House of Curiosity... » Health

Wadi Mukheires

Madas — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:00:56 +0000

I went hiking to a beautiful place called Wadi Mukhereis near the dead sea… and although it is not the first time I have been there, I still felt fascinated by the savage beauty that is hidden inside the mountains; A perfect eco system of waterfalls, rocks, insects and plants… all living in peace and harmony…oblivious to the world around them, as if they are the first creatures to exist and the world will start evolving soon. It was beautifully peaceful…

If someone wants to see all that un-cracked beauty, I should advise them to hurry south, and visit the area across the street from Movenpick Hotel without delay.

Now if you are expecting a romantic description of the beauty of the wadi, please go back to the first paragraph… because that was as far as my romantic side could take me… and please don’t read the rest of this post… since from this point on it will turn gruesome.

After I went back home from my trip, the combination of the hot weather, the cold water (as when we started I used to avoid getting my feet wet. By the time the trip ended I was walking in the stream, because it was cooler and easier) and the lobster that I had for lunch the day before was not kind on my stomach! I was gripped with cold and heat waves that kept alternating till today (3 days later)… and the pain in my stomach… Lord! How can something be this painful? This must be the promised hell!

At 2:00 AM in morning I was driven out of my bed by instinct to the bathroom, I am not sure how I found myself on the floor hugging the toilet and retching my heart out… and while I was doing this, my mind was focused on two things… I had not vomited since third grade, and what a fascinating process vomiting is!

I looked it up using my best friend the lovely Wikipedia… and now the only thought I have in my head is Subhan Allah! We are such complicated creatures……Even though we are mentally hurricanous (I just invented this word), when it comes to physiology… We are so perfect and we function so precisely…it is not even imaginable

Here is the process… enjoy… and my advice is don’t eat while reading this I specifically liked how the body tries to protect the teeth from all the acids… cool, eh?

I leave you with beautiful pictures taken by Ramsey a few months ago of this beautiful place…

yup this is in Jordan

Homophobia

Madas — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 16:53:00 +0000

I picked up a book called koolaids, in my drive to read for Arab writers, even if the books are written in English. Rabih Alameddine reflects on the Lebanese Civil War and immigration to the United States. The plots are non-linear and fragmentary, reflecting on the war and the shattered lives of the characters. Very interesting indeed. What I thought is courageous is that Rabih does not shy away from the core issue in the story which is homosexuality. Koolaids goes into the lifestyle of gays, how they lead their lives, how they face their choices, how they deal with HIV and watching their friends and loved ones dying. It is really touching, sad, shocking, amusing, honest and very human.

I was discussing the book with a friend of mine, and she surprised me by saying that HIV is a divine punishment for gays! I was disturbed by the notion of sickness, suffering and death as a divine punishment… because if this is true then every single gay person on earth through history should be HIV+ which is not the case…Obviously and everyone who is HIV+ should be gay?!! And finally it implies that all sick people on earth are sick as a punishment?!

How about the millions of African families who suffer from HIV with/without being gay? How about the millions upon millions who die of cancer every year? Is this a Divine punishment too? How about the millions of innocent children who die in war every hour not too far away? or who die a slow death because of lack of food?! or of other sicknesses.. heart attacks or diabetes..oe whatever is it that is killing people… And if it is really a Divine punishment…what is it that all these people are doing to deserve this punishment… maybe we could avoid doing it.. ya3ni just in case.. …

In short I thought that this idea absurd, is based on ignorance and is very hypocritical…. And regardless of what we believe or not believe… I do not think any of us should give a judgment on God’s behalf… because no human being is capable of knowing how God is, or how He judges or how He thinks… and as we all know God is Merciful and Forgiving… and as Christ said, ” he who does not have mistakes, should throw the first stone…” so if this person believes being gay is a mistake that should be … divinly punished should throw the first stone if she is perfect…!