Articles

Well, that was Embarrassing!

I have reached the age where it takes sooo much more than a little slop of wine down the front of my blouse or a piece of parsley between my front teeth to embarrass me, but I recently wore something out in public that should...

Dr. Google Is Always In

Yes, it's true. Canadians spend more time researching medical issues on line than they do banking, checking out sports scores, or even keeping up to date on the latest news. Sometimes information gleaned from online research can be life saving, as in the case of...

28 Nov
Happy in Hijab

There is plenty to love about my friend, but she hates her hair. She says when she dies God is going to give her long, luscious locks. Smart, stunning and successful, I say He already gave her enough. But despite her gifts, this woman wields war against...

28 Nov
Jazzed about Jordan

I’ll admit it: I was the hold out on Jordan. “Don’t you want to see the Dead Sea? What about Mount Nebo and Petra?” My husband was incredulous. But I was incredibly done—with the Middle East, that is. We’d lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for...

28 Nov
Petra, Please

Moviegoers recognize it as the site where Indiana Jones was filmed; history buffs know it as Petra. An entire city, complete with a theater, tombs, a monastery, dining halls, and the famous treasury, all cut into towering rocks, tourists visit Jordan just to lay...

28 Nov
Beautiful Beirut: Victim to the Beast of War

I wasn’t very old when the civil war began in Beirut. Back in 1975 I was more interested in my swing set than news of war plaguing the city symbolic of the ongoing juggle between hope and despair that characterizes the Middle East. I remember adults...

28 Nov
Reflections on Ramadan and Toasts to Turkey

Ah, ostentatious October! How I love this show-off month when the earth delights in decorating herself in jewel toned accessories like a mother of fashion, embracing her new fall line.Graciously remaining emerald green, the lawn glows while all around golden leaves glimmer like dangling earrings swaying...

28 Nov
Desperate Housemaids: Don’t Underestimate these Desert Domestics

As my fingertips flipped through the pages of this week’s Maclean’s magazine, I came across an article that sent my mind tripping down memory lane. The piece was called “Quick! Bag a Nanny”. It described the woes of would-be-wonderful employers for immigrant nannies if only...

28 Nov
Don’t Sugar Coat It: Give me my Cereal Straight

My son has been known to comment that he can’t wait to be an adult—not because he will be in charge of his own life—but because he can then consume all the Fruit Loops he wants. Being a grown up comes with a lot of perks....