Well, our South African couple moved out of the bottom floor. But wait! We have new housemates! A Maylaysian family complete with two children… I am so glad that I am moving soon, I really don’t want to deal with the kids, or their new, local playmates in my house…
Walking down the street is a constant hassle here. In addition to the incessant honking and yelling, people seem to have an amazing ability to get in one’s way here. I may have figured out why…
Yemeni people are, by and large, very friendly and go out of their way to be nice to you. You wouldn’t know looking at the streets. Judging by how they drive, you would think that they are the biggest assholes on the planet. There is no flow, nobody seems to care about impeding other people, no one seems to care about improving the general flow of traffic, and the concept of obeying rules so that it benefits everyone is a totally foreign concept. It’s amazing to watch, if there’s a spot open, it is taken. The streets are 2 lanes across, it is common for them to spread out to 7 across while waiting for a light at a wide intersection here. The dabobs routinely use the oncoming lanes in order to get around traffic. I have been in many dabobs where we weren’t even in the nearest oncoming lane, but the far one and the driver had the balls to blow his horn at the oncoming traffic because they are in his way…
It’s really a classic “tragedy of the commons” problem. There is no concept of right of way, or how traffic should flow. If you come to an intersection, you stick your car into the first gap, no matter how many cars you stop or slow down. The basic idea is that they had better take the space before someone else does… Because no one “owns” any of the spaces in front of their car or in any lanes, total chaos is the result.
And it isn’t just cars, the pedestrians use the same technique. They waltz out into whatever space is there and don’t care if they force a dozen cars to stop. Intersections are a great place to congregate and to stop vehicles. It’s that love of filling space that made me think about my walking down the street problem. Inevitably, whenever I want to walk past someone, they drift right into where I am going to walk. Not to avoid anything, not to pass anything, but just to go there. Until now I had chalked it up to their innate ability to piss me off, but I think I see a pattern now. Many people seem to be drawn to open spaces. If you are walking down a sidewalk, many people wander from open space to more open space instead of following an unimpeded straight line. As I go to pass someone, I naturally go towards an open area to walk past them. They drift the same way and inevitably make me mutter many, many “F” bombs as I almost run into them. I’m trying a new technique, and it seems to be working. Now I pass on the tight side and let them wander off into the open area. I’m glad I figured this out, I’ve come very close to shoving someone into traffic as I scream, “Would you get the (hell) out of my way?!” What sometimes seems like a concerted effort to piss me off is usually just an odd (to me) habit. I’m not sure if this tendency points to any other, deeper issues, but my “Milty” sense is tingling (with apologies to both Stan Lee and Milton Freidman).
Dana left this morning. She was really excited to be going home, but we were all sad to see her go. I’m going to miss you sweetie, take care of yourself and I’ll give you a call when I get back to the states. SIGH, the place won’t be the same.
That’s the problem with being here for a while. I meet interesting people, and then they leave. Oh well, I’m glad I meet them at all…
This place is so screwed up… Everything and anything here is related back to sex. You can’t look at a woman’s hair, it’ll make you think about sex. You can’t look at her face, it’ll make you think about sex. Of course her figure is right out as well. Forget about talking or meeting between the sexes, that could lead to sex. It’s as if they think the only thing that men and women can do together is have sex, it’s repulsive. A common complaint about the US is that there are many references to sex and sexuality in popular media and culture. Fair enough, there is, but at least those are about sex as opposed to, you know, talking to each other… I’m not supposed to go outside with wet hair, why? Well, obviously it means that I just had sex… What? First off, why would anyone care, and second, you only take a shower after sex? Whatever, they will just have to deal with the idea that I’ve just had sex for the 10 or 15 minutes it takes for my hair to dry (shut up, it’s not that crazy an idea that I’ve had sex..), I’m not getting up any earlier for class.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that their ideas about sex are totally warped. There’s plenty of stories about women being blamed for being raped over here (I still haven’t figured out how if she’s a whore and asking for sex that she could be raped. Rape means that she didn’t want it…), but it is much weirder when it comes to “homosexual acts.” Homosexuality is, of course, haraam, but you’d be amazed at what the popular culture considers a “homosexual act.” What we back in the states would consider gay sex happens very frequently over here, but get this, the one, um, receiving, is the only one considered “gay,” the act of giving doesn’t really have much social stigma attached to it, at least when you’re single. It doesn’t seem to make much difference that he’s doing it to another guy, at least he’s being “masculine.” This is one of the worst kept secrets of the middle east. If only they would fess up to how screwed up their attitudes are towards sex I think it would go a long way towards alleviating the collective neurosis that they have regarding sex.
There has been a rape case in Saudi Arabia that has been getting some attention worldwide recently. A woman was with a man that she was not married to, a guy (or guys) attacked them, both her and the guy were raped(!), and she was whipped and sentenced to two years in prison. Unfortunately, that’s par for the course over here and I’m sad to admit that it doesn’t surprise me. The weird thing is how they treated the guy. There isn’t a legal definition for a man getting raped in KSA and in many other middle eastern countries. So the guy that was raped was given 90 lashes for “performing a homosexual act” and I don’t think that the guy who raped him will be punished for it. That and the prevalence of FGM encapsulates how utterly and truly this area is screwed up.
This is a good warning to all of those that would like the overt sexuality in the US to just go away. I don’t think that it would hurt too much to knock it back a few notches, but I don’t think we should underestimate the value of even a vicarious release for sexual interest. To try to totally suppress it like they do here (and in Victorian England) leads to some really screwed up people. I gotta believe that the brainwashing they receive all their life until they get married can’t just be switched off on their wedding night, there has to be long term consequences to it. How can you have a healthy sex life if you’ve been told it is something to fear and avoid all your life? I think that it is much healthier to be frank, admit that sexual desire is a powerful thing but that it needs to be channelled into healthy outlets. A good psychologist would never run out of clients here…
Anyway, my hair is dry now, I guess I can go to school…
A group of us were talking about the negative effects of quat on this country. There are many, a stunning amount of money is spent on it every day, it uses an amazing percentage of this country’s water supply (upwards of 40%), and it has a slew of health complications. A lot of people say that it also wastes a lot of productive time, but I think that’s just an excuse for being lazy, there’s no reason why you couldn’t chew and work at the same time… Henry piped up and said that there are some positive attributes to quat as well. “Well, they aren’t drinking…” That’s true enough, if they turned to other, more dangerous drugs like alcohol, this place would be terrifying. It’s only the fear of going to hell that is preventing this place from totally disintegrating into an alcohol induced anarchy… So yeah, it could be worse but I think it’s a stretch to call that a positive. Then he added, “And at least it keeps the money in the country.”
There’s some appeal to that view, but all you have to do is look a little closer to see how misguided it is. OK, so the money stays in the country, so what? First of all, if the money did go someplace else, that would mean that they either imported something or they invested the money someplace. If they import something, the odds are that they’d get something more useful than quat, so that’s a benefit right there, the money won’t be “wasted” on a drug. If they invest it, they would presumably get some sort of return on the investment, and that’s always good. Most people are worried about imports, so let’s look at that.
If the people of Yemen import something from Djibouti, Yemenis get some sort of product and someone in Djibouti gets some Yemeni Riyals. So the Yemenis have something that they use, probably food if it’s from Djibouti, so that’s a good thing. What are people going to do with Yemeni Riyals in Djibouti? Nothing, you can’t do anything with Yemeni Riyals in any place other than Yemen. So, the Djiboutis send the riyals back to Yemen in exchange for something.
So now the Djiboutis are faced with the same options as the Yemenis had when it came to spending money abroad, but they are forced to do business with Yemen, it’s the only place that will accept the money. The most common uses of money gotten through exports are either direct purchase of products, hiring of labor, investment in that country, or buying of that government’s debt. None of those things are bad, and they are all a direct result of Yemenis importing some product.
From the importing countries’ perspective, it’s all positive (as it is from the exporter’s view, but they have more at risk potentially). Even if the exporting country burned all of the money it got, preventing it from going back to the nation that imported it, it would still be good. If they burned the money, it would mean that the importing country got goods/services in exchange for little pieces of paper. Now that’s a deal! The government can always print more money…
So it isn’t obvious what the benefit is of “Keeping the money in the country.” This is a really contentious issue in the US. There is some worry about all of the money we send to China (although no one seems to worry about all of the money we send to Canada). The Chinese have been getting a lot of our money, and they’re using all of it. They are importing some goods made in the US, but they are mostly investing in capital here (buying equipment, property, etc.) or buying our debt. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have any debt to sell, forcing them to either invest more or buy more of our products. Reality being what it is, our government has been deficit spending like crazy, so the Chinese have had lots to buy. Imports are a good thing for both sides, don’t be afraid of them. If you want them to buy more “stuff” from us, reduce the debt that we create…
Tami and I were talking about various things Yemen, and we drifted onto the topic of economics. I, of course, had several opinions to offer on the subject:-) I mentioned my two fantasies about this place, that someone would admit that even if the state of Israel had never been formed, this place would still be a mess, and the related point that it is the Yemenis that have screwed this place up and that they are the ones that will have to fix it. I doubt I’ll hear those things…
We continued talking and I brought up the example of Estonia and how well they are doing. It’s one of my favorite stories. After they were separated from the Soviet Union, they were a mess and dirt poor. The leader (whose name escapes me at the time) knew he had to do something, so he started reading. Fortuitously, he read Milton Freidman’s “Capitalism and Freedom,” thought that it made a lot of sense, and started to implement the polices that Milton outlined. His advisors told him that no one does these things, certainly not unilaterally, but the leader was too politically naive to understand why some people (and interest groups) would be against these policies. The end result has been a dramatic improvement in Estonia’s economic status. It is now called the Baltic tiger…
Tami recoiled a bit at the mention of Milton, and I asked her why. “I dunno, it just sounds like anarchy to me…” That seems to be a pretty common perception of him and I’m not too sure where it comes from. Early on in his career, when asked what was needed for strong growth in a country he responded, “Free trade, sound monetary policy, and freedom.” Late in his life, when asked the same question he replied, “Rule of law, rule of law, rule of law.” Milton was a strong proponent of a functioning government. It was needed to secure the rights of the citizens. This is a basic libertarian principle, but many people seem to ignore or forget it. There is a big difference between libertarians and anarchists.
If nothing else, we should all give thanks to Milton Freidman for setting down what sound monetary policy is. His analysis of the great depression showed how critical the Federal Reserve is in avoiding, or at least minimizing, depressions and fighting inflation. Thanks to his economic insights, we have not had another massive depression. Odds are that we will never have another as long as his monetary policies are followed. Regardless of your political leanings, you have to like that…
We were walking back from dinner when a car came past honking at nothing in particular. Dana asked, “Why do they do that?”
“They’re Yemeni, if they didn’t make noise, they wouldn’t exist.”
“Aha! So you’re saying that when a tree falls in a forest it always makes noise?”
“Only if it’s Yemeni…”
Just then a kid/teenager came running down the street and almost plowed into me despite the fact that he could see me for half a block.
“The tree also doesn’t pay attention to where it’s falling…”
I was sipping on my second Jack and Coke when the scantily clad Thai singers/dancers broke into “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA and I noticed that the ambassador hadn’t gone onto the dance floor yet. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
The day before yesterday, my friend Luciano sent me a message asking me to come to his wedding dinner on the 28th. He had just returned from his honeymoon and he and Laurie were having a dinner to celebrate. They are actually two of the first people that I met here, we went bowling together on my first night. Anyway, he works for the Italian embassy and is a great guy, there was no way I was going to miss this. It was being held at the Taj Sheba hotel, a rather swanky place by Sana’a standards. Anyway, I got there a little late (I had been teaching late) and went to the front desk to ask where the party was. I then realized that I couldn’t remember his last name. I have heard it before, but it just doesn’t come up very often… “Um, I’m looking for my friend Luchiano’s party…” The woman just stared at me. “He’s Italian and it’s…”
“Oh, the Italian embassy party is in that room over there.”
My heart sank. As I walked into the room my fears were realized. It wasn’t a black tie affair, but everyone was in at least a sports coat if not an actual suit. I was in my best hooded sweatshirt and the jeans I was wearing had only small stains on them, you really had to look for them to see them at all… I don’t have any good clothes over here, I’m in Yemen for crying out loud. The Italian ambassador from italy was there along with the rest of the staff. Anyway, Luchiano made me feel welcome and Tami and I sat down. As we walked over to the table, we noticed that there was a bar. The waiter asked me what I wanted to drink and on whim I said a Jack and Coke. The glass he brought over was filled halfway with Jack Daniels, I told them to fill it up the rest of the way with Coke. They certainly weren’t stingy with the alcohol…
Entertaining us was a group of Thai women called “Simple Touch.” There were 5 of them dancing and singing. The band consisted of a synthesizer/sequencer and a tambourine. They regaled us with various power ballads from the 80’s and some dance numbers. They were wearing some, umm, interesting outfits. This being Yemen, they were covered, but with a body stocking. Most of it was fairly see through (with appropriate darker areas of course), tasteful wasn’t the word that came to mind. I think that Tami came up with the best word to encapsulate everything about the outfit.
Cameltoe.
Anyway, as she pointed out this was probably better than working in a brothel in Bangkok or Manilla.
The Italians certainly know how to have fun and it was infectious. The food was good and I drank more than I have in the last 7 or 8 years combined. I had two of those amazing Jack and Cokes, and after the dinner the waiter asked if I’d like a cognac. What else can you say to an offer like that? It was served in a proper snifter, it smelled and tasted divine. I also had some champagne at the end. I don’t drink much, or often, but I have always had a weakness for weddings.
It was during my second Jack and Coke when “Simple Touch” launched into that most improbable of Abba songs that I realized that I hadn’t anticipated this at all. But it was fun, and I’m glad that I could take part in celebrating their wedding. Thanks for inviting me guys!
I joined Facebook (a networking site) basically just to keep track of my cousin at Cornell. It turns out that she isn’t very active on it these days, but a lot of the people going to CALES (my current institution here in Yemen) are very active on it. So I’ve added a bunch of contacts. Besides linking with people, you can also join groups. I’ve joined a handful like:
CALES
It’s way the fuck down Hadda (because everything here is indeed why the hell down Hadda street)
Hans Wehr is my copilot (It’s pronounced with a V, that German made the best Arabic dictionary ever)
and a few economic related ones like Marginal Revolution and the Mises Institute.
There are some groups with great names. Some of my favorites are:
I’ve made a fortress out of my folders so assholes like you can’t cheat (it shows three paper folders surrounding a piece of paper)
I’m so hot I’m almost Haraam (haraam means forbidden in Islam)
Che Guevera was a murderer and your shirt’s not cool.
There are an endless number of these things, I’m getting a real kick out of the creativity that goes into naming them. If I see anymore that I think that people should know about I’ll let you know.
Yes, it’s the dreaded Ron Paul post… Dana and I were chatting and Ron’s name came up. “He’s crazy,” was her attitude towards him. I do think he’s a little crazy, I’m not sure where he comes up with his attitudes about the WTO, I think (think mind you, I’ll have to look at this more carefully) that I would want a more liberal policy in regards to immigration than he would want, and even though I am no fan of abortion, I am very leery of a national ban on them. So yeah, I do think he’s a little nutty, but it’s a kind of nutty I could live with.
Here’s why, he’s the only one that I’m not really afraid of. He’s the only one claiming that the federal government should have less power, not more. That’s a breath of fresh air after all these years under “W,” and is a far cry from the likes of Guliani and Hillary. “W” has set a precedent and I worry that future heads of the executive branch will be loath to give up what has already been granted. Guliani has made it known that he favors a very strong executive, and I believe with all my heart that Hillary would jump at any chance to take more control.
Another nice thing about Paul, love him or hate him, he is very different from all of the other candidates. Quick, can you outline the major policy differences between Hillary and Obama? Or how about between Guliani and Romney? Paul is an actual alternative, he is significantly different than all of the other candidates, regardless of party. He is certainly different from all of the other republicans. He’s no neocon, and that’s a relief. He’s known as “Mr. No” in the senate because he consistently votes against silly spending bills and anything that infringes on civil liberties. He was one of only 4 (I think) republicans to vote against the original Patriot Act and he was the only republican to vote against authorization to invade Iraq. Paul is the only one that is fiscally responsible, let alone conservative in the entire pack and I think he’s the only republican that is steadfastly a noninterventionist.
I don’t think he has much of a chance to go anywhere in this election, but don’t underestimate the power of a “The Government Sucks” platform in today’s political atmosphere. I think the more people that hear about him, the more will vote for him just because they are so fed up with the current government (legislative and executive). He has also set a one day record for fundraising. The really amazing thing is that neither he nor his campaign were the ones that organized it. It was a true grassroots effort organized by volunteers. I think that his best case scenario is to make some noise in this coming election if even in the primaries. With any luck, he’ll have a Goldwaterlike kind of influence. It’s been a while since anyone has run on a smaller government platform. The first Bush was really the last republican that even gave lip service to the idea, and Reagan was the last one that actually tried to do anything about it. Reagan and his cohorts were heavily influenced by Barry Goldwater. It was the election that Goldwater lost that got those ideas back into political conversations. With any luck, Paul’s campaign will make people thnk that there’s another possible type of candidate and maybe we’ll actually elect one of them one of these days…