Before we can trust each other we must understand each other. To understand each other...hey, let's just eat.
Yet another hospital waiting room. “This is about as interesting as watching paint dry.”
A quick search with the laptop turned up an “unnamed” unsecured “guest” router that could only have belonged to the hospital. But what mischief is this? Google translate is blocked! This is too bizarre a claim not to be true, but here is the screenshot.
I never knew Google Translate was such a troublemaker.
Happy holiday, safe travels, and thank you to all who are keeping our family in your prayers this week.
The beast pictured here is from the museum at Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois. The small sign next to it says, “The wild turkey was extirpated from this area in the late 1800s. Reintroduced into the park in 1979, the turkey has again become common in the area’s open woodlands and forests.”
Extirpated, huh. Pretty drastic.
“Did you know that 3500 years ago when Hittites said watar it meant the same as our English word water?” teases a display at Chicago’s Oriental Institute.
It continues:
English and Hittite both belong to the Indo-European language family, of which Hittite is the oldest known member. This means that they share grammar and words: watar = English water. The Hittites lived in ancient Anatolia, which is now modern Turkey. Between 1650 and 1200 BC they were one of the great powers of the ancient Near East alongside Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia. There are over 30,000 Hittite texts comprising laws, letters, annals, hymns and prayers, oracles and omens, myths, scenarios for religious celebrations and rituals, and even ancient dictionaries.
The Hittite dictionary project has been going since 1976. It has already been in print (I have seen a used three-volume set priced at $20 per volume). The Chicago Hittite Dictionary is also free online (it downloads a Java application file first).
Other language projects at the Oriental Institute have not been so successful, at least yet. The oldest project, the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, began in 1921, and is said to be nearly complete with 20 volumes so far. A project to supplement a 1954 glossary of Demotic Egyptian is also still underway; plans call for a hard copy and a CD-ROM as a final product.
Of course there are rumors the dictionary is already available in the members’ library upstairs.
It’s that time again. Fish and apples. This week I was inspired to reform myself, not a whole lot, just slightly, and instead of ordering chicken and beef enchiladas at the local taquería, I decided to go vegetarian and get the shrimp. They were so good I got some more shrimp at the supermarket and fried them with a little olive oil and some Asian fish curry spices and ate it with spaghetti and tomato/basil sauce. Tonight the last of the shrimp gets the Australian treatment, along with an apple. Only I don’t have all the right ingredients, so I will make do.
Fish and Bananas with Stone’s Ginger Wine
Bananas
Stone’s Ginger Wine
Substitute shrimp for fish
Red chili powder
Salt
Apples with raisins and Australian port
Apple (Granny Smith)
Bananas
Raisins
Substitute maple syrup (real) for honey
Cinnamon
Ground walnuts
Substitute key lime peel for lemon peel
Substitute black walnut ice cream for vanilla ice cream
Substitute brandy for port
By rights, this should be eaten with a small glass of the same Australian port used to flavor the apples, so I will substitute mulled ginger wine from the comments here (ingredients: Stone’s ginger wine, brandy, fat-free half and half, pinch mahlab Arab baking spice).
Comment: The outcome? Not good. Everything was overcooked, except the ice cream. I’m task oriented, not time oriented. Next time everything will be stir fried in olive oil on top of the stove where I can see it cook.
When I was driving through Missouri last week I saw a billboard for an attorney advertising for people who had worked in a popcorn factory and were now experiencing respiratory problems. (No, I didn’t take a picture.) Now I have discovered the reason. An unusual condition called bronchiolitis obliterans can be caused by breathing the fumes of an artificial butter flavoring called diacetyl that has been used extensively in microwave popcorn. Now it appears that the CDC, FDA, OSHA, and the EPA all knew about it–the EPA did a study in 2003 and gave the results to private industries, although the information was not released to the public. Once the lawsuits against the private companies fall into place, I suspect there will be some questions about maladministration in the regulatory agencies to add to case histories of disasters like the Vandalia mine and the Challenger explosions.
Trying to catch up on my email to make Thanksgiving plans, I found a link to the schedule for Chicago’s Arab Heritage Month. Once again I have managed to miss a great deal of it.
I was most disappointed to find that the Jasmin Jahal School of Dance’s “Belly Dance Workshop: Intro to Sword Dancing” was over. Not that I could have gone; it conflicts with my work schedule. Several years ago I went to Jasmin’s Arab Heritage Month event (an introductory lesson was only $10 back then, not $35) and greatly enjoyed the workout. Jasmin is a great teacher with apparently limitless energy. Even those with two left feet will believe that they too can learn to belly dance. The type of dance here is the traditional kind that is done at Arab wedding parties, the kind with only women present, not the kind done in certain (unnamed) north side Greek restaurants .
Unlike the Arabeque Arab festival, there is no master list of participants for Arab Heritage Month. Here is my own partial list, collected from hovering a mouse over the calendar of events:
The two-part PBS film “Islam: Empire of Faith”
The Desert Triology [sic] of Nacer Khemir
“Arab World Cultural Display” at Green Hills Public Library, 8611 W. 103rd Street, Palos Hills
from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM from November 1-30. Admission: Free
Mondays: “Mornings with Ray Hanania” on WJJG 1530 AM Radio www.RadioChicagoland.com for guest information
Saturdays: Islamic and Arab Voices of Chicago presents “Arab Culture and Countries” & “Arab-Americans Past, Present & Future” on WCEV 1450 AM and streaming live online at www.wcev1450.com
Galerie du Maroc (Moroccan Arts)
exhibit of Images du Maroc by Michael Monar
a traditional music performance by Bulbul Ensemble (see “music” below)
Arabic for children on Saturdays from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM at Bridgeview Public Library (year-round) “Arabic Story and Basic Arabic Language Class for Children”
“Homeland Insecurity, the Arab-American and Muslim Experience after 9/11” by Dr. Louise Cainkar. Over a hundred in-depth interviews conducted in the Metropolitan Chicago Area, about the experiences of Arab-Americans and Muslims after 9/11.
Bulbul Ensemble is a takht based in Chicago. The ensemble plays the music of Oum Kalthoum, Fairouz, Asmahan, Sabah Fakhri and others, including composers Muhammad Abdal-Wahhab, Assi and Mansour Rahbani, Sayid Darwish, and other great artists from 20th century Near East music. Musicians: Nai: Kim Sopata, Oud: Rami Gabriel, Percussion: Doug Brush,Violin: Steve Gibons. www.bulbulensemble.com
[Bulbul's next public appearance: Saturday, Dec 5, 2009, from 3 pm to 5 pm Il-Bulbul Arabic Music Ensemble Performs at Oak Park Winterfest
Downtown Oak Park, IL. -- check their webpage www.bulbulensemble.com for some amazing concert excerpts with unfortunately low sound quality]
Assi El Hellani & Shada Hassoun in Concert at Rosemont
Chicago’s Premier Arabic/English monthly, Al-Offok Al-Arabi Newspaper (The Arab Horizon), presents an introspective look into Chicago’s Arab-American Community. The paper has been covering the local scene and its organizations & individuals for over ten years…Links: profile for editor Amani Ghouleh.
Oriental Institute’s highly acclaimed special exhibit “The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer of Ancient Egypt.”
Just for my own reference I’ve pasted here the info for a couple of upcoming events, tomorrow’s Oriental Institute (the inspiration for Raiders of the Lost Ark) tour is not to be missed.
tonight (free music downtown):
Description: The Amman Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International Program cordially invites you to a performance by Doris, the fabulous Arab musical star.
Admission: Free, but reservations are required
For more information email sistercities@cityofchicago.org or call Adrienne Tongate: 312-742-5320
also tonight (radio):
What:
Connecting Women Radio presents “Celebrating Arab Heritage Month”
Where: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/connectingwomenWhen: Nov 18, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PMDescription:
CCHR Advisory Council on Arab Affairs member Hanadi Abukhdeir will be speaking about the Advisory Council and Arab Heritage Month, and author Alia Malek, will be discussing her new book “A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories.”
For more information, call Faten Abdallah: 646-595-3653
tomorrow (U of C campus museum tour):
Oriental Institute presents “Gallery Tour: The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer of Ancient Egypt”
Where: University of Chicago – 1155 E. 58th Street, ChicagoWhen: Nov 19, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PMDescription:
Don’t miss this last chance to tour this exhibit with Curator Emily Teeter before it closes on December 6th!
Learn the behind-the-scenes story of how the Oriental Institute produced this three-dimensional biography of an ancient Egyptian priestess, and see how forensic scientists have used the latest CT data to reconstruct Meresamun’s physical appearance as she actually looked nearly 3,000 years ago.
For more information call: 773-702-9507 or visit: http://oi.uchicago.edu
A week from Monday:
Eid Al-Adha (!!?!)
What: Moraine Valley Community College presents “Eid Celebration”Where:
Moraine Valley Community College – 9000 W. College Parkway, Palos Hills, Room U111
When: Nov 30, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PMDescription: Do you have friends, colleagues or classmates that celebrate “Eid” and have always wondered what it is? A short presentation about the significance of the holiday will be presented. Enjoy free Middle Eastern sweets in celebration of the Muslim holiday, Eid Al-Adha. Also have your name printed in Arabic calligraphy to take home!
Admission: Free
For more information, contact Multicultural Student Affairs: (708) 974-5475
Pere Marquette Lodge is a 1930’s style lodge built by the CCC. It’s a nice, solid-feeling place to spend a chilly fall evening, and get a well prepared meal. Here are some more photos, this time in the daylight. What a comfortable place to just sit, read, or surf the net.
Jordan has appeared on a list of countries that produce goods by child labor or forced labor. The Labor Department has just released a report mandated by Congress titled The Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. If you look at the chart on page 13 you will see that Jordan is listed as a country producing garments with forced labor. For more information you need to go to the bibliography at the end of the report. The countries are listed alphabetically; Jordan is on p. 118.
The culprits, it seems, are the QIZ’s (special economic zones) that have proliferated in the last 5 years as the result of the U.S. giving Jordan special trade status with the U.S. and the workers considered to be “forced labor” are not Jordanians, but guest workers from countries like Bangladesh. This New York Times article is representative:
But some foreign workers in Jordanian factories that produce garments for Target, Wal-Mart and other American retailers are complaining of dismal conditions — of 20-hour days, of not being paid for months and of being hit by supervisors and jailed when they complain.
An advocacy group for workers contends that some apparel makers in Jordan, and some contractors that supply foreign workers to them, have engaged in human trafficking. Workers from Bangladesh said they paid $1,000 to $3,000 to work in Jordan, but when they arrived, their passports were confiscated, restricting their ability to leave and tying them to jobs that often pay far less than promised and far less than the country’s minimum wage.
“We used to start at 8 in the morning, and we’d work until midnight, 1 or 2 a.m., seven days a week,” said Nargis Akhter, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi who, in a phone interview from Bangladesh, said she worked last year for the Paramount Garment factory outside Amman. “When we were in Bangladesh they promised us we would receive $120 a month, but in the five months I was there I only got one month’s salary — and that was just $50.”
Why am I not surprised. Jordan is not a wealthy country and its guest workers are the most vulnerable of anyone in the country. A New York based advocacy group, the National Labor Committee, has documented abuses in Jordan. (Unfortunately their search function will only display the four most recent items, although those items do have more links.)
To complicate matters, a QIZ is one of the areas where foreign investment money can be used to set up factories. Rumor has had it for a long time that much of such investment capital comes from Israel. One of the most egregious cases has come from Musa Garments in Irbid (owned by two Israelis) that makes Israeli labels such as Irit, Bonita, Pashut, and Jump.
The lesson here is clear. Special trade agreements are great, and I’m overjoyed to see the U.S. in a special relationship with Jordan. But a small and hungry country like this isn’t going to be able to police their own ranks, much less control foreign nationals operating within their country. Special U.S. trade relationships like this need to be tied to fair labor legislation.
My continuing trip through downstate Illinois…
A night journey adjacent to the river ends at Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois, just north of St. Louis.
These lodges were built in the 1930’s at the height of the depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). You can’t find a more comfortable or a more solid structure anywhere. Here is my supper, a glass of Australian Yellowtail Shiraz (“ripe cherries, strawberries, and vanilla aromas”), it sounds sweet, but the waitress assures me it’s supposed to be dry, and it is. I can only taste the cherries, but “earthy”, not sweet cherries. To go with it (vegetarians, close your eyes) I order a pulled pork sandwich. For some reason these most excellent sandwiches are only available south of I-80, southern Illinois being part of The South in many ways. My inlaws used to make this at Christmas–it was roasted in a Weber grill covered, then served in a hamburger bun with barbecue sauce.
[A group passes through the lodge as I sit here blogging, connected to the free wifi. I hear someone describe their experiences building the lodge years ago. They were charged $2 a day for room and board and were paid $3.50 an hour. She says it was all very exciting and they had the time of their lives.]
Back to last evening. I catch up on email near the huge limestone fireplace at the end of the huge room.
In the center of the main room is a lifesize chess board. Some of the people I saw at dinner play for a while.
Adjacent to the lodge are cabins which I am told go for $125-130 a night, also a campground with tent spaces and a shower. This morning I see frost on the ground and realize I have grossly underestimated the nighttime temperatures for the season, and that tonight I will be sleeping in my own bed. In addition the fuse on the cigarette lighter I was using to charge my cellphone has blown, taking out the radio as well. The only thing I have to listen to (besides the mp3 player, which I can’t do while driving) is the cassette player, which still works, and a Berlitz Arabic tape I bought at a used bookstore in Carbondale. My camera as well is acting up, the batteries only able to take a dozen or so pictures after being completely recharged last night. Time to return to civilization. On the return trip I will cross by ferry into Calhoun county and enjoy a nice afternoon drive back north though river country.
Yesterday when I was at “Roacher” as the town of Prairie du Rocher” is pronounced locally, I was told that the ferry was again operating, after being closed for high water. Here is what it looked like two days earlier, when I was told around dusk that the last ferry leaves around 5:00 (glancing at my watch I saw it was around 4 P.M.) and that the ferry was finished for the day. My informant, who was fishing, pronounced Illinois with the “s”, as “Ill-i-noiz”.
The ferry is the shortest way between Prairie du Rocher and it’s sister town of Ste. Genevieve. The closest bridge over the Mississippi River is some 20 miles downstream at Chester (for some reason they say they’re the home of Popeye), but at $12 per car for the ferry crossing, the bridge is the cheaper route.
Ferry prices.
The ferry parked.
Fishin’.
The way that ferry is anchored, it’s not going anywhere.
A barge passes, going downriver.
Turning in the opposite direction there is an impressive sunset over the railroad tracks.
زِدْنِى عِلْمًۭا "Enrich me with knowledge." Koran 20:114
It would surely be better ... to give up not only a part, but, if necessary, even the whole, of our constitution, to preserve the remainder!
-Boyle Roche arguing for the habeas corpus suspension bill in Ireland.
