This is just a test to see if I can make this weblog bilingual with entries in both English and Urdu . Don’t worry this weblog will still be mostly in English. Urdu is my first language but this is my first time typing in Urdu…
Author: Zack
Dad, gadget guy, bookworm, political animal, global nomad, cyclist, hiker, tennis player, photographer
Arranged Valentines
A funny episode on Pakistani TV by Avari-Nameh: During a Valentine’s Day “special.” A —- my family would call her “modern” —- woman is interviewing an evidently very happy couple. Hostess: So how long have you been celebrating Valentine’s Day? Husband: Just a few years now. We’ve only started recently, but we really enjoy it.… Continue reading Arranged Valentines
Weeks 2-3
We don’t know when our baby was conceived. Actually, we have a vague idea. Since we live in different states, we can narrow down the dates to when I was home in Jersey. That comes out to be the thanksgiving weekend from Nov 27—30. But we can’t be more precise because we live apart. So… Continue reading Weeks 2-3
Blog Milestone
Around 5pm ET today, the weblog passed 100,000 page views according to Sitemeter. It took 9 months since I got my own domain and switched to Movable Type. I understand that some weblogs get more traffic in a day. In other news, Valentine’s day was very good for traffic statistics. I got a lot of… Continue reading Blog Milestone
Pakistan and Iran are Arab?
There was a really bad article in the New York Times by Leslie Wayne about Arab Americans backing Bush in this election cycle. Leslie Wayne considers Iranians and Pakistanis as Arab too. Who knew? Fortunately, I don’t have to debunk it since Jack Shafer of Slate already has. Juan Cole provides a good summary of… Continue reading Pakistan and Iran are Arab?
Secularism in the Middle East
Talking about the hijab ban in France and plans to allow “painless” female circumcision (also known as female genital mutilation) in Italy, Letter from Gotham writes: Can somebody please tell me what is the difference in principle between outlawing one religious custom and allowing another? I recognize that wearing a scarf does no harm to… Continue reading Secularism in the Middle East
Blogroll Changes
I have dropped a few blogs from my blogroll and added some. Among the additions are (in no particular order): The Manifest Border: A weblog about immigration from immigration lawyer Randy Tunac. Pedantry: A very interesting weblog by Scott Martens about politics, Europe, language, philosophy and his grandpa’s adventures. Quark Soup: About science and policy… Continue reading Blogroll Changes
Exciting News
Today (Valentine’s day) is probably an appropriate day to reveal this news. Amber and I are expecting a baby. This weblog will now be turned into a full-time pregnancy journal. Just kidding. All your favorite content will still be posted, but there will also be pregnancy-related posts by both Amber and me. However, I don’t… Continue reading Exciting News
Kucinich at Tech
Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich had a rally at Georgia Tech on Feb 10. I didn’t get a chance to attend. But here is a report from the campus paper. A delayed flight, however, pushed back the featured speaker’s first showing until around 8 p.m., a little over an hour after the rally began. Still,… Continue reading Kucinich at Tech
Consistency
The human mind is a strange thing. It has this enormous capacity to hold conflicting and contradictory ideas without exploding. Consider, for example, this Washington Post-ABC News poll. Barely half — 52 percent — now believe Bush is “honest and trustworthy,” down 7 percentage points since late October and his worst showing since the question… Continue reading Consistency