sha·war·ma·nom·ics n. 1. Study of socioeconomic impact as relative to a rise in shawarma prices. Without a doubt the best measurement of inflation doesn’t include how expensive a box of Corn Flakes is or microwavable popcorn, but staple goods such as bread, sugar, rice and tomatoes. Outside the household, in the open market of the [...]

We We peel back the winterberry sky With our brown eyes One gray cloud at a time We We wear checkered scarves Fashioned red and white One small square at a time Around the circles of Amman

Today I realized that my newspaper rituals are a bit dark if not acheronian. I read the paper in two doses the first of which involves a quick skimming of the front page headlines just like what I assume the overwhelming majority of readers do. Front page headlines in Middle Eastern papers are about 70% [...]