Middle East
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Busted on Possession of Zaatar
I just watched a news story from Australia in which a Lebanese Australian called the confiscation of his mother-in-law’s zaatar by Sydney airport customs officials “a tragedy” and “a disaster” and when he still couldn’t convince the officials to release the vacuum packed zaatar, he told them he wanted to speak to a member of Continue reading
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A DA VINCI CODE PARIS
As a writer, there is much about the Da Vinci Code that makes me cringe, but I have to say it was the first “work of art” I thought of at the Louvre this Tuesday, that being the day of the week the Louvre is closed to the public. But it wasn’t closed to our Continue reading
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THE OTHER WINNERS OF THE ZAYED UNIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL
With several local celebrities on hand as well as, due to remarkably good timing, the brilliant American writer and actor Anna Deveare Smith, trophies were handed out yesterday to student filmmakers from Lebanon, Jordan, and Qatar, in the closing ceremony marking the end of the first annual Zayed University Film Festival. Twelve films from the Continue reading
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RED CARPET ADVENTURE: THE STUDENT OSCARS OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Much as I love film and much as it has been such a big part of my life, I don’t often watch the Academy Awards, even when I’m invited to Oscar parties at friends’ houses. Aside from crying along with the winners on the Miss USA pageant as a kid, I’m just not that interested Continue reading
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TAYEB SALIH: ARABS IN TRANSLATION
My first job out of college was working at the television station in Qatar, and one of the first things my co-worders told me was “Tayeb Salih used to run this place.” There was a reverence in their voices that I didn’t get because I will admit I had never heard of him. But I Continue reading
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Hanging Out With The Djinn
When I taught ESL at UCLA, one of my favorite students was Hideo Nakata. He was utterly charming, friendly and warm—a guy who you would imagine would appreciate Frank Capra movies. Hideo-san was in fact a director himself. But no sunny Frank Capra. He was—and still is—one of the world’s great horror film directors, almost Continue reading
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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST
I’m opposed to making lofty new year’s resolutions–aside from the token and easily forgettable “I’ll try to eat less chocolate”—as they sometime trivializes a dream. But I’m happy to make resolutions for others, kind of like the UN. Here are my new year’s resolutions for the Middle East, and I know they’re laced with loftiness Continue reading
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Alternative Tourism in Jordan
A couple of my friends from Abu Dhabi, all Americans, went to Jordan this week, and because I am in Jordan so often, they wanted my opinion of what to do—especially with their first two days in Amman. My best advice for tourists stuck in Amman is to leave, as it is the only part Continue reading
Alia Yunis 