Ramblings of a Hopeless Khowaga

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Curses! Memed again
2008-03-24 14:33:00
My friend Cindy, who is a reporter living in Cairo with her husband, Mike, and their adopted daughter Maya, tagged me on her blog for yet another meme. Ugh! Too many memes, too little time. I’ve known Cindy for years - we studied abroad in Cairo together, and we were both bitten by the ...
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The goodness of Friday
2008-03-21 14:42:00
It's Good Friday in part of the Christian world, which means that in this good state, at this good university, it's time for that annual Good Friday ritual. Every Good Friday as the faithful come in to work, they stop and ask anyone who is already in, "Has anyone heard if they're closing the University at noon?" Usually, either the state legislature or the governor will sign an executive order closing state agencies at noon on Good Friday. Most of the time, they completely forget that the University of Texas isn't covered by these blanket mandates and has to be closed separately, and so we remain open. On rare occasion, however, they have remembered to include us -- but they're pretty rare.SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The goodness of Friday", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F21%2Fthe-goodness-of-frid ay%2F&seed_title=The+goodness+of+Frid ay" });
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The ties that bind and gag
2008-03-20 21:22:00
I don’t mean to rub in the fact that I’m going on vacation soon, but the few remaining hurdles that I have to clear before I can shift my attention to our upcoming trip to Hawaii are dwindling down. Unfortunately, they’re pretty damned massive. Every so often, I regale my friends who don’t work at ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The ties that bind and gag", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F20%2Fthe-ties-that-bind-a nd-gag%2F&seed_title=The+ties+that+bi nd+and+gag" });
More About: Weird , Just , Plain

Links for 2008-03-19 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-20 06:00:00
Powerful guide to master Your WordPress Tips, tutorials, hacks, themes, plugins and best practices from the World?s Leading WordPress web-developers
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Living vicariously through ? Mom and Dad?
2008-03-19 01:17:00
Well, for better or for worse, my parents are off to China. They left this morning and, according to that voyeuristic web site FlightAware.com, their plane is about to pass between Alaska and Siberia, somewhere in the vicinity of Nome. We had them over for dinner on Sunday, and my mother was puttering about, working ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Living vicariously through … Mom and Dad?", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F18%2Fliving-vicariously-t hrough-mom-and-dad%2F&seed_title=Livi ng+vicariously+through+%26%238230%3B+Mom+ and+Dad%3F" });
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Links for 2008-03-16 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-17 06:00:00
Why Shariah? Eddie Izzard’s Master Plan Eddie Izzard's metaphors don’t sit still, onstage or off; they leap into the conversation with an almost physical presence, even when he’s simply describing how tough it is for a comic to be accepted as a dramatic actor.
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My dinner with …
2008-03-16 16:19:00
OK, I’ve been a bad blogger this week, letting my 12 of 12 post gather comments and hits while I devote my attention to … well, pretty much nothing else. Danny tagged me in a meme that requires some thought (dammit!). The meme is this: Pick a single person, past or present, in the film industry who you’d like to have dinner with, and tell us why you chose this person. Set the table for your dinner. What would you eat? Would it be in a home or at a restaurant? And what would you wear? Feel free to elaborate on the details. List five thoughtful questions you would ask this person during dinner. The main problem, of course, is that I wind up going off in the direction of silliness. I was discussing this with Michael the other day, and told him, “The problem is that it’s too easy to get silly and assemble a dinner party with with Ryan Reynolds, David Boreanaz, Clive Owen, and Prince Carl-Philip of Sweden. The problem with this dinner party is that...
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Links for 2008-03-13 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-14 06:00:00
The scandal of Olivia Newton-John: 12 surprisingly controversial Wikipedia pages | The A.V. Club
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12 of 12: March 2008
2008-03-13 00:11:00
Well, I kind of got double-whammied this time around. This month, 12 of 12 not only falls on a weekday, but it’s spring break, which means there’s even more of nothing going on at work than there was on the 12th of last month. So, this time I decided to do 12 of 12 a ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "12 of 12: March 2008 ", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F12%2F12-of-12-march-2008% 2F&seed_title=12+of+12%3A+March+2008" });
More About: Austin , March 2008

Sometimes, I don?t want to rise above it
2008-03-09 22:03:00
After I posted the gratuitous photo of Mocha yesterday, and she had successfully dragged us outside to walk her around the neighborhood, we were walking through the little park over in the back corner of the subdivision. There were a couple of teenagers hanging about on what I’ll term the “jungle gym,” although it ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Sometimes, I don’t want to rise above it", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F09%2Fsometimes-i-dont-wan t-to-rise-above-it%2F&seed_title=Some times%2C+I+don%26%238217%3Bt+want+to+rise +above+it" });
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Links for 2008-03-08 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-09 07:00:00
Finding the Unexpected Beneath the Gaudy 36 Hours in Puebla, Mexico Puebla may be home to classic Mexican dishes like mole poblano, but there?s more to do in this wealthy city than just eat. Intriguing New Restaurants Outside of New York
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Today?s Gratuitous Dog Photo
2008-03-08 23:31:00
It’s a lazy Saturday — the first two day weekend that I’ve had in some time, and I’m not quite feeling up to being creative, inventive, or funny in a post. Since my dog has become a world-renown celebrity through the 12 of 12 posts, here’s a picture of her sitting on the stairs, ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Today ’s Gratuitous Dog Photo ", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F08%2Ftodays-gratuitous-do g-photo%2F&seed_title=Today%26%238217 %3Bs+Gratuitous+Dog+Photo" });
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A ?what-if? moment ?
2008-03-06 15:08:00
It’s a particularly gray morning in Austin - overcast and 52, with spitting rain that’s supposed to give way to downpours and an eventual afternoon “high” of 43. I drove in this morning with Bev, both of us listening to NPR on the radio (neither of us are talkative in the morning - this is why ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A “what-if” moment …", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F06%2Fa-what-if-moment%2F& #38;seed_title=A+%26%238220%3Bwhat-if%26% 238221%3B+moment+%26%238230%3B" });
More About: Television , Moment

Links for 2008-03-05 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-06 07:00:00
Mapping Mannahatta Eric Sanderson, a landscape ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society, is trying to determine exactly how Manhattan looked before the arrival of Europeans.
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The Texas Two-Step
2008-03-05 15:05:00
Well, I’ve done gone and ‘et my words: I am a caucusian. If you live in These United States, you’ve probably heard about the weird ass system we have down here in Texas where we have both election and caucuses for the presidential primaries. The Texas primaries are always so freaking late in the year ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Texas Two-Step ", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F05%2Fthe-texas-two-step%2 F&seed_title=The+Texas+Two-Step" });

Please switch your phone to vibrate
2008-03-04 18:59:00
… so, what do you think? IS the Nokia stock ring tone the most commonly played “song” in the world now? SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Please switch your phone to vibrate", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F04%2Fplease-switch-your-p hone-to-vibrate%2F&seed_title=Please+ switch+your+phone+to+vibrate" });
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Links for 2008-03-03 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-04 07:00:00
How to Infuse Vodka "Maceration" may sound like some crazy combat maneuver, but it's really what happens when a flavor is steeped into a fluid. If you're using the process to add flavor to your vodka, it's given the much cooler moniker of "infusion."
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24 hours left?
2008-03-03 21:53:00
If I have to hear Hillary Clinton tell that story about doing voter registration on the Texas border one more time … … Mexican food … yeesh … SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "24 hours left?", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F03%2F24-hours-left%2F& ;seed_title=24+hours+left%3F" });
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Saturday in the sun
2008-03-03 20:24:00
The first Saturday in March has, for several years now, been the university’s open house event (now called “Explore UT” — this is the third moniker they’ve used in my time here). I’ve grown over many years to loathe this event with a hatred that is normally reserved for people who can’t use apostrophes ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Saturday in the sun", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F03%2F03%2Fsaturday-in-the-sun% 2F&seed_title=Saturday+in+the+sun" });
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Links for 2008-03-02 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-03 07:00:00
Teaching Boys and Girls Separately The idea is gaining traction in American public schools, in response to the different education crises girls and boys have been reported to experience. Students of all ages get taste of college Exploit, er, Explore UT: Where we get to take everything we do and turn it into a craft project and spent hours in the heat watching screaming children fight with their parents. Brought to you by the President's Office. I Need a Virtual Break. No, Really. Thus began my ?secular Sabbath? ? a term I found floating around on blogs ? a day a week where I would be free of screens, bells and beeps. An old-fashioned day not only of rest but of relief. Gourmet Guide to Hawaii In the years since the sugar industry packed up shop and left Hawaii, the Aloha State has taken on a limited culinary identity: poi and pineapple, seafood and shave ice.
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Links for 2008-02-29 [del.icio.us]
2008-03-01 07:00:00
Must Read: The Twenty Science Fiction Novels that Will Change Your Life Whether it's because they've altered the course of science fiction writing, or simply provide a genuinely alien perspective on ordinary life, these are novels that will rearrange how you think.
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Reality check
2008-03-01 01:12:00
It was the end of the second of the two days that I spent coordinating a workshop for a group of army officers preparing to deploy to Iraq that the realization finally hit me. I’d brought in a lecturer to talk about Islamic law, and she was rattling off about hadith this and family ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Reality check", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F02%2F29%2F747%2F&seed_titl e=Reality+check" });
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Links for 2008-02-26 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-27 07:00:00
Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts The country's powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.
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The Tree
2008-02-25 20:26:00
???? ?????? This one’s for Will . It’s in the 80s today in Austin, so I spent some of my lunch break sitting out under Mohammad’s tree. It’s kind of sad, because gone are the days when Mohammad would hold court beneath his tree — which I think he co-opted from the LGBTQ Students’ Association, since he ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Tree ", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F02%2F25%2Fthe-tree%2F&seed _title=The+Tree" });
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Links for 2008-02-24 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-25 07:00:00
The Myth of the Surge : Rolling Stone Hoping to turn enemies into allies, U.S. forces are arming Iraqis who fought with the insurgents. But it's already starting to backfire. A report from the front lines of the new Iraq Echoes of Amado in the Dark and the Light For visitors keen to experience the tropical mysteries of Salvador da Bahia, the Brazilian writer Jorge Amado went so far as to suggest an itinerary in his novel, ?Tereza Batista: Home From the Wars.? Spongebob Rectal Thermometer
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Trippin?
2008-02-22 20:08:00
Skyline Drive, in the Shenandoah National Park. I always love landing in DC: “There is an airport down there somewhere, right?” SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Trippin’", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F02%2F22%2Ftrippin%2F&seed_ title=Trippin%26%238217%3B" });
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Links for 2008-02-21 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-22 07:00:00
20 Worst Foods in America
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Oh, I wish I were a Flash Gordon villain
2008-02-21 14:09:00
It’s raining this morning, which is perfect, cos I have to leave the house in a few minutes to go to the airport and fly to DC. I’m off to a conference that, as I told anyone who crossed my path yesterday by phone, e-mail, IM, or Psychic Friends Network, I just don’t have ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Oh, I wish I were a Flash Gordon villain", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F02%2F21%2Foh-i-wish-i-were-a-f lash-gordon-villain%2F&seed_title=Oh% 2C+I+wish+I+were+a+Flash+Gordon+villain" });
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Signs of the Time
2008-02-19 15:15:00
Just in case anyone on campus has forgotten, here’s a helpful reminder that early voting in Texas starts today. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Signs of the Time ", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F02%2F19%2Fsigns-of-the-time%2F &seed_title=Signs+of+the+Time" });
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Links for 2008-02-18 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-19 07:00:00
Gay Africans And Arabs Come Out Online There are blogs bridging the Arabic-speaking world from Morocco in the west to the United Arab Emirates in the east.
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