This is not a man with a blog.

Share the wealth

By Shabbir | June 12, 2003 | Comments Off on Share the wealth

Was I not paying attention and missed the start of a wave of Hollywood generosity? I notice that stars from both the Sopranos and the Matrix have passed large hunks of their paychecks along to co-stars and crew in recent weeks. It makes me like these guys even more.

Speedbump in the Roadmap

By Shabbir | June 5, 2003 | Comments Off on Speedbump in the Roadmap

You actually don’t need hate groups in the modern world, when the rhetoric of your own debates over peace plans reach this level. Or this. (Read the last paragraph)

Casinos

By Shabbir | June 5, 2003 | Comments Off on Casinos


Scenes from a wedding

By Shabbir | May 27, 2003 | Comments Off on Scenes from a wedding

After being up for twenty four hours (six of them playing blackjack and craps), I stumble into a Days Inn in St. Louis for the third of five weddings I’m supposed to attend this month, not counting the one in China. An hour from now I need to be downtown to attend yet another Catholic wedding of a dear friend.

I’ve spent long stretches of time underground in caves with the groom, sometimes with inadequate light, not enough food or water, and occasionally without a map and lost. I have no doubt today will be a walk in the park for him.

Graduation speech

By Shabbir | May 22, 2003 | Comments Off on Graduation speech

I love graduation speeches. No, not to sit through them. Heaven’s no. The graduation speeches I attend usually suck. However the graduation speech is one of the modern podiums that provides a required aura of thoughtfullness for both the speaker and audience. And, quite often, there is significant breakout potential for the good one, as…

Being There

By Shabbir | May 22, 2003 | Comments Off on Being There



The Fall of the House of Saud

By Shabbir | May 17, 2003 | Comments Off on The Fall of the House of Saud

Last month’s Atlantic Monthly has an excellent piece by Robert Baer on the state of the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, and their precarious position. Though the article isn’t available online (it’s being folded into an upcoming book by Baer), I found this interview with Baer that touches on the same themes. Check it out.

Web satire rules

By Shabbir | April 29, 2003 | Comments Off on Web satire rules

Although I often find Mark Fiore too trite for his own good, I consistently consider him to be the most innovative web satirist around. In particular, his use of sound in his Flash animations is nothing short of brilliant. Take a look at his stuff.

Jungles of Randomness

By Shabbir | April 20, 2003 | Comments Off on Jungles of Randomness


Media haiku

By Shabbir | April 16, 2003 | Comments Off on Media haiku

Fickle crowds switch. Tired of Iraq-O-Tainment. Just turn it off, please. The war officially ended yesterday, by the way – not with any White House pronouncement but with the decision by the cable networks to dump out of a Donald Rumsfeld press conference to cover a California coroner talking about missing woman Laci Peterson. Iraq?…