Category Archives: Animals
Camel in the Post
Postcard from about 1911
Where’s the Beef?
Camel Burger Newest “Healthy” Option on Dubai Menu
DUBAI (Reuters), February 2, 2010
A traditional Emirati restaurant in Dubai has added a new entree to its menu billed as a fat-free choice for carnivorous but health-conscious diners: the Camel Burger.
For 20 UAE dirhams ($5.45), the Local House restaurant offers a quarter pound camel burger, loaded with cheese and smothered in burger sauce, the Xpress weekly newspaper reported on Thursday.
Ali Ahmad Esmail, Local House assistant manager, told the paper that the burger patties were fat- and cholesterol-free. But he declined to say how the outlet tenderized the tough camel meat. Continue reading Where’s the Beef?
Darwin, Egyptian Style
MEMO FROM ALEXANDRIA
Harnessing Darwin to Push an Ancient Intellectual Center to Evolve
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN, The New York Times, November 26, 2009
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — It is not that Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution are unknown here. But even among those who profess to know something about the subject, the common understanding is that Darwin said man came from monkeys.
Darwin, of course, did not say man came from monkeys. He said the two share a common ancestor. But to discuss Darwin anywhere is not just to explore the origin of man. It is inevitably to engage in a debate between religion and science. That is why, 150 years after Darwin published “On the Origin of Species,†the British Council, the cultural arm of the British government, decided to hold an international conference on Darwin in this conservative, Sunni Muslim nation.
It was a first.
“A lot of people say his theories are wrong, or go against religion,†said Martin Davidson, chief executive of the British Council. “His ideas provoke, but if we are going to understand each other, we have to discuss things that divide us.†Continue reading Darwin, Egyptian Style
Monkeying Around in Old Aden
Here is an old photograph entitled “Donkey Man with Trick Monkey,” taken in Aden during the days of the British protectorate. It is not just any kind of “monkey,” of course. Sitting on the donkey is Papio hamadryas, the baboon, usually called rubâh in Yemen. It appears, in deference to the British colonial presence, that the monk is wearing britches.
Where else would you find an Arab?
Here is a postcard from a century ago entitled “Arab on Camel … BAGDAD.” I guess for the postcard title writer, a camel rider outside the city of Baghdad might as well be down town. But one wonders why the title was even needed. Where else would the person receiving the postcard at the time have imagined an “Arab” would be?
Walk a Mile for a Chocolate Bar?
World’s First Camel-Milk Chocolates Going Global
Asharq Alawsat, July 22, 2009
DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai’s Al Nassma, the world’s first brand of chocolate made with camels’ milk, is in talks to expand into new Arab markets, Europe, Japan and the United States, its general manager said Tuesday.
Martin Van Almsick said the United Arab Emirates company planned to enter Saudi Arabia first, followed by Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United States within the next few months.
Al Nassma is also in talks with British department store Harrods and San Francisco’s Chocolate Covered to sell its products.
Founded and owned by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Al Nassma was formally established in October last year and aims to produce 100 tons of premium camels’ milk chocolate a year. Continue reading Walk a Mile for a Chocolate Bar?
Even Iraqi Snakes are Terrorists
The Desert Horned Viper lurks in sand, only eyes, nostrils and horns above the surface.
Webshaykh’s Note: Cyberspace harbors a host of apocalyptic websites that relate current events in the Middle East to biblical prophecy. From the site Heaven Awaits it would seem that even Iraqi snakes are suspected of being terrorists… after all these snakes have horns. The following commentary stems from a news item in The Independent.
Snakes preparing the way for demons?
from Heaven Awaits website
The Desert Horned Viper lurks in sand, only eyes, nostrils and horns above the surface. Interesting ….that it has “horns.â€
The Bible predicts that the Euphrates River will dry up, and demons will come out. See the latest headlines from Iraq. Continue reading Even Iraqi Snakes are Terrorists