Five Birthdays in a Saudi Prison

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

“I spoke to Ali a few days ago and he said to me, ‘Don’t worry, mom. My birthday next year will be far more beautiful.'”—Nasrah al-Ahmed, Ali al-Nimr’s mother, in a letter published today by Amnesty International.

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Ali Mohammed al-Nimr turned 22 on Wednesday, December 21. It was his fifth birthday spent in prison. It was his third birthday on death row in Saudi Arabia.

There are two things about Ali al-Nimr that we know today (January 24, 2017), and they are the same two sad, maddening things that we know about Ali every day: He remains in prison in Saudi Arabia and he is awaiting his fate. He still phones his father and mother once a week, which his father reports to the world via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He is continuing his college studies in prison.

Reprieve, the international human rights organization, created a page for people to sign a birthday card for Ali. This is the link: Wish Ali al-Nimr a Happy Birthday. In less than five days, the number of signatures on it has climbed to more than 16,100.
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Enthusiasm Cap

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

I have a head cold. Like all head colds, its arrival is poorly timed. By that I mean the cold is in me and my body and there is no time I want anything like this to befall a person I lovingly refer to as “me.”

It has sapped my enthusiasm for any event, game, task, or chore that may require the following: me, my participation, an ability to inhale and exhale without a death rattle, and/or me.
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Today in History: Dec. 21

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Today marks the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere. Winter will arrive at 5:44 a.m. EST (the time zone in which I am shivering).

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The New York World newspaper published a “Word-Cross Puzzle” created by Arthur Wynne on this date in 1913. It is credited as the first crossword puzzle. (The puzzle is seen at the top of this post.)
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