more hair

One of the things that struck me when I came back from the Middle East, after spending days in the dust of Amman and breathing the eye-wateringly polluted air of Damascus, was how clean London is. It hadn't occurred to me when I moved here, one year ago. In fact, initially I resolved to ride to lab before 8am in order to avoid pollution levels that would inexorably rise during the day. The difference between early morning and late afternoon is detectable with any modestly exercised lung. But these differences, and the levels of pollution in general, pale in comparison to what I experienced on my vacation. Sometimes one has no idea how blessed one is until one leaves one's immediate surroundings.

The second striking thing in Jordan and Syria was the number of veiled women. Obviously, the headscarf is less common in the Christian quarter of Damascus than in the rest of the city, but overall it's dominant. It's hard to put numbers to observations, but I'd guess no more than 10% of the women go uncovered – and that includes Christian minorities.

I don't want to dive into a discussion about this sartorial choice. That's something I've done before, and it has never got anywhere. Opinions were strong and unwavering on both sides of the debate. Instead, let me point out that I love hair. Walking through London today as part of the rush pulsating through Oxford St., I was delighted by what I saw. Women everywhere, and plenty of beautiful hair on sight. Long hair and short, black hair and blond, here and there a dab of blue and green, spiky hair and straight, flowing in waves over lean shoulders or curling intricately. And, maybe just for the sake of variety, about every tenth head was modestly veiled. London is such a lovely place.