Stormy Weather

 
It rained today for the first time since I've been here--a brief but torrential downpour that left the air every bit as thick and humid as it was before. One benefit of the humidity is that it carries the scent of the jasmine-like flowers that grow thick on campus. It was quite nice today walking in the warm rain at sunset and hearing a traditional oud player announce the start of an Iftar dinner somewhere.
 
Of course, the title of this post also refers to the Tin Pan Alley ditty they play on Marketplace when stocks are down. I have been catching bits of news (cable tv!) about the continuing implosion of the big US banks and financial companies. I even saw George W. surface for a couple minutes, stumble over a few lines, and then flee back into the White House. It's funny--since I was an undergrad I've said that if I could just wait long enough to pay back my student loans, capitalism would surely collapse. All those grad-school deferments may pay off yet! 
 
Watching all this financial mayhem from a modern, cosmopolitan city where electricity is rationed so that most Beirutis endure daily two- to three-hour outages without blinking an eye reminds me of how very soft much of U.S. life is, and of how much wealth and waste there is. Here, even the most opulent, backup-generator-using buildings don't air-condition hallways. They just cool the rooms where people actually spend time. Similarly, toilets have barely any water in the bowls (don't worry, I won't subject you to a close-up of my toilet, flushing marvel that it is) and very little in the tanks. There are signs around that say "every drop counts." I'm not saying that mainstream American wastefulness is responsible for the financial meltdown. I'm just saying that a sobering reality check like this might result in people saving money and conserving resources, and that wouldn't be the worst thing. Meanwhile, I'm stockpiling my Lebanese Lira!