Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Mohamed Bouazizi

Who knew that when a young Tunisian vegetable seller, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire because his cart was confiscated and a policewoman slapped him that dictators would begin to topple like dominoes ?

Some report it was Bouazizi's scales that were taken, and those scales had been taken from him MANY times.  He would then have to "buy them back" to remain in business.

Regardless, Bouazizi had had enough . . .

My head is set to spinning reading newspaper and magazine articles about Tunisia, Egypt, Libya . . .

Today's post is just a list of words, phrases, and names of people and places that have become everyday vocabulary in our World:

Sidi Bouzid
revolution
political tsunami
tyranny
despotism
cult of power
anarchy
extrajudicial detention
Hama
perdition
Hafez Assad
sectarian revolt
Alawite Regime
rapacious court
ferocious animus
audacious thought
children of adversity:
    Muammar Kaddafi
    Saddam Hussein (I always called him 'Sodamn Insane')
    Hafez Assad
quintessential bureaucrat
dynastic claim
imperious
Sharm al-Sheikh
"Irhall"  =  Be Gone
caliphate
virulent corruption
Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali

 

 

 

 

The tyrannical ruler, with his tacky, dyed, jet-black hair, at Bouazizi's bedside in a false attempt at humility and concern.  

The only thing lacking is his crown.

So, as we go about our day, how many of these words, people, places . . . will enter in to our  own conversations ?

Scary, isn't it ?

 

 

Continuing to Be Random

As boredom sets in and my inability to concentrate on anything continues, my twisted sense of humor takes over.

May I first suggest that if you did not read the comments from yesterday's post, that you do so NOW.

Right now.

Scroll down and find that little word "comments" after the post and click on it.  Several readers out did themselves with their comments.

While perusing through some photographs from last year's JUCO World Series, these caught my eye for some reason or 'nother.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

Nikki.  That last one's for you gal-friend !

Now.

Once again, you are more than welcome to caption these.

Find a theme that connects all of them or a couple of them or none of them . . .

Whatever.

I love it when those of you who stalk read here, and then finally give it up and leave a comment.

For now, I shall continue to be totally distracted and hope that a few of you will continue to visit.

Random and Lazy and Sick

This is the FIFTH day of having whatever it is I have.  So, you may want to hold your breath in order not to catch it.

In perusing through one of the folders of my pictures, I decided to just post some random shots.

Here they are.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

It goes without saying, I don't feel like posting anything.

So, please feel free to write your own post in the "comment section."

If you see a 'theme' that connects all these pictures . ..

If you want to caption each one of them . . .

If you want to just continue and stalk and not leave a comment . . .

While you do that, I'll just go back to sleep.

 

 

 

The News . . . Seven Short of a Baker's Dozen

Some of the news this past week . . .

Health News: (If you drink an average of ONE or more caramel-colored soft drinks each day, you might want to read this.)

Some chemically enhanced caramel food colorings used in widely consumed cola drinks could cause cancer and should be banned, a U.S. consumer advocacy group urged the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday.   Pure caramel is made from melted sugar; but two other versions approved to color food products include the chemical AMMONIA.

Several of the top selling caramel-colored soft drinks removed the color at one time, but sales decreased, so they added the color back to the concoction.  (Ammonia+Sugar=Caramel Color)

 

Consumer News:  (If you believe there is an error on your mortgage account or you know someone who is being foreclosed upon and no one will listen  READ THIS.  Read ALL of this !)

The law Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) was enacted to safeguard homebuyers from anti-competitive and collusive behavior among the companies and agents involved with buying and selling real estate. One of the protections involves the "Qualified Written Request," or QWR.

Read very closely as to what is being sold in this sheriff's sale !

 

Fashion News:  (Which of these will you be wearing this spring ?)

New York Fashion Week 2011.    Try as I might, no where could I find an egg.

But, Calvin Klein wins !

 

Animal News:    (I voted for the Boxer.)   

Best in Show ~The 135th Westminster Kennel Show. 

 

Sports News: (This is the time of year I'm going through withdrawal.)

Michael Vick, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose

On a personal note, I think Michael Vick should donate at least One Million Dollars to a Pet Shelter of EVERY city where he played in this season.  AND, visit those shelters to do a few hours volunteer work.  Maybe next year !

Living in Colorado, all we hear about is what team Carmelo will play with next.  Please. Please. Please. Just go somewhere and be done with it.

Derrick Rose.  Who ?

 

NASCAR:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt often agonized over the Daytona 500 being his albatross.

 

The rest of the news . . . I hope you held your breath while reading just in case I'm contagious.

 

Pyramids Closed

While walking amongst the pyramids, my thoughts were: 

1) "I'm glad I'm here."

2)  "I'll probably never be back."

My thoughts are fairly simple.

Obviously, this pyramid is located in a different part of Cairo than the ones that follow. 

 

The uprising in Egypt has had a devastating effect on the country's tourism industry, one of the main pillars of the Egyptian economy.

This is the beginning of the high season for tourism, but all of the people who work in the industry are standing around, carrying trinkets, with no one to sell to.

So, while we're on the subject of trinkets, here are a few photos of theHansMan and his shopping spree with the 'merchants' at the Valley of the Kings.

It is important to notice that there are three merchants around him.

Please, also notice the body language and that another merchant is approaching.

 

They are saying, "My friend, my friend theeezzz  eeezzz for you from me."

 

At this point, push came to shove.

Any bets on who got pushed away ?

The guy in blue loses the pushing-shoving contest.

 

And the bartering-buying-selling continues. 

By the way, I am taking these photos from the bus.

Yes, I AM ON THE BUS.

Along with everyone else in our tour who are watching this exchange with amusement.

 

Those are post cards tucked under theHansMan's arm. 

About 500, I said FIVE HUNDRED post cards.

There are more figurines in his right hand which you can't see. 

We had enough Egyptian figurines for Christmas gifts for everyone in the family.

At this point, the two of them are standing at the bottom of the steps on the bus.

I thought the man in black was going to get ON the bus with theHansMan.

ENTER:  Ali Aldeen.

Remember my friend, Ali Aldeen in the post "Crisis in Cairo?"

Remember the large gun that he carried ?

There was NO doubt the man in black would NOT be riding with us on the bus back to the airport.

If you would like to have a post card, send me your address . . . I'll send you an entire package of them.

Now, back to the pyramids.

The Pyramids of Giza are deserted.  

It looks as though they were deserted they day I took this photo, but believe me, they weren't

One of the classic spots in Egypt, the Pyramid of Khafre behind the Sphinx, is devoid of tourists.
The entrance to the park has been shuttered and closed.

Those who hire out camels and horses are suffering.

The camels are usually bedecked with colorful saddles, waiting for paying customers who won't be arriving anytime soon.

In Giza, it has been over two weeks for camel owners with no customers to ride their camels.
People can't afford to feed their animals, and several a have been left to starve.

Written by Karoli on February 4 :

Eleven days and counting. Hard to believe so much has changed in so short a time.

In Tahrir Square, the liberated zone, the anti-Mubarak protestors will tell you fear has been defeated. There’s no turning back.

When morning comes, you see the makeshift metal barricades, the hand-forged weapons, dug up rocks, bandaged bodies, they are still standing their ground. Fear has been defeated, they’ll tell you. There’s no turning back.

They bought this square with blood, paid for it with pain. Bruised, they’re not broken. Battered, they’ve not bowed. Fear has been defeated, they’ll tell you. There’s no turning back.

Raised to keep silent, not criticize the state, beaten by cops, gassed and abused, turned on, attacked by fire-throwing thugs. They’ve stayed in the square, and today more kept on coming. Peacefully protesting, their lives on the line. Fear has been defeated. There’s no turning back.

Some are Islamists, there’s no doubt about that. But this goes beyond one religion or party. That’s not why they’re here. They speak about freedom and fairness and justice. They speak about the things all of us say that we want. You never really heard that in Egypt in the past, at least not openly called for in the streets. Fear has been defeated. There’s no turning back.

All the reporters and camera people and producers have been working around the clock, trying to cover these fast-moving events. On the ground, among the anti-Mubarak demonstrators, it’s easy to move around, talk to people. It’s another story in pro-Mubarak crowds. Many of us have been attacked. It happens quickly, spirals out of control. All you can do is stay calm, try to escape. It’s not a coincidence, I plan: it’s a plan, clear as day. The people in power want to control what you see. We try to position ourselves in different spots. We find balconies that give a view of the battle. But if we can see them, they can see us. And sometimes you have to stop, close the curtains, move somewhere else. Fear has been defeated. There’s no turning back.

We’ve all heard the roar of the crowd, the cries of the wounded. For me, the most haunting sound echoes in the night. Sticks and stones banging on barricades as these anti-Mubarak demonstrators wait for an attack that inevitably comes. It’s a sound made by warriors all through the ages, a warning to those who have tried to defeat them. We are here, they’re saying. We are strong. We are not giving up. Fear has been defeated. There’s no turning back.

View of Grand Junction, Colorado

Headed here tomorrow . . .

Mystery of How Pyramids Were Built . . . Solved Right Here

Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt, are the only ones still standing.

And with those wonders, comes a century-old mystery:

How did the ancient Egyptians move two million 2.5-ton blocks to build the ancient wonders?

For 1,000 years, they were the tallest buildings in the World. Built with prehistoric technology, they were an architectural riddle, as elusive as the Sphinx.

No one really knows how they were built. The first historical record, by the Greek writer Heroditus, came 2,000 years later. In the absence of hard facts, there have been many theories.

Hollywood has mostly taken its cues from the Greek account: 100,000 slaves laboring for twenty years.

Others believe a giant ramp snaked around the pyramid. (That's what I believe. )

One American recently advanced the theory that kites could have lifted the 2-ton stones.  (Here's your sign !)

One theory is that the 4,500-year-old monument to Pharaoh Khufu was constructed inside out, via a spiraling, inclined interior tunnel—an idea that contradicts the prevailing wisdom that the monuments were built using an external ramp.

The inside-out theory's key proponent, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin, says for centuries Egyptologists have ignored evidence staring them in the face.

"The paradigm was wrong," Houdin said. "The idea that the pyramids were built from the outside was just wrong. How can you resolve a problem when the first element you introduce in your thinking is wrong?"

Scholars of ancient Egypt are intrigued.

"It's a plausible theory. Egyptologists agree it ought to be tested, and it's nondestructive, so I wouldn't be surprised that within a year, we have the final answer," said Bob Brier, an Egyptologist at Long Island University, C.W. Post.

If that is the case, we'll know the truth about the pyramids in the blink of an eye, considering this mystery has endured for nearly FIVE-THOUSAND years.

And that's what the scholars say.

Well, in the blink of an eye

right here

on this blog

with one photograph

you will be the first

to see

this mystery

solved !

Are

you

ready ?

 

"Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down That Wall."

"The Beginning of the End of the Cold War"

Arriving in Berlin on June 12, 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan were taken to the Reichstag, where they viewed the wall from a balcony.   President Reagan then made his speech at the Brandenburg Gate at 2:00 p.m., in front of two panes of bulletproof glass protecting him from potential snipers in East Berlin.  About 45,000 people were in attendance; among the spectators were West German president Richard von Weizsäcker, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and West Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen.  That afternoon, Reagan said,

“

We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

Due to the amplification system being used, the President's words could also be heard on the Eastern (Communist-controlled) side of the wall. The address Reagan delivered that day is considered by many to have affirmed the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. On November 9-11, 1989, the people of a free Berlin tore down that wall.

Of all his speeches, Ronald Reagan's "tear down that wall," address may well become the "Great Communicator's" best remembered.

******************************************************

Not as many people might be aware of this :

The following press conference is the first public mention of AIDS in the Reagan White House. At that time 200 Americans had died of a new infectious disease. Reagan himself did not mention AIDS for three more years.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

PRESS BRIEFING BY LARRY SPEAKES

October 15, 1982

The Briefing Room

12:45pm EDT

Q: Larry, does the President have any reaction to the announcement ­ the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, that AIDS is now an epidemic and have over 600 cases?

MR. SPEAKES: What's AIDS?

Q: Over a third of them have died. It's known as "gay plague." (Laughter.) No, it is. I mean it's a pretty serious thing that one in every three people that get this have died. And I wondered if the President is aware of it?

MR. SPEAKES: I don't have it. Do you? (Laughter.)

Q: No, I don't.

MR. SPEAKES: You didn't answer my question.

Q: Well, I just wondered, does the President ­

MR. SPEAKES: How do you know? (Laughter.)

Q: In other words, the White House looks on this as a great joke?

MR. SPEAKES: No, I don't know anything about it, Lester.

Q: Does the President, does anyone in the White House know about this epidemic, Larry?

MR. SPEAKES: I don't think so. I don't think there's been any ­

Q: Nobody knows?

(There's more if you're interested . . . )

***********************************************************

February 6 would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday ! 

Febraury 7 would have been my Grandmama Wheeler's 100th birthday ! 

I have more memories of her than him. 

************************************************************

With all that being said, here are some photos from our trip to Berlin last year.  They were taken from a moving vehicle, through a not-so-clean-bus-window, so some aren't in focus.

Vehicles and pedestrians could travel freely through the Brandenburg Gate, located in East Berlin, until the Berlin Wall was built, August 13, 1961. Then one, of altogether eight Berlin Wall crossings was opened on the eastern side of the gate, usually not open for East Berliners and East Germans, who from then on needed a hard-to-obtain exit visa. On August 14, West Berliners gathered on the western side of the gate to demonstrate against the Berlin Wall, among them West Berlin's Governing Mayor Willy Brandt, who had spontaneously returned from a West German federal election campaigning tour in West Germany early the same day.

Under the pretext that Western demonstrations required it, the East closed the checkpoint at the Brandenburg Gate the same day, 'until further notice', a situation that was to last until December 22, 1989. The Wall was erected as an arc just west of the gate, cutting off access from West Berlin. On the eastern side, the "baby Wall", drawn across the eastern end of Pariser Plataz rendered it off limits to East Berliners as well.

 

When the Revolutions of 1989 occurred and the Wall fell, the gate symbolized freedom and the desire to unify the city of Berlin. Thousands of people gathered at the Wall to celebrate its fall on November 9, 1989. On December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate crossing was reopened when Helmut Kohl, the West German chancellor, walked through to be greeted by Hans Modrow, the East German prime minister. Demolition of the rest of the Wall around the area took place the following year.

Checkpoint Charlie !

 

Flowers. Flowers. Flowers were everywhere !

  

There are about 649 more photos that I wanted to post.

Time was a factor.

 

 

 

The Sphinx

I'm procrastinating.  This time it has to do with getting my tax stuff together for theHansMan.  I despise doing that. 

So, I started cleaning house.  The belt on my vacumn cleaner caught on fire melted.

I loaded the dishwasher and turned it on.  Went back downstairs to find it no longer was working. No power. No nothing.  It was full.  Very full.  Commenced washing dishes by hand.  (And yes, I checked the breaker box and GFI's.)

Decided to write a very informative, educational post about The Sphinx.  No Internet.

Here's that post :

This is The Sphinx. 

That's it. 

That's all I got because I'm counting snowflakes . . . one, two, three-thousand . . .

 

 

 

A Bakers Dozen . . . Mostly about The Super Bowl

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming (not sure what  our regularly scheduled programming is . . .) to report exclusively on the Super Bowl.   Even though the Cowboys and/or the Broncos weren't playing in the Super Bowl, there was news worth reporting, at least to a few who read here.

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers AND to the Pittsburg Steelers.  Both teams were winners, but Green Bay takes home the Lombardi Trophy this year because they scored more points !  (31-25)

1)    The Green Bay Packers was the first team to win a Super Bowl. They were the first team to win two Super Bowls. They were the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

2)  The Green Bay Packers team was founded on August 11, 1919 by former high-school football rivals Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun.  Lambeau solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. He was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, on the condition that the team be named for its sponsor. Today "Green Bay Packers" is the oldest team-name still in use in the NFL, both by its nickname and by virtue of remaining in its original city.

3)   No team has more Super Bowl victories than the Pittsburgh Steelers, or a better Super Bowl winning percentage.  For some reason, I just couldn't dig up the history of the Pittsburg Steelers.  Can you help me here ?

4)  For the first time in the showcase event`s forty-five year history there were no scantily-clad cheerleaders on the sidelines at a Super Bowl.   The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are two of a half dozen National Football League teams that don`t have cheerleaders.  Too bad each team didn't just divide up the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and let them entertain on the sidelines. 

5)  The cost of a thirty-second Super Bowl ad averaged about $3,000,000.00.  I was never very good in math, but doesn't that figure out to be ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS a SECOND ?
An ad for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat called The Force, a one-minute spot that features a child practicing his Jedi-training around the house in a Darth Vader costume, has already landed nearly thirteen million page views on YouTube.
Maybe Volkswagen might consider cutting out one of those commercials and donating that money to _______________.  (What's your suggestion ?)

 

The little boy under that Darth Vader mask is Max.  He was born with a congenital heart defect and has worn a pace-maker since he was three months old.

6)  And then there was the Go Daddy.com. commercial.  What can I say but "Sex Sells."  Not even going to post that one here.  If you want to see it, go find it yourself.  It even has Joan Rivers in it.  Gag me.

7)    What a disgrace !!!  Christina Aguilera, looking like a vamp, flubbed a line as she screamed our National Anthem at the start of the Super Bowl. What's with all the ooh-ah-ooh-ah-ooh-ah's ?  Many words with just ONE syllable were sung with about six or seven additional notes.   When she was supposed to sing the line "O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?" she instead repeated an earlier line, with a slight variation. She sang "What so proudly we watched at the twilight's last gleaming," which is the same line from earlier in the song but with the word 'watched' instead of the word 'hailed.'  Pathetic. Embarrasing.  The committe who chose her should have just let Lea Michele sing both songs. 

8)   Lea Michele who was nominated for a Grammy alongside her "Glee" castmembers, belted a  straightforward version of "America the Beautiful" to help kick off the game. Sporting a cream-colored coat and camel-hued wide-leg trousers with her brown locks in soft waves, Michele coolly crooned the patriotic standard surrounded by service members in navy suits under the shadow of red, white and blue flags. The star gently cooed throughout most the performance, but showcased her robust pipes by holding the last note for few seconds.  Gave me goose-bumps.

 

9)    Salvatore Giunta  was honored at the Super Bowl. On Oct. 25, 2007, on a remote hilltop in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta repeatedly ran directly into fire from Taliban insurgents to save the lives of some of his fellow soldiers. In recognition of Giunta's bravery, President Obama  presented him with the country's highest military award, the Medal of Honor, making Giunta the first living soldier since the Viet Nam War to receive the award given for acts of extreme bravery in the face of almost certain death.

 

 

10)  NFL PLAY 60 is the NFL Movement for an Active and Healthy Generation, encouraging kids to play for 60 minutes every day in order to tackle childhood obesity. Through in-school, afterschool and team-based programs and partnerships with like-minded organizations, the NFL wants fans to Join the NFL PLAY 60 Movement.  Play 60  appears throughout NFLRUSH.com, the NFL’s official website for kids, so kids can do what they love – play games and follow their favorite NFL teams – while being reminded to get active every day! 

And while those kids are at it, they need to drag their parents with them !

12)  Black-Eyed Peas half-time show . . . get the hook ! 

13)  This was much better !!

 

 

Bonus: