The flashes of brilliance?

...They seldom come from my @ life in Qatar. But they come - almost always at exactly the right time - from my LC, the group that has facilitated revolutionary thinking and has taught me some of the most important lessons I have ever encountered.

Many of the alums have said their piece. Now it is up to those that are in the thick of things to make those important decisions. Only a conversation with exceptional people - hundreds of miles away but connected through ideas, experiences and the internet - can be diplomatic, reasoned, passionate to the point of tears. Often other groups I have been part of have had discussions of much less importance and relevance that result in pettiness, hurt and no solutions. I'm pleasantly surprised by the productivity and clarity of the discussion (even though it is in three or four or five different places at once) and the sensitivity to everyone else that is participating. We're all committed to the flow of ideas for the betterment of our group. There's a higher point to these discussions, and that's why it works.

To have a discussion across the internet that promotes leaders to reexamine their perspectives, that displays the lack of factioning (new vs. old, for example) in the group, that reinforces the principle that we are all committed to supporting each other, even when we vehemently disagree... I could not be more passionately proud of the direction our LC is heading, whatever it is. With dialogues like these, the outcome can only be good.

Together, we have written a book. I have read every word and I have been reminded that to find those flashes of brilliance that I so desperately need here, I should look to my roots - to the people that have shared the greatness of a combined effort and intelligent discussion, to the people that inspired and taught me from day one - and to the future, the people who will create legacies of their own.

past present and future

I feel like there's something right in front of my face that I am supposed to grab, but I'm blindfolded and my arms are three inches long and it's making a sound that, if it were just a little bit louder, I could recognize but still not place. And people, ignorant or otherwise, describe it in their native english but still talk about it in plural with an 's.

The flashes of brilliance I need seldom come as they should.

countdown to super duper tuesday...

This is my dream battle for the 2008 race to the White House: Hillary Clinton v. John McCain.

And the NYT just called it. (!)

Read the endorsements here and here.

Even though, as the NYT writes, "firstness" doesn't matter, I take pride in the fact that, for the first time (and presumably not the last), they also write, "She is the best choice for the Democratic Party as it tries to regain the White House."

And it is also somewhat hilarious - though not unexpected - that the NYT started the McCain endorsement like this: "We have strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president. The leading candidates have no plan for getting American troops out of Iraq. They are too wedded to discredited economic theories and unwilling even now to break with the legacy of President Bush. We disagree with them strongly on what makes a good Supreme Court justice. Still, there is a choice to be made, and it is an easy one."

citius altius fortius

I love what I do.

It is curious to me that after spending almost three hours working on AIESEC Qatar's Constitution and Compendium and five hours working on research and number crunching about potential Exchange Participants and the market on the Female campus of Qatar University today, I'm tired and mentally exhausted... but in a way that makes me very content and that makes me proud of my work and the significant progress that was made. (Because, of course, there's always more work to be done...)

In the next three business days, I have three very important meetings with three incredibly powerful governmental groups. These meetings could make or break the funding of the $150,000 project that we have proposed to QP. It's still hard for me to believe that I'm the presenter, the one answering the questions, the one selling; it's still hard for me to believe that..... I'm in charge.

I have an application due on Sunday and one due on the 10th. Sunday is also the deadline for completing the writing and finalization of the Compendium. Also, I will either be in the UK or in Bahrain from the 6th to the 10th. I may be going to St. Petersburg or Iran at the end of March. And I still need to get the car repaired.

Yeah, it's a lot. I am a little overwhelmed right now. But I'm also working harder now and I feel more fulfilled now. I feel like I'm hitting my stride. I'm more complete - content, even - now because I see the possibility.

That is not what this post was supposed to be about.... whatever...

the glory of the green and gold

Articles like this make me love Wisconsin more than I already do. Eleven years is a long time to wait... GO PACK GO! :D

at least something is going right...

I passed round one. Yeah baby.

Next step: convince the members that I rock by displaying my charming personality and fabulous sense of style (not to mention my constantly expanding @ knowledge) from February 6-10.

The only downside: this means I can't go to Bahrain for the conference... :(

Oh yeah, and the $800 plane ticket isn't too great, either.

meh.

interview got delayed, when i had it i flubbed the first question (i also don't know how many washing machines there are in the U.S.), blackout, member of the royal family slammed into my car in one of the damn roundabouts (which of course means it's my fault. i'm fine, btw.), traffic police made fun of me to my face, and i found out that someone i used to like a lot is manipulative and narcissistic and mean.

it was a great day yesterday.

winter in Qatar

It has been raining for four days straight in Doha and the temperature is about 15C/60F. This is the first time it has rained here in the six months I've been here.

It makes me want to cuddle under the covers with some tea, a cheese sandwich and a book...

I talked with a friend last night who doesn't believe in love. What an interesting perspective.

"equal" in everything except the eyes of the law

Maybe I have been lured into a false sense of security by my daily activities and the open-minded people that I deal with regularly. I need news stories like the one below every once in a while to remind me of the kind of society that I live in now. I have added the bold formatting as a sort of commentary on the article... I need not use words for you to understand my outrage, I'm sure. This makes me feel sick, angry and very, very sad.


Men’s verdict: No women judges
The Peninsula
January 9, 2008

"DOHA • Male lawyers in Qatar are opposed to women being appointed as judges and say if at all, they should be restricted to family courts.

A woman is emotionally and physiologically not geared to fit in the role of a judge since the job demands a balanced disposition, said Waleed Abu Nida, a lawyer.

Women are showing excellence in almost every field in Qatar and walking shoulder to shoulder with men, but dispensing justice is not their cup of tea. "It is entirely the male's domain," said Lawyer Mohsen Thiyab Al Suwaidi.

"We, however, support the idea of women judges in the family courts," he said. Women are physiologically not geared to be in a judge's role since their performance can be affected during menstrual cycle, pregnancy and delivery," argued Al Suwaidi.

The Peninsula was seeking the views of the legal fraternity on whether women should be appointed as judges in the Qatari courts after media reported yesterday the UAE had decided to have females in the profession, triggered a debate here.

According to Abu Nida, even if a woman is picked as a judge, her performance would be good for a limited period. "It's rare to have a female judge with a stable track record throughout her career," he said.

Isam Mehfooz, from Mohamed Nasser Fudala's Lawyer's Firm, said he was not opposed to women being inducted as judges but quickly referred to the family courts where he said he saw a more important role for them.

As for criminal courts, Mehfooz said he didn't think that would be the kind of court where a female would be able to fit in as a judge. [Context note: Qatar is a country where the general crime rate, not to mention the violent crime rate, is almost zero.]

"I think there are enough signs here indicating that women may soon begin entering the judicial profession. The number of women lawyers is increasing and, recently, a female has been picked as a Public Prosecutor," said Mehfooz.

Having women as judges in the Arab world is not a new development, according to Abu Nida. "Five months ago, a woman was appointed a judge in Egypt," he said. "But they shouldn't be. They are emotionally disposed which can be disadvantageous for a judge's job," argued Abu Nida.

Historically, all religions in the world are opposed to having females as judges, he said.

There are verses in the Holy Quran and some Hadith (Traditions of the Prophet-PBUH) against women being appointed as judges, Al Suwaidi said.

But a woman lawyer, who asked not to be named, was highly critical of her male counterparts and said their opinion that females should not be allowed to become judges was biased.

"A judge has to base his or her decision on points of law and evidence, so where is the question of emotion and physiology being involved in it. There is no reason why we can't become judges," she said.

"In Qatar, women have proved their worth in every conceivable field, so why they shouldn't be allowed to enter the judicial profession," she asked."

Whitehair Kickassington

I love how elections bring out the wittiness in those that are politically savvy... I could not stop laughing when I read the comments on this video... check some out below. (But I'm curious... why so few Hillary comments? Probably because 'Hillary Rodham Clinton' sounds more presidential than the whole lot combined.)



Aaand the comment:

"It's a shame about Rooney, who back in his prime was a great newsman. Have his last 25 years on "60 Minutes" done anything but trash his own reputation?

That said, I hope Democrats are not shy about making fun of the Republican candidate for trivial superficialities this year. Republicans and their media echo chamber always do the same to Democrats.

And I say this as someone whose given name has a natural nickname that rhymes with "potty" and whose surname is shared by a number of teaseworthy famous people and fictional characters. So I've been on the receiving end of this kind of schoolyard ridicule, and I'm all for embracing our inner name-calling child when it comes to campaign time.

Rudolph William Luis Giuliani, for example That's a ridiculous name. Not because of the Italian-sounding bit at the end, but because who has two middle names without being in line to the British throne? Oh, right, effete Easterners who think they know better than the rest of us. Plus, he's a Republican with the middle initial W. I want to see Democrats start to call him Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Willard Mitt Romney is another great example. I go by my middle name too, but let's hear about "W. Mitt" when Democrats say his name. Or "Willard Romney." No squeamishness! We're not picking on him because of his Mormonism; we're picking on him because he's named after a hotel. And because he shares a Dubya with Dubya.

Huckabee's name makes its own teases, what with "Huckster" and "Huck" being synonyms variously for a charlatan or a fool.

John Sidney McCain III has a name as square and Andy Rooney-approved as the senator's jawline. But still, throwing the Sidney or a Sid into his name, or emphasizing the patrician-sounding "the third" can't hurt.

You know it's going to be "Barack Hussein Obama" when opponents of "the Democrat Party" speak, and you know they're going to slip a lot of "Osama" references into their talk. So the time to start ridiculing their candidates for their silly names is now. Start doing it here, in print. Start doing it in emails when you talk about the campaign. Slip name ridicule in when you talk with friends, family, and coworkers. Not with an angry tone in your voice, but with a bemused sense of can-you-believe-what-they're-trying-to-foist-on-us-this-time. "Oh, sure, Rudolph William Luis Giuliani. A man with as many names as ex-wives. He'll be a great role model." That sort of thing."

Hahaha... Or how about the comment below?

"I think in 10 years, when I'm eligible, I'll run for president under the pseudonym Whitehair Kickassington. That presidential enough fer ya?"

LOVE it.

Oh Gloria... it's about time for you to speak up, no?

"THE woman in question became a lawyer after some years as a community organizer, married a corporate lawyer and is the mother of two little girls, ages 9 and 6. Herself the daughter of a white American mother and a black African father — in this race-conscious country, she is considered black — she served as a state legislator for eight years, and became an inspirational voice for national unity.

Be honest: Do you think this is the biography of someone who could be elected to the United States Senate? After less than one term there, do you believe she could be a viable candidate to head the most powerful nation on earth?"

I love Gloria Steinem. Read it here (Women Are Never Front-Runners, NYT, 1/8/08).

I would have liked to see this before the Iowa Caucus, but at least it was published on the morning of the New Hampshire Caucus...

P.S. Notice the shoutout to Senator Edward Kennedy, my former boss, and a Hillary supporter.

P.P.S. I'm wearing my Hillary button until the polls close in the Wisco primary on February 19. Even though I live in Qatar.

Dubai, Dubai...

Kelly recorded our adventures in Dubai over the New Year's Eve weekend on her travel blog... For more pictures, stories and general fabulousness, click here.

outlook

Right now, I'm in a room in the middle of Dubai with my two american best friends, a turk, two bulgarians, an argentinian and a tunisian. I wouldn't want to start '08 any other way.

Looking forward, I can't imagine having another year that results in as much life-changing growth and mind-blowing, life-defining change. I like who I have become and I am immeasurably attached to the process of each development. I have learned to appreciate that process as much as each result.

I am so lucky to be able to pursue my dreams yet see my life play out in a series of surprises, day to day and year to year. I couldn't ask for anything more.