Barbara Nadel: The Ottoman Cage
I got the recommendation for this book from Little Diamond; we have a long family tradition of trading books back and forth, my sisters, our children, even my mother; we are all sending books and exchanging suggestions all the time. I know I can count on Little Diamond and Sparkle for particularly good recommendations, and they never disappoint me.
When The Ottoman Cage arrived, I was put off by the cover. “Who’s Likely to Like This?” the cover asked – it seemed like screaming to me – “Fans of Donna Leon and exotic, atmospheric locales”
Remember, I am in a dark time, taxes, turbulence, destabilization. . . I am easily disgruntled when I am vulnerable like this. I don’t want to think I am so predictable. I love reading Donna Leon! So I am predisposed (grumble grumble grumble) NOT to like Barbara Nadel.
I fail miserably. The first five pages I am resisting. By the sixth page, I am ready to stay up all night to read this book (I don’t really, but I did finding myself making more time to read so I could find out what happens next.)
It is like the Donna Leon series in that while the plot is original and interesting, the real focus is on the police inspector, his crew, the relationships with friends and characters, the bureaucracy, and the way systems and institutions function in modern day Turkey.
One particular relationship was of great interest to me, that of Suleyman, who dutifully married his first cousin. They both tried very hard to make it work, but when we meet him, we discover that the marriage has become a painfully dry and desolate place, where each lead their individual lives, with very little of the relationship together.
Another character is detective Cohen, a rare Jew in the police force described as follows:
When one has been known and admired as a prolific womanizer for most of one’s adult life, any change in that situation can come rather hard. Although Cohen had been married since the age of nineteen, he had never let that fact or indeed his rather short stature and dishevelled apearance hold him back from the most ardent pursuit of other women. Jokey charm, of which he possessed copious amounts, had always seen him through. The knowledge that women love a man who can make them laugh had successfully taken him to many bedrooms and had, quite frequently, resulted in his being asked back again. Until this year.
Whether it was because now he was on the ‘wrong’ sied of forty five or just a patch of ill fortune, Cohen didn’t know but the fact was beyond dispute. Women, it seemed, didn’t want him any more. The rbuffs and even in one notable case the cruel sound of mocking laughter were hideously painful for him to bear. Even his long-suffering wife, who had for so many years pleaded with him to leave other women alone and attend to her, had lost interest. He’d tried to find a little comfort in her arms the previous night when he found that he couldn’t sleep, but she, like all the lithe little girls that he still so desired, had just sent him on his way, back to his customary couch, flinging her curses in his unfaithful wake.
It was, Cohen would have been the first to admit, his own fault. Had he bothered to try and be faithful to Estelle he would now, in his middle years, have both a friend and a over with whom he could take comfort as the lines overwhelmed his face and the loose skin around his middle began to sag. His wife was, after all, ageing like himself and, unlike the pretty little tarts he hankered after, unable to point mocking fingers at his inadequacies.
The plot hinges on a dead boy, a beautiful boy, found dead, alone, on a bed in an empty, tasteful but unlived in home. Who is he? Why is he here? Why is he dead?
We meet the gossipy neighbors, we meet the Armenian community, we meet some of the lowest characters you would ever hope to meet, the kind the police deal with every single day. Nothing is simple, one single clue leads slowly, painfully to another. I give credit to Nadel; she relies on good honest police work, chasing down the clues, going through the stacks of old files, interviewing unsavory lowlifes; the things good police really do to solve their cases.
More than the plot, I loved the rich and intricate textures of this mystery novel, I loved the descriptions of the interiors and the interior lives of the characters. Nadel has that in common with the other writers I read serially – Leon, Pattison, Qiu Xiaolon, James Burke and Peter Bowen. It is another rich entry into the genre of the “mystery novel set in exotic, atmospheric locations.”
Definitely worth a read!
Sunrise March 21, 2009
For all your Kuwaiti students back in the USA who check in daily to see what Kuwait looks like – I am sorry to tell you, you are missing one of the most beautiful days of the year. The sun rose over a sea so still it is like glass; it looks so solid you could walk on it:
You wonder how I know you are Kuwaiti students? I use this wonderful software called StatCounter which I love.
What is STATCOUNTER?
A free yet reliable invisible web tracker, highly configurable hit counter and real-time detailed web stats. Insert a simple piece of our code on your web page or blog and you will be able to analyse and monitor all the visitors to your website in real-time!
It allows me to see where people who check my blog are checking in from – like if you are at University of Arizona, for example, it might show me that. People who have commented are identified from previous comments. It is a great little utility, and a lot of fun when you have a little time to spare.
For those of you in Kuwait – look at this week to come:
It doesn’t get any more beautiful in Kuwait. Get outside today! It is gorgeous out there!
Smoke House BBQ
AdventureMan and I miss two kinds of cuisine living in Kuwait – American BBQ and Vietnamese. When I read on Mark’s blog 248 about the Smoke House, I couldn’t wait to grab Adventure Man and give it a try.
It’s the best American BBQ in Kuwait.
OK, the restaurant itself is small, and not that easy to find, but it is immaculately clean, and there is all the parking in the world. That matters to me.
The service was quick and professional. We already knew about the pie, because we saw it in the display case when we came in, and knew we needed to save room.
We like BBQ, but for us, it is also all about the sides. I adore baked beans, and the baked beans at the Smoke House are very very good. I love potato salad and I love cole slaw, and they had both, and they were both very good. I adore the genuine, very dill pickles that come with the meals.
AdventureMan had the cajun fish and I had the half chicken. They were delicious. We were already stuffed when they brought our order of sweet potato pie. Oh yummmm. The crust is like a sugar cookie, and the filling is perfect. We couldn’t eat it all. It was huge.
I am not critical. I enjoyed all the sauces too much – so many varieties, including the vinegar-y sauce I learned to love in Kansas City and the sweet and hot sauce I love from the Carolinas. I want to go back. I want to try the mashed potatoes and gravy, and the steamed vegetables and the Pecan Pie. I am not a French Fry girl, but these were crispy and very tasty, and I found myself eating even while telling myself “No! No! No!”
I adore ribs, and I hear their ribs are very good. I am just so thrilled that they exist, that someone thought American BBQ would work here in Kuwait. It sure works for me! 🙂
Here is a direct link to the Smoke House Menu.
Here is a map of how to get there, from their website:
It doesn’t have to be magnificent to get my vote – it just has to be good enough, authentic enough American BBQ to fill my need. The Smoke House is a great find.
So now that just leaves Vietnamese . . . anyone?
Taxing Times
No cheery posts today, I am busy gathering the paperwork for our US taxes.
Imagine a game where the rules change every year, a combination scavenger hunt (this year you have to have complete documentation for every charitable deduction, every moving expense, every repair for rental properties, insurance receipts, property tax receipts, etc) and oh! some new deductions if you have kept records of travel and expenses (go dig out those credit card receipts) and accuracy (filling in the correct information in the correct obscure box) and drawing the right conclusions (check this box? that box?) etc.
I am pretty good at keeping the right paperwork, but I am not always good at keeping it in order. Before I can even start, I have to get it in piles sorted by types, then sort the piles chronologically.
AdventureMan is no help. He means well. He doesn’t handle frustration well. He has people who do things for him. At home, I am it. I am the people who get it done.
Then the worksheet, which has colors and prints so small that I can’t even read it once the sun goes down, so I have to get it all done while the sun is high. AArrgh.
So pardon me if I am not a barrel of laughs today. Bah! Humbug! Taxes!
Challenges to Kuwaiti Women
From today’s Kuwait Times
Kuwaiti women continue to face challenges
Published Date: March 19, 2009
By Velina Nacheva, Staff writer
KUWAIT: The notion of role segregation, where women play a pivotal role in the private sphere and men play an important role in the public sphere, is destructive to society, Kuwaiti women activists argued.
Dr Masouma Al-Mubarak, Kuwait’s first female Cabinet minister and Dr Rola Dashti, an economic expert and former candidate for the National Assembly elections last year, addresses a pack of students, professors, guests and journalists at a lecture called “Women’s Experience in Kuwaiti Politics” on Tuesday evening. The lecture, which was hosted by the Gulf Studies Center at the American University of Kuwait, was held on the occasion of International Women’s Day which is marked on March 8th.
Al-Mubarak, professor of political sciences at Kuwait University, was sworn into office as the Minister of Planning and Administration in 2005 – only a month after women in Kuwait received their political rights and were able to run for office. Al-Mubarak’s discussion was premised on the idea that women’s contributions in any society are pivotal to the democratic process in the country.
“It is a fact that the development process, be it economic, political or social, cannot be achieved fully without the full participation of dedicated men and women of any society,” she said.
Taking the point further, she argued that participation and involvement of more and more citizens in the decision-making process lies at the fulcrum of any strong democracy. To explore this premise she further argued that women’s statuses were affected by the social customs, traditions, limited facilities, technical and vocational training, limited employment opportunities and discriminatory laws. She canvassed the opinion that such a host of factors has hindered the efforts to integrate women into administering the development process of Kuwait or any other country for that matter.
By the same token, she asserted that women are close “to pay[ing] a higher price for social customs and tradition which have a stronger effect to them.” She further dwelled on the argument that women’s roles in their society has been affected mostly by the lack of political commitment to improve their status.
The social customs and traditions have played a major role in hampering the advancement of women,” Al-Mubarak observed. In her words, through women’s roles in the business, government, education, science and art fields, women are advancing the process of democratization and societies through the educated and empowered women, who she says are vital to achieve sustainable development and democracy in all countries. She eloquently summed up her argument by saying that “No society can prosper when women do not contribute to its progress.
There is a national consensus that although there are differences from one society to another, very few women are involved in politics and even fewer run for elected offices. A confluence of factors contributes to this status quo.
Al-Mubarak explored the issue further, saying, “Our participation in the government and the political process can help strengthen democracy and encourage greater tolerance.” In her words, holding a political office is not the only form of leadership following. “We can and should contribute our talents and experiences in all kinds of professions and volunteer work,” she concluded.
Dashti, a vocal proponent for women’s rights and a renowned political activist, expressed an identical opinion reflecting on the societal need of a paradigm shift, arguing that the public sphere is no longer a male-dominated realm. She construed the ideological definition of polarization in society that comes as a result of segregating the roles of men and women. We need to settle this debate in order to move on, she enthused.
Speaking from the school of experience on the political arena, Dashti said prior to women’s enfranchisement in Kuwait, she felt like “a number in a census” being unable to vote for the candidate who, she says, would develop her nation. On a positive note, she recalled that “Dreams come true… Society does change but it needs determination and persistence.
Discouraging Sunrise 19 March 2009
When I got up this morning, my heart sank. It is not a glorious sunrise, it isn’t even one of Kuwait’s silvery sunrises, but a very very grey sunrise.
The Germans have a word “smutzich” (I may not have spelled that right) that means dirty, filthy, covered with grime . . . and the sunrise reminds me of that, it is grimy . . . and discouraging. That thin layer of yellow, whatever it is, is closer.
Weather Underground says the entire week will be clear:
But it amends that forecast with what is happening right now:
It might be a cloud, but what a grimy cloud! I hate to think that we breathe that air!
“No” Means No?
Interesting case from the Arab Times. Many courts in many nations are struggling with the same question – at what point does it become rape? In this case, there was a disagreement about the price and she tried to leave, at which point she claims she was raped.
Consensual sex, no rape: lawyer
KUWAIT CITY : The Criminal Court listened Tuesday to the argument of the lawyers for five Kuwaiti police officers, who had been charged with raping and molesting a Bedoun woman.
The court then set April 14, 2009 to issue its verdict.
During the session, the lawyer for the first and second suspects, Attorney Mohamed Al-Sane, told the court the victim had gone to the flat of the suspects on her own free will. He added this incident can never be considered rape as the victim had agreed to collect KD 100 from the suspects in return for staying and having sex with them.
Attorney Ali Al-Asfour, who represented the third suspect, requested the court to acquit his client as there is no proof to show that the victim had been raped. He further said the arresting officer’s investigations were inconclusive.
Meanwhile, Attorneys Tareq Al-Khars, Khaled Al-Mahhan and Ahmad Al-Shehab, who represented the fourth suspect, requested the court to acquit their client as he had nothing to do with the case. They added there is no evidence that the man had committed the crime.
According to the victim, she knows the third suspect, who called her on the day of the incident and invited her to go with him to a friend’s flat where she met the other suspects and two women. She disclosed the third suspect offered her KD 100 if she spends ‘fun’ time with him. However, when she arrived at the flat and had a drink with the five men, she asked for KD 50 more.
When the men refused, she tried to leave the flat, but she couldn’t as the door was locked. While she was looking for the key, the third suspect took her by force to the main bedroom and three other suspects followed him, then they all raped her.
The session was presided over by Judge Adel Al-Saqer.
By Moamen Al-Masri
Special to the Arab Times
I would guess, in Kuwait, even if she wins the case, which looks doubtful given the cadre of lawyers hired to prevent that from happening, she loses. My guess is that she goes to prison for agreeing to have sex for money.
Pigeon Thieves Nabbed
This crime report gives me a smile, because it is so cultural. In Seattle, where pigeons are so plentiful as to be a nuisance, it would be very hard to comprehend why anyone would steal a pigeon.
Living here, we know that some people treasure their pigeons, and that there are some pigeons for which people pay a LOT of money:
Night patrolmen nab pigeon thieves
KUWAIT CITY: Night patrol operatives arrested three youths who had stolen a number of pigeons from different pens in Kabad area. Sources said the team while on routine night patrol spotted the suspects in a car. They discovered the birds during a search in the suspects’ car.
The accused who confessed to the crime have since been referred to the concerned authorities for further investigations.
By Munaif Nayef
Special to the Arab Times
US Embassy: Kuwait Low Threat fro Crimes
From today’s Al Watan
Kuwait 2009 Crime & Safety Report
U.S. Department of State rates Kuwait as low threat for crime
WASHINGTON: The Department of State rates Kuwait as low threat for crime. The incidence of crime in Kuwait City remains low. The government of Kuwait (GOK) maintains a high police profile with large numbers of uniformed and plainÙ€clothes officers on the streets. Each district and governorate has police stations operating under the direction of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Directorate of Public Safety. Incidents of crime do occur, with few instances reported to the U.S. Embassy”s Regional Security Officer (RSO).
Violent crime is primarily confined within the thirdÙ€country national (TCN) community, which comprises the majority of the manual labor force in Kuwait Ù€ approximately twoÙ€thirds of Kuwait”s residents are TCNs.
It is probable that a high percentage of crimes in the TCN community go unreported because of lack of police responsiveness.
The threat of immediate deportation looms large for many of these guest workers who generally prefer maintaining a low profile so as to avoid unwanted attention from the GOK.
Although several districts within Kuwait City are known to have higher incidences of crime, only one area (Jahra) remains generally offÙ€limits to official embassy personnel. One factor contributing to the high rate of crime in Jahra is the inability of the police to enforce laws in areas where tribal customs take precedence.
Residential crime remains low. There have been no reported breakÙ€ins at any official embassy residences within the past year, nor have any vehicles been stolen. It is not uncommon for embassy staff and dependents to report suspicious persons in their neighborhoods to the RSO, but the majority of these instances have been resolved without any criminal or other hostile intent discovered.
There are no reports of petty thefts against the official American community in any of the popular outdoor markets or shopping malls frequented by tourists and westerners living in Kuwait. However, the opportunity for such crime does exist. It is understood that individuals should not assume that they can maintain a carefree attitude in these venues even though the crime threat in Kuwait is rated low.
Last updated on Wednesday 18/3/2009
MP Al-Muhaibi Condemns Male Teaching Female Students
From today’s <a href=”“>Al Watan
MP Jaber AlÙ€Muhailbi condemns school incident
Staff Writer
KUWAIT: MP Jaber AlÙ€Muhailbi has denounced the fact that grade 12 girls at AlÙ€Sabahiya High School are being taught by a foreign, male teacher. According to him, “the incident reveals a great amount of recklessness on the part of the Ministry of Education,” which he says disregards the traditions and values of Kuwaiti society.
AlÙ€Muhailbi expressed his apprehension that there might be forces planning to replace the conservative educational system in the country with a system that openly encouraged ”mixed” schools for boys and girls.
He held Minister of Education Nouriya AlÙ€Subaih solely responsible for the incident, said that it proved she was incompetent to shoulder her responsibilities as a minister.
He finally announced that he would put forward a number of questions concerning the aforementioned incident to the minister, and would inquire as to whether this was an occurrence seen in other schools, and asserted that there were plenty of female teachers capable of teaching female students in Kuwait.
He expressed his displeasure about the presence of a male teacher in a girls” school, calling it “unacceptable.”
Last updated on Tuesday 17/3/2009
12th grade? Isn’t that like the year girls graduate and go on to university classes (God willing/insh’allah) where they will be taught, as likely as not, by male professors?
Do these girls go to restaurants with male waiters?
Do they shop in stores with male cashiers? Male customer service agents? Male managers?
Learning self-control is like any other skill; it requires practice. You practice by confronting the realities of the situation. Society – in and out of Kuwait – is mixed. We sit next to each other on airplanes, we are seated next to one another in restaurants, our paths cross, daily. Kuwaiti girls are well brought up and can control themselves; they also have skills at turning aside the unwanted attention of the rare teacher who might overstep.
Mr. MP, we must be suspicious of those who see sexual issues lurking in every corner; what is in the heart of a man who sees sex everywhere? Give these girls a little credit. They are after an education, not some male teacher.
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