The Week That Was in Bahrain · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The week ended on a sad note in Bahrain, with a tragedy for hundreds of people who have lost dear and near ones when a dhow capsized off the shores of the Kingdom on Thursday.
Stravinsky was the first to report the incident, following a tip from a friend in New Jersey, US.
Thanks to the Internet, news travels fast nowadays, making the world a much smaller place. Silly Bahraini Girl in Canada says her excitement about her trip back home for a holiday has been eclipsed by the tragedy, which she described as yet another black day for Bahrain.
Tito Kayak, writing in Blame in on Bahrain, was also in for a shock when his doorman informed him about the tragedy, after spending a wonderful evening at La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Arts.
He sums up his thoughts here, reminding us once again how vulnerable and immune we have become overnight:
Then I came home and the night watchman asked me, “did you hear about the boat that sank?” Apparently some people did not enjoy their evening in Bahrain as I did. Really puts perspective on the world, to think that tragic things can happen only a mile or two away from other folks’ beautiful moments. I mean, I'm not just here to have a good time…but I can't blame myself for not helping, can I? Life can be pretty unforgiving sometimes, even in little Bahrain.
My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones on the ferry.
In culture and arts, Manama Republic laments the death of Arab books after visiting a book fair held in Bahrain. He takes us on a literal tour of the fair, dotting his post with an amazing insight to the fair, books and people looking for bargains.
“Another edition of the Arabic Book Fair has folded on yet another sad note of raised and failed expectations,” he writes.
“If the question was: what sort of intellectual output can we expect under conditions of economic/political/ theological failure, the answer can be easily detected at your nearest Arabic book fair. In some countries (Jordan has the only available data), people spend less on books than on kitchen matches,” he continues.
Ouch! That hurts..but so does reality which makes the heart bleed in Haitham Sabbah's report on the horrifying experiences of a Palestinian woman whose only wish in life is to go back home.
“I checked again in the Jordanian border, i took again my bags and i start to walk. I felt my bags lighters, not so heavy than before, the tears were still in my eyes, but my legs were stronger, i am stronger, they make me feel in that way, they don’t understand that every time that they refused a Palestinian at the border they recognize that the Palestinians are there, they must to use the guns to keep something that don’t belong to them, they are afraid to see us trough our eyes, that we are here, near, and always will be near, they know that Palestine Exist!” writes Samia Ali (pseudonym) about her experience.
In keeping with tradition, Mahmood Al Yousif doesn't fail us this week, bringing smiles to some faces and frowns on others following his comments on the Rain Prayer.
Chanad, on the other hand, posts something amusing this week – a story about firemen rescuing a cat which has climbed up a palm tree in Sanabis village!
In silly matters and while we are in the Animal Kingdom, who in his right mind would want to purchase Michael Jackson's  giraffes? Well, someone has to rescue them from their freaky existance in Bahrain Number One Guest's Neverland Ranch.
Last but not least, Desert Island Boy nearly got Gulf Daily News reporter Tariq Khonji killed in DC…from frost bite!!
So much for men not stooping as low and asking for directions!