Today is the special feast of Eid Al Adha on the Muslim calendar. It is the day when those who can afford it slaughter a sheep as a sacrifice soon after sunrise and enjoy the meat with family. Most importantly many portions of the sheep are given to the poor as this is one of the intentions of the feast--to succour the poor according to the wishes of the Koran. Some Muslims, who are wealthier, may sacrifice a cow or even a camel. The intention is to share. As a person who married a farm gi...
My wife hurt her hand so I decided to order in at the office. I'm fond of McDonalds' fish fillet sandwich so I ordered with fries. I know every Mac is different but the quality here in Cairo is poor. The french fries that came with my fish can only be described as little sticks of greasy, hard, old potato (wood, straw and tooth hurting shrivelled matches come to mind). A French fry or chip, as we call it in South africa, should be fresh, thick and, although a little fatty outside, tender and ...
I read the Daily Mail because it is accessible in Egypt. It is a Tory paper but it also has the most vile gossip and the writers have no thought of any decent comment. The vitriol rolls out from their writers like sludge from an aged sewage plant. Here are some recent headlines (which I've tweaked in the name of humour): " Kill her, Kill her", reaction of Sudanese to the British teacher who mis-named Teddy Bear. Don't they know they've killed thousands in Darfur? " President pardons Briti...
My wife calls a a mouse a rat. You've heard that before, right? And a rat is the size of a cat. I have endured her horror for many years and invariably the rat is a mouse--a tiny thing you could enclose in one hand. She is a strong woman who is invariably turned to a trembling heap of mush by the sight of a single dropping--and, should she see the offending creature--then all hell breaks loose. I am usually the guy caught in the trap. It's hard to understand women. We have lived in Africa ...
Recently LW roasted Aeryck because she felt offended. I know LW's ways and she does not like criticism. She has not had the easiest life and I'm quite sure she has seen evil in every sense. However, and this is my point, there is no need for thread posters to use blasphemy in support of her. I am not a Christian in the club of bible punchers as I have my own views, but I feel that some replies would not have been accepted in the JU of 3 or 4 years ago. My finger is pointed mainly in the...
I was thinking the other day about early inventors of products that play a great role in our lives today. Some names live on even if the name does not control the company. Put your thinking caps on, Joeusers, and add to my list. Robert Carrier invented the air conditioner. His name is on the best air conditioners you will find today. Thomas Edison invented many great things--The Edison cap lightbulb is still named after him. Are there others? We all know about A.G. Bell but does his fami...
I'm a collector of junk. I collect banknotes, tokens, model diecast cars and planes and old watches. E-bay is like heaven to me even though many people ask atrocious prices for their old stuff. Some sellers are pretty savvy and ask catalogue prices plus markup--others would try to sell a dollar note for ten bucks. As with all sites similar to this you use your judgement and knowledge to avoid buying a dud. You have to learn to read the language. "Scarce" could mean scarce in a town with popul...
Forgive me but I'm a South African and therefore not really entitled to question choices made by the US Government. I can't figure out why Ahmedinajad is allowed to speak to Columbia University but not pay homage at Ground Zero. Before you hurl missiles I believe the little Iranian has no right, as Rice said, to pay any sort of homage at Ground Zero. So why does he have the right to speak at a prestigious university? Are there double standards here? He has a right to speak for his country at ...
My dog Gus is extremely fussy when it comes to eating so I decided to have a chat with him about his fussy habits. Me: Gus, you've become rather strange since the, er, operation. Gus: Wouldn't you be strange if you had your sex organs removed. Me: Well, I suppose I would but I don't go around spraying male hormones and urine everywhere. Gus: It's my right as a male dog guarding your house. Me: Well, I don't see what pissing on the bed has to do with guarding the house. Let's change the...
The words: "Non-Alcoholic beer " are enough to send any sane, dedicated beer drinker into a fit of coughing, strange facial expressions usually to do with the tongue--or a torrent of expletives one of which is usually the word "piss" Why is non-alcoholic beer so unpalatable and why can't they get the taste right? As Egypt is a Muslim country and that type of beer sells well here (in supermarkets), and as I am a real beer drinker, I decided to do a taste test. I chose 4 non-alcos and here a...
Where in the American judicial system or that in Britain, would you find two people listed as suspects in a crime, then offered a deal for a confession (two years jail only if you confess to homicide), and then NO CHARGES ARE BROUGHT! Add to this a silent bunch of bumbling Clouseaus who give the public no information but the Portuguese press does! This morning the papers in Portugal said that "police sources" had told them that Kate McCann was unsound of mind;that Kate and Gerry had hidden...
A Luddite is a person who rejects modern technology. I am very keen on modern technology and admire the the way modern minds have come up with ways to ease our lives. However, it seems that the easing of life is now taking on another dimension i.e. we oldies now have to acquire personal training to access information/follow instructions that a ten year old can do in ten seconds. Ask any teenager if he needs to read the handbook for a new phone, DVD player or PS3 and he shrugs and clicks, nod...
100 years is a long time and many Statesmen made their mark in the Twentieth Century. Who stands out the most? Who is regarded as a real Statesman--a man or woman who really made their mark on the World . It would be interesting to see who tops the list. There are no rules for there are people who stand out way above any others. However our list should consider those people who changed a country, influenced our World and stand head and shoulders above anyone else. I'm going to kick off wi...
I read and appreciate the scholarly search for meaning in the passages of the Bible but I seldom comment because I 'm a realist. and don't wish to be rude. One friend at JU suggested not so long ago that I was a "Darwinist" and I cannot disagree. I just wonder, while reading Richard Dawkins' book: "The God Delusion", what Joeuser Bible Scholars think of Dawkins' book, if they have read it. I have often felt that many Bible scholars find far too much meaning in the Scriptures because I , like ...
In my four years at JU I have never encountered anyone as infuriating and as condescending as a certain Furry Canary. I suspect he has one or more aliases on JU. I am sorry that I have to mention him by pseudonym but I cannot for the life of me, understand why he is so domineering, so persistent or so certain that the World will bow down to him for being a superior person. This is a man who cannot put a banner to his name without a mistake (The Merchant would be appalled), and who scribbles a...