The Supremes

The Wack-job Right of our Amurikan political spectrum rails against the "activist" court system. They can't STAND the idea of a third branch of government with veto power over the legislation and Presidency. Especially since they now control both. "Strict Constructionism" is their call of the day.

So can someone explain to me how the Right's call (or temper tantrum) for someone with their belief system be appointed to the Supreme Court is NOT judicial activism? They clearly want a fifth vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. And that's just for starters.

Seems to me the beauty of the whole idea of our court system is the ability to stop politicians of ALL stripes from getting carried away with themselves. (The pols hate THAT idea I can tell you) Look, politicians live for one thing and one thing only: to get elected and re-elected. To do so they have to bamboozle as many voters as possible. So, they troll for the lowest common denominator amongst the populace for votes. One way they do that is to enact legislation that often ignores the basic rules of the game, the Bill of rights and the Constitution. We need our courts to counter balance that.

So basically let's just cut the crap. The Right wants activist judges. The Left wants activist judges. The Center needs activist judges. Admit it and go with it.

I'm Sorry, but this is TOO Funny!

If you don't crack up watching this you don't have a pulse. Click on the title.

"Youtube", my new toy.

Model for Hani's and My Tee-Shirt

Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Click on the title. It's anew thing called "Youtube." I'm still working on it.

Too bad I didn't have a video of me challenging Cairo traffic.

Last Night in Cairo

DSCF2590
Originally uploaded by hmorsi.

Hani bought me this shirt. I still owe him 1/3 of a shirt, but he wouldn't take the sleeves back.

Wal-Mart

Why do I go to the bother and expense to travel internationally. I can see more exotic, strange and foreign people within a ten minute drive of my house than in the entire continent of Asia.

Standing in line at the local Wal-Mart today (for 30 minutes to buy seven items) I saw a guy with a skull tattoo ON HIS FREAKIN'FOREHEAD! Like two inches by one in size! ON HIS FREAKIN' FOREHEAD! You don't want to stare, but how can you not? You just keep stealing glances at it. Just to make sure you're seeing what you think you're seeing.

There was another cat who had these loop ring-things in his earlobes. I swear to you the holes in his earlobes were wide enough you could run a garden hose through each of them.

National Geographic magazine doesn't even come up with pictures like this anymore. I would have taken some pictures for proof, but it might have been out of place. You know, how the Amish and other ethnicities forbid photos of themselves? You'll just have to trust me on this one. Or not. I don't care. You can't make this stuff up.

Also, I'm pretty sure there were more than a few aliens roaming the aisles. Not the illegal, undocumented type. Although I'll lay you odds a few of them were floating around. I'm talking about the E.T.-types. What else could explain it? I don't think a circus freak show was in town. Back in ye olden days people in small towns used to pay cash money to see the kinds of human anomalies you see every day in EVERY Wal-Mart right here in the good ol' O.S.A. That would be the Obese States of America.

I guess one gets blind to the poundage we Amurikans are toting around these days. But, I've really noticed it alot since I came back from across the pond. Sure, you see some big-like folks in other countries. But, not like this. We are growin' some awfully big wide-bodies anymore.

It's not a good look.

Last Comment on Beirut, I promise.

Last Comment on Beirut, I promise.
Originally uploaded by MikeWigal.

Well I promise, but I don't guarantee.

I meant to post this a few weeks ago. I just found it on my Flickr site.

In the evening hundreds of people turn out to stroll the Corniche in Beirut. Families, friends, lovers and other strangers. Many sit together at spots along the way to share a cup of coffee and a sheesha. As we Americans were walking along the thought came to me how funny life in the world is: We look at them and think, "What a great life they have. If I could come here and live like this, I'd have it made."

They look at us and think, "What a great life they have. If I could get the visa to come to the US and live like them, I'd have it made."

The Trip in Review

One photo per city. Just to get the flavor.


Middle East meets West in Beirut, Lebanon


Outside Amman, Jordan.


Abaya Barbie purses in Musrah Souq outside Muscat, Oman


View from hotel room. Manama, Bahrain


Abu Dhabi by night.


The female recruiters from American universities were required to wear Abayas and hijabs. Saudi Arabia. Where the 21st century meets the 12th.



Sofia, Bulgaria




The Harbor in Sozopol, Bulgaria
















Shoes on display. At the Souq in Istanbul.



UN Buffer Zone. Nicosia, Cyprus.




Eva, The Sharon Stone of Thessaloniki




Is it real? Or is it Photoshop? Dinner in Cairo.

One more.


The Pyramids and Sphinx. Giza, Cairo.


Midnight soccer. Qaitbay Citadel. Alexandria, Egypt.

Thoughts on the Way Things Are

The purpose of my trip was to recruit international students from the Arab/Muslim world for an American university. People (American people) I know often ask if I'm scared to go to the Middle East. I think anyone can tell from my posts I'm not.

The thing is, so many people I meet over there are afraid to come to the US. They ask if they will be persecuted or hated because they are Muslim.

So here it is. We're afraid of them. They're afraid of us. It's heartbreaking. People to people there is great affinity among us. Government to government there is fear. The media is no friggin' help either.

It's not all because of what happened on 9/11. But, that's a huge piece of it.

Dateline, October 17, 2005

Borg El Arab Airport-

As in Borg El Arab INTERNATIONAL Airport.

Somewhere outside Alexandria, Egypt. 3:30 AM.

Alexandria, named for Alexander the Great, was one of the first larger than life figures in history. A brilliant tactician and innovator who conquered the known world while in his 20's, he developed a novel means to coordinate the attacks of his various far flung legions upon his enemies without the need to use the slow and often risky messenger system common in that era. Alexander had his wisemen, chemists and advisors develop a special dye that when soaked in an unknown chemical would turn different colors over a fairly uniform length of time. Using this property the dye would be poured onto rags which were then torn into strips and tied onto the wrists of his commanders. When the rags changed colors it would signal the time for attack.

This cloth became known as "Alexander's Rag Timeband."

Moving right along...

We arrived from Cairo for our 6:35 AM flight to Heathrow. Connect to Chicago. Get Away Day. End of trip.

Alexandria, an ancient city of more than six million souls, boasts not one, but TWO international airports.

Borg El Arab International Airport inapparently is the OTHER one. You know, the name "Borg El Arab" evokes an image of opulence and pure luxury. The Borg (Borg means "tower" in Arabic, by the way.)El Arab Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is one of the fanciest, most exclusive in the world. You may remember the TV commercial where Tiger Woods was hitting balls into the sea off a helicopter pad which jutted out high up the tower. That was the Borg. It costs 75 bucks just to walk into the lobby of the joint.



The tower of Borg El Arab hotel


The tower of Borg El Arab airport


But, this wasn't that. Our driver and guide took us initially to Al Nozha International Airport. It was in the middle of Alexandria. Easy to find. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. The guards provided no useful information as to where the Borg was. So we were off on a meandering journey through the deserted desert trying to find this elusive INTERNATIONAL gateway to the world. They were even flagging down other drivers (all this at around 2:00 AM, mind you.) to ask directions. Amazingly no one seemed to have a handle on the place. I was pretty tired, but I remembered doing about eight U-turns.

Suddenly, seemingly purely by chance, we stumbled onto a fairly large archway in the middle of nowhere. We stopped short. This couldn't be it. There was no signage indicating that anything resembling an airport was nearby. A lone guard stepped from the shadows and waved us forward. We had arrived. Sort of. The actual terminal was supposedly another 2 and a half miles down a dusty road past the arch. Seeing as how we had no other great ideas we pushed on.

Five minutes later we were there. Even then I wasn't certain we were at an actual airport. You should envision the bus station in Hamhock, Georgia. There was an X-Ray "technician" at the entrance. He was asleep. There were three passengers in the lobby waiting for this British Airways flight. Eventually that number would climb to 22.

A flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (one of three flights scheduled for the day) was full travelers making their Haj to Mecca.




Half the all male flight were praying, half were screaming at each other. It's Ramadan and due to the call to fast all day, all those Muslims were getting testy. But, it was the only show in town.

Post Script:

The British Airways staff (one guy of two guys) informed us this is Alexandria's NEW airport. Al Nozha International airport is the OLD airport using the latest in DC-3 technology.

Borg El Arab, it turns out, has the longest runway on the firmest ground in the region. Thanks to an influx of Japanese money by 2007 or 2008 a new terminal will be built and Borg El Arab INTERNATIONAL airport will be the alternative airport to Cairo's.

Inshallah.

Walk Like An Egyptian...

One of the great challenges in the Third World is the act we westerners like to call "Crossing the Street." In the US it's easy. The light is green, your way is clean. Generally. We have laws. Legal and physical.

Not so in places such as Cairo. Here one begins to understand the great faith of the Muslim people in the loving mercy of Allah.

To master this so-called pedestrian skill became my quest. Sure, they have those underpasses where you can simply avoid the risk. But, that takes all the sport out of it. It was my destiny to go into the belly of the beast. The roadway.

I found it to be a great producer of cheap adrenaline highs. Each time I successfully made it across I felt ALIVE! My walks from the Hilton Ramses to the American University of Cairo and the Cairo Museum were the highlights of my visit there. (The Pyramids were nice too.) Never is there just one or two streets to negotiate. There were always at least half a dozen in a one mile hike. Plus many split-offs, traffic circles and the normal day-to-day chaos you find in a city of around 20-some-odd million, half trying to drive down the street, the other half trying to cross. The pedestrians (well, I'm pretty sure the drivers too) don't even look. They just go. All of them. At once.

I was so proud of my new-found skill (although I must confess I could never make an entire crossing without looking "upstream", as it were) I wanted photographic documentation. Thus, I recruited fellow blogger Hani Morsi to take the pix.

This is where I need to tell you a little about my heritage. I was born and raised in Appalachia. In Appalachia you always know when something bad is going to happen. Every time you hear the words "Hey, watch this!" you know bones are going to be broken. The state motto of West Virginia should be the latin equivalent of "Hey, watch this!"

Well, I realized I was having a "Hey watch this!" moment on my second pass through traffic. The first try didn't get exactly the right photo composition. Thanks to Jason Combs and his critiques of my photo composition for possibly contributing to my untimely demise. At about this moment,








as I saw this blue car bearing straight down on me I thought "SHIT! I'm going to be an Egyptian hood ornament!"

Hani, watching through my camera's viewfinder, had precisely the same thought. Only in Arabic.

I'm sure she (the driver) never saw me.

My whole life flashed before my eyes. I didn't like the ending.

But, as I always say, "if it kills you, your troubles are over. If it doesn't, it's a heck of a good story." No harm, no foul.

The only thing I have to do now to become a full fledged Egyptian is drive in Cairo traffic. It looks real easy. You just lay on the horn and go.

Ithaca

My friend Eva Kanellis, the Greek Sharon Stone (or Sharon Stone is a weak Eva Kanellis)read this poem to me. The Poet was C. P. Cavapy, a Greek poet who lived from 1863 to 1933. In short it defines what I seek in this iteration.

"When you start your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.

Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at the Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasureable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasureable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithacas mean."

Pyramid Schemes

Hit the Pyramids of Giza yesterday. Kind of a day like in Baalbek, high blue sky, not too many people. We had a good tour guide who took us around where most of the tourists weren't. It's hard to escape the touristy part of all this. Cairo is a city of 17,000,000 Egyptians, about 6 million ex-pats and Allah knows how many undocumented bodies. It grows by one million population every nine months. Third largest city in the world. I say all this because the Pyramids, Sphinx and other nearby sites are in danger of being run over. Of being loved to death. Technically the city is Giza, but you can't tell where Cairo ends and Giza begins. On the other hand past the sites is nothing but desert for as far as the eye can see.

Anyway, obligatory photos:





Something Sphinx in here!

New Book I saw-"Intelligent Design for Dummies"

The pages were blank.

One last Shot From Constantinopol (OK, Istanbul)

This is the Dome of the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul. More widely known in the west as "The Blue Mosque." Along with the Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome it is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. In these countries I find my self neck deep in antiquities. I'm constantly ordering cabbies to pull over so I can get a picture (pictureS). The locals take a more or less blase attitude toward all these places (Yes, Hani, I'm talking about YOU!)

But,

#1. In the US our stuff is at most a couple hundred years old. The "newness" has just started wearing off.

#2. All this stuff built by the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, Phoenicianans, Carthaginians, Moguls, Mongols, Mongrels, etc., etc. lead to the rise of western civilization as we know it. So as far as my international friends are concerned: all the stuff about American Kulture (and Politics) you don't like? It started with you!
(No one hates to see McD's, KFC and so on in your countries more than I. Anyone who knows me knows my view on US politics, too)

I'm still looking to invest in the first McShishtaouk franchise in the US. OK, maybe Shawarma's R Us. "You'll Love Our Lamb 'cause We don't Serve Ham!"

A Sun-Drenched Country

That is what best describes Cyprus. Stayed a couple days in Limossol. Beautiful beach area. Lot's of Irish tourists there for a big soccer match. It seems the Irish played Cyprus hoping to gain a slot in the World Cup. A nice bunch of lads. Three of them (flag draped all) helped me drag my stuff from the Turkish Cypriot border through the UN Buffer zone to the Greek Cypriot border. Sadly (for them) the Irish later lost a shot at the Cup.

What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake?

One less drunk.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...



So from there it was on to Thessaloniki, Greece. Think of the Apostle Paul undressing the Thessalonians. Or was that addressing?





My fellow tribesperson, Eva Kanellis, a Guidance counselor at a local school drove our crew out to see Mount Olympus, kind of a Vatican for the Greek Gods. This was where Alexander the Great got his start. One can easily understand why the ancients believed Zeus, et al lived among the clouds.



The food and wine at the local eatery was a God-like experience in itself.

The Equine Still Has a Pulse...

Not to keep beating a dead horse, but a new issue on the country count thing has arisen. Arrived in Cyprus the other day. Flew direct from Istanbul. That is important to the story. As you may or may not know, Cyprus is an island in the Med divided into a predominently ethnic Greek part and a predominently ethnic Turkish part. They had a pretty good pissing contest going on back in the 70's. A lot of tension since. It was in all the papers.

The Greek part is it's own country recognized around the world. They have a seat in the UN.

The Turkish part, which they call the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is basically a rogue government, recognized by themselves and Turkey. And me. The thing is, I cleared passport control when I entered the Turkish part. Here's the stamp:



Since my business was on the Greek (southern) side of the island, I had to do some negotiation with the cabbies to get a ride to the border. After being delivered to the border I had to hump all my stuff through the UN Buffer Zone to the Greek side, wherein I got another cab to deliver me to the wrong hotel.

But, here is the sign greeting arrivals to the Turkish side as they come from the Greek side. I understand the tensions have eased considerably in the last year or so. It probably has to do with Turkey AND Greece are both US allies AND Turkey wants in the EU.



So far as I'm concerned, it counts. #24

On to Greece.

Ramadan (or as they spell it Ramazan) in Istanbul

After the University Fair headed up to Taksim Square to try the local cuisine. Just in time to compete with thousands of starving Muslims coming off the daily Ramadan fast. It was a beautiful evening with more dining opportunities than one could count. Music (recorded and live) flowed throughout the streets.

Now I understand why my Muslim friends wax ecstatic about their holy month of Ramadan.







Funny thing was I had been invited to a local counselor's home (along with 90 other recruiters) for drinks after the fair. The lamb Doner Kabab I ate on the street far outweighed any possible networking value of the soiree.

I AM retired after all.

I hear they have a drawing every night...shi-boom boom

Seen along the Road from Sofia to Sozopol

Jeder denkt sonst, daß Sie ein Arschloch sind!

Anyone from the US Education group read Deutch?

Travel Update...

I'm in Istanbul now. Beautiful place with much to Blog about. But, first I must finish the Bulgarian Commentaries. The Hilton here in Istanbul is very nice, but the dial up internet in the room is over $20 PER HOUR! The wireless in the lobby is "only" $25 per day. It's functional, but S L O W... So pictures may be limited.

Anyway,...Bulgaria. I love these post-Soviet countries. Sixteen years after the Fall and they're still working their way through. Western money is pouring in. Bulgaria joins the EU in 2007. Foreigners (not Americans, but Eastern Euros and Brits) are buying property. Mostly for investment I think. Huge construction projects. Has "overbuilt" written all over it.

But, the little side streets at night are so peaceful. The only things open are small shops and little restaurants. Just locals engaging in life. I think we've lost most of that in the States. Example: Futboll (soccer) is the cultural obsession, but you NEVER see Soccer moms and dads rushing around getting the young'uns to practice and games, etc.

Fashions here are wild. Every fourth store is a lingerie shop. I might have commented on that earlier this year. The preferred female hair color is RED. Any shade of red but natural.

I saw this gal in the bus station while on my way to Sozopol. Not red, but as Mrs. Russell used to say in High School Latin, "It's the exception that makes the rule."

I have previously mentioned the famed topless beach in Sozopol. Here's proof:



Wellllllllll...There's Good topless and there's Bad topless. OK, so that's enough for now. I'll try to post this and add more later.

Puerto Rico comes to Bulgaria

From our "This Makes Absolutely No Sense Department": I've been hearing the Reggaeton hit Gasolina by Daddy Yankee throughout my stay here. On the bus from Sofia to Sozopol (They also played "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie with Bulgarian subtitles), in the restaurants and all over.

I can't understand what the heck he's saying outside of "Bump de de GasoliiiiNA." They certainly can't have much of an idea either.

Rolling along through the Bulgarian countryside...

Took a six hour bus ride from Sofia to the Black Sea coastal town of Sozopol. First settled by the ancient Greeks, then the Romans, the Bulgars, the German Army, the Russian Army, then armies of German, Slovak, Brit, Russky and Belorussian tourists. And now finally THE AMERICAN TOURIST! Haven't seen another Amerikansky since arriving. Lot's of condo/apartment development. Beautiful area and very affordable. I could see buying a place here. The winters are quite mild I'm told. Stalin knew what he was doing when he BS'ed Churchill and Roosevelt out of the Black Sea at Yalta in '45. Warm water ports.

Laid out on a nice beach yesterday (topless, no less!) But, alas, it's 4 October. The Summer season is over. Thus the pickings were slim.

Got some great pix, but can't get them on at this internet cafe. Will have to wait a couple days 'til Istanbul.

I'm very relaxed. My friend, Miro, sold his condo here so I'm staying at a nice little B & B & D(inner). Ate and drank (Slivovitz and Bulgarian Merlot) late with my hosts last night. Among us we could understand about 20 words.

Had a great time. Ran 6 this morning.

Hey, It's Bulgaria....

What's not to like?

I still have a pulse, don't you know.