To Scar or Not to Scar
As a teacher, what we call experience is merely a reciprocal process of learning which comes from our students. Much of the knowledge imparted by a teacher to students is a result of knowledge gained from students. What do I mean? Because learning is based…
En Focus: Impressive Photos from your Smartphone
All photos in the article were taken with smartphones The best camera is always the one that is with you. For most of us, that means the camera on our smartphones. It is small enough to fit in your pocket and lightweight enough to take…
Life Out of Context
Scrolling through articles, I came across an interesting phrase, context collapse. A term coined around 2002 to describe what happens on social media when your opinions are read by others who they weren’t meant for and taken out of context. No scrolling up to 2020,…
Why Sudan
Why Sudan? This is a common question asked to the Muhajireen (immigrants) particularly those coming from Western countries. And although I hear similar answers from other Muhajireen, I can only answer for myself. The question, albeit straightforward, is tinged with some astonishment. In reality, Sudan…
The Truth About Cocoons
Cocoons and Covid-19 What caterpillars go through has applications for our moment. Remember in general science class as a child what you learned about cocoons? How a worm or caterpillar spins a silky web about itself to later emerge as a beautiful butterfly. It was…
How we Kept Cooler before Electricity and AC
Is the weather getting hotter, or is it a change in lifestyle that has got us sweltering? This question, I have been toying with for the last twenty years. At one time, ceiling fans did the job of keeping us cool nicely. Then came the…
A Golden Nugget of Advice
Warren Buffet’s Twenty Slot Rule Many times, we find that the best advice is simple, straight forward, and easy to understand. Such advice is common from Warren Buffett, an American investor, business tycoon, and philanthropist. In a lecture given to MBA students Buffet introduced them…
How to Get Children Reading
As a literature teacher (former), I was frequently asked by parents how to get children to read. A simple straightforward question that defies a similar response. Why? There are many factors causing the decline in children’s interest in reading. Many are connected to the onslaught…
Port Sudan, Off the Beaten Path
Port Sudan is a gem on the Red Sea from whichever angle you look. A wonderfully quaint city in which Eastern Sudanese culture can be experienced, in context. Port Sudan is not a touristy town. The tourist footprint is not very apparent in the city—possibly…
Rufaa’ Ferry
The Hasahasa, Rufaa’ Ferry There’s something magical (for lack of a better term) about ferries. Not so long ago, there were a number of pontoons ferrying people and animals back and forth across the Blue Nile, but now, many of them have been retired by…
Al Jazar: A Minimalist Approach
On Al Jazar Street in al Riyadh Khartoum, under a large white sign spelling out the word “Al Jazar” in big bold black-lined red letters, is a great little take out for a delicious kufta sandwich. As the namesake explicates, the enterprise is a byproduct…