Ramblings of a Hopeless Khowaga

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

A Day in the Life
2008-02-19 03:45:00
We’re sitting here watching Deal or No Deal, for reasons that I can’t quite figure out. In amongst pondering our preposterously bad taste in television. Fortunately, we have not stooped to the point of, say, My Dad is Better than Your Dog, or Who Wants to Marry a Quadriplegic?, and I can still make fun of America’s Next Top Model replete in the inner knowledge that I have never actually seen the show. (Who needs to, when you’ve got Shin? When the show’s not crazy enough on its own, he’ll write his own sketch.) Because I’m who I am, I’m also mulling over an incident at work today that I should let go, but there’s residual drama there (fortunately, I’m tangential at best), and I’m trying to decide if a) I’ve accidentally added to it, and b) whether saying anything to the party in question would accomplish anything. The answer isn’t at the bottom of the bottle of Texas Hills’ Cinque Vino Rosso that...
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Links for 2008-02-17 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-18 07:00:00
Marriage, religion and idleness at The Arabist The Arabist responds to the NYT: "The thing that struck most about the article, and which I recognized from everyday life in Egypt, is not so much the pervasiveness of religion but the central role idleness plays in young people’s lives." Minority Rules Nationalism used to hold Turkey together. Now, as the Kurdish crisis is showing, it’s tearing the country apart. Can homegrown multiculturalism be the new ideology that binds? One big-city mayor gives it a try. Of Crime and the River In this story of a bitter fight against a dam in western Belize, Bruce Barcott mashes up adventure, nature writing and biography in a steamy climate of corruption and intrigue.
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On My Mind
2008-02-17 20:21:00
It’s been a few days since I’ve written a “real” post — ironic for me, since I’m usually heavy on the words and light on the photos. It’s like we’ve all shifted into that Parallelland that I wrote about a few days back. Ah, Paralelland. So, in no particular order, here’s what’s on my mind: I still don’t know who to vote for. Now that it’s become rather obvious that the Texas primary on March 4 will actually mean something, my deer-in-the-headlights approach to choosing a candidate seems like it’s a little less advisable, and yet … {stares at the pretty lights .. it’s so beautiful! … crash!} I decided, on the recommendation of a friend who is having problems making up her mind like I am, to visit Glass Booth, a site that features one of those Cosmo-type quizzes where you rank the relative importance of a number of issues, choose your stance on them, and then it splits out a list of c...
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Links for 2008-02-16 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-17 07:00:00
Dreams Stifled, Egypt's Young Turn to Islamic Fervor Across the Middle East, many people are forced to put off marriage, the gateway to independence. In their frustration they turn to religion for solace. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge? Susan Jacoby's new book bemoans the state of American culture. Not only are citizens ignorant about essential knowledge, she says, but they also don’t think it matters. Battlestar Galactica: Battlestar Won't Self-Destruct Good news: BSG will get to finish season 4. Bad news: it might be 2009 before the unfinished half of the 4th season airs. Also, rumors of a writers strike ...
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Friday Night
2008-02-16 16:40:00
There’s a lot of gatherings going on this weekend, which started off last night with an after work visit to a wine bar that … well, pretty much turned in to a full night out. Cork and Co. Michael and Daniel. Drinks. Bev and Lisa. Your host for the evening. Natalie and Kelly. Moving next door to Manuel’s for food. Bev, Kim, and mood lighting. ShareThis
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Links for 2008-02-15 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-16 07:00:00
Chicken Samosas with Cilantro-Yogurt Dip by Jean-Georges Vongerichten yum.
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Links for 2008-02-13 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-14 07:00:00
Roasted Red Tomato Soup We do need some things to help us get through these days, and soup is one of those things. Are You a Taco or a Burrito Person? Think of Cosmo quizzes: Everyone makes fun of how stupid they are, but everyone takes them.
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Links for 2008-02-12 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-13 07:00:00
5200 B.C. Is New Date for Farms in Egypt American and Dutch archaeologists reported last week the discovery at a desert oasis of what they say is the earliest known farming settlement in ancient Egypt. How Sticky Is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free Some users have discovered that it is nearly impossible to remove themselves entirely from Facebook, setting off a fresh round of concern over the popular social network?s use of personal data.
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12 of 12: February 2008
2008-02-13 03:57:00
It’s time for 12 of 12 again! 6:15 AM: Can’t see a bloody thing … that’s better! Disclaimer: my poor vision and the effect of putting in my contact lenses may be enhanced for dramatic effect. 6:47 AM: On the way to pick up Bev I’ve commuted in to work for the past few years with a coworker who lives ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "12 of 12: 2008 .html">February 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%2F02%2F12%2F12-of-12-february-20 08%2F&seed_title=12+of+12%3A+February +2008" });
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Diminishing Returns, or, Pure Terror, Part 2
2008-02-11 22:44:00
Well, since I blogged the experience, I may as well give you all the follow-up. Today we got the results of the Arabic language proficiency tests that we took two weeks ago, and I’m left wanting more. Since I wrote the post from my perspective as the terrorized victim of a Kafka-esque experiment, I may ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Diminishing Returns, or, Pure Terror , Part 2", 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%2F11%2Fdiminishing-returns- or-pure-terror-part-2%2F&seed_title=D iminishing+Returns%2C+or%2C+Pure+Terror%2 C+Part+2" });
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Links for 2008-02-10 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-11 07:00:00
Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad The American system of higher education, long the envy of the world, is becoming an important export as more universities take their programs overseas.
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Custody Issues
2008-02-11 00:28:00
I know people are going to see the title of this post and freak out: “OMG, you’re not splitting up with Ray?” No, not quite the type of custody issues I’m talking about. I’m currently in lazy-Sunday mode. I need to do laundry but won’t, the dog needs a bath and might get one ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Custody Issues ", 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%2F10%2Fcustody-issues%2F 8;seed_title=Custody+Issues" });
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Links for 2008-02-09 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-10 07:00:00
The Other Iran Lost in Esfahan, the old Persian capital, an American finds a mostly friendly welcome in bazaars, teahouses and even a madrasa. A View of Pueblo Life From the Inside Cabañas offer the best way to get a deeper glimpse of life in Oaxaca’s small pueblos than is possible in a day trip.
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Bicycling like a fish out of water
2008-02-09 23:08:00
And herein is the post where I describe my evening with the Palestinian Prime Minister. If you’re crazy or really, really interested, the School of Public Affairs posted a Webcast of the speech. Don’t bother looking for me, I’m way out of frame to the right, and I like it that way. The Director and Chair of my department had both received invitations from the hosts of the event, and neither particularly wanted to go, for various reasons (I won’t go into them here). Hence, I was sent as the official representative of the unit, and showed, dressed to the nines with invitation in hand. Because of who the guest of honor was, there was a lengthy line to get in, as well as a near-strip search at the door complete with guard dogs and metal detectors, and the way that the crowd control worked was that everyone who wanted to get in had to wait in a very long line outside the building. I arrived 45 minutes early and started waving around the invitation from the Dea...
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Links for 2008-02-06 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-07 07:00:00
He Says It's Greek. Will Mother Agree? In just two years, Mr. Psilakis, a chef and an owner of two Manhattan restaurants, has redrawn the city’s map of Greek cuisine, breaching the wall of tradition in several places. Recipe: Hummus With Sun-Dried Tomatoes Buttermilk in a pinch? Add some vinegar to your milk (and other emergency substitutions) - Slashfood Everyone's been there. You're going along, assembling the ingredients for your cake, and...your heart sinks.
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Good News, Bad News, Red News, Blue News
2008-02-07 03:42:00
Where to begin? So, a bit of good news to start off the day. Since before Christmas, we’ve all been pre-occupied with the black cloud hanging over our office: namely, that one of our junior professors was denied tenure. There’s been a lot of back-and-forthing, furtive meetings, behind the scenes negotiations, falling on various swords, and today the president’s tenure committee met and unanimously agreed to reverse the decision and grant him tenure. The “this never happens” quotient is extremely high — I’ve known lots of cases where people didn’t get tenure, but I’ve never actually heard of one where a reconsideration was actually made successfully. The meeting must have taken no time at all because we had word by 10 this morning. It was quite a nice start to the day. Which segued right into nearly immediate frustration. I have a colleague in another department who is very sweet except when she’s not, and today was...
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Links for 2008-02-05 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-06 07:00:00
Graphic novels at Words Without Borders at The Arabist Words Without Borders is running a series of excerpts from graphic novels from around the world this month, including two from Egypt and Lebanon Australia Is Doomed: Seven Reasons Why Australia is the Most Apocalyptic Country Ever since On the Beach was published in 1957, Australia has been the country we think of when we think "global apocalypse." Making a Great Arab City What are the enduring characteristics that make a city meaningful, rather than only comfortable and efficient? And what do Arab cities in the Gulf and elsewhere offer beyond rapid growth?
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Death to Priority Flags
2008-02-05 15:00:00
I’ve been sitting on the fence for a while now, and it’s time for me to take a stand: I hate e-mail priority flags. I think they’re stupid and rude. There! I said it. When you send me an e-mail with a little priority flag, you’re not telling me that the message is important to me. You’re telling me that it’s important to you, and that you think that it should also be important to me. But it might not be. It might be mundane. And a special note to my former co-worker whose response to my “please stop sending me stupid forwarded messages” was “if you don’t want to read it, you can delete it:” no message that contains the phrase “OMG this is so funny” deserves a priority flag, no matter how hard you laughed. If Microsoft really cared about making e-mail more user friendly, they’d allow me to flag my own messages as a priority as easily as you can tell me that it ought to be. Who cares what you thi...
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Links for 2008-02-04 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-05 07:00:00
Do you speak Ikea? Here's a fun game for all the family. Can you identify these items from the world's favourite purveyor of stylish but affordable home furnishings, namely Ikea of Sweden?
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Links for 2008-02-03 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-04 07:00:00
The Mindset of the Class of 2011 Most of the students entering College this fall, members of the Class of 2011, were born in 1989. For them, Alvin Ailey, Andrei Sakharov, Huey Newton, Emperor Hirohito, Ted Bundy, Abbie Hoffman, and Don the Beachcomber have always been dead. 8 Microstock Websites and "What the Hell is Microstock anyway?" Micro stock, is that stock photography of only Macro photographs or photos of microscopic thingies?
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Links for 2008-02-02 [del.icio.us]
2008-02-03 07:00:00
Science Fiction Politics: Five Ways 9/11 Changed Science Fiction As the United States has cracked down on civil liberties at home, and invaded nations abroad, in the name of national security, a crop of futuristic and fanciful tales have sprung up to satirize and justify "the war on terror." 36 Hours in Cairo Cairo is third world and first world, Islamic world and pharaonic world, a teeming city that jars all the senses, all at once.
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Pure Terror
2008-02-02 23:43:00
I sit outside the room in the warm, muggy hallway, looking at my watch. Someone was supposed to be out here, dammit, but I’m waiting by myself. There’s a window in the door, so I know I’m outside the right room, and the instructions were clear: wait outside until someone comes out to ...SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Pure Terror ", 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%2F02%2Fpure-terror%2F&s eed_title=Pure+Terror" });
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Maybe I shoulda been more specific
2008-01-31 14:58:00
When I was a girl, I used to wish that when I grew up I would be surrounded by beautiful men, and I am, and I should have been more specific. –Quintessential fag hag Margaret Cho I am thinking this morning of this lovely quote by Empress Margaret because of an e-mail that was waiting for me in my (apparently exceeding its limit) inbox this morning. Right after Christmas, I sent a letter of inquiry off to a Very Large, Very Rich Foundation (VLVRF). A rep from VLVRF had shown up at a meeting I was attending in Montréal and practically begged people who do what I do to send them ideas for funding (i.e., our ideas, their funding) because–and she only said this about three zillion times as she talked–”We really don’t know what we’re looking for, but we have all this money.” Cha-ching! So, the second day back in the office after the holiday (obviously, I couldn’t send it on the first day back — that would just be obnoxious), I sen...
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Links for 2008-01-29 [del.icio.us]
2008-01-30 07:00:00
Super Bowl Week: Sarah's Sticky Chicken Wings
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Parallelland
2008-01-29 18:55:00
Over the past few days, I have come to suspect that I am actually living in a parallel universe from the rest of existence. This wouldn’t actually surprise me, and would to a large degree be rather reassuring to find that there really is something wrong with the universe instead of having to reconcile ... SHARETHIS.addEntry( { title: "Parallelland", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F01%2F29%2Fparallelland%2F& seed_title=Parallelland" } );

You can?t go wining again
2008-01-28 15:45:00
Over the past couple of weeks, I seem to have come up against numerous things that I have reminded me of how long I’ve been in Texas: in August, it will be 10 years. Another reminder popped up over the weekend. Yesterday, Ray and I drove up to Dallas for Ray’s godson’s 9th birthday party. ... SHARETHIS.addEntry( { title: "You can’t go wining again", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F01%2F28%2Fyou-cant-go-wining-a gain%2F&seed_title=You+can%26%238217% 3Bt+go+wining+again" } );
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Links for 2008-01-27 [del.icio.us]
2008-01-28 07:00:00
What's Cholesterol Got to Do With It? THE idea that cholesterol plays a key role in heart disease is so tightly woven into modern medical thinking that it is no longer considered open to question. The Simple Life First, we must understand where our true values lie and focus on them. Then, we must take time to enjoy the simple things, and slow down and see what?s right in front of us.
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Links for 2008-01-26 [del.icio.us]
2008-01-27 07:00:00
The Frugal Traveler - Hawaii on a Dime
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Links for 2008-01-25 [del.icio.us]
2008-01-26 07:00:00
Social relationships in the Bible graphed Crazy Things to do in Hawaii (Big Island)
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A Little Light Reading?
2008-01-25 15:00:00
I was out of the office yesterday, and didn’t start my computer at home, either (a very rare thing for me to do). When I booted up my computer this morning, I got this intriguing bit of information: Yes, in the menu bar, my newsfeed indicator is, in fact telling me that I have -2,147,483,616+ unread ... SHARETHIS.addEntry( { title: "A Little Light Reading ?", url: "http://www.khowaga.us/feeder/?FeederActi on=clicked&feed=Articles+%28RSS2%29&# 38;seed=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khowaga.us%2Fblo g%2F2008%2F01%2F25%2Fa-little-light-readi ng%2F&seed_title=A+Little+Light+Readi ng%3F" } );
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