Comments on Nadya Khalife's Guardian article on sexual violence in the Emirates

Nadya Khalife wrote an article in the Guardian yesterday accusing the United Arab Emirates of condoning sexual violence. In this article, Khalife's reasoning and analysis of the situation is careless and betrayed a fundamental lack of understanding of the way the court applied Islamic law to approach the issue. Yet populist hysteria surrounding court judgements is nothing new. In the United Kingdom a wave of media sensationalism surrounded the court's decision in the Martin case, where a farmer had shot and killed one of two burglars and was given a prison sentence as a result. One may argue that rape and manslaughter are two different things, but the fact is that the reasoning adopted by Ms. Khalife is precisely the same as that adopted by media critics of the English case.

What the article attempts to do is inform the reader that the claimant in this case was imprisoned because she was raped. A closer examination of the article later shows us this is not true.

In the United Arab Emirates, a country that prides itself on modernity and its willingness to advance women's rights, the criminal court in Abu Dhabi has sentenced an 18-year-old Emirati woman to a year in prison for illicit sex after she reported that six men had gang-raped her.

What Khalife does not understand, and this is a legal distinction that must be made clear by anybody reporting on cases, is that the Emirates court firstly distinguished between her giving consent to sexual intercourse with one man, on a balance of probabilities, and her lack of consent to being raped by six men. Once it had done so it then proceeded to sentence the six men for rape, but also sentenced her and her male companion's breaking of the law. This is actually a sophisticated and well thought out judgement which demonstrates that in this instance the court was deliberating in a reasoned and logical manner, and subsequently applied a proportional and adequate sentence. This is not, as the implication is suggested in the Guardian article, some arbitrary and cruel punishment.

The second wing of Ms Khalife's criticisms of the judgement relates to the following issue:

A week later, during the second hearing, the woman retracted her statement, reportedly to avoid lashes and a jail sentence for extramarital sex. She said that she was beaten by her brother after he found out that she had been speaking to men, and that as a result, she decided to report that she had been raped.

The Emirates court repealed the original sentences to the six men and lessened their sentences, and applied a punishment only to the woman and to her 19-year old male friend. Apparently Ms Khalife took exception to the fact that the court assumed the woman might have fabricated the earlier story. But this again betrays a poor understanding of legal issues on the part of the author of this article.

What the woman did, thinking she will avoid the sentencing for her own conduct which was not related to the rape, was to claim that she lied to the court about the rape when in fact, according to the woman, it was her brother who had beaten her. The woman is therefore either lying the first time, or she is lying in the second statement, and her credibility is compromised. There is no reasoned legal system in the civilized world that would not take a dim view of what this woman did. Lying in court is by itself a very, very serious offence - regardless of the motive. In this case the Emirates court took the only appropriate action, which was to lessen the severity of the charges against the defendant's and to uphold the original sentence on the woman and her male companion as this was unrelated to the separate charges of rape that she had raised. Again, this is reasoned and the product of deliberation, not at all arbitrary, and the proof lies in the court's judgement.

The final point made by Ms Khalife is that she is asking that the Islamic legal system should not make sexual relations outside of marriage illegal. This is a point which must be discussed on its own and beyond this simple blog post. If her article was to emphasise and strengthen her position on this particular point, it is a poor argument. If, on the other hand, she wishes to challenge the legitimacy of an interpretation of Islamic law on this matter, there were far better ways of doing so, and far better arguments to be made. But it seems a third explanation is also possible, and this is to delegitimise Islamic law as something backwards, arbitrary and no longer suitable for our present day and age. If that is the case, then as we have seen so far, the reasoning of the court and the way they have handled this case demonstrates the exact opposite.

.

فكروني

The words for this song are amazing...

.

A word on culture vultures...

Last night I enjoyed a wonderful evening of poetry and oud playing where we looked at the works of two famous men, Omar al Khayyam and Abu Feras al Hamadani. Firstly I have to say that our discussion of Khayyam reinforced my earlier views of the poet but they also helped me glean a new found appreciation to the subtle meanings he was trying to convey. It was also wonderful to hear the poem sung, as Umm Kalthoum did, along with some brilliant oud playing.

Unfortunately evenings of culture such as this tend to attract the most idiotic of culture vultures and yesterday was no exception. Two Syrian girls had attended and as soon as they opened their mouths to speak I knew I didn't like them. The first was the kind of Syrian that insists on throwing in English phrases and words, with horribly contorted attempts at an Americanised accent, in her regular conversation. She then had the temerity to, in incredibly bad Arabic, explain the reasons for the decline in the appreciation of classical Arabic. She actually used the word 'coz, in the middle of her contribution to this discussion. This woman grew up in Syria and she's only lived in America for a few years whilst doing her degree...for Pete's sake.

The second one was by far the more dangerous kind of ignorant person. A pretty girl with a good figure, she was wearing a thin clinging dress which tended to expose a certain amount of cleavage when she leaned over the table to get biscuits, and I know for a fact that she was either wearing a thong, or no underwear, judging by the way the dress clung to her as she walked. The problem was that she kept pretending like she knew what she was talking about, or about how level headed she was, when she was anything but knowledgeable or cultured.

All this became apparent to me later when she went on a diatribe of how "our" Arab culture is today opposed to thought and philosophy. And of course she went on that favourite diatribe that people like her like to go on, the "establishment" that is frightening everyone with fire and brimstone. Yet she liked the fluffy sufism implied in the Rubaiyat even after, in the same breath, commending it on its materialism?!?! Really? She also made a point of closing her eyes with her hand clasping her head as the music played, as if she was entering a trance like state or deep concentration at the "profoundness" and "rich" cultural meaning of what she was listening to. What an idiot.

As everybody in the group introduced themselves, the two girls gleefully announced they were Syrian, what they were studying and so on. Tired yet cheerful at finishing my exams, and recognising the two rebels without a clue, I told the whole group that I was Syrian...but that I've been taking my pills and the doctor says I might get better soon. You could have heard a pin drop and I knew then and there that I was already on "clueless girl with shapely buttocks and no pants' " blacklist. Silly, silly girls.

.

The end...and new beginnings?

Nine gruelling months are now over. I return to the land of the living after having completed a law conversion course from hell. In more ways than one, a dark and long tunnel is now behind me. Life beckons again...

.

يا ظالمني - ام كلثوم

Oh the injustice...

.

Strategic Map of the Middle East and North Africa - 2010

In 2007 I had a post concerning the strategic makeup of the Arab world and the Middle East. Click here to see the map with the dots. At the time there were some interesting observations, countries with blue were firmly within the American/European/Israeli orbit, countries with the red dots were in the Eastern/Islamic/Pan Arab orbit. Some countries had both dots, like Iraq, and it was clear that there was a conflict in those countries. Fast forward three years and we find some surprising changes to the strategic makeup.

We start from the lands of the Maghreb, where we find that Mauritania's position regarding Israeli occupation has led to extremely loud and principled positions. This has been more than just popular protesting and has creeped into officially firm stances in some instances. This gives Mauritania a red dot whereas in 2007 it had a blue one.

Algeria's firm stance supporting the Palestinians, the presence of Algerian MP's on the "Freedom Flotilla" and Algeria's increasing involvement and voice in Arab and Islamic issues following a long period of isolation and civil strife marks its gradual return to the Arab/Islamic orbit. Algeria is a firm red dot where in 2007 it had a blue dot.

Egypt and Sudan are both countries on the verge of major changes. Sudan is earmarked for dissection by the Western powers through its oil rich south. This is the result of a steady and unending campaign that began with the sham "Darfur" circus ignited shortly after 2003 to deflect attention from the American occupation of Iraq.

Egypt is awaiting the imminent death or abdication of President Husni Mubarak, it is unknown who will take power after him, but Egypt's position is near exploding point and therefore it is far from certain that Egyptian officaldom will remain firmly in the Western orbit. Therefore Maysaloon gives Egypt both red and blue dots.

Israel is, of course, a blue dot, but the rise in Hamas' importance means that a red dot has emerged where in 2007 the area was firmly covered in blue dots.

In Eritrea, the presence of both Israeli and Iranian or Hezbullah operatives in the region make it a disputed hotzone, it could go either way and is currently an intelligence playground.

Somalia is now firmly a red dot, the rise of piracy, withdrawal of the Ethiopian army and renewed strength of Islamic groups has given the country a red dot. In 2007 it had a blue one.

Yemen too, the uprising of the Houthis (backed by Iran) gave the Saudi and Yemeni government much to worry about. Increasing Iranian naval influence off the Yemeni coast and the increasing strength of Islamic groups there all give Yemen a firm red dot.

In Qatar there are two dots, red and blue. Qatar is playing a key role between the two sides and is a key partner of Iran, Syria and, now Turkey.

Lebanon is now firmly a red dot.

Turkey is the surprise change of 2010, from a firm blue dot in 2007. Erdogan's government has made increased moves eastwards and appears to have made a strategic choice to strengthen ties in the long term with her Eastern and southern neighbours. The future is still uncertain, but for 2010, the red dot is now, surprisingly, strong in Turkey.

In 2007, there were two dots, one red and one blue to highlight the resistance movements in Iraq to the American occupation. The American conceding of Iraq to Iran, whilst a blow to Arab and Sunni nationalists, marks Iraq as firmly within the red orbit in spite of the existence, for now, of American troops in the country. This is unlikely to last much longer as the United States prepares to leave by setting up a miniature army to protect its embassy and interests there, but with the expectation by Maysaloon that American military presence will be scaled back quietly over the next five years.

Additions to the map are Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan is now firmly with a red dot, the Taliban are poised to overrun the country as soon as the Americans, who are unable to control the countryside, leave. Rumours are that President Hamid Karzai might be negotiating with the Taliban.

Pakistan is in dispute, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto put any hopes of a firm blue dot in Pakistan in severe doubt. Pakistan has many problems but because the West has been unable to consolidate a firm grip on the country through a strong central government, something lacking at the moment, Pakistan today deserves both a red and a blue dot. The firm post 9-11 alliance with America is on extremely shaky grounds, whatever remnant of it still exists.

.

Rachid Taha - Barra Barra

My exploration of music from outside the Levant and into North Africa continues. Here's another bizarre song I found for Rachid Taha. It's not much by way of lyrics but the atmosphere is tense and brooding and you're gradually drawn into it as the song progresses. I'm also not a fan of fusing Easter and Western music as usually the result is about as appealing as steaming dog manure, but the mix here is just about right. Interesting song and an interesting idea behind it...but I'd like to see where this kind of music goes because it still isn't entirely coherent.

One thing I always found interesting about Algerians, Morrocans and Tunisians that I meet is that they really do listen to Um Kalthoum and Abdel Wahhab, whereas many Syrians or Lebanese I meet, apart from the obligatory head nodding and commenting about the 'genius' of these singers and that "they don't make them like they used to", would not stand listening to either of them for more than five minutes.

.

As I was going for my daily jog today I noticed something in the mirror which made me pause for a moment. Grey hairs, lots of them. This is the first time I'd noticed how different I looked, how time has passed so quickly. Sometimes it feels like there was a net that swept away everybody I knew, but it missed me. Why?

.

Some words about the Lebanese...

"Mrs Makhoul is just one of several Lebanese teachers and parents who are concerned that increasing numbers of young people can no longer speak Arabic well, despite being born and raised in the Middle Eastern country."

I don't know about the rest of Lebanon, but certainly people I've met who come from Beirut are not only dismally ignorant of the Arabic language, their behaviour and mannerisms are completely European and totally internalised. Even Malcolm X had dismal things to say about the level of mental colonialism that they suffer from there, especially their women.

I also notice that class does divide Lebanese (regardless of political orientation) who go abroad. Poorer Lebanese (children of immigrants) from Beirut are into "R'n'B" and "Hip-Hop", Western musical styles originating from deprived urban youth groups, and the richer Lebanese who study at fancy universities abroad have a lot of what people in the United States call "WASP" characteristics. WASP means White-AngloSaxon-Protestant. When I see them I see that they dress the same way as WASP young dress, listen to the same music, and go drinking in the same grotty East end dives that they do - to get an "authentic" feel. When you talk to members of both of these groups, they talk the same way, view the world in a very similar way, and completely internalise the group logic that they have affiliated themselves with.

This may all be quite normal I guess, but it also probably says a lot about where they come from. It goes without saying that their level of Arabic is dismal, many of the ones I've met who come from a Muslim background don't even know the basics of Wudu, let alone what Islam is. Those that come from a Christian background tend to share the same nihilistic and disillusioned perspective with "religion" that their Western counterparts claim to have as well, but don't really know or understand why. All very amusing and quite sad really.

The other day someone I know sent me a clip that "Playboy" an American, now international, magazine which is famous for publishing pictures of naked women in suggestive poses, along with news and current interest articles, had a lingerie fashion show in Beirut. The Lebanese woman who had organised it was trying to portray in a television interview that she was challenging a stifling conservatism that "yet again" was in outrage....she's made herself out to be a total martyr, and for what! I have no sympathy towards her whatsoever and in fact I support ostracising people like her.

I don't think it's wrong to be fluent in another language, but if you don't know who you are, have no principles, and don't even try finding out, then something isn't quite right with you. In fact the only balanced and Arabic-speaking Lebanese I've ever met tended to come from the South of Lebanon and are mostly Shia. It is not surprising that the other Lebanese I've described above can absolutely despise these southerners and view them almost as if they are aliens. I think if they want to see aliens they should just look in the mirror.

صدق من قال

نسائهم لعب رجالهم مع من غلب تجمعهم الطبله وتفرقهم العصا

.

سهران لوحدي ام كلثوم

Sigh...

.

In sooth I know not why I am so sad:
It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

.

I've been following events in Kyrgyztan with some interest. Apparently the Russians have no intention to provide assistance even after a call by the Kyrgyztan interim President. My, my. Well if she wants Russian help then there is the little matter of the US bases in her country. Perhaps it is time for her to reconsider whether the American rent payments are worth it...

.

The Syrian dining craze that's sweeping London

Maybe not, but Abu Zaad now have their own website with its own Oriental dingle dangle music on the homepage. Awesome. I have to say they have great food and a nice atmosphere. They're also cheap - which is why I always take my dates over there for dinner.

.

"Russia has said its long-standing contract to supply surface-to-air missiles to Iran will not be affected by new UN sanctions."

You can find more information on the S-300 system here. Syria might have a version of this system in place, or it might not...Hezbullah might have this, or they might not...

.

Cheb Khaled - Wahrane Wahrane

Tired of al ghurbah. Listening to a great song by Cheb Khaled...the words for this song are actually really nice. Enjoy.

.

To be human...

At the risk of being a bit forward in discussing issues to do with closeness to Allah (perhaps even completely wrong), I thought I'd jot down some thoughts I have about a hadith by the Prophet which I have mentioned before. Muhammad once said that his three favourite things in this world are women, perfume and prayer. Ibn Arabi had some interesting things to say about this hadith, which I'd also noted down previously, but this evening I found myself thinking about stories I had heard of Sufi guilds in the Middle East. Apparently they only admitted a person once they had fallen in love at least once in their lives. It was important that they tasted that ecstacy and longing. Only then would they be admitted...

Perhaps only then can a human being truly understand the Prophet's saying. How else could we possibly understand otherwise?

.

An analysis - Iran sanctions

The United Nations Security Council have voted in favour of a fresh round of economic sanctions against Iran, the BBC reports. This set of sanctions have been watered down considerably and interestingly aim at stopping the delivery of weapons such as helicopters and missiles from being delivered to Iran. This is curious as Iran actually builds its own missiles, though perhaps the sanctions also cover components that are vital for manufacturing them.

Furthermore, Turkey and Brazil are not happy with these sanctions, earlier Robert Gates expressed "concern" about the collapse of relations between Turkey and Israel. China and Russia helped to water down the sanctions considerably whilst Lebanon abstained from the vote, naturally. Will this affect Iran? Unlikely, the report quotes Ahmedi Nejad as saying that the sanctions were like a dirty handkerchief that needs to be thrown away.

This is just another sign of the tightening grip that the United States has been trying to impose on the Islamic Republic. Only recently Obama approved the increase of the reserve stock of weapons that the Israeli state can rely upon when it wages one of its wars. From around $800 million, this is now around $1.1 billion or so, an increase of about 50%. Israel has also asked for more JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) modules which are apparently very useful for transforming cheaper, "dumb" bombs into precision guided bombs. Israel dropped many bombs,with devastating effect, in Lebanon (2006) and Gaza, more recently, using this technology.

It's also noteworthy that Israel just finished the fourth major nationwide exercise only very recently and Hassan Nasrallah made his clearest warning yet on the 25th of May 2010 that Israeli shipping will be a target throughout the Mediterranean as well as the Red Sea if a naval blockade of Lebanon is put in place in the next war the Israelis wage against that small country. These are powerful words and although the world media have generally ignored this warning, I'm sure that the people who need to know about this in Washington and Tel Aviv have taken note.

Will there be a war this summer? I think the decision for war has always been with the Americans and Israelis. We probably won't see any steps towards it by Iran or Hezbullah as that would give the pretext to their enemies to begin massive attacks and might affect public opinion. Then again, the Israelis do not want a war before they are absolutely ready. If they fight this time they have to fight to win. I think Damascus and many cities in Syria will also be bombed if there is a war this time. The chances of this happening are not certain but it is more than likely.

The role of Syria in arming and assisting Hezbullah has not gone unnoticed. I doubt the Syrian front will hold up as strongly as the Lebanese south though, and this might be something Hezbullah will have to factor in. In 1967, the Israeli army attacked and conquered the Golan Heights precisely by going around them via weaker (at the time) Lebanon and then attacking the positions from the rear. This time a similar plan might be a wiser move for the Israelis regarding the south of Lebanon. However, if Syria has a surprise for the Israeli air force, like it did in the opening days of 1973, then the Syrian Republican Guard might just about be able to face off the Israeli army using the same tactics Hezbullah did. In 2006 tank hunter teams with missiles inflicted a heavy toll on Israel's Merkava tanks and the Israeli airforce was unable to dent Hezbullah's heavily dug in defences and tunnels. It would be stupid if the entire front Syria has with Lebanon right up until Damascus isn't already a patchwork ant's nest of tunnels, defence positions and ambush holes. Still, Syria has excellent planners who are qualified in spite of their lack of resources, and they are very good at keeping secrets, so one can only hope they have enough tricks up their sleeves.

One thing that might be possible, and unlikely, is that Israel might attack Syria via Jordan. The Jordanian government, along with that of Egypt, are now firmly allied with the Israelis and a discreet approval for the Israelis to do so, it would be hard to see what Jordan can do if it rejected this, would allow Merkava tanks to cross into the entire south of Syria, push through past Damascus and straight into Lebanon, but that is ambitious and stretches Israel's supply lines. What they might do is use it to overcome Syria's defences and then clear a path straight into the East of Lebanon, but they might as well send a postcard to Hezbullah telling them that this is what they intend doing. Also there are very difficult mountains to cross between Syria and Lebanon, meaning that this wouldn't be a wise move for the Israelis.

Invading Lebanon from the sea is not an option either following Hezbullah's clear message that they have the ability to hit any navy ships blockading the Lebanese coast. Iran most certainly has what NATO calls the Sunburn surface to sea missile. This missile puts the entire sea between Lebanon and Cyprus within range of Hezbullah's defences, if they have that missile, as it has a range of about 110km.

Whenever the next war the Israelis and Americans want to wage actually begins, what is certain is that this will be a very, very different type of war to anything the region has seen since the fall of the Ottoman empire. Ad nauseum, I repeat again my firm belief that it is not if, but when, a new war begins in the Middle East. Any "reality" of peace agreements simply cannot be imposed on the Arabs as long as Hezbullah and Iran are major players in the region. This is not something obvious to many people, but Israel's existence as an entirely Jewish state centered on the Zionist ethos is depends on Israel being able to destroy Hezbullah and Iran. If they don't, then they really will have to follow Helen Thomas' advice to pack their bags and move back to Poland, Germany or America.

.

Shahram Amiri - شهرام أميري

Recently I blogged about the tit-for-tat kidnappings between Iran and the United States. One person I mentioned in particular was that of the Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri and that he might be part of a prisoner exchange for the three American's captured when they strayed over the Iranian border. In a video released by Iranian TV, footage shows Mr Amiri saying he is being held against his will in Arizona, this release was followed quickly by another clip, on Youtube this time, and anonymously posted, which shows Mr Amiri saying he defected of his own free will.
The BBC seems to cast doubt on the validity of the grainy footage where Amiri claims he is being held against his will in Arizona. They do, however, recognise that his clearer video released on Youtube appears to be scripted and from a poorly written script at that.

I remember when US pilots who were shot down over Baghdad in 1990 they would be "interviewed" on TV and asked how they were being treated. One of them in a later interview, after he had been released, said that he kept giving signals that this was not normal by looking down or sideways, as if he was being forced to say this. Well Amiri appears to be using the same technique in the clearer Youtube video, the one where he claims to have "defected" of his own free will. Which one is telling the truth is unclear, but the burden of proof is still on the United States to provide compelling evidence that what they say is true, and that they haven't just kidnapped him as they might have done to Colonel Shirazi in Istanbul.

.

Cheb Khaled - Kutche

Another late night, this time chilling to Cheb Khaled...thinking of mint tea, good food and people long gone.

.

The Economist had a predictable angle for the "Leaders" section in this week's edition. In essence what the article boils down to is that the actions of last Monday are bad only because it is harming Israel's "soul". They remind us readers, in case we forget, that Israel is "a regional hub of science, business and culture"....wa ma adraka ma regional hub...

.

"Turkey is no longer the sick man of Europe, it is the strong man of the Middle East"

Very interesting. Turkey is covering its bases with the Kurds in Iraq. al Barazani is in Turkey to reiterate the "brotherliness" of the Iraqi (Kurdish) and Turkish people. The timing for this means only one thing. The Israelis have often used the Kurds to put pressure, either on Saddam's Iraq or on Iran. That's nothing new, the Syrians used to do the same until they kicked out Abdullah Ocalan. What can the Turk's offer the Kurds of Northern Iraq? "In" on the new Turkish-Iranian-Syrian trade and co-operation network that is informally being established. If the Kurd's are given the opportunity to make money and prosper (they can't survive as a nation if any or all the neighbouring countries won't allow it) then they'll stop firing rockets at Turkish bases, as happened a few days ago. This means a backdoor for the Americans and the Israelis may be temporarily shut.

The shifting of Turkey eastwards has been happening for sometime but the real test will be to see whether it survives Erdogan's government, or the President of Mr Abdullah Gul. If it does, this will be a worrying setback for America and Israel. But that is doubtful, Erdogan needs more time to cement this promising development and strengthen his ties with Iran and Syria, if he is removed too soon then this could jeopardise the Turkish project. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if somebody tries to assassinate him in the near future, perhaps on a trumped up motive that he is "infringing" Kemalist secularism in the Republic (which he is, but extremely cautiously and slowly). Maybe when this whole flotilla business dies down, two years or three perhaps. But in the meantime Iran and Hezbullah are getting stronger and Syria's position is also becoming cemented as the country you can talk with in the region. This in particular was a project that had been succesfully started by the elder president Assad and patiently nurtured.

In fact it is Hafez al Assad's excellent decision to side with Iran in the Iran-Iraq war, and subsequently to incubate a young Hezbullah in Lebanon, which gave Syria the strategic vision it enjoys today. The post-Hariri fiasco, the 2006 Lebanon war and the successful pressure maintained on the Americans in Iraq following their occupation have all shown that the current president of Syria has made excellent use of this strategic advantage and built on it.

I think the strengthening of ties with an increasingly Muslim Turkey puts another foundation stone in a new strategic vision for the region. This will include Iraq (and the Kurds) when the time is right - I suspect. But all now depends on giving Turkey time to rejoin its Muslim and Eastern neighbours and to regain its historically important position in the region. Today it is Europe which is sick and Turkey is no longer the sick man of Europe, it is the strong man of the Middle East.

.

The flotilla incident has boosted Sheikh Raid Salah's profile considerably. Last night al Jazeera had a documentary about him and interviews with his family. They all seemed wonderful, but it is not surprising to hear now that Israel might have been targeting him in the confusion. Men like him quickly become targets because they are effective and charismatic. I haven't read anything by him so I don't know how sophisticated his thought is, but he seems a genuine and honest man.

.

Very interesting programme on al Jazeera about the burning down of the original Aqsa mosque after the occupation of Jerusalem by the Israelis in 1967.

.

La Rage - Keny Arkana - (English subtitles)

I normally don't like "hip-hop", "rap" or "R'n'B" but I think this song kind of captures the atmosphere around the world right now.

.