What is this?
This is a blog in which we all dialogue. Hence, Diablogue. Dia-Blog-ue. (Sexy, huh?)
What's soup got to do with blog on dialogue?
Hey that rhymes :) We like rhyming. Diablogue Soup comes from alphabet soup, because we think that dialoguing allows different people and opinions to all go into the same pot (this blog) and create a great, beneficial, tasty mix. Yeah, we can be deep. We also believe that dialogue is extremely important for cultural and global understanding. Chicken soup for our conflicted world. Soup is so much more than a starter.
So what do you do here?
Basically, this blog will consists of a series of conversations on any topic, in which anyone is welcome to participate.
Who are you?
We're Baby Kangaroo and Eureka. You can read all about us in the Diabloggers section of this blog.
How can I participate?
Feel free to comment on any and all our posts - everyone's thoughts are welcome.
Just a quick note on posting though: We frown upon censorship. Please don't force us to censor you by being personally nasty to other participants. Opinions and thoughts are great, malevolence isn't.
Thursday 24 April 2008
The DiaBloggers
Baby Kangaroo is the academic geeky romantic-comedy loving one. BK is vehemently pro-women's rights and is also big on human rights in general. BK loves to pretend to be intellectual and is a scruffy dresser, as all intellectuals must be. BK is the more profound thinker of the two diabloggers and is the one who brings wisdom to balance out Eureka's impulsive desire to argue until the other person gives up and lets her think she is right. BK does not back down. But does it so calmly and subtly that you wouldn't notice it your loss crept up on you and smacked you upside the head with a wok.
Eureka and BK have been friends for about three years. They began their friendship dialoguing, and will continue to dialogue until the day they die. Or stop being friends. Whichever comes first.
On Nazif, the 2nd rate, and Innovation
BK: Btw, did you hear about Nazif being interrupted at Cairo University while giving a lecture by a student? Google Nazif+Cairo University and I think you should get a blog posting from Arabawy. There's a video too.
E: Yeah I heard! And the student was only arrested for a half hour, wasn't tortured, and nothing happened to his family. Impressive.
BK: Well, he was apparently detained at Cairo Uni's security office for a couple of hours until a big group of students went and stood outside the security office until they let him out. Me and Princess yesterday were saying that the government's "control" on such things have recently become significantly cruder.
E: That's a different version to what I read. I'm inclined to believe you as that is more typical of gov behaviour. Sigh… what to do BK?
BK: Well I was thinking about it yesterday especially with regards to my work and I realized that the reason why people have been so keen on critiquing the government also has effect on the type of people the government attracts. Y'know the more and more people really stop working with the government the worse off they will be qualitatively and then maybe they'll have to listen to people or be more accountable just to ensure its survival.
I mean think about it. If I for example, an AUC graduate going to Columbia for an MA come back and I'm a prime candidate for a job with the government. Have good Arabic, excellent English, some French, graduated from Ivy League, creative, blab la bla and I refuse to take a job with them, they lose out. They lose out on the quality students who are my same protype because these youth have been brought up in an environment where they've chosen not to sympathize, take a chance on, or care about their government. The government really loses out as these youth start up their own NGOs, businesses, investment firms, etc and choose not to work directly with their government. Rather, most of them will want to work with more "independent" organizations and will creates dependencies on them, like the millions of NGOs that depend on Ford rather than the government.
You don't have to read all that. Just food for blog.
E: So in essence, if we ignore the gov and are self-sufficient, we'll be better off because the gov will have to give us incentives to listen to it?
BK: It's not that we're ignoring the government but it's more like when yorr day-to-day life is just punctuated by stories of the government's repression, their history of corruption, the circles of people that hover around them and how crude you are, you just don't want to work them. It doesn't strike you as the most rewarding option if you're a person who's excited to be creative and really grow somewhere by developing great proposals and have the space to really self-develop. That's why you have Nahdet al Mahrousa, that new Egyptian NGO that's everywhere in the media and going really strong. They've got good relations with the government and everything, but they don't work for them. They resort to other sorts of funding and support. These individuals are finding that the innovation and new ideas they're introducing into the political arena and development arena in Egypt would not have been possible if they were working for the Ministry of Social Solidarity or Ministry of Education or Ministry of youth, y'know.
If these top level people continue to follow in this direction (which I feel is happening), the government will only get the 2nd rate individuals. This, in my opinion, isn't sustainable, especially if the 1st rate people outshine their government internationally. J That hurts the government….bad.
Yeah?
E: Agreed. Although if it's the 2nd rate who are in power for a prolonged period, they'll suppress the first rate till they either snuff them out or force them to emigrate. So then there will be no 1st rate left.
BK: Isn't that kind of what's happening now? Although I think some of the 1st rate still benefit their country by shining abroad (Zewail is one of the many examples) and then some have been insisting now on returning to their home country and working from here, regardless of the consequences.
And that's my first blog posting. Although it's kind of political to start of with. What do u think?
E: Beautiful. Perfect start.
E: Yeah I heard! And the student was only arrested for a half hour, wasn't tortured, and nothing happened to his family. Impressive.
BK: Well, he was apparently detained at Cairo Uni's security office for a couple of hours until a big group of students went and stood outside the security office until they let him out. Me and Princess yesterday were saying that the government's "control" on such things have recently become significantly cruder.
E: That's a different version to what I read. I'm inclined to believe you as that is more typical of gov behaviour. Sigh… what to do BK?
BK: Well I was thinking about it yesterday especially with regards to my work and I realized that the reason why people have been so keen on critiquing the government also has effect on the type of people the government attracts. Y'know the more and more people really stop working with the government the worse off they will be qualitatively and then maybe they'll have to listen to people or be more accountable just to ensure its survival.
I mean think about it. If I for example, an AUC graduate going to Columbia for an MA come back and I'm a prime candidate for a job with the government. Have good Arabic, excellent English, some French, graduated from Ivy League, creative, blab la bla and I refuse to take a job with them, they lose out. They lose out on the quality students who are my same protype because these youth have been brought up in an environment where they've chosen not to sympathize, take a chance on, or care about their government. The government really loses out as these youth start up their own NGOs, businesses, investment firms, etc and choose not to work directly with their government. Rather, most of them will want to work with more "independent" organizations and will creates dependencies on them, like the millions of NGOs that depend on Ford rather than the government.
You don't have to read all that. Just food for blog.
E: So in essence, if we ignore the gov and are self-sufficient, we'll be better off because the gov will have to give us incentives to listen to it?
BK: It's not that we're ignoring the government but it's more like when yorr day-to-day life is just punctuated by stories of the government's repression, their history of corruption, the circles of people that hover around them and how crude you are, you just don't want to work them. It doesn't strike you as the most rewarding option if you're a person who's excited to be creative and really grow somewhere by developing great proposals and have the space to really self-develop. That's why you have Nahdet al Mahrousa, that new Egyptian NGO that's everywhere in the media and going really strong. They've got good relations with the government and everything, but they don't work for them. They resort to other sorts of funding and support. These individuals are finding that the innovation and new ideas they're introducing into the political arena and development arena in Egypt would not have been possible if they were working for the Ministry of Social Solidarity or Ministry of Education or Ministry of youth, y'know.
If these top level people continue to follow in this direction (which I feel is happening), the government will only get the 2nd rate individuals. This, in my opinion, isn't sustainable, especially if the 1st rate people outshine their government internationally. J That hurts the government….bad.
Yeah?
E: Agreed. Although if it's the 2nd rate who are in power for a prolonged period, they'll suppress the first rate till they either snuff them out or force them to emigrate. So then there will be no 1st rate left.
BK: Isn't that kind of what's happening now? Although I think some of the 1st rate still benefit their country by shining abroad (Zewail is one of the many examples) and then some have been insisting now on returning to their home country and working from here, regardless of the consequences.
And that's my first blog posting. Although it's kind of political to start of with. What do u think?
E: Beautiful. Perfect start.
How This Collaboration Started
Baby Kangaroo: Still not exactly clear on what the means bas di a3da ba2a mesh 3al email. So I'm thinking of starting a blog as well. But I don't want it to be public really. Does that mean that I should just write on my own and not open a blog. I mean I'd like only a few people to be able to read it or like get my permission before they read. Is that possible?
Eureka: Yeah there are privacy options. You could limit it to people who you give permission to read. Blogger has all these options explained really clearly. You should go for it.
BK: Sounds good
E: Can't wait for your blog!
BK: Yeah I'll keep you updated but like many blogs it'll be narcissistic, but I'd love to just get a little dialogue going on about certain things y'know.
E: Perfect, I love narcissism. Works well with my sarcasm.
BK: Mine too! Y'know we should publish these emails sometimes. Maybe we could collaborate on our blogs. I'll have another cast & crew probably but what the heck. I could be like that new grey's anatomy show where Addison is the star and you could be the Greys Anatomy.
E: Hahahaha sounds good to me. And we'll guest star regularly and everything. Two shows for the price of one!
BK: LOVE THAT. Seriously, I'll take this weekend to think about it a bit more and get back to you. And then we'll write shorter pieces for each others blogs to start up debate and get our friends involved in the blog more. And we'll be famous. And then Esquire will ask us to write articles together. And they'll give us the Sarcasmo-Narssicimo Annual Award of the year.
E: Haha I AM DOWN BROTHER. And you and I are funny together. We make fun of each other very well. And you can even defend my boobs.
BK: Done. And done. But be forewarned I'll be the academic geeky romantic-comedy loving one.
Eureka: Yeah there are privacy options. You could limit it to people who you give permission to read. Blogger has all these options explained really clearly. You should go for it.
BK: Sounds good
E: Can't wait for your blog!
BK: Yeah I'll keep you updated but like many blogs it'll be narcissistic, but I'd love to just get a little dialogue going on about certain things y'know.
E: Perfect, I love narcissism. Works well with my sarcasm.
BK: Mine too! Y'know we should publish these emails sometimes. Maybe we could collaborate on our blogs. I'll have another cast & crew probably but what the heck. I could be like that new grey's anatomy show where Addison is the star and you could be the Greys Anatomy.
E: Hahahaha sounds good to me. And we'll guest star regularly and everything. Two shows for the price of one!
BK: LOVE THAT. Seriously, I'll take this weekend to think about it a bit more and get back to you. And then we'll write shorter pieces for each others blogs to start up debate and get our friends involved in the blog more. And we'll be famous. And then Esquire will ask us to write articles together. And they'll give us the Sarcasmo-Narssicimo Annual Award of the year.
E: Haha I AM DOWN BROTHER. And you and I are funny together. We make fun of each other very well. And you can even defend my boobs.
BK: Done. And done. But be forewarned I'll be the academic geeky romantic-comedy loving one.
Disclaimer
This is a disclaimer. The mother of all disclaimers, really.
The views on this blog are our personal views. You can't sue us, you can't plagiarize us, and you certainly can't say we're wrong. Because we never are. That is the beauty of being BK and Eureka.
We love dialogue. Including the aggravation, the arguments and the reluctant agreeing-to-disagree endings. We can talk (and argue) about anything under the sun. So feel free to throw that at us.
Generally, you will find that Baby Kangaroo (BK) is the intellectual and civil one. Eureka tends to play devil's advocate to try and get BK riled. It's more fun that way.
We hope you enjoy this enough to participate.
But if you don't, we'll just keep on talking.
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