Europe, the "IMPERIALIST! IMPERIALIST!" crowd actually has enough political power to hamstring any NATO country that isn't America. Yeah, European knee jerk leftists yelling IMPERIALIST are the reason that EULEX is such a hotly debated issue at the moment (it's not), US withdrew from Somalia, Afganistan is a quagmire or west didn't intervene in Darfur. Well in Iraq's case you are right. But so were the European leftists.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:18
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My bad I read that post about the tap water backwards. Uv will be real useful versus minerals. Someone slap me. On topic: I hope Khamis got his whole body charred beyond recognition and looks like a loving mummy now.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:19
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From Twitter:quote:Aljazeera confirming that Free Libyan Airforce attacked Gaddafi troops in West Ajdabiya & that's where fighting is at. Benghazi safe #libya There's also a rumour that Al Saadi Gaddafi was badly injured in the attack on the Gaddafi compound last night, and Khamis Gaddafi is either in a critical condition or dead. Of course there's no way that can be verified by anyone as news organisations don't have access.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:20
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I seriously doubt HJE-Cobra is dismissing the revolution in Bahrain out of hand, and is just sharing what he's going through. Living in a country where you can't relate to the people (or speak the language I guess?) is always pretty rough. Living in said country when it's in the middle of a violent revolution where people are getting shot on the street is significantly worse. While it's nowhere as bad as what's happening to the people in the street, it is what he's going through, and as a foreigner he can't really do, or tell us, much else Personally, I really hope everyone in Bahrain, including HJE-Cobra, pulls through.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:20
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Slantedfloors posted:Thank gently caress someone had the (fem)balls to say it. Yeah this is one of those "If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Situations. A truly neutral approach would be to abstain from whatever vote is being held and pledge to follow whatever decision is reached by the UN, rather than dragging your heels and going "well, I dunno...."
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Mar 16, 2011 16:23
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Brown Moses posted:
You would expect some reporter in rebel held territory would have been invited to report on the Free Libyan Air Force. As it is now it's not even certain it exists.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:23
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ChaosSamusX posted:Um, yeah no. Notice how the Libyans and Liberals basically all around the West are asking for intervention now? It's the Conservatives dragging their feet because there's no way to make money by helping others. Liberals and Leftists are not the same.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:23
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Jut posted:not without an exit visa. You're pretty much a prisoner there unless your company decide to let you leave Or you go to your country's embassy and request their help. HJE-Cobra posted:Well, I've stocked up on Spam and bread. I just want things to settle down so I can properly get to work at my relatively new job here! For someone on the ground you seem amazingly uninformed about what is going on. Right now people are being murdered for speaking up. Foreign troops have been brought in to crush the protesters. People are being shot in the streets and hospitals right now. If it does end "peacefully" from your perspective, that will mean the deaths of hundreds or thousands of protesters over the coming days at the orders of the King of Bahrain. I hope your two month old job is worth it, sounds like quite the adventure.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:25
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THE HORSES rear end posted:Western Leftists and Islamic nationalists bear a large degree of culpability for the West's dragging its feet on this. When any foreign policy action that the West does, no matter how benevolent or unquestionably right, is immediately labeled "IMPERIALIST" by the usual suspects over and over again, it becomes understandable that the West would find it safer to just sit back and let evil continue. Oh just shut up. You have played some Call of Duty and now apparently believe that you can bomb people into democracy, but it doesn't work that way. Afghanistan is still just as hosed up a country as before, the same corrupt warlords and Taliban are still oppressing the country and nothing will change until the people themselves figure out how to change it. You're advocating for military adventurism for the sake of getting a hard-on rather than wanting to improve things.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:27
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bringer posted:I hope your two month old job is worth it, sounds like quite the adventure. Can we stop hassling him? In all honesty, I can't blame him for being uninformed about a situation that would have been considered laughable three months ago.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:29
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bringer posted:
Jesus Christ shut the gently caress up.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:32
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A journalist in Benghazi just tweeted he saw a military helicopter patrolling Benghazi habour, and said it might be one that the rebels claimed defected yesterday, and was involved in the attack on the two ships they claimed to have sunk yesterday. He also commented it has been very quiet in Benghazi all day. This has also been posted: quote:Al Jazeera Arabic Eyewitness from Misratah has reported that: Saif Gaddafi has also given another interview: quote:Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been busy giving exclusive interviews, this one to ITV News, where he claims that the regime has been lenient towards its opponents. There there is rambling bit about how the media has given too much attention to a disaffected minority.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:32
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Slantedfloors posted:Can we stop hassling him? Oh, I'm done. It just sounded like he had the impression that things would blow over pretty quickly and it doesn't seem that will be the case, unless the Saudi crackdown on Bahrain's protesters manages to crush their spirits entirely. At the very least I recommend he get in touch with his embassy and let them know where he lives and works so, if things suddenly turn all Libya there, they can get him out. It's a scary situation and I don't know if a two month job would be enough to keep me there.
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Mar 16, 2011 16:36
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Also more from the AJE blog:quote:Rebels in Ajdabiyah continue to fight pro-Gaddafi forces, a doctor there has told AFP, with at least 26 people dead since Tuesday. This is the city most of the worlds media is claiming is under Gaddafi's control, and his final stepping stone to Benghazi, which shows that it's very difficult to get an accurate picture of what's going on. The following I copied from another board might explain the confusion: quote:4 in the morning in Libya This is bouncing around Twitter in regards to the attack on Misarata today: [quote]CONFIRMED:Alarabiya-Gaddafi's forces incurred significant losses in Misurata. 16 tanks destroyed+25 men detained.[/qutoe]
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Mar 16, 2011 16:40
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Here's an article talking about why the No-Fly zone is pretty unlikelyquote:International assistance doesn’t look to be on the horizon. The Arab League asked the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, but Russia and China are holdouts. And it’s hardly clear that the U.S. is going to forcefully back a resolution calling for a costly, open-ended attack on Gadhafi’s planes and helicopters. http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/gadhafis-shells-planes-drive-libyan-rebels-back/ Guardian round-up quote:A doctor at Misrata hospital told Reuters the bodies of five people killed in shelling today had been brought in, but that he had been told more had been killed. He said the wounded were being brought to hospital in private cars because ambulance drivers were afraid of being hit by shells. "We have enough medicine but we are short on staff," said the doctor, who gave his name as Muftah. quote:Libyan state TV has broadcast a call to arms, urging people to join a government advance, towards the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Reuters reports. The message said: "All the armed forces in the eastern area who have not joined the traitors are called upon to join the forces as they advance towards Benghazi." quote:Police in Algiers used tear gas to disperse a crowd of about 60 young men who were throwing petrol bombs and stones, Reuters reports. The protesters, who had blocked a road in the east of the capital, said they had no political demands but wanted the authorities to give them better housing. quote:@amar456 has tweeted that the atmosphere in tense in Bahrain, where a curfew has been in place in parts of the capital for two hours now: "Thought I would be a bit of a Rambo & go out. Not a good idea. I suggest everyone stay home unless really urgent. Army check points around." quote:The BBC has an interesting story which says splits are beginning to emerge in Bahrain's ruling al-Khalifah family. It says that on Sunday Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifah, who has a reputation as a reformer, was close "a breakthrough with pro-democracy activists". Bill Law writes: On lighter note, take a tour of Saif Ghaddafi's palace in london "recently expropriated by activists working in alliance with Libyan exiles": quote:Nearly every room in this enormous house boasts a large, flat-screen television. The occupiers have set each one to al-Jazeera, for rolling coverage of the people's revolutions that are sweeping the Arab world. Televised gunfire echoes in the marble hallway as Jay, 25, explains how activists from the London squatter movement took over the Gaddafi mansion, moving in secretly and putting up notices declaring their intention to hold the empty house under English common law. "We wanted to show our solidarity the best way we know how," he says. http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2011/03/gaddafi-family-libyan-abdulla
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