Bandar

Bandar. Suddenly, this truely Arab name should be dropped from conversations. It cannot be mentioned in print, newspapers, toilet papers and even on blogs. Especially on blogs. eMoodz caught them red-handed here. On cue, the GDN reported the fiasco:

A BAHRAINI blogger has accused the authorities of "spying" on his website for sensitive information.
Mohammed Al Maskati set up a statistics counter allowing him to track the activities of visitors to his site. He says he was shocked to see that someone from within the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) had logged into the site.
Mr Al Maskati says the "visitor" was logged on for more than eight minutes, during which time two attempts were made to find the word Bandar, using the search facility in the English version and another search in the Arabic version.
The 24-year-old believes the search was for any reference to deported Briton Dr Saleh Al Bandar, whose case is subject to a High Court gagging order on all media in Bahrain.
Mr Al Maskati says it is unlikely the action could have been done by an automated web crawler programme, because rather than searching for a specific word in a pool of links, it happened twice and was done in both languages.
An electronic trail shows the "visitor" had also been to the site run by Mahmoud Al Yousif, who is currently embroiled in a libel suit filed by a government minister.
"I heard that they were doing this but I kept thinking that it could not be true and they would have better things to do," he told the GDN.
"People should know that they are being monitored and watched and it is very probable that there is someone out there going through them on a daily basis."
The blogger, who works in the financial services industry and who has had his own website, http://emoodz.com/, for two years, said the situation had not put him off blogging, but admitted it will affect his future articles.
"It has encouraged me to continue blogging, but I will have to do a bit of self-monitoring," he said. "I always looked at my blog as nothing but a personal space to vent some anger and to blab on whatever I have in mind.
"I have been very critical about the way Bahrain has been going but after this I shall really watch what I say.
"I could have the whole site up and running anonymously but I chose to be open."
No one from the CIO was available for comment last night.

You would think people in my country would have better things to do? Think again.

Our God father (I hope no one misunderstands that and accuses me of Allah forbid blasphemy) also picked up on the topic, which I suppose is open for discussion since only we are technically still in a position to discuss it .. unless of course.. we are all .. nah.. I won't give them ideas..

Anyway, The Joker suggested the following:

I think I have an idea to take the steam out of this issue. All bloggers just upload entries with the word “Bandar” repeated 300 times.. like so
“Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar..”
everyday.. and twice on saturdays.
Good thing the papers are writing about bloggers.. in a couple of years you’ll be running away from paparazzi and yellow papers

Silly me reacted:

Joker. Yalla, let’s spam them!!! Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar Bandar

Sorry Mahmood.. I am just being silly!

Can someone please count how many times the buzzword Bandar is mentioned here as I am busy writing an article about censorship in my country right now.

Hey.. And I still don't know why this sudden sensitivity towards Bandar. emmm.. why? why? why? I shouldn't have dyed my hair blonde. I knew I shouldn't.