The Mute Herald

Nothing drastic, I didn’t see the light, win the lottery or buy into a pyramid scheme.  Just a change of theme for the blog.  I’m going for a minimalist look, to give more emphasis on the actual content (when I bother to post any), than on the frills that surround it.

I was going through a period of drought.  Not that I didn’t have anything to write, just kept judging that it was not worth writing home about.  I guess the problem is that I keep stumbling across so many well written blogs that I kill my posts before they are born.  Guess I should keep in mind that it’s a just a personal outlet.

Disclaimer: Further introspective posts may not happen, as past performance is not a guarantee of future results.  Keep tuned I guess.

I’m probably going to get some flak for this, but my last post got me thinking.  We are hearing reports coming out from Libya.  Many of them are number-based, for example: number of present protesters, number of injured, number of dead. In many of these cases the sources of the numbers are the people themselves, the witnesses.

But can witnesses be trusted? Not from a moral, are they telling the truth? point of view.  Rather, can they count in the situation they were in?  Can you keep track of what’s around you, when you are under fire, fleeing for your life, trying to stay close to your friends, shooting back, etc?

Of course the other end of the spectrum is not reliable either.  When any dictatorial regime discloses official figures, they should be taken with salt, pepper, baked for thirty minutes and served hot.  My point here,  apart from the fact that I can’t cook, is that in most cases there are no better alternatives.  Back to Libya, there aren’t the usual NGO’s who have front line access, and can often be trusted to check their figures before releasing any statement.  Hospitals too should be a more reliable source of information, but they describe themselves as having first world conditions, so how accurate would be their record keeping?  This would apply most to the wounded figures, as at the least they should be trusted to know how many people they are placing in their mortuary.

Before the media had access to the country, and accounts were being phoned-in from inside Libya, the reports used to state that they could not verify the information being given, as they had no way to independently verify it.   When Benghazi was taken over, the eastern border with Egypt ceased to function, and reporters reached the city unchallenged, they finally had access to people who witnessed the events as they happened.  But the points I made previously apply – could the witnesses be trusted to count?  I don’t believe I ever saw statements on the lines of: “this witness was probably under shock, actual figures may vary”.  The figures were published, quoted, re-used, syndicated, and so on.

Let us be clear on one thing, I am in no way trying to discredit any of the reports coming out of Libya.  The deaths and the suffering are an irrefutable truth, and very sad on whatever scale.  The reporters are risking life and limb to show the world what is happening there.  The witnesses speaking to them are risking severe retribution in case the regime doesn’t change, since their identities have been recorded on film.  What I think I am trying to arrive at, is that in these situations lend themselves to some degree of sensationalism.  The higher the numbers, the better the story.  People should be aware of this when digesting the news.

For those of you who may be asking why now with Libya and not the preceding twenty-three protests / revolutions?  Well the subject is closer to home, literally, so I’m inclined to follow the news more.

Not the marital kind.  Yesterday was the blog’s first anniversary.  I would like to thank all the multitudes of regular readers, as well as all those who stumbled onto it using search terms like “sims 3 jacuzzie buy”, “delhi metro in Antonov”, “i”, “magna carda examples”, “mute word of car”, “i m very tayer”, “can you stay at the atlantis palm dubia”, “gzira sex scene”.

You make my day.

Taken a break from writing (as if it’s my full time job).  I’m not feeling motivated to write much.  Besides, there’s so much inspired writing going on around me (try: the heart felt Mich Cafe, or Shelina’s insightful Ramadan post), that I feel that I cannot contribute much to the blogosphere.

It’s currently Ramadan here in the UAE and in the rest of the Muslim world.  This is the second time I’m experiencing it, but it’s a bit easier this time round since we’ve moved to larger premises at work and I no longer share the same space with my Muslim colleagues.  So I can munch away in wholehearted content without disturbing their fasting.

Until next time.

After the initial worry, everyone is relieved that he’s (been) back (for a while now).

More on the issue here.

Image via Wikepedia

Yesterday saw the surprise decision by popular British personality Stephen Fry to quit Twitter.  It followed an online altercation with a fellow tweeter, who dubbed Stephen’s posts as boring.  While it may be considered over-reacting, Fry admitted that it happened during a negative time for him, and so he bid farewell to his followers.  Adding context to the situation it has now been widely reported that he occasionally suffers from a depressive mental condition.  He later posted another comment stating he might change his mind after his situation improves.

Stephen Fry is an iconic figure, popular with a wide demographic due to his wit and intelligence, but also for his fascination with gadgets and everything geeky.  He regularly reviews latest smartphone releases in detail.  I am a big fan of one of his current TV projects, QI (Quite Interesting) – although I am seriously pissed off at the BBC (or whoever is responsible for such decisions) for not releasing any further seasons to DVD following the third.

He actually maintained two personas on Twitter: @StephenFry his personal account from which he published snippets of his current endeavours, as well as @MrsStephenFry his alter-ego.  In “her” words: ”Stephen’s poor, down-trodden wife and mother of his six kids.”  Together they used  to host a number of online gatherings at Fry’s, a virtual cafe where people are invited to meet and make friends.

While life will go on without Twitter I sincerely hope that he returns.  I used to enjoy the occasional tweet, and really appreciated the fact that a public figure is making an effort to keep in touch with his fans.  So, a big get well soon and come back Stepehen.

Last Friday marked my first year in Dubai.  It was (still is) a fantastic journey, along which I learned the importance of: understanding different cultures, deodorants, starting a blog from arrival not after twelve months.  Oh well.

Welcome to the Mute Herald, the channel of choice for ramblings about varying topics: life as it hits me, pathetic attempts at fighting back, general Dubai miscellania (being my current abode), and other completely random musings.  I sincerely wish your visits to be informative and / or of great entertainment, failing which feel free to deride me in your blog.