Bill Thompson: “Those who would like to control the free flow of information, whether they are organising invitation-only events or running the government in a closed society, need to realise the significance of this change. The blogosphere has shifted the boundary between private and public, and made it much, much easier for anyone who desires it to engage in the public sphere.”

Two of my little brothers are coming over to visit me here in Riyadh this weekend, and I don’t really know where to take them. I tried to find some info on the Riyadh City website, but it was useless. Any suggestions are appreciated: theme parks, malls, restaurants, etc. But please keep one thing on mind: I don’t want to take them somewhere that we can’t enter because it’s a “families’ day.” Thanks.

The results of the Rimyoleta and Dotsson 2006 Awards are out, and yours truly has (un)expectedly won in the two categories he was nominated for. And just because I was added to the nominees in the last minute, Talal thinks that I have been cheating to win. Well, I have nothing to say but: conspiracy theory, baby! Surprisingly, Farah, our former Queen, did not win any of the awards. To the winners: don’t take it too seriously. Let’s just have fun. To the losers: don’t take it personally. Everybody knows you are better than those who won!

I don’t know if this is going to be permanent or if it is just a temporary thing, but, suddenly, Arab News and Asharq Al-Awsat have decided to hide their content. They now provide only a small excerpt from every story, and then a form for subscribing in the printed edition. It is a step on the wrong direction. Me thinks.

Even though the Riyadh bloggers meetup did not turn out the way I wanted, but at least I did not end up sitting alone on that Thursday night. I had the pleasure to meet Talal Al-Bakr and K.M.B, both great guys, and we had a great time and good conversations. Apparently Herbaz was there too, but he did not recognize us. Anyways, I’m thinking about making this meetup a monthly occasion, but I’m still not sure if we should move the meetup day from the weekend to a weekday. What do you think?

Few months ago, Hassan posted this:

Most of Saudi bloggers, especially those who write in English, criticize their own people and government very harshly. There is no doubt some of their criticism is correct and realistic, and it plays a major role in the reforming our society. However, such criticism reaches the whole world, in the absence of what could give a good image about our country, because we don’t have any website to talk about the good aspects of the Kingdom. I get embarrassed when a foreigner asks me for info and photos on Saudi Arabia; where can I find anything good to give him? Do you support the idea of such a website? Or is it just that there is not anything good about our country?

There is, of course, some good things about our country. And when I find these good things, I write about them. The difference is: bad things get in people’s nerves. I know it is not easy for anyone to criticize one’s self, but in the end of the day, someone has to do it. How about you? What do you think?

It is interesting to see how the local press covered what happened in the Riyadh International Book Fair. I was really amazed by the way that Al-Riyadh newspaper, a sponsor of this event, dealt with the two panels I attended. Reporting on the first panel, they completely ignored the chaos at the end of it. However, they reported what happened on the second panel with more details, and described those who caused the chaos as “extremists.” Probably this has something to do with the fact that the moderator of the second panel is Turki Al-Saudairi, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

Now, some comments on my posts on the panels did not like how I saw what happened. I want to say that I’m not a reporter who is supposed to cover events and let people make their own opinion. What I use the word “extremist” to describe someone, that’s my opinion, and I’m not asking anyone to take my side. If you don’t agree with me, that’s totally ok, and you can have your say in the comments area.

Anyway, I leave you with some more links: Hussein Shubukshi said what happened at these panels is a “shame”. Al-Hayat newspaper, as well as the columnists Abdullah Al-Keaid and Turki Al-Dakheel, also described the people who ruined the event as “extremists.” And Finally, from the infamous Al-Sahat forums, here is the take of one of the sheikhs who talked in the panels, and also the view of another member of Al-Sahat.

* All links in this post are to Arabic pages. I apologize to those who can’t read Arabic.