I do admit that I have no idea what is going on in the world. Well I do know what is going on in the USA – nothing different than has been going on for ages. Did write about that in a former blog, that Trump was nothing new – things had been going haywire for a long time. Remember it was a story from the Atlantic which no one read.
In recent times, when I wanted some news of the world’s catastrophes I would read Al Jazeera. Qatar is very diplomatic and that is good (even excellent) but in their noble attempt to remain diplomatic they can, shall we say, side-step some serious matters. I shall be diplomatic and not name names or countries. However, Al Jazeera is not really offering important Middle East news and views, particularly about Iran. Therefore, and uncharacteristically I turned to Arab News, found a woman correspondent who is articulate, fact and history driven. You are startled, I know it, you know it, we call know it. !!
This is what she said about Iran.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the ayatollahs were prisoners of their own rhetoric, having for so long trotted out the nonsensical narrative of “death to America” and “death to Israel,” while in practice spending the past year dodging and weaving in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid being caught up in full-blown regional war.”
She is speaking of Iran’s rather under handed support of rebels in other Middle East countries. Articulating the foibles of such a policies she said
‘But through such warmongering, the ayatollahs succeeded only in placing a large target on their own heads.’
She is Barin Alamuddin.
Tehran and Hezbollah’s constant missteps ultimately granted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the pretext he sought for targeting the Iranian regime directly. It is only because the Biden administration in the White House is risk averse and focused on elections that there has been any hesitation in Israel embarking on massive air assaults against Iran’s nuclear, oil, military, economic and civilian installations. Khamenei must be having sleepless nights about the prospects of a Trump presidential election win.Iran has dispatched diplomats to Riyadh, Doha, Cairo, Baghdad, Damascus and elsewhere in last-ditch efforts to avert Israel’s oncoming onslaught, but the regime looks more isolated than ever. Dysfunctional, questionable allies such as North Korea and Russia habitually fail to follow through on promises of weapons and support — particularly given Moscow’s historic ties with Israel, 15 percent of whose population speak Russian.”
But there is good news coming as Almudddin is an optimist and has a solution.
“So rather than mumbled threats that Gulf states could be targeted if Tehran is hit, Iran should be seeking to reactivate its previous reluctant and tentative steps toward diplomatic outreach
After millennia of shared culture and history with Iran, fellow-Muslim Arab states are not its natural enemies.”
She comes up with a solution. I do love problem solvers, I happen to be one of them.
‘This would entail removing the gun it holds to the Arab world’s head, by demobilizing proxy armies, renouncing pretentions of nuclear supremacy, and ceasing efforts to flood Arab states with narcotics. For decades Gulf states have weathered an atmosphere of threats and hostility, such as groundless territorial claims over Bahrain, the occupation of UAE islands, and support for insurgencies and coup attempts.”
Aware that Iran must ‘save face’ gives them an opportunity to do so.
“For Iran, acknowledging that the past 45 years have been an exercise in self-destructive futility would not be an admission of defeat, but instead may represent the only prospect of emerging from this catastrophe in one piece. Nobody, least of all the regime itself, wants to witness Iran’s destruction. Let us hope that at this late and fateful moment the ayatollahs possess some kind of survival instinct.”
Her credentials are listed. Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.
That issue also had an Opinion article about the upcoming US election and the chances that Vice President Harris might win. The final two paragraphs:
“However, these tactics are not necessarily winning over the American public. A political strategist noted that borrowing from an opponent’s playbook and relying on personal attacks can be tiresome to voters, who are “tired of the same old playbook, filled with lies, grievances and name-calling.” A complete political separation between Harris and the Biden White House is impossible, as she still needs the Democratic base to win the election. For millions of voters, she represents the preservation of Biden’s legacy. Moreover, Harris cannot fully agree with Trump on economic policies. For instance, while Trump intends to interfere in Federal Reserve policy, Harris firmly disagrees with this approach.Ultimately, the scope of issues in any presidential campaign should surpass policy differences between a sitting president and their vice president when the latter is running to succeed them. It is also unlikely that voters will see little distinction between two presidential candidates simply because one borrows some themes from the other.”
This written by Maria Maalouf, a Lebanese journalist, broadcaster, publisher and writer. Definitely would appreciate a learned opinion concerning Dr. Jill Stein’s candidacy. When, and if, I find it you will be the first to know. Hahaha
Closer to home. Faithful readers are aware I am no longer on WhatsApp. Somewhat belatedly I asked Siri (something I never do). I seem to be changing my ways.
Me: Siri who owns WhatsApp?
Siri answered, telling me it originated in Mountain View, California – was purchased by Facebook in 2014 for billions of dollars. Siri referred me to Wikipedia for more information.
‘WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta.[14] It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages,[15] make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content.[16][17] WhatsApp’s client application runs on mobile devices, and can be accessed from computers.[18] The service requires a cellularmobile telephone number to sign up.[19] In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business which can communicate with the standard WhatsApp client.[20][21]The service was created by WhatsApp Inc. of Mountain View, California, which was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US$19.3 billion.[22][23] It became the world’s most popular messaging application by 2015,[14][24] and had more than 2 billion users worldwide by February 2020,[25] confirmed four years later by new 200M registrations per month.[26] By 2016, it had become the primary means of Internet communication in regions including the Americas, the Indian subcontinent, and large parts of Europe and Africa.
The entire Wikipedia entry is fascinating and frightening. From the very beginning to the massive use. Businesses all over the world use it as their operating system. Think of the information Meta has on everyone and everything. WhatsApp is banned in several countires, including Iran, China, the UAE, Uganda etc etc etc. Here there and everywhere people totally rely on WhatsApp Facebook and Instagram for everything. Yikes. This is a scary world.
Oh well, I am not on WhatsApp anymore. Already I feel, and am, freer. I remain on Instagram. Do not rely on it for news or information, just play, speak with a few close friends and comment on subjects that interest and matter to me. I have my blog. I am in control of it, do not use it to get validation, money or fans. I feel like I am in the cat bird’s seat.
The cat bird seat is a position of great prominence or advantage. Miriam Webster says:
In the catbird seat was among the numerous folksy expressions that legendary baseball broadcaster Red Barber used to delight listeners. Some say he invented the expression; others say that he dug it up from his Southern origins. But the truth may be far stranger than those rumors. In a 1942 short story titled “The Catbird Seat,” James Thurber featured a character, Mrs. Barrows, who liked to use the phrase. Another character, Joey Hart, explained that Mrs. Barrows must have picked up the expression from Red Barber. To Red, according to Joey, sitting in the catbird seat meant ‘sitting pretty,’ like a batter with three balls and no strikes on him. But, according to Barber’s daughter, it was only after Barber read Thurber’s story that he started using “in the catbird seat” himself.
Wikipedia tells us: “The catbird seat” is an idiomatic phrase used to describe an enviable position, often in terms of having the upper hand or greater advantage in any type of dealing among parties. It derives from the secluded perch on which the gray catbird makes mocking calls.”
I do admit that I love having the upper hand or greater advantage. In many ways being away from WhatsApp has placed me at a greater advantage. I am now in control of my life, no longer seeking validation and affirmation from WhatsApp folk. By not spending time with individuals I save hours of time freeing my mind to explore, read the Quran, learn. I am no longer tied to triviality, stickers and jokes.
More time to write, taking on two quite different self appointed tasks. I am writing a book for inclusion in the Books section of the blog. It will be called Ikebana: A Prior Passion. Also on the blog will be a new banner, a new permanent section called My Calling.
I am not bored, nor boring. I am certain my prior WhatsApp correspondents are bored, missing my lively witticisms. Whatever.
Photographs following the blog will include photos of flower arrangements from the good old days. Come to think of it they were not that good at all. However, the hardships got me to the benefits I now enjoy. Also hopefully the promised reel of the Bali Fish Market.
