Safa al-Lami knew he might be on a suicide mission. He had taken a taxi into Adhamiya, one of Baghdad’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Now, wearing a white headdress that identified him as a Shiite religious leader, al-Lami planned to walk up unannounced to a Sunni mosque and ask whether he could pray alongside his Muslim brothers. In an area where militias were shooting many Shiites on sight, “I knew there was a big chance I would be killed,” al-Lami recalls. “I kept walking toward the shrine, whispering to myself: ‘Don’t be afraid.’ “

If you read the article, you can see the events that transpired afterwards. It’s really quite incredible what this man did. He’s made a major positive difference already.

The Official Google blog has a post titled: Google Health: the First Look

ZDNet has an article as titled Google Health Beta Test Launched that talks about the new service and some of its potential controversy, problems, etc.

One of the tricks in a public art showing is to get a picture of the art without someone else wandering into the picture. Above, didn’t do so well. Below, success!

Here’s the wikipedia entry for Jeff Koons. He seems to be quite the personality.

Here is his website.

While pondering that question one might want to read two current (this week) and fascinating New York Times articles on the subject of Saudi Arabia’s youth and LOVE. The articles are titled: “Love on Girls ‘Side of the Saudi Divide” and “Young Saudis Vexed and Entranced by Love’s Rules.”

A particular tidbit at the very end of the first linked article caught me completely by surprise. A girl named Shaden is being described:

She turned back to the stack of DVDs she had been rifling through, and held up a copy of Pride and Prejudice, the version with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, a film she says she has seen dozens of times. “It’s a bit like our society, I think,” Shaden said of late Georgian England. “It’s dignified, and a bit strict. Doesn’t it remind you a little bit of Saudi Arabia? It’s my favorite DVD.” Shaden sighed, deeply. “When Darcy comes to Elizabeth and says ‘I love you’ — that’s exactly the kind of love I want.”

Officially, I like to grumble about Mr. Darcy. Just ask my wife - an avid fan of the Jane Austen movies and Pride and Prejudice in particular. We have a few different copies at our place and in the past I’ve wondered aloud if I need to worry about Mr. Darcy. I’ve also complained that I live in Chickflickistan and that maybe we should purchase some ‘manly’ movies to counterbalance all the drama spilling from the DVD shelf.

Off the record though, I’ll concede that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are compelling characters and that Jane Austen’s fiction has plenty of insights to offer about the good and bad in human nature. It doesn’t really surprise me that Jane Austen’s stories have such lasting appeal to so many people.

But I wouldn’t have predicted that a Saudi Arabian girl would hold up Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy as the example of ideal romantic love. In my estimation, that anecdote really proves the point about Jane Austen’s mastery and capability to communicate the thoughts and emotions that are most truly human. It also makes me think that on a basic essential human level - despite numerous political and religious differences - Saudis and Westerners aren’t so different after all.

Okay - enough is enough. I’m off to find my copy of the Bourne Supremacy.

As if you didn’t have enough Facebook nonsense there already … (i.e. - “my werewolf just bit your vampire”)

Note: this Feedheads application can take over your Facebook mini-feeds if you don’t fix the settings on it.

Traditional andouillette is made from the colon and the stomach of pig. In modern times, contents vary and normally contain intestines of pig, cow and/or calf. It is not to be confused with andouille sausage, which is much spicier, but more mild in animal-derived smells …

The phrase “animal-derived smells” is troubling, especially when it follows hard after a words such as “colon” and “stomach” … but if one is only uneasy at this point - prepare for horror. The description of this food goes straight downhill after that. In fact, it walks right off a cliff. We continue reading:

French andouillette … is an acquired taste and can be an interesting challenge even for adventurous eaters who don’t object to the taste or aroma of feces.

At the end of that sentence, in my mind, all the romance of France just died. RIP.

So here’s my list:

• I have excellent handwriting/script. Maybe it’s because of that fourth-grade teacher who was very strict and never seemed to smile. Or maybe it’s a genetic thing - I’ve noticed my parents have unique handwriting styles (that may have contributed to mine) somehow. Please note: This skill is for the most part meaningless in today’s world. One related anecdote: when we were dating, Diane said to me “you have good handwriting for a guy.” My immediate response: “You drive well for a girl.”
• My favorite colors: blue and green.
• In relation to food - in general, I favor sweet and salty foods but not so much the sour/pickled kinds of foods. I don’t like cilantro. I recently (in the past month or so) discovered that I’m okay with mustard. Previously I would have told you otherwise. I like raisins. I like black licorice.
• I have a soft spot for most dogs, cats, pets - but we don’t have any at our place. We just don’t have time to take proper care of a pet. Maybe someday …
• Nicknames I’ve had: Marco, Wump. The first nickname came because a friend saw me reading a book about Marco Polo. The second nickname had something to do with an 8th grade sleepover and a game called “Hunt the Wumpus.” In high school, other kids would usually yell out “Wump” just to see if I would turn around or respond. I usually did.
• My favorite toys: Macbook, prismacolor markers, WordPress, a frisbee, an acoustic guitar. I’d like to add ‘bicycle’ to this list - it’s just not in the cards right now.
• Diane and I are reading through the Old Testament together. One chapter a day, usually. We are currently in the book of Job.
• Chores I like: washing dishes, laundry. A chore I don’t like: ironing clothes.
• I like to experiment with line and color and am a fan of artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Saul Steinberg, Helen Hardin, Jean Dubuffet, Hundertwasser, Keith Haring, Alexander Calder, Yaacov Agam and other similar artists.
• I am a fan of the open-source movement, free sharing and innovation communities. I am excited about the internet and the opportunity it offers for sharing projects and collaboration. Unfortunately I am not much of a computer programmer. Still, with the help of some others, I am working on a project that I will eventually make available for download. And if you think that actually typing that out makes me dorky, you are probably right.

I have no idea who to tag at this point. I’m just content to have completed this list. If you made it this far, then I think it’s time for some “Manah Manah.” Enjoy.

A Daniel C. Peterson lecture about “Evidences of the Book of Mormon” is among them. I really enjoy listening to him speak on the subject and maybe you will as well.

There are nine installments and I’ve embedded the code for them all here below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9