An Armenian, A Hikmah

An Armenian character appeared towards the last pages of 'Cities of Salt' which had become a drag to read. The character is a driver named Akoub, and I realized this was the short version of 'Yacoub' when they laid his gravestone. An Armenian whose family ends up in Aleppo like so many others after the deportations. It is interesting that the Armenian name in an Arabic context is once again 'Yacoub' as in the Yacoubian Building.
The hikmah, in the spirit of Ramadan, is the following. The Prophet always recommended that people finish their plate to the last bit. He said that any given 'gift' from God contained benefit, but you never know in which part of the gift the 'benefit' is hidden. It might be in the last grain of rice on your plate, so eat up. So even when the book gets boring, read up, an interesting bit of information (that can be recognized only by you- it has your name on it, so to speak) might be hidden in the last page.
Such proved to be the case with my perseverance of A Dance to the Music of Time as well.
Amen(na).

A Kabul-based Fuel Trader

Matthew Leeming, a Kabul-based fuel trader, told the newspaper that it had become increasingly difficult to get convoys of essential goods through to more distant bases.
“The Taliban’s new tactics of blowing bridges between Kabul and Kandahar, forcing convoys to slow down and become softer targets, is causing severe problems to companies trying to supply Kandahar from Kabul,” he said.

http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48604&Itemid=39

Oda Tiyatrosu

My good cousin tells me our lives have become like a piece from the theatre of the absurd, or maybe an Oscar Wilde play. Enter X. Enter Y. Exit X. Enter Z. und so weiter... the scene is us sitting on the couch watching, possibly, In the Thick of It, while these characters enter and exit. We have such little dealings with them as we laugh away at the show. They plot, scheme, war and make peace among themselves. Sometimes they fill our cups of tea. Some make grand entrances, others quiet exits. They leave. They come back. The cycle repeats itself.

Second Sighting of Valley of the Wolves T-Shirt

Watching the news item about the newly restored Muradiye Mosque in Filibe/Plovdiv, I saw an eight year old in the mosque wearing a Valley of the Wolves t-shirt, with the faces of various characters from the series imprinted on the shirt. I had not quite believed it when Tom had said that he'd seen one in Yerevan, but there's now proof. It also says something about macho tendencies in post-communist countries, any dark man with a frown and a gun is legit for streetwear. (even in Yerevan and the dark man is a Turkish ultra-nationalist!)