Ramadan is over. Should I care?

Honestly, I couldn’t care less about Ramadan, when it starts, when it ends, what it stands for, how important it is, who fasts and who doesn’t. There’s more of a hoopla around Ramadan than around Christmas or, for that matter, Rosh Hashana, Diwali, or Vesak, and it gets worse every year.

Ramadan is the month during which Muslims fast. Now, if that sounds like great hardship and fortitude, bear in mind that fasting for a month does not mean not eating for an entire month. It means not eating, drinking, smoking, or having sex from dawn till dusk of every day of that specific month. What non-Muslims are not aware of is that the sahari , which is the meal taken at dawn. and especially the eftar, the meal taken at sundown, are grand feasts. And snacks are allowed from the evening meal till the morning one, before the fast starts. Gaining weight during Ramadan is a common complaint.

Romney’s foot problem

What exactly are Romney’s credentials for running? Years of stellar public service? Vision? Intelligence? Charisma? Maybe not. But he can be funny, or at least mildly entertaining, as soon as he speaks in public and bam! in goes his foot into his mouth. His campaign people have become proficient at untangling him from that uncomfortable position and doing damage control–which, as in all such situations for anyone in public office, boils down to, “well yes, he/she said that but it was taken out of context. What he/she meant was…” Now, Romney has possibly developed another foot problem, this one with more serious consequences: shooting it. He achieved that with his pick for running mate, Paul Ryan.

By all accounts, Congressman Ryan is a likable, courteous, energetic individual and he’s supposed to be good with numbers. He also comes from good stock. The spoon in his mouth at birth may not have been platinum like Romney’s but it was at least silver. He attended good schools, then grew into the typical Washington establishment wonk, becoming a member of Congress at 28 and remaining so for the last 13 years, perhaps not the best vantage point for sharing the reality of daily struggles—financial and others—that a great many Americans face.