I have been beset with a sense 

of urgency to record those parts 

of our heritage which seem to be

receding as quickly as the view

from the rear of a speeding train.

I fear that we are eradicating

the evidence of our past

accomplishments so quickly

that in time we may well lose

the sense of who we are.

David Plowden

(1932-     )

American Photographer

a atmosfera está saturada de Outono, ofusca-nos o brilho dourado das folhas e mimam-se os pés ao percorrer o tapete estaladiço… somos transportados para o imaginário de início de século, para o romântico, na fluidez das formas emprestadas à arquitectura, nos vitrais, nas cores, na ténue luz dos candeeiros e na artificial desorganização dos jardins … respira-se água e paz nestes férteis vales do norte …

Short video about the motoracing heritage of the TAG Heuer watches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF-uOgC_c5U&hl=en

American football is not played with the foot and honour, colour, and labour are the correct way to spell these words. Somethings America has just got wrong but God Bless America for, stuck in the dark days of Novemeber, they have the annual holiday - Thanksgiving. This past Thursday, being the last in Novemeber, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potato, corn, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, rhubarb pie…the works. Surrounded by forty of my college friends, representing nationalities ranging from, as diverse as, Russian to Irish, and American to British, plus several others; this was a truly unique but spectacular Thanksgiving celebration.

Yes America has it right. Thanksgiving is truly a worthy celebration. To spend time with family. To take the time to stop. To look back and be thankful. To acknowledge not thriving but survivng. To mark another year of growth. To be thankful for those that have helped. To be thankful at all.

Britain may have given the world many things, anything from the pencil to the World Wide Web, an empire and a revolution, but the art of thankfulness is not one of these things. I look around at my country and I see very little in the mindset that suggests we are ever thankful for anything, either we take things for granted, or assume we are entitled to such things.  Though we have a long, glorious history, and pride in that heritage, we do not let it pervade our modern minds to recgonise that perhaps it is out of the struggle for survival an attitude of thankfulness arises.

Have we got it wrong? Have I got it wrong? Is it about history or about the present? Do I stop to remember my own survival? Do I challenge myself to growth? Am I thankful in the everyday? Am I thankful for the year that has past? Am I thankful at all?

So this week I was challenged to stop, to think and to be thankful. I looked back on the past year and it was neither what I had expected it to be nor, at all times, what I hoped it would be but that is not the point. The thanksgiving comes from the surviving not the thriving.  I looked around me in the present time and realised there is a lot to be thankful for in the everyday, here and now, Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Love. I looked to my future, with all its uncertainty and unpredicatability, and I am thankful for the potential it holds.  Maybe in a day far away from now, when that potential has run its course, I’ll look back with the benefit of life lived and realise being thankful in surviving is exactly what it means to thrive.

When: 5th & 6th December 2009

Where: Audley End House and Gardens, Essex

£: 9 for adults & 4.50 for children

What is it?

The Service Wing and Gardens at Audley End will be hosting A Victorian Christmas.  Listen to carol singing and peruse some seasonal arts and crafts.  Soak up the festive atmosphere as the servants work hard at Christmas preparations.

More info: Victorian Christmas

DO PIAZA CHICKEN

A Simple recipe for the ultimate Mughlai Cuisine

By

VIKRAM KARVE

If you want a first impression of the authenticity of a “Mughlai” Restaurant, the first dish you must order and taste is a “Do Piaza” and it will give you an idea of the standard and authenticity of Mughlai Cuisine you can expect there.

Indeed the “Do Piaza” may be considered the culinary benchmark to judge and evaluate a Mughlai Restaurant.

And if Do Piaza [Mutton or Chicken] doesn’t figure on the menu, you better order Chinese or Continental, or stick to the ubiquitous “Punjabi” Butter Chicken-Naan routine!

“Do Piaza” means “two onions” or rather “double onions”.

Now how did this dish get its name?

Maybe it’s apocryphal, but legend has it that this delicious dish was invented by Mullah Do-Piaza, a renowned and celebrated cook at the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s court. One of the Navaratnas (nine jewels), it is said he could conjure up culinary delights using only two onions, and a Mughlai dish cooked in that particular style is called a “Do Piaza”.

Water is not used at all when cooking a Do Piaza.

Onions (Piaz or Pyaaz) are used twice – hence the name “Do” [“Two”] Piaza, or Pyaaza, spell it whichever way you like.

Come Dear Reader and fellow Foodie; let’s together cook a Chicken Do Piaza. It takes time, but it’s easy.

THE FIRST PIAZA

First cut a generous number of onions (the more the onions the sweeter the gravy) into rings, yes separate onion rings.

Now, in a large cooking vessel, put in the chicken pieces, add a liberal amount of curds and mix well. Copiously layer the chicken-curd mixture with the onion rings, cover with a tight lid and set aside to marinate for at least an hour.

Remember, do not vigorously mix in the onion rings; just liberally layer the chicken-curd mélange with the onion rings.

After marinating the chicken-curd-onion ring mixture for an hour or more, place the vessel on a slow fire with the lid on, and let the chicken cook slowly in its own juices and those released by the onion rings, till the onion rings are reduced to a pulp and, finally, the liquid almost dries up.

This is the first “Piaza”!

THE SECOND PIAZA

In another pan, pour in and heat pure ghee and fry sliced onions (the “second” piaza) till crisp brown, add finely chopped ginger and garlic, bay leaf, slit green chillies, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and then an adequate amount of chopped tomatoes, stir and fry on slow fire, and when the ghee separates, add the chicken [cooked in curds and onion rings] from the first pot, and stir fry till well browned and the gravy becomes nice and thick.

I don’t like to add garam masala, turmeric, red chilli powder, or any other spice powders; but if you like it, go ahead.

I always find it best to taste the gravy and add the minimal amount of salt as necessary almost at the end of the cooking process.

Remember, do not add water at any stage or you will ruin the dish.

A “Do Piaza” cooks in its own juices – during both the first and second “piazas”.

EATING THE “DO PIAZA”

Place in a serving dish, squeeze a lemon, garnish with fresh green chopped coriander and your Chicken Do Piaza is ready to eat.

But first let’s “visually” savour the Do Piaza in our mind’s eye.

It looks appetizing – nicely browned generous pieces of succulent mutton, in translucent juicy onion rings in scrumptious gravy.

It smells good too – heavenly mouth-watering aroma wafts towards you making you smack your lips and salivate in anticipation of the gastronomic treat that awaits you.

It tastes marvellous – absolutely delicious, not spicy hot, but mild and flavoursome, the unique sweetish zest of onions is discernible and as the heavenly medley of flavours and fragrances synergizes inside you, and you feel a sense of supreme satisfaction.

Relish the Chicken Do Piaza with hot chappties, phulkas or even a piece of soft fluffy pav, and you will experience sheer bliss.

For more such mouthwatering recipes do read my foodie book Appetite for a Stroll

http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

http://books.sulekha.com/book/appetite-for-a-stroll/default.htm

http://www.indiaplaza.in/finalpage.aspx?storename=books&sku=9788190690096&ct=2

Happy Eating.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2009

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

http://books.sulekha.com/book/appetite-for-a-stroll/default.htm

http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com

vikramkarve@sify.com

FOGS Lammas newsletter XIV-3 August 2003

Ups and Downs
COUNTING on the state to care for our monuments has never been the FOGS way. In the northeast we like to check matters for ourselves and have always be quick to relay information to government when an ancient site appeared under threat. We are all aware of the lack of interest shown by Historic Scotland for ‘unscheduled’ sites – a situation where the local on-the-ground network triumphs in adversity, and we continue to maintain our stance for full protection for all monuments. It is unacceptable, however, to find ‘scheduled’ monuments not being adequately conserved, simply for lack of staffing or funding.

Such is the case at the recumbent stone circle of Balgorkar or Castle Fraser NJ 715 125 where one megalith, knocked over during close ploughing, has remained fallen and damaged for over a year.

One remedy suggested by FOGS as long ago as 1989 and taken to the level of ratification in a preliminary paper by government but then shelved, is to compensate farmers for leaving a ‘set-aside’ buffer zone around a stone circle unploughed.

This not only avoids accidents such as at Castle Fraser, but allows visitor access and something close to the ‘feel’ of the original.

As we know, FOGS helped create such a ‘feel’ at Kirkton of Bourtie RSC (NJ801 249) last September with a bale circle surrounding the stones. Our offer to compensate the farmer privately to keep the resulting precinct unploughed – up to the equivalent of government ‘set-aside’ – was turned down, not because of the money, but because no other farmer was doing it! The bale circle lasted until July, but close ploughing has again prevailed, making the circle look even more derelict than before. This is an HS matter.

Thankfully many farmers leave a respectful distance around stones, but there are glaring exceptions. Is it not time for our politicians – if they profess to look after our heritage – to put their(our) money where it does most good? Every NE farmer owning or renting a field with a ‘scheduled’ antiquity would cost the state approximately £200 per site at a generous estimate. Some (single monoliths or avenues) would rate less.

Bureaucracy is welll-placed to administer such a payment (combination of HS scheduling and agricultural set-aside systems), but close ploughing continues. Fourteen years is a long time for FOGS to remain silent. It seems it may be time for us to flex our stoney muscles once more.
©2003-2009MCY

2003 AGM at Balquhain

Balquhain recumbent stone circle and quartz outlier

The horizon is blocked only on the North by Gallow Hill; other Garioch stone circles are clearly visible and, for those who like spectacular celestial events to mark their AGM, there is the Bennachie equinox sunset roll-down as a bonus.

This is your invitation to attend FOGS 2003 annual meeting at 2p.m. Sunday September 21st at Balquhain, NJ 735 241. From A96 1m N of Inverurie take Chapel of Garioch turnoff (W) for 1 mile, passing Echo Vale; turn N (right) at Mains of Balquhain farm with its 13thC keep, follow farm track, and park at cottar houses. Access to Balquhain RSC is by field march & will be FOGS AGM signposted. The stone circle has been carefully wide-ploughed by the Strachans, although, as mentioned in our solstice news, they receive no compensation for doing this. Its main megaliths are cupmarked and, unique in the Garioch, a full-size all-quartz outlier seems to have equinoctial possibilities! All but one of its perimeter stones are in original positions. We are hoping for a good turnout, to foster our usual multi-discipline expertise in art, dowsing, astronomical alignment, geology and engineering – not to mention history, ritual and conjecture!

The MARS Effect
WITH Mars much in focus at present, at its perihelion on August 30thm 2003, three days after its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, it is gratifying to FOGS to find even local news stations giving the red planet a mention over the usual run of social unrest. After all, the last time we humans saw it so near and clear, we were emergent Neanderthals and it was 57,538 B.C. Or was it? Actually, Mars came close enough for a flurry of telescopes to appear in London on 23 August 1924 and on 18 August 1845. On both occasions the orb was within a similar distance from earth of 56 million km (34,646,000 miles). However it won’t come so close again until 28 August 2287.

Bourtie cross saved for public view

Bourtie steading 8thC Pictish cross

AS LONG AGO as 1990, FOGS questioned the stance of government (serving the public) in their acquiring portable antiquities but not providing adequate access to such acquisitions. A decade ago public access was not such a hot potato as it is now and, perhaps unnoticed, certain Pictish carved stones disappeared from view in the landscape.

Notable are the ‘Rhynie Man’ (in local government HQ Aberdeen), the Tillytarmont carved stones (in storage) and the Dyce Pictish and early-Christian stones. Historically local government has made little distinction between ‘rescue’ of a stone and where it was ultimately kept; the mere act of rescue seeming to outweigh the public access consideration. ‘Rhynie Man’ was ‘rescued’ and his former farmer owner compensated within ‘treasure trove’ legislation, but he remains on view only within office hours – inconvenient if you are a weekend visitor. Tillytarmont goose stone and its companions may only be viewed by permission – FOGS were once allowed a rare glimpse. The Dyce stones still languish in Edinburgh – rather a detour for an international visitor who has made the long trek to St Fergus chapel, Dyce, only to find a plaque in their stead. A Pictish landscape we may live in, but fewer Pictish stones are being seen in their context. And the public is not always as specialist as FOGS or as patient in its demands.

NInth century Pictish carved Maiden Stone on the slopes of Bennachie

Whether we agree or disagree with rescue per se, Pictish stones are a kind of grid or network by which we may measure our past and they belong to us all. Public opinion is presently swinging to full transparency and non-élitism; are the public servants listening?

FRIENDS OF GRAMPIAN STONES ARCHIVES ARE HERE DISPLAYED COURTESY OF CLEOPASBE11 and WORDPRESS
They consist of a random but chronological mix of newsletters of the Charitable Society which existed to promote the welfare and conservation of Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Pictish stones and monuments in Northeast Scotland from 1988 until it was dissolved in 2008. Further information is still available on its website

FOGS Summer Solstice newsletter Volume XIV number 2 June 2003:

A PRIVATE WORD

PRIVATE is a politically-incorrect word these days.

It is almost as if ‘public’ is the only recognizable form of sponsorship, activity, opinion, custodianship or, dare one suggest, even ownership. Private people, however, have for several generations borne the burden of expense and maintenance of our Northeast antiquities and, without fanfare, continue to do so.

Pictish carved Wolf stone

NTS proudly proclaims its custodianship of antiquities on its properties, doing a remarkable job of continuity – reorganized under specialists in respective areas (archaeologist for antiquities; surveyor for properties; education specialist for information dissemination).

Pictish carved stone at Newton House in the Garioch

Interior carved panel doors at Migvie kirk inspired by Class II stone

The list goes on: the recumbent stone circle of Tomnaverie, Tarland could not have been restored and its disintegrating quarry walls shored up without funding from the MacRobert Trust. Antiquities on the Avochie estate – including a 5000-year old cupmarked boulder of huge proportions and Pictish cross-stone, both unscheduled – are in the care of the Avochie laird.

RSCs of Ardlair, Balquhain, Dunnydeer, Easter Aquhorthies, Nether Wheedlemont, Sunhoney, and the Candle Hills of Ardoyne, Rayne and Insch are all dependent on their local landowner for protection from ploughing and for the obligement of maintaining a ‘public’ access path as they receive no payment, grant or gratuity from the state.

Locals in Stuartfield still pay their respects to the White Cow quartz pillar, one of several avenue markers connecting RSCs on the Crichie estate whose laird is a keen regeneration tree-planter and stones conservationist.

Continuity on Forbes lands is without question – the Forbes line stretching back unbroken to O’ Connad Cerr mentioned in the Irish Annals in AD693. Antiquities in Forbes’ care include the venerable RSCs of Old Keig, Cothiemuir and Druidstone on the Brindy, along with a myriad other antiquities previously unrecorded until the present RCAHMS survey of Aberdeenshire.

FOGS have always valued the contribution made by landowners and shown our gratitude at appropriate times; many of our AGMs, after all, have been made possible by kindly lairds. With the ever-increasing influx of city-dwellers who now wish to live ‘in the countryside’, perhaps we are being called to show by example appreciation for the debt we owe to past and future lairds; thereby educating the new mindset into valuing not only our heritage, but those who keep it alive.
©2003-2009 MCYoungblood

FOGS web presence revamped
THANKS to Andy Sweet (Megalithic Sites of Perthshire), FOGS’ webpage has been updated and brought into the 21st century. This is no mean feat for a group whose minds are usually preoccupied with stoney material centred around 3,500 BCE. But we think you will be pleased. Our old URL still works, but try accessing through our new web presence:
2009 note: this website is kindly provided by cleopasbe11, as funding may soon not be available to maintain the globalnet site
our thanks to http://cleopasbe11.worpress.com/
Other Perthshire megalithic interests may be viewed here

Congrats to Northern Earth
SISTER organisation Northern Earth has reached the venerable age of 24 years and 94 issues keeping track of the neo-antiquarian scene. From August, when Third Stone bows out, NE will be senior sister. Well done, NE! http://www.northernearth.co.uk

Eclipse. . . a private view
FOLLOWING conflicting recommendations on best views of the annular eclipse of the sun on May 31st, 2003 a lone FOG decided to go for the local scene – cloud or no: a pre-sunrise walk along the ancient track which once connected Bourtie parish with that of Meldrum, passing the earthfast Bellman stone from which the Bourtie RSC, NJ801 249, is downslope SW. The Bellman stands at 600 ft/185m, a clear horizon marker from the circle for both winter moonrise and summer sunrise, but anyone standing on the rock would see the rising orb fully 5 minutes before watchers within the circle, because of the lie of the land.

Tumbled thoughts of four-minute solar eclipses jostled for position in a dawn-fog (in both brain and landscape): wondering whether it would be visible at all at such altitude, or all over before the sun came up. Wisps of floating haar added to the uncertainty. I pondered the awesome scene: pre-dawn light gave the fields rolling down to the circle an eerie pink glow, exaggerated by marvellous ‘set-aside’ all around; the valley of the Garioch including Inverurie was invisible within thick mist; only Bennachie stood above the clouds. There was utter silence: no lark sang.

This was the neolithic landscape, as close as if in a time-warp. At 4:45am, just when I thought it was all over, a deep red orb glinted through haar in the saddle between the Crocker hill and the Hill of Barra ‘entrance’ to the fort.

By 4:50, all haar miraculously dispersed, a red sun stood above the NE horizon with a decisive chunk bitten out at 8 o’clock: it was happening!

Not only was this not a four-minute eclipse, but one which continued to happen for another hour.

At 5a.m. the sun would just have been visible from the RSC below – still more than half obscured by the moon’s disc: what rituals this sight must have generated 5000 years ago – what dire consequences seen in the mind of primitive man.

And then, gradually, as seconds broadened into minutes, the shadow lessened and red turned to orange, the sun became too bright to watch, the valley reappeared from its mantle of mist, cows mooed, birds flew again, life in the Garioch started to wake up. Civilization went about its business and the lone walker wended her way back, pinching herself to remember which century shw was in. ©MCY2003

AGM in August
AGM notification will appear in our Lammas issue.

February 2003 IMBOLC FoGS Newsletter volume XIV number 1

Pictish Cross-incised stone – Sacred setting threatened

PICTOPHILES are aware of accepted classification of carved stones of Eastern Scotland into groups denoting a rough time period and sculpting method:

Pictish ‘class I’ for incised carving, roughly dating to AD6-7thCC (some have suggested as early as 5thC) and ‘class II’ dating from Nechtan’s national initiative to convert his people to Christianity in the 8thC.

These stones are usually carved in relief with elaborate decorated panel infill reminiscent of the illuminated manuscript art of the period, notably from anglian Lindisfarne (which influenced Nechtan’s ‘romanizing’ campaign, deliberately separated from that of Iona).

Class III Pictish carved stone of King, Lord and monastic attendant

‘Class III’ stones, usually showing mounted aristocracy plus cross art, are more numerous in Moray and Angus and less evident in Aberdeenshire, where a simpler style of conversion sculpture appears:
the plain incised cross, called ‘class IV’ by Isabel Henderson (‘Early Christian Monuments displaying crosses but no other Ornament’ in Alan Small’s The Picts: a new look at old problems Dundee 1987).
Where Aberdeenshire misses out on mounted horsemen, it certainly makes up in cross-incised ‘pillow-stones’, so called in literature of the time because of the monastic habit of sleeping with head on the cross and sometimes carrying these portable ‘pillows’ on pilgrimages of conversion.

Crosses, both elaborate (rounded terminals) and simply incised, have been found at Fintray, Deer, Monymusk, Botriphnie, Tofthills Clatt, Culsalmond, Aboyne and Dyce. They are an important record of our earliest conversion as a Pictish nation, as well as a reminder of Aberdeenshire’s conservative approach to anything new! The most recently discovered cross-stone, however, found in the wall of an early 19thC steading at Kirkton of Bourtie, adjacent to Bourtie Kirk, 4m from Inverurie (newsletter Vol.XII-4, 2001)appears not to be important enough in the corridors of Historic Scotland to assign it the protection of ‘scheduling’ (private comm. FOGS/HS 2002).

The reason given is that the cross-stone, almost identical to another carved in similar pink granite and embedded in the Kirkyard wall a stone’s throw away, is

‘not in situ’ (HS quote) and ‘best way of preserving the stone is for it to be removed from the steading wall and to be deposited with most local museum.’

While professing to protect our most fragile heritage in situ, it seems the lumbering giant of bureacracy is poised to strike again, with little thought given to the sacred context or to local opinion. It is admittedly true that the ‘class IV’ cross-stones of Inverurie kirkyard disappeared after the Ministry of Works assumed charge of the cemetery post-WWII, but the Bourtie crosses are both embedded in structures associated with and meaningful to the Kirkton and as such are more likely to survive and be appreciated where they are than in a museum drawer.

The situation is marginally complicated by the fact that the steading owner is presently considering an application for planning permission to convert it for dwelling houses, but local planning/heritage (Gordon House, Inverurie) are well aware of its significance and are meticulous and dependable on ‘delicate’ issues.

Local MP/MSPs are investigating the illogical manipulation of stones of ‘national importance’ by HS, who also unfortunately have power over buildings (to ‘list’ or not to list).

Pictish and early-mediaeval historians such as Lloyd Laing and Nigel Pennick have written deploring this cavalier attitude by a government department, and magazines like Pictish Arts/ Northern Earth have featured the threat to the stone in recent editions.

However, if we do not stand up for our own heritage locally, a fate may befall it similar to that of the Pictish stones of Dyce (still in HS vault, unlikely to be returned until money is found to do up St Fergus church, Dyce).

As it stands, a ‘catch-22’ situation exists: because the stone has not been ‘scheduled’, HS has no power to remove it; but because it is not protected by ‘scheduling’, a non-heritage-minded councillor in committee is free to overrule planning for economic gain. May we ask those of you who scan local news to keep this little stone firmly in the forefront of your awareness and either write to planners at the appropriate time and/or write to your MP/MSP asking for a change in legislation at government level. Thank you.
FOGS ©MCY2003

Sixth Dark Age Conference
THERE IS still time to register for the 6th Day Conference in this series to be held 22 February 2003 in the Purdie building University of St Andrews: ‘Landscape & Environment in Dark Age Scotland’, chair Barbara Crawford; send cheque (£15, conc.£12) to Dark Age Studies at Dept. of Medieval History, 71 South Street, St.Andrews KY16 9AL

Venus, Jupiter as ‘morning stars’
WHILE scanning the heavens, as circle-watchers do, we are currently blessed with Jupiter as the brightest orb in the night sky; but while presently at its closest to earth (even with smallest telescope, its belts & 4 largest moons visible), the planet seems still more beautiful in pre-dawn sky when it is joined by the rising Venus (SE, with Jupiter setting in W).

‘Crop Circle’ still there
FOLLOWING equinox item (VolXIII-3) on the man-made bale circle, it is pleasing to know both farmer Peddie and NE weather are cooperating in maintaining its position on this wild and exposed slope [NJ 801 249]. As a sculpture and reminder of how the original recumbent stone circle may have looked, its bales will remain until July when decisions to plant oil-seed rape will be made.

Congratulations to Meyn Mamvro

Meyn Mamvro magazine published since 1986

SISTER stones-loving organization Meyn Mamvro, who take care of business in Cornwall and have been instrumental in putting pressure on authorities to do a better job with sacred stones in the SW, have reached their 50th issue. We commend them on their work of 16 years. http://www.meynmamvro.co.uk/

Recommended Books
OCCASIONALLY we suggest titles from a list of recent publications: the following are recommended by our book reviewers:

Spynie Palace and the Bishops of Moray : history, architecture & archaeology by John Lewis & Denys Pringle 2002 ISBN 0-903903-21-0
Aberdeen: an in-depth view of the city’s past by Alison Cameron & Judith Stones 2001 ISBN0903-903-19-9 (both above are Soc.Antiqs monographs)
The Heirs of King Verica: culture & politics in Roman Britain by Martin Henig, Tempus 2002 ISBN 0-7524-1960-9.
Particularly interesting is his cultural commentary on Agricola, Mons Graupius (not a war historian).

Elphinstone lecture
MEMBERS may be interested in a contribution to the Elphinstone Institute’s programme for 2003 to be held in the Regent Lecture Theatre, University of Aberdeen: 18 February, 7:30pm Dr Emily Lyle of School of Scottish Studies Univ Edinburgh ‘The Guidman’s Craft & other special Places & Times’ £2.

]]> http://fadlypwkftub.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/international-conterence-on-urban-heritage/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:03:13 +0000 fadlypwkftub http://fadlypwkftub.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/international-conterence-on-urban-heritage/

Pada tanggal 18-23 April 2010 mendatang, Pemerintah Kerajaan Arab Saudi mengadakan acara tentang konferensi internasional tentang warisan kota dan bangunan arsitektur di negara Islam, Pemerintah Kerajaan Arab Saudi juga mengundang semua peneliti di negara-negara Islam untuk berperan serta.

First International Conference On Urban and Architertural Heritage in Islam Countries. Riyadh, 18-23 April, 2010

• Current state of Urban Architectural heritage in Islamic world
• Preservation of Architectural Heritage
• Training and Education in Field of Architecture Heritage
• Environmental Variable and Their Impact of Architectural Heritage

Anda memiliki judul riset dengan tema seperti di atas, silahkan apply dan seluruh biaya akomodasi akan ditanggung oleh Pemerintah Kerajan Arab Saudi.

Abstract for Urban Heritage Conference

]]> http://mylittlelolipop.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/264/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:00:41 +0000 alwayslovecandy http://mylittlelolipop.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/264/ http://americanbedu.com/2009/11/29/what-do-the-saudi-women-think/ Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:02:24 +0000 American Bedu http://americanbedu.com/2009/11/29/what-do-the-saudi-women-think/

A common theme when a non-Saudi woman speaks about a Saudi man is typically how charming and personable he is.  And those non-Saudi women who marry a Saudi man will also reinforce that his charm, his personality, his way of making a woman feel very unique and especially loved were traits which captured her heart and drew her to him.  I happen to agree that Saudi men do have a special charm and personality that can seem like it hypnotizes a woman.  Is it the extra measure of care and protectiveness along with the charm that make the Saudi man a powerful magnet as compared to non-Saudi men?  Is it because Saudi men have grown up in an environment where they are expected to cherish and care for the women in their life that teaches them to be a master at making a woman smile and feel special?  Do Saudi men feel more of an obligation than perhaps Western men to not hurt or disappoint a woman in their life?  These seem to be influencing factors and traits in relationships between Saudi men and non-Saudi women.  But I’d like to know, what do the Saudi women think?  Are the perceptions of non-Saudi women about the Saudi man accurate?  Why or why not?

]]> http://lamainetlaplume.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/nos-parents-sont-la-memoire-de-nos-enfants/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:43:25 +0000 Juliette Rossignol http://lamainetlaplume.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/nos-parents-sont-la-memoire-de-nos-enfants/

La transmission, on savait déjà que c’était la grande préoccupation des grands-parents. Mais qu’en pense la génération intermédiaire, celle des parents ? Que doivent faire passer les aînés aux petits-enfants ? La question a été posée à 412 parents d’enfants âgés de moins de 15 ans, dans une étude pilotée par l’École des grands-parents européens d’Île-de-France et rendue publique cette semaine

Avant tout, les parents désirent qu’ils soient les vecteurs de la mémoire familiale. Dans un monde qui évolue très vite, et face aux transformations de la famille et du travail, les 25-50 ans comptent aussi sur la sagesse, le recul, l’expérience de vie de leurs aînés. Enfin, ils espèrent que passera entre les générations « le goût de vivre », « la capacité d’épanouissement personnel » devenue si importante pour toute la société(…)

Autre point intéressant de l’étude : le consensus très fort (95 %) des deux générations sur l’importance de la transmission en général (goût de vivre, mémoire, expérience…) et sur les valeurs que les adultes doivent transmettre aux enfants : le respect des autres, puis la générosité, la solidarité, la tolérance, la fraternité, la politesse, l’honnêteté. Mémoire et ancrage, donc.

« Les grands-parents inscrivent nos enfants dans une filiation, une mémoire, un héritage, confirme Simon, 47 ans, père de quatre garçons de 5 à 17 ans. Notre famille est fière de son nom russe et cultive la mémoire de notre ancêtre arrivé en France à pied au XIXe siècle. Mais en observant notre arbre généalogique avec mon père, mes fils ont soudain pris conscience que seuls 1 % de nos aïeux portaient ce nom et qu’ils ont finalement bien plus de sang italien que russe ! Avec lui, ils ont compris que l’histoire familiale est une construction. »

Même attente pour Marie-Claire, 46 ans, mère de cinq filles de 7 à 22 ans. « Quand ma mère raconte comment j’étais petite, je vois bien que Prune, 7 ans, est suspendue à ses lèvres. Mes filles adorent se replonger avec elle dans les photos. Elles ont besoin de se sentir portées par une histoire. » (…)

Les parents apprécient également que leurs enfants découvrent la diversité via les personnalités ou les styles différents de leurs grands-parents. Un grand-père ancien chef d’entreprise et un autre ex-fonctionnaire des Postes, une grand-mère secrétaire paroissiale et une autre qui lit Le Canard enchaîné, cela donne une bonne idée du pluralisme (…)

« Par leurs gestes, leur expérience, leur vie, nos parents offrent à nos enfants une image positive de la maturité, estime Simon. Mes petits constatent, par exemple, avec quelle tendresse et quelle patience mon père s’occupe de ma mère malade. Ils découvrent ainsi que l’amour peut aller jusque-là. »

(…)

Dominique Fonlupt

La Vie – 18-11-2009

]]> http://dismanibus156.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/archaeologists-to-restore-ancient-theatre-of-dionysos/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:27:41 +0000 Dis Manibus http://dismanibus156.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/archaeologists-to-restore-ancient-theatre-of-dionysos/ http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/balochistan-too-small-an-olive-branch/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:38:47 +0000 adnannzee http://pakteahouse.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/balochistan-too-small-an-olive-branch/ http://travelmaven.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/25-great-things-to-do-during-december-in-the-finger-lakes/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:06:24 +0000 thetravelmaven http://travelmaven.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/25-great-things-to-do-during-december-in-the-finger-lakes/

December is the festive time of year when there are bundles of fun activities taking place, as you’ll see from the list below.  Here’s hoping your holiday season is joyous and bright!

• Dec. 2-6 – Garth Fagan Dance at Nazareth College Arts Center. $30-$55. Dec. 2 at 7:30 PM, Dec. 3 at 8 PM, Dec. 4 at 8 pM, Dec. 5 at 2 pM & 8 PM, Dec. 6 at & 7:30 PM. Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 4, Dec. 5 - Holiday Art Walk (Fri. 2PM-8PM) Holiday Wine Walk (Sat. 4 PM-7PM) Free. Canandaigua, NY.
• Dec. 4-6 – Deck the Halls Weekend on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail - Fri. 1-5 PM, Sat. & Sun. 10 AM-5 PM. $70/couple’s ticket (admits 2 people tasting wine); $58 /couple’s designated driver ticket (one tasting wine/one non-taster); $48 per single’s ticket (admits 1 person tasting wine);$36 per single’s designated driver ticket (non-taster). Surrounding Seneca Lake.
• Dec. 4-6 – 16th Annual Holiday Shopping Spree on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail – Times vary by winery. Advance: Single $ 35.00, Couple $ 50.00; At the door: Single $ 35.00, Couple $ 50.00; Designated Driver: Single $ 30.00, Couple $ 45.00. Around Cayuga Lake.
• Dec. 5 – Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park’s Howell Street House Tour. Noon – 5 PM. Seven homeowners on Howell St. will showcase their homes during this event. $20.  Old-fashioned caroling party at mansion at 4:30 PM. Admission to museum, donation only. Canandaigua, NY.
• Dec. 5 - Geneva Historical Society 41^st Annual Wassail Bowl and Sale. 10 AM-2PM. Shop for fresh wreaths and greens, holiday decorations, handcrafted items, baked goods, attic treasures, and more. Free. Geneva, NY.

• Dec. 6 – Christmas on the Canal in Spencerport – 2 PM-5 pM – Free.  Music, puppet show, song, food, a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus and more!. Spencerport, NY.
• Through Dec. 6 - Granger Homestead’s Festival of Trees. Mon – Wed. 1-5 pm, Thurs & Fri. 1-7 pm, Sat, Sun. 11 am – 5 pm. View the entire first floor decorated with holiday trees, wreaths and other decorations.  Bid on items for silent auction. Adults:$5
  Seniors and Members: $4, Students K-12: $1.  Canandaigua, NY.
• Dec. 8-13 – Cirque Dream Holidays at the Auditorium Theatre. $27.50 – $52.50.  An original new musical extravaganza filled with spectacle, imagination and whimsical dreams. Dec. 8& 9 - 7:30 PM, Dec. 10-7 PM, Dec. 11- 8 PM, Dec. 12 – 2 & 8 PM, Dec. 13 – 2 & 7 PM. Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 11 – Holiday Open House at the Ontario County Historical Society & Museum.  6:30 PM-9PM. Free, donations welcome. Canandaigua, NY.
• Dec. 12 – The RPO’s Classical Christmas, conducted by Christopher Seaman – 8 PM. $22-$60. Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 12 & 13, Dec. 19 & 20 – Cinderella presented by the Rochester Children’s Theatre – 2 pM, Special 7 PM showing on Dec. 12. $20-$25. Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 12, Dec. 19 – New York Wine and Culinary Center’s Gingerbread House Decorating. 10 AM- 12 PM.  Enjoymaking a gingerbread house with your child, with all the fun and none of the cleanup! $40. Canandaiga, NY.
• Through Dec. 16 – Sweet Creations Gingerbread Display at George Eastman House. Tues-Sat. 10 AM-5PM, Thurs. until 8 PM, Sun. 1 PM-5 PM.  Closed major holidays. Adults $10, Seniors $8, Students $6, Children (5-12) $4, Children under 5 free. Rochester, NY.
• Through Dec. 17 – Holiday Tree Display and Auction at George Eastman House.  Tues-Sat. 10 AM-5PM, Thurs. until 8 PM, Sun. 1 PM-5 PM. Closed major holidays. Adults $10, Seniors $8, Students $6, Children (5-12) $4, Children under 5 free. Rochester, NY.

• Dec. 17 – 2300° at Corning Museum of Glass – 5:30 PM-7:30 PM. Free. Corning, NY.
• Through Dec. 24 – Dickens Festival at the Antique Craft Co-op. Thurs. 10 AM-8 PM, Fri. 10 AM-5 PM, Sat. 10 AM – 5 PM, Sun. 10 AM -5 pM.  Call (585) 368-0700 for extended hours during festival.  Free. Rochester, NY.
• Through Dec. 24 – 15th Annual Dickens in Skaneateles. Noon – 4 p.m., every Sat. & Sun. through Dec. 20, plus Noon – 3 p.m. on Dec. 24. Free. Skaneateles, NY.
• Through Dec. 27 – A Christmas Story at Geva - Times vary by performance. Single ticket pricing $22-$59 depending on day and seating preference.  Rochester, NY.
• December 27 – Kwanzaa Family Day at Memorial Art Gallery. 12 Noon-5 PM. Free Admission.  Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 31 - New Year’s Eve Celebration and 10th Year Birthday Bash at ARTISANWorks – 8:30 PM-1 AM. Fine dining, music by the Dave Mancini Group and a champagne toast amid the splendor of ARTISANWorks. $194.40/couple, inc. tax and gratiuities). Rochester, NY.
• Dec. 31 – The Capital Steps presents “Obama Mia: at Nazareth College Arts Center – 10:30 PM and 10 PM. New Year’s Eve celebration that includes uproarius nonpartisan political satire, champagne, noisemakers, and live music. $45-$75. Rochester, NY.

Ongoing Through December:

• Through Jan. 3 – Holiday Glitter at Corning Museum of Glass - 9 AM-5PM daily, closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25. & Jan. 1. Kids & Teens (19 & under) Free; Museum Members Free; Adult Day Pass $12.50; 55+, Students w/ ID and Military w/ ID $11.25; AAA w/ Card $10.60; Local Residents w/ ID $5.00. Corning, NY.
• Through Jan. 3 – Paint Made Flesh at Memorial Art Gallery – Wed.-Sun. 11 AM–5 PM, Thurs. 11 AM–9 PM, Closed Mon., Tues. &major holidays. General adm. $10; seniors, active & reserve military personnel $6; college students w/ ID & children 6–18$5. Half-price general adm. Thurs. 5–9 PM. U of R Students and Members Free. Rochester, NY.
• Through Jan. 3 – Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales at the Everson Museum of Art. Tues. & Wed.: Noon – 6 PM, Thurs. & Fri.: Noon – 9 PM, Sat. & Sun.: 9 AM - 6 PM.  Admission to  Turner to Cezanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales is $10 Members, $15 non-members, $12 children 5-18, military w/ ID, senior citizens 65+, and college students with ID. Children 5 and under, free. Admission to all other galleries is free with a suggested donation of $5 /person.  Syracuse, NY.
• Through Jan. 10 – Quilts =Art=Quilts at the Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center. Tues. – Sat. 10 AM-5PM, Sun. 1-5PM. Adults $6, children 12 & under Free. Auburn, NY.
• Through Jan. 10 –  Lights on the Lake. 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. $8 per car every night; $6 per car Mon. & Tues. w/Wegmans Shoppers Card, $6 Disc. Tickets, good every night, available to purchase from November 1-24 at Wegmans, Heid’s of Liverpool and the Landmark Theatre. $24  minibus (17-25 capacity) $50 motorcoach. Liverpool, NY.

]]> http://hoboduke.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/treason-act-of-1814-is-good-news-for-new-york/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:05:23 +0000 hoboduke http://hoboduke.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/treason-act-of-1814-is-good-news-for-new-york/

Got some good news for you folks in New York!  Since we are under the Eric Holder big top circus of seeking publicity for the terrorists by a public trial, we are extending to them the laws and rights of citizens.  Therefore, our Treason Act of 1814 applies, even if they are not citizens.  After all, we are forcing them to be treated like citizens, even though they are not citizens.

The state has legal rights to alter sentence for acts of treason!  Of course for Major Hasan, he gets the same option, too!  Those found guilty of treasonous acts against us are to be hung, until unconscious (not until dead)!  Then they are to be disemboweled (that will get them back to consciousness)!  And, last but not least, their head is to be lopped off.  The number of US victims of getting their heads lopped off by terrorists gets evened by this last part of this sentence!

If these terrorists have the possibility of being freed, which seems a nightmare to the citizens who bore witness to 9/11 carnage, then it seems fair to give them the other end of the spectrum on severe punishment as a possibility if found guilty!

Please don’t even start the”cruel and unusual punishment” whining!  The carnage of 9/11 and gruesome methods of death for the victims, plus the terrorist penchant for lopping off heads give us a wider range of knowing what is not considered cruel or unusual by the defendants.  Eric Holder and President “Where’s Waldo” should be present for execution of sentence.

]]> http://davidlewins.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/red-dawn-bamburgh-castle/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:38:16 +0000 David Lewins http://davidlewins.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/red-dawn-bamburgh-castle/

This impressive castle sits on a basalt outcrop overlooking the Farne Islands and Lindisfarne on the heritage coast in North Northumberland.

This is exactly how it was, this image has not been manipulated or had saturation added, in fact the reverse, I actually desaturated it by about 25%.

]]> http://getdclu.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/christian-nation/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:46:49 +0000 Lisa http://getdclu.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/christian-nation/

In 2006, then Senator Barak Obama stated that ”Whatever we once were, we’re no longer a Christian nation.” He went on to say that “we’re a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a nation of unbelievers.”

This was an insult to the memory of all previous generations of Americans who were veterans, businessmen, factory workers, farm hands, Mothers, Fathers, white collar, blue collar, black tie, barefoot, industrialist, Founder — anyone who worked hard to do what’s right for themselves and those around them, to do what’s right for this country of ours, for America.

Declaring the end to the Judeo-Christian influence in this country in 2006 and again Barack Obama speaking* recently in Turkey, April, 2009, “We do not consider ourselves a Christian Nation.”

* I began the research for this post back on October 13th.  As of  8:10 pm 11/27/09, that vid is no longer available in its original place and I’ve had to search for it (probably because it is unbecoming to the president).  This is the full URL where it was:  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQIVd7YT0oWA&search_type=&aq=f.  I’ve found it below.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=67735

He then dares to flippantly identify the Christian right as THE problem:

“Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. It got hijacked. Part of it’s because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who’ve been all too eager to exploit what divides us.” (Source)

This is not only incorrect, but a blatant lie.  And those who are ignorant of the possibility of him ever making an error are unaware of the truth of anything.  Principle absent human compassion is nothing more than intellectual masturbation and Obama has his hand on it.

“[I]t is obvious that this is Obama’s way of ingratiating himself with Muslim audiences. But whatever his immediate goal, his sentiment is a popular one with Americans that sport left-wing, anti-religious ideology, people who look to Obama as their leader.” 

But is it true?  Did the Founding Fathers base this country on the Christian ethic or not?  When one reads the historical record, not the revised secular edition, it is apparent and indeed a resounding YES.  It is also quite clear that we are so very far off course from that original grounding.

As Ronald Reagan reminded us in 1988: “The First Continental Congress made its first act a prayer — the beginning of a great tradition. We have then, a lesson from the founders of our land, those giants of soul and intellect whose courageous pledge of life and fortune and sacred honor, and whose ‘firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,’ have ever guided and inspired Americans and all who would fan freedom’s mighty flames and live in ‘freedom’s holy light.’ That lesson is clear: That in the winning of freedom and in the living of life, the first step is prayer.” Reagan was ever so right to guide us toward an understanding that the Founders of this country nearly to a man were steeped in religion — and that of the Protestant, Christian variety, at that. Even the ones against organized religion believed in a God, one that put us here and gave us certain rights as espoused in the Declaration of Independence from Britain. (Source)

But let us not use just the Declaration, as the Constitution is supreme law that guides this country [emphasis mine and throughout]. We must strive to remain strict constructionists of that document and hew closely to what the founder’s intended in all their wisdom. It is well considered proper, then, that we look to what the Founders and their contemporaries wrote to construe what they “meant” concerning the principles and ethics to which they hoped we’d remain forever faithful.

Let us begin with a quote from James Madison, the Father of the Constitution. “The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it.” That sounds rather ominous, does it not? Of course Madison means that Christian concept of morality that he learned from the Anglican Church which was a required state religion in his home state, Virginia when he was a child.

Another stalwart driving force of the revolutionary days was Samuel Adams who, echoing James Madison’s idea, said, “Liberty will not long survive the total extinction of morals.”

George Washington who can be quoted bestowing Christian religious principles on many of his thoughts and actions he took on the battlefield and in government is very quotable on the subject. Here are a few quotes from the Father of our country.

• “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.”
• “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
• “And now, Almighty Father, if it is Thy holy will that we shall obtain a place and name among the nations of the earth, grant that we may be enabled to show our gratitude for Thy goodness by our endeavors to fear and obey Thee.”

Pretty straight forward, I believe.

How about Ben Franklin? Old Poor Richard himself was never considered the biggest religious fanatic of his day. In fact he is one of the few Founders that actually considered himself a Deist. But even he once said, “It is the duty of mankind on all suitable occasions to acknowledge their dependence on the Divine being.” Hardly sounds like he was against the morality of Christian ethics, does it?

John Adams, second president and indispensable founding father who was well known to be extremely pious both in religion and opinion said, “Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service, when it is violating all His laws.”

He sure did not say Allah’s service. Nor did he couple God and THEY. Adams said HIS laws. An obvious recognition of the Christian God of heaven and earth.

These quotes are all well and good but what did the early American theorists intend to pass on to the youth of America? As an answer to this I point to Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania. Rush was a respected Doctor and was closely tied to most of the great figures of the early Republic and its national politics. He wrote, “I proceed…to enquire what mode of education we shall adopt so as to secure to the state all the advantages that are to be derived from the proper instruction of youth; and here I beg leave to remark, that the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.”

Well, we could quote dozens upon dozens of such phrases from men like Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Henry Lee, George Clinton and a host of other revolutionary notables but that would tend to over burden the point.

Speaking of Thomas Jefferson, as a riposte to Christians, many half-informed secularists claim that Jefferson was a Deist that hated Christianity. But this is garbled history. Like many of the Founders, Jefferson disliked organized religion but was not in any way against religious sentiment, training and ideals. In fact, the older he got, the more religious he became. But even as our third president he regularly attended Bible class right in the halls of Congress and never once scolded the classes from meeting on federal property. He was not against Christianity in government at all.*

The point is that the men of the revolution, those very men that created our country, its mores and conventions based their ruminations upon the Christian God and his ethics and principles. They felt this base to be entirely indispensable to the stability of republican government. They warned that to dispense with them would be our undoing and we followed those predications faithfully up until the civil war and half heartedly until the presidency of FDR.

But today, civil Libertarians strive to remake the U.S.A. into a Godless and moraless society based upon an if-it-feels-right mode of thinking. The Democrat Party tries to replace religion with statism and socialism. Even Republicans all too often shy away from the question of the religious ethics of Christianity as if it is a backward ideal that would best be forgotten.

No, Benjamin Rush had it right when he said that without religion “… there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.”

Whether critics and secularists like it or not, we are at heart a Christian nation and if we cast off that ethic we will no longer be the United States, we will no longer have in us what made us great.

 ~αΩ~

*For an in depth discussion of Jefferson’s misinterpreted Danbury Letter from which the phrase “wall of separation between church and state” was derived, visit: http://www.publiusforum.com/oldopeds/hustonstoryseparation.html.  See also www.wallbuilders.org for their excellent resources on this wall that is supposed to guard the church from the government.

This was only one discussion of many in the argument for America’s Christian Heritage.  One of the best places for this kind if information is at the American Vision website.  They have a fantastic DVD, The Case for America’s Christian Heritage, vol 1 (Christian History).  The video clip on the next page after the description is the trailer for this DVD.

Christian Nation http://wp.me/pzfHB-eM

]]> http://americanbedu.com/2009/11/28/it-is-acceptable-for-saudi-men-to-abandon-women/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:04:17 +0000 American Bedu http://americanbedu.com/2009/11/28/it-is-acceptable-for-saudi-men-to-abandon-women/

*Not all Saudi men thankfully are the way described below but this post is written as an advisory for those who have had little to no exposure to Saudi culture and the Saudi man.

 

For some reason it seems to be culturally acceptable for a Saudi man to abandon a woman, in spite of ‘alledged’ rights to which a woman is entitled.  A high percentage of Saudi men will go outside the Kingdom as students or for employment.  They are exposed to differing lifestyles and cultures.  Many will gradually believe they have blended in to the new lifestyle and culture and eventually find themselves in a relationship.  What most women who are unfamiliar with Saudi Arabia and Saudi men does not realize is that the Saudi man can be a most persuasive and charming speaker, kind of like the devil in disguise as the most magnificent Prince Charming.  He can easily cajole a woman who would naturally resist strongly to give up her virginity to him.  Now the Saudi man after receiving his “present” will either move on to other challenges (read conquests) or continue to enjoy the “free feast.”  Yet if the woman becomes pregnant it is not surprising that the man will rapidly move on and avoid contact with the woman.  After all, she is the one who is now pregnant, not him, so it is her problem.

The Saudi man who is outside of the Kingdom for a period of time also needs to be viewed with caution, particularly if he is older and therefore assumed to be more mature than a young student.  This man may be even more charming and sophisticated and appealing to non-Saudi women of all ages.  He will unlikely wear a wedding ring yet due to his age and position in life, most often married.  But of course he would likely quip that he is not married, separated or divorced.  The likelihood he has a Saudi wife and at least four children in Saudi.  It does not bother his conscience to cheat on his wife.  He is satisfying his needs and probably has the perspective that he is also bringing pleasure to a willing partner.  Being more sophisticated and culturally savvy, he may even integrate himself into the family of the woman with whom he is having a relationship.  He may make references or innuendos to a future with her and while probably sincere at the moment because he wishes it could be so, he also knows realistically there is no future and furthermore deep down he does not want a future with her. When his business or position which brought him outside of Saudi is complete, he’ll depart without a backward glance.

In both cases of the younger student or the mature sophisticate, they may not make any attempt to hide their involvement with a foreign woman outside of Saudi.  The foreign woman may be introduced to their male friends.  Of course she would not be known to any Saudi females or members of the Saudi family because the man is engaging in activities which are considered haram (forbidden) in his own country.  While a woman may think it is flattering to meet his friends this is actually disrespectful in the Saudi culture.  And of course when the man makes his exit from her life, the remaining Saudi friends will be polite to her but it becomes clear that no matter how kindly they treated her with him, she is an outsider and will never be accepted.

Then there are the Saudis who are married.  First, like the sophisticate who seeks female companionship when outside of the Kingdom, he illustrates no loyalty or faithfulness to his Saudi wife.  It is also ingrained in him that if his Saudi wife ever needs assistance, has problems or illness, how own “blood” family will take care of her.  He views himself of absolved of responsibility.  And if he is the Saudi with a foreign wife he will expect her to find her own way to solving problems and meeting her needs.  If she becomes ill it is expected her expat friends and family (from abroad) will take care of her.  He should not be exposed to illness or upsets.  She is also not from the “same blood” so there is not an expectation or obligation on the part of his family either.

I hear of these situations more and more frequently.  Most seem to come from someone in a relationship with a Saudi man over the age of 40.  How come these men have become adults without a sense of responsibility or loyalty if someone is not from within the inner “blood” circle of family?  Does this again go back to the impact of segregation and pre-defined roles of a husband and wife in an arranged marriage?  Yet even in an arranged marriage or any Islamic marriage there are rights to which the woman is entitled.  Sadly though, too many Saudi men make no effort to meet those rights and simply ignore them.

What options are available to the woman, regardless of where she is or what nationality, who finds herself abandoned by a Saudi?  Saudi Arabia is the exclusive men’s club where the men do stick together and protect each other and women’s needs and rights are easily forgotten.

 

]]> http://aisaidluv.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/harta-yang-pling-berharga-adalah-keluarga/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:54:03 +0000 aisaidluv http://aisaidluv.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/harta-yang-pling-berharga-adalah-keluarga/

Tanpa orang tua….

Aku tak kan pernah ada dan terlhahir ke dunia ini

Tanpa keluarga…

Aku tak kan pernah tahu

Bagaimana rasanya dicintai dan mencintai keluargaku seutuhnya

Bagiku…

Keluarga adalah harta yang paling berharga di dunia ini

Aku bersyukur karena Allah menghadirkan mereka sebagai keluargaku

Aku akan selalu mencintai dan menyayangi keluarga

Karena mereka adalah harta berharga yang Allah titipkan untukku

Terimakasih untuk keluragaku tercinta yang selama ini tak pernah lelah mensupport dan mendoakanQu: Mamah, Bapa, Amih, Apih, Om Tantan, Tante T, Om Deden, Bi Titin, Bi Nung, Bi Edah, Ua-Uaku, adik-adikku ku, kakak-kakak sepupuku, serta semua keluarga yang tak bisa kesebutkan satu per satu, tapi selalu ku ingat semua kebaikan kalian.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MY LOVELY FAMILY ^_________^

Mamah, Aku, Amih, Bapa

Tante , Dede, Kakak, Om

Aku, Amih, Apih

Tante, Dede, Kakak, Aku

Tante, Dede, Kakak, Om

Om Deden lg di Jepang, ikuuuuuttt dunk Om heheee ^_^

Teruntuk keluargaku yg belum ada fotonya, maaf yah, habis aku gak nge save, tapi kalian kan selalu ada di hatiku, kalau ketemu kita foto2 lah, Ok2

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