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Archive for July, 2007

There and Back Again

29 Jul

I went off on a little holiday to San Diego – actually, we only spent the last day in San Diego. We drove out to Palm Springs on the first day, and liked it so much that we just stayed. I think being in that kind of weather (hot but dry), in a palm tree-filled oasis surrounded by mountains – well, it was almost like home. The pool was about 85 degrees, I loved it. San Diego was great, too, but it was kind of a whirlwind, since we packed a bunch of stuff into one day. I got a GPS from the rental car company, and my Berber navigator (I use that term very tongue in cheek, he’s horrible with maps) was just astounded. He was also unimpressed with fish tacos, another black mark against him – I think I could have eaten a million of them, easy. One of the funniest parts was hearing people talk about the “hot” weather in San Diego that makes everyone head to the beach. Hot? I could have worn a sweater and felt fine. Sheesh. We were out at Silver Strand Beach, and the water was about -100, but the locals were splashing around like it was a hot tub. Obviously, our internal thermometers are permanently set to “South of Morocco.”

Now I’m trying to catch up, since the boss has gone on his own holiday out to Las Vegas, and left me in charge. (!)

I see that there are still a few comments flying back and forth about evangelists etc…, I may have run out of patience on this, finally. Maybe I’ll start acting like the Lounsbury and close comments down when things get irritating.

 
5 Comments

Posted in Personal, Tourism

 

Lord Help Me, It’s Another One of Those Missionaries

18 Jul

Well, seems like the missionary post won’t die. There’s a new comment by Shane, and here’s a key snippet:

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“I have invited many people to discuss this topic, and the fact is that most people are uneducated in their opinions. I don’t say this to disrespect anyone, but in a world of information-flow at our fingertips, we are sadly lacking in critical thought. We are offended at the idea that someone else might know better, that we might be wrong, that what I’ve been taught is flawed.

I am a Christian. I believe that there is only one way to heaven, and that is not through doing good deeds, being nice, making amends, or being ‘religions, but is by accepting Jesus Christ (the perfect, holy, and willing sacrifice) as our personal satisfaction for payment of our sins. I invite anyone to converse with me on this, and maybe we can seek the truth together.”

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Sigh. OK, here we go.

- “Uneducated in their opinions?” In whose judgement, yours? A bit on your high horse, aren’t you?
- I’m not offended in the slightest by someone knowing more than I do. The thing is, there’s no way to say who knows more when it comes to religion.
- As for you believing that there’s only one way to Heaven, great, good for you. Maybe you should look up the definition of “belief” again. There’s no way for you to prove that your way is the right way. What’s that? You say you DO have proof? OK, let’s go over what you have to offer.

1. The Bible = Useful tool, yes. The word of God, maybe. Still not proof that only one way is the right way.
2. The holy spirit inside you = Erm, lots of religions have a similar concept. Sorry, not proof.
3. You speak in tongues/have healed or been healed/felt a calling to minister = Not proof, just evidence of man’s enduring desire to make experiences more meaningful.

You see, it’s impossible to have a conversation with an evangelist. You try to bring up historical and logical points, and all they want to do is tell you that they have to spread the Gospel because a pink unicorn visited them and dropped off a personal invite to Heaven. (ok, I made a bit of that up) Talking about religion defies the very notion of critical thought, Mr. Shane. That’s why it’s an intensely personal experience, because it’s about belief, and things that can’t be proved, and mysticism, with a little bit of theater thrown in for effect. ‘

Frankly, the very idea of being re-born makes me laugh. Seems like a lot of the born-again Christians took that as a great opportunity to start racking up mortal sins again, you know what I mean?

And the last thing – “Don’t be so “right” that you lose your justification.” I’m not claiming to be right. I believe that the mystery and love of God is far beyond the ability of us mortals to understand, and I try to keep an open mind concerning all religions as practiced by individuals.

 
11 Comments

Posted in Religion

 

Birthday Presents

17 Jul

In the last month, I’ve had two packages from people who’ve picked up special items for me in Morocco – whee! It’s almost my birthday, so perfect timing.

Package #1 : From Aimee, a whole container of sabon beldi! I’ve been singing in the shower every morning since I got it!

Package #2 : From Loreen, a small plastic packet of sabon beldi (now in my purse for emergencies) and a packet of saffron!

I can’t wait to use the saffron in a tagine, mmmm. It’s going to smell like home. Thanks both of you, and you’ll be getting emails soon with more gushing about soap and saffron uses…

 
1 Comment

Posted in Blogroll, Food, Hammam

 

L’Oreal – Wonder If I’m White Enough For Them?

09 Jul

Part of the cosmetics giant L’Oreal has been found guilty of racial discrimination after it sought to exclude non-white women from promoting its shampoo.

In a landmark case, the Garnier division of the beauty empire, along with a recruitment agency it employed, were fined €30,000 ($A50,000) each after they recruited women on the basis of race.

French campaign group SOS Racisme brought the case against L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics company, over the campaign in 2000. Garnier France sought saleswomen to demonstrate the shampoo line Fructis Style in supermarkets outside Paris. They wanted young women to hand out samples and discuss hairstyling with shoppers.

In July 2000, a fax detailing the profile of hostesses sought by L’Oreal stipulated that women should be 18 to 22, size 38-42 (10-14) and “BBR” — the initials for bleu, blanc, rouge, the colours of the French flag.

Prosecutors argued that BBR, a shorthand used by the far right, was also a well-known code among employers to mean “white” French people and not those of North African, African and Asian backgrounds.

Christine Cassan, a former employee at Districom, a communications firm acting for Garnier, told the court her clients demanded white hostesses. She said that when she had presented candidates “of colour”, a superior in her own company had said she had “had enough of Christine and her Arabs“.

One woman working in the recruitment firm involved said foreign-sounding names or photos showing a candidate was of Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian or other African origin would ensure candidates were eliminated. Another said: “I once had a good woman candidate but she was non-white. I had to ask someone to pretend that our list was full. It was hard.”

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Justice Minister, Rachida Dati, the first woman of North African origin to hold a ministerial post, has ruled that special departments in prosecutors’ offices should be set up to deal with discrimination.

Full article here.

 
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Posted in Blogroll, Business, Women