freedom ???

Ask any learned American to name the deadliest war the united state had ever been involved in and they would sure to say the Civil War. Equal perhaps to the Second World War the civil war had spawned more books fictional and none, movies also fictional or reenactment of actual events and battles. So much so that it is only dwarfed in bulk by academic papers in scholarly magazines on it causes and on its effects. Everywhere you go in the nation you are reminded of it. Either through museums or national parks dedicated to it. As if that is not enough every year, so called Civil War clubs commemorate certain key or bloody battles, like that of Gettysburg, by reenacting it. Full with authentic uniforms and arms down to the food they ate. But the effect of the Civil War cannot be only seen by such displays to its memory. The Civil War’s effect on the American consciousness and how the nation function as a nation is real. It is perhaps ironic that both sides of the conflict fought to attain the same goal, freedom. The north fought for freedom of the slaves, while the south fought for the freedom of maintaining its way of life. More then that the south fought to keep itself free from, what it perceived, as an interfering federal government. But what lessons did the united state derive from its deadliest of all wars; and above all how did it look back at the Civil War and even more importantly the prewar period. Did things truly change that much for the African now freed slaves in the reconstruction period or did things remain the same. Did they remain in poverty and harassed in their efforts for self-determination. Or did their northerner white liberators tried to carry them along to the their own status of life and living.
Gone With the Wind is perhaps the most famous movie about the civil war period other then perhaps the silent Birth of a Nation. Produced in 1939, it starred Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara. The movie follows the lives of its two heroes against the backdrop of the Civil War era, including what life was like before and during the reconstruction period. In it’s beginning the movie shows southerners in fine clothing and acting in genteel manners. That is how most American even now remembers the pre Civil War south. In fact the following words introduced the movie “ There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind…” But of course the truth was far from the prettily painted picture. The old south was filled with suffocating cotton plantations. With slaves, who were sold, bought, punished, rewarded, clothed, fed, married, divorced and finally allowed to live, all according to their masters whim and wish.
So did the American view of the south change after the civil war. Now days the south is viewed as backwards full of citizen who are in the majority uneducated and ardently racist. Who even after they had gone to war and their defeat still oppressed the black population. But was the south alone in their attitude. Northerners may claim equal rights and freedom but when it came to putting it to practice were they agreeable and eager? The answer was unfortunately was no. Though there were no organized lynching mobs as it was in the south and complete disregard to the human life of blacks. There was in the north an indifferent that is in many ways worse then what was happening to the blacks in the south. Worst of all was the unfulfilled promise of Forty acres and a mule promised to every freed slave. An economic force that would have lifted the blacks from their abject poverty, which continues to this day as was shamefully revealed after the hurricane Katrina crisis.
It is true that the united state was slow in learning the lessons of the civil war. That oppressed people will one day stand up and fight for their rights and what is due to them. No more can this be seen then in the events of 1863 depicted in the movie Gangs of New York. When finally low wages and slave-like work places driven the angry and hate filled workers to a deadly riot. When exploited immigrants turned to what they saw as the reason for their low wages and miserable life, not the owners and factories but their minority black coworkers. But were they to blame for their hatred. During the reconstruction period the north saw an influx of African American escaping the continued bigotry of the south seeking their fortune in industry of the north, an industry that had for long been dominated by European immigrants.
The victorious north had failed miserably to assimilate the south and usher it into the industrial age. Worse it failed to protect the freed slaves who now looked forward to make their living as free human beings with all due dignity. At first the north seemed genuine in its fight for freedom. In fact General Sherman, with the approval of the War Department, issued a Special Field Order No. 15 on January 16, 1865. The order stated that "the islands of Charleston south, the abandoned rice fields along the rivers for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering St. Johns River, Florida are reserved and set apart for the settlement of Negroes now made free by the acts of war and the proclamation of the President of the United States." Furthermore, Sherman's order specified freedmen would be offered assistance "to enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement." Then president Andrew Johnson in an act of what he hoped reconciliatory pardoned many of the landowners, who of course later pressured him to rescinded all land titles and return the lands to their previous owners. It was also president Johnson who vetoed the Homestead Act of 1862 and every other plan that would help the free slaves raise from their dismal economic status. Even efforts to have congress act failed. So in desperation the free slaves went back to work the fields from which they were liberated from few years back and it was as if the civil war had not been fought at all and half a million men did not give their lives to it.
So what is the conclusion of the civil war? What has the united sate learned from it? the answer to both is nothing. The civil war had again to be fought in the fifties on till the seventies and arguably till today. African Americans are still among the poorest minorities in the country. Plagued by ignorance and every other calamity to befall the people a modern society. They suffer from high rates of alcoholism, drug abuse and HIV. In every city in the nation they live in the most poorly maintained neighborhoods. They are discriminated against on a daily bases and blamed for, freely in secret and deviously in public, the affliction of the country. Still African American of today are in a much better condition then their forefathers. But above all the African American of today realized that in order to lift themselves from their condition they have to fight for themselves and that is a cause for hope.

Gattaca

What make us what we are? What determines our fate, our fortunes in life? What factor or more elevate a Man to the echelon of society while many others have to grovel and suffer at the bottom? Philosophers have pondered the question of self, of what makes us, us, for centuries and the prevailing answer for as long was the divine.
They believed the gods provide humans with abilities and characteristics that set them apart and above other Men. Following that thought to its perhaps inevitable conclusion, some Men are directly descended from the gods. Alexander the great claimed such a relation to justify his sovereignty over his people. He was neither the first nor the last in making such a calim. Roman emperors have made such claims so did their inheritors the Roman Catholics popes who claimed to derive their authority directly from god. So here is one answer to what makes us, us, God. God is the provider of abilities and talents that distinguish one Man from another. That can make a king or queen of one and a beggar of another.
There are inherited fallacies with such a conclusion. History is full of kings and queens who have been cruel and sadistic by the admission of their own people and of others. So when they are at there worst what does that say about the nature of god to have chosen such a representative? Another problem of such a claim is, it eliminate free will. Free will is simply no longer an option, if what I am to become in life has already been predetermined. Another view of the same answer is that god only provides us with the opportunity to become and it is up to the individual to exert the effort to advance in their position. This answer is of course a compromise between free will and fate though it relay heavily on fate. Meaning that there are people who through god, are better equipped to succeed in life then others. By being born to a rich family that can provide an education; or with an above-then-average intelligence; or with physical attributes that are superiors to others.
Then came Darwin and replaced god with nature. Dispelling the notion of divine choice. Man was no longer ‘ a flock of sheep,’ in need of a shepherd telling him what to do. Man is now in possession of free will. He is the maker of his own destiny. Determinism is no longer the explanation of who we are.
Then came along advances in mathematics, chemistry and physics, which led to breakthrough in biology and anthropology, by providing practitioners with the tools to investigate. Slowly the brain is giving up its secrets and so is gene the building block of humans. Not a day goes by when we hear of a new discovered gene that control some aspect of our behavior or strongly influences it. So once again Man is no longer the master of his own destiny and is slowly, once again, approaching the conclusion of determinism.
Before when god was the deciding factor prayer was a way for a favorable attributes in the off spring. Although we are not there yet, soon skill and money would be the guarantee of favorable outcome.
Art has always been under the influence of philosophy following its trends for how long those trends prevail. The Greek thought Man as the ideal creation. So Greek artists for centuries celebrated the idea by carving the most exquisite statues to show off the human form. What the Greek artist did in their time modern artist still do today with more choices of a medium.
Movies can be seen as the culminations of all the arts into one. Providing us with visual presentation as well as a written one. So it comes to no surprise that since its foundation the cinema had been used to discuss philosophical issues, however, often doing so covertly, so as not to offend contemporary laws or tastes. Metropolis and Charlie Chaplin’s movies to name a few are clear examples of movies reflecting the fears and philosophy of their time.
Gattaca is such a movie. Under the guise of science fiction the movie tries to discuss the possibilities of once we arrive at a point when humans are engineered and programmed to what they may become in life. It tries to answer the question of which is stronger Nature or Nurture. Do we choose what to become or are we born with attributes the forces us to what we become.
The movie centers on the life or a young man whose parents have chosen to conceive him naturally without the help of science. The result is a young man with the intellect and ambition unparalleled by his un-tampered with physical attributes. Refusing to let his spirit hampered by his fate the young man takes extreme measures to realize his dream of becoming an astronaut. Armed with his unbound ambition and assuming some one else’s life the young man finally realizes his dream.
The movie touches on a very fundamental question, fate or free will? What are the consequences of either on our morals? While the young man whom the hero of the movie assume his identity was born with all the chances science can provide for success he chooses not to. Choosing instead a life of pleasure, which leads him to an accident that renders him crippled for the rest of his life. Another character is the leader of the project who commits murder and lie when asked if he did it, citing in his defense that he does not have the gene to commit murder.
The movie doesn’t make an argument against determinism but it makes one for free will. Saying in essence that a good gene only provides us with the opportunity to become and it is up to the individual to exert the effort to advance in their position. This answer is again a compromise between free will and fate. Claiming, as with the influence of god, that there are people who through a good gene, are better equipped to succeed in life then others.
On the other hand the movie makes the strong argument that even with good genes behavior cannot be predicted and there is no account to how far humans would push themselves to succeed in life or in whatever enterprise they choose to peruse. Illustrating this final concept with another bout between the naturally born hero and his engineered brother. A rematch of when for the first time the less ordinary, our hero, realizes that with determination he can over comes the ordinary, his engineered brother. A rematch that makes the point of the movie, that without the will to match engineered attributes are not guarantee of success in life.

James Webb

Ever since the dropping of the nuclear bomb on Japan, the question of whether the U.S has been justified in its action or not has been up to debate, with many arguments on both sides of the issue. Although unstated anywhere in the excerpts the author, James Webb, is of the opinion that the U.S was justified in following the only course it had available to it at the time that is dropping the bombs. In not clearly stating his position on the matter the author has committed his first of many fallacies staining the excerpts.
Beginning with the first paragraph one can note the first fallacy the author has committed, that of his windy preamble, with his bit about Albert Einstein. Which can also be read, combined or viewed with the mention of the mayor of Nagasaki’s words, as a weaseler. Einstein’s words and the mayor’s serve no purpose and have no relevance to the argument the author is trying to make. Unless he was attempting by mentioning the mayor’s words, to sow indignation in the reader (assuming they are all Americans) by saying they have been compared to the Nazis.
Another weasler in my opinion is giving the number of casualties after both bombings. Again the numbers are useless facts because they are not even used in comparison to how many the Japanese have killed when they bombed Chinese cites.
The numbers are giving to us in the second paragraph where the author commits other fallacies. The first is “Two wrongs don’t make right.” By insinuating the high casualties from the droppings of the nuclear bombs evens the score since the Japanese have also killed many people with their bombs. The author’s other mistake is his voicing of a popular assumption, “…if Japan had had nuclear weapons, it would have used them.” Without giving facts or reasons of such an assumption.
In the third paragraph the most noticeable is the ‘Proof surrogate,’ fallacy. Giving us the opinions of experts without giving us the number of the experts or their credentials. Not even how they have arrived at their conclusion. More subtle fallacy is the use of words that has an emotive force behind them. “…U.S historians…” as compared to “…some historians…” without giving them a nationality. As if saying no U.S historian would hold to the same opinion. Also his appeal to popular belief by writing “,more U.S historians…” is another fallacy in the same paragraph.
In the fourth paragraph the author commits the fallacy of composition and division. Finding the larger population guilty of the crime committed by the less representative and much smaller Japanese army.
Along with the noted fallacies above the author has also committed perhaps his most noticeable fallacy, innuendo. The whole excerpts is full of it, with at least one in ever paragraph.

Trans-Siberian Railroad

However, though Russia had built the Trans-Siberian Railroad (1891-1904), it still lacked the transportation facilities necessary to reinforce its limited armed forces in Manchuria with sufficient men and supplies. Japan, by contrast, had steadily expanded its army since its war with China in 1894 and by 1904 had gained a marked superiority over Russia in the number of ground troops in the Far East. After Russia reneged in 1903 on an agreement to withdraw its troops from Manchuria, Japan decided it was time to attack.
The war began on Feb. 8, 1904, when the main Japanese fleet launched a surprise attack and siege on the Russian naval squadron at Port Arthur. In March the Japanese landed an army in Korea that quickly overran that country. In May another Japanese army landed on the Liaotung Peninsula, and on May 26 it cut off the Port Arthur garrison from the main body of Russian forces in Manchuria. The Japanese then pushed northward, and the Russian army fell back to Mukden (now Shen-yang) after losing battles at Fu-hsien (June 14) and Liao-yang (August 25), south of Mukden. In October the Russians went back on the offensive with the help of reinforcements received via the Trans-Siberian Railroad, but their attacks proved indecisive owing to poor military leadership.
The Japanese had also settled down to a long siege of Port Arthur after several very costly general assaults on it had failed. The garrison's military leadership proved divided, however, and on Jan. 2, 1905, in a gross act of incompetence and corruption, Port Arthur's Russian commander surrendered the port to the Japanese without consulting his officers and with three months' provisions and adequate supplies of ammunition still in the fortress.
The final battle of the land war was fought at Mukden in late February and early March 1905, between Russian forces totaling 330,000 men and Japanese totaling 270,000. After long and stubborn fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, the Russian commander, General A.N. Kuropatkin, broke off the fighting and withdrew his forces northward from Mukden, which fell into the hands of the Japanese. Losses in this battle were exceptionally heavy, with approximately 89,000 Russian and 71,000 Japanese casualties.
The naval Battle of Tsushima finally gave the Japanese the upper hand in the conflict. The Japanese had been unable to secure the complete command of the sea on which their land campaign depended, and the Russian squadrons at Port Arthur and Vladivostok had remained moderately active. But on May 27-29, 1905, in a battle in the Tsushima Straits, Admiral Togo Heihachiro's main Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian Baltic Fleet, which, commanded by Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvensky, had sailed in October 1904 all the way from the Baltic port of Liepaja to relieve the forces at Port Arthur and at the time of the battle was trying to reach Vladivostok. (See Tsushima, Battle of.) Japan was by this time financially exhausted, but its decisive naval victory at Tsushima, together with increasing internal political unrest throughout Russia, where the war had never been popular, brought the Russian government to the peace table.
President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States served as mediator at the peace conference, which was held at Portsmouth, N.H., U.S. (Aug. 9-Sept. 5, 1905). In the resulting Treaty of Portsmouth, Japan gained control of the Liaotung Peninsula (and Port Arthur) and the South Manchurian railroad (which led to Port Arthur), as well as half of Sakhalin Island. Russia agreed to evacuate southern Manchuria, which was restored to China, and Japan's control of Korea was recognized. Within two months of the treaty's signing, a revolution compelled the Russian tsar Nicholas II to issue the October Manifesto, which was the equivalent of a constitutional charter.
*****
Battle of Tsushima (May 27-29, 1905), naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, the final, crushing defeat of the Russian navy in that conflict.
The Japanese had been unable to secure the complete command of the sea because the Russian naval squadrons at Port Arthur and Vladivostok made sorties and both sides suffered losses in the ensuing engagements. Meanwhile, the Russian government decided to send the Baltic Fleet all the way to the Far East under the command of Admiral Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky to link up with the Pacific Squadron at Port Arthur, upon which the combined fleets would overwhelm the Japanese navy. The Russian Baltic Fleet, having spent the whole summer fitting out, sailed from Liepaja on Oct. 15, 1904. Off the Dogger Bank (in the North Sea) on October 21, several Russian ships opened fire on British trawlers in the mistaken belief that they were Japanese torpedo boats, and this incident aroused such anger in England that war was only avoided by the immediate apology and promise of full compensation made by the Russian government. At Nossi-Bé, near Madagascar, Rozhestvensky learned of the surrender of Port Arthur to Japanese forces and proposed returning to Russia; but, expecting naval reinforcements, which had been sent from the Baltic via Suez early in March 1905 and which later joined him at Camranh Bay (Vietnam), he decided to proceed. His full fleet amounted to a formidable armada, but many of the ships were old and unserviceable and their crews were poorly trained. Early in May the fleet reached the China Sea, and Rozhestvensky made for Vladivostok via the Tsushima Strait. Admiral Togo Heihachiro's fleet lay in wait for him on the south Korean coast near Pusan, and on May 27, as the Russian Fleet approached, he attacked. The Japanese ships were superior in speed and armament, and, in the course of the two-day battle, two-thirds of the Russian Fleet was sunk, six ships were captured, four reached Vladivostok, and six took refuge in neutral ports. It was a dramatic and decisive defeat; after a voyage lasting seven months and when within a few hundred miles of its destination, the Baltic Fleet was shattered, and, with it, Russia's hope of regaining mastery of the sea was crushed.
*****
Treaty of Portsmouth, (Sept. 5 [Aug. 23, Old Style], 1905), peace settlement signed at Kittery, Maine, U.S., ending the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. According to the terms of the treaty, which was mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the defeated Russians recognized Japan as the dominant power in Korea and turned over their leases of Port Arthur and the Liaotung Peninsula, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin Island, to Japan. Both powers agreed to restore Manchuria to

Kenkyūkai

Marxism was first introduced in Japan in October 18, 1898, through the intellectual study society; a small group of Westernized intellectuals held the first meeting of the Shakaishugi Kenkyūkai (The Association for the Study of Socialism) at the Tokyo Unitarian Church. Although most of the founders considered themselves Christian socialist, the association was open to any intesetd party. The first phase of the socialist movement of the late Meiji period was marked by relative moderation and strong support for paraliametrism. The dominant force was Christian humanism , which did much to set the tone of the early Japanese socialist thought. At the general conventioin of the minuscule Japa Socliast Party (Nihon Shakatio) in mid-February 1907, the deep didvision within the momvent was clearly displayed. When Kotoku Denjiro emphises the the casue of “ direct action” was deafted by two votes, with a compromise resolution passing. The “moderates” who called for full-fledged esouosla of parliamentarism and complete rejection of the direct action. This dispute between the social democrats and the anarchists continued , with the left gaining increasing influence and further isolation of the socialist from the mainstream of the Japanese life; the Case of the Great Treason of 1910, when the anarchists had finally moved from words to action, with a failed plot to assassinate the Emperor Meiji, however as result twelve Japanese radicals , including Kotouko Denjiro, were punished, and the socialist party was virtually silenced. during World War I, few individuals like Arahata Kanson, Osugi Sakae, Sakai Toshihiko, and Yamakawa Hitoshi, kept the socialist movement active, but the tone of was still anarcho-syndicalist, reflective of the earlier one. It was at this time Japan had shifted from an agrarian society to predominantly industrial commercial society instead; this resulted in the first generation of labor class, with peasants serving as the recruits.
In 1917 the Bloshevik Revolution provided a new source of stimulus for the Japanese left. This borught an agina verent of the earlier Communist momvent, Nosaka Sanzo who served as perfect example of the time. Nosaka grew up in a totally bouregeois atmosphere and was able to attend Keio univesrty a generally conciedrd an upper class school, it was there that he became interested in labor movment, manily through his professor Horie Kiichi, in fact he wrote his senior thesis on the Yuaikai ( Friendly Society), which also the name of then the Moderate Japanese labor organization lead by Suzuki Bunji. Nosaka started as social reformer in labor and politcies, eventually he worked in the editorship of the Rodo Oyobi Sangyo (Labor and Industry), the union journal. His first contact with Marxism came in 1919 after reading the Communist Manifesto that Koizumi Shinzo brought back from the west. He joind the Britich Communist party in 1920 and attended the first congress as a delegate from the London district. Within years young intellectuals who kept moving into the labor movements during this time; came to the Yuaikai headquarters directly after thire grduation from universities such as Waseda, or Tokyo, and they had rarely been involved in physical labor. These students in the Yuaikai were sampling a doctrine more left in nature to what was made by their senior mentors. in addition a student adherent the Maxsit thought by the name of Katayama Sen; Katayama who had been prisond for five moths in support of the Tokyo streetcar strike for and wrote of the mistreatment he met in prison
, he left japan on August 31, 1914, he also discovered that his movement was under the surveillance of the Japanese police. Katayama contact with Ruggers, one of the earlist Marxist- Leninsts, proved benifcial; because of this Katayama was able to meet a goroup of Russian revolutinares living in exile New York. There he met Trotsky, Bukharin, Madame Kollontai, along with others. Within short time Katayama was the leading Asian Communist of the world, he established an Association of Japanese Socialists in America, and also helped in the unification of the American Communist Party, and undertook the Comintern mission to Mexico. There after he went to Moscow to serve as chairman of the Far Eastern People’s Congress.
Eventually The Japanese Communist Party was founded on July 15, 1922, in the midst of the popular liberation struggle surging in Japan at the time, and it was dissolved in 1924 as its leader, Yamakawa Hitochi, concluded that the situation is in need for more education and preparation, and mass demonstration instead of plotting by small group, the party was reconstituted in 1925, but that year the apparatus of state suppression had been strengthened by the Peace Preservation Law. Consequently the party’s activities were limited to conspirational work by a small and dedicated minority. It was at this time the leadership came from a group intellectuals led by Fukumoto Kazuo.
Radical student found this new challenge from the government, rather stimulating, also these actions brought their organization under official suspicion. For sometime the Tanaka government was surprisingly tolerate toward the student-organized disorder , but in March 1928 more police sweeps brought and end to student agitation and to the Shinjinkai itself.
The intellect of the national and international emergency that charatireesed nationalism in the Kokitai, was met by the conversion of the left, tenko , or apostasy which allowed radicals from the left back into the main stream. During the 1920’s subjects or Marxist study, had become popular answer for social study and plotical economy. However State officials were alarmed by the tenko , and went on bigger scale of arrest done by the police, that resulted in large apprehensions actual and suspected radical alike in March 1928 . these arrests effected the labor momvents and diminished the “underground Communist Party”, most of these arrest pracuters found , that the young people leading the torubel were indeed from a well to do family , with great intelligent. During 1933 Sano Manabu , who joind Yoshino Sakuzo’s Shinjinkaias a student in Tokoyo Impreial University and evntully became leader in the Japan Communist Party, he also was arrested in Shanghai in 1929, with Sakuzo also Nabeyama Sadachika, also a member of the party’s Central Committee. Both men announce thire defection from the Communist Party; and withdrew thire oppostion to the events in Manchuria, and followed by mentioning that “self-rule” in Korea and Taiwan was necessary. More importantly Sakuzo, and Nabeyama went on to say that the emperor system is an obstacle to institutional reform in Japan.
The defections of Sakuzo and Nabeyama, affected those detained in police custody, and as result a mass apostasy went on action. Within 45 percent of those not yet convicted 614 out 1370, and 34 percent (133 out of 393) and those who had been convicted of radicalism or radical activities. Became defected as well in three years 74 percent (324 out of 438) announced that they also returned to the “fold”.
Several accounts of theses trails were recorded from a diverse interest, for example psychologist, on the interrogation side, the interrogators them selves were warned to evade any type of arguments or resistance that could in effect provoke the detainee; for the fact that most of the radicals were relatively young. instead every effort was made to make these radicals to “return” to the core Japans values. A manual was designed to guide the interrogators, for example the interrogators were encouraged to provide the prisoners with bowl of chicken and egg on rice, this meal to resemble a “parent-child” relationship. Police men also were caution not mention ideology, instead they should offer a reminder the “your mother is worried about you” type of attitudes; and never to mention the father in the interrogation, for that might trigger a sense of defiance of authority.
The defection of Sakuzo, and Nabeyama brought satisfainying result to the authority, however it created a complicated dilemma a complicated problem, it became hard to decide which suspects to prosecute and which to let go. These who were resealed would sometimes would join the communist party or commit “offensive thought”, this in turn made the procurators

Mars and Venus

The progress of science and spread of industrialization among the wealthy self-governing nations, aside from bettering the quality of life, helped in part to flush out the social inequalities that had prevailed for so long. Efficiency is key to any successful industry. Meaning for any manufacturer they have to produce products of quality better or at the least in bar with all other similar or substitute products. While at the same time producing at least-cost so to turn in a profit. To any industry there are few options available to produce cheaply. They can control the resources going in to make the product. Using lower quality or fewer numbers of resources. However a more efficient way of producing cheaply is by simply using cheap labor. Especially when the process of manufacturing is straightforward and does not require individualistic touches. To put a string on a shoe or a label on a can does not require much thought or deliberation. Anyone can do it, it does not require specialization. That was precisely what the owners of the industry figured out.
The acquisition of many farmlands for use of factories freed a large portion of the population to work in manufacturing. Also the conflicts raging in and the industrialization of Europe had sent many flocking to the U.S. Like their counterpart former farmers in the U.S, many of the immigrants were poor and unskilled. Leaving them with no choice to earn a living except in manufacturing. A new class emerged a working class of men and women and before it was checked and outlawed, of children. This working class produced what a minority of the population could afford to buy. More then often laboring under conditions that was abhorrent by any standard of judgment. They worked long hours, sixty or a little more then that a week, more often every day. They worked in facilities that were only suitable for the unfeeling product they produced. The list of injustices and sickening conditions under which they labored is long and at the time it must have seemed to the workers they would never be rid of them. But also a product (perhaps) of a wealthy freethinking society is the emergence of individuals who recognize injustices and try their best to correct them. Often these individuals seek others who are of the same mind and convictions. Or perhaps succeed in converting the indifferent or ignorant to sympathizers to their cause and together they form unions and pressure groups. At the beginning perhaps the different unions and groups have tried to appeal to the 'noblesse oblige' of the owners. However when such an appeal to pity and justice does not produce any long lasting, as unfortunately it often does not, they took the legal recourse.
Laws to better the working conditions in the industrial sector did not pass without hindrance. A prevailing attitude of the time was effort equaled to wealth or at least to moderate economic comfort. Which is perhaps true to some extent and in some instances. Aside from that there was the constitution and the article of contract and also the economic philosophy of laissez-faire, which warns the government from interfering with the free flow of commerce. Which perhaps explains why many lawmakers were recusant to any idea of reform. Recognizing that any such law would have to be policed in order to be effective and therefore it would conflict with the article of contract and laissez-faire.
But also a product of the time was that a large number of women and children were available and willing to work. When the concerned parties for the well being of the industrial workers failed to produce a law limiting the amount of hours for all workers, they sought and succeeded in passing one for women and children. By pointing out that long working hours were detriment to the health of children and the future and current mothers of the race. Especially when many of the jobs women and children were involved in required them to be working while standing. These laws were passed between the years of 1840 and 1850 and at the time were seldom enforced in the few states where they existed. Later amendments to the laws however rectified that.
But what of men workers? A larger workforce then women and more specialized they favored change through union actions. Those few who worked in an industry alongside of female were also not left out since when a law changes the condition of their female co-workers it automatically changes theirs. That was what many reformers had intended. By changing the conditions of women they are able to change the overall condition of the workplace. They simply used women as their appeal for change. In doing so they had to claim there was a major difference between men and women workers. They had to agree to, and maybe they even believed, that because women were weaker then men, they needed laws to protect them. That was the contention of the so-called Brandeis' brief. These laws though at the time worked proved to be a hindrance to many future attempts for women progress. Especially when just saying women were weaker then men was not enough.
Before the Brandeis brief reformers received a major set back to the hour-limit law. It was because of the Ritchie v. People case of 1895 that the Illinois Supreme Court delivered their blow. Interpreting the 14th amendment the court held to the opinion that an hour-limit law for women was class classifying them, therefore discriminatory and therefore illegal. The court wanted the people's lawyer to show that it was reasonable for an hour-limit law for women. Instead of using the court's decision in future cases for their benefit and try and find other reasons for an hour-limit law, future litigation wanted to provide the courts with their coveted reasons. The Brandeis brief delivered. It provided lawmakers with a detailed account of why an hour-limit law was important for women. Before it was the lawmakers opinions and beliefs unsupported by evidence, as they were though mostly also based on opinions and not facts, until the brief. It was the ammunition with which they fired whenever challenged to give women the same status as men under the law.
Another fight that had used women's suffrage as the basis for its claim was the fight for minimum wage. Again reformers instead of trying convincing men dominated industry and union of the validity of their claim they thought of acting on their behalf. However not by failing a claim on behalf of all workers men and women but again using women as the conduit for change. Citing again that women were the weaker sex and therefore needed protection. In 1920 however things changed.
During that year the amendment allowing women to vote was finally rectified. Giving women right groups a very powerful with which to bargain. Less was the effort for change through litigation then through influencing congress to act. Taking however the venues of fights from the courtrooms to the street. Instead of lawyers arguing against each other with the judge as mediator in waiting to be persuaded, social right groups vied with each other to influence politician for support. Some groups still held to the opinions of old. That the bases for intervention were not a general health issues but that of women suffrage. Fortunately they eventually lost.
Perhaps finally understanding the power of the union in influencing public policy the social rights advocates started pressuring the true law makers as intended by the constitution, the politicians. The 1930 saw the advancement of the many social solution proposed by the women right groups and male unions. It saw the birth of the social security program. It saw the establishment of a minimum wage, which passed unchallenged by judges afraid of the newly elected president's promise of reform. The changes during the 1930 proved right reformers who advocated reform for both sexes. As if to further proof their policy of action the hour-limit back fired on the reformers who adopted women suffrage as their bases of change. Hour-limit laws disqualified women from overtime and promotion.
The fight for social right is worthy cause that merits the efforts to gain them. Perhaps that is why reformers who used women suffrage as their line of action may be forgiven the harms they had not intended nor could have foreseen.




















Topic # 2
Sultan Altemimi

The Mouse and Mouse before

There is a story of a group of mice’s whom all had their own portions of lands,
The mice lived and ate and played as they wished in the hours of day and night

One night a dog came about, to dig into the mice land, mices wondered around the dog as it dug deep, and deep…..
The mice did not ask the dog what deal he is about,
The dog put a smile and left mices, and promised to come back with gift, not to all
The dog left on these words, the mice wondered, and puzzled for while, but returned to sleep for it was far to late.

In a swiftly cold night, dark brown mouse of the east appeard near dawn near the village , ridding on the back of a mouse of the same group as his, with the this dark brown mouse of the east came also riding, the un-talented bird of the center, together they came on the land of mice , and woke everyone in the village with noisy screeches and sounds,
and asked for the white mouse that ruled the mice, “ we don’t Carrie such thing”one mouse replied, “whit mouse is just a name, he come time to time but never stays”, for the white mouse is not from here you see, white mouse comes from farther lands to the north”
Dark brown mouse of the east laughed loud, and said “news could not be grater then this, for I am now the mouse leader to this clan,” “clan we are not O east mouse” replied a ragged mouse from the back “
“O great mouse”…I shall like this name, from now all you mice shall call me as thus
Un talented bird replied, I conquer o grate one , for now you secure my right onto this land and grant me what I never had, a voice I shall sing , and heal a broken wing of mine, east mouse replied I declare myself one and only on this land
”wait” ragged mouse from the back said, for we had no one telling us mouses what to do,
“For now you either follow me or trapped between me and the sea”

The strode back dog from the north came back as it had told before, and said “now look O great mouse from the east, I shall not tell you what to do here, or there, within this mere land of yours , for land matter not to me no more, but within these lands my needs are buried, I shall however, the these mice are treaatd I don’t care, that where I had dug before I need my

good sleep street sleep

@ tha moives

Gone with the Wind is a movie based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell. Produced in 1939 it started Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. The movies follow the lives of its two heroes against the backdrop of the civil war era including what life was before and during the reconstruction period.

It is an excellent movie that had own many awards and was a hit in the box office. From historical perspective however the movie falls short of giving a full picture of the civil war era and the reconstruction period, particularly to the lives of the slaves. The movie however does show the horror of the civil war and the devastation of the south. It also mentions thought not as much as it had about the carpetbaggers the unchanging lives of the freed slaves. So in the main the movie is about the lives of the slave owners and how much they had suffered after they have enjoyed for so long.
With little mention of the slaves who are showed as typically submissive, slow and greedily vindictive when it came to wanting their rights. Failing to show a single good black person other then the nanny, who’s motives for staying were never fully explained.

Another movie that has dealt with the civil war era is Glory. It was 1989 production starting Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. Like Gone With the Wind, Glory was also a product of its time. In that it tried to be balanced in its presentation. The movie primarily evolved around the lives of the freed slaves who constituted the first all-black volunteer union company and their white commander. I thought the movie was truthful and honest in its presentation. Showing the good and the bad on both sides. Showing the southerners who fought not to maintain slavery but for an independent state in which they believed. At the same time it showed how the rage of freed slaves in other regiment was exploited to drive terror in the hearts of the south. In all it was better representative then many of its predecessors of the civil war era.

protect land said man then signed in the air.,

from my kind and from other kinds he said protect them .
where do you come from,
where in your life did you learn to blame?

claim after claim about the same game
you don’t exist in human form
you exist in beast form that’s all
a beast devours what beast devoured your soul
there no place on the planet to carry you no more
you at last became what you've dreamed about,
yes your that bad as you are ,
don’t realize, many years you’ve seen reflication
you become what you wanted to be,
in fact all came to be what they wanted to be
just you , walk talk look, like you
happiness is now foregone never will it come to be
this land no more as it was before

To be from this land
To be a part of what their not
Speak their tongs you do
Speak to their mind you wont, you don’t
Full of symbolisms they prefer
Full of bullshit they prefer,
True emptiness in what is ever left
In the body, in the should in the mind
Hunger and starvation for bling
Chasing and foaming for Cash
No where to go but to the past
Noting genuine here
Nothing lasts

You write or type about the subjects
Come from a place with whimsical life
Come from away family
Come from your mouth what you don’t believe
Come from your mind what you cant apprehend

Leave what you don’t, about please
Go back to where you come from with this.
Keep it to thee self please.
Don’t for, few claps; sell what’s left in soul
What you do impress west nor east
For these, impressions but few seconds
Go back to where you come.,
Please stay calm and choose what you like
Leave what you don’t know about,
A father beating a mother weeping,
A Bus into the oblivion it went.
Claim the text made the man.
Not true for the text is just
You and all please leave these text to be
For centuries proved to be
What you and the other cant foresee
Nor ever will understand

O friend of mine would be quite
O friend of mine away you go,
For us to be friends matters no more
No more then a poster of an AD on the wall
A Wall by the subway for a second or so
An Ad to remind us of what we had

First arabic writing since 6 years good luck

وجميع البلاد التي علي هذا الخط لا عرض لها البتة، والقطبان غير مرتبين فيها ، ويكونان هناك علي داءرة الافق من الخابنين . وكلما بعد موضع بلد عن هذا الخط إلى ناحية الشمال قدر درجة، ارتفع القطب الشمالي الذي هو الجدي على أهل ذلك البلد درجة، وانخفض القطب الجنوبي الذي هو سهيل درجة، وهكذا ما زاد.

I was watching a video Pagan poetry, Bjork, I cant put the thing on ‘O’, anyhow, the video depicted Bojork in the usually bjork act, and then inserted what is looks like needles into her body, in her back.

I used to rembre when I used to do something similar, back when I was young kid, maybe 12 or 13 years old I think even younger, I used put sewing needle into the thin skin that covers my hand, I cam here and I watched young and old, American whits, doing so except in all shape of sharp edge metals and in all different parts of their body, you would know when you see it, while on the beach all is too clear, you can actually see tinges shine on people’s bodies, in a country that idolizes symbolism, no these bodys don’t look heavenly bodies, they look more like abused bodies at the least.

Bjork might me right on a thing, Pagan see this piercing did originate from the ancient times, not clear on the Asians piercing but someone long time ago had to start this practice that indeed went far, you see regardless off religion , human body can and actually does

Circumcised since babyhood, I think for me this enough skin giving or skin anything; I think this real hard core maybe ancient practice according to some

Yes friend we go now
no friend we shall nor go or stay,
yes friend I want to be in the company of yours
no friend I no longer be wanted with you,
yes friend lets grab a drink,
no friend lets not be drinking,
Yes friend I want/need your help,
no thanks friend no help no need,
Yes friend I am not ok
no friend am rightfully ok,
yes friend leave me alone,
no friend don’t leave alone,
Yes to yes on anything friend,
no to yes on anything friend,
yes friend are enemy we be,
no close to an inch we shall be
yes I don’t want no more ,
No I don’t want to be with you no more,
Yes when they are here you should not be,
No when you are here they cant be here.

When I am stuck I want you all your help,
when you are stuck I don’t want to be part help,
I want you away, yet I want near,

2

To leave to depart
to leave without regret,
to be a part of different parts,
to just and readjust,
to look onto another side,
to disown what was acquired
to not say goodbye
to liquefy,
to cease to exist
to feel unfeeling

To not look once
to look once
to not be part of all them
to release
to not question no more
no one
to depart forever
to depart to never
to just go away,

talk allot

Where do we stand, I was wondering for a while, but I never thought to write something about it, that is to be a national or a religious or national- religious, in that order national and then religious.

we grew in society that its riches just became internationalized, before then no one, heck anyone non muslim at least knew about that place, our parents grew with these traditions that has been passed to them from their parents, and of course their parents knew of else in the world except to find ends meet.
Sometimes ends meet requires heading north, and leave what their home, for a new one up north.
Wherever they came from (grand parents) for us it was never clear, and questions always were met with no answers, who we are, what we are. This all comes in the midst of national reforms, in class a guy enters the class rooms and asks who is a saudi stand up, who is not just remain sit, I stood for both calls, I went to my father and asked which are we and he just laughed this is something unique about growing up saudi, its in way a big joke. Ambiguous rules that applies to neither party in a game, to the audience it punishment, I came here and I found no difference, I talk to white people here and see how they pretend what their four father had had created for them.

I was reading a comment by a I would assume a white male, about the recently free jill carol, and how he was making fun, of how she was wearing head scarf, and looking terrorist, and he goes on, and the bottom saying stuff like she might have loved the kidnaper and so on, and how she might hate white males who talk about equality for women, and women rights and all that, he is right on one part perhaps two, they just talk and talk allot.

becum

I was chatting with a friend, earlier today, I always had the impression that things might had changed but is seems hope is nowhere near what realty is.
Family values did not necessarily plummet, cant remember when it was on healthy bases, it seems that fucking is becoming what more able people used to do, only more now its spread, where are you heading? And for how long? Who would want to take the lead of the direction of the intercourse, where is the desired destinations campus pointing to.
When religious phonies will be satisfied, people do seem to understand its just that they wont comply with more stricter rules, its always been the same problem, they cant seem to look like the people you would want to be around when they preach, with dangling bellies, and half trimmed beard black and shiny, their smile indicated good health and elusive punishment,
They both groups understand that both like the same thing, both know what the other likes and do, only difference is one is armed and one is not,
In here they choose to ignore, ignore that fact of their impotence, here the just bullshit, all the time, they know their weak they know they as human are gone far, here it is a big Inc
, and people meet fuck eat together on different lunch breaks , they claim freedom, but salves they are eversince that strayed foot landed, its caught just like those , on streets over nights and day. 3abeed not for many for one, one that has a belly, eats from mouth, and shits and they eat where he shits.

American Identity last

. However such practices of cruel vengeance was not enough. By the war’s end, the Algonquian population in New England had been drastically and permanently reduce (Lepore 43). Of those who escaped such fate a worse one, it might be argued, awaited them. After certain battles “Captives,” Lepore writes “were almost surely sold into foreign slavery or, if children, placed into service with an English family” (135). Contrasting radically with the terms of captivity the Indian held to, for “English people owned themselves; Indians did not.” Says Lepore (135). Yet another fate waited those who survived captivity or death.
The Indians were driven to, what I perceive as the forefather to concentration camps, so called Deer Island where Lepore writes “the hundreds of Indians on the small island had few resources with which to feed and shelter themselves for the winter, and the provisions they received were inadequate” (139). And further write, “Those Indians who tried to escape from Deer Island could be killed, while others were illegally taken from the island and sold as slaves” (139).
I think more then anything fear had aided greatly in shaping the American character. In all its endeavors I think the United State was compelled by fear and carried out by extreme pragmatism. As their settlers forefathers American of the twentieth century illustrate this point in almost all their dealings with any threat, real or imagined, to their authority. The tormenting hearings of senator McCarthy, the mob lynching of African-Americans and abhorrent treatments they suffered during the civil rights era; and the most extreme of all reaction the dropping of the nuclear bomb on Japan. “Terminate with extreme prejudice.”
I have heard the sentence uttered time and again on TV and in print by presidents and military leaders, of past and present and I think it sums up how American react and why they are driven to have the best of things then the other party. Whoever that other party is. Like the colonist who strove to protect themselves by any means so are contemporary Americans acting in the same deplorable way they say they are fighting. So I guess in the end it is true. The weapons change but the words and the sentiments behind them stays the same.

American Identity part 4

The settlers saw the Indian and feared their fate. They wondered in earnest if they would degenerate to the ostensible savagery of the Indians. From the time of their first arrival, in the 1620 and 1630, the settlers had worried about losing their Englishness (Lepore 5). The colonists had asked themselves a question concerning the origin of the natives. If they were in fact natives then their savagery is explained. “But if the Indians were migrants from Europe or Asia, then they had changed since coming to America and had been contaminated by its savage environment. If this were the case, as many believed, then the English could expect to degenerate, too.” Wrote Lepore (6). The settlers also feared losing their lands and their houses. In fact as Lepore further writes “For most colonists the loss of habitations became the central crisis of the war” (77)
This seemingly prominent culture of fear the United state had come of age into explains the tendencies toward the extreme and viciousness of reaction when feeling threatened or when responding to an attack. In that they passed what Lepore call “Colonists vigilante justice” (138). As one of its practices any Christian Indian wishing to return to the English had to supply severed body parts of slain enemy Indians. As was done by James Painter, a Nipmuck Christian Indian, who when amnesty was presented, surrendered himself to the English settlers “ Bringing with him, as required by special instruction, the heads of two enemy Indians-testaments of his fidelity.” Lepore wrote

American Identity part 3

King Philip’s war took place during the year 1675 and lasted tell about the middle of 1676. At its end, as Lepore writes, “ Houses have been burned, children murdered, men beheaded. Hatred has accumulated.” (3).
It was a savage conflict where both sides were given to bloodlust. Both sides pursued the war with viciousness, and almost without mercy (Lepore 7). But here I am not concern about the behavior of the native, as much as it might be abhorrent to me, but I am with the English settler’s. For they have professed themselves better then the native in all way in particularly moral values. It was these same moral values that had justified to the English settlers their barbarous actions during the conflict. Moreover it was not just arrogance that had compelled them, fear had also played a part. What the settlers feared the most was their environment.
Especially when it seemed to have had conspired against them. “When the corn didn’t grow, when the weather turned wild, when the wolves howled, when the Indians laughed at God, these are the times when the colonists might have wondered, What are we doing here? Discouraged and afraid, thousands of colonists simply left- as many as one in six sailed home to England in the 1630 and 1640, eager to return to a world they knew and understood (Lepore 5). However those who stayed soon got over their many concern, as Lepore writes. “…those who stayed eventually learned to grow corn, predict the weather, shoot wolves, and ignore Indian blasphemies” (5). Though they were able to ignore “Indian blasphemies” they were not able to ignore the Indians living at their doorstep.

American Identity part 2

War, ethnic background, location and time all without a doubt have had a role in the formation of the American identity. However it was in my opinion a set of shared values that has most influenced the formation of the American identity. On studying the history of the united state one get a sense of deep-rooted sense of arrogance that was common among all the colonists.
A strong held belief that they were better then their follows; in all aspect of life, religion, education, economics and government. All colonists believed themselves better then the native with whom they shared the land. They looked down upon the native as savages and themselves as their saviors. The Spanish were cruel, the French sly and the English civil, in their efforts. No one would contest the cruelty of the Spanish or the underhanded dealings of the French (except maybe the people of the two nations) but many would the so-called English civility.
It is in examining the English settlers dealings with the native in particular their behavior in the events of King Philip’s war that one see how arrogance played a role in defining the American identity. There is however another factor, which I also believe, helped in defining the American identity, fear. From its beginning America was shaped by fear real and imagined. Combined with arrogance it was a strong force. King Philip’s war illustrates this perfectly.

party seris II

he told him "Your a Saudi you people dont drink? and I can see that you are doing it  excessively, how is that when we hear about islam and all that?"

 he replayed "I think I can give you some points on probably why, how, what, where, it might the drinking start. I can’t tell these as a facts, nor as a true explanation to Saudi drinking in general, at the end it always depends on the individual’s preference some actually don’t do alcohol but prefer pot for example which is sill considered haram (our word for forbidden"
 he told him these are not genetics like you guys tend to blame things, how come its always about race in here anyway ? nor religious reasons would is a factor, "I’ve seen both people with same gene codes as I am, and I’ve seen and met and befriended both, so the answer is no."

you have to understand that we are or we were a very private secluded people,  yet in the same time we want to get exposed to everything and try everything counterdetcing ? it is and maybe it should.

In the present of, or around our own kind, and by kind the I mean same city,tribe, or same school back home school, could be State school too, mainly males.
the fact is this, we dont because we want to be able to do it when actually can not!
this is normal for most of those who adhere to islam.
I can imagaine them going throguh the same thought process.

there was a joke circling around most desi people,
the joke goes like this, a drunk man goes into a resturant, whith two woman by his side, he sits down and order food, the food comes in and he asks the waiter is it Halal?

party series

Students do drink do party, do pretty much what any international student would do when invited to a 'party'. most of saudi student atleast those I met,  would fall into two or more categories.
this is about the two main ones, normally males, fall between the ages of 18-39,
in this case students from the ages of 18 to say 23 been the younger and anything above is the older.
Then there is the group whom are on Gov backed scholarships. and then there are those who their parents pay for their expense. the idea of a saudi student on his own expenses does not exist, not in my knowledge anyway. there is a small group of students who get to pay their own expenses for school and pretty much everything else. Through their own savings but they are indeed few, and normally they fall in the older category in their thirties or late twenties.

Female student also do party as well, but the nature of these female student is almost always elusive, meaning their family background, and so forth are not always clear.

INTERANTIONL/ MIDWEST STUDENT

Past day I went to a friends of mine’s international gathering party “thing”, as usual it had utmost similarity to all parties of that sort, drinks flowing (normally Beer), girls hanging around mostly sober, boys trying to hook-up with sober girls, normally the boys are drinking and the ones mostly dancing.

I figured this party for internationals in this state has never changed since time I’ve been to one the first time a landed here, that it”.
these parties almost always involve one or more of the, international student parties normally fall into either a “picnic” on the abundant grass fields of the country side, following with an activity normally volley ball, football, etc, and as usual drinks are always soft, smoking is no no. This particular night party at some guy’s home, in a forsaken neighborhood was something normal although, depending on who is making the efforts to do bring everyone, so if the party group responsible of bring everyone tonight are Latinos then the music is either gypsy kings etc I think and fast beat music will do, Samba tunes for the Brazilians, and tequila, for drinks, and Nacho for food…not always, some times there is no food at all. The company is as always guys who ask “where you from”, although normally they just approach you in Spanish. And then you would have to say something that implies that “I don’t speak Spanish”; sometimes this is the end of this chat, the person just walk away shouting something in their own language.

However new this time is this, students form India in particular, sometimes from Africa as well, are partying hard in Indian standard, that’s not to say they don’t, the do but if they did maybe few know about them, and these are their own people, not “outsiders”. here is the catch, I’ve hang around student from India, Africa, Saudi, Kuwait, Japan, China, Latin Americas (no one from Peru though), and I noticed mostly , very sober students, focused, good sense of humor sometimes totally just boring, post-incident, attitudes ; also all stereotypical aspects of schools and after schools plans and accents still float. But there is something new the excessive drinking in usually non-drinking students.

American Identity

It is a difficult task I believe to try and pinpoint the most predominate factors in shaping and molding the American identity. For from its beginning and throughout every period of its conception the united state had been a mural of different cultures, values and people. Unlike the Romans or the Greek before them who were made of cohesively connected people, in that they were all Greek or all Romans. In the united state no such factor existed.
Colonies established by the Spanish were loyal to Spain and held to Spanish values. Similarly those colonies established by Britain or Holland swore their allegiance to their respective countries. It was perhaps not until the revolution that such boundaries were demolished allowing the free exchange of ideas and values. Allowing a citizen to move form one city to another without having to worry about changing sides since now everyone was on the same side. Such exchange of location brought with it exchanges in values and culture. Still however the people remained different.
Of different ethnic background and of possessing different sets of beliefs, which is where the difficulty lies. Were those of British decent more influential in shaping the identity of the U.S or was it a different ethnic group? Was it perhaps the efforts of individuals that had contributed the most as might be suggested by the founding fathers? However even an individual had to have been influenced by the ethnic group that had sprang him.
If so was it the people then who were most influential in shaping of the American identity. To assume so does not take into account the nature of the land, a great expanse of it uncharted and occupied by indomitable or not yet pacified natives. Or take account of the time, which was one of great turmoil. War was common, with the natives or among the colonizing countries of the time. So was it war and conflict that had most influenced the formation of the American identity? But even war had to have been influenced.

To school and job or to school and sport,

I was chatting with a friend of mine, she mentioned something about her self and how she used to be in her swimming team back when she was at school, I would assume it was middle school or probably high school, either case, she said something about dropping from the swimming altogether because her parents feared that she might be too into the sport, that it will consume all of her time, therefore she wont be able to study and so on.

I told her well I understand that part, I come from pretty much the kind of social environment, in which the two options has to be either to become a doctor or and an engineer, nothing less to be expected,
I wondered about back when I was home, how the finals really were in everyone’s mind, in the whole family and the outside family and friends of both families, meaning even the people who know your parents, and knew you through your parents, and knew you because of your last name coincides with your family, rest assures, local Saudi papers will carry the final results, almost every high school in the region is here, and your name had to be there, or pray it’s on.

To become a doctor, is certainly cool thing, maybe, but here with all their lawsuits of medical malpractice, perhaps not, what I wondered about was why is it that parents who normally not doctors as well, felt that their children had to carry on, their legacy with a medical degree, a degree in medical is not hard, its long and boring, and it been a science major, science in your mind had to be strong, I knew doctors relatives of mine, in knew doctors good and bad ones, almost all of them, including the ones on TV documentaries seemed that they are init for the money

Today was my first time checking this new feature out for computers; the internet there were the usual faces around a computer screen, normally y guys young guys, clicking and typing, the feeling is filmier what’s not however is what is happing on the screen, online gaming, chatting world wide, hence I thought world wide web, perhaps was driven from there,

What exactly going on here?

I got a hint from a friend of mine, "A big freaking Party is taking place,tonight" at undisclosed location in southern part of town; again I met the whole crap by a crappy answer , that he expected , and replied girls, "lebanny ones", “what..? no way” I said, you better believe me, cuz by the time I go tonight am doing all of them, “the guys you mean”, "hell no", well we will see, is that mean you in? , "yeah why not".I never actually went to these kind of parties, campus one in private condos and such,“so yeah why not”. "Ok pick you up at 11, ok?". OK

we drove far, more then usual, honestly, I never thought anything other then what I knew of this area (mainly promiscuous commerce business), anything you want to buy you actually might find over here, so I figured where would a "nice" party be in this place we were going to, well my thoughts were interrupted, street check-points was in action right in front of the leading road where we were heading, the skinny Cop/traffic officer, Green skinny, and ill temperd, scanned the car very fast with his lazy eye,and for the record it was a nice car, very nice, nice in a way that you wouldnt think whos riding would be anything less. And you’d think this might get us a quick pass, No.

Our Freind Testosterone Radishkun...hello

Went to Organic food market one time, for me this seems the best saleable idea, and personally believe that the marketing behind such thing is am amazing thing, well the organic subject is controversial one by it self, I mean what is organic and what is not, in fact what does mean to have an organic food to begin with ?.
human kind eats almost everything single thing on the planet, and yes this include fire, Earth, Air, and Water, now however people are looking within what they had and have, and think by sorting it, food will look better or sound better, fair I think but not original

Our friend Radish-Kun, he is also annoyed about, hormones injected into animals and vegetables, he is personally upset or the fact he was injected with the wrong hormone.

EGYPTO

Last night I did a funny thing, it is been a real while eversince I chatted or used the messenger services by either yahoo, or MSN, needless to say, am just not into these things anymore. But here’s what I did I added something like 200 names into my list, I modified the last in which all of them would be added in the same time you add something something number of contacts, a message will be sent to notify them or something,.and the fun began , these young Egyptian kids started asking in broken English who are you, and kept answering with stupid rhetoric all the time just to keep them guessing , but I did noticed a coming back trend, they do curse allot, I thought in this day and age the language would’ve been turned down, “civilized”…no

It seems that communication technology, in chatting and video whatever. Did in fact advance fast and, still improving. But what about he persons behind the chatting screens, on the keyboards, what type of people are we really type communicating with?.when in Miami one time, seeing all types of personalities, in the Epcot Center, sometime in 96, I think around October or so, in the center they set computer booths, with online chatting ,and gaming type of stuff, you just star playing or type and the computer start responding and so forth. the person on the other side of the seemed to be cursing way many times, I didn’t know which to do first “chat” first or answer claims on my Ass?.

Its ten years after, and the insulting still growing, I mean is that really why we chat for?, just to see how much people we can get to degrade, voice chatting on yahoo is even worse webcam super worse, who are these people?. I still love them in Egypt they posses, extra in everything we had as civilized people, but no more.

Fairuz

Have you listened to any music singed in Arabic? or a melody, an Arabic melody ?. well here is the thing with Arabic music, these is lots of Arabic singers , believe it, maybe because a large population speaks the langue, from all the sniggers out there including the ones I personally despise the most , those who like to use synthesizer ..allot of synthesizer to the pint I just started laughing hysterically because the sound become a form of abnormal voices, think goblins, or male cats screaming out side a window,

Well here is the good thing, Arabic music don’t have to have synthesizer, and the answer is Fairuz sometimes pronounced or written differently but if you key it somewhere you might get the right name, listen to Fairuz, probably the best out of all Arabic sings Lebanese singers and performers, I came to love her music the most here, she singes about life in Libnan which I cant relate too, she sings about life afar from home, she singes about love, cool thing songs are sang in Classic Arabic , with a very good

Pronunciation, remember Arabic is all about how to manipulate voice chords to achieve optimum sense. Ok so why um Kalthum, well here is the thing Um Kalthum probably has the best lyrists around her at the time, the best composers if the history of the Arabic music, but perhaps the worst record producers of all time. Um Kalthum’s Arabic, Classical Arabic that is good, but not best, here my take on this and why “good
Pronunciation,” matters, you see when you listen to a song, say in English for example,

And keep listing , and then a letter is gone out of shape it helps maybe the purpose of the song, you hear that all the time in Rock music, they exaggerate pretty much everything, but people like it, but not in Classical music everything has to go right, that’s why its called ‘classic’. In Um Kalthum its all goes fine until a heavy letter is written and she say it and then the feeling for the song just goes away , well not in Fairuzs case.

The settler mentality

I believe they had it from the beginning, the looks, the talks, the thinking, the sing, its not amazing that mentality still exist. Floats around from the north-east to east-west to the south and stays south, in this matter. Still floats still there, still theirs, denying it all the time they do, “it’s the differences”, “it’s the Economical pressure”, “we have to put ut ourselves in their shoes”, no we don’t have to put anything anywhere, we just have to admit that you, from the beginning just did not like the fact of anything that has to do with anyone whom just happens to be nothing you are.

When the slave ship landed and the slaves were shipped from the ship, to the caret, chained still, feet, arms, hands, head, whatever chainable; supposedly the hitting and hating and African salve meant, that. here goes, that because the African Salve came into the land looking and smelling they he/she; normally he, was considered a beast, so what ?, beast smell and look African?, or beast comes on a ship and then on caret and then on to a Tobacco field?, I mean it makes no sense, at all.

In the class white student, there one student in particular, he acts as he knows at all, acting the usual, head shaking from left to right every time the word on the settlers, finding the hatred toward African slaves in the bible, and jumps out again, it because of Economic, the king the queen the field, the this, the that, no its not.

If that was to be true, if the smell and the looks of an African salve, coming here frightened them to the point, so they beastify him. Then why is it that when they them selves came out of a ship beastifyed the natives as well??
its not the pigment, maybe it was at one point or two, but not all the time, its always been in the head, in the mentality, the settlers mentality

WWWH

I can’t seem to “get it” by now. Family friends around the world friends, one day to days friends long time short time friends and then the people.Asking on my well being, and the question of when you will be here ?, where we are at where you should be, with us among us.I can answer these claims, but I can not fulfill with all requests, I think I knew better.

Ever since that moment, and the fear mixed with their own sense of fulfillment, when they as I , used be where they were, I felt the same way too, I needed someone far away from all these surroundings to empty, my emptiness on them, him, no always her.We used and seemingly still are looking, we do have all the freedom the freedom of time that is, we do have the freedom the freedom of mind…mind space, living the way we did, we do.I can’t not yet, not now anyway just come back. Although it is bad, here and, there where you at, I cant not now, I have to prove it to my self first then the rest of the friends and “the people”.

stranger still among the rest

Again I am faced with these oddly situations, in which people around have to show some of their great skills of been afraid looking toward your image.I wondered again eversince something like that happens whether they are just following the instructions or just been themselves. The reason I had to mention this for the reason that sometimes I grew tired of all this kind of behavior, when in fact the majority of the people who are like me have already been departed from here. I wonder how long it will take for me to endure such things for such long period.

writing day

I am trying to write a written letter for my father, I wonder who else like have to do the same thing. By saying like I mean, an international student away from home, away in long time period, under some special circumstances. I wonder if other international student as in my case, have to explain more and promise less, I wonder if the rest of them fall under the same pressure, to produce more then they can actually handle, I wonder if
They lie, try to deceive, thing is not necessary everyone in the world get to come here, perhaps in our case, and our particular income status, we can afford to come here, but we cant afford to stay, and be the “same like us”, when we arrive, we try to either join the minority foreign, get along with our own student friend , some time we don’t get along at all, but pretend to get along, because we have no one else to hang around with,
I wonder if other saudi student do write letters, to their families, what do they say, what will the say, about, there is and still is all kind of stuff to talk about, where to start, where to end it. ? This country is not, as it was when parents were here, in mid 70’s early 80’s although it might look like it, things not necessary changed, and if it did, definitely for the worse. I actually do wonder is they do write letters to their families in the first place.

another they

They and only they have it
Their so sweet and full of talking ideas, they always want to explore and try new stuff, their willing to change partners and go wild, they have issues and want someone to listen, they are sweet, come in all kinds, forms,and colors, they have feelings and emotions that need to be kept fresh and kept in a warm place.
commercialised,and their sweetness is been used in that order, to be with them is to buy something for them, to want them is to put your mind into what they say and tell, always want their company , we fight for them, hate to leave them , yet we seem we cant find the best among them.even then we want to leave them and be with another of their kind.

how to know ?

I remember sitting out side the car, in Chicago I looked at the stars and then at the skyscrapers, it looked something like this, moments like that means nothing to no one , there is nothing wrong we observing its nothing to no one and something to someone , it least it could be kept from some I remebre sitting out side the car, in Chicago I looked at the satrs and then at the sky scoareors, it looked something like this , someitmes i do really wish it stoped right there. I remebre sitting out side the car, in Chicago I looked at the satrs and then at the sky scoareors, it looked something like this , someitmes i do really wish it stoped right there.

Head

They sat on the sand by the beach
they sat alone afar from the rest
they sat silence with no clue,
if the and is moving or no,
I saw’em growing up drifting through time and space I

7asheesha

Read not weed.
comes in green and dark green I think it comes in all sort of colors,
could make you mean, or mellow, its nowhere around you so you have to find it,
girls like it ,and like to have it , guys fight and try to have all of it,
all people colors wonder and ponder about it,
is it slow and hopefully accessible,
are you happy are you sad, are you high?.
love you, hate you, sing about you, fell weak in front of you,
I hate the thought been associated with it, since ever I’ve been here,
I hate the way to roam invade my air in my room,
In their room in their air, I hate it and, he ate it
who planted it, who put it around, it makes them feel special, sacred, paranoid
it makes them think happy, it makes them think free, “free minded”
It makes slaves, if a bond exist, between plant and animal its always been for food, never for bullshit.
it is false happiness it is false vegetable ,hate it .

Ramadan gone Eid is here

well Eid is here and i happy about Eid is here it is wonderful a typical here as it was befroe , sometime ago ,

the bot on the second turn

Ramadan is was here , its amazing indeed how this nice month oasses by so fast ,
by this year alone it already my fifth Ramadan here , things did changes since the last time , for one major change is the presence of two important people , my mother and Yasuko , my mother was here and if I ever had to think about her spending time , time with us here I couldn’t believe it till I actualy get to see it happen , and it did happen , since her visit in the summer time she figured to keep here till Ramadan pass and even when x-mas land all the way till next year , this year .

I cant tell if he really liked here or not , especially when lots of times were spent fighting and arguing , these fights and arguments , seemed to me that they’ve saved for all this time, two years and some months , she felt that there was something wrong about us been here in a time like this , there is no point of money wasting when its gone in an education that wont do any good in a place with no direction or at least for now.

I cant see how, she could summon all these feelings and pass them into a Ramadan , it was a special Ramadan perhaps one of the best in this place , that never have seen lots of interesting things happing in it.He called on me , that night , it was a Friday I think or Thursday either seemed really asserted guy he talked as if he really knows the person talking to ,”natural” , in Arabic and what it seemed an attempt for a genuine Saudi accent those of rhiyda, replied back salam , who is this its haithm , hi haithm how can I help you sir , “nothing really…I think I know you” he said, “ really , do you mind reminding , of yourself please,“---
Now this is a situation Iv been away from some time, and for good reason too, this type of conversations, seems normal in bug cites , very common , and I think with cell phones every where now days you can call on anyone anytime you want , so this guy figured to give a friend he felt he knows , a call , I kept I the conversation short as possible , I was working , and I did feel like talking, having worked here for a year already I tend to understand them very well , hard minded lazy soft people , with good determination some times anyway. I told I’ll call you back please, he agreed at the moment , so there it was,

I called him on the phone , he turned it out in my place,he was convincedof meeting on two places ,with no luck to get me to remebre I kept squeezing no luck again, he felt that I was trying to make a situation into a case , and to tell the truth it was, but like many of our kind or our kid wan-to-be, he didn’t see it that way at all , ok so what ,
"I asked about a kid from saudi, and some Omani kids give your number, it is not big deal right?" , look man as much as much as I see this as a mistake of identity, I dont like your accesnt of fakeing who you really are.

normal subway bullshit

A funny or rather ironic incident happened today, it is almost Ramadan , and part of celebrating and practicing of Ramadan is for, a person to look ramadanish I guess a such name would apply, well I tired to grow a beard , and a beard on a middle eastern looking kind-of-guy, some times no beard is required just looking the way you are is enough,it is considered a no no here.
I was riding the subway on the second stop, two chubby girls , entered the sub one preferred to stay near the door with gazing eyes toward me ,and one had a seat on the opposite side of my seat, they started chatting,babbling about all kind of bullshit, and then they started to make fun of the idea, that if I maybe decided to do something wired, or maybe"suspicious", I knew it was me they might be talking about , for the fact they really dont care , girls from this side of twon really dont care if you knew or not,"we were here first, on a ship or not" I had to listen to their bullshit for the whole long minutes, one of them started to putting cross signs on her body , and soon pointing to her girl friend at me.
I thought to my self how ironic this situation must be, I work in a gas station, in the poor side of the city, last night a gentleman took another gentleman’s wallet and ran off with it, this type of thing happens down here many times, to the point that when a white customer enters the door always have to have the robber-customer on apoint to where he basically can see him or something,

It strike as interesting that no long ago people in here , were and still are treated with some fear from the general white people , and yet they feel that a non looking whites , or non looking black will be a harm to them , if a beard on someone looks like me is scary , what about a beard growing competition men or women? , how about people with gun, crack heads so on, I thinkI forgot they don’t look like me, and beside there is no robbing or shooting competition goes in the down town.

The Greek constrictor worker food curse

I felt pain the next day, as its called upper abdominal pain, one guy already went to the hospital one old man is still in ICU unit, I in the other hand did not go anywhere for the simple reason of health insurance.
The food was good , they kept encouraging me to eat more, I always like food when everyone else was eating, and avoid eating alone only if necessary,
the meat which I learned later on was beef stew uncooked well, and I figured that must’ve been the reason for those two men’s internal bleeding
The Greek constrictor worker food curse

in the company of the rabbit

Today was one of those funny days, I had to go with the constriction guy, to buy some supplies to fix the ceiling.

From what I understood I had to go with him and buy and get out, only thing I had to make sure he wont trick me for buying some thing they wont like.

I never been with someone who is former addict , through the looks of his eyes I can see lost lost person , the wife the kid look tired, I met them on my way to the supplies store, which he forgot the name for in a second, its amazing what we as humans do in the name of getting somewhere else, we ruin it all just to make a piece of our mind happy.

I am not sure if I have to go with him again.

Japan is for the Japanese

She is just Japanese and she is under that Japanese pressure no more.
Debito argues allot of good things and I think he reached the same conclusion at the end that they seem to want to even hear it,

he might not be able to solve their differences and show them how the real 'developed world' functions or about how they would want to look at the world at the end.

She mentioned on many occasion how ugly she looked and I kept insisting she was not perhaps that is where the difference lays, they cant seem to see themselves out of their self nor what Japan is or what is Japanese.

When I got used to it , I was tough, hard minded, never thought for once that anything could change my mind about anything , I and only I always right, anything else is just BS,
Then we met , she strikes me as simple very hard to understand , although I would say I have a faire knowledge of her background,

The way they get along in the world indeed different from the way I had knew, organized, practical, on time ,

We come from a culture who want everything we can not be part of . we never on time that’s true .

pleasure

She stood still as I looked at her , she had bent her back to the point I can see , what is been hidden all her life.
Cheers and slapping, with heavy smell of sweat and alcohol, I wondered if this truly what we crave as humans from our fellow humans in the form of pleasure

Somewhere at the beginning

To this date I don’t know why he is overweight man, I thought people like him whom go by the book always on on the watch for their behavior , they have to keep it in the level like its reported on the old days.

It was sometimes in 1998 or late 97 either year it was the same hot crowded streets someone getting married someone getting divorced or both, I was driving as usually picking dinner for my father, Tamis and fuul pronicet (foo) basically vava beans mashed in way just like mashed potatoes here, and tamis is our version of the afganihi bread made form wheat and ghee, I was listing to his kothba , it was at the begging of summer break he was shouting as usual about why familes should stay in theirs country and visit mashed and so on instead of going to the west for vacationing, I did not like it I was reading the news paper and I was reading something about kids who graduate from high school and try to find jobs which did not exist and marring which will never happen

And this guy shouting on the Minbar (mimbr) about something that only him get to day or someone from higher stats would think of doing.
That’s it I thought , in Arabic of course this is it people like shouldn’t be looked at as inspiration on how the deen should be looked at

Shitty May

I had a rush of blood running in my head, I had blood red and hot through my nostrils it flowed,
Dramatic, Love is, and is overstated,
Who dose it feel? in the civil world to fall in love ?
What does it mean?
I don’t think she do understand,
Can 2 fall in love, when 2 are not from the same place?
Can we really cross oceans; can we reach to each others?
Really possible.

laws

So in so far the law it seems has worked in favor of women, and children as they were often grouped with women regardless of their gender, over men. However all was not lost because a consequence of such laws also extended their protection to the many men who worked in the same industry as the women and children. However these laws and protective measures were largely passed between the years of 1840 and 1850.
In 1861 the country went into a civil war that propagated effect well into the years after the armed conflict. A consequence of the civil war was the 1868's, 14th amendment to the constitution. Which was worded to protect the newly freed slaves from vengeful southerners. Despite its noble intention, the amendment was largely used to counter any proposed reform to the workforce. Antagonists of reform held to the view that
labor is a form of property held by the person who is going to perform it. And since "…any state [can not] deprive any person of… property without due process of law…" Meaning that any state whishing to enforce the maximum hours laws on behalf of the workers cannot do so unless it can provide reasonable reasons that by interfering it is acting for the benefit of the commonwealth.
"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the united sates nor shall any state deprive any person of life liberty or property without due process of law nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
However such a law established a somewhat troubling precedent. For in effect it said there was a difference in the level of productivity between men and women. That is, saying that women were less productive then men for the sole reason of their sex. Such laws however were not based on the wording of the articles of the constitution from where they were deduced from, but largely from the personal opinions of judges presiding, although men and women did virtually the same job in the less rigorous industries. The reformers pushing for protective laws were not, at least at first, troubled by the precedent they were establishing. Citing the gender difference in case after case to obtain the protective measures they were after. Maybe they were not aware of what future consequences their action may bring. Or maybe they themselves, like the judges and legislators they were trying to influence, believed in the differences of the two sexes. Whatever their reason at first was that laws they were able to pass for women eventually extended to men who worked in the same industry.

It’s been a while now, I honestly did not know or knew, that loving someone would be that hard to maintain in the name of relationship.

It’s been a year already, I don’t know my self where I should stand, I thought for while about how would two people from different culture might get along very well, coming form such back round it was hard to persuade , her about been together I wont say I made I mistake, but I defiantly gave too much credit , at the end I think they think all the same, there no where to find that someone there is a chance only by trying to make one but they will never come s you think they would be ,
Is it me or is our relationship hat wasn’t supposed to be based on lots of assumption , they are on the run as society how I can prove that mine would give half what they offer to whole world ,
I assumed way too much, always did , always regrets it .

Ancient Sea Swim

Dawn’s red lines were pushing on the lightly dark lines in the sky, I and my cousin were set to leave to the north of Cairo, heading to sea chores of the Mediterranean Sea, of Alexandria. my cousin is younger by few years, fairly taller than me, and extremely shy person, with a habit of sleeping whenever there was nothing to be done.
For the trip, we planed of taking the most easiest and fastest way, calling a taxi, since you actually cant call a taxi of the city streets and him, to take to totally different city, we had arranged for taxi from the night before, we agreed that he would pick us both early in the morning. The car was 1939 Oldsmobile, a small machine with reasonable speed in crowded city like Cairo. When we were set to go, I jumped inside the car on the small Cochin, with colored rags on it to hide the metal parts, pointing out. I rolled down the window, checked to see if all my stuff was in the right place. I tried to remember if I did lock the apartment’s door, I asked my cousin have you fed the fish ?, he nodded with his eyes closed, which I presumed meant yes, I singled to the driver who was about to light up a cigarette, and off we go.
It would be my first visit to Alexandria city. I had heard so many stories about that city. The ancient roman ruins, statues, where both the Romans and the Egyptian empire had ruled together, the famous light house to date was located as well.
I asked the driver, “have you been to Alexandria before?”, he replied behind a cloud of cigarette smoke, ”Yeah last year, me, my wife and, my two kids”, “Did they like it? the city and all?”, I asked. “Nothing like Cairo,” he replied with the cigarette hanging out if his mouth. “You see” he told me “people from Alexandria are not fond of us people from Cairo”, I interrupted him “what! Both of you are from the same country! Though”, “Yeah I know that” he said, but you see, he said, “Alexandrians look at themselves more, of a Greeks then Egyptians”, he explained. Honestly, I still did not like his explanation, but we agreed that the city was beautiful, and the seafood will make anyone get along on one table. It appeared that our route leading to the Alexandria city passes through the mighty pyramids, As the sun rose behind the largest pyramid, Kufu , it looked like a scene from that Elizabeth tailor movie, Cleopatra. The pyramids stood still there in the middle of the vast sands of the Egyptian desert. It was nothing like the post cards, or art history books pictures. These stones were awesome creations of humankind, never disturbed by blistering harsh winds of the desert.
I asked the taxi driver about what he thought about the Sphinx statue leaning down, facing west far from where we were. He had to fade out the high-pitched music on the radio and replied, “I would eat anything if you were buying” I said, “what you mean?” He replied, “I thought you are asking me what I wanted to eat ?”, “oh no my friend” I said what you think about the improvement the government did with the sphinx ?”, he laughed and nudged my cousin who was in deep sleep next to him, and told him “your brother back there is hard to get him buy us some food”, We all laughed, this was no first time a taxi driver in Cairo’s street will make you question what you just told him. I have had this type of incident before and I ended up buying for the whole family, so I understood that he was hungry.
I pushed my cousin’s seat in front of me.”Yo! lets go grab a bite”, he was a sleep again, I patted him on the shoulder, “lets go eat something”, he said something which I did not understood and went to sleep again, so I asked the driver, to stop by one the many food stands, along the road made normally for truck drivers. The sun was already beaming, wasteland and hills along the way, in the guidebook these sights were the journey, which Moses and his people took when departing Egyptian grounds. This is amazing I thought to my self, this place is a living, breathing history museum.
The air was heavy with sea salt and fish smell. I knew from there on that we had arrived. I paid the driver, the money we had had agreed on, but from some reason he thought it was not enough, this was a second familiar situation I had encountered before. I agreed, and paid an extra “tip”, we exchanged goodbyes and he left. The city looked noting like Cairo looked. The buildings were smaller, streets were less crowded, and the people were dressed in their traditional dress, big black trousers, and white shirt, with a small fishing white hat.
I was tired from a three-hour trip. Yet I wanted to explore the city, so I wasted no time, I told my cousin, “lets drop the bags in the apartment , and head for the waters”, he replied “ Ok but am not swimming”, ”What” I interrupted, “and why is that?”, “I don’t feel like it”, he explained. “fine with me”, I told him that I am leaving right away, I changed my clothes quickly. I headed to the apartment’s door, looked back and shouted at the living room, “I am going to the beach”.
Armed only with a towel, I went down the stairs, through a big door, I saw couple of small kids walking by no shirts, no shoes on. So I figured the beach must be near by !, ascended up to the room again, and left my slippers in front of the room’s door and went back down. Now I thought I was ready to headed to the water, I looked around to find the kids whom just passes but they were no where to be found, now I had to find someone to follow I or just ask where is the sea, which seemed like stupid question in a city surrounded by water !.
By now it was two or three o’clock, and the beach was nowhere to be found. Walking barefoot seemed like fun idea in the beginning, but by that moment it was no fun, I wondered how those kids managed to walk in such hot weather on the road. I thought of my self as native Mayan Indian walking on fiery stones. This is it I thought, I‘d just ask for directions, I looked around me, there was a small shop near by, right by the side of the street. I rushed very quickly, a bell rang as I got inside, there was middle aged man, setting behind the desk, reading and sipping a cup of what appears to be tea, so I asked him right away, “where would the beach located?”.
He raised his head looked at me, squinted twice, opened his mouth and replied “its over there”, pointing the wall across his desk, which I assumed to be north, I thanked the man, and opened the door, the bell rang again, as I opened wide, wave of heat hit my face, and back on the street I went.from the middle aged man’s pointing, I figured that it must that area behind couple of buildings. I walked one block, near by a traffic light, I took a right turn from a narrowed road populated by tress, I walked more toward the end of the buildings, there was a narrow opening, I heard children’s voices playing and shouting, and seemed like there is adults as well, I approached where the voices are coming from. As I approached, it became clearer and clearer, and the sea expanded, from that narrow opening to a huge blue thick line, seagulls were chanting, with the sound of the waves, in the background. I got what I came for, after five minutes of wondering, it seemed like five hours. I had a feeling of triumph, as if I just discovered an Oasis in the middle of a desert. I put my towel on the sands, took off my shirt, did some warm-up exercises, while looking at all the people around me, enjoying nice sea breeze. I walked slowly toward the waters, cold splashes hit my skin, as I get closer, from where I stood I could see Greece, very far I thought, “this is exactly what it must looked like”, around the ancient Greek times, I took a deep breath of air , and jumped as the waves were approaching the sands. Inside the waters it was cold, and loud and bitterly salty, my head made it to the sea surface, water dripping from my head, I looked with blurry eye toward Greece again, and I thought what if I can make that ancient swim.