Shati' Tea and Falafel Shop, Gaza

I'll never forgive him for speaking to an Israeli sponsored series on Jerusalem. Even today his writing appears a little bit off-color he analyzes things but never comes to a conclusion that seems logical. Like Grabar, Nassar Rabbat has written things that seem wrong. For example, Rabbat in his book on Mamluke architecture criticizes Cresswell. I can't believe he criticizes Cresswell. Cresswell was one of the pioneer archaeologists who described the great monuments of Mamluke architecture. Let's look at some other Orientalists now. I'm reading from AJ Arberry's "Oriental essays portraits of seven scholars". The first portrait is of Simon Ockley. He was born in 1678. Ockley wrote the history of the Saracens at Cambridge. He translated many manuscripts from Oxford. Arberry calls him the pioneer. Here's another man whom Arberry calls the founder. This is a man named Jones who worked in the 18th century and knew Boswell and even Benjamin Franklin. He wrote a grammar of Persian which was used by Fitzgerald. This William Jones was amazing. He wrote poetry in Persian French Arabic and Sanskrit. I think I'll paste this into my blog.

Shati' Tea and Falafel Shop, Gaza La Méditerranée dangereuse

A couple of days ago Costa Cruises sank one of their ships off the coast of Italy. I have been re-reading Henri Pirenne's Medieval Cities, Princeton University Press 1969. I'm struck by the influence--or, what the Christian historians call the razzias from Arab Spain--in the late 700's. Lérins played a part, as did Massif des Maures. It would be impotrant to check the Arab historians to see if this was not rather merchant influence, like the later interest in mathematics and science by the Po Valley pre-Rennaissance fiefdoms, who invited Arab scholars from Spain.

Joffrey's Café, Dhahran, i.e. from my apartment

J'ai regardé une programme su le nouveau Sudan du Sud indeépendante du vrai Sudan. Tout le monde a oublié les origines Jimmy Carteresque de la guerre pour le petrol du Sudan, commence par le desir de missioner les chrétiens de ce region.