Job Discussion Forums

johnslat · Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:06 am Post subject: Night and day

Dear dmb,
Very true - from sunrise to sunset, anyway. But that's really " cheating " since they stay up all night eating and drinking.
Regards,
John

bnix · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 645

Yawn! Maybe they are sleepy after reading this thread. Rolling Eyes

One of my favorite memories of Ramadan was ordering a pizza delivered in Kuwait City(during daylight).Apparently,it was okay,as long as nobody SAW you eating it.Pizza delivery in Saudi during Ramadan? I would not count too much on that one! Laughing

johnslat · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2003 3:52 pm Post subject: Truth is stranger than fiction

Dear Sunaru,
How strange? Would you believe very to exceedingly? Think of, say, Spain about 600 years ago, during the Inquisition. Then add all the trappings of modern life - TV, the Net, cars, mobiles, etc. The result would be pretty close to what the Kingdom is like today. I always think it's so very appropriate that it's currently the year 1424 on the Islamic calendar.
Regards,
Stranger in a Strange Land John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Most home delivery services in saudi will deliver after about 4 pm in Ramadan. As long as no one actually sees you eat or smoke in the hours of daylight no one will compalin !

johnslat · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2003 4:14 pm Post subject: On the surface

Dear scot47,
So true - because, as usual here, it's the appearance that really matters, not the substance. And that carries over into so many other areas. Its the grade that matters, not how you get it or what you learn. It's how often you go to the mosque that matters, not how you live or what else you do. So, during Ramadan, just turn night into day and vice versa. Eat, drink and be merry from sunset to sunrise and then sleep all day. Somehow, I don't think that's quite what the Prophet had in mind.
Regards,
John
P.S. As you certainly know, most people here actually GAIN weight during the " fasting month ", a fact so obvious that even the Arab News has run articles about it.

PanamaTeacher · Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 278 Location: Panama

They are tired from so much thinking:

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Mandarin speakers use more areas of their brains than people who speak English, scientists said on Monday, in a finding that provides new insight into how the brain processes language.

Unlike English speakers, who use one side of their brain to understand the language, scientists at the Wellcome Trust research charity in Britain discovered that both sides of the brain are used to interpret variations in sounds in Mandarin.

The left temporal lobe of the brain is active when English speakers hear the language but Mandarin speakers use the left and right lobe, which is normally used to process melody in music and speech.

Intonation is important in Mandarin because it gives different meanings to the same word. "

"It seems that the structure of the language you learn as a child affects how the structure of your brain develops to decode speech. Native English speakers, for example, find it extraordinarily difficult to learn Mandarin," Scott said.

NK2001 · Joined: 22 Jun 2003 Posts: 8

In my neck of the woods, sleep is a way to cope with the heat and the boredom, just like taking 3 showers a day.

Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

kersh al-harem - stomach of sin in Arabic.

I remember teaching intensive TOEFL classes during Ramadan in Casablanca. Those classes really separated the men from the boys.
One of my students wanted class to start at noon instead of nine in the morning. He was quite a chubby one.

In Japan sleeping can be a hobby. Something you do on the weekend, or when you have time, when the class is perceived as dull, when you are on a train - sitting or standing.

Brooks