Caledoniyya » Frivolities & Miscellaeny

The Art of Rejection

Layla — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:25:38 +0000

For an academic, rejection is as common as wasps in summer.

Initially a mortal slight, it quickly retires to a constant, low hum to be greeted by insouciance, cynicism and, as below, dry wit:

Real Politics

Layla — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:26:15 +0000

Some Tuesday cynicism:

The Procrastinator’s Tale

Layla — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:31:19 +0000

Posted by a friend in response to a status update on my shameless procrastination, this is eeriely accurate.

I can’t decide whether to laugh or hang my head in confused humility:

Things to Make Happy Noises At

Layla — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:36:15 +0000

There are only so many ways one can argue for or against the motion that India is a democratic success story – so far, 10 versions have notched up a number of creative ways.

Despite this, only laughter can help and these two have particularly made my day:

Two of the most (shamefully) identifiable features: ‘Walla, this is the last one!’ and Starbucks:

The Troll Within

Layla — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:16:31 +0000

As bloggers we become hardened to trollisms: it is an inevitable by-product of the past-time.

Yet when the trollism emanates from a personal source (Facebook) and from a friend, it is unnerving.

Yesterday I posted a link to the news that Republican Congressman Paul Broun had called for enhanced profiling: that is, extend it to anyone ‘Arab-looking.’

As a header, I quipped that such stupidity was migraine-inducing.

This morning I awoke to the shitstorm that had raged over night following a comment that such measures were understandable since didn’t all terrorists come from “that area” and frankly, “can you really blame me when I left immediately the underground train in Moscow, when somebody in burca [sic.] entered the train?”

In response, the individual was called a disgrace and general shock was expressed that someone in academia could be educated, but hold such offensive views.

I must concede less surprise (though I was surprised at the individual in question); racism is present at many levels of society, gender and education is superfluous.

It would have been easy to follow-up with an attack powered by personal affront, but I opted to wait and pursue the track of fact and reason.

Likewise, I could have deleted the whole post, comments and all, but it would have been anathematic to my ethos: how could I daily lament censorship, yet delete comments from my own page because they failed to match my sentiments?

Instead, the above post (to follow) is the result.

Study at SOAS?

Layla — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:46:50 +0000

There are so many things to love about this ingenuous short: in 4 minutes it blasts the romanticism associated with the study of languages and cultures, decimates the tendency to become enamoured with the ‘idea’ of the developing world rather than ‘the reality,’ the disappointing truth behind academic life and the less than rosy prospects that follow the brain-frying years of work:

And don’t forget the Gap Yah, folks

Editing Skullduggery

Layla — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:50:55 +0000

Editing…

…makes me feel like this:

Beirut Dabke

Layla — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:39:46 +0000

Smile, because this is possibly the most awesome thing you’ll watch today:

Best of the Rest: Why sectarianism is bad for women

Layla — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:19:47 +0000

Every so often a post emerges that needs no further comment; so perfect, apt and correct is it that to speak further would be to guild the lily.

And so I present Sonya Knox, over at Sawt al Niswa:

We all know that taking down the sectarian system is linked to combating poverty, allowing civil marriage, establishing civil rights for Palestinian refugees, ensuring a living wage to men and women, guaranteeing fair working conditions to all, providing decent health care to all… And none of these, not one, can be achieved without the active participation of women.

Read the full post in all its audacious glory, here.

Bewitching Araby

Layla — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:30:08 +0000

Browsing in the library I struck upon Heart-Beguiling Araby: The English Romance with Arabia (I.B. Tauris, 1989) by Kathryn Tidrick.

One of the books to file under “oh-if-I-had-time-I-so-would!”, I fell in love with the opening quote:

Despite bearing negative connotations, I cannot help but find a beauty in the writer’s hidden efforts to resist.

He affects a disdain, but the sense that he is drawn nonetheless is tangible.

From 1949 to 2011, the bewitching quality of the Middle East has lost none of its allure.