Middle East

James Zogby Wins Me Over with his Lebanese Trickery and Charm

October 26, 2010

Remember back when I lived in the capital and everything was happy and shiny and government-subsidized elves polished my shoes every morning? Back in those days (12 days ago), I used to go to all sorts of international enterprises, like the Middle East Intitute, the Hillwood mansion, and all the embassies.  Also I used to live with Mr. B and had somebody to peel my oranges. Those were the days. I was happy to learn that end of the universe -I ...

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Books: O Jerusalem

September 27, 2010

I’ve been gushing about this one for the past couple weeks on various social media outlets because it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.  It’s really rare that I’m be sad when books end, the way I was when Jonathan Strange+Mr. Norrell ended, but this is one case where I was. The book goes through, detail by detail, of the battle for Jerusalem during the war for Israel’s independence in 1948, from both the Israeli ...

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A book about why the Middle East is crazy

August 3, 2010

I’ve been going on non-stop about this book on Twitter for the past couple of days now, but I really loved it and I think it’s really an important read for anyone involved in any sphere of Middle Eastern relations, even as a navel-gazer. MacFarquhar, who grew up in an expat compound in Libya, writes about his long experience in the region as a reporter and as someone who is constantly amused, amazed, and frustrated by movements there. He focuses ...

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Mrs. Bej and Bellydancing After the Saudi Arabian Embassy

January 19, 2010

Years ago (10th grade), I had a wonderful Honors World Cultures teacher, Mrs.Vera  Bej (pronounced Bey.)  She was from Soviet Czechoslovakia, and she blew my mind. Raised in suburbia, secluded from any type of ethnic, religious, or racial minority, I felt on my own as a Russian Jew with mainly American friends. Adriano Celentano was my favorite singer, Lagaan was my favorite movie, and my parents would have hour-long blab sessions with their friends about how Putin was going to ...

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Pictures: The Girl from Cairo

January 5, 2010

Reader(s)!  Please note that sometime over the next week I will be shifting the blog over to http://blog.vickiboykis.com to make room for a front page that doesn’t make me look like a crazed Nutella lover, a fact that people will find out only on the blog. Mwuahahaha.  Not too drastic of a change, but you’ll want to update your bookmarks. RSS shouldn’t be affected *crosses fingers* Danke schoen. As I am sitting here, shivering and complaining over the cold, cold ...

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