Ramadan Kareem!

Pampas Grass, Two Rabits and a Full Moon by Hiroshige (ca, 1859-61)

May this time of sacrifice and prayer bring us all closer to where God wants us to be.

Political Pandering: Thank you John McCain!

Sarah WHO?

It’s clear that McCain thinks all women will run out and vote for him now, regardless of the fact that Palin is inexperienced, virulently anti-choice (even in cases of rape and severe threat to the mother’s health), pro-creationism in education and a supporter of the NRA. It has now been revealed that McCain has only met her once, so it’s pretty clear that Palin is being used as a bailing bucket for a man who thinks he is sinking out of reach of the Oval Office.

To be honest I have been a little worried about the polls indicating that Obama and McCain were running fairly close in the polls. Then I saw that some democrats were disappointed with the choice of Joe Biden (although I think Biden is a good man and good choice for his experience) for VP. But I’m feeling better now

Tragic End To The Start Of Something Exciting

This hit me hard, perhap because I teach students that are just beginning to realize their potential and dreams. But also, there is an innocence here in Qatar among the youth that probably comes from the feeling of personal safety here and Qatar and the insulated world the young people in the Gulf are used to.

Excerpted from the TimesonlineUK:

The father of an international language student murdered in Hastings today spoke of his “loving and innocent” son and demanded swift justice. Muhammad al-Majed, 16, was punched to the ground by a gang on Friday night as he socialised with friends from his international language school in the East Sussex seaside town. He died in hospital on Sunday.

Abdullah, his father, made an emotional statement after flying to the UK from Qatar to receive his son’s body. “Muhammed was a young student who was loved by his family, friends and teachers. He was a charming, loving boy and there is nothing that can replace our loss. Justice has to be done in all this investigation. All of those involved in committing this crime should be punished for this crime on a young, innocent 16-year-old boy.”

Mr al-Majed was today due to accompany his son on a flight back to the Middle East. The body of the child will be buried close to the family home….

To Allah we belong, and to Him we return. May He have mercy on Muhammed and comfort his family. Ameen.

Making Friends Through Blogging

Guess who I met?

Living Life And Loving It!!!! (Lolly, as I call her)

I had the pleasure of sharing lunch with her and her amazing three children. They are more precious than their photos — each with their own wonderful and unique personalities. I look forward to getting to know them better, insha’Allah.

Welcome to Doha J!

Protected: Your Daughter; Your Property

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Protected: I’m Gonna Bleach That Man Right Outta My Life*

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Mental Illness And Remix Wizards

I have to say I really am amazed sometimes with what computer geeks do with remixing. Have you seen the video of Nafiza Ziyad’s meltdown on the MARTA train earlier this year? Ziyad is bi-polar and doesn’t like to take her meds according to her sister. The result was captured on a cell-phone video and posted in youtube (note the subtitles are hysterical):

It would be a sad and disturbing story but what has brought out some humor is that folks are remixing the video. This is just one of a number of them:

Her family is giving her good support and her brother has posted his own video on youtube to educate people:

And a reminder to anyone who suffers from a mental illness or has a family member who does: make sure you/they get psychiatric help and don’t stop the meds without your/their doctor’s guidnace, or you might wind up on youtube.

Shock Art Reaches A New “High”

Or “Low” — depending on how you look at it (excerpted from Artinfo):

Complex Shit by Paul McCarthy (2008)

BERN, Switzerland—Paul McCarthy’s Complex Shit, a giant inflatable dog turd, escaped from its moorings at the Zentrum Paul Klee last week and brought down a power line and broke a window before landing on the grounds of a children’s home 200 meters away, the Guardian reports. Although the unintended flight happened on July 31, details emerged only yesterday.

The McCarthy piece, which is reportedly the size of a house, is part of the exhibition “East of Eden: A Garden Show,” which runs through October 26. According to Juri Steiner, the director of the Klee center, the museum was not yet sure if the work would go back on display.

You can find info about the exhibition here.

Protected: AWRLBTWWII: Disgusting Old Coot Alert

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Flight: It’s Every Boy’s Dream — And Every Traveler’s Nightmare

I don’t know why all those boys who run the airlines in the US can’t seem to EVER get it right, but here I sit in Dulles airport. It’s 3:33 on Sunday afternoon and my journey started over 24 hours ago in Norfolk, Virginia — approximately 3.5 hours away by car. The reason I am still sitting here in the US waiting for a 10:50 PM flight to Doha is because of a previously uncharted Black Hole in the universe. I’ll call this Black Hole “ORF” since it is inhabited by Norfolk Airport.

I have flown into ORF (connecting from Washington or NYC) on 5 occasions — all seamlessly except the one time my baggage was lost for 2 days. I have NEVER flown out of ORF seamlessly — or even remotely properly. Every airline that I have ever been booked on flying out of ORF is delayed for one reason or another. And EVERY time, that has caused me to miss my connection back to Qatar.

I have tried United, Delta, American, US Air, Continental, Northwestern and now am on my second cycle of domestic carriers that fly from the SE US to Washington or NYC for my international connections. And once again, United did not disappoint. My flight was delayed over 3 times in Norfilk which caused me to miss the once daily flight to Qatar last night. I finally got into Dulles about midnight and then spent another 1.5 hours getting re-ticketed and collecting a hotel voucher for a really lousy Holiday Inn, along with a food voucher that was useless since all restaurants were closed.

After a rough night (during which overhead helicopters at one point flooded my room with the light from their search lights — and having arranged the latest check-out possible which was 1:30, I transferred to Dulles, arriving at 1:45 PM. I was told the Qatar Airways reps should be in at 7:00 PM so I can check in and go to a lounge. In the meantime I am perched upon an HVAC grate because Dulles has no seating upstairs where the check-in gates are and I want to be the first to check in.

Since the Big Boys can’t seem to manage running the airlines, maybe some Big Girls should give it a shot. Any takers?