Destination: Middle East
Abu Ghraib to Become a Museum
by Eva Holland | 09.08.08 | 10:13 AM ET
The infamous Iraqi prison, which was used as a torture site under Saddam Hussein’s rule before achieving notoriety in more recent years, is now destined to become a museum detailing the crimes committed during Hussein’s rule, the Iraqi government has announced. Interestingly, notes the CBC: “There’s no mention in the announcement whether the abuses by U.S. soldiers will be covered in the museum’s exhibitions.”
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzDuo in Dubai ‘Sex on Beach’ Case Asks Judge to Let Them Return to Britain
by Michael Yessis | 09.02.08 | 12:23 PM ET
The judge denied the request, setting another hearing for next week. Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors are on trial for, as we previously noted, allegedly having sex on the beach in Dubai. Palmer says she and Acors hugged and kissed, but didn’t have sex, according to the AP. Still, as Barbara Surk writes, “Public display of affection, such as touching, kissing or hugging, is illegal in Dubai and couples—particularly if not married—can be detained by police for indecency.”
Related on World Hum:
* Brits Go on Holiday, Europe Cowers in Fear
Dead Sea Scrolls Go Digital
by Eva Holland | 08.28.08 | 5:43 PM ET
A team of expert preservationists is hard at work in Jerusalem this week, aiming to make the Dead Sea Scrolls—all 15,000 fragments of them—available online as digital images. “The project began as a conservation necessity,” one interviewee told the New York Times. “We wanted to monitor the deterioration of the scrolls and realized we needed to take precise photographs to watch the process ... We realized then that we could make the entire set of pictures available online to everyone, meaning that anyone will be able to see the scrolls in the kind of detail that no one has until now.”
Israel’s (Underground) Pitch to Gay Travelers
by Julia Ross | 08.13.08 | 1:33 PM ET
Gay tourism to Israel has spiked in recent years, spurred in part by the country’s reputation for open-mindedness: gays can serve openly in the military and even register as married couples. While Israel welcomes expansion of its tourism market, the trend also presents tourism officials with a tricky balancing act.
Rocking Islam and the Middle East
by Ben Keene | 07.29.08 | 12:02 PM ET
/div>
In spite of my power pop predilections, I’m excited to get my hands on a copy of Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam, a new book by history professor Mark LeVine. The New York Times praised the book for offering “the hit-and-run pleasures of a lively road trip.” The book will eventually be complemented by a film, although few details are available online as of yet.
TIme for ‘Reading Tehran With Lolita’
by Jim Benning | 07.22.08 | 11:10 AM ET
Or something like that. World Hum contributor Jeff Biggers argues in The Huffington Post that “now is the time for universities, schools and literary organizations—and publishers—across the country to begin the process of breaking the ice in people-to-people diplomacy and cultural exchange” with Iran. American readers, he writes, should pick up some good Iranian literature this summer, starting with Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature.
Related on World Hum:
* Rick Steves on his Iran Trip
British Couple Arrested for Having Sex on Beach in Dubai
by Jim Benning | 07.10.08 | 11:42 AM ET
Contributor Elyse Franko recently wrote that Dubai is “the place where kids can be kids and dads can indulge their midlife crises.” But apparently it’s not the place where a couple of Brits can have sex on the beach and not get arrested.
Windsurfing in Jesus’s Footsteps
by Jim Benning | 06.27.08 | 12:22 PM ET
World Hum columnist Rolf Potts recalls shredding the Sea of Galilee. Also in Forbes.com’ special section on water, World Hum contributor Jason Anthony explores Antarctica’s ice, and Elisabeth Eaves argues that sharks have more to fear from people than people have to fear from sharks. “Forty-four separate species of sharks and skates—among sharks’ closest evolutionary relative—are either endangered or critically endangered,” she writes.
First Moving Skyscraper to be Built in Dubai
by Jim Benning | 06.25.08 | 1:55 PM ET
Eighty ever-shifting floors? Oh, Dubai, you just give and give and give.
Dubailand to Add Marvel Comics, Ferraris
by Elyse Franko | 06.24.08 | 3:50 PM ET
We’ve already noted plans for Dubailand, Dubai’s massive amusement park complex that’s been staked out by Universal Studios and Six Flags. According to the Wall Street Journal, recent deals will to the mix add a Marvel superhero-themed park and a Ferrari-themed park called (you guessed it) Ferrari-Land. Ah, Dubai: The place where kids can be kids and dads can indulge their midlife crises.
Related on World Hum:
*Theme Parks Bound for Mumbai and Dubai
Rick Steves on His Iran Trip
by Jim Benning | 06.19.08 | 1:00 PM ET
He’s back from his trip to shoot a show that will air in January—we noted it here—and he recently spoke about it on public radio’s The World. Interesting interview. Warning: This web page plays the audio automatically.
Related on World Hum:
* Q&A with Rick Steves: Reflections on Three Decades of World Travel
Top Five Forbidden Vacations for Americans
by Julia Ross | 06.18.08 | 10:07 AM ET
Fancy a retreat at North Korea’s Mount Kumgang Zen monastery? A leisurely tour of the ruins at Persepolis (pictured)? Dream on. Foreign Policy has a tongue-in-cheek look at five alluring destinations off-limits to Americans.
Wheeler: You Shouldn’t Always Mind Government Travel Advisories
by Elyse Franko | 06.17.08 | 4:47 PM ET
Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler says Iran, North Korea and other countries that appear on government travel advisories are worth the almost-guaranteed hassles. “There are plenty of reasons they’re worth the extra effort, and, furthermore, they’re generally far less risky than the rumors, horror stories, and ‘don’t go there’ warnings would have us believe,” he writes in GOOD Magazine’s travel issue.
‘High’ Risk of Terrorist Attack in UAE
by Jim Benning | 06.16.08 | 10:24 AM ET
The warning for the United Arab Emirates comes from the UK Foreign Office but included few details. BBC report here.
Brad Pitt to Help Design Eco-Friendly Dubai Hotel
by Jim Benning | 06.04.08 | 12:29 PM ET
Oh, Brad Pitt, is there nothing you can’t do?