New York: The Land of Ice and Snow

Ever have one of those days where you get up in the morning and can't remember where you parked your car the night before? It's been happening to me a lot recently...

Cari and I went to Taughannock Falls a while ago and I'll bet most of my friends and family in Texas and Saudi Arabai have never seen a river like this before. Winter here is inconvenient sometimes, but beautiful too.

Is Allah God in Malaysia?

Is this Islam?

Churches Attacked in Malaysian Allah Dispute

I can understand people being upset at disrespectful Danish cartoons (though I think reactions in 2006 were a bit harsh), or concerned with the Minaret controversy in Switzerland...

Why is it ok to firebomb churches in Malaysia when Christians also want to call God "Allah?"

This hatred doesn't make sense to me. Maybe there are some missing details in the New York Times article?

It would be nice to see this type of violence against non-Muslims protested by known Islamic religious leaders as extremist, just as the Danish cartoons were condemned by the Mufti of Egypt, and the minaret controversy immediately drew reactions from leaders in Syria and Turkey.

I've heard it said that Islam is a religion of peace and discourse, and I am upset whenever leaders twist the Koran's or the Bible's words to justify violence and a political agenda.

Some spiritual words which are on my mind today:

Al-Nahl, 16:125

Call unto the way of the Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in this better way. Lo! Thy Lord is best aware of him who strays from his way and he is best aware of those who go aright.

Sand : Thuwal, KSA :: ____ : Ithaca, NY

Choose the best answer.

A) Wind

B) Sunshine

C) Snow

D) Hippies

Snow is ubiquitous these days, and Cari and I have taken advantage of the inclimate weather to practice what has become one of our favorite marital activities together... cross country skiing! :)

This is what happens when you ask a native Texan who currently resides in Saudi Arabia to dress for cold weather: he over-prepares.

Winter has completely blanketed the landscape and it is beautiful. Snow, like sand, makes one's surroundings seem completely quiet and peaceful. Cross country skiing - after I learned to go forward without falling over - has become a relaxing experience for me.

I know that not many people back home in Texas or in KSA get to see scenery like this. Just wanted to share!

The answer is C) Snow.