On Politics and the English Language

What is wrong with the term "Islamo-Facism"?

Read this article from The Nation to find out. It expresses everything that I had wished to articulate on the matter, only much more eloquently.

Speaking of politics, I have been given the homework assignment to write a composition on a political, not social issue. Having done quite a few political essays for previous assignments, does anyone have any good ideas that do not involve the war in Lebanon, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, Russia and how it strategically uses its petroleum resources, the Yemeni presidential elections, or Israel? Now bear in mind that this topic must be appropriate for Yemen, and must not involve me arguing a point of view that would get me in trouble with the Yemeni government.

In other news, I have finally replaced the ugly, tacky, filthy bits of masking tape containing penned in Arabic letters with real laptop keyboard arabic letter decals. If you've ever seen my computer, you know the ones. I now have a much cleaner laptop, and look forward to many happy months of Arabic typing. Until I get a new laptop.

PLUTO IS A PLANET, DAMMIT!

I believe in you, Pluto!

They...They can't deprogram me! I won't let them! Now repeat after me, children, "Pluto is the Ninth Planet. Pluto is the Ninth Planet. Pluto is the Ninth Planet..."

Sure, I respect that the members of the International Astronomical Union are intelligent, rational scientists with excellent reasons for voting the way that they did.

HOWEVER, according to the New York Times,

The final voting was by some 400 to 500 of the 2,400 astronomers who registered for the congress; many others had already left.

Pointing to the very small fraction of the world’s astronomers who had been in Prague and thus eligible to vote, Alan Stern, lead investigator for New Horizons, NASA’s mission to Pluto, called the resolution “laughable.”

The number of voting astronomers was nowhere near a quorum. I demand a revote, this time with more than 50% of members voting, before I shall take their word that Pluto should no longer be classified as a planet. The science world could use some proper parliamentary procedure.

Pluto, you will always be in my heart.

And Now, Back to Yemen

One of the ironies of Yemen is that one of the more expensive meals that Sana'a has to offer is at an Ethiopian restaurant. Not that my ever so tasty meal exceeded USD $3.50.

I am hopped up on Ethiopian coffee right now. Man, that stuff is good. I only had one teensy cup, but I don't drink caffienated beverages very often, so I am rather sensitive to it. I ran all the way up the stairs to the fifth floor and was not winded in the slightest.

Another coffee related irony is that Yemenis do not appear to have much of a coffee culture anymore, even though coffee originated in Yemen. Most of the prime coffee land has been taken over by the much more profitable qat, the national narcotic. And the remaining coffee beans are for export. They do, however, drink something vile conocted from the roasted husks.

What is the best thing that happened to me this week? I snagged a bag of frozen broccolli at the grocery store! Hot dog!

Cheers,

H

Anulling a Marriage, with Two Kids? Only in Saudi Arabia

Dear Friends,

Yes, I'm supposed to be writing about Yemen.

There are many worthwhile non-Yemen topics I could be discussing, but I have decided today to share with you the absolute strangest thing I have read in a good, long while. The link to the Arab News article is in the title of this post.

A Saudi couple have been happily married for several years and have two children. Everything about their marriage was perfectly legal. But somehow the wife's relatives have managed to get a court to annul her marriage, despite the fact that they have children, on some very bizarre pretext having to do with the fact that the wife's family is of a higher social class.

Would somebody well versed in Saudi tribal politics please explain how social ancestry is grounds for anulling a marriage? I am thoroughly confused.

I <3 Yemen

Sana'a, Yemen.


Dinner: $1.50
ATM Withdrawal Fee: $1.00
Real Jasmine Oil Perfume: $0.50
Half Kilo of Cardamon: $3.50
Island of the Blue Dolphins in Arabic: $1.75
Examination for New Glasses Prescription: $5.00

Being able to carry on a conversation about Arab politics with the optometrist for half an hour while getting stuck in the office by the monsoon? PRICELESS.

Some things, money can't buy. For everything else, there're Yemeni Riyals. Where the largest denomination bill of 1000 is approximately $5.00.

A new car would take a wheelbarrow full of money, so rather than invent a larger denomination, the government allows people to take out US dollars, even from the ATM, and prices on luxury goods (ex. Raymond Weil watches) are all in USD. Otherwise there would be no room on price tags for all those zeros.

In other news, posters and rear windshield decals of Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hizbollah, are the new, hot accessory. Collect the whole set of fun poses! The one with the AK-47, the seagulls, the Dome of the Rock, or the Dome of the Rock AND Seagulls!

And no, I'm not buying one. Yes, it would be funny, but I refuse to purchase anything that might possibly provide financial support to Hizbollah. My monetary assistance to Lebanon goes through more innocuous channels, thank you. And no, I really don't want Israelis to die in this whole mess either. 'Kay? Tamam? Wa9'7?

Allahu akbar!

PS My abaya is falling apart, so I have to get a new one. :(

Sana'ani Postcard

Greetings from Sana'a!

This is a beautiful old city, whose stone houses (some of them upwards of 600 years old!) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Friends, myself, and Abdul-Kariim (one of my teachers) are atop one of these buildings in this photograph. Abdul-Kariim says hello, inbetween drags on his cigarette. Life is Such a Drag is the main philosophy of Abdul-Kariim.