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I continue to have the vanity to believe that complete strangers will want to read this.
Browsing All Posts published on »May, 2006«
Political inspiration from fiction: Ahdaf Soueif
Ahdaf Soueif is perhaps the pre-eminent English language Egyptian author. However, she’s not very good. Her romanticism is forced and insipid; and the undercurrent of old money and faded aristocracy makes me faintly sick. Nevertheless, her descriptions of scenery and atmosphere are good, and I read on for great stretches with pleasure until I come […]
The ‘tache effect
May 29, 2006
I was woken from a delightful nap today by the phone. I always answer the phone no matter how asleep I am and how far it is. It was D. She had called exclusively to ask me to refresh my lesson on how to thread off facial hair. I had shown her, also on the […]
A secular Muslim society
May 28, 2006
I just came across the website for the Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society. Never has a name so neatly encapsulated a dearly held hope. Part of their mission is: We believe that Islamic society has been held back by an unwillingness to subject its beliefs, laws and practices to critical examination, by a […]
Rainy day blues
May 26, 2006
As I was at the doctor’s today, I overhead one Arab guy say to a girl, in Arabic: “The best thing is to live somewhere with good weather. The most important thing. It really affects your life.” I was gratified to see that it’s not just me. It’s been enormously dismal and rainy for the […]
A (slightly sarcastic) report on the Toronto protest
May 26, 2006
To my own surprise, I went to the protest today. I was against it at first, since I hardly think that there’s anything Canada can do, and also because I didn’t want to harass the innocent employees of Egypt Air. However, sandmonkey correctly pointed out that they’ve ruined our lives collectively innumerable times and for […]
Poking fun
May 25, 2006
I was just perusing Faisal’s blog, when I saw that he had a link to this article from the Daily Star Egypt, about the American University in Cairo’s own solidarity campaign (good for them by the way). It features numerous quotes from one Bassem Khalifa, described as “an activist in his own right”. Isn’t it […]
May 25: International Day of Solidarity with the Egyptian Democracy Movement
May 22, 2006
SHOW YOUR SOLIDARITY WITH IMPRISONED EGYPTIAN DEMOCRACY PROTESTORSOn the one-year anniversary of Black Wednesday in CairoAnd in solidarity with demonstrations in London, Paris, Seoul, and New YorkInformation for Email/Phone/Fax Action on May 25, see below The Toronto Egyptian Solidarity Campaign is calling on people across the Greater Toronto Area who are concerned with the escalating […]
Fan query
May 20, 2006
Just out of curiosity, who is my hardcore fan at the University of Essex? I’d be interested in knowing what attracted you to my blog. There’s also a serious fan from Windsor, ON, and a semi serious visitor from the Government of Ontario, which causes me some alarm. Speak up, peoples! As I said before, […]
TORONTO MOVING SALE – blatant advertising!
May 20, 2006
I’ve been worrying about how I’m going to get all this stuff off our hands, when I remembered that I have this blog that I can use! Sorry though. MOVING SALE! Everything must go before May 30 1. One white wooden kitchen tale and four chairs2. One black metal futon frame, double/full size3. One black […]
Face-stuffing Egyptian style
May 19, 2006
Some weeks ago I noticed an Egyptian restaurant in Greektown called “Prince of Egypt”. I immediately apprised M of this and we determined to go there, me with visions of molokhiya and he with the resolution to actually eat the internal organs of a pigeon. He tried pigeon once in Cairo, and having taken it […]
forsoothsayer
Unnecessary and not very diverting musings 
May 31, 2006
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