By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Ah for those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, reserved for leisure and pleasure. It is our time to indulge in nothingness. Careless and carefree, languid and lackadaisical, it is summertime and the living is easy. We shed our working clothes, as well as our worries and weariness as we head for some sandy beach or quiet retreat to wade in warm waters or lie on toasty sands. Our main activity is dozing and snoozing in between catnaps. We can otherwise be occupied with people watching or cloud gazing. The ambitious among us may be listening to music or even catching up on summer reading. That is an ideal day, week, month, 2, or 3, during the summer season. Does that really happen today as it did long ago? Television and news networks simply will not leave us alone. Just as we were dreaming of our holiday in the sun,, news of cyclone Nargis, hit Burma killing over 100,000 people and wiping out much of the protective vegetation. That was enough to chase away our dreams of summer fun -- but not for long. The sun beckoned and a year of toil and trouble weighed heavily on our bones. So the wise among us packed up and headed for that dreamy spot of surf and sand. Once at our destination summer could start rolling out its languorous days of rest and recreation. Images of the duelling duo, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, kept popping up on our TV screens -- attack, attack, and yak, yak. Week after week they continued to swing at each other interrupting those joyful summer interludes. How was it possible that the powerful, former first lady, senior Senator from New York, could not deal a final blow to that inexperienced African American, junior Senator from Illinois? Instead, it was Obama that dealt Clinton her humiliating defeat. This needed us to get up, rub our eyes, shake our ears. What a shock? Hillary out, Obama in! The Democratic Party has, for the first time ever in US history nominated an African American for President. Despite the excitement we were relieved that it was all over. Time to dose off again, hypnotized by the sun's warm rays and the glistening white waves. But there was that Obama again sparring with his Republican rival. What clichés, too repetitive, too boring -- time for a shut eye, or two. Not yet -- there comes the Olympic Games of Beijing, China. How can we dose off when Michael Phelps is making more history? The American swimmer stirred the senses -- thank heavens for TV! We can watch on the beach, by the lake, in our summer cottage, even in the car. How can we miss the performance of a 14-time Olympic gold medallist -- the most of any Olympian? Moreover Phelps holds seven world records in swimming. Inspired, we may go for a swim, stretch those arms, shake those legs -- what a workout! We contemplate on that perfect sport, perhaps the oldest sport after running. How did ancient peoples learn how to swim? They imitated the way dogs and other animals moved through water. Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans enjoyed swimming as a form of exercise. While it declined in the Middle Ages (400 -- 1500) it regained popularity during the 1800s. Some can still remember the American swimmer Johnny Weismuller in the 1900s. He too won 5 gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games. He became everyone's favourite Tarzan, and all in all he set more than 65 US and world records. Yes, swimming is splendid, so was Mark Spitz in 1972 bringing 7 gold medals, now topped by Michael Phelps in 2008. Time for another swim. But what is this ominous picture we see on our TV networks? Russian tanks, hundreds of them, marching into the tiny country of Georgia. Oh no! No time for swimming, let alone dozing or napping. This is serious. This is war. The invasion of a superpower on one of its weaker neighbours. What is the UN going to do about this? What about NATO? What about the whole international community? This is enough to dampen any summer holiday. What is Putin up to? Dreams of an Imperial Russia? Renewed Soviet control? Nikolas Sarkozy rushes to the rescue. But the Russians linger on regardless of a signed treaty and many promises. The invasion of Georgia by Russia this summer, will have longer legs than Olympic gold medallists, and if Georgia falls, who's next? That lazy, idle, summer brain is beginning to work again -- not necessarily a good thing , but how can it be helped? It has to compute all that information, while California wild fires are raging 1,700 of them. This summer alone 801,726 acres (3,241.47 sq kilometres) burned down in California, making it the greatest wildfire in California history. Is this the summer of our discontent? Is it time to call it a day -- a holiday,? hopefully not yet What! A Spanish Airline (SPANAIR) crashed and 154 passengers dead! How can one rest or sleep or surf or sail while others are suffering? We almost wish it was the good old days when we had no TV, certainly no TV news networks 24 hours a days, drumming through our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds all the news around the world. Perhaps we should not care, it is all so far away -- it has nothing to do with us. On the other hand TV is one of the main elements why our globe is shrinking steadily. No place is too far, not event too insignificant anymore. We are a part of a whole. What hurts one human being, hurts all human beings -- or should! This is the summer that got away. It is time to pack and head for the city. One can at least look forward to the regular routine and discipline and orderliness. There may be some comfort in that. But what's this? What's this? Ramadan is here, right smack in the middle of the summer season? Out with the regular routine, in with the holy fast! As summers go -- this has been a spectacular season -- but certainly no holiday! Why, this is very midsummer madness Twelfthnight, William Shakespeare (1564 -- 1616)
