Dear South African leaders:

WTF?

Sounds like you guys are on your knees in front of your Chinese masters. Losers. Grow some ‘nads and host a real peace conference. Then maybe you’ll be able to admit the real reason you’re not letting HH the Dalai Lama attend, instead of saying that you don’t want the attention taken from an event that’s about a year away.

You guys have totally failed.

Your pal,
Woody

PS: Say hi to my SA friends for me. They’re a lot smarter than you.

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Some bogus Russian “analyst” says that because of the economic recession, the US will split in to six parts, with the bits going to different countries, including Mexico, Russia, and China. Apparently, they smoke some seriously potent weed in Russia, and the KGB doesn’t do workplace drug screening.

Read more at MSNBC: U.S. to split by 2010? Russian analyst thinks so.

Heroes and innocents were lost this week in Mumbai, and I offer my thoughts and love to their families.

I love Sting’s Desert Rose, and Cheb Mami’s haunting lyrics in Arabic. My search for a translation has for years been fruitless, until I found an Arabic music wiki. Shawshara.com is a community built repository of information on Arabic music, and will be on my list of sites for my burgeoning interest in Arabic pop music.

Anyway, here’s copy the lyrics of Desert Rose for posterity. Enjoy!

Desert Rose Sting feat. Cheb Mami

Layli ya layli ya [Oh night, oh night]
Hadi muda tweela [It's been too long]
Wana nh’awis ana wa’la ghzalti [That I've been looking for my loved one]
Wana nh’awis ana wa’la ghzalti [That I've been looking for my loved one]
Wana nh’awis ana wa’la ghzali [That I've been looking for my loved one]

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
I dream of fire

Those dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man’s desire

This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And as she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothing’s as it seems

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of her love

Aman aman aman

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Omri feek entiya [You have my life]
Ma gheer entiya [No one other than you]
Ma gheer entiya [No one other than you]

Sweet desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

Sweet desert rose
This memory of Eden haunts us all
This desert flower
This rare perfume, is the sweet intoxication of the fall

Ya lili ah ya leel [My night, oh night]

[Given my recent criticisms of the Republican presidential nominees, I'm sure this blog post about Arabic music will get me instantly on the no-fly list. Whatevs. I'm an American pursuing life, liberty, and happiness, and I'll be damned if I'm not gonna listen to awesome music just because it's in Arabic. Screw anyone who thinks otherwise.]

Found an Indian grocery on Hwy 138 in Riverdale, GA that has ‘em. I’m happy now. Yay!

No, they didn’t appear together (or even met that I know of), but they were both in Atlanta this past weekend. My wonderful, loving, handsome, and most-awesomest-ever partner got us tickets to see Eartha Kitt and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening, and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama at the First Emory Summit on Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding on Sunday afternoon.

I’ll blog about each of these amazing events separately, because I don’t think it would do either justice to blog them together. Each in its own way was a stunning moment for me, and I’m sure that with a little thought I can find some commonality. I feel like it was karma that allowed me to see both these events this weekend, and I’m wondering if there might be something that both might be working together to teach.

Watch this space for the articles on both. It was an amazing weekend I want to share.

CNN reports:

“We solemnly demand that the U.S. cancel the extremely wrong arrangements,” said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. “It seriously violates the norm of international relations and seriously wounded the feelings of the Chinese people and interfered with China’s internal affairs.”

Yeah, that’s gonna happen.

What’s up with these demands? China got Mattel to bend over and grab their ankles, when the problems were with Chinese factories using lead paint when they shouldn’t have. (Sure the magnets on that one doll was Mattel’s error, but not the lead paint.) China seems to be acting like either bullies or insolent brats — maybe that’s the same thing.

Speaking of violating norms of international relations, wasn’t China’s invasion of Tibet just such a violation?