A Fulfilling Fast-A-Thon

I have a feeling Allah must have rolled his eyes when I RSVP'd to an Iftar dinner three days ago. Yes, I RSVP'd to fast a day in honor of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. I can see Allah now, replying to my email, Thank you for your RSVP, Sara. I welcome your fast.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, having sex, or indulging in anything ill-natured from dawn till dusk. (Borrowed from Wikipedia.) So I did, as Mohammad (peace be upon him) did, and as several hundred millions have done after him.

Before sunrise, I ate a filling breakfast made up of eggs and toast; downed a 20 oz bottle of water; and washed dishes, all before 7:15ish a.m.. Give or take five minutes, I drank the last drops of water before my 13 hour fast.

By noon, I was on campus, and my stomach was demanding its meal right away. I had two classes back-to-back, and made it a point to conserve as much energy possible by mostly sitting. Instinctively, survival mode kicks in. But before I knew it, the time was 5:45 p.m., and only two hours remained. At close to 11 hours without food or a drop of water, I was surprised to only be bothered with a headache. I immediately thought to myself, I can do this! No problem.

The Iftar Ceremony began at 7:30 p.m. Sunset was at 7:51. On each white linen table were a dozen dates, and a silver pitcher full of water. A few minutes before sunset, a soft-spoken woman wearing a navy blue hijab (headscarf) said a few opening words. At 7:51 p.m., the Adhaan, the Call to Prayer, called forth the Muslims in the room. It was like refreshing water to my parched throat, literally. And the sweet dates helped my headache go away.

In the Maghrib Prayer, the prayer after sunset, approximately 40 people gathered facing Mecca, performing a choreographed prayer I have seen before, offered in the streets of Cairo. To the limited spectator, the prayer may remind them of a dance from their youth, a "head, shoulders, knees and toes" movement. I, on the other hand, was taken back to Cairo. Simply humbling, simply beautiful.

Just before the prayer ended, 8:00 o' clock struck, and I am convinced Allah spoke because in the background of the Maghrib, I could hear the faint Catholic church bells ringing.

If you ask me, they harmonized quite beautifully. Indeed, Allahu Akbar, God is great.

If you, like me, are not Muslim, here are a few good things to know when fasting.

1. Pre stock your fridge with ingredients and food for a filling ( but not stuffing) breakfast.
2. If possible, avoid driving.
3. If possible, take a nap.
   
4. Do NOT leave mints, tangerines, or gum in your reach (bag, backpack, locker, etc.). It will tempt you.
   
5. Do NOT ask me how I know that.
   
6. Enjoy it. The experience is cleansing.
   

Speaking of Google Books...

As mentioned in our last posting, we all may very well start reading Google Books. -- Okay, okay, so those weren't my exact words. However, we very soon might be!

On Friday, September 4th, the (already extended) Opt-Out Deadline for the Google Book Settlement will come to a close. So if you're an author, illustrator, a publisher, or someone who owns a U.S. copyright as of January 5, 2009, you're probably not reading this... But, if you are an author, illustrator, a publisher, or someone who owns a U.S. copyright, then you are probably included in the gigantic Google settlement.

If I am just catching you up with the not-so-latest, then here's a conveniently short description:

This lawsuit involves the Google Library Project. In 2004, Google announced that it had entered into agreements with several libraries to digitize books, including books protected by U.S. copyright law, in those libraries’ collections.

Later this year, a judge will decide on the settlement. But, the-soon-to-be-monopoly, Google, has some mighty big opponents on the other side of the ring. Three of the biggest: Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Yahoo!. Bloomberg.com reports that "A coalition including Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. argue that Google is trying to control the access and distribution of the world’s largest database of books."

These big corporations aren't the only ones raising strong points. Germany-yes, the country-protests too! Germany's main argument, however, focuses on the effects on the E.U., agreeing that The Google Book Project “runs afoul of the applicable German national laws, as well as European public initiatives to create non-commercial worldwide digital libraries. ”

The overall consensus seems to be: STOP trying to monopolize, Google!

Personally, I'm still not sure where I stand on the whole debate. I have a feeling this blog entry will be a multiple-parter. What I do know, however, is that it is important to me that my personal information remain secure and private. Can you handle that, Google?

My next question: Why is the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department investigating this settlement?

For more information about the settlement, click here.

Take it Slow

"It's sad, really," I was telling Chris, a best friend who lives in Dubai, "I'm studying English at school, and essentially, I'm studying it to be a writer. But everything is online now. I have a feeling my résumé will include works published online, rather than offline (books, magazines, journals, etc.). And it makes my soon-to-be profession feel ... cheap, disregarded even."

Last week, John Freeman of The Wall Street Journal shared my exact sentiments in his recent article, A Manifesto for Slow Communication. Freeman explains that words like "speed" and "urgency" are not synonyms for "effectiveness" and "accuracy."

"Making decisions in this communication brownout, though without complete infor­mation, we go to war hastily, go to meetings unprepared, and build relationships on the slippery gravel of false impressions."

As a writer, I feel this speaks to me on a deeper level: my career. There is something great about admiring, holding, smelling, and caressing a book or magazine or newspaper with one's own text printed on it. Personally, the romanticism behind it is greater in comparison to seeing text on a monitor. But more importantly, literacy standards continue to fall. Everything else seems to be improving but ... our literacy skills? Freeman illustrates the following:

"It [the Industrial Age] has made it more difficult to read slowly and enjoy it, hastening the already declining rates of literacy. It has made it harder to listen and mean it, to be idle and not fidget."

This manifesto runs parallel to the ongoing multi-tasking and the frying attention span debates. In the blink of an eye we can read headlines without being fully informed. In the next blink we can be briefed about the latest celebrity gossip. Next we are glancing through our email, then we are skimming through a Google Book just to make it quickly to the next eye's blink. Are any of these things ever done carefully? Or effectively? Or with our full attention? Is it fair to the authors who have worked on what you're reading? Another question: Did I lose you?

My stance is not to be confused with a stance against fast communication, rather to know when to opt for slow communication. Like Freeman states in his manifesto,

"We need to uncouple our idea of progress from speed, separate the idea of speed from effi­ciency, pause and step back enough to realize that efficiency may be good for business and governments but does not always lead to mindfulness and sustainable, rewarding relationships."

Well said! Now, if I could only get this in print...

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