The Dance of Death in Syria-- some dying and others fighting to live

One side is beginning to die and the other is fighting to live.

To understand the political behavior of Salafis today, keep four things in mind:

their religious beliefs do not predict their political behavior; they are a minority in almost every Middle Eastern country; the countries where they are a majority are incredibly wealthy; and their appeal and power arises from their commitment to an ultraconservative creed that is out of step with the mainstream.

If you're in portland this weekend, please come by the convention center for a great book festival, wordstock, and visit me at booth #815.

i will be there signing copies of alice's kitchen: traditional lebanese cooking and The Sweets of Araby, a book for which i illustrated and designed the cover, as well as doing interior illustrations, published last year by Countryman Press, and named a NY Times Notable book for 2011

Our blogging Kuwaiti guy reviews some books by Max Brooks .

"Written in his trademark style, these tales are a combination of horror, drama, and socio-political commentary."