Protocol of Zion XXV: Blogger Infiltration

I guess it’s finally time to come clean about who Quiqui really is. We tried to keep this shit under wraps cause its like one of those awkward things where everyone knows what the deal is, but everyone’s too freaked out to say it out loud - cause that would make it too fucking real.

At first we figured her for one those slutty anti-Zionist activist groupies (you know who we’re talking about, EMILY) whose got a thing for pissing off daddy with some huge A-rab cock (sorry brovazzz, ya’ll iz so pre-2001). But then – only two weeks into her KABOBdomhood – she drops the mother freakin’ Jew card on our semi-private listserv (Omar, seriously what the fuck are you still doing on it?). Can you believe that shit?

So what do you say to something as eff-ed up as that? It’s like when your mom catches you jerking off to a copy of her February issue of Martha Stewart Living. You both know what happened, but ain’t anyone ever saying shit about it.

Needless to say, we remained silent. Another Jew on KABOBfest? What is this Hollywood? No one mentioned a thing about THE THING. But soon we began to get freaked out. True to her nature, she slowly, but surely, began taking over everything wonderful about KABOBfest and declaring it her own. It started with her labeling us all Sodomites, occupying Will’s awesome Christmas-theme site design (not that we’re saying she’s anti-baby Jesus Cristo), and then converting our new look into something resembling a mishmash of milk and honey. What more? She flirted her way to the top of the KABOBchain and demanded Will make her an administrator – thus establishing a de facto checkpoint for all our thoughts (and Fayyad’s anti-spell check activism).

Ok, so as I type this… Quiqui’s sleeping over my house cause she’s hell bent on stealing my virginity. I won’t let her though, cause I’m saving myself for my fourth wife (she’s 14 next week, happy birthday habeebty!!). So like any man in my position would do, I obviously waited for her to fall asleep before rummaging through her duffle bag to find a decent pair of panties to sniff. And when I did, I came across this crazy ass manifesto for Sephardic-cyber domination:

Protocol of Zion XXV: Blogger Infiltration

1. I pass now to the second lit candle on this the first night of Chanukah

2. The Queen's plan of action for the current moment, and all the more so for the future, will be unknown, even to those who are called her closest KABOBers – at the current moment, this be the toothy grinned Russian.

3. The Queen of the Jews must not be at the mercy of her passions, and especially of sensuality: on no side of her character must she give brute instincts power over her mind. – unless, of course, it means flirting with the man made of iron who pretends to run this blog.

Signed by Quiqui, the representative of Zion, of the 69th Degree

WTF does this even mean?!?!?!?!?!?!? Peep this ritualistic photo that the hidden camera I installed over my bed last week to prepare for May’s immanent visit captured of Quiqui doing right before I put her Jew/Arab/Guatemalan/American/Spanish/Black-from-the-back ass to sleep.

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Note: Quiqui contributed (actually she wrote the bulk) of the above post and was not harmed in the taking of the photograph. Happy Chanukah! (we finally figured out how to light this thing!)

[tarboush tip: the people's republic of MADE IN CHINA for the lovely menorah]

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Arab Sergeant in US Military Fights Deportation

Jamal S. Baadani, President and Founder of The Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military (APAAM), recently sent an email to his organizational listserv asking for assistance in preventing the deportation of an active-duty Arab sergeant in the US Army, Hicham Benkabbou. Baadani writes:

I don't understand how it is conceivable to deport a patriotic American who is fighting and helping his fellow soldiers to keep us safe from terrorist attack.

Included in the email were two letters – the original plea for help from Sergeant Benkabbou and a letter of recommendation from his company commander, Captain Mcgee.

Sergeant Benkabbou writes:

I have had my citizenship application pending for close to two years now. It was awaiting my FBI name-check for sometime, and just recently, through Mr. James Windle in the Nebraska office, we found out that my name-check has finally been completed and cleared. My chain of command and I have been in contact with Mr. windle in efforts to schedule me for an interview here in Afghanistan (I'm currently deployed). I am in desperate need of assistance with my citizenship matter for it will have a great impact on my life at this point. A deportation case was initiated against me after I had submitted my citizenship application, and the head counsel and the judge in Atlanta informed us that being naturalized would terminate the case in court. I am also, with full support of my chain of command, being recommended to submit an officer candidate packet and will undergo a security clearance check soon, but I must be naturalized in order to commission.

Finally, I am a proud and highly decorated and awarded Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army. I do not think I deserve to get deported after serving honorably during a time of war! I can read, write and speak Arabic, French and English. I have earned the utmost respect and confidence of my superiors and I shall be a great asset for our country if given the opportunity to become a United States citizen. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Captain McGee adds:

SGT Benkabbou's chain of command has pushed at every level to get his naturalization moved forward. Both myself and the Battalion Commander, LTC Peterman, have contacted senators, ICE (local, state, and federal levels), the prosecuting office in Atlanta, and the POC for naturalization while deployed. We have written letters of commendation extolling SGT Benkabbou's performance both in garrison and in combat. So far, we have had little apparent success.

I have known SGT Benkabbou since he came to the unit from AIT almost three years ago and he has been a consistent, exceptional Paratrooper in all respects. I am as anxious to see this thing through for SGT Benkabbou as he is himself. He deserves to be awarded his citizenship.

As always, I am willing to assist him in any way I can. Let me know exactly what it is you are looking for and we will go from there.

Benkabbou's case raises numerous questions related to immigration-at-large, Arab immigration in a post-911 context, and what role Arab-Americans should play in American society.

Admittedly, I take issue with some of the positions and language that APAAM uses – which I’ll make the subject of future post – but I am in no way opposed to Arab-Americans joining the US military and/or intelligence communities. This position, however, remains a controversial one among Arab-Americans - and was even the topic of a recent NAAP conference panel, Collaborators or Patriots?

I’m interested in hearing what the KABOBcommunity thinks about Arab-American military service, the deportation of active-duty soldiers, or any other question/point that this case raises. Yallah - sound off!

By the way, if you can help Sergeant Hicham Benkabbou contact APAAM.

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Because Allowing the Breastfeeding of a 9-month-old Would Be A Threat to National Security

Excellent quote stolen from QuiQui:

"i too hate borders, as you have surmised. they are stupid and illogical. they are arbitrary and arbitrarily enforced. i want to burn them...but i can't, because THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY REAL.
-- Nizar Wattad, The Philistines

Just when i get good and annoyed with where i am, i read something like THIS that reminds me just how much injustice there is at home. This woman was separated from her nursing 9-month-old, as well as her other small children who are U.S. citizens, and placed in jail to await deportation.

In jail and with her nursing abruptly halted, Ms. Umanzor’s breasts become painfully engorged. With the help of Veronica Dahlberg, director of a Hispanic women’s group in Ashtabula County, a breast pump was delivered on her third day in jail. Brittney, meanwhile, did not eat for three days, refusing to take formula from a bottle, Ms. Dahlberg said.

After four days, the county released all six children to Ms. Umanzor’s sister, who managed to wean Brittney to a bottle.

About two-thirds of the children of the illegal immigrants detained in immigration raids in the past year were born in the United States, according to a study by the National Council of La Raza and the Urban Institute, groups that have pushed for gentler deportation policies for immigrant families.

Based on that finding, at least 13,000 American children have seen one or both parents deported in the past two years after round-ups in factories and neighborhoods. The figures are expected to grow. Over all, about 3.1 million American children have at least one parent who is an illegal immigrant, according to a widely accepted estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington.

All for being born on the wrong side of the border. That's a hella lotta kids to be without any legal protection to unity with their parents. One is too many. According to the article these kids are in a kind of legal black hole, with no codified protections that are present in family and criminal courts.

But, immigration's approach is to blame the parents who were trying to earn a little bit more to feed and educate and shelter their kids in the first place after this was made extremely difficult in their countries of origin by unfortunate trade policies:

Ms. Nantel, the immigration agency spokeswoman, said the primary responsibility for the plight of the American children of illegal immigrants rests with parents who violated the law. “It’s a challenging situation” for the agency, Ms. Nantel said. “It’s unfortunate that children are impacted negatively by the decisions of their parents.”

Would it kill you to grow a heart? Even a little chicken one?

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Creole Masala

The son of Indian immigrants is the new governor-elect of Louisiana.

Bobby Jindal won by a landslide against Democratic incumbent Kathleen Blanco, in last weeks elections, preventing a run-off round.

Jindal, who is 36, 58 in white people years, was not aware he was a person of colour when he ran as a republican. He plans to call a special session of the state legislature to “reform ethics laws, an effort to change the state's reputation for corruption and hopefully attract new business to the state and win federal hurricane recovery aid” and pass a new business incentive bill that offers tax-cuts to new Seven-Elevens, in order to help with the post Katrina reconstruction.

Before you begin imagining Cobras swaying to Jazz, listen to the KABOBforum weigh in on the implications of this development:

QuiQui: Angered by the negative publicity from the Jena 6 events, Louisianans decided to show the world they weren't racist by replacing governor Blanco with governor negro.

Nadeem: Jindal received a bump from an unlikely constituency; 'the Klan' endorsed him after mistaking the fact that he hails from Bombay with his intention to Bomb-Gays.

Fayyad: His background equips him well to fight the brain drain and unemployment rampant in Louisiana, I expect him to transform Louisiana’s into a call center/tech support economy in no time.

Chaim: Jindal has already announced a three-tiered policy to fight the corruption endemic to the State Government: Outsource the government audit to India, whip civil servants guilty of corruptions publicly, and send the rest to intern at state governments in the world largest democracy, India.

Hanaan: You thought Cajun food was already spicy? Just wait until they add curry.

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Go Visit The Arab American National Museum

But don't piss off the director lady, Anan, she's mean; she yelled at me once. And check out the hot Pistons' fan who's picture the Museum proudly features in the short promo.

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CIA Report: Arabs Spotted at Milwaukee's Waterfront

KABOBfriend Noor is not somebody to miss out on a fest. Especially if that fest is about Arabs or Kabob. So, to combine all of her hobbies and interests in one fun-filled weekend, she went to the Arab World Fest in Milwaukee this weekend and reviewd the celebration for KABOBfest:

Arab World Fest, Milwaukee, August 10-12, 2007

By Noor

If you have never been to Milwaukee's Arab Fest, or if you haven't gone in a while, now is the time to go. Why? Because its new president, Ihsan Atta, has broken the taboo of politics and it is bad ass. You know what that means. Zionists are bound to start bitching soon, so the more financial support the fest gets, the better the chances are of preserving a festival that has grown into its own. You can download a membership form at the fest website and send donations. The more grassroots support, the less dependent they are on sponsors who could censor them.

Milwaukee is known for its ethnic festivals during the summer weekends. Officially now known as Arab World Fest, this one is the youngest and it has been struggling since its inception in 1998. What was originally called "Arabian Fest" turned out to been run by, well, a crook, who is now in prison. A collective cringe was shared among Milwaukee's Arab community over that debacle. A transitional period followed as concerned community members tried to save face. Last year Ihsan Atta took the reigns and from outside appearances seems to be doing quite well. Previous leadership would not overtly acknowledge the elephant in the room that we all know to be PALESTINE, but thanks to Israel and America's asinine behavior in Lebanon and Iraq, politics of the region could no longer be ignored.

Last year, free Hattas were passed out at the gate entrance. Huge Palestinian, Iraqi and Lebanese flags were displayed for people to write on them with messages of solidarity. The documentary Occupation 101 was screened continuously to a full house in a small tent.

This year, it got even better. There was a film festival with 10 different films - 2 on Iraq, the rest on Palestine. Occupation 101 was included again, along with Paradise Now, The Iron Wall and Iraq in Fragments. In the back of the movie viewing area was a small replica of the apartheid wall, graffiti and all. Posters with facts about the wall and Israeli apartheid were tacked to this replica. One section read "actual size 25ft" with an arrow pointing to a black mesh cloth that hung from the ceiling to the top of the replica wall to give you a powerful sense of how truly obscene the real deal is.

Other highlights included London-based Palestinian rapper Shadia Mansour whose voice reminds me of Ivy Queen. A binder of currency from Arab countries slyly contained Iraqi paper money with Bush's face and images of American troops pointing guns at Iraqis. Chicago's Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) was selling a rare gem of a poster that everyone should own. The dying art of Palestinian cross-stitch on traditional thobe dresses originally had designs unique to each city [See Will's post below, a complete coincidence, for images]. This poster had a map of Palestine with a picture of a thobe next to its corresponding town. Recommendation: every Palestinian with school age daughters buy one and have your daughter present this poster to classmates while modeling a thobe of her own (c'mon, if you're falah, you know you got one from all those khutbas). Quick! Before Zionists start calling them "Israeli" thobes!

There's still plenty to do for non-political hipsters. Henna tattoos, hookas, camel rides (no joke), the ubiquitous debka line, and white women bellydancing – it’s all there. Mediocre baba ganouj, hummus and falafel are sold to vegetarians who think these condiments are actual meals and to people who’ve never tasted a homecooked Arab dinner.

For kids there was a playground, a bouncy castle, arts & crafts, and pet-able baby sharks! It was cool to see the ground covered with Arab kids’ names (Mariam, Reem, Hanady, etc.) written in colored chalk.

Before I close with few suggestions for the fest, let me acknowledge the effort put forth by the board and volunteers. They have a limited budget, so they do what they can with what they've got. On the subject of fighting appropriation of Arab culture, how about a display of kuffiyas, explaining the real meaning along the lines of Fayyad's post? Also, it would be nice to see more representation of other parts of the Arab world. I would love to see a rai singer, for example. Attendance is still low except for Saturday night when an Arab pop star is flown in each year, but this mostly just appeals to Arabs. More classical Arab music acts might be a bigger draw for non-Arabs exploring the culture for the first time [KABOBfest nominates Simon Shaheen]. Once it’s more familiar to them, then they can lower their standards down to listening to Haifa like everyone else. If all else fails, they could resort to booty-shaking khaleegi dancers to boost attendance. After all, sex sells. Just ask Haifa.

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What Can Brown Do For You?

Some geopolitical events, like the US invasion of Iraq or terrorist attacks in western countries, seem to instigate waves of animosity and back clash towards relevant demographics. The examples of such animosity are numerous, and their targets are diverse.

The attacks of 9/11 caused a massive wave of animosity and prejudice against Arabs and Muslims, the invasion of Iraq that followed and the resulting designation of the enemy added to that, conservative politics, somehow, caused a wave of animosity against immigrants, particularly Mexicans, and the teaching of some evangelical churches cause animosity against those of other faiths (if you're confused about this, peep Jesus Camp).

Animosity, combined with politics of fear and vengeance, can manifest into legally sanctioned backlash through product of the time laws like the US Patriot Act and the UK’s new anti-terror laws. Most of the attackers on 9/11/2001 held student visas to the US, as a result, the US cracked down on the issuance of student visas to Arab and Muslim countries, resulting in sharp drop in the number of Middle Eastern student seeking college education in the US in the subsequent years.

That is very disappointing, since the US is home to many of the worlds top education establishments, and students returning to the Middle East with western education are often the most contributors to the building of their countries, economies, and serve as cultural ambassadors for the betterment of relation with the west.

But there is a backlash that I would like to see.

Several of the suspects in the recent attempted attacks in the UK are Middle Eastern doctors. Luckily, the attacks were stopped at the right time and caused no casualties. However, it is my hope, and this would be the silver lining, that a crack down is implemented against poaching doctors and health professionals from the developing countries to the west.

Rich western countries apparently don’t have enough doctors to satisfy their superior healthcare system and provide overly caring care to their aging population that is leaving, some would say, too long. So, these rich western countries turn to the developing world, where there are many skilled doctors who are neither paid enough, nor are they finding institutions to support their professional development. The result, millions are dying of treatable illness in nations where half the population is younger that 30, and compounding poverty further jeopardizing the future of those peoples. This is a backlash that the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia can genuinely benefit from.

Speaking of which, you have to see this Daily Show clip with Aasif Mandvi discussing the recently “killed” immigration bill.

Just imagine what brown can do for brownstan...

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A Boo-Who?

There is a surprising amount of mystery surrounding the booing of Miss America at the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico City earlier this week. The networks, and Donald Trump, the pageant's owner, tried to figure out why -- and right-wing media watchdog groups called this "justification." How dare they actually weigh what people in the rest of the world have to say!

Trump put it obliquely, "I don't think they were booing Rachel, Perhaps they were booing some policies of the United States." Maybe it's the whole global domination thing. It could just be that Miss America still predictably made it to the final five even though she tripped on stage -- a big pageantry no-no that signifies American control of global cultural events (a reflection of its control of global institutions, like the World Bank and the United Nations).

Many linked it to the vitriolic anti-immigrant rhetoric coming out in the debates over US immigration. The United States is grossly unpopular for its general disregard for the world's peoples, whether Arabs sitting on oil or fighting back on their land, Africans dying due to natural resources and development issues, or Mexicans and Latinos trying to make a better life for them either at home or here in the United States. Bullies are resented. The difference with America is that it thinks it should still be loved and respected.

Does this justify the booing? It would actually sadly justify much more than booing. How can we even compare the insult of jeers to the devastation of economies and loss of lives and livelihoods that result from US actions and policies? To even note this gap highlights the willful ignorance of the angered American nationalists.

I have to admit I was not there, so I am mostly speculating. They could have been booing her outfit. However, it is well known by the few Americans who actually travel outside the country for non-militaristic reasons that people despise what our government does in the world, it is safe to bet that is what people in the crowd resent. It probably wasn't Miss America's dress.

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Reema Samaha's Last Debka Performance

In an interview with Dateline, Joseph Samaha, father of Lebanese-American student, Reema Samaha who was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre, spoke of his daughter’s passion for theater and dance, be it ballet, belly dance, or Debke, in other media outlets, her sister and brother also told of her passion for dance, and her dream to tell the story of Lebanon through dance.

Joseph Samaha also said that he visited his daughter over the weekend and attended a dance performance she had. The following three clips, posted to youtube.com the day before the massacre, are perhaps of Samaha’s last Debke performance, the one her family came to attend. They are of a joint performance by the Palestinian student group, Palestinian Awareness at Virginia Tech, and the Lebanese student group, the Cedars of Lebanon, at the 48th Annual International Street Fair, on Saturday, April 14th.

Reema is seen in the three videos wearing the green dress.







[Tarboush tip: Fadi]

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Two Lebanese-Americans Among Dead In US Campus Massacre

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Among the many victims of Monday's abhorrent massacre were two members of our Arab-American Community. KABOBfest mourns the loss of all the victims.

From Lebanon's The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Reema Samaha, a Lebanese-American student, was among 32 people killed Monday during the worst mass shooting in American history. Samaha, 19, a freshman at Virginia Tech University from Centreville, Virginia, was attending French class when the shooter, identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, began a second fatal shooting spree through the building, two hours after killing two in a dormitory across campus.

"She was pretty much my second half," Samaha's sister, Randa, told NBC news on Tuesday. "We did everything together. We had all the same friends. I looked up to her and she looked up to me."

Randa, a junior at the University of Virginia (UVA), said that her sister was as at home at UVA as she was at Virginia Tech.

"She had a home at UVA. Everyone there loved her and everyone here loved her too. She could go anywhere and feel at home ... She fell in love with the community."

An avid dancer, Reema had performed the debke with Lebanese and Palestinian students at Virginia Tech's International Fair a day before her deah. On Saturday night, she had performed with the Contemporary Dance Ensemble.

Her brother, Omar, who graduated from Virginia Tech last year, had the chance to watch her final performances. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/

"I was really proud of her," he told NBC, adding that he was too shocked to be angry. "What happened happened. Nothing is going to bring her back."

The Arab student community in Blacksburg congregated at the Inn at Virginia Tech, a hotel usually booked for football games that has become the meeting point for family and friends searching for news about loved ones. Of the students mourning with the Samahas was Rami Haija, a doctoral student at Virginia Tech, who submitted an email to The Daily Star.

"In the few minutes that I stood in that Inn conference room with Reema's family I embraced her father and he began to sob with his head buried in my chest ... with her mother on the other side of the conference table asking God "why?" Haija wrote.

The massacre immediately generated an outpouring of Internet grieving, including a Facebook.com group especially dedicated to Samaha, where friends and strangers have been posting memories and condolences.

As The Daily Star went to press, news emerged that a second 19-yeard-old Lebanese-American, Ross Abdallah Alameddine, was also killed in the incident. -

--End of Article--

See this remarkable Dateline interview with Reema's father, Joseph.

As for Ross Abdallah Alameddine, the following was written about him in a AP profile of some of the victims:

Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., was a sophomore who had just declared English as his major.

Friends created a memorial page on Facebook.com that described Alameddine as "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy."

"You're such an amazing kid, Ross," wrote Zach Allen, who along with Alameddine attended Austin Preparatory School in Reading, Mass. "You always made me smile, and you always knew the right thing to do or say to cheer anyone up."

Alameddine was killed in the classroom building, according to Robert Palumbo, a family friend who answered the phone at the Alameddine residence Tuesday.

Alameddine's mother, Lynnette Alameddine said she was outraged by how victims' relatives were notified of the shooting.

"It happened in the morning and I did not hear (about her son's death) until a quarter to 11 at night," she said. "That was outrageous. Two kids died, and then they shoot a whole bunch of them, including my son."

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Axis Of Evile Comedy Tour

An announcement to the few KABOBfans who can afford cable TV:

The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour will be on Comedy Central tonight at 11pm ET. People, this show is a must see, peep it here. And check the tour's schedule on their website, this boys will soon be in a falafel joint near you.

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Egyptian-Canadian To Head York University

As Harvard University made history by becoming the first IV League institution to appoint a woman as president, Canada's third largest educational institution made an even more significant mark be appointing Mamdouh Shoukri as its president.

Canadians seem to have been hypnotized into Arab/Muslim lovin' by Little Mosque On The Prairie. The Egyptian-born Canadian became the first Muslim to head a major Canadian university.

Shoukri, the 59 year old mechanical engineer, is an accomplished researcher who currently is the vice-president of research and international affairs at McMaster University. He rose to prominence when McMaster, under his leadership, was ranked Canada's top institution for academic research in 2004.

Congratulations to ammo Mamdouh.

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P.S. This post is NOT a part of the "Why I love Egypt" Series by KABOBfester Nadeem.

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LA 8 Ordeal Finally Resolved. Finally.

Thanks to some great Jewish lawyers, two Palestinian activists from the LA 8 - the last remaining with charges - can finally rest after 20 years of nonsensical governmental claims and ridiculous tactics. The scary thing is that this all stemmed from their participation in constitutionally-protected activities. Mabrouk to them and their families, who have suffered so much.

JUDGE THROWS OUT CHARGES IN “LOS ANGELES EIGHT” CASE

Los Angeles - In a decision received today, Los Angeles Immigration Judge Bruce J. Einhorn ordered an end to deportation proceedings against Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, members of the “Los Angeles Eight” (LA8).

In his decision, Einhorn said that the proceedings must be terminated because of the government's refusal to disclose evidence favorable to the immigrants in compliance with his orders.

Hamide and Shehadeh have been in deportation proceedings for 20 years, and their case has reached every level of federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The government has been seeking to deport Hamide and Shehadeh since January 1987 based on their alleged support for the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine ("PFLP"), a group within the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The decision comes just after the January 26, 2007 20th anniversary of the arrest of the Los Angeles Eight.

read on

Read Judge Einhorn's decision in this case.

Check out an older Village Voice piece.

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How You Know You've Been Americanized?

A question to all my fellow boaters, and those who grew up in immigrant families and once they went to school realized their family’s culture is different than that of their surroundings.

What was it that made you realize that you have been Americanized, to a degree or another?

Firozeh said she recognized her assimilation when she realized she loved ice tea. I looked back at when I started drinking, and dare say, enjoying, ice tea, I could not remember, but now I realize that was a moment of transformation for me, as I though the concept of ice tea was ludicrous when I first came to the US.

But I realized my transformation the moment I was able to sit through, and enjoy, an episode of Seinfeld. When I first learned of the show, I was able to tolerate few minutes of it at once. “This is a show about nothing, what an insult?” I often said, in protest of my friend Abdallah’s daily Seinfeld habit, albeit after watching Nightline.

A few weeks ago, while driving, as I spend most of my time, I heard this audio clip by Iranian-American author Firozeh Dumas about how America transformed her family. She tells the story of the way they mourned their dead uncle by celebrating his life, a radically Americanized departure from the somber and sad mourning typical of her native culture.

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