Life Eternal? On earth? Starting Now!

The God Switch?

Last week I teased this topic while I took a bit more time to do some research and to get over my disbelief.

Stem cell research has always been controversial and very uncertain ethical ground. It starts with the placenta and takes many avenues. Many people hold that the very entry into an area that they see is reserved solely for God is sacrilegious for man to interfere into, so we should all shut down any findings so far and behave ourselves.

Too late!

It seems that scientists have found an indestructible gene, SP100, which I think is not an embryonic stem cell, but rather is a Pluripotent stem cell, a kind of magic cell that is currently being used to screen patients for cancer before they even develop it, and is also being used as part of a cure for cancer.

It also seems to have other uses, such as the ability to grow new cells to replace dying cells, so the logic of that is to farm such cells into something that is called IPS cells, or Induced Pluripotent StemCells to repair and to rejuvenate human cells indefinitely. In other words, a patient who signs up for this type of treatment could be buying life eternal.

This they call The God Switch!

I admit I am out of my depth and in the deep end over this topic. I first heard about this from a man called Patrick Cox who could hardly believe this giant step had been taken. Patrick is always looking for companies with potential as an investment. The company that holds the patent for this breakthrough he feels also holds the potential for massive growth as an investment, but I wonder.

I believe the average person would not wish to change the way things are,or if at all they might want to elect when to check out. They might want to stay around to finish important work, such as seeing their children grow up and start their own families. The fact is that people even now choose when to die through suicide. When a person has lost their partner, and is depressed, and is old themselves the timing might be perfect. But if you are not financially prepared it's not likely that you would make the choice to live forever.

However, Patrick Cox could be right as enough of the very rich never want to die. I was aware of a rich man who said on his death bed that death should take a poor man instead. He was rich and would help the poor if he was allowed to live.

It raises the question of  how many people would actually take up the offer if it ever gets past the regulatory bodies for life eternal here on earth. In christian religious faith believers opt for life eternal in heaven with Jesus. However, this type of meddling is a step too far. I think we haven't even begun to hear from these folks yet. There is also the possibility of adding genetic engineering to the mix that would all for us to construct the type of baby that we want by design. That is so off the chart that I feel I should be trembling as I type.

Where is all this going? The possibilities are startling when we absent the ethical considerations. However, I choose not to dwell in this zone because it frightens me much too much!

For more information try visiting "Stockgumshoe.com " and typing in The God Switch.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Life Eternal! On Earth!

I am currently researching the following question: If you could realistically choose to live forever, free from major debilitating disease and in a young-ish state, what would be your choice, and why?

I will return next week to enlarge on this subject, but in the meantime I suggest that you take the matter seriously and think about it, and perhaps to even discuss it because the ramifications are enormous.

Be prepared for the most tremendous choice of your life.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

Being Responsibility Prepared!

When it's time to go!

I have purchased a Golden Leaves Pre-Paid Funeral Plan for myself, and I have the most wonderful sense of peace of mind. Why, you may ask, would I do that?

I have taken this step to save my Next-of-Kin the trouble of having to find the funds to dispose of my body when I no longer have use for it. I believe that most people would agree that to do something like this for your family is a loving and responsible action to take. If you are living in your home country and you have a life insurance policy that will mature on your death with sufficient benefit to cover your last expenses, and, together with a Will, this should adequately cover the position.

The possible problems begin the moment you step out of your country, whether as a tourist or to live and work. When you do that you leave behind the society in which you and your family are possibly known, and have a credit rating and the support of other family members. Overseas, you are among a world of strangers and different rules apply when something as extreme as death occurs.

You would be a rarity if you thought beforehand about complications, such as I am enumerating.

Here in Spain every foreigner faces the same set of basic problems, and these can become hideously complicated due to religious or personal wishes. To begin with, it is the tradition to dispose of the deceased's body within twenty-four hours, or a maximum of 48 hours. When a man dies, his wife will have to call in a funeral director to remove the body, and she will have to follow the body to the Tanatorio, (the name given to a funeral home). There she will have to make known her wishes and the method of payment for services. Ideally, she should be able to debit her account for a cash payment, and the rest will go smoothly.

That rarely happens, in fact because most people don't have four thousand euros just sitting in a current account. The other problem will be Spanish/English languages. This is normally a time of great difficulty with emotions running very high. This is not the time to be scrambling over how to pay or even communicate effectively.

My Golden Leaves Pre-Paid Funeral plan works as follows: I have chosen a plan from among three options. I am in the process of completing payment for it. I am registered with a tanatorio at 25, Alfafar, 46910, Valencia. They have the details of my plan on record, and one day they expect to receive a call from my wife that they need to come and get me. They will ask her only one question: Do you wish for us to proceed strictly in accordance with the terms of the plan? I imagine she will answer yes, in which case they will then say tomorrow at 4pm. And that will be that. She can then make her calls and the first part of the transition will be complete, placing in her hands my death certificate. With that she will be able to proceed with the rest of the red tape.

This plan was devised by the internationally renowned firm of Funeral Directors, Rowland Brothers International, of the U.K. The firm was established in 1873, so they devised a plan to assist those who live, and die outside their native countries because out of their experience they have seen all too often the devastation caused when a member of the family dies unexpectedly and without preparations in place.

The other thing that I especially like is that the cost of the plan that I pay today is fixed for all time. I have said that it is my intention, and hope that I live to be 100 years of age. The company have said that will be fine, they will be there when I need them, and I am all paid up.

As a point of interest, statistically, men pre-decease their wives, and mothers their children

I will shortly visit the Tanatorio in Alfafar to meet the professionals who will care for me, and hopefully get a look at the process. This is a rare thing to do, and I'm fairly sure nobody else will have done that. I expect them to look at me curiously, and perhaps to say that they usually have to go and get me. I will reply that on this occasion I drove myself in, and I have every intention of driving myself home. Thank you!

A Golden Leaves Pre-Paid Funeral Plan, I think, is one of the best things I have done. Because of my status as a foreigner I have discovered that my life insurance policy and my Will are not sufficient to cover the situation here in Spain, so I have taken the necessary step to redress matters.

It makes sense!  Now, I can get on with the best years of my life that are yet to come.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Spanish Fiestas

A massive Monument as part of Valencia Fallas.

It has to be seen, and heard to be believed! 

At the moment here in Valencia there are at least two major fiestas on-going. One is Las Fallas in Valencia City and suburbs, and the other is La Magdalena that is taking place in Castellón. These are both lavish and very loud because the logic goes that the noise scares away the old man of Winter. In Valencia City it usually scares away the city inhabitants too who probably thought at one time, long ago, it was charming, but by now the non-stop noise is driving them crazy and out into the quiet of the country.

I got to thinking about Spanish festivals in general, and as an exercise I turned back time before any of these rituals got started, and I made the assumption that it was my idea in the first place and that I had to go out and sell the ideas to various town halls. However, instead of approaching mayors in Spain, let's see what would have happened had I gone in to see Mr. Johnson, mayor of London.

Me: Mr. Johnson! Mr. Johnson!  Have I got an idea for you that will make London one of the most exciting and visited places in the world.

Boris: Oh yes, and what would that be?

Me: You could encourage people to bring out all of their old furniture and pile it at crossroads, and then at a certain pre-arranged time they could set them on fire. From the air it would make London appear to be on fire.

Boris: Bloody H......Well, you may have something there!

Me: In the fullness of time things would progress from simple old furinutre to amazing monuments depicting events in a satirical manner, and you Sir, would feature prominently.

Boris: But wouldn't that present a grave health and safety issue?

Me: Ealf 'n safety be damned man, live a little.

Boris: Just give me a second while I enter this in my smartphone. (Boris types and speaks out loud his understanding of what I had just said, but in reality he types, "Help! There's a madman in my office. Send a dozen big guys and a very strong straightjacket.)

Me: You could also consider closing off a small street and encouraging as many people as you can to go inside the street, then you could have about ten raging bulls at one end, then you could sic 'em on the people.

Boris: Good God man, wouldn't people get hurt?

Me: Not only that some will get killed, but that's how people will know how dangerous it is.

Boris: O.K. Just go along with these twelve men and explain your ideas to them, they are a committee. The jacket they want you to wear is to keep you warm.

Me: Oh! O.K.  Another thing you could do fellas is a rather novel way to use up 200,000 kilos of tomatoes.

There is no place like Spain. I love it!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael  

Oscar Pistorius Jokes

A great athlete, But!

I do respect his ability on the track. 

Firstly, I have to tell you that from the very first time I ever heard of this man I was awed by his sense of determination and his ability to overcome his staggering disability. Like most people I was captivated, and I gave him my total respect.

However, a very beautiful young woman lies dead in her native South Africa, admittedly at his hand, although he insists that it was an accident. Well, he is strictly innocent until proved guilty, but his explanation has been met by ridicule in the court of public opinion and the Internet is alive with Oscar jokes, some of which are absolutely tasteless. So, I thought I would add my own which I hope you will find a bit more conservative.

Oscar says that although he knew his girlfriend was in the house he thought that the person in the bathroom was an intruder, so apparently without calling out to her or finding out whether the "intruder" was armed or simply taking a shit, he fired four bullets through the door. (Well, that's all right then, innit?)

As a result people around the world who are in the bathroom answer when their partner asks, are you in there, "Yes, its me. Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

Why didn't it occur to Oscar to simply call out, Honey, are you in the bathroom? That's what I would do!

All men get frustrated by the amount of time our women spend in the bathroom, but Oscar, Bru, we don't shoot 'em.

Hi girls, Oscar's here and he's looking for a new girlfriend. Run!

Man, when Oscar wants in the bathroom, Move it!

Most people simply knock on the door before entering the bathroom.

How difficult will it be for Oscar to find a new girlfriend? He's a good looking guy, rich, successful and a very famous athlete. There is a long line of women, but they are running the other way.

In Oscar's next relationship he will probably be the girlfriend, and his boyfriend will be a big, sweaty cellmate.

Oscar will not have to take a course in how to properly treat his next girlfriend. There will not be a next girlfriend, unless she's a sadist with a whip and a gun.

Oscar, there are 50 ways to leave your lover.
Oscar: Make that 51.

The judge won't let Oscar go back to his house because there is only one bathroom. Somebody else might  get hurt.

 So, there you have them, my one dozen original Oscar jokes that I'm sure are going to turn up under other people's names. I hope you get a smile and I just have to remember to keep my sense of humour.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

A Magnificent view of great Talent!

The Cambridge House Community College / Forest School of London Concert
"One Sun, One World"
February 21st, 2013
Held at La Palau de la Música, Valencia, Spain 

WoW! What a Concert!

This past week, February 21, 2013 provided my wife and myself with a very special experience. We attended the annual school concert as presented by Cambridge House Community College, Rocafort Valencia, Spain.

Usually school concerts are held in the auditorium and they reach up to a certain crescendo showcasing new young talent. They are normally enjoyable events attended by proud and delighted parents and grandparents. This was all in evidence at the Cambridge House concert, but it didn't stop there. It was held in the top venue for concerts in Valencia, The Palau de la Música, The Palace of Music, where la créme de la créme perform. The school took its approximately 300 person choir, together with a 41 piece classical orchestra from the Forest School that had travelled from London with their director, Alex Redpath, and under the overall direction of the school's Master of Music, Tim Davis they presented the concert entitled, "One Sun, One World."

It is not my intention to do a critique of the concert per se, but rather I wanted to comment on how wonderful an experience it is to be entertained by los jovenes, the young people, some very young indeed. The children were drawn from the youngest in year 3 to the oldest in year 13, with a sprinkling of adults. Had I wanted to present a critique I could sum up in any number of one word choices, such as Wonderful, Fantastic, Extraordinary, Amazing, Brilliant, Enjoyable, etc, etc, etc.

The theme was our world and our responsibility to take care of our environment. We have been given just One World and as human beings it is up to us to be responsible. That is a powerful and commonsense message that so many adults completely ignore. Sometimes it is done out of greed, other times it is done because of laziness or apathy and ignorance, but whatever the motivation it is tantamount to committing suicide unintentionally.

The choir wore bright yellow tee-shirts and when they stood and were flooded by lights I felt I should have averted my eyes as it was like looking directly into the sun. A wonderful effect!

There were six soloists from whom I expect we shall be hearing much more in the future. They are possessed of beautiful voices that they have already learned to control artfully. I imagine a bright future if they continue their training and keep their heads tightly screwed on.

A Profile in Courage:
I must not leave this piece without turning my spotlight on a unique person. She is a little girl, about seven years of age who is battling with a complex of issues that confine her to a wheelchair and that sap her strength. She attends school and tries to participate where she can. She may not have the energy to even hold her own head upright, but she can sing. She was brought to the stage in the arms of Ana and sat in her wheelchair, with her head held upright, and she sang most heartily. I think that no one can understand that type of courage and determination, we can only just admire her and applaud her. Well done, little one!

On a less positive note some people sitting in our area were behaving very badly. They were busy having a running conservation among themselves, or using their smart phones to send texts, or reading e-mails. I am from a different time when such behaviour was considered rude,obnoxious and extremely disrecptful to those on stage and in the immediate vicinity. I know the world is changing and things change but it seems to me that if you have such a tiny brain and concentration it may be better for you to simply stay away from situations that require good manners and focus.

This was the second time that such a concert has been presented at the same venue and in collaboration with Forest School of London. When these two mighty entities come together, in the words of Alex Repath, they achieve so much more than they could do alone.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

A St. Valentine's Weekend

Make everyday St. Valentine's Day!

Whatever else is said about St. Valentine's Day, the fact is that it serves as a day to pause and quite literally smell the roses. The world is so full of stress producing daily worries that we need a whole day, and preferably a whole weekend to consider when was the last time we looked our better half in the eye and reassured him/her of the fact that they are valued and loved. We sometimes let the passage of time slip away without actually saying the words, "I love you!"

We so often tell ourselves that our partner knows that we love her/him, so we don't have to keep going on about it. Anyway, you show it in many ways, which, of course is good, but I am reliably advised that there is really no substitute for actually saying so, and doing so from the bottom of your heart.

There is something else that I have discovered after all these years: that is the value of the "cuddle." To hold your woman in your arms at Valentine's Day, or at any time of year, just to cuddle her, and to listen to the beats of both your heats. Let the sound lock out the whole world and confirm that you are together, one unit, against the world.

I freely acknowledge that "the cuddle" is not a man thing. Since time began men have seen the cuddle as foreplay, but in the eyes of women it is simply a moment of warmth and the sharing of space unlike no other without the complications of that sex thing. We never need an excuse to go there, sometimes just for fun, but best of all to express your genuine love and need for your lover. Its taken me about sixty years to learn that lesson and I finally "get it!"

What our world needs much more of is love. It is the one ingredient that we can never have too much of. So, bring it on, in very large measure. The fact that I can write a column like this must mean I have pursued happiness, and found it. So, come on everybody,

Make love, not war!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael 

Who let loose the Feral Dogs of Rape?

Fortunately, most men in the world are good and peaceful people!

I have written much about rape in the past but I find I must return to the topic because of the following high profile cases: "Indian girl raped by gang on bus while she was with a male companion." "South African girl raped and killed by gang." "Six Spanish women raped by armed gang in Acapulco." Incidentally, those women were in the company of their six male companions who were tied up. Apparently, to the shame of humanity, a rape occurs every four minutes somewhere in the world.

If we asked 100 people the question, "Why do people rape one another?," we will likely receive 100 different replies. However, there may be one central thread throughout, and that is the exercise of power over another person to achieve what the rapist wants.

I turned to Wikipedia which I found to be an excellent source of information. I googled "Gang Rape" but what I got was the following list of types of rape: Anger rape, Power rape, Sadistic rape, followed by rapes by your date, gangs, spousal, statutory, rape of a child, prison, war, rape by deception, and so-called corrective rape. (The rape of a lesbian by a man to teach her what is normal.)

I strongly suggest that you visit this site as it will open one's eyes and help you to understand better the types of things that drive this very dark side of human nature.

I am curious as to what is driving men to prowl around and to attack a woman, or women with the aim of raping them. Where is this anger and hatred coming from? Were these men not born of a woman? Should the woman have aborted their birth and saved society the distress and pain that is inflicted upon it? There are societies that value boys but who drown their baby girls. Perhaps they should reverse that?

From the above list of incidents we see that one took place in India, another in South Africa, and the last one in Acapulco. Three different societies with vastly differing views about the role in their societies of women, but common decency and right and wrong equally applies, so there can be no excuse.

In the case of rape through anger, I can only imagine that a man finds out that his woman has been having an affair and he goes berserk on her, and defiles her, and does his best to humiliate and to hurt her as she has hurt him. I suppose he tries to drag her down into the dirt and make her feel unclean. He presumably tries to do whatever he feels is necessary to assuage his own ego. I see this as a very dangerous situation, and some might even say that the woman is the author of her own misfortune.

However, rape by a sadist is the most dangerous of all because he will want to reduce his victim to the lowest point possible, and he will want to do it slowly, inflicting as much pain, terror and humiliation as he can, and as a last resort he most likely will kill his victim as the ultimate act of power, whereas Power Rape may involve only sufficient pressure to make the point that the aggressor is the Lord and Master.

Of all the various types and motivations to commit rape, I still think that Rape by a Gang is the most shameless act a man can participate in. It is the act of a coward, because he needs other men to help him accomplish it, and it is something that is akin to feral dogs acting on instinct. It is a very dirty thing to do to mingle sperm from different men in one receptor. The thought of following another man by inserting my penis into a used vagina revolts me. We are men with the power to reason. We cannot blame our actions on instinct. We know the difference between right and wrong of this magnitude. Life is difficult enough with situations that arise  in which the line can be so fine we can cross over it and become guilty of unintended rape.

What can women do to lessen the likelihood of becoming a victim? Firstly I agree completely that it is a woman's prerogative to dress herself in any way she sees fit. Were it not so then someone else would have to dress her. However, here is where common sense is needed. Everyday I pass street girls who dress themselves to expose to me what they hope I might want to buy. These are prostitutes and they look like such working women. If you are not a prostitute then perhaps you shouldn't dress like one.

You may wish to take care to present yourself to the world to impress, but I think it might be a bad idea to attract the attention of a stalker by being overly obvious. I hardly think you would be happy to do that. In the Muslim world some women dress themselves so that they are just one blob of clothing. There is nothing in that to excite the average male, but even she must be careful of her movements. To be alone after dark in in remote places does get you noticed.

In our Western society young women walk around showing the cheeks of their bums and sometimes even the nipples of their breasts. Every man will notice, but it is to our credit that we carry on about our business without molesting her. Frankly, I look forward to the end of winter when girls throw off winter's clothing and expose their legs and chests. There is no more pleasing sight to men then the sight of a beautiful women who we hold in very high esteem. However, we appreciate it even more when it is not overdone. 

A beautiful woman is sometimes handed an impossible situation when she is born into a society in which she feels that her destiny lies elsewhere. By holding herself apart from the locals she may bring rape down upon her because of the jealousy of the local men who feel she is insulting them as she is too good for them.

I don't have the answers that would protect all women from all men. Women have to consider their location and circumstances and then to use their common sense. Were I king of the world I would remove the sense of violence from men, and from women who also rape, so that this scourge was not the shame upon society that it is.

Meanwhile ladies, proceed with caution!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

1961! The year that changed my Life

Bermuda, when it truly was "Another World."

While watching an old video promoting tourism to Bermuda in 1961, I allowed myself a nostalgic walk down memory lane concerning my life in that year in my home country of Bermuda. Among other things, that was the year I first dated a girl from across the racial divide. I didn't intend to do that. It happened by accident.

First the background:

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court, in a hearing of Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, ruled that segregation practices in public education were unconstitutional and therefore illegal throughout the country. Thus began the movement of school boards to bring themselves in line with the law. It would take some time to fully comply with the law owing to opposition and other issues such as the busing of students.

The effort to desegregate the system in Arkansas didn't begin until 1957. However, in Arkansas, there was a truly awful man, with the even more horrid name of Orval Faubus, who I will simply refer to as Awful. He was governor of the state, and he ordered his national guard, complete with guns and bullets and knives to form a line blocking access to nine very courageous black students from entering Little Rock High School. This situation continued for one month. Finally, President Eisenhower ordered Awful to the White House and told him that segregation must end in Arkansas, to which Awful replied, "Over my dead body." Fair enough! Somebody shoot that man.


It is important to note that those nine children were daily subjected to insults, assaults,including being spat on and drenched with piss and shit. One girl was set on fire and another suffered acid in her face.

In 1961, tourism was booming in Bermuda. One American student decided that she would come to work at a hotel in Bermuda when her studies ended. I will refer to her as Cindy. She began work on a Sunday evening as Food and Beverage cashier, working in the cocktail lounge with myself and my fellow waiters.

Hi y'all! I'm Cindy. She was Cindy from the South. We worked reasonably well. My shift was to last between 6pm and 8:30pm. However, at about 7:55 Cindy said to me, "Boy! Do you'all have a check for those drinks? That was like hitting me in the head with a sledgehammer. The bar manager hurried over to her and said that we didn't refer to the waiters as boy. We call them by their names. Cindy said, "ah'm sorry, it's jest that ah'm from Little Rock, Arkansas, and there we call 'em boy."

My head exploded! I started to shake as the images of all that the nine children had suffered came flooding in. I asked one of the other waiters to serve my drinks, and as quietly as I possibly could, I growled at Cindy, " don't you ever call me boy again!"  In Little Rock, Cindy, and everybody else referred to blacks, young and old, as boy and girl without anybody ever making a challenge such as I made. She was aghast! "Say what?" For the remaining half hour of my shift she and I had our own quiet and private war going on. Before leaving for my next department I said, Cindy, I'm not through with you We must talk. Meet me in the car park as soon as you cash in. Cindy said, "I will!"  See what I mean? Cindy and I had a date and it had happened completely by accident.

Picture Cindy walking towards me. She was so angry that fire was coming out of her hair and her ears; she was breathing fire like a dragon. I held my car door open for her but she snatched it from me and slammed it. I hate when people slam my car door. She said that I should take her some place where there were no people because this was going to get loud. So, I took her to Make-Out point. People went there to make love. We went to make war. We parked overlooking a long stretch of pure white sandy beach with a palm tree or two, and a clear moon.

I yelled at her and she yelled at me, but she dominated with a long stream of the most awful monologue I have ever heard from another person. Talk about shock and awe! Finally, she had to take a breath, during which I asked,"Did you attend Little Rock High during its crisis?" No ah did not. ah was in another school, but all we talked about was what we would do when the first nig- negra tried to come into our school. We was ready, we were going to----------------. She stopped mid sentence and stared out to sea, and then, looking up towards the Heavens she said, "Oh my Dear God! Ah'm so sorry."

Cindy seemed to have had an epiphany, some kind of manifestation of God that helped her see clearly through her life and her customs and the difference between right and wrong. She began to cry, deep body wrecking, cleansing sobs that caused her to collapse, in MY arms. She carried on in this manner for what seemed like forever, until she had no more tears. Then we talked. Quietly! We talked about our thoughts and our true selves without the influence of others, and we confronted our own demons and talked about how we thought we should be left alone to live our lives. The sun arose and still we talked until finally we could hardly stay awake.

I took Cindy back to the hotel and left her at the gate. We not only became friends that Summer, we became lovers and pioneers in a Bermuda where dating between blacks and whites was not the done thing. The more opposition we faced the more determined we were to stick together, she and I, against the world.

The moral of this story is that no matter how extreme our positions may be, in the final analysis we are all just folks. We are born equal in the eyes of our Creator, and when we die, we die in equality.

A very useful life lesson to have learned that I live by as I write this recollection.

  Cindy, I'm so glad that we met. I have never forgotten you, and I never will.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Finally! I get it!

The price to own one of these is very expensive indeed, and I don't mean only in dollar terms.

I finally get the argument of the American gun "patriot", the gun zealot, and the National Rifle Association in their determination to own guns. These same people seem to believe that the way to keep people safe is by having everybody armed. The thinking is that even a crazy man is likely to think twice before opening fire in a crowd that is armed. Well, maybe, but what if they are wrong?

At the heart of the thinking is that it is necessary that the population be well armed to keep the United States free forever from becoming a dictatorship, as has happened in so many other countries. Could it happen in the United States? Certainly! The president is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, so in that capacity a man who is a megalomaniac could twist and turn members of his Cabinet and the top officers of the various military departmens to fall into line and do things that they might think are not especially proper.

The war on Iraq has been called a pre-emptive action that was taken against something that noone can prove  was even being contemplated. Before that the president at the time ordered an action against Grenada in the Carribbean because he didn't like the duly elected Socialist leader. Some have called these actions an abuse of office but they took place, and if a president could use his power to effect such actions it is not beyond belief that he could go over the top.

There are more than 300 million guns in America in the hands of civilians, thereby constituting a second army that is not under the control of the C-I-C. Therefore, the people have a way of imposing their will if they feel the need to fight back. Naturally no-one wants to see the coming of the day when this has to happen, but it is possible.

The extremists win this argument, in my opinion, BUT, there is a price to pay, and America has been paying that price every day, and there are atrocities coming that will make people faint due to the severity. For instance, should a group of madmen decide to enter a stadium of 100,000 people, where they know everybody has a gun, to start a massacre, then that is what they will do through confusion.There are many more horrific events that will occur over the coming years because there is so much anger in America, and far too many guns to express that anger.

It is unlikely that anything significant will occur within America to bring about real change afftecting gun control. In fact, gun ownership will continue to rise, and if I lived there I'm sure I would feel the pressure as well to buy at least one gun.

So, there you have it! America is caught within a Catch-22 and is unable to help itself on this issue. It has all manner of economic problems and does not need this problem. Those of us who live outside it borders can only watch from afar and shake our heads in sorrow.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael 

What are Clouds?

You may never see clouds in the same way ever again!

This post may very well rattle believers in religious faith. I am proposing a new form of belief for those who see sense in what I am about to suggest, but before I get to that let me state categorically that I believe that there is some form of Deity, a Controller if you like because if you stand back and objectively review the chaos within which we live, you will probably see that the organisation of it is too perfect to be an accident.

The question that many believers in religious faith find themselves asking, is why does God allow such horrible things to happen to, and by people. Surely He can control the actions of mankind and stay the hands of those who take such distasteful  action against their fellow man, and against the environment and animals.

The answer is that life is all about balance. For all things and actions that are beautiful there are ugly actions. For love, there is hate as a balance. For peace there is violence and war as a counterpoint, etc, etc. The more you think about what I'm saying, the more sense you will find. You may not like it, but that is the world order. You may not like the fact that men are made to be stimulated by the sight of a woman, but that is how we are wired. I may not like the fact that women react to the sight and intelligence of a man by thinking they would like to have his baby, but that is how the world procreates and survives.

I don't take issue with any of that. It's the business of what happens once the act that we call death occurs. We are all taught that our souls go to Heaven or Hell, and we are painted a picture of what happens in those places. To begin with, religious painters depict all the people sitting in Heaven as being white people. No Blacks, Asians, Chinese, Indians, Buddhists, etc, just a bunch of white people sitting around singing Kum- by -Yah.  I don't think so.

My theory goes like this:  When our bodies wear out and we discard them in the act of death, our spirit rises into the sky and joins with all those spirits that have gone on before. Ultimately we get sorted into the right grouping by family ancestry and we float overhead in the form of clouds keeping watch over those below. White clouds are former white people, black clouds are former black people, and shades in between are everybody else.

The interesting thing is that we have a job waiting for us after death. That is to say that we become Guardian Angels for our family members that we leave behind. Sometimes, when we are in mortal danger all of our fore bearers, together with other volunteer spirits spring into action to hold us safe from harm. There are countless examples of how that works. A prime example is when fire threatens and runs rampant over a wide area, as it did recently where we live.  A wall of fire ran over and around our home, yet when we returned the walls of our house had not even been scorched. That, I'm convinced was our Guardian Angels united in surrounding our house, keeping the fire at bay from burning our house to the ground.

The same was the case with our neighbours, although with varying success, a matter of diligence and efficiency of their Guardian Angels. When we are dying, according to those who temporarily died, they are beckoned by someone who has gone on before. The reason they returned from the dead is because it was decided on the other side that it was not your time.

I like the thought that I have a job waiting for me, and that I will be able to watch from afar what this crazy world of ours becomes. Sometimes our ancestors are collectively appalled by some of the things that are taking place on Earth, and they weep for us. We call that rain.

If this theory is reasonable and acceptable, then by all means you may wish to subscribe to it. There is not really a conflict with established religion as we are all better off if we live our lives in a exemplary fashion.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

The World's Second Oldest Profession

The Professional Pickpockets would like to turn you upside down to shake you loose from your money. Beware!

Welcome to 2013!

As we start a new year full of the usual hope and optimisim, National Geographic has presented a subject to give us all a "heads up," because in these very difficult economic times one of the oldest professions has taken on a new life. I'm talking about the ancient skill of picking your pocket or bag as a means of making a living.

Not surprisingly these thefts are practised wherever there are large concentrations of people, especially tourists, who by their very definition will be people who are carrying sums of money and other valuables that probably are worth more than many people's annual income.

Rome and Barcelona are at the top of a pickpocket's nirvana as the place to be, so National Geographic chose Barcelona to study what happens there and how it is done. Pickpockets live by the motto that, " a fool and his money are soon parted!"  Consequently, the choice of who is to be robbed, sometimes in broad daylight largely depends on the victim themselves.

We must keep in mind that everybody has expenses associated with daily living and if there are no jobs, people will make their own work. In many cases entire families work together. They arise in the morning, have breakfast and go off to work actively looking for people who show signs that say "come and get it."

I have been robbed four times, and in each case I had no idea. However, I hope I have learned some lessons along the way, but the thief is well practised and it takes a lot of street smarts to recognise when you are targeted, and to know what to do to get out of the grip of the gang. The first thing you can do is go online and Google "pickpockets." You will learn that there are schools that teach the art of the trade, and that people of all ages, from very young children to elderly grandparents are professionals.

Number one on the list of people to rob are silly men who carry their wallets in their back pockets. It seems that the only way to save such people from themselves is not to sell them trousers with back pockets. A wallet in a back pocket comes with an invisible sign that says, "Help Yourself!" Oh sure, most men will say that they will feel the movement as the wallet is lifted, but it is usually done with such speed and handed off to several people that simply knowing that you have been robbed is very cold comfort indeed.

This is a very important and complicated subject and I could go on and on with hints and stats, etc. The point of this is simply to take the Natonal Geographic effort a little further by passing on the warning. How bad is the situation in Barcelona?  It is estimated that at peak times on the Metro, perhaps as many as 600 of the passengers on any one line are pickpockets.

That I take very seriously indeed, and I extend that to all of Spain, England, New York, etc, etc, etc.

These are desperate times, and desperate times produce desperate people!

Happy New Year!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

It's the End of the Year,not the World!

GOODBYE!

As  2012 draws to an end it's time to reflect upon the immediate past while it's fresh in our minds. In a previous blog I have already said that this has been our Year of the Miracle, so clearly, overall my opinion of the year is favourable.

The news from the United Kingdom in the form of the Olympics and the stunning performances from the Paralympics gave viewers from around the world great pleasure and new respect for human courage. We were simply amazed by what can be achieved after the human body has been destroyed. It has never been difficult to respect top athletes who are able bodied, but no longer will the Paralympics be considered "that other lot." That is a very good thing indeed!

Over in America confirmation was received that what the country did four years ago it is capable of doing at will, not by accident. America chose as its president an Afro-American in the form of President Obama simply because it believes that he is the best person for the job at this time, and that augurs well for the future. It is perfectly reasonable to expect a woman at the helm in the future, be she black or white,
if that is the correct choice to make when the time comes.

On a very sad note, America finds itself at another crossroad. There is overwhelming violence and anger in America, and there is virtually out of control gun ownership, and that is a perfect recipe for a tsunami of Sandy Hook killings to come. America must help itself by getting rid of the violence and anger, or the guns, or preferably both. Until that happens America should not expect the world around it to have sympathy when these things happen. I said when they happen because the next atrocity is already being planned and it will be bigger than Sandy Hook as that is the nature of shock and awe.

This past year has not been kind to Spain. The economic crisis has deepened leaving people in dire straits. The only thing to happen that has turned the situation around for a great many people is to win some money on the national lottery. However, the lottery was never designed to be a financial plan but for many it is the only source of hope.

Added to the country's woes our Summer has been extremely hot and dry and that has led to one massive fire after another that has affected the whole country and even the offshore islands. In a previous blog I reported that my own neighbourhood was over swept by high winds and fire that surrounded my house, burning my hedges and roses and arch and fruit trees, but the house itself was never touched because the fire came with very high winds that created a pressure system around the house that held the fire from actually touching the building. I can only show you where hot embers pitted my hammock and the plastic table cloth on the outdoor dining table. Our situation might have been a lot worse had our hero not appeared to ensure that it did not happen.

Our neighbour to the West, whose house lies in a little valley, has two sons. One lives in our village and the other lives in Valencia city. The son here in the village tried to contact his father at the height of the fire to ensure that he had evacuated, as the father lives on his own. He could not make contact, so he worriedly called his brother in the city at 5am. That brother arose from his bed and made the 50 km drive to our village, and proceeded by foot into the hot zone to see what the problem was with his father. There was no problem, the father had simply slept through the emergency. however, the son noticed that our garden and hedges were well alight and the fire was creeping closer to our house.

He jumped over our nine foot wall with barbed wire on top, picked up a hose and put the fire out! That is the description of a true hero. He doesn't flit from one building to another like a spider; nor does he have a cape and super natural powers, he simply takes action as is necessary to do what is within his power to affect a bad outcome. He is our hero! It is a very peculiar thing to have a real, genuine hero all our very own.

So, goodbye 2012! You have been many different things to many people. You didn't bring the end of the world, nor truthfully did we really expect that you would. You brought the end of life for far too many under circumstances that should have been avoided and that was a real pity. We lost a good and wonderful friend whom we would rather have had more years to share with, although she was ill and her passing was a release to her from her suffering. She has simply gone on ahead of us so we will catch up with her in the fullness of time.

Welcome to 2013, but as a year with the number thirteen the superstitious among us are already pulling their hair out. We will simply have to see what each day brings and take the good with the bad.

Copyright (c) 2012  Eugene Carmichael

On Christmas Day, 2012

It's Christmas Day. We have enjoyed a late sleep-in, and awakened to a wonderfully warm and sunny day. There's no snow anywhere in sight, except our cat, blancanieve, although she is only partly white. Every time she returns home from her wanderings she is another shade of gray from the ash she picks up after the great fire in our region. In fact, she has been all  fifty shades of gray. (Sorry about that.)

Our next door neighbours, the ones below us are still screaming at one another as that is how they communicate with each other. I think the idea is that he who yells loudest gets heard.

The people who won money in the El Gordo lottery draw are still pissed as loons. The lines were long yesterday at the lottery kiosks with those waiting to go in having a look on their face that suggested they were about to have the best sex of their lives. Across the street stood those people who did not win with a look of jealousy/happiness for those who did win.

I didn't win a thing in El Gordo, my numbers all stayed in the big ball until next year. However, this year my family and I won another lottery to have survived the great fire that roard over and around our house leaving no so much as a smudge on the house itself. My neighbours behind us and in front were not quite so lucky.

As a family we are together, my wife, our son and myself. My Bermuda family will all join together over the holidays and form the solid unit that they are. One of these days we will reunite into one big wonderful unit to share the Christmas spirit.

There are many wonderful things about Christmas time for families who are able to be together, but it is also the one time of the year that drives more people to take their own lives or to drink or drugs.  Anything that is wrong in your life is accentuated. Homelessness, loneliness, just divorced,  and inaccessibility to your own young children are some of the things that are so depressing. However, there are two things that top the chart of depressing factors:  The first Christmas without your partner, or parent, or grandparent due to their death this year. The other is the loss of your child because of an act of murder. I find it unbearable to think of the families in Newtown, Connecticut, or in Syria where wanton violence has ended so many young lives before they have even had a chance to start. I am absolutely lost for any idea of how the families are supposed to cope with their losses, or even of how to help them get through this time of year.

If you have your family around you today, I suggest you do not argue and fight over trivial things. Appreciate what you have and how lucky you are and give one another a hug, and say out loud, I love you, and I appreciate your place in my life.

It's not necessary to be a Christian to appreciate this time of year. You can look at it as simply the end of year celebrations and that you have survived the year so far. To have done so is not something to be taken for granted as 100 people were lined up at a bakery shop in Syria to buy bread, and they are all dead today.

On those thoughts of reality, I truly hope that you will make the best of today.

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael

 

Merry Christmas! Merry New Year!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

So! The world didn't end on the 21st, nor did I win the El Gordo lottery on the 22nd. However, it's the 23rd and the sun is brightly shining and the skies are clear, and I'm wearing only a shirt and jeans because its as warm as a summer's day here in Valencia, so all's right with the world.

Well, not quite. I have some strong feelings about what America needs to do to sort out some of its problems, and there are a number of things that Spain needs to do to deal with the mindset of its wankers, ooops! make that bankers, although I think I was right the first time.

The Syrian problem must be put right, and there is much damage to be corrected in my own country of Bermuda, but all of those things will have to take a back seat as we prepare to celebrate Christmas and the other, just as important end of the year festivities.

To each and everyone, Season's Greetings, and I wish you, first and foremost, the Best of Health!


Copyright (c)  2012   Eugene Carmichael

Hurray! El Gordo is back!

El Gordo, the Bringer of Happiness!

If it's Christmas it must be time to welcome back El Gordo. In some countries Christmas is recognised by shopping mania. We completely overlook the religious significance and look only to the question, :What did you get for me?"

Christmas in Spain, a Catholic country has never been about that. In fact, gift exchanging takes place on the 7th of January when the Three Kings come to town. However, in Spain the whole country goes mad with lottery fever. Unlike lotteries elsewhere where one person walks away with the top prize where the jackpot could top 100 million, or more, (nobody needs to win that much), here the winnings are spread over a very large area.

The full cost of a ticket is 200 euros. For most people that is far too much to bet on one number, so it is possible to buy a portion of a full ticket. The usual thing is to buy a décimo, or one tenth of 200 euros. i.e. the cost is 20 euros and should the number win, ten percent of the winnings is what is paid out. to  the ticket holder. If the punter is able to afford 200 euros it is probably more advisable to spread the money around.

That idea is taken even further to allow people with a limited budget to buy participation for as little as three to five euros. These are called papeletas, or little papers. These are used by clubs and charity groups to raise funds for their working purposes that are generally well supported. Of course much less is paid to the winning ticket holder, but every little bit helps.

On December 22nd, the day when the draw takes place, more than a billion euros are paid out to so many people, I don't think anyone really knows how many benefit, but it is easy to imagine how much sweeter Christmas becomes if you are one of the lucky ones to win a significant amount of money, at least enough to pay off some of those outstanding bills. That is the kind of gift that really means something and everybody will find a use for it.

So, Good Luck! If El Gordo is not kind to you, there will be El Niño close behind to try again.

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael

An offer of a lifetime?

Here it is! Come and get it!

I received a seven page letter which begins, even before it gets to the salutation by saying that : " We have just taken a closer look at your profile and it turns out that you are more special than any of us imagined!"

Does that mean that I am a special person in a good sense, or a really good possibility of someone to con?

 It goes on to say that I posses some very rare and hidden traits, and that I am indeed very blessed. O.K. I but that.

Then comes the Dear part, using my full name. That is followed by  the sentence: "This is a personal letter just to you." Throughout the seven pages, this form letter that is especially to me has my full name inserted several times to personalize the material.

The letter tells me that a society of very powerful individuals have studied my profile closely and that they have concluded that I have all the attributes to be invited into their association. Once I am on board I will know riches and happiness without boundaries. Then they say, I can almost hear you saying this is all a lot of hooey. Well, that's not the word I'm using.

Early in the letter they caution me that what they are saying is just for me, and that I should not share it with anybody. Heaven forbid I should share this with you, Dear reader, or with others, such as the police.

The writer wants me to know that this is not a solicitation for money, that in fact the invitation that this letter represents, and the things that the association will make happen for me will all be absolutely free. They state that no fewer than eleven times in the seven page document.

I will say this for the sender of the letter: It is very well written and the spelling is all correct. It is a flattering letter, although it doesn't actually give me any examples of how I might be unusual or special. If they actually did know me, or anything about me they might have been tempted to add detail to be convincing, but the fact remains that they have simply bought my name and address from a bulk supplier and they have fired off this form letter, just to me, full of vague flattery.

This is a very dangerous letter that will beguile and suck in a great number of people. I could have returned the Free-Invitation to say that I was interested, just to see what happened next, but I want nothing to do with these people as I deem them to be rather clever criminals from whom I must keep as much distance as possible.

I am also posting this as people need to be warned that this has all the signs of a trap, and perhaps you might not want to fall for it. For me, this is one of those things that sounds far too good to be true, therefore, that's exactly what it is.

In their defence I must say that they are right about one thing: they said that I posses a special trait, and I take it they are talking about my full possession of my common sense, and that is sense enough to say I'm not interested in this garbage.

If you have received such correspondence please comment and let me know how things turned out for you.

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael

GENERAL STRIKE !!!

Once again into the Breach

November 14th, 2012 was the day of general strikes across Europe. In short, it was a very sad day for the European community because strikes are about anger. This was against austerity measures being imposed by governments, and the loss of some very hard fought for gains that workers have come to regard as their rights.

If you are a member of a trade union, when your union requires that you vacate your post for the period, it is your obligation to obey, whether you agree with the issue being fought over, or not. However, if the business is not unionized, it is under no obligation to close down for the strike. On the day, many schools and businesses and other services continued, although perhaps with some limitations. However, for the strikers this is not acceptable, and every time such an event takes place we see strikers turn on non.strikers.

In the city of Valencia gangs of strikers were harassing shops, and restaurants and bars that were open. Two women were sitting at a curbside table having coffee when the mob assaulted them with verbal abuse for patronizing the bar, when one girl took up the customer's cup of coffee and poured it over the woman's head. How barbaric was that! They then smashed the other tables and chairs and moved on.

If the shop sold shoes a mob would go in and throw things around and terrify the sales staff; or if the store sold clothing they knock over the displays, and we can imagine some must use the opportunity to steal things. Its all about anger. How dare you take something away from me that I consider is mine by right? They demand that the government stop making cuts to its budget, but the irony is that those very same people are forced to cut their own budgets because of less money coming in.

The average citizen has more than enough reason to be angry with the government because of the failure of the government to properly manage the economy, and of course, the ever present existence of corruption. Until about 1998 the Spanish economy was in a period of decline, but then came the time when the euro would replace the peseta, which caused a problem for many Spanish residents who held a lot of peseta stashed away in secret places so that the tax man could not get at it. this meant that something had to be done with the money, so people began to spend it, some on luxury cars and yachts, etc, but the majority  during this period decided to invest it in buildings.

So there followed a building boom that was uncontrolled and that has led to an inventory of empty buildings that is sufficient for Spain's needs for the next twenty years. A lot of people became very rich during this period, and money flowed into government accounts like water, but the government turned it around and it flowed out again into projects that did, in some cases have some sense of logic, but in many others the projects have become white elephants. Now, government's coffers are bare; the citizens are suffering because of the irresponsibility of its leaders, and Spain is mired in one big mess.

There will be many more general strikes to come, and the level of violence will rise and the day will come when a general strike will result in a state of total closure.

This is not a happy eventuality to look forward to, but it is coming, so brace for it.

Copyright (c)  2012   Eugene Carmichael



Congratulations! Mr President.

Mr. President

For the first campaign the slogan was, "Yes, we can!" For the second term , hopefully the slogan will be, "Yes, We Did even Greater Things!"

The popular vote reflects America as a truly divided country, at 50-49%;  however, the electoral college showed that Romney never had a chance. He needed 270 delegate votes but only received 206, versus the President's 333. After all the shouting it was clear that this president is on the right track and has the potential to achieve great things for America, but he needs the time to make it happen. He also needs a cooperative Congress and Senate, so the choice is to work together to get things done, or just continue to say no and watch the country go down the drain. Yes, working together will make Barack Obama look good, but that will also put Americans back to work, and back in their own homes.

Republicans, you will get your turn again, because that is how the system is supposed to work, but while your team is doing the fielding you have to play by the rules in order to make the game go forward.

So, well done, Mr President. You deserved a second term and you have it. You have not only brought back respect for America around the world, but you have permanently elevated the entire race of black people to a level where there is no going back, and for that you will live on in the history books forever, along with all the other great soldiers in the fight for social justice. At your level , Nelson Mandela took the first step in turning around South Africa, but what you have achieved in America somehow has more gravitas. You have not only done a great thing for blacks around the world, you have changed America's view, that simply voting for the best person for the job is better than voting for a man who has to be white.

My hope is that America's next president will be a woman.

Thank you, and Good luck, Sir!

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael 

America's Decision Time-The Cynic's View

Here we go again!

At the last presidential elections in the United States, the picture was not good. America was in a terrible crisis, possibly because the capitalist system was failing. That was happening on George W. Bush's watch, and it really did seem as though America was going down the drain. Enter Barack H. Obama, a black man who would be president, along with a white woman to fiercely contest him for the Democratic nomination.

It just seems to me that the white guys all eased off their efforts. Sure, they went through the motions, but if America was going to fall flat on its face, let it happen while a black man, or a white woman was in charge. Barack Obama got the nod and through skillful navigation, he, and his team have steered the Ship of State away from the rocks and now it is headed towards calmer waters and the sunshine of reform and recovery.

He deserves another four years to move his program forward, and barring anything disastrous from happening, he possibly could be mentioned in the same breath in the future along with those former presidents who are considered to have been the elite.

I am a black man, but I am not an American. However, observing these events from abroad I have been as involved just as much as though I were a homeboy. I was delighted when Obama was chosen to be the Democratic nominee. That meant that black people were being taken seriously, but I didn't want him to actually win the election because of the risk of failure under such trying circumstances. That would have condemned black people forever as incompetents.

He was elected, and throughout the past four years I have been holding my breath as he has moved from one crisis to another. He has always acquitted himself well, and in fact I can only think of one other black man in public life who would have been as suitable as America's first black president, and that is Colin Powell.

This election presents a very different set of circumstances. The economy is on the brink of a major comeback which promises to be greater than any other that I can think of. America is becoming fuel independent through the vast reserves under American soil, and the new technology of using algae to produce fuel supplies. There are a number of sea change discoveries in health care and various other industries that will drop the unemployment numbers to the point that if you want to work, there will be a job for you. All of that is happening under the watch of Barack Obama, so of course Mitt Romney is spending sleepless nights thinking of claiming all of that as the Romney Recovery.

Whatever the outcome of the election, America as a whole is a winner because they have learned to select the person who they think will actually do the best job. This cynic thinks that that was not the original idea, but it has worked out that way.

If Barack Obama is returned as President, we, as black people will enter another four years of risk, because if anything were to go terribly wrong the racists in America will say it was because he was black. However, placing our bets upon the shoulders of Barack Obama is a very reasonable thing to do.

Four more years, America, and then you can choose your first woman Democratic president. How exciting is that?

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael 

Arnold's Dilemma

Most men will likely tell you that Arnold Schwarzenegger is "The Man!"  His life story reads likes the very best "rags to riches" tale that was ever told. Men really admire the guy, and women, if he asked them nicely, would probably agree to "at least once, Arnie!"

I'm turning my attention to Arnold at this time because he has written a book, called "Total Recall," in which he  details his life's journey through to the "stupidest thing that he ever did in his life."

In case there is one reader who doesn't know, Arnold was born in Austria. His dream was to move to America to persue his talent as a bodybuilder. He went on to become, perhaps the most successful movie star in American history. Having tired of that, or having simply wanting to do something more substantial, he campaigned for the office of California Governor, and won, becoming the 38th governor from 2003 till 2011.

However, before that he moved in circles that did him no harm, to the extent that he married the niece of the late President Kennedy, in a marriage that lasted 25 years.

This is where it perhaps all turns wrong, because for all men who are fabulously famous, and rich and handsome, they paint themselves in a corner. They are admired by men, and adored by women, many of whom would consider it a great honour to be laid by someone of such stature. However, if you are such a person who has made the committment to a woman, you are expected to behave in accordance with the norms of society.

You may indeed be invited by lots of women,, and, of course there is your male ego urging you on, but it is not right, and anyway, you can't be seen going in or out of motels, or the rooms of delicious females, because there are those photographers, the paparezzi who would love to get "the shot" that will put lots of money in their pocket.

There is one way that you can have sex without too much hassle. Hire the right housekeeper, and especially if your wife is agreeable, then everything could be lovely. Arnold admits to a long standing relationship with his housekeeper, although there is no suggestion that his wife was aware, and that produced a son that is fathered by Arnold but the woman's husband is named as the father. I have no way of knowing this, but I suspect that "the women of the house" all across the country are looking at their housekeepers with a jaundiced eye.

This is more a tale of woe about The Hollywood Man, than specifically about Arnold. It's a tale about the "Not-so Tender Trap."  If you are Joe, the plumber, you can live your life being loyal to your wife and enjoying all that's good about married life without the hassle of women throwing themselves at you. Not so, if you are in the glamour business, and married. It takes a very strong willed man to treat the business as simply a career, and ignore all the perks.

By published accounts, Arnold was no angel, even having six women accuse him of sexual misconduct, and another claiming that she carried on an affair while he was with his wife. So, why his wife decided to make a break as a result of his love-child is not completely clear. However, everybody has their own breaking point.

In 1984, Arnold made his signature film, The Terminator, which followed him into politics where he was known as The Governator. His signature sentence is, "I'll be back!"  After losing your wife of 25 years, that may be something really difficult to come back from. He seems to really be feeling the loss as something like that is truly significant.

When the time comes for Arnold, as it surely will for us all to kick the bucket, it's no big thing to predict what the inscription will be on his tombstone:  "I'LL BE BACK!" 

That should scare the bejeesus out of everybody who reads it.

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael

Why the American Political System doesn't Work!

Firstly, I have to tell you that I am a strong opponent of party politics. Party politics only serves to benefit a few people who are high up in the party in power, when I thought the idea was to serve the people of the country as a whole.

Party politics has made two Americas. One America is Republican, and the other is Democratic, and there is a Giant Wall, like in China, that runs between the two. In times past you could find members from both sides coming together on issues to move the country along, but lately The Republican party have just decided to sit back and say "No!" to everything that President Obama has put forward, in the hope of starving him out of the White House.

Meanwhile, Governor Romney is just waiting in line, knowing full well that he has a Congress ready to go to work on anything that he wants to do.

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, the majority Democrats are seething. Bastards! They are saying, anything that Congress sends to us for confirmation and we just say no!

The only way to get anything done is if you, as the president, have a majority in both houses. Then you can forge ahead, until the electorate taks away one of your majorities.

As for those undecided voters, you could get the idea that they actually do matter when it comes to voting for the president. Well, they don't!

America is headed downhill, and the cause is in the very system itself. It's a train running out of control and there is no way to stop it.

Copyright (c) 2012  Eugene Carmichael 

About That Fire !!!

When all Hell breaks Loose !!!
This was three houses away from our own at 3:30 Monday morning, 24th September, 2012

A few posts ago I reported that my family and I had been chased from our home at 3:15 in the middle of the night by a raging fire that eventually covered 136,000 acres. I also said that in spite of the fire having swirled around and over our house, the house itself does not even have one burn mark on it. I prefer to see this as a modern day miracle that was the work of my family and friends who have crossed over to the other side, and who now function as our guardian angels. It makes me believe in life after death, and it is comforting to know that there is a job waiting for me when I get there.

Well, the scientists never let a good romantic set of beliefs get in the way of the facts, so these folks have explained to me exactly what happened. On the days in question, which were Sunday, September 23rd, into Monday morning , the 24th, we were experiencing something called a Poniente Wind, which in Spain means that the wind is blowing from the west. As it blows across the country in times of high heat, it collects the heat from its travels, and by the time it reaches Valencia on the East coast, which is where we are, it feels like the heat from a giant boiler. Without the fire, the heat from the wind is so intense that everyone usually shields themselves from it.

The wind speed was quite high, and although my wife and I were a bit sheltered, we were wondering whether we had made the right decision to have lunch on our terrace.About 4pm, she noticed a massive plume of dark smoke rising in the west. Apparently, there had been an electrical fault at a power station that may have been caused by the winds, and the fall out from that was probably carried into the nearby trees, again by the wind where a fire started and was very quickly carried away. I was concerned by what I was seeing and I went to find the source.  It was about 16 kilometres from our house, and the wind was blowing it away from us. It was not our turn to panic just yet. However, I was aware that a change in wind direction could be a game changer, so I continued to keep an eye on it.

As I stated in my earlier piece, I had an uncomfortable feeling that grew as time wore on. I checked the location of the fire more regularly, and I found it impossible to sit in one place for long. Finally, I began to think of what I would take if we had to evacuate in a hurry. This was something I had given prior thought to, so all our important papers were in one place. I then took them and put them in the car. I was going through an exercise, I convinced myself, and if not needed I would simply put everything back in its place.

I then thought about what to take in the way of clothing, and I chose both apparel for now and the coming winter, and I packed it in a suitcase, both for myself and for our son who was in Valencia at the time. I placed those in the car. At least I was doing something while at the same time trying to keep an eye on the fire. However, my perspective was limited by the several mountains that stood in my way, and so I could not see that because of a shift in the wind that may have happened only briefly, hot embers had blown from the top of the original mountain and jumped the river and set the hills behind our mountain range alight, and the fire was on its way towards us.

I finally went to bed at 2am, fully dressed, including my glasses, and I just lay there, wide awake, fully expecting something to happen. At 3:15 my neighbour called. "Get out..Quickly!" That was followed by the wailing of a siren. I was ready to go, but I had to wait for my wife to get dressed and packed. During that time I started blowing my car horn. My elderly neighbours wanted to know what was happening and why was I leaving, its not bad. They, nor I, could actually see the fire, but we left them there, and as we drove down our little drive a white van drove the other way. Fortunately for the couple it was driven by a police woman. By that time the couple had started to make a move, but they were moving very slowly and the fire was coming through the trees. The police woman picked up the little lady and plunked her in the van and told the man to get in. But, I have my car, he said. "Get in this car immediately!" she ordered.

Meanwhile, my wife was driving one of our cars and she was in front. Suddenly she stopped. Why on earth are you stopping? To take a picture, because we are not coming back to get the shot. By that time the wind was howling and ash and hot embers were raining down on us, so we beat a very hasty retreat.

I have seen the same thing many times where a fire storm has passed: the fire burns around houses and even barns. I have always given the credit for that to the firemen for having somehow doused the buildings with water or fire retardant, but the truth is something much more simple than that. We experienced a fire hurricane where the winds were so strong that when they collided with something immovable they backed up and created a vacuum, or a bubble around which the winds carried the fire, hence my house was not touched. The winds passed around and over my house, setting alight only my hedges, and in one case we had an archway of spruce, and apparently something hot landed on it and it partially burned, meaning that the wind put the fire out. The tree next to it has since blossomed into bright bell flowers, completely unaffected.

The trouble with this scene is that something that caught fire on the boundary of the property might continue to burn and that fire might  be drawn into the house, as happened with the dwelling behind us, that suffered a small fire to their kitchen, and the house in front that suffered much more extensive burning on the inside.

I mentioned before that a man who should not have been anywhere in the hot zone acted beyond the call of any kind a public duty by scaling our six foot wall, plus the two foot wire fence on top, and the three strands of barbed wire on top of that, and went and put out the fire that was making its way towards our garage. So, we have a genuine hero to be thankful to for saving us a whole lot of aggravation and pain. His name is Rafa, or Rafael, a man I had no idea existed. He could not get in touch with his father, who is my next door neighbour, so he walked through the police cordon to check on him and the house, and that was what became our salvation.

I was telling someone that I feel so lucky this year that I'm certain that this is the year I will win the first prize in the El Gordo lottery. He said that it seems to him I already have.

Good point!

Copyright (c) 2012  Eugene Carmichael

Doing Much More with Less!

Super Humans at Play!
The Paralympic Games

I have been very delayed in writing this as a result of computer problems and the fire at my home, although I have been living with these thoughts for some time.

The question is: " Do I think that disabled athletes should compete in the Paralympics; and whether the answer is yes or no, then explain?"

My answer is unreservedly, Yes! The Paralympics have come a long way from that original competition when only 400 athletes competed, to today where the Paralympics rise above the Olympic Games, in my estimation . Having said that, I fully realise that is a very strong claim to make. So what do I base that on?

First, it must be said that London turned out to be a wonderful location. I was one of those people who feared the worst might happen from a security point of view. We remember that the day after the announcement was made London suffered a great tragedy in the form of terrorist bombings. So, full marks go to the whole of the security operation for keeping everyone safe.

Logistically, it seemed to be the perfect place, and all was in readiness ahead of time. Even the labour unions fell into line and put patriotism ahead of personal gains. I know that bonuses were paid, but the unions kept working to keep things running smoothly.

We were treated to wonderful performances from Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Usain Bolt, and everyone who competed in the Olympic Games. For me, it was the reason why television was invented. Sitting at home day, after day watching to my heart's delight, I could hardly have been happier. Time travelled at warp speed, and suddenly it was all over, and I sank into a form of depression.

Then, it was the turn of The Paralympic Games. Here, I must confess that I have never watched the Paralympic Games before. Why? I cannot recall a concrete attitude, but probably I thought they would be a poor second to the Great Olympic Games; and that perhaps I would be embarrassed for "those poor people."  But, the Olympics had been so good, and I wanted more, so I gave it a try.

I went from being the reluctant watcher to confirmed addict while watching the men's cycling time trials. A Russian competitor came onto the starting point with the help of a crutch for his left side. He had his complete right side leg, but no right arm at all. His left leg was missing up to his hip, and of his left arm he was missing his hand and wrist. I concluded that I could not watch because he was sure to fall. I could not turn away!

The cycle was held upright by a clip. He climbed on board, and with his left  arm he inserted it into a modified handle bar that was shaped in the form of an "O". The buzzer sounded and he was off. I winced and gritted my teeth and sunk even further into the couch, while holding my breath. Well, he didn't fall off, and by the time he passed the first marker he was ahead, and he was still ahead at the second marker. "What the fuck!" I sat forward, and by the time he finished he was top of the leader board, and I was standing Up, yelling at the top of my voice, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I don't fucking believe this!"

I have never in my life reacted like that to anything. In that moment I got respect. I suddenly realised that all of these wonderful people were not the usual super humans you had to be to compete in such games, these were out of this world super humans, doing so much more with so much less.

I went on to watch blind men run as fast as they could; blind men play 5-a-side football, and not bump into one another any more than Messi and Ronaldo. I watched Ellie Simmons do water magic; and I watched a man who only had his right arm, less his right hand and wrist win his every contest, even against  people who had all four of their extremities. I watched people who had to be lowered into the pool then go off and swim like fish. I watched so much that was unbelievable that I became mesmerized.

I also watched contestants who never had a chance they would win, but who competed and finished. As I sat there and watched, I realised that had I competed in any of the events, I would have surely come in last. That has caused me to look at people who are coping with the loss of limbs or other disabling factors, in a new light. It is simply amazing what the human spirit can accomplish. I have seen it with my own amazed eyes, and I am a believer. What it all boils down to is that we are all humans, and we should be encouraged to do whatever is within our power.

The Olympic Games are the greatest arena for super  humans to come together in a spirit of goodwill and challenge; but it's the Paralympics when the athletes from a higher order strut their stuff. No wonder we save the best for last!

Copyright (c) 2012   Eugene Carmichael