Photo by Juan Cole, May, 2012 Aghlabid, rebuilt 863. For another traveler’s view of Kairouan, see this blog.
Archives for July 2012
Entrance to Grand Mosque, Kairouan
Morsi Reaffirms Israel Peace Treaty to Clinton
The establishment press in Egypt, al-Ahram (“The Pyramids”), reported cautiously on the meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi (from the Muslim Brotherhood party). 1. It noted that Clinton affirmed the US desire that the Egyptian military go to its barracks and leave elected civilians in charge. 2. It said […]
On Denying “Radicals” Due Process (Fighting Bob LaFollette Poster)
Kairouan, Tunisia
Kairouan, Tunisia, May 2012, from a rooftop. Photo by Juan Cole For more on this UNESCO Heritage City, see this link.
Omar Khayyam (313) “wine loosens even cast-iron shackles”
Wine-bibbing makes people less full of themselves, and wine loosens even cast-iron shackles. If satan had only tippled every night, he would not have been cast down from heaven for his pride. Translated by Juan Cole from Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, [pdf] Whinfield 313/ Arberry […]
Lemurs are the Species most threatened with Extinction
A new study finds that the Madagascar lemur primate is the vertebrate species most threatened by extinction. One reason for the threat is not only human encroachment on habitat but hunting for ‘bushmeat.’ That is, we are eating them to extinction. Here is a video of these magical animals , who are our distant cousins: […]
Ghoul’s Glossary: From Atrocity (Syria) to CEO (Romney)
Atrocity: What a mass murder is called when the world is too blind or timid or divided to prosecute it as a war crime. Synonym (mainly Syr.): Treimseh. CEO sabbatical: The practice of chief executive officers of a company to absent themselves for several years from actually making decisions, even while they are the only […]