Above link to a collection of links and commentary on the current situation in Jordan on the persecution of evangelical Christians by the Jordanian government and the discrimination that they face from other Christian denominations.
I have a feeling that acquiantances of mine are among those expelled or exiled.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
It's a Conspiracy!
In trying to find official statistics on Iran's aid to Lebanon after the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese War, I came across this link in a google search. When I clicked on the link, I was greeted by a google page telling me that I ought not to continue on to my desired page, as there was a high possibility that it would infect my computer with malware.
I ask you this: Is the Iranian government out to infect the world with malware, or is Google in cahoots with the U.S. government to stop access to Iranian government websites from within American?
I ask you this: Is the Iranian government out to infect the world with malware, or is Google in cahoots with the U.S. government to stop access to Iranian government websites from within American?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Extended Existential Angst
Y'ever get the feeling that you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't? I'm currently in one of those jams. It is unseemly to lie on applications, so I shall not be lying. However, were I to give my absolute favorite career choice in my personal statement (rather than choice #2), well academia does not look upon that profession favorably, and mentioning it will send my application papers straight to the circular file. Furthermore, if I do end up with said career path, and then retire to academia, I would find it nigh impossible to conduct the necessary research for my doctoral thesis in country. I would find many doors slammed in my face, and perhaps even be blackballed at the border once word got out about my CV. Alas, for the future goal for which I have the most conviction is the easiest to write about. Additionally, I still have a nagging feeling somewhere in my head that perhaps it is an evil, evil, awful thing to do with my talents.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Back in My Day....
Back in my day... we had to walk to school uphill both ways in the snow! (just kidding!)
Though what with all the press coverage about abuse in schools and other attacks on children it seems that many things that I took for granted as a child or were completely innocent childhood things are no longer possible. I used to walk the three blocks to school all by myself without any thoughts of creepy people kidnapping me. I rode my bike for miles and came home in time for dinner.
In junior high we had a pool party every year to kick off the start of another orchestra rehearsal season, and us kids tried our hardest every time to drag our furious teacher into the pool. Our little revenge for hours of grueling extra rehearsals was simply not possible without physically touching the teacher. Today this kind of contact would either result in suspension of the teacher for inappropriate contact with a student, or suspension of the students for "assaulting" a teacher. I am all for punishing the evil, sick people in this world, but wish that school officials could differentiate between something dangerous and something done by rambunctious kids. As another example, a high school teacher was amazed that I was able to wear a dress on such a cold day. "Oh, it's some kind of synthetic wonder fabric," I told her, and held out my wrist for her to feel the fabric. "Well, are you sure it's OK, I mean the administration said we're not supposed to touch the students at all," she replied. But back in elementary school, it was normal for the teachers to give hugs.
That being said, perhaps punishments back in the day were not harsh enough, and maybe it is better to be overzealous than to not have sufficient consequences for truly vile actions. A boy in kindergarten tried to look up the girl's skirts at nap time. On multiple occasions. I am still majorly peeved that he was not suspended. 3aib!
Though what with all the press coverage about abuse in schools and other attacks on children it seems that many things that I took for granted as a child or were completely innocent childhood things are no longer possible. I used to walk the three blocks to school all by myself without any thoughts of creepy people kidnapping me. I rode my bike for miles and came home in time for dinner.
In junior high we had a pool party every year to kick off the start of another orchestra rehearsal season, and us kids tried our hardest every time to drag our furious teacher into the pool. Our little revenge for hours of grueling extra rehearsals was simply not possible without physically touching the teacher. Today this kind of contact would either result in suspension of the teacher for inappropriate contact with a student, or suspension of the students for "assaulting" a teacher. I am all for punishing the evil, sick people in this world, but wish that school officials could differentiate between something dangerous and something done by rambunctious kids. As another example, a high school teacher was amazed that I was able to wear a dress on such a cold day. "Oh, it's some kind of synthetic wonder fabric," I told her, and held out my wrist for her to feel the fabric. "Well, are you sure it's OK, I mean the administration said we're not supposed to touch the students at all," she replied. But back in elementary school, it was normal for the teachers to give hugs.
That being said, perhaps punishments back in the day were not harsh enough, and maybe it is better to be overzealous than to not have sufficient consequences for truly vile actions. A boy in kindergarten tried to look up the girl's skirts at nap time. On multiple occasions. I am still majorly peeved that he was not suspended. 3aib!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Self-Indulgent Pettiness
I enjoy writing. I apparently also enjoy writing about myself, given the nature of many posts in this blog. So why is it so #$^&%$^* hard to write a 600-word essay about myself so I can get in to graduate school?
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