TV is a Powerful Tool!

COME ON Al Jazeera Arabic! What the heck kind of "reporting" was THAT! What am I speaking of? I was just at the barber's, got a haircut from a nice Turkish gentleman. The whole time I waited and the whole time I had my haircut, about 45 minutes in total, the SAME loop of images kept rolling over and over and over on the TV they had hanging in the shop. It was like A Clockwork Orange! Police beating on protesters, protesters beating on other protesters, police torturing subjects, a dead and mutilated body, simulated torture scenes, a police truck running over protesters. Over and over and over the same images kept going and going. And, in the background, an "interviewee" screaming at the top of his lungs (there may have been a couple over the span of time, but it was hard to tell because it was just plain screaming!) The only break was when three promos for Al Jazeera ran which were all filled with MORE images of unrest in Egypt. This wasn't reporting! This was sheer incitement and provocation! I wanted to go break stuff after watching 45 minutes solid of these brutal images played over and over...and over...and OVER. Man, that was brutally horrible and terribly irresponsible. Thank goodness Al Jazeera English is not quite like that, although I have had my complaints about them, and my list is growing. I will probably write about that tomorrow.

Back Off, Al Jazeera.

I am growing increasingly frustrated with Al Jazeera's coverage of what is going on in Egypt. They have gained a lot of viewers and attention over the last 11 days and have a new found power. I generally like Al Jazeera, and am pleased to see that they have done well, BUT, I am also disappointed with a number of issues, particularly when it comes to how it reports on US/Israeli involvement. Face it, Al Jazeera is hardly unbiased when it comes to these countries. It continually rails against them. That isn't saying there aren't legitimate grievances. There are. But, when watching Al Jazeera, I can't help but get the sense that the US and Israel are the most evil, horrible countries on the planet. They wait with bated breath on what the US and Israel are going to say about what is going on, and then slam them when they do make a comment. They seem obsessed with the US and Israel, while getting angry because American media is not reporting the situation from the same vantage point as Al Jazeera. Bizarre, really.

I have been watching CNN quite a bit during this crisis and am finding them to be a bit better in their coverage. They have been looking at the crisis from a broader perspective, I find. They have been accused of looking at the crisis from and American perspective, which I have not found to be completely true. They are an American based channel, so of COURSE they will often look at the situation from an American perspective to a good degree.  However, they have also looked at the greater reality of what is going on in Egypt and how it is being seen in the rest of the world and what the impact of this revolution will be, something Al Jazeera is less concerned with. Egypt is a very important country in the region. The uprising there has MASSIVE consequences for the rest of the Middle East and the world. But, for trying to report this, Al Jazeera slams them. Why? I don't live in Egypt. Most of us watching do not. We see what is happening and wonder how it will affect us all. It is an uprising among Egyptians, and that is being acknowledged and reported on. BUT, there is uncertainty and plenty of it. There doesn't seem to be a clear leader ready to step in if Mubarak steps down now. That is concerning for both Egypt and the world. Al Jazeera doesn't seem to get that point. The Muslim Brotherhood? A lot of people have a lot of questions about them. CNN is giving a range of opinions on that group. And, although those in Tahrir Square is made up of people from all walks of Egyptian life, the Muslim Brotherhood is the largest opposition group involved in politics. Of COURSE people want to know about them. I don't think they should be feared, but I understand people's desire to know about them, and to get to understand them.

This isn't to say that Al Jazeera is not doing a good job. In many ways, they are. They are providing a great service. So, I am not anti-Al Jazeera. I suppose I became far more frustrated after I saw this report, which I felt was particularly low:



After watching this, I wanted to stick up for American networks, which is not something I usually rush to do. But, in this case, I think the US is getting a bad rap. Their main target, of course, is Fox News, which is a given. I can't say they are a reliable voice for much, so they deserve their fair share of criticism. However, other networks are doing their very best, as far as I am concerned, just as Al Jazeera is. By taking a Fox News approach to reporting on American media, they have stooped to a Fox News level, which is pretty low. I expect more from Al Jazeera, and hope they focus on the news and stories, and focus less on beating up their peers, and lay off a bit more on the US and Israel (again, something I never imagined myself saying).

Asian Cup Ridiculousness: The Story Continues

My third post on the same subject. Sorry, I just can't let this one go. It is on my mind. It makes me furious. I am particularily frustrated by the response of organizers. Get a load of this one:

"We said to the spectators, 'come early'. Unfortunately, yesterday we had to close the gates for security reasons," he said, adding that around 3,000 fans were locked out.

"Most of the people outside were without tickets, which was causing a problem. We feel sorry for the people not having a ticket. I hope this will not give a bad impression about the tournament. We were hoping we would not have anything like this happen, but it happened, and you can't satisfy everybody."

From: http://mwcnews.net/news/sports/8321-officials-defend-asian-cup-lockout.html

What? Huh? Run that by me again? Did you just blame the fans who weren't there on time, or at least your version of on time?? Since when is anyone in Qatar on time for anything?? When, exactly, did you guys tell people to get there early? I certainly never heard anything like that. Most of the people outside were without tickets?? Uh uh. Most of the people outside HAD tickets because you fuckers gave their seats away! Bad impression of the tournament?? Do I have a bad impression? DAMN RIGHT I do! Lies, lies and other crap used to justify pathetic behaviour. How arrogant and utterly unprofessional. There were people locked out that had flown to Qatar just for this event. There were people out there who had bought tickets at full price months ago. What were you idiots thinking?? Shame on the organizers. Shame on the AFC. Shame on FIFA. Shame on Qatar. Stop with the lies. Stop with the alternate reality you are trying to create. Own up to the screw up. Refund all those who did not get it, and all of those who actually paid for tickets. Repay flight and hotel costs for those who came from out of town to watch the game. And then forfeit the World Cup and give it to a country that wouldn't pull this shit.

Asian Cup Ridiculousness #2

Okay, so, I bought a ticket to go see the Asian Cup final in Doha, Qatar about a month before the game, which was held last night. I paid 35QR for said ticket. Fair enough, not a bad price, really. Last night, I go to the game between Australia and Japan at Khalifa Stadium. I get in only to find that they were letting everyone and anyone in free, without a ticket. No one cared about my ticket. Why did I pay 35QR for this ticket again? Why were people who paid nothing getting better seats? Made no sense. When I got into the stadium, it was just stupid. I went to find my seat and was just told to sit anywhere, to go in any gate and just get a seat. Okay, well, fine, I got in, I got a seat, and I watched the game. Well, apparently, not long after I had gotten in, they shut the gates, leaving about 3000 fans, many of them holding a ticket for the game, locking them out. This included people who had traveled from Australia and Japan for said game. Needless to say, they were unhappy, and, according to reports, there was some roughness between some fans and the police. No explanation was given as to why they were not allowed in. The gates were just shut. At the end of the game? If you were still there when the award ceremony started, you were in until the gates reopened. I left before the final goal. But others were locked into the stadium at the end of the game to watch an awards ceremony and fireworks. Of course, people were told that gates would be closed until 15 minutes AFTER the end of the fireworks "for your safety". So, why did all of this take place? Well, Sepp Blatter and the Emir were in attendance for starters. It's clear that they wanted as many people in seats as possible before the game got under way to show that they could get the fans. Unfortunately, that meant that anyone deemed late was left outside. When has anyone in Qatar been on time for anything? Apparently, for this one event, everyone was supposed to be there and in their seats well before kick off. They closed the gate 45 minutes before the game started. What? Why?? That makes no sense. Then, the fans locked out are blamed by the organizers for not being on time? What? Huh?? It was the fans fault that you gave away the seats they paid for to other people for FREE in order to look good in front of the FIFA president, the Emir and TV cameras?? Yes, that, once again, is the way things are done here. Window dressing. They don't care about the fans. They care about looking good. They care about looking like they can host a World Cup while clearly showing that they can't. Why did I pay for a ticket I shouldn't have paid for? Why did people pay for tickets and hotels and then be shut out of the game? Then, THEN, to add insult to injury, they showed the number of fans in attendance on the big screen. It was something like 37,500 people. How did they come up with this number? Whose butt was this pulled out of?? No one was checking tickets. Everyone was just being shuffled in as fast as possible into seats. How they could have possibly got some exact count of the number of people were in the stadium is beyond me. And, another question comes up. Estimates were that 3000 people were locked out. The stadium holds about 40,000. That means 2,500 seats were empty. That isn't all that far off of the number of people stuck outside of the stadium. Does this make sense? Of course not! Why would it make sense? Overall, it was a disgusting display. What is going to happen when the World Cup comes?? I can't imagine 3000 England fans being told they can't attend a game when they have tickets in their hands, can you? This was a disgrace and Qatar and the organizers should be ashamed.

Here are some news stories on the whole affair for your reading enjoyment.

http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/football/2011/01/201112921940597529.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gvg0XsC-9XQLl7tY2f6OAd_JHcSw?docId=5798760

http://www.goal.com/en/news/3550/asian-cup/2011/01/30/2329566/asian-cup-2011-exclusive-fans-vent-anger-at-being-locked-out

Asian Cup Ridiculousness #1

I wrote this a while ago, but never posted it. Here it is, in all it's outdated glory:

 

The AFC Asian Cup is being hosted this year by Qatar. On July 14th, I took in a great game where Australia and South Korea played an intense match to a 1-1 tie. It was a joy to experience. It’s just too bad that all who wanted to attend were not allowed in. My friend and I took our two kids to see their first football game. We had no problem getting tickets. Then, five young Nepalese labourers attempted to get tickets. They were told that only “family and ladies” tickets were left. They asked me what to do. I didn’t have an answer. They looked confused. I figured that the stadium must be pretty packed if they were just down to one section reserved for families. When we entered the stadium, I saw the reality. It wasn’t packed at all. There were all kinds of empty seats. Then, it was announced that attendance was 15,000 people in a stadium with capacity for 25,000. My friend and I were in the “family” section, where there were several groups of Arab and Western men. Our supposed “family section” was not a family section at all.  It was a general seating area. So, why on earth would five workers be denied entry into a stadium with 10,000 empty seats? That is the way it is in malls, in parks and anywhere else that labourers are not wanted. These young men are the very ones who will be building the stadiums, the roads, the infrastructure needed to put on the World Cup when Qatar hosts it in 2022. But, how many of these workers be allowed into the stadiums? They work long hours in brutal conditions, live in squalid conditions and tend to earn very low wages. Often, their passports are taken away, and they are subject to a system that essentially makes them slaves to their employers. The very people who are building Qatar are outcasts and discriminated against.  And when they try to go to malls, parks and tourist areas they are turned away. Apparently, the same goes for some of these foreign workers who try to go to Asian Cup football matches. The Asian Federation Cup is proving to be a games where only select fans are permitted to attend, despite the fact organizers would like to have full stadiums. It makes no sense. What will happen when the World Cup arrives in 2022?

Educating the Masses: London Burns

It was a rough day in London yesterday. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know everything (or for that matter ANYTHING) about British politics. Most of my knowledge of UK politics comes from British comedians and The Bugle podcast (with one of my all time favourites, Andy Zaltzam. Check it out!).

So, this is what I gather. In the wake of a coalition government being elected (sorta) to run things, something went horribly wrong. Two completely opposing parties somehow shook hands and decided to work together. These are the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats. Okay. I'm writing this more to get things straightened out in my own mind as opposed to trying to give anyone else info. So, Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats ran on a platform of no new university fees (roughly. Please, someone correct me if I am wrong with any of this). So, this platform went down well with students, so, they voted for him. Then he became part of the grand coalition and changed his mind, thinking it wasn't such a good idea after all. Now, of course the world has been in a bit of a financial mess for the past few years and governments everywhere are trying to cut back on spending. This coalition that is running things in the UK is taking this idea to heart and going nuts with their cuts, by the looks of things.

So, yesterday, it was decided that tuition fees would rise from roughly 3000 of those pound things to somewhere around 9000 of those pound things. Now, that is one heck of a crazy increase if you ask me. Apparently this doesn't have to be paid right away. Very nice of them. This is paid back once the grad gets a job that pays enough to be able to get them deep into debt paying this cash back. At least this is what I'm garnering. Cuts to university budgets also seem to be going through which will cut the number of available seats in university classrooms by 6000. That's a whole lot of seats. Think of a game of musical chairs with 6000 seats? Less seats means less opportunity to get into a school that is getting increasingly harder to afford. This just doesn't sound very good all around for students.

And there have been protests. Oh have there been protests. Lots and lots and lots of protests by some very angry students. And rightfully so, although some of the violence that has gone along with it hasn't gone over well with the British public, understandably. Last night, when the vote went through to approve all of this stuff, things got pretty heated...literally. People lit fires. Well, mostly because they were cold. But, there were fires none the less. And vandalism. Even poor Charles and Camilla had their car dented up a bit. That wasn't overly cool. It was a nice car! Students battled with police, horses were involved and, according to angry callers in the BBC, Christmas shopping was interrupted in some places. Tragedy.

Why should these students be protesting? That's easy. Here is why, based on my knowledge as a Canadian. I am going to do a bit of assuming that there are some parallels between Britain and Canada. We are both pretty common, what with our...um...our....well, we have the same Queen. There.

My wife went through 8 years of university. Or more. I can't recall. I guess I could ask her. Anyway, we'll be paying off that education for the next 25 years (or less...or more. Again. I should ask her). Basically, a lot of money was spent and a lot of money is owed. Now, it's impossible to get a decent job WITHOUT a university education. Jobs that at one time only need secondary education now require college diplomas or university degrees. There are so many people looking for jobs, the competition is high, and without a good education, chances are pretty bleak. In addition, traditional jobs in manufacturing were shipped to countries where workers are paid far less meaning that there aren't jobs out there for those without an education, unless it is in the service industry. And what kind of future is that? If someone is living in London, Vancouver, Toronto or some other big city, how can they possibly do that on a McDonald's paycheque?? Then, add on to that, less and less companies are actually hiring people full time. They are preferring to go with contracts. That makes things pretty tough. Insecurity abounds. Education can relieve that. The more one can bring to a company, theoretically, the safer their job may be. Things have changed a lot even in the past 10 to 15 years. More and more, employers are doing what they can to circumnavigate involvement of unions and doing more and more to shed any responsibilities to their employees, and....um, I think I'm getting off on a tangent here.

Anyway, the point is that if fees go up and cuts are made to education, meaning fewer seats for students (at least those that can afford it) opportunities will dry up even faster. More unemployment or underemployment because people can't get access to education? I can see that happening, for sure. That doesn't seem like it would help the economy of a country that is looking to improve it's economy. In fact, that sounds like it would do the opposite! Why create a situation where it may be even harder for people to get decent jobs?? Education is an investment. The better educated a nation is, the better off that nation...well...is. Don't take away educational opportunities. That's like shooting yourself in the foot. Make sure people can get the education they need so that they can get to work and keep the economy going.

I'm sure I'm missing some points in here. There is plenty more to say. It seems like a very complicated and tough situation all around. I feel for the students. I support their protests. It would nice if stuff wasn't wrecked in the process, but that seems to be a small minority of people who are doing that stuff. So, keep up with it kids! Will it help. No, probably not. Sorry to end that on a negative note. Damn.  

The Double Edged Sword: 2022

Well, Qatar did it. Qatar put a bid in to FIFA to hold the 2022 World Cup, and today they were awarded the games over the US, Japan and, well, another loser who I can't remember.

I was fortunate enough to be down at the Corniche in Doha, the capital city where I am living, when the announcement was made. Well, I say fortunate, although at the time, I felt dumb. There were a few other location around the city that had giant screens for people to gather around to watch the awarding ceremony. I thought the Corniche was one of those places. I was wrong. There was no screen. So, I sat, in my car, looking out over the waters of the Persian Gulf and listened to Al Jazeera on the radio waiting for the announcement. There were very few people around. It was pretty quiet. I was going to miss all of the excitement it seemed. Not a great move. Then, two minutes after the head FIFA-er announced that Qatar had won, the Corniche suddenly filled up with cars and a whole lot of very, very excited Qataris. Boy, were they excited. Horns honking, flags waving, music playing, laughter and joy all around. I had never seen revelry in Qatar, let alone this amount. People were having a really great time. I mean, a REALLY great time, driving around, honking, waving, and being open, warm and friendly! It was impressive and fun and I'm glad I was there when it happened. I headed home as streams of people were heading in. I think the festivities will go on for an awful lot of fun.

HOWEVER, tomorrow will be a new day, and Qatar is going to face a lot of scrutiny and be in the center of a very powerful spotlight. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes down. Already twitter is alive with a whole lot of interesting comments. Let's take a look, shall we...

windoverwater

#Qatar will expect all women to have shoulders and neck covered, no #tanktops ladies, sorry.

azewde

#Qatar built its track & field team by naturalizing East African runners. Now they'll build their #2022 soccer team w/ West Africans #Quatar

@danlobb FIFA representatives will be very very very rich from announcing #Russia 2018 & #Qatar 2022 world cups.#howmuchdidyoupayRoman???

girlfriday19

Seriously tho, I understand ppl want to separate sports from politics, but end of the day, human rights issues are more impt. #Qatar #FIFA

vicki_dee

Alcohol Laws of #Qatar: Public drunkenness, openly displaying alcohol in public are forbidden. ...Ummm, that #worldcup is gonna suck.

windoverwater

#Qatar apparently has no tolerance for #homosexuals. Will be jailed on sight.

dawashington

Does @FIFAcom hate gay soccer fans? (goo.gl/wajtp) #worldcup2022 #qatar

SeeDice

#Qatar? Its as big as san francisco.

bisialimi

And #2022 goes to ....... #qatar, now #fifa is a Joke, big time ... Lol

_nctrnl

Boycott #FIFA World Cup in #Qatar 2022 Sign the Petition http://twt.gs/FHWIT #WorldCup2022 #WC2022 #FIFAFail #Fail #EpicFail

msalgado

Raise your hand if you think western women want to travel to a World Cup in Qatar! #nofuckingway #qatar #wtf

MegoSalbashian

The only way for Qatar to play in the world cup is to buy the whole bid in 2022. #Qatar #Worldcup2022

jabmakepeace

#QATAR #worldcupcorruption Interesting human trafficking report on QATAR - http://bit.ly/hp01l8

nwskyles

Fifa is crooked. #Qatar #WorldCup

GarethGeorge

The 2022 #worldcup will 100% not happen in #Qatar. Not a chance, zip, zero. New vote within 5 years.

TheLazySalesman

I'd love to see the #Qatar 'bid book', an index and 500 blank pages of Rymans finest Basildon Bond I reckon

markmravic

Fiver: "the preposterously wealthy human rights- and women-abusing crackling furnace that is #Qatar." http://bit.ly/ew81lg

peterkonnecke

@insidethegames something stinks with qatar team seen congratulating each other before vote announced #fifa #qatar @worldcup

martywyss

#Qatar does not meet humans rights standards of the UN and still has a form of slavery called sponsorship ... smart move #FIFA

ZacherMediaPR

Cowherd on #Qatar: "People from Qatar vacation in Phoenix in August to cool off."

And it goes on and on and on. And, it's only four hours after the announcement has been made. Qatar isn't a fan of negative comments as it is, so I think some of the stuff that will be talked about in the media and online is going to be pretty hard for some Qataris to swallow.

As you can see by a number of the comments, already questions about migrant workers and human rights are being brought up. What more will come? Qatar is a pretty small country and it has gone largely unnoticed by much of the world. Everything is about to change, and with that change is going to come some heavy criticism, I think it is fair to say. How will Qatar handle it?

Qatar did a good job with it's bid presentation. It has the 2022 World Cup. Now it has a lot of work to do. It will be an interesting 12 years.