Princess's blog

Love Crimes of Kabul

Princess — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:39:57 +0000

Of the 125 prisoners at Badam Bagh Women's Prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, approximately half are there for crimes like drug smuggling, murder and attempted suicide bombing. The others are imprisoned for "moral crimes" that include running away from home, adultery and premarital sex.

When you come this way

Princess — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:55:31 +0000

TS Eliot's Little Gidding

Kabul Bank Shooting in Jalalabad

Princess — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:55:07 +0000

This is one of the most shocking things I have ever seen. This is the video of the attacked to the Kabul Bank in Jalalabad a few days ago. The official count of the dead is 40, unofficially up to 75 people.

Aimee Mullins: My Super Powers

Princess — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:15:51 +0000

Athlete, actor and activist Aimee Mullins talks about her prosthetic legs -- she's got a dozen amazing pairs -- and the super-powers they grant her: speed, beauty, an extra 6 inches of height ... Quite simply, she redefines what the body can be. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.

Amiee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity

Princess — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:57:30 +0000

The thesaurus might equate “disabled” with synonyms like “useless” and “mutilated,” but groundbreaking runner, actor and activist Aimee Mullins is out to redefine the word. Speaking at TEDMED, she hows how adversity — in her case, being born without shinbones — actually opens the door for human potential. (Recorded at TEDMED, November 2009, in San Diego, CA. Duration: 21:58)

Our very own special version of Godwin's Law

Princess — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:22:50 +0000

Godwin's Law states that "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

Ofcourse this law applies to any online discussion including those on Iranian.com, but I should like to suggest an amendment for our very own favourite site:

We should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of Western values

Princess — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:50:09 +0000

The panel examine the controversial topic of the perceived culture divide between the West and 'the rest', debating whether or not the West is justified in asserting the superiority of its own values [watch video].

Kabul Diaries: at the ministry of interior

Princess — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:54:50 +0000

All foreigners who enter Afghanistan have to register with the Interior Ministry within 48 hours of their arrival, or so I was told. Because of the attacks to the UN-guesthouse on the second day of my arrival and the unpredictability of the security situation, I failed to meet the 48-hour deadline, but in the end it proved to be rather flexible.

Kabul Diaries: an honorary man

Princess — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:33:20 +0000

On the night of the delicious Indian feast, Ben showed up to dinner dressed up in an elegant shalwar kameez, a well-crafted waistcoat and a pakol. I had never been a fan of shalwar kameez, but this looked really good. I asked him where he had got it from, he replied, ‘I had it made. Do you want one? I am going the tailor's again in a few days to have another one made. Do you want to come along? You can pick a fabric there and they take your measurements in 5 minutes. We can go pick it up a few days later.’ I was too tempted to resist.

Kabul Diaries: lost in translation

Princess — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:10:53 +0000

Having the local artisans so close to where we worked was very convenient. It meant that we could draw up a detail of a door handle or latch, walk down the street to the blacksmith and ask them to make it for us. As most local artisans did not know how to read drawings, often our ideas had to be communicated to them verbally.Taking advantage of my ‘Farsi skills’, my colleagues often asked me to accompany them to various workshops.

Kabul Diaries: conversation with an ex-soldier

Princess — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:16:13 +0000

The drive back from the old city always took a lot longer in the evenings because of the traffic jam. The high number of vehicles, drivers who tried to turn two-lane streets into four lanes by sheer force and sharing the roads with hundreds of pedestrians, meant that a stretch which normally should have taken 20 minutes, took three times as long. On this particular evening, the worse than usual smog made breathing difficult and left a nasty taste of gas fumes in my mouth.

Kabul Diaries: Istalif Walk II

Princess — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:43:28 +0000

By the time we reached Rafi, the caretaker and his companion had taken off. There would be no food, we were told, but we were to follow them for some tea and snacks. We continued in the same direction they had left. After a few minutes, we saw a woman in a flowery chador with a man and a donkey coming towards us in the opposite direction. The woman was leading the donkey, but the moment she saw us, she let go of it and stepped to the side of the trail facing the dry stone wall with her back demonstratively turned towards us.

Kabul Diaries: Istalif Walk I

Princess — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:55:32 +0000

The next morning, a colleague, Sara, and I set out at 7.30 to go to Istalif, a village located about 18 miles northwest of Kabul and known for its handmade glazed potteries. She is a middle aged English woman who teaches at the institute and like myself is an avid walker and hiker. [photo essay]

Kabul Diaries: friday hamam

Princess — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:41 +0000

The whisky sours of the previous night, my jet-lag and probably the overexertion of my senses during the previous week in Afghanistan, made me sleep in well into Friday. Afghans have one-day weekends, but all international organisations take Fridays and Saturdays off.

I don’t remember when was the last time I slept until 11:30 AM. I woke up to a bright sunlight and a clear mountain view from the window. Slowly I made my way into the kitchen to have some tea before checking out the hamam.

Kabul Diaries: the bar

Princess — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:16:01 +0000

My alarm was set for 5:45 AM so that I would be ready for 6:45 when we all would be driven to work. I made my way to the kitchen at 6:15 to have breakfast. The big table was set with cereals, jam, honey,pomegranates, honeydew melons, bananas, apples, grapes, bread, milk and different kinds of juices. The cook had already finished his morning prayers and was preparing some pancakes for those who wanted some. For someone who normally has a cappuccino and an apple for breakfast, this was a big temptation.

Kabul Diaries: the lock down

Princess — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:37:27 +0000

The van pulled up in front of a big wooden gate set in a long mud wall. To one side a small metal door opened slowly as a guard stepped out with a rifle hanging from his shoulder carrying a long metal stick with a mirror attached to the end in one hand. He walked around the car examining the underside of the van presumably for car bombs. After he was satisfied he gave the clear sign to another guard who opened the gate for us to enter.

Kabul Diaries: first impressions

Princess — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:32:34 +0000

I arrived in Kabul at 7:10 am on Tuesday morning completely exhausted after a 38-hour journey, which involved three flights, 17 hours of layover in two airports, and a mere 5 hours of sleep in 48 hours. It was a Marco Polo-esque endeavor.

Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution

Princess — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:41:03 +0000

The watchwords of the French Revolution were liberty, equality and fraternity. Maximilien Robespierre believed in them passionately. He was an idealist and a lover of humanity. But during the 365 days that Robespierre sat on the Committee of Public Safety, the French Republic descended into a bloodbath.

Please watch what you sign.

Princess — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:36:30 +0000

Today I received another petition to the UN, and was just about to sign it, when I noticed the body of the text, namely:

A Letter

Princess — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:50:01 +0000

Dear Kath,

Can't let your 21st birthday go by without a wee bit of sentimental indulgence. You are now a freelance and your Dad has no control over you. Just think of that! Doesn't it make you shudder when you think of the past 21 years of servitude. Just for that I now shall order you around as successfully in the future as in the past.

First, don't take life or its happenings too seriously. Lift up the corners of that mouth that I gave you one moonlight night.