Then again...

I might end up in Yemen. I am so confused about summer. Why can't I just do everything I want to do?
Well I survived one hell of a dust storm today. It was a monster. I still feel the dust in my mouth and hair. I need to go home and shower before going to bed.
But that still doesn't solve my dilemma. What should I do?
Well I will have to think about it.
Over and out.

Summer changes

It looks like it might be an Asia summer afterall. I will probably travel to Thailand after my holiday home and in London. And then I might also meet a friend in Yunnan, China. I have been wanting to go there for a while, so this might be the summer. Of course I am a little worried about the Olympics. Maybe China will be more crowded than normal.
Just an update.

Asia's Big Part One

I miss Asia. Okay, there is one way to overcome this. I could just look down. Kuwait is in Asia, but I miss the real Asia: East Asia.
From time to time I find something online that reminds me of my time in that part of the world. Today I found a video. I think it is a bit sped up but it is so endearing. I hope you enjoy it.

The Year of the Rat Reading 7: Travelers' Tales: Thailand

As some of you (what is your name again) know, I kind of like going to Thailand. I am starting to lose track of the number of times I have been there, but I think the number is now up to five.
Well liking a place makes you want to know more about it. That is why I bought this book a few years ago. It contains excerpts from a variety of books about people in Thailand. You can really learn a lot in this little vignettes. Yesterday I learned how to make heroin for instance.
Thailand is a really amazing country. I need to go there forever. I am think it might be where I retire, but before then I want to get there to see if I really like it. I think that would be a good plan, anyway.
It has taken me a long time to read this book, mostly because of sudoku. Why is that you ask? Well, this book used to be one of my bathroom books. You know the kind. You have a few minutes to kill anyway on the john so you might as well educate yourself a bit. Some people use Reader's Digest for this, but I used to use books like this one. Well that was until I discovered sudoku last spring in Beirut. (I discovered like Columbus discovered America; it was already there). Well I have become a sudokuholic. Now on the john I spend my precise moments filling in numbers.
Well there you have it.

The day John McCain has been waiting for

I think Obama is going to lose. I am a pessimistic person, I will admit to that, but I think the momentum is now in Hillary's corner.
So as of today, I am endorsing John McCain. I know he has been waiting for this day. If Obama bounces back (or if the Democrats go with anyone but Hillary--maybe Al Gore) then I might change my mind.
But as of today, it is Big John all the way.

Senior Skip Day

Today is Senior Skip Day. Since I mostly teach Seniors it has been an awesome day. I came to school and had a free period. Then I had two girls show up second period. They then left my class for the library. I had another girl show up third period. She studied. Then I had a class with 17 Seniors. They were all gone. Then I had two boys show up fifth period. We went to the library. Now I have a free period. So today was pretty sweet.
I was able to read some of a book and write my Philosophy final.
Now I am drinking tea and getting ready to go home. I am thinking of taking a nap when I get home. What a nice day.
Speaking of nice day, we only have 23 more before final examinations. I like that. Hopefully there will be more relaxing days like today. I hope that is what happens anyway.
Well cheerio.

I have lived longer than Elvis

Elvis died when he was 42 years, 220 days old. I turned that yesterday. Today I am 42years, 221 days old. So I have lived longer than the king! The fact that Elvis died so young is so shocking. I feel like I could live a lot longer (God willing). It is hard to imagine someone dying at my age (minus one day).
When Elvis died I was eleven, almost twelve. That was the summer of Star Wars. Elvis had gotten all bloated up and was addicted to all kinds of medicines. I used to be thin, but now I am bloated up but not addicted to anything besides caffeine. So I guess I should count my blessings.
I wish people like Elvis had have vacationed more. He could have disappeared into the woodwork somewhere. Actually many people feel maybe he did just disappear instead of dying. I don't know about that but I guess he just gives hope to some people. He does make up a part of the Southern Trinity (along side Jesus and Robert E. Lee), so maybe he is out that somewhere watching over us all.
Well I hope you're okay wherever you are Elvis. I hope to meet you someday, but hopefully that will be far off.
"Thank you very much."

Some haiku

My friend Sam recently sent me an effort at drunken haiku. It didn't really work. I did a little proofreading and editing and came up with my own poem about being drunk (which I never have been believe it or not). Then I started thinking of some other ones. Here are my gushings. (Picture doesn't reflect latest, local fashions.)

Drunken Haiku

Buds hanging heavy
Sake bottles strewn around
Head hangs heavier.

Haiku for Kuwaiti fashions

Latest in fashions
Gucci blouse, sizes too small
Fat rolls, hairy backs.

Escape from Kuwait

Why can't I just escape already? I guess Kuwait has a hold on me. I don't know why. But it would be so nice to just run away sometimes. I don't know what I want to escape. Could it be grading? Ignorance? the Dust? Fundamentalism? I don't know. Maybe someday.
Until then I can dream.
Let me show you a few ways I have been dreaming lately.
First I could escape to Yemen. I have a school all set up for a course there. But that doesn't let me escape from the Middle Eastern mentality. Check out Yemen when you can (http://sialyemen.com/).
Or I could escape to China. I have been thinking about living in Yunnan for sometime. I could go and study Chinese. Check out Kunming when you can (http://www.gokunming.com/en/). But then again I have already lived in China and don't know if I want to return to the pollution.
Then again, I could just escape to Thailand. Oh, Thailand. Imagine a year without work. Eating delicious food and not having any worries. So I have been looking in that direction as well. I have found a Thai language school that will sponsor a long term visa (http://www.thaiwalen.com/html/student_visa.html) and have even found some pretty inexpensive apartments in Bangkok, is one of my all time favorite cities (http://prplacebangkok.com/PR_Bangkok_Apartment_Local_Links.html).
Oh but I just dreaming. I still have another year on my contract. So hopefully I don't murder my kids before then.
I was watching an episode of "The Office" recently. One of the workers was excited when they were talking about closing down the Scranton branch. When they didn't he said: "Well, I guess Costa Rica will still be there when I retire. At 65." Poor bastard. That is how I am feeling.
Well adios amigos

British Girls

And then I learned about British girls.

Learning about Britain

I remember way back when when learning about another country was as close to me as my MTV. Here was when I learned about life in a northern town.

Sexual Harassment

Suicide Bomb Law

9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

The McLoven Fund

Obama is going down faster than a Clinton intern

I am a little worried about the Obama campaign. He has been taking quite a number of hits recently. In my gut I have been feeling that he will lose to Hillary, especially after losing in Ohio and Texas. The pundits keep saying that Hillary will not have enough delegates to win, but neither will Obama. His recent controversies are started to make people wonder about his viability as a candidate. It is also causing me to wonder if Hillary is also hurting herself with her shenanigans. I heard one Obama supporter recently saying that she knows she is going to lose, but she wants to make sure she destroys his chances against McCain in the process. I am wondering if maybe that is actually happening.
I think some of Obama's comments have been really taken out of context. I think there are many bitter Americans who do cling to those things that bring purpose to their lives, like God, guns and hating Mexicans. Those are just good, old fashioned values. I guess the problem is that people don't want to actually hear what they are feeling.
So unless Hillary tells some more lies about getting caught in the crosshairs of a Serbian sniper, I have a feeling that when all is said and done she might be the nominee.
(But of course there is always Gore to the rescue.)

The Year of the Rat Reading 6: A History of Eastern Arabia: the rise and development of Bahrain, Kuwait and Wahhabi Saudi Arabia

It is difficult to find good books on Kuwait. There really aren't that many. I just finished one though that was quite interesting. It covered the early years of the Kuwaiti royal family, way back in the 1700's. Unfortunately there isn't that much material from this time period and this is evident when reading the book. It was an okay read but it would have been more compelling if there had been more personal stories from the times. There aren't any good historical evidence though. So this book was mostly just scratching the surface. I did learn a lot about this region though. Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have similar royal families, called the Uhud. This family established itself in this three states. They are free from Saudi influence to some extent, but the author rightly says they Wahhabists still have some sway in this region.
I have a few other books which might make my study of this region more interesting. I will let you know.

A poem: "If" by Rudyard Kipling

Sometimes I have my students memorize this poem. They hate me for it. I still like it though. I don't think I will be able to have any students memorize it this year. Where can I fit it into the schedule? Time to think...

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Finished my grading

As some of you know the worst thing about being a teacher (besides teaching I mean) is grading. I had some final examinations to grade for my IB students-- 21 mostly well written essays--that I had to get through over the break. Actually I put off grading 14 of them until yesterday. But then I reached the bottom of the pile. Now I have added them to my gradebook. So for one class I am finished. Actually I am mostly finished with school. I have two study halls, and two classes that are mostly finished. Now I have to just focus on two classes. Not too shabby really. I will have to teach for about six more weeks, then have one week to review the kids, and then it is final examinations for everyone and administrative work at school. It is only April 12th and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (tunnel still being two months away though).
Then it is on to summer vacation. I will be heading to London and Atlanta, and then back to London and then on to Kuwait. I now have to decide what to do with the four weeks on my return. Is it back to Yemen or on to Thailand? Right now I am leaning towards more Arabic course in Sana'a. But there is still some time to mull over everything.
Well have fun.

News from Kuwait 2: Yesterday's Crazyass Storm

This baby came out of nowhere. It hit so hard I thought the building would collapse. I actually went from my floor to the first floor, you know, just in case. When it was over Kuwait had been blown away. I had to sweep up my floors but the dust had come in so heavily. 3 people were killed. Here is the official version from the Arab Times:

Storm rips Kuwait, 3 killed
Kuwait Friday was hit by a sandstorm that blew at 56 km/hr from the East and the Southeast of Kuwait, causing showers at a couple of places in the country, says Musaed Al-Hammad, Head of Mirzam Observatory. He was talking to the Arab Times soon after studying the recordings of the weather conditions from his observatory. The visibility during the storm in the desert was zero, about a kilometer in the city and 4 km in Wafra. The unexpected storm uprooted trees, damaged minor structures in different parts of Kuwait and flooded the Gulf Road. All shipping movement at Kuwaiti ports was stopped. The Sharq area was also flooded.

Musaed said short and indecisive showers are a characteristic feature of the Al-Sarrayat season, which lasts for a month and is due to end on May 3. This is one of the last rains of the year, he added. “There is a 70 percent chance for some more showers on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. “During this season, clouds fleet by close to the ground shedding incessant rainfall at various places, causing wet and dry conditions in the state. Since the clouds move very fast, the season has been named Al- Sarrayat or ‘The fast mover.’” This month can upset plans as the weather can be very indecisive and people have to be prepared for unexpected sandstorms and rains, the astronomer noted.

He said there are two types of sandstorms: one that blows from the neighboring deserts in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and the other kind which blows from far off zones, which are more powerful. Friday’s sandstorm was mild. Three people were killed in separate incidents during the storm, Major Khaleel Al-Ameer, Head of the Public Relations at the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) told the Arab Times. In the first incident, two Egyptians were burnt to death after their car collided with another vehicle in Kabd. Firemen rushed to the scene and removed the vehicles from the scene before referring the remains to the Forensics.

A man drowned in the beach water after he and his son had gone fishing near Shaab. Major Al-Ameer added that the boy was rescued by passers by while a rescue team managed to fish out the body of the man after a massive search. No further details were available. Al-Ameer also said that a total of 21 rescue operations were conducted and that 11 fire incidents were reported until 9 pm. Al-Ameer further added that several incidents of trees being uprooted and cars damaged were reported. According to Al-Ameer, four firemen were injured in a two-vehicle collision, even as the firemen were on their way to an accident site.

Last Nap

Today is the last day of Spring Break. So I had a good breakfast with a friend and then started thinking of the most important thing in the world: my nap. I didn't mean to sleep for three hours, but it felt good nonetheless. I say the world needs more naps.

News from Kuwait 1: Yesterday's Tribal Riots

Things are getting a little crazy in Kuwait. We have elections coming up and the tribes are getting restless. This article will tell you everything you need to know. Actually kids were asking me if we had tribes in America. I said we used to, but then we killed most of them. Here is the article:

Two Kuwaitis, officers hurt in Sabahiya clash; ‘Awazem’ battle securitymen

KUWAIT CITY : Two Kuwaitis and a number of securitymen were injured in a violent clash during which the Awazem tribesmen used sticks and stones against security forces, who were trying to stop them holding a primary in Sabahiya. The fighting took place Friday when about 5,000 securitymen from the Special Forces and Riot Police, supported by vehicles and helicopters, surrounded the Diwaniya of former MP and candidate in the upcoming elections from the fifth constituency, Ghanim Al Mei. The securitymen used tear-gas and rubber bullets to disperse the rioters. No arrests were reported. A similar incident some time back had prompted the then Minister of Interior to recall his forces from the Diwaniya of a former MP.

Sources said a large number of securitymen and CID officers were deployed as backup at a nearby cemetery. Security forces and election candidates are exchanging charges, each pinning the blame for the incident on the other. Former MP and candidate from the fifth constituency Abdullah Rai Al-Fahma in a press statement said, “Tribes are an integral part of the Kuwaiti society. They have the right to consult and choose their representatives to the National Assembly like the political blocs and other political organizations.” The government must stop this repressive measure before things take a serious turn, Al-Fahma added. Some observers and a number of candidates have opined the government is exacerbating the issue intentionally to prolong the election indefinitely by issuing ‘emergency decrees.’

This view is shared by former MP and candidate from the third constituency Jamal Al-Omar. He told the press Friday the government has ulterior motives and is trying to stop the primaries. Al-Omar added: “The same government that issued a decree against public gatherings in such haste is procrastinating the issuance of a decree calling for elections.” As the election date is approaching the situation in the fifth constituency seems to be getting more complicated. While the Awazem tribe is gearing to name its candidate Saturday, the Hawajer tribe is unable to choose a candidate despite the support of all the other tribes. The situation is made more complex by the embarrassing fact that no one is willing to accept the position of the chairman of the consultations committee. Sources close to Hawajer tribe told the Arab Times that one of the six candidates is trying to buy time after he tried to buy votes at a sum of KD 2,000 per vote, causing embarrassment to the other candidates.

Meanwhile, the Dawaser tribe is embroiled in other issues. The tribe is said to be planning to cancel the decisions of the consultation committee after the committee chairman failed to reconcile candidates in run for the election. The Atban tribe is facing a similar problem and there has been no change in their position in the last 24 hours, sources said. Meanwhile, sources close to candidate Abdullah Okash said he intends to represent Al-Umma Party in the election. He requested his tribe, Mutair, to resume consultations. However, his request was rejected. Criticizing the actions of the security forces at the Diwaniyas of former MP Saad Al-Shuraie, Abdullah Rai Al-Fahma and Marzook Al-Hubeni, former MP and candidate from the fifth constituency Abdullah Al-Ajmi said what happened was despotic and regrettable. He asked “Does the Ministry of Interior want the candidates to close their Diwaniyas? But it will never happen.”

For the second consecutive day, the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) continued to attack the government and the Ministry of Interior. In a statement by ICM, it billed the actions of securitymen as “excessive use of power. “Such action is not in the interest of the law. It may hurt the very fabric of the Kuwaiti society, which is based on cooperation and understanding, and not force. “Implementation of the law must be based on sound regulations, which should not allow alien practices to creep into our system.” The ICM urged the government to implement the laws with fairness and equality. “Just as the primary elections are against the law, so is vote buying. The government must make efforts to curb this crime,” it added.

Meanwhile, following the government’s crackdown on primary elections, a number of candidates contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections launched a fierce verbal attack against it and described its ban on public gatherings as “an attempt to gag people and restrict their freedom.” They also accused the government of interfering in the elections and some candidates even questioned the hidden motive behind the ban.

Former deputy speaker of the parliament and Fourth Constituency candidate Dr Mohammed Al-Busairi said “the least that can be said about the law banning public gatherings is it is intended for gagging people and restricting their freedom of expression.” He called on all future MPs to fight against the law and revoke it. Calling on the government to be conscious of the political changes in neighboring countries, Al-Busairi said, “this law reflects the intentions of those who want to derail the democratic process as well as the intentions of those who are leading the country to oblivion.” Former MP and First Constituency candidate Jamal Al-Kandari said the timing of issuing the law raises some doubts about the interference of the executive authority in the forthcoming elections, asserting that “the law put Kuwait in a dark tunnel.” He called on the government to rescind the decision.

Former MP Faisal Al-Muslim criticized the government for being hostile towards its people and described the law as a blatant interference in the private affairs of citizens besides terrorizing them and suppressing their freedom. He said the government’s action is a prelude for turning the country into a repressive state in which freedom of people is violated. “Wisdom and sanity should take precedence in dealing with issues so that we don’t deviate from the desired goal,” he said, adding “the rule of law does not mean violating the tenets of the Constitution.”

By Ayed Al-Enezi, Hadi Al-Ajmi and Mehzam Al-Sahli
Special to the Arab Times

A song: It's Not

Aimee Mann has been one of my favorite singers for years. I think it is close to 20 years now, way back when she was with 'Til Tuesday. This is one of my favorite songs of hers from recent years.


It's Not

I keep going round and round on the same old circuit
A wire travels underground to a vacant lot
Where something I can't see interrupts the current
And shrinks the picture down to a tiny dot
And from behind the screen it can look so perfect
But it's not

So here I'm sitting in my car at the same old stoplight
I keep waiting for a change but I don't know what
So red turns into green turning into yellow
But I'm just frozen here on the same old spot
And all I have to do is to press the pedal
But I'm not
No, I'm not

People are tricky, you can't afford to show
Anything risky anything they don't know
The moment you try, you kiss it goodbye

So baby kiss me like a drug like a respirator
And let me fall into the dream of the astronaut
Where I get lost in space that goes on forever
And you make all the rest just an afterthought
And I believe it's you who could make it better
But it's not
No, it's not
No, it's not

A poem: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Anoter poem I was reading to my Philosophy students.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky,
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats,
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question...
Oh, do not ask, "What is it?"
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go,
Talking of Michaelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the windowpanes
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle upon the windowpanes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the windowpanes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go,
Talking of Michaelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--
(They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!")
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin,
(They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!")
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions that a minute will reverse.

For I have known them already, known them all-
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons,
I know the voices dying with a dying fall,
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all-
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling ton he wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all,
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare,
(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)
Is it perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie around a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And how should I then presume?
And how should I begin?

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep... tired... or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet - and here's no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worthwhile,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball,
To roll it towards some overwhelming question,
To say, "I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all," --
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say, "That is not what I meant, at all."
"That is not it, at all."

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worthwhile,
After the sunsets and dooryards and sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor--
And this, and so much more?--
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worthwhile
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning towards the window, should say:
"That is not it, at all,
That is not what I meant, at all."

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous,
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old... I grow old...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves,
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea,
By sea-girls wreathed in seaweed, red and brown,
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

A poem: somewhere i have never travelled

Last week I was reading some poems to my philosophy students. They don't get much of that at my school. It is a shame.

somewhere i have never travelled by e.e. cummings

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me,i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain, has such small hands

A poem: Two African Breasts

I read this poem in the University of Tennessee's library years ago. I have read it since and have always enjoyed it. Now I found a copy online. Enjoy.


Two African Breasts by Nizar Qabbani

Let me find time
to welcome in this love
that comes unbid.
Let me find time
to memorize
this face that rises
out of the trees
of forgetfulness.
Give me the time
to escape this love
that stops my blood.
Let me find time
to recognize your name,
my name,
and the place
where I was born.
Let me find time
to know where I shall die
and how I will revive, as
a bird inside your eyes.
Let me find time
to study the state of winds
and waves, to learn the maps
of bays. . .

Woman, who lodges
inside the future
pepper and pomegranate-seeds,
give me a country
to make me forget all countries,
and give me time
to avoid this Andalusian face,
this Andalusian voice,
this Andalusian death
coming from all directions.
Let me find time to prophesy
the coming of the flood.

Woman, who was inscribed
in books of magic,
before you came
the world was prose.
Now poetry is born.
Give me the time to catch
the colt that runs toward me,
your breast.
The dot over a line.
A bedouin breast, sweet
as cardamom seeds
as coffee brewing over embers,
its form ancient as Damascene brass
as Egyptian temples.

Let me find luck
to pick the fish that swim
under the waters.

Your feet on the carpet
are the shape and stance
of poetry.

Let me find the luck
to know the dividing line
between the certainty
of love and heresy.
Give me the opportunity
to be convinced I have seen
the star, and have been spoken to
by saints.

Woman, whose thighs are like
the desert palm where golden
dates fall from,
your breasts speak seven tongues
and I was made to listen
to them all.
Give me the chance
to avoid this storm,
this sweeping love,
this wintry air, and to be convinced,
to blaspheme, and to enter
the flesh of things.
Give me the chance
to be the one
to walk on water

_______________

Translated by Diana Der Hovanessian and by Lena Jayyusi

Surely the Republicans can't win in the fall... which means the Democrats are just going to have to lose.

Well that was a mouthful. I have been watching a lot of news lately and something strange seems to be happening. McCain seems to be doing pretty good. I think it all comes down to Mitt Romney. Mitt dropped out about two months ago. He did it at a time when he had a very slight chance of winning. He said he was doing it for the good of the party. The Democrats have no one like that on their side. Hillary really can't win, barring an Obama disaster. She seems to be trying to create one. Therefore it looks like McCain might become the president after all. Which tells us once again, that the Democrats are just too damn stupid for their own good.

WTF?! Diet Coke prices have gone up!

I cannot believe but inflation on a Diet Coke has hit 50%. The price of one has gone from 100 fils to 150 fils. What happened? I went to a baqala the other day and buy 125 fils. I thought the guy was ripping me off. Then I go to another baqala and the cost is 150. So what has happened?
First there is a Danish product ban and now this? How am I supposed to no longer be a big fatass, if I cannot get my Diet Coke? Soon I will be reverting to sugar-ladened drinks. How much more stretching can my skin do?
So hello Kuwait, please bring back the good old days. Or give me a raise!
Actually I cannot complain too much. Food prices have gone way up and there have been riots in Egypt because of this. I guess I can pay a little more for my Diet Coke, since I don't have to pay for rent and utilities. Still that extra 50 fils could come in handy someday.

The Year of the Rat Reading 5: "The Boxer Rebellion: China's War on Foreigners, 1900"

This is a great year to read about Chinese people killing foreigners, with the Olympics coming and all. So that's what I have done.
I didn't really know much about the Boxers, except that they really weren't bulletproof, even though they claimed to be. I know they attacked the overseas communities in Northern China in 1900 and that the Empress Dowager was involved. I also heard that she was really into freaky sex. That is somewhat mentioned in the end of the book, but not as explicitly as I had read it in other history books.
The foreigner community was surrounded by the Boxers for the summer of 1900 and were reduced to eating horse meat. So in other words, it was like they were on one of those semester abroad course in France. As someone who has eaten donkey in China I can empathize with what they had to go through.
What the Boxers put the foreigner community through is similar to what Mao put his own people through in the Cultural Revolution. A friend of mine thinks that this summer China will take all of the people attending the Olympics hostage as they invade Taiwan. Crazy idea. Or is it?
All in all, a good read.

Oh snap! I've been enjoying my nap.

Spring break has sprung and I have napped for three straight days. I am not talking normal naps either. I am talking Calvin Coolidge type naps. Coolidge would sleep for 16 hours every day. I haven't been reaching that level, but I have been taking three or four hours out of every day for a little shut eye; and let me tell you: it's been good.
I really think more people should nap. Wouldn't the world be a much nicer place. That is one thing I like about living in the Arabic world: there is no shame in taking a nap. It is actually an important part of the culture. You get up late, drink some tea, work for a few hours, take a nap, wake up for lunch, work some more, drink some more tea, smoke the water pipe, hang out with your buddies, eat dinner, then sleep for the night. If you're religious you do all of this and pray five times a day as well. It is a wonderful system. Everyone should do this. Maybe if the whole world becomes Islamic this will be what happens.
Well I am now awake. It is time to eat.
Cheerio.

The Year of the Rat Reading 4: "Autumn Quail"

I have developed quite a habit of reading the novels of Naguib Mahfouz over the last few years. He won a nobel prize for Literature. He is the only Arab to do so, so as you can imagine, quite a number of his novels are available in English. I wish there were many more authors translated. It would be nice to read further into the world of Arabic literature.
So I have only been scratching the surface by reading Mahfouz. This novel involves a man who loses his job during the Nasser revolution of 1952. As the Chinese curse goes: "May you live in interesting times." Isa, the protagonist of this work, lives in them and suffers because of them.
Of course no man is an island, so Isa ends up making his difficulties a little worse, mostly by his inaction. He decides to do nothing after losing his position (it kind of reminded me of how I feel in the summer when I am lounging around doing nothing, except his lethargic period lasts for four years). (Actually now that I look at the above it makes absolutely no sense. But I will leave it as is. It will be a testamony to my own unabilities.)
With some books you have to be careful when reading the introduction. This was one of those books. I had to stop reading the introduction because the whole story was being told to me. Dear college professors who translate Arabic. Please don't tell me the whole story in the future. Fortunately I was able to stop reading this information before learning too much. I did learn when the novel would end though, so I did see some events coming (they involve Israelis in case you are wondering).
This book actually made me want to read more about Nasser's revolution. Fortunately I have another book on my bookshelf waiting to be read about Nasser. Oh reader, now I am telling you what will be coming soon (but not too soon since I have tons of other books to finish.)
So do I recommend "Autumn Quail"? Of course I do. Mahfouz is really a wonderful writer. Actually I love the Arabic world. I wish more people in the west would learn more about it. I am stunned at how few of my colleagues make any effort to learn anything of the region. I guess I am one of those people who kind of go native.
Well cheerio.