[lit-ideas] Re: Opinion needed
- From: cblists@xxxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:37:25 +0200
On 12-Oct-08, at 8:28 PM, Julie Krueger reported on the McCain-'gray-
haired, red-shirted woman' exchange:
"Is he an Arab?" "No, he's a decent man" ...
On a slightly related topic: I was talking this morning to my 16-year-
old niece (here for tutoring in chemistry and physics) about Arabic
contributions to European life in the Middle Ages, and checked the
Internet to make sure I was right about soap, etc. I came across this:
http://www.arabia-felix.com/printer_73.html
It opens as follows:
"Following the fall of the Roman Empire, a period known as the Middle
or Dark Ages descended over Europe. It is during this time that
scientific thought flourished in the Middle East."
"Under the patronage of the great Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates to
name a few, Muslims distinguished themselves as scientific scholars
and contributed immense gains in virtually all fields of science. From
soap-making to surgical procedures, from the system of numbers we use
to that delicious warm brown substance we all know as coffee, the
ancient inventors from the Islamic world did more than their share in
paving the way towards the progress of civilization as we know it. Few
of us realize their contribution even as we benefit today from their
creativity and practicality. Checking accounts, clocks, fountain pens,
soft drinks are just some of the practical innovations we take for
granted. On a more scientific level, the strides in mathematics,
medicine, astronomy and chemistry, to name a few, established
foundations upon which modern medicine, chemistry and physics are
based on. ..."
Chris Bruce,
who is a little unsure as to whether soft drinks are an indication
of progress, but who remains otherwise suitably impressed, in
Kiel, Germany
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