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Su Feb 20 -

M.E. BLOG ROAMING -

# Mister Ghost now has posting privileges at Iraqi Bloggers Central. Gonzo Linguistics Prof Jeffrey from Queens, NY, was anticipating that he would get bogged down with professoring after the Iraqi Elections, so Mister Ghost, who used to write on the comments threads, is now going "mainline." And MG has turned out to be a real Live Wire. I mean, you won't doze off over there. He keeps things hopping. He has a bit of a Fleet Street touch with an air of anything-could-happen.

# The Arabist Network alerts us to a new weekly English-language publication called Cairo Magazine. Can they compete with Al-Ahram? Will they get censored by the Egyptian authorities? Cairo, of course, would make a good assignment for unemployed former Kremlinologists. Give it a try and drop in when you have a moment.

# Ponderous debate going on over at Mahmood's Den: what is the difference between bloggers who write their blogs in Arabic vs bloggers who write it in English?

# And last, but not least, As'ad AbuKhalil's Excruciatingly Acerbic Guide to Arabic-language TV, which is a very long rant. But he seems to cover just about every Talking Head, News Presenter, and Personality on the air in the M.E. and beyond. No? He must have really obsessed about this. You know, As'ad can be very funny sometimes, if you just factor in his self-professed multiple neuroses and do not mention the incendiary "J" or "Z" words. Oh, no no no. Step away from those taboo J and Z words or he gets like the Niagra Falls routine. Don't say you weren't warned.

# Wait wait. There's another item. A new-ish Syrian Blog I found via Chan'ad Bahraini with lotsa links on his sidebar to explore. It could open a window onto an entirely new world. It's called The Damascene Blog ... and it has some photos, too.

+ Now, this little package of links should certainly fend off any world-weary boredom that might come over you until tomorrow.

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