Kurdistance: Quick Quips · Global Voices
Deborah Ann Dilley

I thought that we would begin today with a little story from Talk about the Passion:
Of course, it also can be quite an ordeal when you're trying to manage 30+ rambunctious 5th graders. The endeavor required our school's armed guards to escort us up the mountain (they must've figured the kids would eat us alive, so they came along as reinforcements). Our director lead the charge up the hill, and I covered the rear flank, making sure no one fell too far behind. For a minute or so, it actually did seem like a moment out of “Kindergarten Cop,” as Pat (a former Air Force captain) led the troops in a rousing “I don't know, but I've been told…” chant. The kids had to hear it a few times to know how to respond to the “Sound off!”
We got to the point where the gentle slope turns into a high-grade ascent up the hill, and stopped there. Some of the kids–having stuck to the trail pretty well on the way up–started to wander about in a patch of light green grass just off the beaten path. Suddenly, pandemonium seized the group as a few kids began to shout: “A bomb a bomb a bomb!!!” Kids began to run in all different directions, getting as far away from the patch of grass as they possible could.
Toasty also writes about his recent birthday celebrations and Iraqi Mountain Dew.
Kurdistan Blog Count has been working on updating links to more Kurdish blogs and information sites. Two new blogs noted this week: Michael Totten and Kurdistan News.
Michael Totten writes this week about Erbil, the Dream City of the Kurds, and about an article that he had written for another news outlet that he had wanted to title “The Utah of the Middle East” (which I find particularily funny as that is my present location and it is an interesting comparison to make), however the title was changed when it was taken to print.
Kurdistan News, written by an Iranian Kurd (it is nice to see more of these blogs coming out in English), was begun last month. Topics covered so far have included predictions of Iran's 2006 future and a report about the recent bombing at a the Sammara mosque in Iraq. However in the course of writing this particular post the site appears to be missing. This concerns me a little as the postings I mention here show on my RSS feed, but the site might have been taken down. I will try to investigate this further and give you an update next week.
From Holland to Kurdistan writes about Iranian aggression against Eastern Kurds this week, and well as an interesting piece about a Turkish club singer who recently traveled to Kurdistan to make a low-budget movie and her journey of discovery. He also included a post that included his impressions about his recent interview on Roj TV:
Azady.nl – I was surprised, that I was invited as a Dutchmen to the Kurdish tv-station Roj TV. After some interruptions I travelled to Belgium and I was given a warm welcome by Kurds from all parts of Kurdistan. After a tour into the studio's and a short view into the live show of the Kurdish singer Ferhat Tunc and some interesting conversations with Hesen Qazi, I was thinking in my bed at a hotel room how strange live can be. It all started with an assignment for school and now I am on Kurdish television.
The Is-Ought Problem writes about the Salman Rushdie of the Kurds, a female author named Mariwan Halabjayi, who group blog Roj Bash recently started a campaign in support for. Speaking of Roj Bash they have covered the following topics this week: the battle for control of oil in Kirkurk and the end of a free Kurdistan through the PKK.
Hiwa from Hiwa Hopes wrties about the Kurdistan Region Passport seal being ratified by the Iraqi government this week. He also includes a followup on Kurdish singer Darin and a new singer named Goran.
Rasti writes about reform of the Turkish Anti-Terror laws and about the recent meeting between the the prime minister of Turkey and HAMAS.
And lastly this week, Save Roj TV writes about further attempts by the Turkish government to shut their television station down and a letter of support from journalist Dr Kristiina Koivunen.