WHAT ABOUT PEACE ?

Looks like George Mitchell is making progress !

Money and economic prosperity is the most powerful weapon and best motivator for Peace. Prosper thy neighbour, Israel ! Remove the Gazan blockade !Soon, even Hamas will cooperate with Fatah as they will be too busy making more money they will have no more time shooting rockets at you!

Follow the Irish way! Give Peace a chance!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009

• FRANÇAIS
• ENGLISH
• عربي

AID - GAZA ASSAULT - GAZA STRIP - PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

$2.8 billion sought to rebuild Gaza

WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank says it has prepared a document foreseeing 2.8 billion dollars in aid required to rebuild the war-stricken Gaza Strip. More than 70 countries are expected to attend a donor conference in Egypt on March 2.

WEDNESDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2009

• REACT (0)
 
• SEND BY E-MAIL
 
• PRINT
 
• SAVE

AFP - The Palestinian Authority will seek 2.8 billion dollars in aid at next week's conference in Egypt on rebuilding Gaza, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Wednesday.
   
"We have prepared a document on the basis of which donors will make their aid pledges. It foresees a total of 2.8 billion dollars for all sectors," he said in Ramallah, the political capital of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
   
"This document was prepared by the Palestinian Authority with the participation of all concerned parties and contains, in addition to the required aid, mechanisms that will allow donors to start reconstruction."
   
More than 70 countries are expected at the March 2 meeting in Egypt, which has also has been mediating a consolidation of the Gaza truce after Hamas and Israel declared on January 18 their own ceasefires to end a 22-day war that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians.
   
Sporadic attacks have continued on both sides since and Israel has linked any truce and the lifting of its blockade on the impoverished Palestinian territory to the release of a soldier seized by militants in June 2006.
   
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will attend the Gaza conference, is pressing Israel to stop blocking aid to the besieged territory, an Israeli newspaper reported on Wednesday.
   
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is expected to issue a strongly worded statement on the situation when he travels to Israel this week, Haaretz said.
   
Clinton has relayed messages to Israel about the aid issue in the past week, and senior aides have made it clear the question would be central to her visit to Israel next week.
   
Israel insists it will not reopen its crossing points into Gaza until Hamas releases Gilad Shalit, a soldier captured by Palestinian militants in a deadly cross-border raid from Gaza in June 2006.
   
The Gaza Strip has been under a tight Israeli blockade since Hamas seized power in June 2007, ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas whose powerbase is now limited to the West Bank.
   
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for full access to the Gaza Strip.
   
"In the aftermath of the Israeli military operation, it is critical that full and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza be granted by all parties to the conflict," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
   
"International agencies have faced unprecedented denial of access to Gaza since 5 November. Humanitarian access needs to be granted without restriction," OCHA said in its latest weekly report on Gaza.

NEW BODIES IN OLD CLOTHING

IS MEN'S FASHION GOING RETRO ?

IS THE SARONG GOING GLOBAL ?

Saturday, 28 February 2009 7:07:43   MOUSE OVER LINKS      MAIN MENU Men wearing Skirts The Road to Notoriety Why Bobclops? Slide Show My Blog : Musings etc link page In the news Some Blogs OTHERSTUFF Contact me Our Guest book Search RECENTLY UPDATED Old Fool's Blog A few Blogs Fanny Lucette Blog Men in skirts? The Guardian article Image links ABC news August 08 WEBHOSTING YOUR THOUGHTS? Men in Skirts or Sarongs I am a man and I often wear a skirt I am a man and I have worn a skirt sometimes I am a man and I wish I had the nerve I am a man and I would NEVER wear a skirt I am a woman and I think the men in the slide show look good in a skirt I am a woman and I think the men in the slide show look stupid in a skirt I couldn't give a toss what you wear!     SUBSCRIBE TO UPDATES updates Men wearing Skirts Why have I got a website about men in skirts?  Because the simple fact is, a skirt is comfortable! Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps more so for a man due to our anatomy. In my case, and I can only speak for myself,  I do NOT want to look like a woman, any more than a woman in trousers wants to look like a man!     Therefore this site is intended to encourage and support those men out there who want to wear whatever they like,........... much as the ladies do, and have done since the 1920's.  Throughout this site the word "Skirt" is used as a generic term,  so it includes any garment that only has ONE LEG! (Something that skirts the body) For instance, Kilts, Lunghi, Sarong, Kikoi, Pareo, Sulu, Galabeya's or even Skirts I am not intending to upset the Celts by including Kilts, but it keeps it simple. Although in my humble opinion a kilt is the most uncomfortable of those listed due to the pleats, They may add to the aesthetics and cause a kilt to sway when you walk, but try sitting down! For many men Kilts are the prefered option as they are traditional celtic masculine attire and worn by, Irish, Cornish, Scots, oh, and Americans getting in touch with their roots, So no need to put on a deep voice and accentuate your masculinity as in a kilt it is never in doubt.    This site is NOT about crossdressing! Not that I have anything against a person of either gender  who want to pass themselves off as the other, but that is not what this site is about. This is simply a support site for men who feel comfortable in a "Skirt". Ladies can wear mens Jeans, shirts, Sweaters etc, yet I have never heard them referred to as crossdressing. funny that, eh? Do you think that they could be trying to get in touch with their masculine side? It seems that the constraints placed on "acceptable" male attire are a bit unfair! I could wear an earring, nipple ring and have rings in other parts of my anatomy that just doesn't bear thinking about! I can wear all sorts of "Bling". Neck chains or pendants, wrist chains and rings. Given that I had some hair, I could have a pony tail, or hair like Francis Rossi ( Just wish I could play a guitar like him)  Any of these would be perceived as expressing my individuality, or at worst eccentricity. Put on a skirt! Well, Have I "turned"?.... Am I wearing a Bra? My sexuality is called into question! ( Not that it's any of your damned business, but I am: Old and Straight with a face like a Prune). I hate to admit this, but I remember the '70's. Guy's then were seen in Kaftans etc, flared jeans and flowery shirts. Sadly the era of the "male peacock" has gone! All we have now is the "grey man". In many parts of the world a loose skirt type garment  is normal male attire and the reason is mainly comfort! There are the Fijians with the Sulu, Indians with the Lunghi, The Egyptians with the Galabeya. If you think in Anatomical terms, for men to have a centre seam is illogical, why would you want to wear something that is trying to cut you in half? We go on about healthy eating, preventing all sorts of things like High Cholesterol,  testicular cancer etc. What about healthy clothing? Now I wouldn't dare to claim that wearing a skirt will prevent testicular cancer, but it's a bloody good excuse! You find lots of Guys will just wrap a towel around them after a bath or on the beach,  kick off their swim stuff and "Dangle" The feeling of comfort has to be tried to be believed. As far as I know it is not illegal for men to wear skirts, providing a level of modesty is preserved,  Perhaps we are looking for acceptance from our fellow humans in the western world. Speaking for myself, I have had all sorts of reactions from sly grins to wholehearted support. So far, nobody has actually thrown anything at me. So if you haven't tried one, before you call me names ,can I suggest you try it at least once, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. This site is constantly evolving!  ( Well, that is the plan!)

PANDORA'S BOX REVISITED ?

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION  VS.  MORALITY ?

WILL GAINING ONE MEANS LOSING THE OTHER?

IS THERE A SAFE THRESHOLD?

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009

• FRANÇAIS
• ENGLISH
• عربي

ARAB WORLD - CULTURE - LEBANON

Jasad, an Arabic paean to the body – in all its states

WEDNESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2009

"Jasad," a new Arabic cultural quarterly that unabashedly talks about – and depicts – the body, has just been released in Lebanon. The founder-editor says the magazine seeks to break taboos. But is the Arab world ready for it?

WEDNESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2009

By HASNAE MALIH  (text)

• REACT (3)
 
• SEND BY E-MAIL
 
• PRINT
 
• SAVE

The first edition of a risqué Arabic cultural quarterly that threatens to inflame sensibilities across the Arab world has hit news stands in Lebanon.

Jasad, or “body” in Arabic, is a glossy that tackles the issue of the human body – from every possible angle. It aims to be artistic, intellectual, scientific, literary, sociological… and sexual.

Published in Beirut, the color glossy includes features, columns and essays on a range of subjects including cinema, literature and the arts.

But its frank portrayal of the human body, with scant regard for longstanding taboos, has raised eyebrows across the Arab world. The magazine presents, for instance, artwork by artist Ninar Esber, daughter of the famous Arab poet Adonis. Esber’s cutting edge work deals with nude figures, some in provocative underwear, as well as risqué pieces featuring dildos and sex toys.

JASAD magazine

Picture of Ninar Esber, daughter of the famous Arab poet Adonis

(See more pictures below)

 

 

 

Jasad founder-editor Joumana Haddad, 38, believes it’s time to challenge the Arab world’s sensitivity about sexuality.

“We must break these taboos, stop the hypocrisy and schizophrenia that reign in Arab countries when it comes to issues concerning the body,” she says.

On sale in Lebanon, but seeking a wider audience

Jasad is expensive by Lebanese standards, costing 15,000 Lebanese pounds ($10). But the magazine’s launch has been a success, according to Haddad.

“My distributor in Lebanon was astonished. He told me the magazine is selling well - even in little villages,” she said, before adding, “Out of a run of 7,000 copies, 4,000 were sold in just 11 days.”

The magazine is currently on sale only in Lebanon.

But Haddad has her eyes set on a wider readership, even though much of the Arab world is deeply conservative and is likely to take offence with the magazine’s risqué contents.

 

 

She has already received letters warning her that “God will punish” her and that she is “corrupting younger generations.”

Even her family and friends were against her launching Jasad.

“They told me it was not the right time,” Haddad says. “It wasn’t an easy thing to do, and I expected criticism. But I’m not afraid of the threats. I’ve stuck to my guns and I believe my passion has won over any doubts I might have had.”

A rich tradition of Arabic erotic literature

And it is precisely this passion that led her to launch Jasad. “I want to write for people like me,” she says. “Everybody is fascinated by the human form. I want to offer readers the opportunity to go to a newsstand and buy a magazine like this – if that’s want they want.”

Haddad notes that sex wasn’t always a taboo subject for Arabs. “This is a subject that has only become taboo over the last 300 years. This was not the case when you look back beyond that time span. During the Middle Ages there was plenty of good Arabic literature concerning the body - with none of the modern taboos attached, works such as The Perfumed Garden and The Thousand and One Nights.

“And Jasad intends to revive this literary tradition, to highlight the body, to meditate on the Arabic language and its relationship with the body.”

The first issue does not hold back any punches and will certainly make the prudish blush.

Topics include homosexuality, fetishism, masturbation, cannibalism and the very notion of pleasure itself.

There are features with pornographic and erotic film actors and even a cookery page containing aphrodisiac recipes.

But Haddad insists she is not out to peddle porn.

The young Lebanese editor admits she has faced pressure to tone down the magazine’s contents. But, she insists, she has not buckled under the pressure.

“I have even turned down funding from one Arab investor because of demands to tone down the content,” she says.

Jasad has cleared the official censors – it has been given the green light by the Lebanese Ministry of Communication as well as the country’s union of journalists.

However, it’s worth noting that Jasad, when sold in shops, comes in a plastic wrapper clearly marked “adults only.”

 

ARAB WORLD - CULTURE - LEBANON