The Enemy Within

Two Important Events in America

On Thursday 5th November, 2009, US Army Maj Nidal Malik Hasan suddenly went on a shooting spree, killing 13 of his own soldiers, and wounding another 30.

On Tuesday, 10th November, 2009, John Allen Mohammed was put to death through lethal injection for having committed ten killings by sniper fire, and having injured another three people.

These are two important events in America because they have some critical points in common. Both men evidently have Moslem connections; both were killers of several people who were random targets; and both used the gun friendly environment of the United States to horrifying result.

There has been much shock and horror that has generated a great deal of discussion, but so far I have not heard anyone, except one lone man express the fact that he now “gets the message.” When asked whether he is in favour of gun control, he replied “I am now!”

President Obama has declared that America is not at war with Islam, and never will be. However, perhaps the question should be whether Islam is at war with America and the West.

First, let us consider Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. He was born in Arlington, Virginia, 39 years ago of parents who are Palestinian-Americans. He evidently loved America and was a good and loyal citizen. He joined the army and worked his way up the ladder to become a Major. In that capacity he was a psychiatrist who counselled army personnel and soldiers.

However, his very being was a conflict to other soldiers, because they were going off to war theatres to fight and kill, or be killed by Moslems, albeit by the names of Al Qaeda or The Taliban, but nonetheless they were Moslems. Consequently, Maj. Hasan found himself denigrated, discriminated against, and made very uncomfortable. He wanted out of the army. Instead, he was ordered to go overseas to Afghanistan where he would continue his services as counsellor to soldiers who were troubled as a result of their fighting activities.

On the 5th of November he seems to have calmly turned on his perceived tormentors and in a few horrifying seconds he killed 13 and seriously injured 30, some of whom may not survive. Fortunately he did survive when he was in turn shot. Hopefully he will be able to help the army with some urgent thinking that it must do.

Apparently the army was not sensitive to his personal problems and proceeded roughshod to disregard his pleas to be let out. Now the question has to be considered whether there should be any serving Moslem soldiers in the U.S. military. America is in an undeclared war against Moslem extremists while at the same time giving sanctuary and security to its own Moslem citizens. Perhaps it is too much of a conflict to place people of the Islamist faith in. A good hard look is required at this question, and it has to be done quickly.




John Allen Mohammed:

Born John Allen Williams on December 31, 1960, in New Orleans, Louisiana, he later changed his surname to Mohammed in 1987 when he joined the Nation of Islam. He was an excellent soldier who attained the distinction of Expert Rifleman. He served in the first Gulf War as a fighting soldier, and in that capacity he almost certainly killed fellow Moslems.

He was discharged honourably from the army in 1994 having the rank of Sergeant. He then started getting into trouble with the law over petty crimes. He was twice divorced, and his ex-second wife was granted a restraining order against him. He moved to Antigua where he met Lee Boyd Malvo, a young Jamaican, who was to later become his partner in the killings. It was suggested that one goal of his was to ultimately kill his second ex-wife in order to regain custody of his children.

Their rampage killed ten people for whom they are directly responsible, as well as injuring three persons. However, another ten victims are indirectly linked to them. It should be noted that their modus operandi was simply that of anyone who was caught in their cross-hairs was shot. Be it man, woman, black, white, Christian, Jew or Moslem, or child, in their opinion they were engaged in a Jihad, (a struggle in the way of God, or Holy War) and their targets were all presumed to be Americans.

To me, these two examples are very disturbing on their own, but we have to add to that the news of today, November 12th, 2009 from London that there Moslems are on the march declaring their intention to take-over Britain, and ultimately the world, and to turn Buckingham Palace into a Mosque. When asked what would become of the Queen they answered that she could convert and become a Moslem, or leave the country.

Both The United States and Britain have substantial communities of Moslems living among the general population. Both countries have experienced death and destruction at the hands of young extremists. The former Bush Administration asked the question: would you prefer that we fought the aggressors on our streets, or theirs? The answer was always, “On theirs!”

It would appear to me that a movement is under way, whereby the aggressor is determined that America and Britain will fight that war on home soil. It would be an act of supreme optimism not to expect more, much, much more violence in the very near future.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Life in a Wheelchair

Life in a Wheelchair-It's another World

When you see a person in a wheelchair does anything register in your mind at all? Probably not, because it is a common enough sight. If anything, you might think that if not for the Grace of God, that could be you.

I came to think of people in wheelchairs from the angle of noticing when able-bodied people trampled upon the rights of the handicapped. Drivers here in Spain take some extraordinary liberties among themselves, and some of the things that they do would simply end in somebody being shot to death in certain parts of the United States. For instance, there, you would not double-park your car resulting in a blockage for someone else. If you did it without thinking and walked away, you would have second thoughts about going back to your car. Here, we do it all the time and we do not expect the other person to be angry when we have inconvenienced them to such a degree.

I have noticed how common it is for people to park in spaces reserved for the handicapped. They even park across pedestrian crossings, so the handicapped have no chance. Things came to a head on the day that I noticed a couple with a “Wales” sticker drive into the parking area of a Mercadona Supermarket and park at an angle across two parking spaces. That was bad enough, but add to that the fact that both spaces were reserved for the handicapped. That must surely take the prize for “Coldest Bastard in the Universe.”

So, I wrote a blog, the gist of which was that we should be careful to protect the rights of the handicapped before we need those same rights ourselves. I published that blog on the 11th October. On the 14th October I found myself in a wheelchair with a broken leg. I can only assume that I am to highlight the experience of life from a wheelchair, since I opened the subject. This will be the follow-through. (Ain’t life strange?)

There are a series of one-word descriptions that very accurately sum up life lived in this manner, and all but one are bad words. Such as: Boring, horrible, frustrating, demanding, challenging, depressing, sucks, and suicidal. The one word that could be considered acceptable is “utilitarian.” It does allow for you to have some sort of life on the move, but that is very small comfort.

I am not the perfect subject to speak of life in this way because my time in a wheelchair is limited to my full recovery until I can once again walk when my leg has healed. In the meantime I can get up and change to crutches. In other words, I cheat. I am a fraud. To hear from the real wheelchair bound people simply log on to “Wheelchair blogs” and you will enter a whole new world.

Frankly, I opened these pages and I became emotionally charged. It gave me pause to realize that in parallel with the “normal” world there is a society of disabled people who have to function, sometimes without the cooperation of the able-bodied to cope with everyday life.

Of course, you will find angry blogs, because they have a lot to be angry about. So many cities completely forget the handicapped in their designs. You will also find some incredibly positive thoughts, and a lot of very ordinary viewpoints. For instance, there are handicapped beauty pageants, and why not? There are also campaigns against what is called “Apartheid by Design, or lack of design.” And of course, there are the Para-Olympics.

There is also humour. In Bermuda I had a meeting with the Handicapped Association to discuss raising funds for them. I arrived at their workshop to realise I was the only person without a seat. It seems I had failed to bring my seat with me, a fact that caused great peels of laughter.

A friend of mine suggested that it is rare to see people in wheelchairs in Spain. Is that their fault, or the fault of everybody else? If the city or town makes it impossible to navigate a wheelchair, why would we expect to see someone out on their own trying to shop?

Just imagine trying to get from one end of a street to the other, or from one side of the street to the other without someone having deliberately paved the way. Sometimes, the thing that such a person needs is just within a stone’s throw and no big deal if you are able to walk. But, for the disabled it might just as well be another world away.

I honestly don’t know how a person is supposed to adjust to life in a wheelchair. I’m certain that one thing is needed to do this, and that thing is emotional strength. Handicapped people must be some of the strongest people in the world.

I want to ask you to bear in mind the next time you encounter a handicapped person on their own that that person may well have once been as able-bodied as you are. Consequently, you could find yourself in the same position in the twinkling of an eye. So, instead of passing them as though they were invisible, or just a normal person, at least say Hello! Ask whether there is anything you can do for them, and take the time to be of assistance.

If this idea spreads far and wide you might one day be grateful for it, and happy that you helped to promote it.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Flying Naked

“Getting There is Half the Fun?”

That was the catch phrase of a travel company many years ago. They have given that up now because travelling is no fun. Instead travelling is all about “hurry up and wait.” I am trying to remember when it all changed. What I can remember are the days when we actually dressed up to look our very best to board an airplane.

In those days there was absolute respect for the crew and we were all on our very best behaviour. Then we noticed that students travelling during spring break started wearing jeans and tee-shirts, and behaviour suffered along with that. The standard had dropped. A new age had dawned.

Then came hijackings, mainly to Cuba from the U.S. Following that period aircraft were taken with a full load of passengers and used for negotiations and blackmail. I recall the first time I saw an airplane blown up, thankfully without people on board. I found it hard to believe such deliberate destruction of such a valuable object was possible.

The eleventh of September, 2001 changed everything forever. The hijacking of four planes with passengers and coldly flown into buildings told the world that there are people who will go to any length to make a point. The traveller’s world was impacted in ways that we are only beginning to understand. The advice of The White House was that we should continue on with our lives on a normal basis. Not to do so would be to admit that the terrorists had won.

The problem with that is that life is no longer normal, and the terrorists have won because we are even terrorizing ourselves. I passed into the security zone at Heathrow recently and was given the most thorough examination in the open space as other travellers looked on. I was ordered to remove my hat, my belt, my glasses, my shoes and a light jacket. A man placed his hands over every centimetre of my body, especially around my scrotum.

When he grasped my penis and my testicles and gave a squeeze I told him that I had a licence to carry that equipment. He never even broke a smile. When he finished I thanked him and asked how much did I owe him? He was puzzled, but I explained that never before in my life had I had such a good massage.

During all that it would have been particularly inappropriate to complain about the violation of my privacy. Had I reacted with righteous indignation that would have simply given them steam to go even further than they did.Such invasive searching is supposed to be in my interest, so I am supposed to simply walk away with a whimper.

With all that in mind we might have foreseen that the day would not be far off when we would all be electronically stripped of our dignity through the invasion of our privacy. It has now been announced that technology in the form of a scanner is undergoing testing at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2, as well, it has been tested at Heathrow Airport. The traveller would have to agree to be scanned by stepping out of line to stand before the scanner backdrop. X-ray beams will outline the person for the officer who is at a remote location who will be presented with a picture that will show whether you are carrying anything of a suspicious nature anywhere on or within your body. In fact you are virtually naked. We are assured that none of these images can be stored or downloaded, and only one officer sees them.

We are further assured that the images are not pornographic or erotic. What a shame. However, they do show you in your birthday suit, so it’s a good thing that for the time being we at least do have a choice.

My parting comment to the security officer that I referred to above, was that in order to help him in his work I thought that perhaps we should all fly naked. He said that they would still have to find the contraband. That sounded awfully painful to me, so I think I had better quit while I’m ahead.

Copyright © Eugene Carmichael

Emergency !

Emergency ! Somebody, please help me!

Pay a visit to any hospital emergency department and you will meet at least one person from every sector of the community. You might be from the upmarket district or just one of the ordinary folks, but in emergency we all have one thing in common: Pain!

I was the victim of a crash that resulted in a broken leg. I was duly shipped by ambulance to the emergency department of Hospital Arnau de Villanova, in Valencia City. Firstly, at the very outset if we are going to talk about emergency care we have to acknowledge the staff. Whether the person who deals with you is of good disposition, or one who got out of bed on the wrong side, we must still give them their due. A typical working day for these people is nothing even remotely close to normal.

So, let’s take our hats off and give a sincere round of appreciation to the staffs, because someone has to do it. How they cope is way beyond my comprehension.

I was wheeled into the lobby at 11:30am, and the ambulance driver went to the reception to check me in. This was the first time that I had been taken by ambulance, and I must say that I was a little bit disappointed. The driver never used the siren even once. It also seems that the Spanish ambulance service is a bit different from what I am accustomed. Generally I expect there to be on board para-medics to give assistance enroute, but here they aregenerally speaking, a transportation service.

Once the driver had checked me in through reception he left. After a short-ish wait my name was called to go to the Sala de Clasficaión, which I took to be Triage. There a quick assessment of my condition was made and I was classified according to the urgency of my situation.

Then I was wheeled back into the hall to wait some more. Again, my name was called to go to the Sala de Ambulatorios where I gave much more detailed information, such as the answer to the question: “Are you allergic to any medicines?” This is a tricky one because you can only say whether you have encountered anything bad. You don’t know what they are going to give you.

Then back out into the hall where in fairly short order my name was called again, this time to go to x-ray. My left foot was photographed and I was sent back out into the hall. The time was one pm. My next port of call would be the doctor in the trauma room. They finally called me in at 5:20pm. This is the problem about big city emergencies. The pressure of so many people needing to be seen is such that waiting times are extraordinarily long. Bear in mind that I am sitting there with a broken leg that has not received any first-aid attention at all. A cold compress to reduce the swelling would have been good.

What does one do when you have five and a half hours to wait? Fortunately for me I had a newspaper with me and I read the bits that I never go anywhere near. Mainly, in a situation like that, a writer will observe and then start to make notes because this was a very rich pageant passing before me indeed.

The waiting area was full when I arrived and there never was an unoccupied seat. As soon as a seat was vacated the next person filled it. Even the bank of wheelchairs had able-bodied people sitting in them which still left people standing.

The Spanish worker loves his coffee break, but unless there’s a well-oiled system of relief there is no way you could get away from your desk, even for a bathroom break.

Two women who stood nearby were having a conversation by signing each other. That left me wondering whether the signs materially change with the language. Then, the mobile phone of one of the ladies rang and she answered it. I assumed that she was someone who could hear and speak normally, and that she was there to help her friend, but to my surprise she flipped the cover and then she started signing the person who appeared on the screen. I thought that was really useful, a modified mobile for the deaf and speech impaired.

If you were accompanying someone you got a green sticky card to paste onto your clothing. I know that it was not intended to resemble the Jewish star that the Jews wore during the dark times of the nazis, but, still I was reminded.

A man came rushing into the area, together with three others. Evidently he was a motor mechanic as his hands were covered in oil. He was holding one hand that had apparently been crushed in an accident. He was put through the same routine that I was, and I thought that his wait was far too long for someone in so much pain. He still hadn’t been seen by the time I went in. I thought he should have been called in before me.

The ambulances continued to roll up and discharge their precious cargoes. With many of their patients they jumped the line and went straight into classification and then directly into the treatment rooms. These people were in serious life-threatening situations and time was of the essence.

There were a couple of very odd situations like the three nurses who, walking together passed up and down the corridor eight times, always in the same configuration. There didn’t appear to be any purpose to their taking a walk. On the eighth time they left the hospital as they had changed into their street clothes.

There was a woman with a green tag that she kept changing from one breast to the other. She never stood still for the whole five hours. There were also two guards standing at the doors to the treatment rooms. I’m sure there is a good reason for that, but they never seemed to actually do anything.

On a more serious side there was all the drama and angst of people who accompanied their loved ones in and hovered over them worryingly, and the most heart-breaking of all were those who came rushing in having been informed someone close had been brought in. They were almost always hysterical. I have had that experience myself.

Finally, when I was called in to see the doctor she informed me that my leg was broken and that I would have to be sent to another hospital to be operated on. I made my choice of hospital and arrived by ambulance at 6pm, only to have to start the process all over again.

You have to laugh, or cry!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Life can be Funny/ Strange/ Peculiar

Life can be Funny/ Strange/ Peculiar and a Whole lot More!

On Sunday 11th October I wrote in my other blog, "From the Driver's Seat.blogspot.com" an article about “Selfish Motorists.” It was brought on by the fact that I have witnessed countless acts of absolute self-centeredness here in Spain that would get one killed in certain other parts of the world. The last straw was the couple with a “Wales” sticker on their car who drove into a Mercadona car park and deliberately took up two spaces, both reserved for the handicapped.

I though of having a dialogue with them, but anybody so cold as to do such a thing is not about to learn anything from me. I reasoned that they have to experience for themselves what it is like to be a handicapped person, even on a temporary basis, and to have their rights trampled upon by the selfish and uncaring. I ended that rant with an appeal to respect the rights of the handicapped before ourselves needing those rights.

Well, life can be funny and strange and peculiar. On Wednesday, October the 14th, while riding my motorcycle in my little village I came face to face with a car that was moving against the lawful direction of traffic and I went down in a slow-motion crash and broke my leg.

I don’t ever recall having parked in a handicapped space, or otherwise abused the rights of the handicapped. In fact, on occasion I have actively worked to benefit those not fully able, so the question arises why me? The answer can only be that I have opened the subject, and now I must carry through and share with readers what it is like being disabled. Hopefully, some good will come from my story.

The crash occurred at 10:45am, and neither vehicle was damaged. I took myself to the nearest clinic and they despatched me to hospital by ambulance. Any emergency department of a big city hospital must be the most interesting place on earth. I was taken to the Hospital Arnau de Villanova in Valencia. Here we see humanity at its most vulnerable. Pain and discomfit is the great leveller. In the outside world you may be a mover and shaker, but in here we all speak the same language, and that is “Help Me Please!”

The crush of people needing to be seen right away is daunting, and I have collected notes from my observations that I will make into a separate blog. For now it is sufficient to say that I was checked in at reception, then passed along through triage, and another office that took more in-depth information from me, and then to x-ray, and after five hours waiting, I finally saw the doctor in the trauma unit.

“I have to tell you that you have broken your leg and an operation will be required to reset it.” Not good news, but also not unexpected. I requested that I be transferred to the hospital that my insurance uses, “el hospital nou de octubre.” I was delivered to their emergency department where the process started all over again, and eventually by 11pm I was admitted and in my room.

The operation took place the next day and was successfully completed in spite of the break being in the most problematic place in my leg. I now am carrying two long screws that periodically give me electrical shocks. Airport security will now be an interesting experience. The extraordinary thing to bear in mind is that it was one year ago, October 16th that I was at this hospital having a bunion removed, and now I was having more surgery on the same foot.

I must not leave the hospital without saying how absolutely professional everyone is. They are super busy but are able to maintain their good nature, and even inject a smile every so often, which is just as good as any other medicine.

Now I am at home with a heavy cast on my left leg, and I have to cope. My wife is wonderful, but she will return to work during the week, so I will have to learn to deal with everyday tasks. Already I am finding that there are very little things that annoy me. I have converted my office chair with wheels into a wheel chair. Some of the floor tiles are uneven, something I don’t even realise normally, but they stop my chair and make moving about difficult.

Whether I’m moving about on my crutches or in my chair, I’m suddenly being left behind as the whole world passes me by. From my chair I’m constantly looking up, and I do notice that I have become invisible to most of the world that just doesn’t have the time for Mr. Go-Slow.

From my last experience on crutches, I remember having stumbled and I nearly fell in the street. That was met by outright laughter from two women who must have seen it as something from Monty Python. I don’t expect to be going too far for a while. In fact, the authorities might like to think about hobbling prisoners in this way with a heavy cast-like apparatus on a leg. They could stay at home without making too much mischief.

Stay tuned, as there will be more to report in the future. Meanwhile, please respect the rights of the disabled. You never know when you might need those rights yourself.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The President and the Nobel Prize

“President Barrack Obama awarded The Nobel Peace Prize.”

Topic “A” this week is the above headline that gave the world pause. President Obama himself said that he was surprised and humbled. The world was surprised. The question of the week is “Why Obama?”

President Obama has only been in office ten months, how could he earn such a coveted acknowledgement? He is prosecuting two American led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These were not wars that he imposed, but the war in Iraq is being wound down in so far as American troop involvement is concerned, however America will always have a presence there to avoid the country erupting into all-out civil war. Next-door in Afghanistan, that war with the Taliban must be won. There are 42 nations participating against the enemy, so there can be no simple matter of just packing up and going home. The Taliban and Al Quaida must be defeated as their ideologies are as insidious as the Nazis.

President Obama is being encouraged to flood the country with American troops in an effort to overrun the enemy, but the enemy are already setting up shop in Somalia. These conflicts will carry on long after the President has left office.

Meanwhile, the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians continues. Animosity and tit-for-tat killings are as much a part of the very fabric of their lives, so there is no possibility of peace in that region anytime soon. The president may indeed have the best of intentions but it simply is not going to happen.

While I don’t know exactly what Alfred Nobel intended as the criteria for being considered a recipient of the Noble Peace Prize, I can safely assume that bringing about, or promoting peace is in the mix. Given that, what has the president actually done to promote peace?

Under George W. Bush America had become a despised nation in the view of the world. Under his administration he talked about an axis of evil, meaning Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. However, a great many people saw the axis as being Bush himself, his vice-president Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defence. President Obama recognised this and he has set about putting a human face on the United States again. He has reached out to Europe, to South America, including Cuba, to Russia, and especially he has reached out to the Islamic nation. I therefore believe that this award is as much about encouragement as anything else.

Clearly President Obama is not about winning awards. The surprise of which he speaks will be genuine, and he will no doubt continue his efforts at promoting the peace. However, he will not be a pushover for any hostile nation. Anyone who wishes to attack the United States on his watch will be in for a very nasty response, Peace Prize or not. As America’s first Afro-American president he does have a lot to prove. Simply getting elected was his first test. His second test was to take broken America and to fix it.



We all said that his job was impossible; America had been left in such a bad condition. Most people would have given up in despair, but not Barack Obama. His credo of “Yes We Can!” has never been tested to such a degree, but he has turned the ship of state away from the rocks and it is headed toward calmer waters, at least for now.

President Obama’s strength lies in the fact that he is an honest broker. He is a man of great integrity and he is true to his word Above all else he can be trusted. In America politics is everything. Rarely can you get a completely straight answer; there are only Democratic or Republican answers. However, President Obama could be the only sitting president in the history of the United States to gain a second term, unopposed if he is given enough cooperation to implement his policies that benefit both Republicans and Democrats alike.

Time will tell!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Animal Husbandry

Summer and Winter

I have a shaggy dog whose name is Winter. I have written about Winter before and his girlfriend whom I call Summer. Sometimes we also call her Skinny, as she is such a small dog.

This is really about her as she is a very curious study. She is not our dog, but is from somewhere in the neighbourhood. She is a very good companion for Winter, who is an old man. Watching them together is a wonderful example of love in the animal kingdom. Make no mistake about it, animals care for one another and they do have delicate feelings.

The thing about Summer that is so interesting is how distrusting she is of people. She has been hanging around our property for well over a year but she cannot be touched. She keeps her distance, even if that distance is very short at times. She wants to be loved and petted, but she just cannot bring herself to allow us to get that close.

Evidently she has been badly abused by humans. I don’t even like to think about how harsh that treatment has been to make her so cautious. It’s a shame really as she does have a sweet disposition. Winter was recently very ill, and it was she who fussed over him and drew my attention to the fact that he needed care. I could see that for myself, but she was clearly concerned about him. When I put him in the car she almost climbed in with him.

My idea of caring for animals is that I should treat them with care, but not necessarily going over the top. I ensure that they are fed in clean dishes and watered and given a warm and dry place to sleep. They should have the opportunity for exercise, and when they need medical attention I ensure that they get it. I don’t treat animals as though they were my children, nor do I spend excessive amounts of time in grooming them.

The dogs do not come into the house, as to allow that would result in a ton of dog’s hair accumulating everywhere, and it is not necessary. Our cat does have access, because cats go wherever they want. For a time I would take Winter for walks, but in reality he seems to prefer simply running through the countryside that is covered by orange groves. That suits me just fine, although it was a source of good exercise for me.

I had another dog, a cross breed whom I called Chester. He was a fantastic guard, but had to be carefully monitored as he was considered a dangerous breed. He would annoy me because he was forever escaping from the property and going off on his own. He once took Winter with him and they were gone for almost two months. However, even in those moments when I was so angry with him I was restrained from being cruel to him.

Cruelty to animals is not something I approve of. For that reason I cannot condone the Spanish Bullfight, as the animal is subjected to the most awful form of violence. Considering that it is being slaughtered for food, what it goes through as part of the show is just not necessary.



Winter is suffering with a heart congestion condition and we are keeping him alive. The summer heat would have killed him had it not been for a vigorous and expensive program, but we have been successful.

This was not the first time that we spent such an effort to keep him going. His previous owners moved into a city apartment and were faced with either our taking him, or putting him to death. Then, to make matters more complicated he was diagnosed with leishmania. Again, much work had to be done to defeat that. Sometimes I wonder why I go to such lengths to keep him going. He isn’t even my dog, and I’m not all that fond of him. When I first encountered him I though he was the most awful dog in the world. It was our son who agreed to take Winter, but now our son is in Australia.

I do what I must for Winter because it is part of my beliefs that when we accept an animal we become responsible for its welfare. To treat the animal with anything less than due regard is against my principles.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Recognizing your own limitations

To be Confident


When I was a young man I was really something! I was handsome, I had a six-pack chest, and I had hair! I was popular and the girls loved me. My response to any and all challenges, when asked if I could handle it, was always “Yes, I can!”

These are just some of the things that I have worked at, in, or had experience with: I was an outside linesman for the power company. I climbed up poles in the height of hurricanes to restore power. I worked in every department of hotels; drove a taxi; was a calypso singer; played in a steel band; I have flown a glider; worked as a motor mechanic; hosted my own radio show; have been a news presenter for television; produced and directed my own video show for television; sold life insurance and investments; sold real estate; wrote newspaper columns; was a consultant to the police; qualified as an accountant; managed reinsurance companies. And I write blogs. I was even a tea lady and chambermaid when our hotel was on strike.

I was so-o-o good! But then came the passage of time and tide. I got fat and lazy. I said to all the young people, you’all go ahead and change the world. I’m comfortable right here.

Then, came a complete change of pace. Now, I as a man with a beard am a promoter of women’s cosmetics, and it’s working. I can now add another description to the above list. A friend introduced me to Toastmasters International. The club meets twice monthly in a social setting and works on honing their skills as public speakers. It’s fun!

Social and fun are two words that go well with me. The public speaking training thing I’ve been doing ever since I met Dale Carnegie about what seems like a 100 years ago, so I didn’t need any of that. Or, so I thought.

The time came for me to deliver my ice-breaker speech, and I found myself all over the place. Words wouldn’t come out in the sequence in which I wanted, or unwanted words jumped out into the room. I felt I was a real mess. Where was the erudite at-ease presenter of yesterday?

Something had changed when I wasn’t looking. I was out of practise for one thing. The other thing that is more deadly is that the years have gone by and they have taken their toll. I push back as hard as I can, and in reality I don’t feel every one of my seventy years. You can always know when a person is seventy. That is because we’ll tell you. That’s how you’ll know. We’re always saying “I’m seventy, you know!” We’re so amazed, we have to share with you.

Although there is the very distinct possibility that I will live to celebrate my one- hundredth birthday, there are some irrefutable facts to consider. The eyesight isn’t as good. It’s not too bad, but time is making changes. The quality of my hearing is probably diminishing a bit, helped no doubt by the effects of the mascletas in Valencia. The memory is definitely the worst case. It’s very good, but it’s short

I therefore have some limitations these days where none existed in my earlier years. I can no longer act the role of the smooth talking, overly confident master of ceremonies who hosted New Year celebrations. I need a script, and I need to follow it. If I am going to ad-lib, then I’d better rehearse my ad-lib comments. I have to rehearse and rehearse before getting up to speak. Period!

I know I have to do these things, and if I wanted confirmation my evaluator at my last speech gave it to me when she said that she was impressed by how I had pulled together my presentation. She commented that my choice of words were correct and carefully chosen. I chalked up one “ah” instead of my usual eight or more.

I have had an epiphany. I have come to know who I am and what some of my limitations are. I somehow believe that this will be an on-going experience, which is just as well as I wouldn’t want to come face to face with them all at once.

When delivering a speech, having to follow a script is not necessarily a bad thing. I am absolutely devoted to my "cousin" when he is speaking. Barack relies on tele-prompters but he makes his speeches seem so natural. He must be very careful with his every word. That is not a bad strategy because once the word is out it cannot be brought back and tucked safely away

So, with my limitations firmly in mind I plan to strut confidently into the future. My life has been really great to this point, and I have lived it as I have seen fit. There is one thought that brings a smile to my face at this time, and it is this: The best is yet to come. You ain’t seen nothing yet!

If you are a resident of Valencia, or even simply a visitor and would like to know more about Toastmasters International, please e-mail me at eugene.spain@gmail.com

Copyright (c) 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Double Standards

Men Behaving like Men

My friend, Joanna Cruickshank, writing in her weekly column “An English Girl in Spain” for The Costa Blanca News, raised the question in a recent edition of why should there be such double standards between how men can behave and be considered perfectly normal, and how such behaviour by a woman would be looked down upon by society. It’s just not fair, she suggests. I agree with her completely, and I wondered how society can entertain such thinking in these modern times.

Firstly, let’s consider my own stance on this topic: am I one of the guilty parties who has ever practised the double standard?

The answer, if I am absolutely truthful, is yes! Now, having admitted that I feel absolutely naked. Perhaps I had better explain: I have not actually been aware of how my thought patterns have worked. It’s only because the article was suddenly in my face that I examined my feelings and have come to this admission.

The fundamental reason for the Double Standard is because of the place we hold women in our society. Every mother is a woman, and that alone places her on a pedestal, whether she wants to be there or not. Also, there are other major differences in the way that women see themselves, and especially in the way that men see women. I can only comment from a man’s point of view, and historically this is the way I see things:

I have to admit that I bought a Playboy Magazine from the very first edition, and that I have helped to make the magazine a success down through the years. I can also say the same of Penthouse Magazine. I should add that over time, in my mind, the flesh, that was is in the forefront, traded places with the articles, although I don’t expect any of the ladies to believe me. However, it’s just amazing what a person can grow weary of.

I mention this because I was thinking recently that it’s a shame that our freedoms gave vent to this type of publication. For men of my generation we grew up holding girls and women in a very high and mysterious place. Our sexual couplings always took place with the lights out and eyes firmly shut. That mindset continues in the Islamic and Arab worlds where women are required to keep covered up by at least covering her hair or covering up completely.

I think Western men definitely lost something at the same time as the Playmate of the Month showed us what she had for breakfast. We lost the exciting sense of mystique and some respect. However, throughout the period of transparency and even women’s march to obtain greater freedoms, women have not entirely lost their special place in our minds. There are some things that a woman should never do. Women should never be hooligans, or yobs. They should not be gangsters or break-in thieves, nor should they be contract killers or boxers. There is someting even uncomfortable about women in the armed forces.

Perhaps it’s a big surprise, from the standpoint of image, but women should not even smoke. Smoking does nothing to advance the social standing of a woman, in spite of the fact that many will say they are social smokers. No-one cares whether a man smokes or not. He does not have an image to uphold. At worst he is simply silly to do that to his health.

The children’s rhyme says it all. “Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice; boys are made from salt and snails and puppy dogs tails.”

Society does practise a double standard, and by society we mean both men and women. However, is this double standard all bad, or even good? We will never have a consensus on this question as we all have our own attitudes and turf to protect, so I won’t even try to find common ground. Except to say that when we frown upon certain acts taken by women that we might accept on the part of men, we are probably doing so out of our natural respect and desire to elevate the woman. This need not be a bad thing.

Now, having said that we have to reconcile it with the modern attitude to equality. Clearly, under that doctrine a woman can do whatever she wishes, within the law, but that does not mean she will always be praised or respected. It only means that we the public will be confused.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Situation Comedies

SitComs

Recently I had an interesting conversation with a friend regarding Sitcoms, mainly of the American variety. We looked back over many favourites with pleasure and considered some of the implications behind some of them, whether those implications were real and intended or not. There are two that are top of our list that we believe have permanent social effects, and they are “All in the Family”, the family being Archie Bunker and his wife Edith. The other is “The Cosby Show”. First, “All in the Family.”

What this show did was take a redneck, bigoted, blue-collar worker and expose his manner of thinking into the public domain. The show ran from 1971 through to 1979. Carroll O’Connor played the role of Archie, which was a very brave thing for him to do, because it branded him in the mind of the viewing public as a bigot. In reality he was not, and went out of his way in his own time to prove it. I think that it must have been in the mind of the producers to make a social statement with this show, one that was both subtle as well as bold.

Most people did not realise what was happening at the time, but the writing was so well done and the set-up of the scenes so crafty that the end result was that for people who thought like Archie Bunker, they saw their own thoughts on screen and the reaction was laughter. They were not respected but thought of as being silly. Michael, Archie’s son- in-law provided the counterfoil to Archie’s nonsensical opinions, and gradually the bigots of America got an education while not even realising it.

To add to the mix the show would insert a black character, a young man with whom Archie carried on a perfectly pleasant and natural relationship. Although his dialog placed the lad in a position whereby Archie got to offer advice, he nonetheless was able to associate with the lad in a comfortable manner.

I have personally known such men as Archie, one of whom said to me that he was pleased that “the boy, Kofi Annon had become United Nations Secretary General.” I met that statement with my mouth wide open and no sound came out.

This is a show that is still in syndication, and it is still working its magic. It is making the bigots laugh at themselves, and I credit this show for largely making it possible for the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States of America by softening up otherwise hardcore and rabid opinions by a lot of very stupid people, who also vote.

Secondly, working right along with “All in the Family” was “The Cosby Show” featuring Bill Cosby. This show ran from 1984 until 1992, and showed a black American family living its life on a daily basis, and how funny their life could be, as well as being exactly like any white American family. They were not a family with children who were gangsters or drug dealers, and in reality the great majority of black families are more like the Cosbys´. This was an important window into the lives of black Americans for white America. There was no limit to the amount of material that looked into how white America lived, but this show, following up on “All in the family” was part of the awakening and growing of America.



“Seinfeld”, on the other hand was a show about nothing at all. At least that was what its creator said, but the truth was that it was a show about everything and it had no social message whatsoever. It was just plain funny and brilliant and everybody loved it. The more risqué topics were the funniest and got talked about the next day at the office. The curious thing about “Seinfeld is that it was all about three characters, Seinfeld, Elaine, and George. The fourth regular character, Kramer, who really had no substantive role was the funniest of all because of his nervous on-screen persona. He never actually did anything.

The most challenging show of all was “Fraiser”, a highbrow comedy that ended up appealing to the very rich upper class and the general public as well. This must have been one amazing challenge to make a success. The show always ran along two levels: the level that Frasier and his brother, Niles, together with Daphne, the English caregiver to the father figure, Martin maintained, which was upper class; and that of all the other characters who were understood by the public at large.

This required some very careful and crafty writing and interpretation over the period 1993 to 2004. The fact is that the comedy from this show was some of the best and unflawed. We watched in delighted fascination without ever realising what was happening. It’s only now that I am taking the time to think about it and through my discussions with my friend that I realise what a masterpiece that was.

There were so many other really great sitcoms over the years, starting in my memory with “I love Lucy” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. There was “Cheers”, “The Simpsons” and “Friends”, (a show that I was never able to come to love, but the entire world around me did) that all provided a wonderful soundtrack to our lives. I wish I could comment on all of them, but suffice it to say that life would not be life without the ability to laugh.

As Bill Cosby once said, sitcoms are just life things that we forgot to laugh about the first time they happened.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Colonies

Colonies -Other People's Countries


Once Upon a Time the countries of Europe thought it a good idea to grab great chunks of land to add to their own, and they did this by going forth as Explorers and Adventurers to invade other people’s lands, where they killed as many natives as was necessary and dominated the rest until they could say they had added another Colony. This they did with pride and joy as these activities were considered to be honourable and just.

Largely speaking they were all engaged in such exploits. Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Scandinavian Countries all did their share of raping and pillaging. Some even attacked other European countries. One of the most successful was Britain. It achieved so much, especially for such a small island, that at one time they proudly declared that the sun never sets on The British Empire. In a moment of supreme grandeur they added the word Great to their name, thereby being known as Great Britain.

There was one thing in particular about all this: it was wrong!

How was it ever thought morally justified that to invade someone else’s country and kill the natives and rape the women, and the country of its resources was the right thing to do? It never was right, of course, but a country’s might made it right. Unless yours was a country that came under attack and you were able to successfully ward off the attackers, then you became a spoil of war, and fair was fair.

The manner in which people behaved in those days was utterly reprehensible. The thing that has prompted me to think of this subject is what we call terrorism in today’s world. I shall treat that topic more fully in a future article. For now, I think back on the dark days of the occupation by European countries throughout the world in other people’s homes. The foreign country always fell back on their belief that they were civilising the natives, whether they wanted it or not. But then, one day, a very soft spoken diminutive man said to the occupying force in his country that they were not appreciated, not wanted, and he simply wished that they would pack up and bloody well go home.

His name was Ghandi, and the British Raj could not believe its ears, but in time that is exactly what was done, and the whole tide of Colonialism turned around. Being a colonial power in occupation became the embarrassment that it truly was and one country after another gave its former colony it’s independence.

There are some countries where things became irreversible, such as The United States and Australia. The British acted as badly in both countries concerning the natives, and then they even turned against themselves in the United States so that the British-Americans fought a battle against the British and won, declaring Independence Day on July 4th 1776. So, the poor native Americans and Aboriginies are stuck with their unwanted residents.

Most invading countries have given up their colonies except for a few small countries that actually prefer to continue the arrangement. In the case of Great Britain that called itself The Mother Country, it now finds that it has people living within its own borders who represent just about every country it ever occupied. There are very few pink bits left on the map. The last of its great colonies to revert to its original owners was Hong Kong. The largest and most significant colony left is Bermuda, a small island in the Atlantic with a static population of about 60,000 people. Bermuda is particularly interesting in that when Britain discovered it there were no people living there, and there were no claims existing on the territory.

A fundamental error was made from the start in that Britain deemed it to be a colony, when in fact it was, and is a truly owned territory as though it were located in the Thames. If the good Bermudian people ever get around to asking for their independence Britain will be faced with actually giving away a valuable piece of its property that it didn’t have to kill anyone for in the first place.

The other significant place is Gibraltar. That is quite another story and there is no easy solution to that one.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Perfect way to Relax

Ibiza & Formentara

Two columns ago I explained that my wife was about to take me on a magical mystery tour, which was a vacation that I had no prior information about at all. I didn’t know that we were planning on going some place; I didn’t know where we were going; whether it would be one place or more; how we were going to travel; or what we would do once we arrived at our destination. She was keen that it should be a complete surprise, but if I insisted that she give me the details, then she would. I didn’t insist, because I like nice surprises.

These are some of the games that partners play that give spice to life, and I highly recommend them.

A friend who knew the story let slip that we would be travelling by airplane, so that was the first clue, plus I was told to pack for Summer time. We drove to the airport and went through security and took a seat in the waiting lounge. At that point I could have been going almost anywhere. I was relaxed and chose something to read. There were a few announcements regarding boarding for planes flying to various destinations, but we didn’t move.

Finally the announcer said that the plane flying to Ibiza was boarding, and after the line dwindled down to a few remaining passengers I was informed that we should join the line. Wonderful! We have been living here in Valencia, Spain for ten years and we have talked about one day going over to the islands, and now that day had arrived. This was a very delightful surprise indeed.

My next surprise came when Lorna said that I might see a familiar face at the airport. I could not even begin to guess, so I gave up and waited to see who would meet us. Suddenly, the lady was in front of us, and to say that I was surprised doesn’t even begin to adequately cover the situation. I really don’t want to print too much about her, but I will say that life had handed she and her family a devastating disappointment and she was crippled by the weight of just trying to understand what had happened.

Now, here she was, still under immense pressure but she was smiling and dealing with life on a daily basis, and she was surviving. Having come face to face with that realization my trip had spiked to its highest point.

She then drove us to our apartment that had been loaned to us by a very good person, and the apartment could not have been better situated. It was a small self-catering unit that was located on the seventh (top) floor with views out over the harbour. It had a small television and a radio, neither of which were plugged in, and we decided to leave them as they were. During the first day I decided to turn off my mobile phone, and I avoided going to an Internet café, so for five glorious days we had no TV, radio, Internet, or phone. We did buy local newspapers not for news of the world, but just to gain some idea of life on the islands.

We did some sightseeing on Ibiza, as well on the sister island of Formentera. Both islands reminded me so much of my own island home of Bermuda. They cater to tourists, as does Bermuda, and there were so many things that are similar. However, in one major way Bermuda is very different in that the island closely controls development, and consequently Bermuda does not allow the high density crowding along the waterfront that these two islands permit. Such closeness devalues the product and does not add anything of value.

We spent one day with our lady friend and her family at her vacation home, and that was super special. Other than that we either did sightseeing or we spent our days on the beach. I should explain that I really do not like the beach and its sand, nor do I need a suntan, but I went along and took a very good book written by John Grisham called “The Appeal” One day we went to the Reggae Beach and I spent time in the Reggae Bar drinking a concoction called a “Jamaican me Crazy” that was served up by this white rasta man. He was super cool.

If you didn’t already know that I am not European, just by mentioning the fact that I am still astounded how free women feel about going topless on the beach would concrete the fact. No European man would even mention it, as it is so commonplace, and has been for a very long time. It’s only us guys from the other side of the Atlantic, plus the Brits, of course who find the freedom so bewildering. I think that a grandmother who can feel so liberated to unwrap her breasts in public is a wonderful thing, and long may it continue. It certainly made me feel more comfortable about exposing my own not so perfect frame.

We men are allowed to look, and we have to look as there are no beautiful trees to gaze upon instead, however; we are not allowed to stare. It would be most ungentlemanly to stare. Anyway, there is absolutely nothing sexual about so many uncovered boobs. I just wonder whether there is pain in burnt nipples.

Best of all, I spent hours doing absolutely nothing at all. Whether on the beach or at the apartment, I would sit on the bench in the corner on the terrace and look out over the activities taking place in the harbour with a totally vacant mind. No worries or concerns about anything at all. I didn’t even realize what was happening to me and to us. We let the everyday cares of the world drift away; we didn’t even have to do any driving so we let our guard down to a minimum.

I think this must be what every individual needs and must surely be good for one’s mental health. Trying to cope with the stresses and strains of living in our modern society does take its toll. A week of what we have completed must have added ten years to each of our lives.

As a final thrill we cruised back to the mainland and landed in Valencia’s ports just as the Formula One races got under way. We then had to make our way out of the port area via a complicated route, sometimes driving alongside the races. Now that’s the way to have a vacation with pizzazz!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Sex Sells Everything

Sex Sells Everything

Did the lady in the picture sell you your car? If she did, did you buy a car that you really and truly want, or was it one that you are kind of happy with. It’s a man thing. We are the subjects to whom things are sold when they are not strictly what we want because a beautiful salesperson helped us with our decision.

Beautiful women sell us cars and motorcycles, and sports stuff, and even hardware. We men thought for many years that women were the weaker sex, but no, it’s us guys. Show us just a little fringe of Chantilly Lace and our mind departs us leaving us on our own. Sorry guys, it’s just the way we’re wired.

We see certain guys driving along in some makes of cars and you have to wonder, “How did you make that decision mate?” Something else had to be at work the day he made that purchase, other than just being plain and simply drunk. I don’t think they allow us to actually buy a car if we’re full drunk, so what was it that made some crazy decision possible.

There is something called Post Buyer’s Blues, which most people experience at one time, or another. That occurs when we take the thing home and then decide we don’t like it after all. Perhaps we bought it for $100 and walked next door where the identical item is on sale for $80. Post Buyer’s Blues! But when you are being drawn along to buy something that you really don’t want, but she is so persuasive, but you want to object and put your foot down and just say no, but the words don’t come out as you wish. She takes your money and gives you your change and says, “Have a Nice Day!”

You take three steps outside the shop and start swearing at yourself, and then you go looking for a shop with an ugly male salesman so that you can take home exactly what you want. Ain’t life a bitch?

A beautiful scantily clad woman can sell us men just about anything, but there is one area where women work wonders and they aren’t even talking to us men. That is when they are selling to other women. Naturally as shop assistants they excel, and if I owned a fashion store I would certainly employ intelligent and nice looking women. However, if I owned a Real Estate business my preference would be to hire women because now we’re talking big tickets items, and no matter what you guys have always believed about buying a house, you are not the decision maker. Your woman is. It’s the woman who chooses the house.

So you and your lady go along to view the house but the play is between the two ladies. They talk about the kitchen and the curtains and the this and that and you are along for company. Ask any man who has been there and he will agree with this statement.

So, it’s a truism that Sex Sells, and it sells absolutely everything. And life is grand!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Lazy Hazy Days of August

Dreaming of a Beach Somewhere

This past week I have been suffering from Writer’s Block in that I just haven’t been able to decide on a topic to write about. Try as I have I just haven’t been able to think of something that appeals to me. There are normally all manner of things that jump out at me, but all I have wanted to do is sleep. The great Spanish siesta has reached out and enveloped me in its arms. It has just been so very hot. Whenever I found a cool spot I simply put down and stayed there.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that the subject is that I’m simply being bone-lazy. After all, it’s August, for many people that means vacation month. The mere fact that I’m retired hasn’t stopped my internal system from shutting down in August, as it has always done.

Last night I got animated and thought that I would have a good session on my laptop, but instead I made a right turn on the way and sat and watched a movie instead. What a luxury to be able to do that.

I watched a film named “Jagged Edge” that is a 1985 murder mystery starring Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges. Both of these actors are very good at their craft, but Glenn Close, who is a woman in spite of the name, is a particular favourite of mine. She has completed many and varied film credits, (not all have been brilliant) but in my mind her most enduring work came in a 1987 work entitled “Fatal Attraction” with Michael Douglas. The plot for that film was that a married man’s one nightstand came back to haunt him over and over again.

I remember that it was a much talked about film, and I think it may have given pause to men who thought about a one night-stand of their own. The thought that you might have gone to bed with a woman who would stalk you and do nasty things to your family somehow takes the sheen off the experience.

One of the things she did to Michael Douglas was to pour acid over his car that he loved, and she took his daughter’s favourite rabbit and boiled it and brought it back to them.

Anyway, “Jagged Edge” is a movie made in the old way: a darn good story told in a way that simply has the audience sitting on the edge of our seats. It starts with a murder that has an element of pure and simple Satanism, and the story takes many twists and turns. Most of the action takes place in the courtroom, and even after allowing for some improbabilities, it’s still a very good film.

I reflected on it after it was over, and it occurred to me that there was not one incident of special effects in the entire film. The other thing that I reflected on was the industry of filmmaking itself. It’s a wonderful way to be told a story, and if the craftsmanship is superb we may want to let ourselves go and enter the story and the place as spectators, and for the duration of the storytelling we leave our own lives behind. There is also the added benefit with DVD that we can replay the escape as often as we like.

So, yes, I’m being lazy and I’m enjoying it. I will very shortly leave our home with my wife and we shall go some place for a change of scenery. I don’t know how we are travelling, or where we are going. I don’t know if it will be one place or more. The only things that I do know is how long we will be away from home, and that I should pack for summer. I’ll report when we get back.

I do love pleasant surprises!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Professor and the Police II

Four Men on a Mission


A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Harvard professor and the Cambridge, Mass. police. There were two aspects to an incident that involved them both that was newsworthy. One was the way that the professor over-reacted when all that the police were doing was trying to protect his property. The background to that was the professor, a black senior member of Harvard’s Business School was observed by a (black) member of the public trying to force entry into his own house at night. She thought she was seeing a break-in in progress, which is what it was, but when you have to break into your own home, then that’s legal.

She called the police who came running, although the professor was unaware that a call had been made. When they arrived and found he had entered the house, in the eyes of the police he was a suspect. To make matters worse, the cop who confronted him was white. When the cop ordered him (in his own house) to “Hands Up!” the professor became outraged and replied “I’ll put my hands up yer Mamma!” or something like that.

The professor is a man of my generation who has lived through all the bad shit that America could throw at him, but has nonetheless risen to the exalted position of tenured professor at one of the country’s most prestigious schools. He knows all about Freedom Marches, and may have been right alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He certainly knows about police harassment of black men. It is still happening as we speak But America has a black president and it’s about time this shit stops once and for all.

The second aspect is, to very nicely complicate matters, that black president is a personal friend of the professor, so I imagine it may have occurred to the professor that he was sick and tired of these things happening and he was not about to take it anymore.

And Houston, we have lift off!

The professor went straight up like the space shuttle. He was simply not going to have some white policeman come into his house pointing a gun in his face and ordering him about, when he was simply going about his lawful business.

Things were said and both men became ever more upset. It is a miracle that the policeman did not shoot the professor, but instead he arrested him, put him in handcuffs and took him downtown. There, someone with a much cooler head explained to the policeman that the professor had broken into his own home; and the professor was informed that the poor policeman was trying to do his job under the most trying of circumstances, namely, by trying to protect the professor’s own property.

I imagine that it was at this stage that both men went to their own respective corners and had a good cry, while the rest of the precinct had a good laugh. However, while this was happening the plot thickened very badly because a lopsided version of events reached President Obama about his friend’s predicament, and while holding a press conference he let slip that he thought that the Cambridge police had acted “stupidly”.

Open mouth and insert both feet!

When everyone had calmed down the President realised he had made his first real faux pas. He could not take back his words nor apologise for them, so what he did was invite both men to The White House for a beer summit with himself, the Vice-President and about four million journalists, where actions were explained and recognition was given to a good officer who was acting in the execution of his difficult job. Astonishingly, none of these proud men could find the words to say “I’m sorry that I made things worse then they need have been”. But, they did find the funny side of the incident, and they found respect for one another.

I’m sure that profiling of certain members of the public continues to be a problem. A white officer of another police department made a comment on the incident that was racially inappropriate. There were calls for him to lose his job, which I hope didn’t happen, especially in these difficult times. However, he definitely needed to be referred to sensitivity training.

All in all, a very interesting incident and a test of where America is on race relations. There are so many lessons to be learned from this incident, including lessons for the President of the United States. I thought the President recovered from the situation well by using a little ingenuity. We really must take our hats off to him.

As for the professor and the policeman, they have stayed in touch and it would appear that a genuine friendship is building. I wish them well for the future.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Science of Shopping

It's a Girl Thing!

As a man this title will probably confuse you. In the world of shopping men and women display attitudes from different planets, as suggested by the popular book.

I have spent three weeks surrounded by four women as they went shopping and I have had my awareness sharpened. Let me tell you how I shop and you will get a fairly good idea from that, especially if you are a woman, of how we men deal with the task when it is absolutely necessary.

Say, I need a new suit. For me this would equate to buying a house, so some time must be spent on the details. Because I’m not a rich man my suits will come from off the rack. Before arriving at the shop I will decide on the colour and style, so when I get to the shop I go directly to that rack and find my size. All that is left is for me to have the leg size taken and to pay for it. If I’m in the shop for more than ten minutes it’s because the salesman was busy with another customer when I went in.

The experience of shopping for a woman is different to that. No matter whether they are shopping for something small, or, heaven forbid, something major, they put the same effort into the process. On one day we went into a shopping mall and the ladies all went into a particular shop. They were in there for the best part of an hour and came out with a very small inconsequential package. In the history of men that has never happened.

When shopping for Spanish style fans it was fascinating to observe how every fan displayed was touched, opened, waved a few times, looked over on both sides, fondly caressed, held up to the face, and looked at in the mirror.

I once bought a dozen fans to take as gifts. I went into the store and said I’ll take one of each, (which is how I know they had a dozen different styles), paid for them and left. Whole thing took a little less than two minutes.

Can someone please tell me what is it about women and shoes? We tried to walk down a street and they spotted every shoe store, whether it was on the side that we were walking or the other side. I would continue on walking, totally oblivious and when I looked they were like deer caught in the glow of my headlights.

Imelda Marcos, the wife of a dictator was discovered to have a closet with so many pairs of shoes that all we men scoffed, and every woman said “lucky bitch!” I should be careful how I touch on this subject however, because I have managed to build up a collection myself of far too many shoes. My excuse is that I am looking for a pair of shoes that don’t make my feet hurt, when the problem all along is my feet.

I like the company of women, but I have discovered that if I’m in their company whether they are on a shopping trip or not, I need to have plenty of patience. In case you didn’t know, shopkeepers, if they are wise, will provide comfortable chairs placed throughout their stores. Those are man-chairs where us guys get to sit down and shut up.




The other thing you might not have noticed is that each mall has 99% shops where women are the target customers, and even if they have a men’s department it will be tiny by comparison. However, hardware stores are an entirely different concept and don’t count in this study.

Finally, there was the time when my wife and I were looking to buy a house. I had more time to scout around, but every suggestion I came up with was rejected. One of the objections was that we were too far removed from the metro station. So, I got fed up and gave my wife my power of attorney and told her to but us a house. I didn’t want to be consulted, nor did I want to see it before she had signed the papers.

Is the house that she bought perfect in every way. Yes, and No! Am I content with it? Yes, actually!



Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Professor and the Police

A Very Good Friend to Have!

Topic “A” this week is that unfortunate incident in Cambridge, Mass, in the United States which blew way out of proportion. To summarise, the police were called to attend what a member of the public thought was a possible break-in in progress at the home of a Harvard professor. In fact, what the witness saw was the professor trying to force open the door to his own home, as the door had become stuck. The professor is black and the police officer who attended is white.

What appears to have happened is that the officer approached the professor as a suspect, and the professor became outraged and saw things that simply were not there.Fundamentally, this was a most unfortunate incident, and past events formed the basis of a bad reaction.

America’s history involving black men and white officers, and even some black officers is very bad. Perhaps even now black professionals find themselves being stopped and harassed if they are driving top of the line cars, just because they are vulnerable. There is a lot of resentment that goes back over many years. If you are a black man going about your business carrying a music case and it’s late at night, the police may well stop you and demand an impromptu mini concert to satisfy themselves that you are a musician on your way home from a gig.

Professionals resent it; and the common man resents being profiled as a possible wrong doer without any basis other than his colour. The Harvard professor had no idea that a call had been made, so he apparently thought that this white officer had taken it into his head to rough him up, for fun. He reacted, as I might have reacted myself. I would have been wrong, and I think that the professor was wrong.

Here we had a distinguished man who had worked hard and who deserved to be respected. But, he was being treated like a common criminal, and I imagine he thought, “How dare you! Don’t you know who I am? I am a respected professional and I will not allow you to treat me in this manner!” And it appears that everything that the officer said only added fuel to that fire, to the point where the officer felt that as a police officer he would not stand for a member of the public treating him and his office in a disrespectful manner.

So the stage was set for a disaster. Two bull-headed men determined not to blink. So, after warnings that went unheeded he arrested the professor for at least disorderly conduct.

I understand the motives of both men and sympathise with them both. The professor was standing up for the dignity of all black men, and the officer was simply trying to do his job under very trying circumstances.

What a mess, you might be prepared to say. Yeah, a real mess, but it gets messier. The professor is a personal friend of the President of The United States, and when the lopsided story got to him he stood before the cameras and opined that the Cambridge police had “acted stupidly.” The entire world sucked in its breath because we could see that the man who chooses his words wisely had put his foot firmly in the muck up to his ankles.
I understand his emotions but why he would have chosen to speak on a matter of local law is beyond me. President Barak Obama took the sucker punch and his supporters around the world could not believe it. He is, after all, a human, not necessarily a Superman. However, having realised his mistake once he calmed down has tried to correct his faux pas by making a statement that says, in so many words, the he used an unfortunate choice of words, and he phoned the officer and they chatted, and he confirmed that he believes that the officer is a good man. He said that he now believes that both men over-reacted during the incident, and that he did not intend to malign the police department.

Good!

Now I hope that the professor has also calmed down and can see the officer’s point of view, and can accept that in the line of police work black men will arrest white men, and vice versa, and the same thing for women who will arrest both men and women, and it need not necessarily be anything other than law enforcement in progress.

Unfortunately, there are still those rogue cops out there who give policing in America a bad name. I hope that this acts as a wake-up call to such prehistoric creatures that the days of harassment of black men for fun are over. It has been an embarrassment to all the players involved, but if the message gets through to those who need to hear it, that would be a good thing.


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

What Sort of Crime is This?

Man's Inhumanity to Man taken to a new an Frightening Low!

There is a case currently before the courts that I would like to write about, but I have to be careful as the matter being sub-judice, my words might influence the justices. The essential facts being alleged are as follows: A man and his female passenger while driving came upon a young motorcyclist lying in the road after having been involved in an accident with another car. Accidentally, they drove over the man and immediately stopped. At this point, I doubt that the suspects have committed any offence. What has happened to the motorcyclist is very tragic, but I think that none of the blame for anything that has happened can be put on the suspects.

Many things take place in the course of the driving day that are peculiar. We can only avoid becoming involved in tragedies if we are vigilant and if we anticipate what could happen, so in order to try to avoid them happening. For instance, many people drive as though they are the only people using the road. That is the completely incorrect assumption, of course, so it is our responsibility to be in the correct position in the road at all times. The other thing that is in our own interests is to choose a speed at which to travel that is safe and comfortable.

Continuing with the story: our suspects are in a situation in which any driver might find himself. We have come upon a young accident victim lying in the road and we have been unable to avoid running over him. We have stopped with the young man trapped under our car. This is horrible! What should we do next? I hear you say get out of the car and give as much help as you can. That makes sense to me, and is mandated by law, especially to drivers and their passengers who are involved in an accident.

It is alleged that the suspects in this case did not do that. Instead, they drove off, dragging the man, and it had to be obvious to them that he was being dragged. It is further alleged that they drove on for two kilometres with the body still attached to their car. At the end of the two kilometres, according to an eyewitness, they turned off the main road onto a side road, and inside that side road the car was driven backwards and forwards until the body became disentangled

The suspects deny that any of these things happened involving them, but the driver is charged with murder, and his passenger is charged with failing to give assistance to the victim. It seems that eye witness reports and cctv cameras do place them where they don’t want to be placed.

So, if the facts are as the prosecution allege, I have three questions: Why? Why? And Why?

Why would a driver, finding himself in the predicament of having collided with a person in the road, and now stopped, drive off instead of getting out of his car to offer assistance?

It might be because he had no driver’s license and insurance; or was drunk; or was carrying something in his car that would cause great difficulty.



Why drive on dragging a person, who, it is alleged, had life in him?

This is the one question that no one else other than the driver can answer, if he knows. I can believe that his passenger is as horrified as I am, and judging by the body language of the photo taken of the two of them in court, (he is sitting at one end of a bench, and she is at the other), he cannot expect much help from her.

Finally, why, after dragging a man’s body for two kilometres could a person be so heartless as to drive his car backwards and forwards until the body became dislodged and then drive away? This is a statement of man’s inhumanity that makes me very uncomfortable. I know that in war times, particularly involving the nazis, some things were done that are simply impossible to believe, and I find it beyond my own comprehension that I, or anyone whom I know, could stoop so low.

So, I end this with another question: What crime has actually been committed? Prosecutors have charged this man with murder, but that seems to me to not properly reflect the gravity of the crime. No one else should feel free to do the same thing because they will be free again after serving a few years behind bars. The judge in the case, if finding the man guilty as charged, should be able to throw the whole book at him. Most importantly the family of the young man must gain the satisfaction of believing that justice has been properly served.

I have a son about his age who rides a motorcycle. Were I in the shoes of that most unfortunate family, it would take a whole lot more than the standard sentence for murder to convince me that justice was well and truly done. Of that you can be sure!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Family Visits

Family


I will state right up front that this will be a very short blog. The title will give a clue as to why that is. I presently have family visiting us from Bermuda, and I’m as excited as can be that we are all together under one roof.

I have read from many people of family and friends who come to call, and there can be problems adjusting. However, when there has been a long time between visits, or as in my case it’s the first ever visit since we have been here, the value is beyond computation.

We have been here ten years and we have been talking about this visit all along, however, there have been some serious terrorist activities, two wars involving America and to some extent Europe, and a very weak euro. I have been back to Bermuda a couple of times and it was good to be with everyone. Now I get the chance to show my family “my Spain”, and they get to see what is keeping me here. Strictly speaking, a weak dollar with which we have been living is telling us to quit the euro zone, and I know that we should. There is quality of life here that we are unwilling to part with so we live from day-to-day.

We are in the midst of fiesta time and there is so much to partake of, so I am busying myself with being tour guide and putting all my knowledge and experience to good use. So, that is just what I will do, but I promise to write a blog detailing the virtue of family together in peace, harmony and enjoying life to the full.

Stay tuned!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Goodbye! Michael Jackson

Goodbye! MJ
One of a Kind!

First, there was the announcement that Michael Jackson had died of a heart attack. Fans around the world said I don’t believe that. Surely that’s a publicity stunt ahead of his big concert series!

Then we saw what appeared to be his body wrapped in a body bag being taken from his home in California. Fans said that they didn’t see any body. How were they supposed to know who, if anyone was wrapped in that bag. It was all just part of the stunt, they said.

Then it was reported that there had been conducted two autopsies on his body. Fans said, remember Thriller. This will be bigger than Thriller when Michael walks out with a massive posse behind him.

Then there was a reading of his Will before he had even been interred. What’s wrong with these people, have they no dignity or shame? They said that he had left his father out of his will. In other words he did not give any of his debts to his dad. That was decent of him. Something that is supposed to be private has been splashed around the world. Fundamentally, what Michael has said is “Being of sound mind and body, I’ve spent all my money, and a lot of yours as well.!” Good on yer Mike!

Then came the funeral and the internment, and Michael didn’t get up from the coffin with “Thriller II” playing in the background, and fans said, You know what, even for Michael this would have been one off the wall, over the top, way, way out there publicity stunt. We had better believe that physical Michael has gone on to do a gig on the Big Stage in the sky.

So, it’s time to face the facts and let go. We will always have his music to play when we wish, and we can choose to remember him as we would like to. It can now be seen clearly that he was unique. No one like him, no one equal to him. This is life happening, and sometimes life sucks. But, it’s real and not even someone as big as Michael could beat that system.

Now comes the contest between Elvis and Michael to see who can sell the most memorablia while being "retired".

So, Rest In Peace Michael, and thanks for the memories!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

MJ. Super Nova Star

Michael Jackson

The King of Pop is Dead

Long Live the King!

Topic “A” this week is not the hundreds of people being blown to bits in Afganistán and Iraq, nor is it the many local conflicts in Africa or the millions of starving people around the world who are dying from malnutrition and other illnesses. It’s not even Silvio Berlosconi’s alleged scandals, or the matter of toxic assets. Lost jobs, lost homes, lost businesses, lost futures, lost educations have all been relegated to Topic “B”.

Topic “A” is simply one thing, The Death, the untimely and unexpected death of Michael Jackson. For the media Christmas came early. Editors everywhere worth their salt greeted the news of this event with one word: “WOW!” All vacations have been suspended, and staffs have been called in to work overtime. This is BIG!

MJ’s brother struggled to make an announcement that he ended with a plea to the media to please respect the family’s privacy. He certainly wasn’t trying to be funny, but I was amused because the one thing that the media won’t do is that.

MJ was 50 at the time of his sudden and untimely death. In the words of one of his own songs, he was taken away from us “Too Soon.” Now, we who write have been left with the almost impossible task of choosing something to say about him. There is simply so much material available, so I will begin by saying that I have been thoroughly entertained, or horrified by MJ, but never bored.

Love him or hate him, the one thing that is incontestable is that the world has seldom seen such pure and unfettered talent. In looking at videos of his performances with a critical eye we see moves so fluid and hear sounds so original that place him in the state of being a pioneer. Many people have tried to emulate him, but always they come up short. The original is the original and stands alone.

Here my mind begins to go off in separate directions all at once and that tells me to make a very long story as short as possible. I would need to write several books to capture the complete essence of the man because he was so many personalities.

I must say that I was as shocked and surprised as the rest of the world over his sudden passing. However, try as hard as I can I cannot see MJ as a grandfather. I should not be surprised. In the galaxy of stars it is the Super Nova that shines the brightest, but its life is short lived. It explodes with its coming, burns the brightest during its existence, and then its gone in a flash. I think this is an adequate description of MJ. Long after he’s physically left us he will be talked about and revered. In reality his physical presence here on earth was pre-determined to be short.

Now that he has taken his bow and left the building I would like to add my voice to the growing chorus that says: “ MJ, thanks so much for the superb entertainment and the memories. You provided my own life with such a rich soundtrack, and I choose to remember you fondly.”

His greatest performance could be yet to come on the occasion of his funeral. Strictly speaking it should be a private affair, but the Jackson family may decide to open it up to the public, who after all are as much his family. In any event, somehow I think this will be the funeral of the century.
This will be something to see. In MJ’s own words, “This is IT!”

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Relative Lottery

Lady Luck's balls


This past week a 73 year-old man and his wife won twenty-five million pounds in the U.K. Lottery. I´m happy for them but why couldn’t they have won that when they were twenty-five? He said that they have no intention of letting it change their lives in any way, which leaves me wondering why they played in the first place.

In these times of economic crisis to win a lot of money must surely have even more significance than normal. At least for these two people they need never have to worry again about paying their bills or outliving their money. Now they only have to worry about losing interest and capital loss as the world around them goes to hell in a handbasket.

Can you win millions of any currency and not be affected by it to the extent that you continue to live your life the old way? Apparently, the man has a gardening allotment in a community of DIY gardeners, and after discovering his good fortune on Saturday he still went to his allotment on Sunday, as usual, so perhaps he has a bit of a chance.

I was thinking of myself under similar circumstances. Having received the news the question would be: would I retire instantly? Well, I’m already retired. Would I buy another car? I already have two, and my wife has one. Furthermore, one of my cars is a Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign. How many bleeding cars do I need? Would I open a business? Why? For Heaven’s sake, I’m already retired. Would I buy another house? I already have two.
Relatively speaking, I’m already living the life of a lottery winner. Everything is relative, and a life without too many worries is a very good thing indeed.

How would I allow that much money to change my life? Firstly, my wife could hang up her gloves and become one of the ladies who lunch. Secondly, we would no doubt buy a dream house somewhere in the world, although we do love our present home. There are some ways in which it could be improved, mainly by getting rid of some of our horrible neighbours from hell.

I would love to have the freedom from worry about future income, but when you suddenly come into that type of money you take on a different form of money worry and stress.

This is an interesting exercise for me because the facts are that my life is just lovely as it is. Perhaps it could use just a little more of a cushion but should I win big on the lottery it will be for other peoples benefit. Firstly, my son could be given a really great start in life with some form of career and creature comforts. Only problem is that he insists on his own independence and doing things his own way.

Both my mature daughters are doing well, although I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having a bit of a cushion to fall back on. My grandchildren, and my great granddaughter would have a better shot at a future if their grand dad had some extra bucks to lay on them, and that would be good. My sisters and brothers would be up high on my list of people with whom to share my good fortune with. After that, I have a whole village in Cameroon called Gouria to whom I am dedicated in improving their lot in life, so I wouldn’t have to look very far for things to finance.

Well, I seem to have the perfect profile of someone who deserves to win the lottery in a very big way. So, I’ll just keep on playing and we’ll just have to wait and see what comes of that.

Wish me luck!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Fear of Flying!

Catching the Bus!

If you suffer the fear of flying nothing that I am going to say is likely to cure you. We have all shared the story of something that was not supposed to happen with Air France flight 447. The Airbus is a very robust aircraft that was simply thought impossible to be brought down by simple weather. In a sense it’s almost like a replay of the Titanic.

It was made even more dramatic by the fact that the flight had vanished hours before the public became aware of the tragedy. At Paris they were being told that its arrival was delayed. How horrible for them to then discover the awful truth in little instalments.

So if you are someone who has a fear of flying, all of these events have done nothing to ease your fears. In fact, I suspect that a lot of confident people are badly shaken. Professionals who coach people into a state of being at ease about flying do a wonderful job, principally because they talk all around the topic without cutting to the chase. I am going to take a different course and be blunt. Being blunt is how I deal with the uncertainty, and it does work for me as well as it might.

Life is one gigantic gamble. There are no real guarantees. Companies that give them, and governments that make them find that their guarantees dissolve the minute that they do. Life is about risk with the only certainty being that we live, and then we will die. In the meantime there are plenty of times when we must trust our very lives to others.

When we require a medical operation we trust that the operating team will get it right and that we will survive. Such a chance can be thrust upon us as a matter of life or death. It’s all about the risk to reward equation. We may be silly to take the risk of dying under sedation for something minor or selective.

Another time in our lives when we place our lives in the care of a stranger is when we hail a taxi, or take a bus, or simply ride with a friend. Control of the vehicle is in the hands of someone else, and our lives depend upon their skill and judgement. However, I am unaware of something called Fear of Travelling by bus or train or friend. But, there could be classes for people affected by such situations.

In some countries, a simple trip out to the market might be the last thing that you do as there are suicide bombers about. Even going to church could be where your life will end. At least with regard to flying, security measures are quite stringent to keep that form of travelling fairly safe.

When you drive or ride your own vehicle you run the risk of doing something silly yourself that ends in a collision that takes your life, or just being on the road opens you up to the risk of actions by others.

So, the bottom line is this: it is natural to want to live and to avoid situations that place our lives in peril, but the simple fact is that it is not possible to avoid all such risk. There are people who do not leave their own hometown because they won’t fly, yet they are at even greater risk in the everyday things that they do. When it is my time to die, I will die. I might be in an airplane, or on a ship, a bus, in my car or in my bed, but I will come to the end. The only question is whether I die alone or together with a bunch of strangers. I’m not suggesting that I will be happy about it, or even stoic.
What I will not do is die more than once. I am concerned for people who die a small death every time they take a risk. They must suffer such terrible stress over something they cannot totally avoid. My philosophy is to do the opposite and to live life to the full until the day that my life comes to an abrupt halt. Then that will be that.

I don’t save anything for a special occasion; I use the special dishes and cutlery; there’s not too much in my savings account; I own two cars and a motorcycle; and I live each day as though it were my last.

By-the-way, if it’s of any comfort, travel by regularly scheduled aircraft is still the safest method of all. Now, if only they could do something about all the other things that make airline travel such a pain in the ass.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

It’s All an Illusion

It's Magic!

The current worldwide economic crisis is affecting my generation to a greater extent than young people. We are all frightened of what is coming next, but my generation are truly shell shocked because at a time when we need to be able to rely on things that we’ve known all our lives to see us through to the grave, suddenly the sky is falling all around us.

The scope of the problem is so huge that I think in order to try and understand just how overwhelming we have to take one case at a time. We should use as an example a family that have been conservative all their lives. The breadwinner worked at one job throughout his entire life. He was loyal, never missed a day, was seen as a pillar of the company, and as a reflection of his faith and trust he bought the company shares that were offered him as a place of safekeeping for his savings that was for the retirement of he and his wife.

He might have been an employee of 152 year-old Lehman Bros, or any number of other firms of that nature that were household names. Just when he lay back to put up his feet and to enjoy his gold watch the absolutely unthinkable happened: Lehman Bros. disappeared from view as though it never existed. His savings has gone and he has no way of recovering. Unless he was wise and spread his risk that family will probably simply die of broken hearts and broken dreams. They will simply show up in the death notices as mature people who have simply come to the end of their lives. No drama!

More and more so I am seeing the landscape change in front of my eyes. I am sitting down to write this as the television talking heads are describing in detail the ramifications of the bankruptcy of General Motors that was filed today. This follows the bankruptcy of Chrysler motors. In effect, America has gone from being the most powerful economy in the world to being the beggar on the street in about ten years.

There was a time when the U.S. Dollar was the currency that everyone wanted and respected. Today, people are seriously talking about changing the dollar as a reserve currency to the euro. When the OPEC nations elect to price fuel in euros, that will signal the end of America’s role as the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

World leaders have long accepted America’s President as the most powerful man in the world, and that America was the dictator of how world communities should live. The high point of many leaders’ experience was their visit to The White House. Now that President Barack Obama is in office this is not the time to back away from that principle, however, it always has been a little over the top. We can’t all be Americans, nor do we all want to live as Americans do. The world is not wired like that, but to live in peace and harmony with our neighbours in democracy is not a bad thing.

Add to those things much needed stability. There are certain countries whose citizens are legend for not wanting to change their ways. They prefer to just go along doing things as they have always done, and they resist change with all their might. The promoters of the new way cannot understand why a person would actually choose to continue to do things that require more effort rather than to work smarter and easier. It’s all about what you understand. That’s why hardware stores still sell push mowers and hand scythes. When your bank manager was still at his or her desk fifty years on, that was a very good thing. There was trust, knowledge and stability between customer and banker. Now bank managers are rotated routinely and banks are mere institutions without hearts or soul. To add to that they have been at the forefront of making mistakes and helping their clients make mistakes. In one country the government has given banks the power to call in their mortgage clients, to whom they gave a mortgage of more than 100%. Now they require more collateral from the client. Like what do they have in mind?

Yes Chicken Little, the sky is falling. There is nothing that is certain other than death and taxes. Many of my generation did not believe in God, but they did believe in General Motors and Lehman Bros. Now what?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

I'm Shrinking!

I’m perfectly aware that we all shrink as we grow older. As a man I expect to have problems with my shirt size as it is at present, and my suit size, not to mention my waist size. One man said that he has not had a problem with his waist size throughout his entire life. What he really meant was that he is still wearing a size 35 but it isn’t around his waist. The bigger he got the lower he wore his pants in the front.

What has got me to thinking about shrinking is my shoe size. I expect everything else to shift around and about, but I expect my shoe size to remain permanent. Well, it isn’t, dammit! I have bought shoes recently in size 42, which is small for a man anyway. Buying shoes in the Winter is deceptive because of those heavy socks. As a result size 42 fit me perfectly. However, Summer’s here and I have to put away the chunky socks and my shoes don’t fit me any more.

This is so depressing! I’m getting smaller as my voice has gone up an octave. What a pain in the butt this is. I feel I’m losing my virility on the one hand while on the other hand I feel charged up and capable of doing most reasonable things.

I thought I had better take a look at the facts on shrinking while aging. I wish I hadn’t started now because the facts are horrible. It seems we’re in growth mode until at the most around age 30, and that is where we top out. We may get to hold the line for a short time, but once the rot sets in its all downhill after that.

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study says that by age 70, most men are about 1.2 inches shorter than we were at age 20. For women it is even worse as they lose about two inches. The culprit is loss of bone density as we naturally lose calcium and other minerals. Women suffer more than men, hence women are often prescribed calcium supplements at menopause. Brittle bone syndrome attacks women more so than men as well, so hip fractures are something that women have to be more cautious of.

To add to the misery our facial bone structures are sucked in leaving our skin to sag. Many people have relied on the old Nip ‘n Tuck to see them through, but the process is relentless. Unfortunately, in a world where beauty accounts for so much the loss of her beauty is particularly cruel. However, there is one area where women score rather well.

Our brains stop growing just after we pass through our teenage years, but every parent will swear it happens immediately we enter those years, and we actually lose weight and volume of our brains at a rate of about 10 percent a decade, according to a U.S. study. Apparently most men’s brains undergo a dramatic change between ages 60 and 64 in shrinkage, however, women’s brains stay about the same.

Australian researchers tell us that size really doesn’t matter; that we retain all of our mental strength regardless. The loss of memory has more to do with chemical interactions. Well, that’s a relief! That still leaves us with the fact that we do shrink as we age and there’s no putting off the day for that to happen.

I’m still pissed about my shoe size. Man that’s confusing!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

When Life Doesn’t Disappoint

The one thing that is guaranteed is that life will hand us disappointments, whether we are ready for them or not. Our challenge is to accept them with more grace.

Sometimes, however, life does not disappoint, and this is about one of those times. Of course, as you know I am a Columnist. I think that is a very glorified title that I am giving myself, but I can do so, and so I have. I’m sure there are those who would scoff at that, but for the time being, and for the sake of argument let us let it lie. The point I’m clumsily trying to make is about the lonely life of a Columnist. In many ways it’s similar to broadcasters who talk into a microphone and a camera hoping that there is someone out there listening and watching.

From time to time we are assured when someone gives us feedback, usually because they disagree with something we’ve said, but you will be surprised to know that we live for such moments. At least it’s confirmation that someone is listening or reading our stuff.

The act of writing a column is very liberating because we are able to let go of our views and opinions. It’s not at all the same thing to be a news reporter, and those who do both will agree. The wonderful thing about the Internet and blogging is that anyone can do it.

Over the years those of us who blog or write columns for newspapers hope that we gather loyal friends to whom we make sense. The same is the case for us writers in that we also have our favourite contributors. We get to learn their style, and we can tell from the tone of a particular column whether they were having an up or down day when it was written. Without the contributor knowing we make friends who we sometimes disappoint, or make very happy when our views match theirs.

However, there is a danger to this process. As in every case where we admire the work of someone from afar, the real person might be a total turnoff. I have come to learn this personally because I have met some of my favourite film personalities, and boy was I disappointed in most of their private personalities.

My favourite Columnist of all time is a young woman who came to Spain from England about six years ago. She suddenly splashed onto the newspaper scene as “An English Girl in Spain”, which is the title of her Column in the Costa Blanca Group of publications. I recall reading her first contribution and thinking how fresh her style and opinions were, and I have stayed with her column ever since.

She has told us a lot about herself and the trials and tribulations of her life. We knew she was very much in love with her Spanish boyfriend, and then she told us when that came to an end and I was saddened for her. She told us about her Santiago de Compestelo challenge and I ached for her as she came to the near impossible mountain pass in the devil’s weather. Now, she is missing her family and feeling a bit guilty about living here in Spain when they are not exactly next door.


Then, suddenly one day I was introducing myself to this lovely young woman who responded that her name was Joanna Cruickshank, and I could not believe my ears. Without warning I had come face to face with my idol, and I was suitably gobsmacked. After a bit of a chat it occurred to me that here was a lovely young woman with both feet on the ground and her head on straight with a bright future. I also didn’t realise that I had been giving her words on paper a voice that I could hear as I read them. Her actual voice is different to what I imagined in a much better way.

Through this medium I simply want to encourage her to keep up the good work. I’m sure sometimes she finds herself tired and doubtful of whether she should continue. The fact is that “An English Girl in Spain” is the first thing I read in the Costa Blanca/Costa Levante News, and life would degrade without it.

Now, I’m wondering how my voice sounds to you.

Copyright (c) 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Growing Old, or Simply Growing Older

Is Age simply a Number?

The headline read “Percy reaches 102”. For all we knew they might have been talking about his cricket score. The picture showed three people standing, a young girl, and to her left a mature gentleman of about 70, and to his left a younger man. The man in the middle was Percy who had celebrated his 102nd birthday with a conventional party that included dancing, in which he took part.

His name is Percy Miller, who was born in Plymouth, England in 1907. In that same year Katherine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, and John Wayne were also born. They have all passed on, as we are all aware.

The National Union of Women’s Sufferage Societies held their first ever major march, that was dubbed The March in the Mud. Maria Montessori opened her first Montessori School in Rome promoting her own brand of teaching that has endured unto today.

Of special interest is the fact that 1907 in America, and to a lesser degree around the world was a period of great economic uncertainty. In fact, in the United States it was called “The Panic of 1907”. It started with an earthquake in San Francisco that went on to shake the entire U.S. economy and its effect was felt around the world. The cast of characters was the same, being the banks and Wall Street.

For those being born today we should take particular note of the fact that for so many people the actuarial life expectancy tables have so often been proved wrong. In the case of our Percy, when he was born it was expected that he would live to a ripe old age of 47, the same age in Bermuda when I was born in 1939. I don’t know about Percy, but I took it seriously and hurried out of school and got married at a criminally young age and brought our two children into the world by the time we were eighteen.

The Costa Blanca News reported some startling facts about Percy Miller. He was married to Joyce, his wife of 56 years and they had two children and four grandchildren. He lives independently with the help of family and friends. He loves to dance although it’s not likely for him to dance with women of his own age group, as there are none. He was still playing cricket at age 70, which is no big deal. I’m 70 and I can do that…badly. However, at age 90 he abselled down a cliff, something I’m not likely to ever do, except by accident, and something else that I definitely won’t be doing is walking from Jalon to Parcent, an inland route of 5.4 kilometres to celebrate his 100th birthday.

He was asked the inevitable question, to what do you owe your long life? His response was that he always has a glass of orange juice in the morning and a glass of wine at night. Rumour had it that he drank a bottle of whisky a day, and it was wondered what his doctor thought. He denied the rumour, but in any event his doctor is dead, so he can jolly well do as he pleases.

To that question I would have answered for him that he owes his long life to luck….very good luck for having outlived all his friends and enemies. First thing to do to live long is to avoid the Army, Navy and Air Force. They say that if you join up with them you can be all that you can be. I’ve always interpreted that as being dead. Luck was on his side in those cases, keeping him safely sidelined.

He has lived through all manner of crisis’, and even a period of virtual world peace, except for local conflict. For those of us I hope we have the opportunity to live to celebrate our 100th birthdays, just to see how this crazy out-of-control world turns out. However living to such an age also infers quality of life, and if we get to emulate Percy by retaining our motor functions and capabilities we will be very lucky.

The thing to remember is that as we are living longer it might be a good idea to take good care of ourselves. For instance, how wonderful do you think it might be to do as Percy did and Drive his Own Car to the photo shoot! Now that’s a life well worth having lived. Don’t you think?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Big Bang Noise of Peace!

Have a NiceDay!

I give as an example the activities of children playing in a seperate room from yourself, who then suddenly go quiet. You will rush into the room to see what’s the matter.
Now you know exactly what I mean by silence producing sometimes the loudest noise of all.

I have written before of my obnoxious neighbours who start with their noisy lifestyle from the moment they awaken. Sometimes the sun has not arisen and we can hear them screaming at one another. Periodically, all is absolutely quiet at their house and that leads me to look over the balcony to see if they have all (hopefully) died.

You will no doubt have your own examples of having been startled by sudden silence. My favourite story is that of the barking dog who carried on non-stop because he didn’t like being tethered on a chain. When a complaint was made to the owners they suggested that if the dog’s barking disagreed with the neighbours they simply should not listen to it.

That sounds to me like the same choice that people who live alongside a busy road have. The sound of traffic will be constant, so you have to learn to block it out. But what if the road were suddenly closed, how then would the residents cope with so much silence? Would they be put constantly on edge fearing the return of the roar at any minute? I presume they would enjoy their moment of peace so much that the coming loss of it will be unbearable.

Such was the case of Peace, in the sense of war and peace. I do recall only one temporary period of time during which the world was all but completely at peace. With the exception of a few very local disputes there were no major threats hanging over our existence. The Cold War had ended, The Berlin Wall came down, the major powers were talking, and the Pentagon was asking whether they should be developing major weapons of destruction.

Russia and The United States were destroying their own missiles, and the entire world exhaled. In a U.S. Senate session the question was asked that if the U.S. continued to stockpile warheads, against whom might they one day have to be launched. What enemies did America have? The answer came back, that America didn’t have any such enemies at that time.

That was one of those perfect day type situations. You know the type I mean where the temperature is perfect for the beach and the picnic. There’s not a cloud in the sky and life is beautiful and lazy and grand. Anything at all can shatter that fragile picture, and when it does it will come as a surprise.

Well, the picture did shatter, and the image was so long ago, that by comparison with all the bad things that are happening and that have happened since, it seems that we never did have such a wonderful interlude. Part of the actual noise that broke the peace was 9/11, and I wonder how many people looked at that with a sense of outrageous normality. The real noise had returned so it was now O.K. to breath regularly. We knew the peace was all just an illusion.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

World Financial Crisis Solved

World Financial Crisis Solved ! Wall Street off the hook.

You’ve all seen the e-mail making the rounds with the above title. I really enjoyed it because it all seemed so simple. In case you haven’t actually seen it this is what it says: To fix America’s economic problems government should not give so much money to the banks, who seem to be putting it into their pockets in the form of what they call a bonus, instead government should do the following:

There are about forty million people over 50 in the work force. Government should pay each person $1 million in severance pay to take early retirement. That would create 40 million jobs.
Those people must buy a new American car. That would fix the American auto industry.
They must either buy a new house or pay off their mortgage. That would solve the housing crisis.
If more money is required have all members in Congress and their constituents actually pay their income taxes.

Sounds great! What’s right about it, and what’s wrong with it.
Firstly, as always, the devil is in the details.

Take those 40 million people who are now struggling to save up for their retirement and to pay off their mortgages. A windfall of one million dollars in most cases would go a long way to resolving their concerns. Once they have retired, hopefully some of that money could go towards starting their own business that could become an employer. Of course, there will be some people who would actually lose money by taking the million, but overall, it would probably meet with favour by a majority.

The American auto industry is perhaps the largest employer, so to increase demand for their products by 40 million units would in itself put a great many people back to work. Of course, many of those same workers would have been beneficiaries of the payout, so younger people would go into their vacant jobs. So far, so good!

Those forty million people would have to buy a house or retire their mortgages. For many people this would be a reprieve from near death as they are losing their homes because they have lost their job. This solution would bring lots of new workers into the market to meet the demand. Even those people who have a home that is paid for would be required to buy a new home, so presumably they could do so, then later when the country is stable they could sell it in the normal manner.

These steps seem solid to me, except that America’s unemployed number far fewer than 40 million. To make up the additional workers needed America could always bring in Mexicans, who are going to come anyway.

Hopefully, such a programme would address the toxic assets on the books of the lending institutions, but if it did the question then becomes whether the bankers will go back to their old habits and give too much credit too freely, in the interest of their bonus’.

The major problem with this idea is that it feel socialist, and in America that just does not sell. You can “give” as much money to the banks as you wish, and not all will be recovered. We speak of giving, but government thinks in terms of investment, however a lot of money will be lost in the process. The other thing that’s wrong is that 40 million times one million dollars is so much money my calculator has just had a heart attack.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Modern Day Super Hero?

A New kind of Super Hero


They say that the President of the United States is the most powerful man on earth. Some people would choose to debate this, but there is no doubt that whatever he or she decides to do does have an effect on just about the whole world, so that is a lot of power. However, it’s not simply a case of having the power, but how it is used that is important.

I finally got around to watching the film “Hancock” starring Will Smith. This is a very unusual role for him as he acts out the part of Super Hero, a different kind of Superman. He has a definite public relations problem in the film, but it got me to thinking about super heroes, and what we expect from them.

Essentially, we expect our ideal hero to be on the side of good. They are supposed to be a part of the solution, coming to the rescue in the nick of time. No challenge is too great, or too small, and everybody looks up to them. Most of our super heroes exists only in our imagination, however President Obama is very real, and so far he seems to be filling out the criteria very well.

He has taken on an impossible task, that of putting the U.S. economy back on the tracks after a derailment unlike at any other time in history, and that would most likely lead to putting things right with the rest of the world. He has taken some bold steps to turn things around. The U.S. was in very bad shape when he stepped into office on January 20th, 2009. President George W. Bush drew the short end of the stick. It was on his watch that 9/11 happened, and when the result of too much easy credit came home to roost.

I thought that he, together with Dick Cheney as Vice-President, and Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defence responded quite rationally by striking back at the sponsors of the 9/11 atrocity in Afghanistan. However, they then went a step too far by attacking Iraq on a pretext, and that led to a great deal of criticism worldwide, and America’s image fell off a cliff.

Following President Obama’s G-20 involvement and stops throughout Europe a poll was conducted among foreigners asking whether his performance had caused them to revise their opinion favourably towards the United States, and a staggering 91% said yes. This is no small achievement and bodes well for the future.

President Obama has gone on to tackle the thorny issue of Cuba, a thorn in the side of the U.S. for over 50 years. No other president would even touch the subject, but just a little loosening of the icy grip has brought forth from the Castro brothers the surprising statement that they are prepared to talk, and everything is on the table. At the least Cuba has been a perpetual embarrassment to the U.S. so to bring about a warming of relations would be a welcome thing. After all there are very real people who have been suffering as a result of the intransigence of the leaders.

Then came the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, and Mr. Big Mouth, Hugo Chavez, who is on record as having said that he thought President Obama was stupid was overheard now to say that he would welcome a friendship between himself and Mr. Obama.

So far, so good!

This is the kind of real super hero we can all believe in. I’m sure that even those people who still can’t digest the fact that he is their president are probably pausing to reflect on the reasons they hate him so much, and are finding that the list is shrinking.

So, as goes the President so goes the country, and in effect the entire world. At least everybody is talking, except that lone wolf in North Korea, but hopefully he will come around. His people are dying to have him get on board the Joy Express.

I wish President Obama continued success, and very small and inconsequential errors because he does not walk on water. Let’s stay tuned for the second 100 days.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Times in which we Live

Over a recent span of time I have become engrossed in survivability in times of war and peace. One thing rings very clear in my mind, and it is this: we are all products of our time. Our experience will de dictated by those times, and in spite of our individual ambitions it will be the circumstances into which we are born that will ultimately determine the degree of quality, and to a large measure the quantity of the life that we will lead.

This was not always obvious to me, although I was born in 1939, a time of war for the western world. From my earliest memories I have lived in a period of rising expectations, a very privileged position to have had.

I began kindergarten at age five. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force occupied their bases on my island. It was from these personnel that I first tasted chewing gum and chocolate, and I was told tales of life in America. The war ended and the government decided to develop tourism to Bermuda as its main economic pillar.

As U.S. dollars continued to roll into our economy the value of our little piece of real estate in the Atlantic began to grow and the benefit was felt throughout the entire island.
I never had to serve in the armed forces, and nothing arose to disturb my progress in realising my own ambitions. My life has been my own to live as I have seen fit, and I am the only person responsible for my success in life, or otherwise.

Living in Spain in my retirement has brought all this home to me as I continue to research the history of this country. Any country that has been through a civil war, (in my opinion the very worst kind of war there is), has a very special challenge placed upon its future. Fundamentally, this country went to the polls and elected a government in a spirit of democracy, and that led to more trouble than anyone could have predicted. For many people it led to their very own deaths.

There are certain issues that can erupt within society that draw clear lines with no room for fence sitting. You either support the present government or you don’t. You either support the death penalty or you don’t. The issue of slavery brought a nation to clash against itself and its wounds are still somewhat raw all these years later.

We have avoided war in most cases of disagreement because we have matured as humankind. We have seen how ugly war is and we would rather avoid sinking into that particular hell. However, in some cases as individuals we are simply drawn into conflict, and that is where luck comes into play.

For me, I am very lucky to have been born in Bermuda. My forbearers moved from America to Barbados, and then to Bermuda. Had I been born in America my life’s experience would have been very different. I sat on the sidelines and watched Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr lead the fight for my human rights. I also sat on the sidelines as Barack Obama fought gallantly to move America forward by a quantum step to realise Dr. King’s dream. Had I grown up in America I would have been in the thick of battle, and I would not have had a choice.

Our son has to cope in times of growing hardship and grave social danger. The very large question that is unanswered at the moment is whether there is a wall into which he will slam that will turn his life into a living hell. Our hope for him is that he will always have options for growth and happiness, and that he will have the wisdom to make the right choices. Far too many young people squander their choices until they find it’s too late to recover, and that they are the authors of their own misfortune.

The other big negative is that we should expect to see stress related illness affect more young people than ever. We already have seen a dramatic rise in murders committed by the very young.

In the times in which we are now living, being young might just be the greatest weight of all to bear.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

One Solo Crane

Lonely Crane

Once upon a time, not very long ago our skyline was a very busy place. One could have turned 360 degrees and everywhere you would have seen construction cranes dotting the horizon. You could have been forgiven for thinking that they were tv antennas. Here in Spain, as a measure of how hard the economy has fallen our skyline is all but bereft of the familiar sight of those giants standing watch over us.

The building boom that began ahead of the change to the euro gathered pace and had the beneficial effect of taking all those unemployed people off the streets. Spain had never been so safe for instead of breaking into homes men have had legitimate work.

Then, a little Building Society in England when bust, leaving depositors lining up at its doors demanding their money. Little did anyone know that that was the thin edge of the wedge. Bankers have been quick to point fingers at the United States, declaring that the problems started there. Certainly the scope of the crisis there is enormous, but how did it involve institutions around the world?

The construction industry was the engine that drove Spain hard. Spaniards came to realize benefits they could not have dreamed of. Suddenly everyone was driving a top of the line car, with summer and winter homes. The top jobs were reserved for locals, and the ladies were turned out in only the best.

Pop! Bang!! Boom!!!

That was the sound the Spanish balloon made as it burst, making for the worst statistic within Europe. So far, four million are out of work. Many foreigners who came to get a piece of the pie have simply returned home. However, those illegal would-be immigrants still come in droves hoping against hope that Spain holds a better life them. A few do succeed and the word gets back home and that brings even more to place an ever-heavier burden on social services. Somehow the word needs to get to Africa that there really isn’t anything better here for them. The special shame is that so many lose their lives along the way in vain.

As I write this the downward spiral continues at an increasing pace. The knock-on effect is taking its toll as one after another companies are forced to close. One way we know when things are on an upward spiral is by seeing the new shops and restaurants and bars that open offering new and exotic experiences. Fancy design furniture shops; travel agencies send people farther afield, and fashions soar in their imagination. Those things are gone now, or well on their way out.

I passed a young woman sitting on a doorstep recently. I have never seen such despair up close as she showed me. She looked up and our eyes met and I was shaken by what I saw. I have no real idea of what her problem was. It need not have been money, or even the effects of illegal drugs, I only know that I have been seriously affected. I think she was saying with her eyes that she wanted to die, there and then.

It’s very difficult to say how long these sad times might last. There is so much over inventory in ready-to-move-in houses that have absolutely no buyers, and the promise of possible buyers recedes with every new person laid off. Now would perhaps be a good time for young people to consider joining the military, and the government might consider an aggressive programme of road and bridge building. The traditional cornerstones of the economy are in serious trouble, and the day that they emerge into the light will probably be a long way into the future.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

More Bad News

Crimes against all the women of the World

Last week I wrote about Josef Fritzl, the monster of Austria, who dislikes being thought of as a monster for having enslaved his daughter for 24 years and keeping her as his sex slave. You will recall that he fathered 7 children with her, against her will. It seems that although I said that I was disgusted by his actions, I neglected to say how ashamed that made me feel as a man, that one of of "us" could be so low. Well, unfortunately, even before the ink had dried I got another chance to express my revulsion and to make up for my omission.

Austria may be glad to have some company in its misery, but Colombia, South America, have now reported that they have arrested their own monster for allegedly sexually abusing his daughter over a very long time, and in the process he has fathered eight children with her. The daughter is now 35 years of age, and her oldest child is 19, a shared fact with the Fritzl case.

The man, speaking in his own defence, said that the woman is not his biological daughter, but rather he and his now deceased wife adopted her. His daughter is adamant that he is her biological father.

Let me be clear: whether adopted or biological, there is no difference in so far as this crime is concerned. It is heinous and beyond the acceptable or understandable actions of man. The man who molests his own children is scum. He gives up his right to call himself a man, because other men cannot understand him, nor apologise for him. Indeed, he can no longer say that he is a decent human being. He moves down beyond the bottom dwellers. He cannot say that he lives with them because they have done nothing to be linked with him.

These kinds of actions, no matter how many more come to the surface, are so far outside respectable human behaviour that the individuals who commit them deserve our absolute scorn.

Much time and angst has been spent in trying to come up with an appropriate form of punishment/treatment to deal with these cretins. When last I wrote I said that I simply did not know what was the correct thing to do. Well, I now have a better idea.

Most men are motivated by our sexual urges. That’s how we are wired. We work hard to impress the women we find attractive, and all our efforts drive us to sexually mate with the women we find who inspire us. The kids and the mortgage and stressful job come as a surprise. I’m assuming that these men who take their daughters do so because of an inability to find satisfaction elsewhere. Should that be the case I have to assume there will be other cases in the future.

Rape, imprisonment, abduction, already have their punishment guidelines. What we need to do is beef up the response to this sort of incest. I am certain that within the boundaries of decent society’s conscience we can tolerate treating the attacker by having his penis reduced to a mere stump so that it can no longer be used for penetration purposes. Such an operation can be carried out with all proper conditions, and most likely doctors would not have a problem with it. After all, it does not contravene the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, as the doctor will be safeguarding society and the individual himself.

I also believe that the men themselves would possibility agree to such a procedure. The one thing that is apparent is that when found out these men go into a super sense of shame. We saw how Josef Fritzl hid his face, even though it was already so well known. Some people who commit certain types of crime actually hope to be caught and stopped.

And now, a word to the women of the world: The vast majority of men are decent people who are as outraged as you must be by the telling of these tales. We do not understand such individuals who commit such outrage against women, nor can we condone in any way their actions. We find ourselves constrained by the natural justice guidelines, beyond which we will not go. This is not a time to lose faith and to think that the world is going to end in a cesspool of depravity because all the men have gone mad. However, what this does tell us is that there are a few men who are capable of taking their sickness into new frontiers. There would be nothing wrong with bearing that in mind and acting accordingly.

What do you think?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

I am Not a Monster

Beautiful Salzburg, Austria

Josef Fritzl does not like being described as a Monster. You will recall that he is the “gentleman” from Austria who took his own daughter hostage and enslaved her as his sex object. He held her against her will for 24 long years in a downstairs sealed apartment where he fathered seven children with her.

One of the children needed urgent medical care at an early age, however he was adamant that there would be no medical intervention, so the child died. For this he was charged with murder.

Because of the nature of the offences allegedly committed he was further charged with numerous acts of rape, too numerous to count, and with incest.

Perhaps Mr. Fritzl is correct, the word monster does seem tame under the circumstances.

In my opinion, for any father to have sexual relations with his own child is to qualify him as a monster of the highest degree. I cannot even imagine what goes through a person’s mind to make him think that would be justified. For any female to experience being treated with such disdain and disrespect is not something that any man can imagine, even those who commit the offence. The exception to this is when it’s a man on the receiving end from another man.

When the aggressor is her own father, the one person upon whom she is supposed to be able to count on for protection, she surely must believe that this world is putrid beyond belief.

There are some other elements to this story that are even more important. I wonder what was in the mind of Mrs. Fritzl. Oh yes! There is a Mrs. Fritzl. As widely reported, her name is Rosemarie and she is approximately 69 years of age. She lived in the upstairs part of the very same house under which her daughter was being held for all those years. She was told by her husband that their daughter had run away from home and joined a cult. Then he showed up with three of his children/grandchildren for her to care for, explaining that they were her daughter’s for whom the daughter could not care for.

In researching this story, incredibly other media have printed the names of all the players. I disapprove of that. I think that it is insensitive to the burden that the children/grandchildren already have to bear, so I will refrain from doing so.

Many people absolutely refuse to believe that the wife had no idea of what was going on. However, it should be borne in mind that he did not intend that she know. The bunker itself was actually under the backyard, rather directly below the house, so the sounds of crying children were adequately muffled.

His daughter was 19 when he lured her into what was to become her home for the next 24 years. She is now 42 and very deeply troubled. I try to imagine what his rape of her was like that first time, and my mind shuts down. I just can’t go there. And all those subsequent times when he entered the bunker for sex. I can hear her pleading “Daddy, please, not again!”

The ages of the children are as follows: Girl, 19, boy, 18, girl, 16, girl, 14, boy, 12, boy, 5. Three of the children had never seen daylight since they were born.

There are two things that disturbs me about the children: How will they cope, especially since everybody in Austria knows who they are, and they all bear this man’s evil seed. I suppose that they could be given social counselling and transferred to another country and given new identities, but there is still the matter of the evil seed that they carry, and they will all know about how they came into the world. How does one rise above such a horrific beginning?

Fritzl was once an honourable man in the eyes of those who knew him, but now that the truth is out he felt the need to hide his face. I imagine that one of the worst punishments for anyone to suffer is to lose their honour. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

So, Herr Fritzl, you may not think you’re a monster but in the eyes of the world you are the ultimate monster. As for me, all I know is that you thoroughly disgust me. Your crimes are against humankind because they are crimes against your own family. I have no idea as to what would be the proper punishment for you within the law. I note that there is a suggestion that you be jailed for the rest of your miserable life, and that you be given treatment. This outraged me until I remembered that treatment can take many forms.

On its face Austria is a place of breathtaking beauty and culture. Everything seems to be in place, and it seems to work like the finest clock. However, Austria needs to look inwards and ask itself whether it is reasonable that it gave to the world, apart from Josef Fritzl, Wolfgang Priklopil who abducted Natascha Kampusch whom he held for eight years, but not always underground or even indoors; and it also gave us as its president Kurt Waldheim, a “former” nazi. He also served for five years as UN Secretary-General. (I can hear your breath stop.)

The worst thing to date that Austria has given to the world is one of its sons, Adolf Hitler. For this it should forever be in an apologetic state to all of humankind. Were it not for the fact that it also gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger we might have a totally dismal view of this country.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Australia

Australia-The Land Down Under

It’s an amazing thing that in spite of the fact that Australia is so large we could fit all of Europe within it, and still have space left over, I hardly know anything about it. However, lately news from Australia seems to be a regular feature. I have always regarded that country in the same sense as the downstairs neighbours. You know they are there, but they can be ignored.

As a young person the only thing I knew about the country was that they would not admit any people of colour. A government minister from my country who was black, had to attend a Commonwealth conference that was held in Australia. In order for him to be admitted he was given a certificate naming him as an “Honorary White”. He was mortified, and he used his time for speech to castigate the government for their policies.

From my viewpoint at that time, I considered that any country that was that stupid was probably also very dangerous. I resolved that they would never have to worry about me coming to visit. That was a long time ago. Since then, my wife, who is British with a sister living in Australia, took our son for a visit so that he could make his acquaintance with his cousins. He fell in love with the place, and now, two years later, at the age of 18, he has gone back on his own accord for a year’s work/study. He could not have chosen a more event filled year to be there.

There have been killer floods in the north, out of control fires in Victoria, (that is located to the north of Melbourne;) and a typhoon that has ravaged the east coast. I have always had the impression that the country was a very dangerous place. There are creatures on the loose that can rip a man to shreds. Those are the women of Australia, commonly known as Sheila’s. The animals are even more vicious.

I was very touched by the dramatic impact of the fires that took the lives of some 200 persons and destroyed so much property. To be told that some of those fires were deliberately set out of mischief is a body blow that is felt from even this distance.

I must admit that I have mellowed somewhat as the country has changed a great deal. However, I would really have to be desperate to go there. Our son booked his own flight and bought his own ticket. We live in Spain and I thought he would fly to London, then on to Australia across Africa with perhaps a stop-over in Indonesia. He chose to fly London direct to Los Angeles, then direct to Sydney, before changing planes to fly to Melbourne. That was the long way round, although cheaper. He sat on airplanes for more than thirty hours, plus he had waiting times of another ten hours. Only a young person with stamina could do that. As I say, I would have to really be desperate to go there via any route.

As far as I can tell, Australia is a dream world for a student taking a gap year for adventure. He has gone there for the purpose of developing his independence, so we are not getting blow-by-blow accounts of his trials and tribulations, but we do understand that he is fully engaged and enjoying the experience. We believe that he is meeting up with other young people who are backpacking and that he is learning a great deal from the university of life.

The world has changed so much and continues to do so before our eyes. To be young, free and adventurous in this age must be a wonderful thing. As for me, my sense of “get up and go” has long gone.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Lowest of the Low

I have been following a case through the courts that is especially instructive as to the depths one person can sink in their inhumanity to man. This is not an example from a war torn area. Places like Germany, the United States, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eastern Europe, Iraq, and various other parts of Africa are replete with examples of how depraved humans can be, but this is a story from a wealthy country at peace.

The facts are as follows: A distinguished gentlemen has lived to reach the age of 100, while maintaining his independence. However, his ability to get around on his own was diminishing, and his capability of looking after himself really required that he be given some help. An agency was contracted to send a caregiver. They chose a 47-year-old female who held herself out as a family person and a devout Christian.

She began her care of the gentleman, but after only a few months it was noticed that his spending habits had altered. He had been receiving a pension of $1,400 per month, against which he spent $1,300. However, he had a savings account of $110,000 that he was not touching. Perhaps he should have been finding the odd thing or two to amuse himself, but as he had outlived all his friends and relatives, except one, who lived in another country, he had no-one to share his life with.

A neighbour noticed that the caregiver had moved in with her client, bringing her family with her. The elderly gentleman had been moved from the part of the house that he loved, the part with the view of the sea, and was placed in a small room at the back of the house.

A brand new car appeared at the house, and on the surface he appeared to be reasonably happy. He did not complain when the relative called to check on him, however, the neighbour sensed that something was awry. A call was placed to the relative suggesting that they might like to look into the current state of affairs.

What that investigation uncovered was the following: The caregiver soon discovered that the old man had a very healthy balance at the bank, so she convinced her client that it would be cheaper for him to hire her direct. She resigned from the agency, thereby excluding them from monitoring her activities; then she convinced him to give her Power-of-Attorney, although she was neither an attorney nor a blood relative.

Armed with that document she completely took over his life. She told him what he could or could not do. She made him give up his preferred space in the house, and she spent his money as though it were her own for personal things for herself and her family. When she was caught his account had been depleted by $90,000.

Adjectives fail me. I can only say that a special place is reserved for this woman and her husband in hell. To steal from someone such as this gentleman is to show such utter disrespect to all seniors, and in particular to herself. I’m thinking of appropriate names for her, but I will keep them to myself. You can think of your own list.

As disturbing as the actions of this very depraved person are, I am upset with others who should have stood up for the gentleman. Firstly, the Agency who sent the caregiver must have seen that her resignation meant that a private deal had been struck between their client and the caregiver. That is one of the fundamental protections that they must surely be responsible to guard against. In my opinion, they should be held responsible for his losses.

Secondly, she applied a Power-of-Attorney over the assets of someone for whom she had no basis to be granted such power. Perhaps were she his next-of-kin a good case might have been made, but under those circumstances it would have been far better for his attorney to have held that power so that any requests for disbursements could have been monitored. Instead, the law firm actually complied. They did not have to do so. Instead, if he insisted they could have referred the matter to the department of Social Services.

Finally, when a citizen reaches a certain age, I always thought that the Department of Social Services takes a particular interest in their welfare. It seems to me that they should look into the living structure of such senior citizens to ensure that they are not being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. Apparently this is not happening.

There were three hurdles to the caregiver being able to abuse her client. She crossed them all without any problem. They are all in one way or another in the business of providing care to the community, especially those who are not able to fend for themselves adequately. They all failed miserably! May the caregiver rot in hell!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Bad Decisions

I have been watching a series by National Geographic that recreates the consequences of bad decisions taken by individuals. The individuals themselves usually relate the stories, so we can say that they are lucky to have survived their own stupidity to talk about it.

It never fails to amaze me that we do things that we realize at the time are stupid and harmful to ourselves, but we do them anyway. I have done my fair share of stupid things, (nothing actually illegal) and as I view such stories I have to say I’m very glad it wasn’t me who was the subject of the presentation.

Usually the events involve the police, customs, or rescue services, or all of the above. I am moved to write this as I hope it might help some young person. The latest story involved a young man in Miami (USA) who fell in love with a cute young girl of seventeen who said that she was married and the victim of an abusive husband. She approached our young man in a tearful state bearing a cut lip, saying that her husband had beaten her. She was never going to go back to him, but she had no idea where she was going to stay.

Our hero came to the rescue by offering to let her stay with him. It developed that she was a cocaine addict who always had enough for herself and a friend or two. (Clue No. 1.)

He fell madly in love with her and eventually she said that she had been made an offer to fly to Mexico to bring back cocaine for a price, but she needed someone to come with her to watch her back. He said no way, but eventually he agreed with the stipulation that he will not carry any drugs himself.

Once they arrived they were met by their contacts who restricted their movements and ensured that they were dependent on their hosts for money and accommodation. Then, in a surprise move the hosts said that they wanted the girl to leave a couple of days ahead of him to limit suspicion. (Clue No. 2.)

Along the way she was seen to speak with certain people with more familiarity than that of complete strangers, and that did puzzle him a bit. (Clue No. 3.)

She left but didn’t call him when she got back to the United States. The drug dealers suddenly came to his room in a very angry mood demanding to know where she was. They say that she took off without the drugs, so he will have to take the drugs himself. He very reluctantly does so, and the last security officer he had to pass discovered that he was carrying contraband and he was arrested.

I have worked as a customs agent with the specific task of busting drug runners. I want to offer a bit of advice to any person who might be thinking about doing something as stupid as smuggling drugs.

“The thing that you are now getting around to thinking of doing is something that professional drugs agents have been stopping for a long time.”

In the case of the young man in our story, he was set-up from the start. The girl was paid to recruit naive young men into doing her bidding through getting them to fall in love with her. He should have paid attention to the fact that she always had a stock of cocaine. Where did it come from? How did she afford it?
Based on that fact alone he needed to shake her free. She was trouble with a capital “T”.

He resisted going to Mexico to take part in a smuggling operation because he knew it was a crazy and self-destructive thing to do. So, why did he do it?

He should have paid particular attention to the people whom she had out of earshot conversations with in a familiar manner. Although she said that she had never done anything like that which they were engaged in, she clearly had travelled this route before.

A person who agrees to take drugs through customs is called a mule. Another name for a mule is an ass, a name that is well deserved. I will not betray my oath of office by divulging the specifics of a custom officer’s training, but here are some common sense thoughts. An experienced customs officer can spot a mule from the moment he steps into the airport or dock, or crossing. The suspect might give himself/herself away by nerves and sweat, or be super cool. More than once people have been busted because the officer asked a question, received an answer, paused to consider what was said and asked again.

In the case we are considering our traveller did not even have a carry-on suitcase. The dealers taped six kilos of cocaine to his body so he even had some difficulty in walking. What’s more, they drove him to the airport and dropped him off in plain sight of the departure desks. From the moment he stepped out of that car he was a marked man.

He got through the previous security checks because officials were probably playing a little game with him. They let him get deep within the network so that he felt he could relax, and then they sprung their trap.

While telling his tale he completely missed two points: One, he said again and again, that if only the officer hadn’t actually touched him gently on his back to assist him along he would have gotten away with it. He seemed to think that the officer’s touch was accidental. It wasn’t! Trust me. Secondly, he refused to believe that his girlfriend had betrayed him. He said “There was no way she would have done such a thing!”

Oh Yeah?

He was sentenced to eight years in a very dirty Mexican prison. Anybody still think it might be worth it to smuggle drugs?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Black & White

I am in the process of reading President Barack Obama’s first book, “Dreams from my Father” which relates to his early life. He was born in Hawaii of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya. He spent a large part of his early years in Hawaii and in Indonesia, before moving to New York as a young idealized man. Finally he settled in Chicago.

I found it quite interesting to note that his journey of self discovery involved, more or less the same confusion of a young black man whose both parents were black. My reasoning is that if one of your parents is white, and you have white relatives, why would you go through a process of demonising white people if your relatives were kind to you?

I think that many people no longer even know what the difference between being a Negro is and what being black is. What is the difference between being a Caucasian or being a White person? I believe that most people think it’s the same thing, but I beg to differ.

The dictionary says that to be Caucasian is to be a part of the White or light-skinned division of mankind. In other words, of the Caucasian tribe. According to Wikipedia, the name appears to have been developed by a German scientist and classical anthropologist, Johann Freidrich Blumenbach, around 1800. He based the name on the people from the Caucasus region of Russia, including Georgia, because he deemed these people to represent the archetype of the race.

The Nazis took the whole concept to an even higher and ridiculous level insisting that having fair skin was not enough. You had to conform to definite measurements to be accepted into the club. Generally, in very early times it might be said that whites came from the northern hemisphere, and other races from the more sunny south.

It is not my intention to go too deeply into the subject, but the thing that is evident upon just scratching the surface is that this is a very thorny matter. However, what is not debated is that Caucasians and Negroes fundamentally differ in our approach to life. This is as it is supposed to be, and our challenge is to get along and succeed in spite of our differences.

The Wikipedia definition of Negro is to be of Black ancestry. In the languages of Spanish and Portuguese Negro means black. However, until the early to mid sixties the race was described as Negro or, in polite circles, “Coloured.” Then came the struggle for civil rights and we began to hear the term Black used in various connotations. There was “Black Power”, and “Black Rights”, and “Black People.” Because of the circumstances of its introduction into common language I believe it represents an attitude rather than a colour.

You could not say that you were Negro, and not Black without drawing down upon you the most severe condemnation. Even to day, in certain highly militant circles you cannot belong and express an admiration for things outside the circle’s approved list.

As a development in the right direction, if you don’t wish to be seen as a black man, or as a polite descriptive usage you are allowed the use of “African-whatever”. President Obama, who apparently some people still seem to think is Irish, (O’Bama), is described as America’s first African-American president. That was a very important step for America to take as they have broken the sacred mould of “white and male” as president in favour of simply the best person available.

If we accept that black and white represent attitudes, it can then follow that there will be people who can hold black attitudes while being Caucasian, and vice-versa. Who says that we have to remain absolutely within the club in which we were born. To be able to move about and to contribute to and take from other cultures is how we grow and live life to the full.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Too Much!

Greed is not Good!

I have an idea of how the United States, and the entire capitalist world has come to get itself into so much trouble. That doesn’t mean that I also have the solution to our problems. Far from it! If my theory of where things went so wrong is correct, making things go right will not be easy or instant.

I can sum it up in two words: Too Much!

I can tell my side of the story in five million words or just a few. I elect to take the latter approach, although the situation is as complex as it is simple. I will use just one bank as an example.

There was a time when our bank held few assets, say, 10 million dollars. Their customers asked them to invest their savings with the dual mandates of conserving the capital and providing a reasonable rate of interest. The bank said that it could do that, and it did because it could find enough blue chip companies to invest in.

Through its success more people came to trust it and its assets grew to more than 100 million dollars. As well, some of the bank’s customers asked for part of their money to be invested in safe situations, and part could go into something called “venture capital” where the returns could be much greater, but also the risks would have to be greater.

The bank had to enter into an investment market that was risky where the swings were wild in order to go after big gains. The more success they had the more money they were given to produce results. It is a truism that if we commit $1,000 to a new idea that pays off well we wish we had put $1,000,000 into it. So, the second time we get serious and the bank is given ever more money to manage. Now, finding the hot items that come up winners begins to get difficult.

This is the culture of greed, and as Gordon Greco said, “Greed is Good!” Not! Greed is what brought more than three million customers to Bernard Madoff and that let him alledgely swindle them of more than 50 billion dollars. It is said that he made-off with all that money by engaging in one of the oldest con games known to man. In among his distinguished clients are a long list of bankers who bloody well should have known better.

Now, let’s switch to the bank’s mortgage market. It does a moderate business in lending money to well vetted borrowers. Along comes a builder and asks that the bank back it in a small building programme. The project gets completed and the builder sells all the properties thereby returning five dollars for every dollar borrowed. So, the builder now wants to enter into a project that is massive and the bank is keen to back them. They repeat the first example, and everyone is happy.

Everybody also gets greedy, and they go again with a project that is huge and not well thought through. When it comes time to sell the units they find that well qualified buyers are few and far between, so they start to go out on the margins to pick up people who just might be able to handle a mortgage, and they give them a bigger mortgage than they should. The stage is set for an unavoidable collapse. When the collapse comes everybody is surprised, except the people who were active in promoting the disaster, but who enjoyed lots of commissions and bonuses along the way.

Ever heard of a 100% mortgage? This is where the buyers have no money at all to buy a home, so all concerned engineer the situation so that the bank gives the buyers all the money they need to sign on the dotted line. How do they do it? The bank’s assessor goes out to view the property, and if the buyer and seller have agreed on 100, the assessor increases the value to 120 and the bank then takes off the 20 as it’s margin of safety and gives 100. The hope is that the market will continue to rise and the buyer will pay on time, and all will be well.

What has happened is that we have built too much real estate inventory for which there are no buyers. The building boom has had to stop, and the person paying the mortgage has lost his job, and the bank has had to foreclose on a property whose value has fallen like a lead weight, and the bank has had to show losses which are then reflected in the value of it’s stock price, and the bank is unable to pay out money demanded by it’s savers who no longer have jobs and are consequently not able to pay any of their bills, etc, etc, etc.

We started with just one bank, but it’s easy to see how interlocked everything is, and the global financial system rises together and it falls together. No business or country is an island in the financial sense.

We have tried to do too much in too short a period of time. Now we see millions upon millions of people around the world losing their jobs with no prospects of finding anything other than whatever their governments can do to put them back to work. Government funded emergency jobs are intended as short-term opportunities. The private sector is where careers are made and entrepreneurship can flourish. This will be very difficult to accomplish.

The alarming thing about all of this is that the experts are suggesting that the answer to an economic comeback is more of the same.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Happiest Couple in the World

Miguel and Maria

Miguel and Maria are our neighbours. He is a giant of a man, and Maria is as tiny as a fairy. She once had hair so long that it draped almost to the ground. As a result of living side by side with them, my family and I are all the more blessed. We may try to carefully pick the people alongside whom we live and interact on a daily basis, but sometimes it doesn’t quite work out. Of our four closest neighbours three range from good to very excellent. It’s best I make no comment regarding the fourth.

We have had the good fortune to observe, without being deliberate or intrusive a match apparently made in heaven between Miguel and Maria, for these two wonderful people personify the dream that we all have at the beginning of our marriages, that of having a special someone to spend the rest of our lives with; someone to grow old with in a life marked by peace, love and harmony.

I’m sure you have your own candidates to wear the title that I have given this piece. In our world of serial marriages or no-marriages, it’s important to look for examples of how it’s supposed to be. That is why I want to tell the story of this lovely couple because it is a good news story, one to lift our spirits, and it celebrates Saint Valentine’s Day so well.

Miguel and Maria have been married for 41 years, having tied the knot in 1968. Their story began in a time when Spain was a whole world apart from what it has become in these modern times.

Miguel was born in 1945 in a pueblo called Benelup Casas Vieja, located inland in the general vicinity of Cadiz on the South Coast of Spain. These were the days during the dictatorship and times were very hard indeed. Miguel remembers mostly the ever-present hunger and fear. It was hard to know which was worse. Those were the days where if you let slip the wrong word they would come for you and you were taken away and never heard from again. It was also a time when old scores were settled even though a person might have been entirely loyal to the government.

Sometimes the government agents didn’t even bother to take those chosen away, as in the time the soldiers came to his village and lined up a group of men who were suspected of being Communists. They were herded into a clearing and summarily shot to death, then set ablaze with petrol poured over their bodies.

Living conditions were not unlike those in Northern Africa. Houses were built in the round from clay and roofed with thatched grass. Naturally, all industry was agriculture based, but in spite of growing food the distribution was strictly controlled and that often led to the very people who grew the food being denied sufficient to feed their own families.

1960 was to be a turning point for both Miguel and Maria. That was the year that they met in the town of Manises, Valencia. Fate had brought Maria from Andalucia, and Miguel from Cadiz, and they have hardly been apart ever since. Somehow, they manage to share in most activities of every day and maintain a relationship that is evidently first and foremost, friends and soul mates.

Saint Valentine, the Patron Saint of all lovers, must surely have had in mind these two lovely people as examples for young folk to follow. They are proof that it is possible to make a success of marriage, and that the fairy tale of "happy ever after" can be true.

It is important to keep uppermost in one’s mind the fact that nothing comes easy, and if it’s something of great worth, it will require tenacity, determination to make it work, and the realization that life together is about sometimes giving and sometimes getting.

One more thing: we must first accept the fact that our family deserve our utmost respect. Seems like a simple enough statement, but how many of us accept that as fact? Respect, and loyalty among the family is the cement that bonds us together. Add genuine love to that and a promise not to provoke or hit, and all the elements will be in place for a long life together.


Happy St. Valentine’s Day, Everyone!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Theft on Wall Street ?

Rewarding Incompetence?


Many banks, both traditional and investment found themselves in a great deal of trouble to the extent that if the US Government had not come forth with a whole lot of money to bail them out, they would have become bankrupt. Then, it was discovered that at the end of the year the executives awarded themselves and their staffs some 18 billion dollars in bonuses.

CNN asked their viewers whether they thought that this was correct, or whether these bonus payments must be returned? That opened a floodgate of responses and among them there was not one "No" to be found.

President Obama upon hearing the news said that he thought the practise was “shameful!”

“Bonus: An unsought or extra benefit. A seasonal gratuity to employees beyond their normal pay. An extra dividend or issue paid to the shareholders of a company. A distribution of profits to holders of an insurance policy. Bonus: a good thing.”

Those are the descriptions of a bonus given by the Oxford Dictionary.

In my working lifetime I have been a recipient of the year-end bonus at Christmas that was well appreciated. It happened only in those years where we exceeded profit projections and was given as a part of the extra profit and an incentive for us to repeat our performance the following year. In those years where we came in on profit target, or below expectations there was no bonus, for there was no basis on which to award one. We all understood!

So, considering that the 18 billion dollars was given out by companies that were about to fall off the edge into bankruptcy begs the question: how can a bonus be justified? Especially in the light of those companies receiving taxpayer’s dollars to fund such preposterous spending, it seems to me that quite possibly a crime of theft may have been committed.

One CEO of a bank is reputed to have said that if he doesn’t pay his best people well they will leave. He seems to be talking about the very people who got his bank into the mess that it’s in, so not only should they leave, they should be fired! They certainly should not be rewarded.

If President Obama has said that in his opinion what has taken place is shameful, we can be sure that he is directing the Justice Department to look into whether it was also illegal. What America needs is for everyone to be at the head of the line pulling one way to get itself out of the mire that it is in. The example of some people doing things that are counterproductive is like having them on the opposite side pulling backwards, and that simply just cannot be tolerated. What a tough job the President has taken on!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Waiting to be Fired

Waiting to be Fired

I am a retired person who wonders what life for me would be like were I gainfully employed. How would I feel if my work was in an industry that was susceptible to recessionary or depressionary forces? Being retired doesn’t make me exempt. If anything it’s probably a worse situation because I am at an age which is beyond me being hired even if there was work.

I imagine that were I an employee of any one of the industries at risk, and that includes most, I would find it very difficult to concentrate on my work. Most people give in to temptation and mortgage their future paycheques because that is how we live. The stress levels among employees must be sky high, and that does nothing to improve job performance.

I was seriously affected by the very recent news story of a couple in America who both worked at an hospital, and were both laid off. They had a family of five children, and I suppose they had completely run out of money and hope. The man first shot his wife as she slept, then systemically went to each child and shot him or her dead, and then turned the gun on himself.

That’s not the first time in recent memory that has happened, and unfortunately I think it will happen in the future many times. In America, where guns are so easily obtainable, and in these impossible times it really is a very easy way out. A final solution! As I write this I am getting goose bumps, but I really do think that it will be part of the cost of the disaster that the American economy is going through.

I am a professional accountant, and in that capacity I worked as a manager of proprietry insurance companies. My clients were Fortune 500 companies and the work we did for them was vital in controlling their losses, so I think perhaps I may have been secure for some time to come. Some businesses are recessionary proof, such as undertakers, doctors and other branches of the medical world, and insurance, among others.

What happens in times like these, which are unprecedented? Firstly, it seems that every company of substance are announcing layoffs by the thousands. In America, during the last three or four months of 2008 layoffs totalling more than 2.6 million were announced. That means major companies, so we have to guesstimate a number in addition to those for small companies that have gone out of business. And it continues in the present! These are not just numbers. They are the loss of dreams, ambitions, hope, and of course, private education, homes, cars, etc.

If you are enrolled in a social insurance programme that pays loss of job benefits for a period that will give you a cushion while you frantically search for something else. However, when all around you are downsizing the sense of depression and outright fear must be overwhelming.

There are some people who actually try to live within their means. By that I mean that if they don’t have the cash for it, they don’t buy it. Businesses think that this is a ridiculous way to conduct one’s affairs. We get credit cards filling our mailboxes, and all sorts of tempting offers to go into debt. Business needs for us to spend today and not worry about the long-term, because in the long-term we are all dead. It’s that type of thinking that has got the world in so much ca-ca.

The banks are saying that they cannot loan any more money. Well, that’s the way we have been doing business and without credit we all go back to basics. Can we do that? Haven’t we come too far to go back? The talk is about re-building, but on what basis. We surely can’t re-build on the same sandy patch as we did before. Our house will simply fall down again. So, what’s the answer?

The cold hard situation is that no-one knows anything, and that’s enough to chill me to the bone. So, those who opt to take the, admittedly cold hard way out just won’t be around to see how it all turns out. Personally, I’d like to live to be one hundred, or at least long enough to see whether President Barack Obama can make any difference at all. I know that he is determined to do so, but remember, no-one knows anything!


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

President Barack Obama

President Barak Obama


On January 20th, 2009, white people and black people, and all shades in between celebrated the very same thing in the inauguration of President-elect Obama: they celebrated the coming of age of America. By electing someone other than a white male, the way is now clear to choose the best talent for the job, whether that person be male or female.

The day was brilliant and went without a hitch. We all held our breath that it wouldn’t be interrupted by someone trying to do something idiotic. President Obama was elected as America’s first African-American commander-in-chief. That fact brought to The Washington Mall a record number of people, especially black people, to see for themselves the modern miracle of his inauguration.

The ceremony was perfect; the weather cooperated, and no-one interfered with the historic event. Hundreds of millions of people around the world stopped what they were doing and watched. The inauguration of President Mandela in South Africa was as monumental, but I believe that event did not command as many people to listen in absolute silence to President Mandela’s every word as they did to President Obama. Had a pin dropped it would have clanged as loudly as a bell.

Some people later said that they were disappointed in the speech as it did not soar for them in its rhetoric. Perhaps they were expecting show business rather than hard reality. The fact is that the speech had within it everything that should have been there, even some things that had to be hard for President Bush to bear.

In his vow he pledged to uphold the Constitution of the United States. That Constitution states that “all men are created equal”, but then also says that a black man shall be considered three fifth’s of a white man. The Constitution is wrong, has always been wrong on that point, and no longer can be considered an authority on the subject. It raises the question “what else is wrong with the American Constitution?

As wonderful as the ceremony was, all of that happened yesterday. Today, he is now simply Mr. President, and it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get on with a very daunting task. He starts with a positive rating of about 80%, which means that he has both Democratic and Republican support. That is unprecedented.

However, within America there is a school of thought that what is happening is a travesty. They believe that only a white male has the right to lead the country. Those people are both stupid and dangerous. They are also unaware, to use President Obama’s own words, “that the ground has shifted under their feet”. America has moved on, as it must because the world has changed and the task at hand is to recreate America and the world. Nothing works any more as it’s supposed to, and no-one knows anything for sure. So those people who find themselves having a problem getting their head around a black man in the president’s office need to realise it is they who have a very big problem.




We have all seen what America is capable of doing to their presidents, and it is for that reason most people couldn’t be drafted into the Oval Office. However, the Obamas are very special people. They have to be extraordinary just to have made it to where they are. I have no doubt that the Obama administration will be dogged with hard luck and some errors, but these will come about mainly due to circumstances. What we do know is that President Obama can be counted on to make very good decisions. His judgement is clear and concise and will be the thing that will be the difference between disaster or success.
Everyone agrees that his plate is overfull with a very long list of misery. His task is impossible, but the way to take on such an overwhelming challenge is by putting one foot ahead of the other and by keeping that positive mindset that says “Yes we can!”

I am not a fan of former President Bush, although I do commend him for being so generous in the transition by going over and beyond the call of duty. The other thing that he did was to set the scene so that even small gains on President Obama’s part will stand out in exaggerated fashion. Unfortunately, some things happened on his watch that are simply not his fault, but they will taint even further his track record of not much of anything of value to be judged by history.

Now it’s up to America’s security forces to protect the president as he goes about his daily business. He and his family must be kept safe as he tries to re-build America. He is America’s Great Black Hope, and many people say he is their only hope.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Obama Time!

As I write this the date is Sunday, 18th January 2009. I am reminded that this is the month in which America honours the man who had a dream that one day America would no longer judge a person by the content of their skin colour, but rather by the content of their character. I am not a person who believes in coincidences. I believe that there is more order and pre-determination in our world than may seem. When significant things come together to form what most people consider a coincidence, I call those things synchronicity.

So it will be that we honour the Late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, the great activist for civil rights, on January 19th, followed by the inauguration as the 44th President of The United States of America of Barack Hussein Obama, “the skinny kid with the funny sounding name” as he likes to put it. On that day the Dream that millions of people around the world took as their own will come true.

Please do not bother me with telephone calls. Let no one try to sell me anything, or ask me anything, or break my concentration on Tuesday the 20th as I watch transfixed in front of my television set. I don’t suppose I need worry as I will be among the billions of people around the world doing the same thing. Just remember, Valencia, Spain is six hours ahead of Washington D.C.

For me there will be the normal hope that the new person will bring significant change for the better to the table. I am neither Democrat nor Republican, but the fact is that as goes America, so goes Europe. So, I naturally wish President Obama all the very best.


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Planning

While driving the AP-7 together with my wife, the thought occurred to me that in the event that we became involved in a fatal crash we had completely failed to give our son even one clue as to what to do after the police had delivered the news. So, I made a New Year’s resolution to write down for him the steps that he could take, and where to find things. Now that I have completed that list I would like to encourage each and everyone to do something similar.

As an exercise, whenever you see news footage of someone lying under the golden shroud in a scene on the highway, pause a moment to wonder what effect that will have on the family. We may not be able to control what happens to us, however there are some things that we can do to mitigate the effects of tragedy

To get you started the sort of things that your survivors will need to know go something. like this:

Who do I need to contact with this information? Ideally, there should be only one person per country that you can rely on to inform all relatives.
Who do I contact with this information in this country? Other than the obvious concerning disposal of remains, what companies and individuals must you contact?
How to go about cancelling accounts and realizing assets and settling amounts due to various creditors, including the government agencies.
Where are files and information to be found? This is not a time for a treasure hunt. There is quite enough stress already in your next of kin’s life. This part of the process should be made as simple as possible.
What about life insurance policies? Help with information as to where you have such assets would be most appreciated at this time. Otherwise, a trawl of every life insurance company in the world may be the only way to avoid leaving money on the table.
Where is your Will kept? It is so important to have a Spanish Will to cover your Spanish assets. Property held in other countries can be covered under Wills pertinent to those countries, but to die without a properly executed Will is to die In testate. That is a complicating factor that is not a very good thing.

As I got to thinking about the matter my mind got to wandering and I thought about those people who hide assets for the sake of tax evasion. Money in numbered accounts and tax havens may all be very well as long as the individual is able to access it during his lifetime, but when he dies, as he surely will do, after a reasonable period of time it must become the property of the bank. Whatever was held from the government becomes lost to the family plus more on top. In the end that becomes a fruitless exercise. Best just to pay the tax when due.

I do applaud the firms that sell burial plans because it does get us thinking about the end game. I’m taking the idea of planning to the ultimate degree until your estate is completely settled. Some people have even planned their own funereal program, including the songs to be sung. That’s fine with me, although I can choose the songs for you, but other things are strictly your provinces.

Finally, when going through with this we have to be realistic. We must consider that the chances that our information will be needed will be something near 100%. Therefore we do need to be thorough, and above all we need to be current. In undertaking such a task we can always be comforted in the belief that while the information will be used one day, that day may be a long way into the future.

Have a long, happy, healthy and prosperous life!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Goodbye 2008 ! (and Good Riddance!)

In all my years there has not been another year like 2008. I began that year with the wish to all that 2008 be Great. Of course, I meant that in every positive way, but instead it turned out to be a great year for everything negative.

Now let’s be clear on one thing. This is not a personal rant. My family and I ended the year in plus territory. We did have our problems along the way, but on balance I can say that for us it was not a bad year overall. However, too many people around us had it tough. Far too many people lost their jobs, their homes, their money, their pensions, their hope, and their lives. I’m talking about complete and utter strangers to me whose pain I feel. The news got so difficult to watch that I simply had to take a holiday from watching it.

There has been one thing after another that made my mouth drop ever lower and my eyes pop even wider. I said that it was as though these are the final days of civilisation. But, here we are in the early days of 2009. Normally we celebrate in hope that things will be better than the last year, but really, do we have any reason to hope and expect that this New Year will be any better. I think that it will probably get worse before it gets better. It’s a question of the bottom. When will it be reached? What major earth-shaking development is just waiting around the corner to shake the world to its core? Everything is suspect and no-one knows anything.

Fundamentally, we have all been reduced to a position whereby our long-term financial plan is a ticket on the lottery. If you win the lottery your problems will then commence in earnest. I have been reading about Bernard Madoff, whom I like to think of as Made-off with the money, and others who stand accused of defrauding people out of very large individual sums of money. The claims to which they were seduced are so outrageous I am shaking my head in wonder as to how they could have been so stupid. We are talking about very intelligent people who amassed large wealth only to give it to shamans. I’m fixated on this as perhaps a sign of the times, a form of desperation.

When looked at as a worldwide event I seriously do wonder whether the world can lose its mind. It appears that way.

Although 2009 will have to bear some of the problems that it has inherited from 2008, it will also be a year of opportunity. The new Obama Administration will be seen in a very positive light for the advancements that it makes, and there is plenty of scope for that. In the areas where things continue to slide it will be understood for a short while that it’s not their fault, but then, people will start to grow impatient. Just fix it! That will be the new order of the day. In many ways I see President Obama in the same way that we saw Will Smith in “Independence Day.” That was not a good position to be in.

So, I end this admittedly dismal blog on as optimistic a note as I can. Take care of your health. If you can maintain good health throughout the coming year you will be doing about as good as you can. You might like to stop smoking and to be cautious about what you take into your bodily system.

I would also like to borrow from the late President John F. Kennedy when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!”
Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Don’t Feel like Singing Christmas Carols

2008 has been a truly Crap year! Far too many people lost their money; their pensions; their jobs; their homes; their futures; their families; their hope; and their very lives. About the only encouraging thing that has happened in my view is that George W. Bush is getting ready to move from The White House, and America grew up to shed the old mandate that only a white male could lead as president.

Barak Obama is the president-elect. It could have been Hillary Clinton. If you’re a U.S. Democrat you will no doubt have hope that the incoming president will do a much better job than the outgoing one. But, he is but a person. He might make some mistakes that turn out to be costly, or he might prove to be the best thing since peanut butter and jam. We’ll just have to wait and see.

How could 2008 have gone so terribly wrong, and will it drag down 2009 as well? So far I am one of the lucky ones. I’m retired but not immune to economic troubles. I have a mortgage and a pension, and given that whole countries have been on the edge of bankruptcy, anything is possible.

This is the Christmas shopping season and we are seeing sales that would have followed Christmas day precede the event. I also have observed shoppers looking among the bargain discount stores for items and asking that they be gift-wrapped. Times are tough indeed. I was born during a time when consumers were subject to rationing and all manner of deprivation. For me, life from my earliest recollections has been one of rising expectations. Suddenly, I get to witness first-hand the effect of what happens when the sky falls.

There was the case in the United States of Enron, also known as the crooked E, and the effects from that upon shareholders and employees that were so diabolical as to defy description. The disgraced chairman did the only honourable thing and fell on his sword. That company’s experience was so horrible that we all walked around with our mouths wide open and bug-eyed. Before that there was the collapse of Baring Bros caused by the actions of one man, and more importantly the non-actions of a whole directorate. We thought that was awful. Then came the tightening of credit, followed by the credit squeeze, followed by the credit crunch and toxic assets. This time the entire world was caught up in the mess and it continues till today.

What the hell ca we expect from tomorrow? We watch a parade of companies and countries looking to be bailed out from the mess that highly paid and respected money managers have created. The former chairman of The Federal Reserve in the United States came forward to say it’s as though he knows nothing. Well, the fact is that nobody really knows anything. Management techniques that once worked have gone out the window. Worthless! It’s a new game now. We now know how the Communists must have felt upon realising that their experiment no longer works either

So, when my wife asked me to go carolling I declined. I am never in the mood to do that, but this year singing Christmas carols and wishing everyone to have a Merry Christmas seems so very hollow.

So, the best that I can do is to wish everyone good luck, and above all good health. The chips are falling where they may and life will produce some disappointments. Our challenge is to accept such disappointments with more grace.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael .

The Flying Iraqi Shoe Míssiles

President George W. Bush thought that it would be a good idea if he paid a surprise last visit to Iraq where he would appear in front of the world press, with representation from the Iraqi press being prominent. One of the Iraqi press group fired off first one, and then the other of his shoes at W’s head with unerring aim. George proved a good ducker, and then said that he wasn’t too upset. When people have the freedom to express themselves that freedom might take some forms that are hard to support.

I can’t say that most reasonable thinking people would feel that America’s unprovoked invasion of Iraqi territory was an outrage and a criminal act. I can’t say that the majority of people would see it as a great misuse of power. I can’t say that the great silent majority would condemn the loss of uncountable Iraqi deaths, and the loss of Americans, and even more are still in harm’s way. I can’t say those things because I haven’t taken any kind of scientific poll that would give me a sound knowledge that most reasonable people feel like that. However, I do have a couple of cousins who feel that W’s place within the list of American presidents is at the bottom.

Americans made much of what they said was his stupidity. They should have also added that he was dangerous. Whether you would want to apply adjectives to describe him or not, one thing we do know is this: He placed his nation at war with Iraq because he said that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, although no one could find them. Even if there were such weapons he was not threatening America with them. However, that was not enough to hold back W. He decided that he was going after Saddam to wipe that silly smile off his face. His father had led a coalition against Saddam to get him out of Kuwait, but the UN would not give the green light to go to Baghdad, so that murdering regime was not toppled and punished. Baby Bush seems to have decided he would show his dad how to get the business done. The rest is now history.

In the process of making this infamous history he was the cause of so much uninvited death and destruction it’s hard to see how any pride can come from those actions. The much sought after weapons of Mass Destruction have never been found, so a new reason was given: Saving the Iraqis from the terror of Saddam. Unfortunately, an unknown number were saved through killing them.

And that brings us back to W’s farewell appearance on Iraqi soil. Why did he make the trip and go before a group other than a safe American audience?

Was he thinking that he would receive statements of appreciation and applause?

I am not an American, just one of the masses of international observers. However, I think it interesting that there is a plan that on January 20th, at the moment that W hands over the presidency to President-elect Obama, throughout America, and probably around the world, people will go into their toilets and flush. Not a very distinguished way to end one’s two-terms in the highest office in America, and some say, the entire free world. What a shame that the good things that he has achieved will be over-shadowed.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Cold Hard Cash

I recently had the task of counting a lot of cold hard cash. As I carried on with this task I got to thinking about the name and how it arose. The more I passed various quantities through my hands the more convinced I became that that name is a good one for cash.

Whether I was counting one thousand euros or 100 million, the effect is the same: cold hard cash gives back nothing personal. It’s a sad fact that you might be the world’s richest person. If you keep your money in a room-sized vault in which you can retire to count your money, the exercise will leave you cold. Taking wads of large bills in hand is not at all the same as stroking your partner’s skin. You could possibly hug a person-sized stack of money, but it will not hug you back.

Now, I admit that I’m even thinking like this because I don’t have any money, but in these very difficult times I’m glad that I don’t. If you’re someone who does have a lot of money, you had a lot more six months ago. Since then you have had to worry about your disappearing assets.

Perhaps you were a conservative investor and placed the bulk of your holdings in one company, which would have been a dopey thing to have done on principle, but you might have done that if the company was Lehman Bros of Wall Street. This is a company that was 152 years old before it suddenly went bankrupt. You would have lost your entire holding in one fell swoop.

There have been and continues to be a world of stories of people once wealthy now destitute. The problem is that usually when the investment market goes bad that is the very time that you need to cash in those same holdings. Everything turns to crap at the same time.

A rich man is one who is happy in his home life. He has a good woman who gives of her love without restriction, and he lays with her in long intimate hours just enjoying her humanity. If they do have a room full of money then that’s all well and good. But it’s the personal part that really matters, and that’s why the richest man on earth is very often he who has nothing more than a good woman to keep his company. Unfortunately, money is it’s own evil, so I hope that every rich man made their money from when they were both poor as church mice.


Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

The End of the World continues

We lost our collective minds.

The week of November 24th to November 30th, 2008 has been an extraordinary one.

We turned on our television sets to the most violent channel, the news channels, and we could not believe our eyes. The People of Paradise were up in arms rioting in the streets and occupying the main airport and air traffic control tower. Thailand descended into mayhem and violence and insanity. The cause being that the people consider that their government is corrupt and untrustworthy, and they are demanding that the government step down so that free elections can be held again

The Prime Minister has declared that he won’t do that. Even though the commander of the army has suggested that perhaps he should in the interest of peace quit while he has his head, the Prime Minister is having none of it.

It was the people who put him in his position of power, and having done so they now realize that they made a mistake. So, they are seeking to undo that mistake and to try again. The Prime Minister can’t see it. He is determined to stay the course, but he and his entire government are in hiding, so that should be enough of a hint that he is facing a Mission Impossible. The unrest will evaporate with the resignation of the government. Any reasonable thinking person would think he would do so.

Wednesday arrived in Mumbai (Bombay) India, which I have always thought of as a bizarre culture, and as the day opened several young men arrived by boats with guns a blazing. Their only mission seems to have been to kill as many people as possible, especially foreigners, and not to stop until they themselves were killed. For a little more than three days the horror continued. They targeted the best hotels, particularly the Taj Mahal which is the symbol of safety in India, and systematically went room-to-room non-stop killing. They attacked the Jewish centre, and left behind four innocents dead, and they ran in the street and into restaurants shooting to kill anyone and everyone.

Meanwhile, over in Nigeria a sudden outburst of violence in the country left 300 people dead. The reasons behind that are not as yet clear, but perhaps its all just part of the worldwide madness, be it financial, social or religious, it makes me feel like crying out “The sky is falling, Chicken Little, The sky is falling!”

The thing that I will predict is that there are many more chapters coming, so expect more on this topic in the near future.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Retail Therapy

Women call shopping Retail Therapy and we men all smile as though it’s a woman thing, until we come to realise that we have not personally bought anything for too long and we have the urge to go out and spend. Oh Dear!

Life is complicated, while at the same time it is so simple. In every country around the world we are controlled by the same emotions and urges and instincts. We need sleep; we need to eat and drink and pass time in the W.C. We need company, both intimate and platonic, and we need things. We must shop!

I don’t pretend to know a thing about how shopping affects women, that’s just too complicated for a mere man to understand. However, for some reason shopping malls are getting bigger and more sexed up to the point that they are a destination within themselves. In America, where shopping is religion, entertainment, and an absolute necessity, the ultimate in shopping opportunity resides in The Mall of America, located in Minnesota.

Normally, shops are located within a town where we park and go walkabout. Mall of America have gone over the top with the idea, and effectively they have built a town that they call a Mall. Here are a few facts:
- It’s such a grand size that 32 Boeing 747’s could safely be parked within it.
- Seven full stadiums the size of Yankee Stadium could fit within its perimeters.
- Walking distance around each level: 57 miles. There are four levels.
- If a shopper were to visit each store and spend no more than ten minutes, it would take 86 hours to complete a visit to all 520 stores.
- There are more than 50 restaurants plus another 36 speciality food stores.
- There are hotels at Mall of America.
- There are big entertainment centres in the mall.

This sounds like a super-size city to me. However, it was built on the premise that people would continue to live way beyond their means, and on credit. Getting credit was no problem. Credit card offers arrived by the bag full with pre-approval. In order to pay off parts of card purchases people simply took another card or borrowed from the bank. Then one day, as any junior accountant could have foreseen, came the reckoning. People with enormous debts could no longer pay the piper and the whole house of cards came falling down.

We now have a worldwide crisis and new words to ponder, such as “toxic loans” and “credit crunch”. Suddenly, all over the world the sky is falling. Banks are folding one after the other and mega-companies are in trouble, companies so large that they cannot be allowed to go into liquidation because the loss of jobs and assets would be cataclysmic.

So, what comes next? People still have to have stuff, and they must still obey their natural instincts. But our very way of doing business is being called into question. The jobless rate is about the only thing on the rise. We have lived with two major experiments for many years. They are the capitalist and the communist systems. The communist system has failed, as more and more of the former communist states become capitalist in their thinking. However, now we seem to be seeing our way of life showing major cracks. Where is all this headed? No-one knows!

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

What’s Wrong with America’s Politics?

I have had ten days to take in the win of President-elect Obama and I am still getting used to the idea. Fundamentally the concept of a black man as the president of a country is no big deal. Even South Africa achieved that before America. No one has had to tell black Americans that they are worthy of the office, as are women, but the breakthrough came when a long held pre-condition for that office was broken, that being that you had to be white and male. The only other man who could have pulled that off and had even greater support was Colin Powell, but he didn’t want to put his family through all that the American people and press will put Obama through. As he said, he just didn’t have the fire in the belly for it. A great number of us interpreted that to mean that he was too smart.

But, Mr Obama is President-elect and is raring to take over and get well stuck in. The last time an American president engendered such hope was with President J.F. Kennedy. I think that with Mr. Obama the level of expectation is even higher, and that’s a lot to live up to.

So, what is wrong with American politics?

Firstly, the process is simply too dammed expensive. Between the two front-runners they raised and mostly spent a billion dollars, and the campaign went on for nearly two years. And then, there were all those others who ran hard and spent big.

Secondly, it is extremely divisive. Those important debates were not friendly and a lot of very negative things were said that resonated with voters. It is very difficult to get a straight answer from anyone in America. There are only Republican and Democratic answers. To get a straight and reasoned answer to the question “Don’t you think we’re having a lovely day?” would most likely bring the most puzzling responses.

After all the shouting and money spent, the country can still end up with a Bush. Many people seem to think that he was the bottom of the barrel, the absolute worst of all America’s presidents. Now I’m sure that he achieved many very positive things during his two terms in office. Other than having confidence in Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice, I just can’t think of much else at the moment because the Iraqi war keeps getting in the way. I’m certain that was the biggest mistake that he made, and that was brought home by the fact that the stated purpose for going to war was weapons of mass destruction. When no such weapons could be found the reason was changed to getting rid of Saddam and his government to save the Iraqi people.

Well, the world is a better place just because that lot have gone, but America was not requested to do that bit of housekeeping. You simply do not send your people into harm’s way on a pretext.

The campaigning process goes on for far too long. Most free world countries take up to six weeks to campaign and to vote. This last election went on for about two years in America. By November 4th the world was so weary of it we just wanted it to be over.

The principal is usually in such danger that protecting the president and his family is an around the clock matter. As personable and charming as President-elect Obama is, he will never again be able to freely walk among the people and feel their warmth. That is because there are organizations now plotting on how to end it all as their hatred is so sick and warped that they are rabid and completely out of reason and control.

However, there’s no turning the clock back regardless of what happens. As the poet once said, there is no thing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. It was always a losing proposition that the occupant of the White House had to be male and white. By those conditions it was guaranteed that some of the past occupants would be ill-chosen for the job.

Ironically, the most prevalent criticism of Mr. Obama was that he was not experienced enough. Ask any black man or woman how many times in their lives have they heard that one as an excuse not to get the job. Half of the time you were not even allowed anywhere near the resources to big yourself up, so no surprise that you were lacking. The truth is that to hold the office of President of The United States, and, (as some will say) leader of the free world, no one has sufficient experience beforehand. This is a position that calls on judgement, and the mere fact that President-elect Obama could marshal a team to get himself elected is exactly the right qualifications of an administrator to manage the White House just fine.

I am expecting great things from Mr Obama, and I wish he, and his team all the very best. The first order of business is to fix America’s shattered image in the world. So far, so good!

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

"Free at Last! Free at Last!"

I am making a fairly safe assumption that everyone in the world knows that it was the late, and very great orator, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr who uttered those words as part of his historic ”I have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Washington Monument so very many years ago.

The point that he was making was that no one is free until we are all free. On November 4th, 2008 that dream came true as a black man was judged on the content of his character and not on the colour of his skin. On that day America finally grew up. Even South Africa attained that maturity ahead of America, and that must have surely given America a sense of being isolated. The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke for us all as he could not contain his tears of joy, and neither could I. Frankly, it was too much to hope for. In my sixty-nine years I could not contemplate that it could ever happen in America, and I held my breath every step of the way.

It’s true that others have been pumped up sufficiently to make a run, but it always seemed like such a vain effort. I lived through all the troubles of America and took the slings and arrows of people who were so arrogant towards black people as to treat us as animals, as beasts of burden that we had to tell them that we are men and women, just like them in structure, but that we had a heart.

The arrogance of much of white America was such that the ultimate symbol of attainment and ambition is named The White House. Coincidence? I think not, but that all changed as President-elect Barack Hussein Obama prepares to take up his office in his 47th year, as the youngest ever person to do so, and as the 44th president of the United States of America, and as many will call him, the leader of the free world. He calls himself the skinny kid with the funny sounding name. His father is a black Kenyan and his mother a white American. Little did these two people, who are both deceased, know what their love would give the world.

President-elect Obama is no ordinary young man. In the words of the poet, “Cometh the moment, Cometh the Man.” He ran on a platform called “Time for Change” and simply by getting more than sixty-two million people to vote for him, compared to John McCain’s fifty-five million, he has given America and the world a quantum step forward in change. In the all-important electoral votes he garnered 349 to John McCain’s 162. That’s slightly more than a two to one majority. The American people spoke loudly and America moved forward.

This is no mere exercise in window dressing. People have such high expectations from his administration that there is bound to be some disappointment, but the one thing that is certain: Change in the way that Washington does business has arrived. The Democratic party have clear majorities in both the House of Representatives and The Senate so whatever they want to do should be possible.

Let me pause here to reiterate my fears: I am on record as having said that I didn’t really want the senator to win because it would place his life in mortal danger and that of his family. For me it would have been more than enough for him to have fought a good fight and then conceded the White House to John McCain. By having done so he would have proven the point that America is ready for a black president. His life has been in constant danger throughout the campaign, and I don’t want him to have to pay the ultimate price for uplifting an entire race and an entire country. However, I am more than certain that he knows the risks.

The other concern of mine is that he is inheriting a White House that is besieged with overwhelming problems, none of which are his fault or due to his judgement, but which he will be held accountable. By extension the entire Negro race that is now so elated by his success will also be held to account. There’s more than the usual weight to be carried by this young and very energetic man. Because he had to be so good to get to where he is, I think that I am justified in placing my confidence in his ability to succeed where no other person can.

So, Congratulations! President-elect Obama. I add my voice is wishing you a successful first four years so that you will be ready for the second half of your baptism by fire. As for America, it still has one or two things to do, such as electing its first woman president.

Copyright (c) 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Whose Fault is it Anyway?

Illegal drugs are the world’s problem! The things that have been done under the influence of hard drugs are, in some examples, unspeakable. There was one incidence in which a man took first one, and then the other of a woman’s two children and held them up as though they were chickens, and calmly fatally slit their throats in full view of the mother, and then he turned the knife on her. To make matters worse, she was someone else’s wife, although his lover. I wondered in light of that shocking event whether anyone still thought that taking drugs was a cool thing to do.

The police commissioner of every force in the world will tell you that he is conducting a war against illegal drugs, but that said, it’s about as successful as the war on terrorism. Perhaps it’s really one and the same.

Who is the drug dealer?

Well, he is the villain of the piece. He is the one who pushes drugs and is available with the goods, and he is the one who is roundly despised. The police operations are directed at him, and when a gang is broken up and the goods confiscated, much is made of it in the press. He is also shown as the person who is wealthy, paying in cash for incredibly expensive items when the rest of the world is suffering through a credit crunch. People are losing their jobs and their homes, but not the successful drug dealer.

The image that he puts out is very seductive to young men. The dealer has women, drugs, big homes, Hummers and other high value cars, and he has the respect of a lot of people. When you try to lure a young man away from that siren song into a normal job paying normal wages, he turns his lip up and scoffs at the “chump change” being offered.

The business is a tough one and the rules are strict. Mess up and you pay with your life, and you might also cause your near relatives to lose their lives. It’s a business that takes otherwise nice people and turns them into monsters. You cannot be nice or slack and survive because there’s always someone coming up behind you to take over your turf. You can only survive if you are prepared to show that you are determined, and that usually means putting people in the ground. Don’t have the heart for it, stay away from it!

The facts are that the drug dealer is a businessman, exactly like all others in a fundamental regard. He seeks to identify a market that needs and wants to buy a certain product, and he then sets out to provide the merchandise. His closest peers are the tobacco and alcohol industry. However, those industries are legal, but nonetheless they do promote a like product that alters the mind and body, and not always in a good manner.

My main beef is with the tobacco industry because they deliver a product that has a negative effect on the user, and those around him, when it is used in exactly the way as instructed. It is even worse than guns because although they are destined to kill, they do no harm if only used for target practise on tin cans. But tobacco certainly does nothing to improve one’s health, and the potential favourite user is a young person. It cannot be said that cigarette smoking does kill, but it can, and very often does lead to death. There was a time when cigarettes were given for free to college students. I hope that is no longer done, but I am straying from my point of whose fault is the out of control use of drugs and its consequences.

For some peculiar reason we do not look at the customer’s role in assessing blame. I wonder why that is? Politically it’s a hot potato because drug addicts still vote, (maybe) and such an issue as this would normally be the subject of the politician to address. Well, I’m not running for any office and I’m prepared to say it like it is. Should it ever happen that a drug dealer imports a quantity of drugs and no-one shows up to buy, he won’t do it again and he will find something else to sell, like Mary Kaye products, or Amway.

So, in summary I say that the people at fault for our problems are the users. I sincerely hope that none of those people are in the chorus demanding that the streets be cleaned up and the war be won because they cannot have it both ways.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Good Medical Operations

I have just had my first ever operation in an hospital. Oh no! I hear you say. Don’t bore me! Well, lend me an ear as I relate to you a delightful story of a good operation because you are only human and we just don’t know when your turn may come around.

The world is full of Good Operations and Bad Operations. Because there is more than one hospital it is inevitable that there will be various degrees of satisfaction flowing from necessary interventions for your health.

I live here in Valencia, Spain, and ever since we came to Spain we have been clients of the Sanitas system of private health insurance. It is not cheap, nor is it expensive if you get what you pay for.

There are options available to some people. For instance, should you be employed here you are automatically enrolled into the public health care program, and that continues for as long as you work, and for a while after your employment ceases. I came here as a retired person, therefore I was advised to purchase private insurance. My wife works, and her policy covers herself and our dependent son, but not myself. The two of them are double-covered by both public and private cover.

Recently, and for the first time, I have had to use my cover for something other than normal annual checkups, and the reason I’m boring you with this is because I can report that my experience was how it should be, with a liberal margin that went above and beyond.

My problem was a gradually growing bunion that was disfiguring my left foot, and it had progressed to the point at which it was becoming uncomfortable. My doctor advised that the time had come to rectify the situation, and so I got on with it. As an introduction to the operating room it seemed like a fairly gentle way to do it.

I should say that about twenty years ago I had the opportunity to observe this operation take place on live television and I thought it was fascinating and horrible. The tools employed were scalpel, saw, hammer, screwdriver, screws and file. Although the technique has improved those are still a part of the necessary equipment.

The Sanitas system in Spain is a private organisation that operates its own complete circuit of clinics and hospitals, complete with dedicated professionals. It is very clear to me that the administration has got it right when it comes to what is their number one priority. The patient is Number One! All too often systems are so preoccupied with their own concerns that they place the patient way down the list.

My operation took place at the hospital in Valencia called “ Hospital Nou (9th) de Octubre”. My instructions were to arrive at 8am for admission and preparation. My wife accompanied me, as it is expected that family will be in attendance in order to assist.

I was assigned to a private room that was more like an hotel accommodation, including the wording on the welcome cards left for me. Family visiting hours are 24 hours a day, and the room includes sleeping facilities for visitors.

I wasn’t taken into surgery until 1pm, so that involved quite a long wait during which my wife was free to come and go as she wished. I was finally wheeled downstairs and parked outside the operating arena and then I was taken in to be processed.

We must bear in mind that all business was being conducted in Spanish, and my skill is lacking. The senior surgeon realised this and kindly consented to converse with me in English. That was even more gratefully received than the anaesthetic.

They seemed to think that a bunion operation is all too routine, but as I was awake throughout I thought it very complex and difficult. The chief surgeon, who seemed to me to be about the age of my son, worked together with two others and the anaesthetist and a nurse. That seems like a lot of personnel to me, but for over an hour they did a lot of violence on my foot, including having to break my big toe in three places to straighten its direction.

My first moment of anxiety came when the surgeon said that he was going to introduce four needles into my foot in order to deaden the nerves. He then asked me whether I could feel anything and I said that I probably wouldn’t after he had done the injections. I was wearing a facemask at the time inhaling tranquillising gas. He said that the needles had been given and my foot should be nerve dead. I looked over at the anaesthetist and he smiled back at me. Lovely! He simply had turned up the gas to calm me and turned it down again to bring me back to full consciousness.

The procedure itself was very peculiar. As I was conscious I knew what they were doing through the feel of pressure. I knew when the surgeon cut my skin as I felt the pressure from the tip of the scalpel. I could tell when the bone mass was being reduced through both the sound of the saw and the feel of the pressure, and also I could feel when he was filing away unwanted edges. I really felt uncomfortable each of the three times they pressed down until the bones broke, which I could hear as a small “pop” sound. And, finally, I knew that they were affixing a small plate as they applied screws to the bones to keep it in place. I was perfectly aware of all that, but there was no pain.

What this essay is really about is competence and attitude. I am singing the praises about my experience because Sanitas got it completely right, from the moment I walked in to discuss the problem, through to my recovery. Every member of the team acted in a completely professional manner, and they even added their own personal pleasantries and wonderful bedside manner. Should you ever have to have medical attention you should be so lucky!

P.S. Had I known ahead of time that the doctors were going to break the bones in my big toe three time I may have gone to the movies instead.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

The End of the World as we know it! (Part Three)

The Grim Reaper has arrived!

In parts One and Two I wrote of the seeming meltdown of the world order as oil prices soared, social order went to hell, and people were losing their homes. I predicted there was much more to come, but while I was right about that, I certainly wasn’t expecting what we got!

How does a company that has been in business for more than 150 years suddenly find that it cannot continue to trade. Didn’t they learn anything at all over all that time while in business? Suddenly we find that it was not just one or two companies that were in trouble but the entire banking system. Now governments all around the world have been forced into action to prop up the capitalist form of doing business. How did we come to this point?

The short answer is that it was because of the way we do things. Our capitalist system runs on credit. We are all expected to live beyond our means. Credit cards arrive in the mail urging us to step out from beyond our safe “living within our means” policy, and go borrow, borrow, borrow! We are urged that it is important to keep up with the Jones’ next door.

It is a shame to be the only family in the neighbourhood driving a ten-year old car. Still using the old big chunky television? Why, when you can bring home a flat screen for no money down and pennies per month. Are you actually renting the place in which you live? Don’t you know that home ownership is essential; otherwise you are throwing your money away.

Well, now the business world are coming to face what are being called toxic loans on their books. These are loans and mortgages that people were given, sometimes railroaded into, that they can no longer afford to pay. When interest rates were low they were sucked in, and subsequently rates have risen and Gotcha! Many young families are now being thrown out and their homes are taken over by the same kind bankers who drew them into the mess.

Children are being taken out of private schools to be put into the public system; people are losing their jobs, and in the first case of its kind (lately) in the United States, a man killed his entire family and himself because they were broke and losing their home.

Meanwhile, as an astonishing first time ever, capitalist governments are taking up equity positions in private enterprise in order that such businesses have money to continue to trade. Make no mistake about it, this is nationalisation, something that is so abhorrent to Western governments that they have to hold their noses while doing it.

In the case of one entire country, Iceland, it finds itself technically bankrupt. Imagine that, an entire country has gone broke. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are the many 20 to 25 year old young women who are declaring bankruptcy because they have so overspent themselves on all the things that modern society insists that they do. How shameful is that?

This is clearly an-going story, so I shall be back with an update. Meanwhile, the question arises as to what can we do as individuals to protect ourselves? The problems are so large and so deep, covering so much territory that it is difficult to know which way to jump. Governments are taking strategic steps to guarantee your deposits in banks, so if that is your only concern perhaps you can relax. Certainly, without those guarantees even more banks will go to the wall as customers demand their money.

If you’re an investor on any of the stock markets you are certainly at very great risk as we see volatility being the order of the day. Mainly, it seems to be a case of hanging on and hoping that all those over-paid executives haven’t made too big a mess of things.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

The Media

It’s a very good thing that I’m my own editor, otherwise this piece would never see the light of day. That’s because it’s about the news media and all its faults. The one thing that both the electronic and print media do well is report on the mis-steps and bad fortune of the public at large, but when it comes to having their own sores exposed they are very shy.

You can take your pick of the world’s media, they all pretty much march to the same drummer. The ironic thing is that they can only do so because of the support that we, the very people whom they so love to destroy, give them. What’s wrong with this picture?

In trying to start my rant I am finding it very hard to know where to begin. Which country has the worst press? I used to think that it was England with their News of the World, and the other tabloid papers. But America’s no better! It’s about what sells.

Now, of course, when I was a young lad I was discouraged from telling tales out of school. It was not a very noble thing to come into contact with interesting information, only to go as quickly as possible to pass it on. Well, that is exactly what the media do, and they all too often succumb to the temptation to place their own opinion or bias upon the news item.

You have seen the news interviewers yourself interrupt their guests, who they have asked to come on to share their views, only to shape the interview to satisfy the host’s own point of view. They seem to think that this is about being a professional. The fact is that they are like little boys and girls having tantrums because their opinion is the only one that matters, or so they think.

In the United States, Bernard Goldberg, a long-term news correspondent at CBS wrote a book after he retired called “Bias” an insider’s view of delivering the news with a liberal slant. He was condemned and ostracised because the media can’t even admit that it has an opinion about the news.

This is my point about news reportage: it’s all about someone’s point of view. Yes, I know that they control the printing presses and that they can say whatever they want. However, there’s something called the Media Trust. I can’t even begin to imagine what real work this group does as it sure does nothing about controlling the quality in reporting.

The late Princess Diana is a superb example of the hound dog mentality of the press corp. On one occasion she had been visiting a female friend’s home, only to emerge to face a battery of cameras. They actually chased her down the street to her car, but before she got there she came to a stop alongside a wall as she cowered from the continuing flashes. I thought as I watched that clip that those bastards will chase her to her death.

Perhaps you’re an editor of a small town newspaper where nothing newsworthy ever happens. This is called punishment and is the place where disgraced editors get sent. One of the tricks of the trade is to focus on a few members of the community in good standing and to build them up in stature, while at the same time looking for a mis-step that can be blown up and scandalized. If they request your opinion on something you can be sure they will go and find a contrary point of view. Beware of friendly news people! I have even seen capable and honest news brokers respond to the directives from “upstairs” to get tough.

Even the weather can be an ally. During this past Summer the area of Southern United States took several hits from hurricanes. Poor Haiti took one hit after another, but that was not where the major channels amassed their people. As residents were ordered to leave New Orleans the press came crowding in, because that was where the story was supposed to be given New Orleans history. When the storms changed direction they left to head for the next projected hotspot to be able to report on the expected death and destruction left by nature’s wrath.

I watched as the Force Five hurricanes were downgraded to a One, and the feeble efforts of the presenters to justify their presence. How absolutely pathetic and loathsome is that? They feed on bad news. They want images of people crying who have lost everything. The more dramatic, the better for the cameras! As viewers, we know only too well that people lose their homes and possessions and they cry. Please, give these people the only thing they have left, some privacy.

I would not be fair and balanced without presenting the other side of the media. They expose the crooks and bad politicians; they open up shady dealings to public scrutiny and hold governments accountable. In this regard they do a job that is actually beneficial to the public. I guess all that other stuff can be called entertainment for as one paper said, “Inquiring minds want to know.”

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Secrets II

As a member of a secret group, is there a feeling of being special just because it’s secret?

Let me be clear: What I’m talking about might be different to privacy, although I believe that generally it’s thought that the two are one and the same. I think that the right to privacy in our lives is an inalienable right; but secrecy is quite another thing.

Very public people who are professionals are still entitled to a private life. Simply put, as human beings we are not designed to always and forever be on show. We need down-time to be able to relax. The mobile phone is one of the most invasive objects to have been invented in the past 100 years. It invades our privacy in all manner of times and places, and more surprisingly it’s amazing the things we interrupt to answer.

In my last blog I talked about the weight, responsibility and honour of keeping the secret that we promised we would. Not everybody is automatically able to do this. For some people it requires deliberate practice to learn how to keep quiet when you long to blurt it out.

WikiHow, the on-line advisor at www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-secret, suggests the following things to help you keep mum about important information: (Words in italics are my own.)
1. Keep your motivator in mind. If you let the information out how damaging will it be?
2. How long do you need to keep the information to yourself. There is nothing worse than struggling to keep the information, only to find that it has passed into the general population.
3. Force yourself not to tell. This is about having the discipline to keep your mouth shut. As discipline goes, this form is quite extreme as the inclination to tell is one of our basic human characteristics.
4. Never drop any hints that you have secret information: Should you do so it will only be a matter of time before you let it out.
5. Avoid the 20 questions if someone thinks that you have something. News reporters do this all the time. They assume that you know something and they attack your soft spot. Don’t fall for it.
6. Don’t even bring up the topic within which is hidden the secret. That’s too easy for the inquisitive. Once the topic is on the table the forbidden information is a mis-spoken word away.
7. Defensiveness is good. If your questioner has figured out that you have the information there’s nothing wrong with being defensive about it. It’s OK to say I’m not going to talk about it.
8. Lie, if necessary. This would be an extreme thing to do, but if the information is so important, that would be better than releasing it. Politicians do it all the time.
9. Tell it to a stuffed animal. If you are breaking at the seams and you just have to tell it, do so to a stuffed animal. Preferably not one that has an eves- dropping microphone.
10. You can also just say the secret to yourself. Sometimes, just saying it is all that is needed to make it manageable.
11. Change the topic. If the topic comes up in a conversation and you hold secret information about it, as suavely as you can, try changing the subject. This works, as I have done this very thing.
12. Pretend you don’t know any secrets. This works well by simply refusing to confirm or deny that you know anything at all.
13. Never pass secret information to unreliable people. Stay a thousand miles away.
14. If your motivator is that the information is simply embarrassing, perhaps by some simple editing it can be made more acceptable.
15. Can you share the secret with one other trusted person? This is a dangerous suggestion for once the information passes to a third person it can no longer be assumed a true secret. However, there are whole groups who share confidential information so it just depends on the culture within which you operate.

“The Way to Truth” blog states that “Guarding a secret is the same as guarding one’s chastity. Those who keep a secret, whether personal or a friend’s. keep themselves chaste. Conversely, those who spread secrets damage their honour and reputation by leaving them unguarded.”

The business of secret keeping is indeed serious. However, sadly it is perhaps one of the most understated.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Secrets!

“Information that is kept, or meant to be kept private (by one, or a few individuals)”.

Recently a friend brought the matter of secrets to my attention, and that got me to thinking about the whole subject of what are secrets, and how should they be treated. Why is it that news reporters try hard to get their hands on your secrets so as to report them on the front pages or the evening news? If secrets are not important, why does everybody perk up at the sound of the word?

Let me warn you that should you ever wish to research this subject you will find it’s like jelly. You place your thumb on a part and the rest swishes away. The one thing that we can start with are the types of secrets. Military, industrial, commercial, artistic, religious, sporting; and the type that I’m going to deal with are personal secrets. For me, this is the most troublesome.

At one time I was engaged in a public study of a very sensitive nature. I conducted my research on a person-to-person basis in confidence. On one occasion I met with a group. My job was to collate the information and develop a report to my superiors. To my horror, one of the women with whom I met told her mother about our meeting, and her mother challenged me, saying that due to our personal friendship I should have told her about it. I refused to confirm or deny that I had even met with her daughter.

Keeping secrets is a very difficult thing to do, and when a friend approaches you with the question “Can you keep a secret?” you really do need to consider what is being asked of you in its fullest degree. Taking on privileged information from a friend that you are not supposed to divulge to anyone, for that is what a secret is, can be a very worrisome thing. Once you have the information it is human nature to want to share it with someone. If you are not able to share it you will begin to feel the weight of it.

The probable reason why you were asked to accept the information is that the other person was feeling the need for relief and to pass it along. It had become too much to hold in. When you pass information like this, having said you wouldn’t, that goes straight to your integrity and your honour.

There are professional people who take on their client’s secrets, and some are charged with holding those secrets lawfully. How do they cope? How does the priest protect the secrets from the confessional, and his own sanity? The psychologist takes on nothing but privileged information every day. He, or she cannot simply get drunk to forget.

Who decides on the status of information as to whether it should be held in confidence or not? If your friend says that they are sharing confidential information with you, should it be treated as such, or can you challenge it as non-confidential? Are there certain kinds of information that are commonly considered to be secret by their very nature? I’m thinking that medical data about a patient would be such, as would be financial information.

I personally think that the type of information that flows from personal relationships also fall under that heading. The Way to Truth states that “ Hearts are created as safes for keeping secrets. Intelligence is their lock; will-power is their key. No one can break into the safe and steal its valuables if the lock and key are not faulty.”

Having said that, these days we are seeing people going on television to lay all their washing out for the public to see. Famous personalities wake up to the shock awareness that a book has been written about them by a former lover. Publicity hungry people, who do not have a real life, will jump at the chance to bare all to the public, and the worse their story is, the telling of it seems to be all the more important.

Men and women generally tend to think that we are better than all of the other animals on the earth, but the fact is that it is our integrity and honour that separates us from the animal kingdom. If we have neither we have nothing to promote ourselves above the so-called dumb creatures.

I will have to return to this subject next week, but for the time being I want to suggest two things: (a) If you are the person who wishes to pass a secret, ask yourself why do you need to do this before just pressing it on to your friend. (b) If you are the person being approached with a request to accept privileged information, ask why is it important for you to have it.

The bottom line is that should you keep things that are clearly private, and are meant to be kept that way, to yourself, you will earn your place among high society. Do otherwise and you earn a place in the mud.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Clearing Out!

What is there about having a good old fashioned clear-out of garbage from the garage that feels so good? The answer to that probably lies somewhere in the fact that we do it so rarely, and it requires a certain recklessness to accomplish.

When I pulled up stakes in Bermuda nine years ago to move to Spain I went through an experience that no one should be subject to. Firstly, you should know that I am a squirrel – I tuck things away. I normally throw away nothing much. If it’s save-able then it goes into the garage. Why? Because, it’s my life. I sometimes sit down and wonder what will I leave to tell the story of what I have been in this world. How will I be judged, and by what residue? I think these are important questions that deserve serious answers.

So, with that in mind, imagine how I must have felt to do a complete turnaround and go in and viciously throw out things that I put away for a day of need. Those days actually do arise, and when they do I feel so vindicated that I saved some idiotic thing that I could buy at any ordinary store. Never mind that it took up space, and collected dust for five years or more.

The experience in Bermuda was really quite shocking. After having weekend cash & carry sales from my house for several weekends, I started getting restless and began making runs to the garbage drop-off point. The guard there suggested that I should have garage sales as I was showing up with so much.

I developed a system in the end of not opening anything I had not looked into for at least five years. I simply tossed the box into the fires. It seems to have worked, as I have not moaned about the loss of anything significant in nine years. However, I have to tell you that it takes a lot of nerve, as heaven knows what was in those boxes.

The trick seems to be not to let things pile up like that. How do we not put things away in boxes that we won’t look at for the next five years? What is the system that can be employed to stop us from having to go through, (choose one), the angst or excitement of throwing things away?

It was such a dusty job of pulling out stuff and piling it into my old Fiat station wagon, and when that could carry no more, driving it all to the trash drop-off. If I had some other way of getting home I might have even left the car there, as it really is ready for the scrap yard.

I realize that we usually reserve these exercises for the Spring, but just because it’s Fall is no reason not to take action when the spirit moves us, so I did and got it done. Now, I feel good, my garage looks bigger and more lightsome, and my wife is worried.

Stay tuned for Clearing Out II, due to appear in 2013.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Love Lost

“T’is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” (Alfred Lord Tennyson.)

This famous quotation just about says it all, but nevertheless, there will no doubt be a great number of people who would like to throw a rock at the author. When the passionate relationship comes to an end, and the tears come and the pain sets in, trying to be philosophical about things comes very hard.

Why is it that when you have something so good it has to end? Why are you not allowed to hold on to it to the end of time? In real life, all manner of things can interfere so that the perfect thing plays itself out to a natural end. And then you hit the wall and just lay there as a cripple.

Why do we do these things to ourselves? I don’t believe its because we actually like the feeling of pain. No, that can’t possibly be the answer. No one will actually want to be brought down hard and pinned to the ground all alone.

So, we turn to the Internet to see if there’s anyone else going through the same thing, and we find to our utter amazement that there’s a whole industry dedicated to breaking up. There’s Relationship Blues, and Adjustment and or Conformity; there are poems and other inspirational topics, and a whole lot more

Well now, you need not feel quite so alone when it seems as though the sky has fallen. Now you can join the crowd and get yourself on the road to recovery. I suggest that for a start you go to http://www.wikihow.com/ dealing with the subject of breaking up. It’s the best offering that I’ve found that provides a whole list of things you might be interested in.

They suggest that it will be helpful to consider what happened in detail. Accept your own pain so that you avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Remember, it’s never just one person’s fault. Life happens, and you’re a part of it.

Once you’ve made the decision you should most probably stick to it. Your reasons are probably well grounded and will re-occur in the future if you can’t find the strength now.

Keep a respectable distance to let your ex find his or her own feet. Breaking up is nasty business and a real major pressure regarding stress. Give yourselves a chance. Time will help you sort through things, even correcting any mistakes.

Is there hate involved? Could be, as it takes something significant to tear you apart. If there is, deal with it calmly, maturely, and with honesty. Time will also help you get over whatever is bothering you.

Friends, if you have any were made for times like these. Network like never before. Talk to them, do things with them, get busy. Let them help to take your mind off the pressure.
Lastly, don’t forget to pursue other happiness, and that includes moving along with your life. Need to forget someone? Take up with someone else and concentrate. However, don’t fall for the re-bound thing. If you fall into love with a next person, be sure that you are really feeling it and are not just covering up the pain.

Again, that Internet address is http://www.wikihow.com/ regarding breaking up. And one other thing: Good Luck!

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

When Winter met Summer

Lady

Chester

Summer

Winter

All dogs depicted are actors

A Shaggy Dog Story

This is a dog love story, just to prove to those of you who are sceptical that animals have the power of true love and caring.

Winter is our big Golden Retriever. He is about eight years old, a real shaggy dog, and overweight, just as I am. He is a Spanish animal who joined our family about seven years ago. When I first encountered him he had been brought into an apartment by his owner, and the first thing he did was piss on the floor. The apartment was located on the beach, so among a lot of screaming about that disgusting dog he was taken outside and onto the beach where he promptly shat in the sand.

My impression was that this was one of the world’s most objectionable animals, and if he were mine I would shoot him. Six months later he was introduced into our family to avoid him being taken to the dog pound. We had another dog that we brought with us from Bermuda. I chose him from the local SPCA as he was the most dangerous looking one there. I wasn’t looking for a pet. I was looking for a killer. My wife had arrived home at the same time that someone was in the process of breaking into our home. My previous dog, a cross between a German Shepherd and a Collie, who I named Lady, had passed away at the age of seventeen. I needed a sentry with a license to kill to replace her.

Chester was his name, and when he took one look at Winter he wanted to tear his face off. Finally, after a lot of encouragement from the top dog, that’s me, the two of them settled and became the best of friends. But Chester had a freedom jones, he just had to roam. Give him half a chance and he would be gone, taking Winter with him. They once went walk-about for seven weeks.

At age fourteen Chester went off to doggy heaven, leaving Winter on his own. Chester had dominated Winter to such an extent that he didn’t even know if it was alright to eat. He grieved for the loss of his friend and I had to pay him extra special attention through daily walks and grooming to help him through his depression.

Then one day this skinny bitch just showed up. She was wearing a collar so she was cultured but very skittish. She made her appearance at the same time that Summer began, so it was a natural that she would be named Summer to us. Winter still had all his equipment but he was very confused about what he was supposed to do with it. Chester had been fixed so Winter thought he was a girl dog and tried it on. It was funny to watch that action. Chester sure put him right in a hurry, and since then Winter just seemed to forget about his kit.

Summer is a small dog, very skinny and as homey looking as they come. But, she was full of life and obviously very taken with our big bear of a friend. They had silent conversations and lots of smooching as she was always in his face. She would go outside the open gate and encourage him to follow. Evidently it was while they were away that Winter got his mojo working because it was not too long before she started putting on weight.
Then came a time when she went missing for a couple of days during which she gave birth to her litter. She then showed up again, all bouncy, happy and skinny again. She was all over the big guy and he was quite apparently delighted to see her. Eventually she persuaded him to come see his kids. Off they went, the happy parents to spend some quality time with the family. This scene has been repeated several times. Naturally we were curious and wanted to see what our big boy had helped to produce. However, she was having none of that. She never did lead us to the litter. In fact, clearly she belongs to a family, but I haven’t been able to trace her to her home.

Now, when I take him for a walk his entourage consists of me, Summer, and our cat Murphy. The cat makes a game of it by running on up ahead and hiding in the tall grass, only to jump Summer, who is hardly much bigger than a large cat herself. Summer is so nervous that she falls for the joke every time.

Lovely! Just lovely!

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Communicating-Part Six

Handling Information


Between partners the first rule of thumb should be “Give and Take.” It is also the first rule to be broken if we take our own positions too strongly. When that happens we get into the principle of the thing, forgetting that principles come at a very high price. The tricky balance is to give in on the issue when the balance shifts even slightly against the position that you hold.

Having once learned and mastered the art of active listening you will become a very popular person, as people will want to bring their problems to you. What do you do with all the information that you acquire? It seems to me that the absolute essential is that you maintain the information entrusted to you in complete confidence. It must not be shared with anyone as once it passes to another it is out of your control.

Men have the greatest problems with what to do with the information they receive from their female partners. We feel compelled to offer our suggestions to resolve the problems, but our ladies often only want our empathy. We are not allowed to do anything else while receiving this information. We have to put aside the newspaper, turn off the tv or the stereo and pay attention to what is being said. We can make encouraging remarks, and best of all we can offer our partners hugs, but solutions are the province of our mate. She can figure out what needs to be done even more effectively than we can.

The topic of appropriate handling of confidential information fills many volumes. It is surprising how many institutions fail in their duty to protect confidential information entrusted to them. I recall several years ago boxes of banking records were found on an open trash dump. To embarrass the culprits an advert was placed in a local paper listing the names of the people affected who were invited to call in at an office to collect their personal information. To say that someone’s head rolled for that is an understatement.

Data protection is a serious business and in most countries is covered by legislation. It is a well-known fact that information between doctors and patients; lawyers and clients; and certain other professionals is absolutely protected. In other situations, private information is considered so important that people will go to prison to protect their sources.

Where there is an absence of law there will be ethical considerations. Information shared with you in confidence should not be passed to a third person under any circumstances. Unfortunately, all too often such confidential information makes its way in the form of gossip. No matter how natural a thing it is for humans to do, gossiping is one of the worst forms of communications, and it is engaged in equally by men and women.

Curiously, if you decide that you don’t want to further a particular thread and you try to track the particular bit of gossip back to its source, someone will stonewall you. The need to protect their source of the information becomes paramount. However, if people will talk about others behind their backs to you, they will also happily talk about you to others. Stop Gossip Now!

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Communicating-Part Five -Listening

We are born with two ears but only one mouth. Coincidence?

Just how important are listening skills to effective communicating? There are some who maintain that effective listening requires the larger share of listening and talking. All too often we open our mouths to speak to our companion in spite of the fact that we really did not hear what was just said to us. We are so busy in formulating our own thoughts that the other person’s speech is drowned out. In such cases we are talking at one another instead of with each other.

The main problem is that men and women speak in separate dialects, as someone put it. In fact, I have heard the word genderlect to describe how wide the divide between the genders really is. That being the case the ability to actively listen is critical to understanding what the other person is saying. Think of the popular image of having a session with a psychologist where you lie on a couch while the professional sits behind you. As you talk he, or she repeats what you say and asks you how you feel, rather than imposing their own opinion.

I know people who are really good at the active listening thing. Usually they are very calm and they get you to do most of the talking. To be honest I find them to be a little bit irritating, but the fact is that often I realise that they are helpful.

Those people who are the most helpful seem to have the following attributes in common:

They actually look at me when I am speaking, and they make eye contact with me. This is a little disconcerting because it makes me realise that here is a person who is interested enough to hear my every word, so therefore I should not be wasting his time with nonsense.
They will actually allow me to complete my thought process. Sometimes I have trouble in completing my sentence and they help me find the words. This is the complete opposite of those annoying television or radio hosts who seem to invite guests on their programmes just so that the host gets to inflict his own opinions, often cutting off in mid-sentence the words of the guest. I just hate that when it happens, and it is a sure way to get me to switch off. I want to yell at the tv “you idiot, let your guest finish. I didn’t tune in for your opinion.”
The other thing that I like is their choice of words as I am speaking. It’s not something that I have thought much about until now, but techniques like repeating a sentence or a thought to be sure I have been understood is reassuring, as is to say things like “Really! Tell me more.”
There is nothing more deflating than to be talking to a person who is receiving you like a stone wall. That’s called talking to yourself. However, if the person to whom you are speaking has the time and the interest to care and displays this in his body language, such as through your facial reactions, you will be encouraged, and I believe, the responsibility grows to keep your presentation and your thoughts brief and interesting. When I am trying to be a good listener I find that when the speaker has finished his thread I often have a feeling of being tired.
Finally, we are bombarded daily with information overload, and to cope we need to learn to block out the unnecessary. Unfortunately, a lot of information that we should let through also gets blocked as the screening process is difficult. Just as with our computers we receive a lot of spam, so do our ears and eyes. Driving is made all that more difficult because people think they can sell us things by using billboards, as though we don’t have enough to read with all the traffic signs.

Being a good listener is definitely an acquired skill, one which is very much appreciated. The other half of being a good listener, of course, is what do you do with all that information you have just taken on board. This is where most people come off the railings.

Next week I will look at how you might best be helpful in your feedback.


Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

I

Communicating - Part Four

Men and Women

InterFaith, InterCultural, InterRacial

Communication-wise, as good as it potentially gets between men and women goes something like this: Future partners grow up in the same neighbourhood, go to the same schools, share the same faith, are of the same ethnic group, and even share the same political beliefs. However, even within these groupings the divorce rate is significant. That is because, as Dr. John Gray says, men and women quite naturally come from different planets, or so it seems.

That being the case it will be seen that as we move away from the ideal benchmark things become more complicated the farther afield we go.

So, you’re an American man and you have fallen hopelessly in love with the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen who comes from India. What do you know about the Caste system that she has grown up in?

What if you’re an English woman and you’ve met the most charming man from Afghanistan and you’ve fallen head over heels for him. What of his cultural and religious beliefs? Have you any knowledge of the complicated and deeply held customs that form the society that is Afghanistan?

Even countries that are neighbours have important different attitudes about life. America and Canada, or England and Wales, or Scotland are as close as it gets but there are enough differences to cause great difficulties between mixed couples who are trying to live intimate lives. Just as men and women are supposed to be different, so are people from separate countries. That is the challenge that the human race are set. The objective is to succeed in spite of the difficulties.

The completely peculiar thing is that when we enter into relations that will complicate our lives beyond measure we do so without giving it much thought. Love is a comedian. It just pulls down the curtain on all logic and before we know it we are faced with an immense task of surmounting all obstacles to reach a state of contentment, also known as happiness.

A relationship between the girl or boy next door is usually without the basic elements that exist as standard when crossing cultural and other barriers, such as fear of the unknown and uncertainty, misunderstanding, sense of loss and confusion, ignorance of the other culture and the minefield of disasters that imposes. On the plus side a relationship where both partners have a lot to learn about each other is one less likely to end due to boredom, but there will be a lot of work involved.

If love were not so unpredictable and if cupid didn’t have such a sense of humour we could be scientific when going about our quest to find a mate who was a bit different. For instance, almost all countries have at one time or another been colonised. If those in the mother country so wanted they could make their choice from among the colonies, or vice versa. At least the culture of the mother country would be shared leaving only the indigenous culture to be understood and integrated.

I have read testimonies from couples who are living very complex lives that involve interfaith, or intercultural, or interracial elements, or all three, and they sometimes even stand on opposite sides of the political divide. They swear that they cope, and that they don’t see their lives any more challenging than any one else’s, but I do wonder about the long-term accuracy of that statement. One person is bound to be the stronger personality of the two, and that is the culture that will be dominant.

Having said all that, I personally celebrate diversity, tolerance, understanding and the pursuit of knowledge, and I encourage those who simply follow their hearts wherever it may lead. The Master Architect designed the world in which we live with built-in obstacles to maintain our interest. For some they will rise above and go on to the ultimate level. Others will find their own levels and there they will be happy.

For that is the way it has been preordained, and you don’t have to be religious to believe.

Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Communicating- Part Three

Between Men & Women


Why do men insist on reading while sitting on the WC?
Because that’s the only place we get the peace and quiet to read to our heart’s content. Some men aren’t even subtle. They have installed a magazine rack in the bathroom. Were it not for reading in the toilet, perhaps we wouldn’t read at all.

Now, having dealt with that great mystery, we move on to look closely at the great divide between how men and women see things so differently.

Fundamentally, men do not do subtle. Ladies, if you want us to know something, just tell us straight out. If you want us to do something, tell us plain and simple. Please don’t hint. If we are driving and you want to stop for coffee, just say so. If you ask me whether I want one I just might say no and keep on driving.

Men are creatures designed to cut to the chase. We understand solutions, but we don’t particularly understand feelings about things. We have enough of a problem understanding this thing called love. About the worst trap you can place us in is the question about how you look in a dress. Most men get that one wrong, and that is usually just as you’re about to go out for the evening.

So! Men, here’s how to handle such questions. You might want to jot this lifesaver down for future use. No matter how she puts the question the answer is : Honey, that dress looks really good on you.” Not, and I repeat NOT: “ Honey, you look good in that dress.” One thing says that she makes the dress look good; the other says that the dress makes her look good. See the difference?

That comes directly from the wisdom of my lady, and she knows semantics. Trust her!

The essential difference between men and women seems to be that men give and want information, and women give and want feelings. One of the worst case scenarios happens in the bedroom. He wants to know whether they are going to get an action going, and she says maybe. Well, we don’t do maybe. We have no idea what to do with maybe.

One of my golden rules is that I never argue with a lady. The man has not been born yet who actually won an argument with a lady. One of their techniques is to bring up things that we have no chance of remembering. Anyway, the two of you will be speaking in different tongues and possibly very heatedly and emotionally, so, advantage goes to the ladies. Even if you do manage to pin her down and back her into a corner where she runs out of firepower she will always have one piece of backup ammunition in reserve, and it is this: She can always say, “Well, whatever!” In women speak, that means, “ Mister, you’re dead meat. Don’t ever speak to me again.” So, you see, you can’t win. It’s preordained that way.

I’m not saying that you can’t put your point of view forward, just don’t rely on convincing her that you’re right, especially if you’re wrong. It will be quite enough to state your case and then leave it with her.

There are some situations that leave a man completely dazed A friend’s wife had been through difficult surgery and was worried about possible scarring. He urged her not to worry as she had the option of plastic surgery. She suddenly turned on him angrily saying it was too bad that he would be upset by the way she looked. He was only trying to be helpful but somehow she saw his response in a very different light. How on earth do we cope with that?

Dr. John Gray, writing in “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” deals with one of the most obvious, and perhaps most vexing problems in inter- gender relations. When she sees his mood darken she will ask, “What’s the matter?” He will invariably answer, “Nothing!” Clearly there is something quite wrong, and she wants to be a help. But he gives her a response that makes her feel stupid and insulted, and so the problem escalates.

The way that Dr. Gray puts it is that we men take our problems into our caves to deal with them alone. When we respond that nothing is wrong, what we are saying in fact is that there is nothing that I wish your help with. I have personally struggled with this, in that it even sounds dopey to me as I say there’s nothing wrong. After all, I know that there’s plenty wrong

Unfortunately it’s not as simple as explaining that I would like to have some space and time to think things through.. Most women will be convinced that they can genuinely help and are likely to press you to open up. His reaction will be “Go away!” So, my advice is to leave him with it until he is ready to talk about it, and he will. Just give him time to think things through. If you’re the source of his problem he needs time to think how best to raise the issue with you.

I will continue with this thread in my next instalment.


Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael

Communicating-Part Two

Communications
Part Two
Men and Women

The Great Architect seems to have deliberately designed the world to include the different languages as a challenge for humans. It’s simply a geographical accident of birth that will determine the language that you speak as your native tongue.

With that beginning a child is surrounded by his tribe, and he will know his tribe anywhere in the world just by the words spoken. If no-one bothered to learn another language we would be stuck in our tribal lands forever.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious projects to try and overcome the language barrier is the European Airbus. As an experiment in communicating it’s about as bold as it gets. The object was to build an airplane that would actually fly safely as a cooperative endeavour between several nations. Primarily it involved an agreement between Germany, France, Britain, and Spain. It employed 57,000 people working over 16 sites, and ultimately extended participation to the U.S, Holland, Japan and China.

France made the cockpit, flight control and lower middle section of the fuselage.
Britain made the wings and provided the Rolls Royce engines.
Germany made the forward and rear fuselage, and the upper centre fuselage.
Holland made the flaps and spoilers.
Spain made the horizontal tail plane.

Even if there was one common language, say French or English, given that so many people would not be totally proficient because it was not their mother tongue, there would be a lot of room for misunderstanding. In spite of that the airplane does fly and is rated safe. I consider that to be an absolutely amazing success story.

So, in the light of such an outstanding achievement why then do men and women have so much trouble in understanding one another. The popular book, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” points out the very large divide between the two sexes. Most men will likely have had the experience of explaining our thinking on some subject to the women in our lives, only to have had it replayed back to us as something completely different. Supposedly we are speaking the same language, but somehow what comes from our mouths is not what enters the female ear.

Not that this is a one-way problem. Men suffer from the very same thing with the added complication that we’re supposed to only listen and not insert our own annoying solutions. Nor can we read the newspaper or watch tv while listening.

The standard joke goes something like this:

She: Darling, did you realise that today marks the six-month anniversary of our relationship?
He: Really! Six months already!
He thinks: Time for me to take the car in for its six month’s service. He then trains his thoughts on what has to be done for the car, while she is thinking romantic thoughts about the past six months, and the future.

Problem is, this is no joke. The divide between the genders is so wide it’s just an everyday miracle that we are able to achieve anything at all. Supposedly we want the same things from life. Love, security, family, respect, comfort, prestige, friends, community, money. Acquiring those things is where the problems are to be found. As someone said, the devil is in the details.

Most men probably find themselves in hot water with their women through quite inadvertent actions. We don’t deliberately set out to annoy our women, unless we enjoy that sort of thing, in which case we should run, not walk to have our heads examined. We try to please our women and to ensure peace in the family, but no matter how hard we try we are committed to get it wrong.

I once heard a woman friend describe her man as being perfect. I should have had her explain in detail what that meant.

In the next instalment I shall present some classic misunderstandings between the genders.



Copyright © 2008 Eugene Carmichael