Your Family; My Family

Family: More important than all the wealth in the World!

At the heart of every individual is family.  At one extreme is the family unit that is fully functional and loving, and at the other is the non-functional family at war. Both extremes, and those in the middle are still family that represent the beginning and the end.

I have been priviledged to attend a family reunion on my wife's side which was a loving event. As reunions go, this was a small scale affair, but that gave everyone a chance to interact and to grow a little closer. For many of us it was a welcome opportunity to meet again after many years had passed. The last time I had seen some of the young people they were mere babies, but now they are young adults who have embarked on their career paths.

The meeting took place in Cornwall, England during a period that England was experiencing a heat wave. It was wonderful to see the country actually having a Summer, but just to remind us that we were in England some days were very rainy and quite chilly. However, on the main day of our reunion the weather was perfect for sitting in the garden in a circle and getting caught up with developments.

As is always the case with events of this sort, there was the inner family and those of us who were the fringe as the spouses. However, as spouses we were not made to feel any less welcome. It was good to be able to observe from a little distance the inner family bring together relevant facts about those who had gone on before, and a visit to the local church and cementary was obligatory. One of the highlights was the chance meeting between one of our elders and a woman he had not seen for 70 years. Magic!

The idea behind the family reunion at this time was that it should have happened without the need for someone to get married, or to die. Well, a  respected and distinguished member of the family did come to the end of her life anyway, and at the end of the reunion we said our goodbyes to Barbara Wills, (October 14, 1923-23 July, 2013).

Although I never did meet her in person, I obtained a really good impression of her life. Apart from being a mother and grandmother and a significant cog in the famly wheel, she was a person who contributed to the world in a way that ensures her legacy will live on. She was an artist who committed her view of the world to canvas. Her paintings can be found around the world, and she cared about people in third world countries. She was a firm believer in the U.K. charity, "Send a Cow" that can be found at www.sendacow.org.uk.
Barbara Wills lived a life that was indeed well lived and one that touched people in a delicate way that softened the heart. She even managed to have that effect on people she did not actually have a face to face with. Her funeral would have been a very sad affair were it not for the fact that her life was cause for such celebration.

The reunion was wonderful, and in the process Lorna and I met with many of her friends. I often think that we should make it a point to visit Bermuda and England at least once a year to keep abreast of events and to touch base with friends and family. Time moves entirely too quickly and we lose touch with those who are important to our own lives. Before we know it, life comes to an end, and of course, we are not living a rehearsal.

Live life now, for as someone once said, Yesterday is a cancelled cheque, tomorrow is a promissory note, and today is the here and now. That is why it's called The Present.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael 

The Family

This could be me with all my wonderful "children."

I have just completed reading Mario Puzo's "The Family," a wonderfully written story about Pope Alexander VI, also known as Rodrigo Borgia, and his relationship with all his children. (That's right, you read that correctly.)

I think it wouldn't matter what your religious beliefs were, you could become totally mesmerized in this story and the times in which it was written.

It was during one of those current moments, between getting into bed and falling asleep when your mind wanders that I thought about this unconventional pope, and how much he enjoyed his personal family, and it occurred to me that after all these years I have not once been disappointed by any one member of my children. I think that is an absolutely brilliant thing to be able to say.

I am father to three offspring. From my marriage to Violeta, (the singer), there was born to us two daughters. This was during a time when, as parents our maximum life expectancy was quite short. Mine was set at a maximum of age 47. It was also a very peculiar time because most families hoped that you had boys, so that if  by some strange stroke of fate you lived to become an old person, you could hope that your son(s) would take care of you.

I do not recall even once wishing one of my daughters was a boy. In terms of each of my daughters distinguishing themselves, they have both done an excellent job of making the most of their lives. They are fully accomplished professionals in their fields, and that allows me to look upon what they have achieved to date with great pride. As icing on the cake, I have three grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Very impressive indeed!

The bad news is that Violeta died at the age of 42, much, much too soon. However, her own legacy is well documented and distinguished, and is partly recorded on a CD called "My Shining Hour."

At the age of 50, when I thought I was out of the business of new fathering, along came my newest addition in the form of a son. Times had changed for the better because I was over the cutoff point of age 47, so you could say that together with Lorna, we celebrated by making a new start. Becoming a father at that age is probably not recommended because no one has any idea how life will turn out. However, in my case it literally has been a new life experience for me. With a boy, anything can happen, but my son has turned out to have his head well fastened on to his shoulders. It also helps that he is handsome and that he has grown very tall. There are people here in Spain who think he has something to add to fashion modelling, and he is planning on an outdoor sporting career.

Parents are pre-destined to disappoint their children as there are so very many ways in which we do this. We cannot have enough time to spend with them and earn a living for us all. We can never do things fast enough for them, nor can we ever have enough money to suit their every need, nor perhaps should we. And then, sometimes we make mistakes that we wish we didn't, and sometimes our children get hurt by those mistakes.

I am so happy that I can say that the way things have turned out we are all well balanced and we are on solid ground, and that we are a solid family.  We all seem to be in a place that makes us happy and content, and that feels really good for me to be able to say. Yes, we are lucky, but love and good decision making has brought us to this point.

You know what? Life is gooooooooooood!

Picture of a slightly over weight happy guy!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

The untimely death of Trayvon Martin

This is a picture of a young man, Trayvon Martin, who by all things that are right, should be alive and well today.

One night in 2012, Trayvon was walking home, and 70 yards from his door he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a man who was dedicated to protecting the residents, including Trayvon, of the neighbourhood. Zimmerman was found Not  Guilty under Florida State's "Stand your Ground Law."

I believe that both the Neighbourhood Watch idea, and the "Stand Your Ground" law are fundamentally good. This law is designed to assist you in a case of a fight or flight situation, where you choose to fight. The problem with it is that it requires at least one independent witness to say who the aggressor was. In the case before us, only two people were involved, and one is dead.

Only Zimmerman can tell us a version of what happened, but the reason so many people are angry is that he just isn't believed, nor does his story ring true, but no-one is able to prove otherwise.

However, there are some facts upon which we can rely: the Neighbourhood Watch program, as the name implies, is someting that allows the ordinary citizen to use our eyes and ears only, to assist law enforcement. It does not give the citizen any special powers at all. So, if a person is detected in the process of committing a crime and the citizen phsyically detains that person, the citizen may be charged with assault and false arrest.

Trayvon was returning to the home in which he was staying when Zimmerman intercepted him. Had Zimmerman simply observed Trayvon without approaching him or saying anything to him, Trayvon would have been alive today and we would have nothing to talk about.

That, in my opinion, is the key.

Consider what happened to me, a black man, in a community in Spain.

I had an invitation to meet with a woman at her home in the community of Quesada. I arrived and was in the process of looking for her house when I was confronted by two men, and suddenly ten more men arrived, surrounding me. One man, took me by the upper left arm in a very tight grip.

They asked, sarcastically, if they could help me. I said I was an invited guest of the occupant of house number 28B, "Who are you?" "I just told you, I'm an invited guest, but I don't mind adding that I'm a reporter, and I'm very uncomfortable to be jacked up by you guys who seem like a lynch mob. What's more, this idiot who is holding my arm is assaulting me. Take your bloody hands off me!"

Everybody took a major step backwards. The unspoken question was, "What have we done?"

Whenever people come together and form some sort of private grouping, the stranger is always unwelcome. In that neighbourhood, which was all-white and mostly British, I, as a black man was seen as a very unwelcome intruder and the attitude was to give me a very rough heave-ho. But, I was a reporter with a legitimate reason for being there, and they, the neighbourhood watch group had interferred and asaulted me. I could have brought the entire group to court, but instead I sat them down and gave them a stern lecture.

In my own country I was the person who had successfully introduced Neighbourhood Watch, and with strict guidelines, there never has been an incident that has caused complaint or death to someone.

George Zimmerman is the son of a magistrate, and apparently had an ambition to one day become a judgeun. He considered that he was a good guy. It is not normal for a person to go on patrol around the neighbourhood. Residents simply go about their normal everyday business, but simply keeping a heightened awareness of activities around them. In this regard Zimmerman, acting as a patrolman, was a zealot.

George Zimmerman, who natural justice demands should suffer an appropriate penalty for causing the death of Trayvon Martin. Perhaps the jury were correct in not having found him guilty because they would have had to introduce suppositions in place of direct evidence. Juries are not supposed to do that. However, Trayvon Martin had a right to be in that neighbourhood, and he should not have been shot by a guy from the neighbourhood watch.

The irony is that a man who was a wanna-be cop and ultimately, a judge, has unnecessarily
ended the life of a young man, as well as his own future. This is such a sad case that cries out to us all to think before we act.
This story is to be continued.

Stay tuned!

Copyright (c) 2013    Eugene Carmichael

"So pleased to meet you!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Really?

Meeting people is an essential part of our personal growth. We always offer expressions such as those above, and others in a similar manner, but the truth is that when we are meeting someone we cannot have any real idea of how things will turn out between us. News reports are complete with stories where a meeting that took place did not turn out well, such as murder, manslaughter, fraud, acts of vengance, lawsuits, divorce, etc, etc.

Notes from my own files where I was on the losing side include the following: Once, when I was visiting New York City, I stopped in at a local bar and there I met a lady who was on her own. She told me that she lived alone, having been divorced and was bored just sitting on her own in her home which was just around the corner.

As we talked I noticed in my peripheral vision three men sitting at a table who seemed to be taking an interest in our conversation. I sort of wondered why my lady had not been talking to them when I came in. I suddenly had a thought that I should check to see whether my lady had an Adam's apple. I noticed that I was unable to actually see the spot because of her hair and the manner in which her hands always blocked my view, or that she always lowered her head.

I enjoyed my chat with the lady but I took my leave of her before finding myself in bed with a man in disguise. That I would not have been pleased about at all.

A short while ago I wrote about my visit to an exhibition of pornography in Valencia. There was a black young woman who did a pole dance that started as a strip tease but became a full nude dance. The stage was elevated and as she went through her routine I noticed that she was medium of build with moderately wide shoulders. Her arms were nice and long with perfect piano hands. Her breasts were large but super taught with no sag or movements. Presumably they were assisted by some form of super silicon.

Her belly button was an "innie" and her stomach was absolutely flat and her buttocks were generous and perfectly sculpted. The lady evidently spent her time at the gym in keeping in perfect shape. Her legs were perfectly porportioned and shaped beautifully all the way down to her feet, which were squeezed into her Jimmie Choo's.

I was standing off to the side where the steps were, so when she descended I moved closer and congratulated her. There I was, fully clothed having a short conversation with a totally nude woman. Her hair was  only hers because she had purchased it; her use of facial makeup was minimal and she fabulously beautiful with the most kiss-able lips.

Had I met this woman some place else, and if I didn't already have a happy and contented situation I would have wanted to have grown to know her better. I would also have been very proud to have been seen in her company.

Can you imagine my reaction when the truth was revealed?

Life is like that in so many ways that things are not what they seem. Perhaps we could all use my mantra, which is to accept life's disappointments with more grace.

There are only three things that are absolutely certain in life:  Death, taxes, and disappointments!

Copyright (c) 2013    Eugene Carmichael     

The Time for Gays and Lesbians has come.Finally!

"None of us are free until we are all free."

(Dr. Martin Luther King, jr.)

My definitive description of gays and lesbians is as follows: These are people whose sexual orientation is toward others of their own gender group. They RECEIVE this orientation at the same time that they are given, without requesting, their hair texture and colour, the colour of their skin, their eye colour, the tone of their voice, and all the other aspects of their being over which they have no control.

How do I know this to be true?

As a hetrosexual young man I have had more than my share of having been confronted by men with raging hard-on's who wanted to screw me, or for me to screw them, or suck them, and frankly it would have been far easier to agree than to have had to fight my way out of the situation. Even worse were those one or two charming bastards who very nearly seduced me. They made the proposition seem so reasonable, just as I have done on so many occasions with women, but at the last minute I simply could not go through with it. My sexual orientation does not draw me towards my own gender, nor does it even allow me to experiement in that regard.

People who are gay and lesbian, or even bi-sexual lead parrallel lives to hetro-sexuals in every way, including long-term fully committed lives which hetro-sexuals call marriage. It is no wonder that we are seeing a huge cry for society to allow and to accept this community of people to be themselves and to live their lives in peace. At the end of the day, your neighbours could be a gay or lesbian couple and it would not change your life in any way.

The most contentious issue is that of whether such a couple might damage their children, but experience shows that children are very resilient and adaptable and tend to grow up perfectly well balanced.

It always has amazed me that the people who are the loudest opponents often have a truckload of their own  problems, chief of which is that they are incapable of minding their own bloody business.

As countries go, the sternest test of where they belong on the ladder of enlightment is their attitude towards gays and lesbians. Those countries at the very bottom put their gays & lesbians (G&L's) to death. That reminds me of Hitler. At the top of the ladder are those countries that have come to realise that G&L's are simply normal people in every other way. If there were no outward signs of affection we would not even know. To simply live our own lives and to let other people live theirs, as long as they are not doing anything to hurt others is the best resolution.

Personally, I feel a sense of relief that I do not know anyone who is desperately guarding a secret of this sort, and who cannot live their life freely. Without that type of tension my own life is free. Dr Martin Luther King was  right. "None of us are free until we are all free."

Amen!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

The Bangladesh Bomb

Collapsed commercial building in  Bangladesh.

How guilty should I feel?

Thursday is market day in Lliria. This is quite a large market in which sellers lay out tables with a wide variety of goods. Here, a table selling shoes for children at 1.99 euros a pair. There, a table selling underwear, three pairs for 5.00 euros. Another table sells change purses, four for 1.00 euro. I like these prices, and I also like the prices at Primark and a great many other leading name stores, but to get these prices there are people who are labouring under extremely horrendous conditions.

How guilty should I feel? Should I simply boycott these products in these times of severe economic depression?

We only have to cast our minds back to April 24th, 2013. That was the day after serious cracks appeared in the eight-storey commercial building that housed a bank, several shops on the ground floor; apartments, and a number of sweatshop clothing factories. The bank and the shops sensibily closed, and residents of the apartments left the building, but the owner demanded that the factory workers went to work. The building then simply fell down, killing 1,127 and wounding 2,500. It could have been much worse as the building held as many as five thousand.

We, as consumers can only focus on the things that are right in front of us. Normally, we would not consider the price of an article and try and include all the many factors that brought it to market at that price. That is not something that is do-able. Yet, by paying the least money possible for the article that we want we create the demand that sends people into harm's way.

We have no reason to place our faith in the seller in the weekly market, but shopping at Carrefour, Primark, The GAP, Walmart, Sears, H&M, C&A, Zara, Inditex, etc is quite another matter. Such super stores have clout and obviously need to use it in dealing with their service providers. Should they even have to concern themselves with the safety and security of the physical location. That sounds a bit extreme to me, yet from one incident alone almost four thousand people have been negatively impacted, all in the cause of bringing low cost goods to market and the creation of profit to shareholders.

Should all workers in third world countries have safe and secure working environments? Yes!

Should they all have a reasonable working wage plus social benefits to equal their Western and European world counterparts? Yes!

Would I be prepared to pay realistic prices to support such changes? Well, this is where it gets to be complicated, and I have to dig deep in my search for a truthful and sustainable answer.

I am  embarrassed to make that admission, but I think that's the way it is with the general public. I need to be made to step up to do my share in elevating the quality of life of such sad people who work so hard for me. In the meantime I am struggling with my conscience. That is obvious by the fact that I am still thinking about Bangladesh when most people have moved on to other things.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

The Second Amendment

This will probably be the downfall of The United States of America

The United States of America is caught in a deadly grip of violence through gun use, and it is completely unable to help itself. In response to gun atrocities, and in opposition to those who advocate getting rid of guns altogether, the other point of view is that America should have more guns, as the answer, they say, to a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun. They reason that if a bad man walks into a crowded place where he knows that every adult is armed, he will not start shooting because he will know that he will be shot and killed in seconds.

Those people have never heard of a suicide terrorist.

Consider this scenario: a terrorist organisation wish to cause the worst tragedy in American history. They have several volunteers who are ready to die to make this happen. On the day of Super Bowl, say, several of them go the the game carrying their guns, as does every adult in the stadium. On a signal these men and women start shooting in a crowd of ninety thousand. Just like the wave, the action goes round and round and round the stadium.

Could that happen?  Why not?

The other thought concerning shootings in school is that each school should hire armed guards to stop students from killing their fellow students. Many school boards agree, but are unable to fund such a program. They have asked the teachers, who are in harm's way, whether they would be interested, and have been amazed how many have come forward to say yes.

As we speak, many schools have armed teachers who are ready to respond to shoot and kill a threat against their students. However, is this a good idea?

I suspect that ever since the first teacher came face-to-face with the first nasty, belligerent, offensive student. teachers have always wanted to be able to come to school with a gun on plain display. But, when the teacher has their nervous breakdown, as so many do, the last thing we want them to be in possesion of is a loaded gun.

There is the other side of the story: if your teacher is carrying a loaded gun, perhaps you will hand in your homework in perfect condition, and on time, and perhaps you will learn how to say sir, and ma'am, so that the teacher will have no need to have that nervous episode.

Only time will tell!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael  

Some Post Valencia Porno Exhibition Thoughts!

My most enduring image


It has been a week since I visited the Porno Fair in Valencia, and during the week I have been having lingering thoughts. I suspect that everybody who attended has been having the same experience. So many people took pictures on their smart phones and cameras that I can only imagine that those have been shown near and far, prompting much discussion.

The event was shocking, which is why I attended. It was a once-in-my-lifetime exposure as a live presentation, so it is no wonder I am still reeling from the sights and sounds. There is a popular image of men going into theatres showing triple-X rated films wearing raincoats, but no-one wore a raincoat that day, even though it was threatening to rain. In my opinion there was absolutely no need. What I found there was not at all a sexy, arousing show,  but rather a cold, clinical, soulless, passion-less demonstration of naked female bodies, gyrating, and thrusting, and inserting rubber things in full view, that frankly, it was just too much for my sensual nature to process.

I am only speaking for myself, of course, because these are my  own observations that are driven by the type of person I am. Who am I? I am a seventy-four year old man who was born at a time when women were respected, appreciated as our mothers, sisters, daughters, wives and lovers. Always I thought of the female as a very special and mysterious person. I never intruded on the privacy of a female who I felt, always needed her space.

Women thought differently than I did and went through a much different process in growing up. There were aspects to a female that were private to her, and even as my lover I gave her space. Mystery was the secret factor that drove my fascination, and my attitude towards a woman was that I should behave much differently than otherwise in her presence.

Then came Playboy and Penthouse and suddenly a glaring light was turned on, and I found myself blinking and staggering by some of the pictures. It was a bad thing but I didn't have the power to turn away. With each new issue I felt that something was dying, and that the Magic was slipping away. The female was being revealed in a manner that should never have been, and worst of all, I was a victim, not a winner.

It seems that society holds that a woman is fully equal with a man, and that we can work in the same workplace, and that we can use the same foul language if we choose, and enjoy the same types of entertainment, and be equal in every way. How can I take issue with this philosophy?  It certainly sounds reasonable, But...........

I didn't enjoy the Porn Fair. When I left it was because I was bored, and that is the worst reason of all. There was only one thing that I did enjoy. That was a pole dance done by a girl who was extremely acrobatic and accomplished. The thing that was most noteworthy was that she was wearing a bikini.

Less is more! 


Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Valencia Erotica Exposition (Feria de Porno)

Imagine! A Festival of Pornography.


A few blogs ago I wrote: "Pornography! What social redeeming value, if any."  On Thursday evening, June 6th, I was watching news from Valencia when they featured a story, complete with news from the event, of an exposition of porn that was being held in the major exhibition centre over four nights, June 6th to 9th, That means that as I write this the show is now taking place.

I might celebrate my 74th birthday this year, but I can tell you that I have never before been in the presence of such a live presentation. I felt self-concious in stepping up to the ticket booth, but as I am well over 65 I was granted a discount on the price. However, the young man required proof because he said I didn't look over 65. That made my day!

Stepping inside I was reminded that the last time I was in that particular venue it was for a furniture show, or perhaps it was for the car show.  Curiousity was the reason I was there. I admit to having watched the occasional porn tape, so I had an idea of what these folk get up to, but what would they do in a live situation?

Doors opened at 4pm and I got there around about five o'clock. There were quite a number of people there, mainly men, of course. I was relieved to note that several men were with their wives and girlfriends. The lighting was subdued, the volume of sound was unduly loud and as a consequence completely jumbled up. There were several booths selling sex toys and lotions and creams. There were also six stages with the obligatory dancer's pole, so there would be stage shows of some sort. However, at that moment nothing was taking place. People were simply walking round and round just checking the layout of the zone.

Then one of the presentors introduced to the stage their actors and actresses. There were sixteen girls and four guys. The girls were all perfectly ordinary looking people who I might encounter on the bus and not even blink, other than they were perfectly beautiful individuals. After the introductions were made and promotions given for their  pay-per-view websites we all drifted off to see the other presentors introducing their line-up.

I stepped into the men's room for a nature break and when I re-entered the space after just that few minutes, everything had changed. The actresses of porn had gone to work, and everywhere I looked there was so much going on it was a bit overwhelming. There was one stand where BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism & Masochisim) was underway that so sickened me, and apparently most other people as there were very few watching, that I walked away in digust.

I will leave it to your imagination as to what else was taking place, but I did wonder whether the girls were full crazy or just plain stupid. I concluded that the hint is in the description of their profession: they are actresses. They play a role, probably without emotion, and without leaving anything to the imagination.  Judging by the the fact that there were at least four male visitors to every one woman, they seem to have appreciated the opportunity to not only see the girls in their birthday suits, but to also film them up close. I have never seen so many cameras and smartphones.

I came to Spain to live because I was interested to know how different an experience it would be. In Bermuda it is unlawful to produce pornography, or to be in possesion of pornographic material. As if to underscore the difference, on Saturday men and women were riding their bicycles around Valencia in the sunshine without any clothes whatsoever celebrating "NAKED BICYCLING DAY."  I have decided that the difference is night and day; chalk and cheese; Summer and Winter.

I am from the old school. I always needed to know the woman I was making love with, and even when the act was senseless, at least I knew her and enjoyed her. It always did mean something to me, and that I think makes me a person more fulfilled and content. There was also the matter of privacy that was important. Taking the act so public destroyed its value in my estimation. I left the forum for the absolute worst of reasons: I was bored! Sex is not a very good spectator sport.

I think of the people who work as actors and actresses, who probably do their thing several times a day. Normal people engage in love making when the mood moves them, but as a treat. Something special to enjoy. For these show people when work is done, what else is there to genuinely enjoy?

How sad!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

I can't say that I enjoyed my time at the

Curiousity

The Sandy Hook School Shooting

Partial exterior of Sandy Hook School with police just arriving.


Time has stood still since 26 people, very young students and teachers lost their lives at the hands of a fellow student who shot them in cold blood. I don' t think that anybody knows why it happened. The why is important because the answer might possibly stop it happening again.

I have a theory as to why this might have happened, as well as all those other school shootings that occur by students. It is only a theory, but I think it is both plausible and dangerous. Because the children at Sandy Hook were so young I don't think that they, as victims contributed in any way to the tragedy, but the actions of others may have.

I'm talking about the all too common practice of bullying among students. It occurs in every school all over the world and seems to be a part of our human nature. It is a fault in the make up of human nature to find someone to pick on so that we feel more superior.

I was a sutdent who was the target of bullying, and I can tell you that had I access to guns I would have shot and killed every one of my tormentors. My story is a long one, but here I give a  summary to show how someone who is bullied can be driven to such an incredible breaking point:

I first joined with a great group of guys who were not interested in gaining an education, but later when I realised I was wasting my life I tried to buckle down to school studies. My "friends" decided that was not going to happen and they turned on me with a deadly frenzy of bullying that culminated with them doing unspeakable things to me in the boys toilet. A teacher came to my rescue, but in the class following the lunch break, which was gardening, the teacher stepped away to report the incident to the school principal. The head bully came over to me to continue the harrassment, taking no notice of the fact that I had a pitchfok, and for his efforts I drove the pitchfok throungh his foot, as far down as it would go, pinning him firmly to the ground. His blood came spurting up through his shoe, and because he was a fat person, I remember his flesh  jerking up and down. I ran around and around, crying and screaming, like a banshee, with no apparent reasoning. However, I was looking for the hoe, and had I found it I would have chopped his head off.

I later taught the second in command a firm lesson, and I scared the leader of the girl's gang so badly she stayed away from school for a week. There was police intervention in the meantime and of course, intervention of my parents and the school administrators. About two weeks later a delegation of the boys who had been my tormentors asked to speak with me. They said that as I had scared the leader and his deputy so badly that meant that I had automatically become the leader, and that they would do whatever I wanted.

I remember excatly what I said and can quote verbatim: "In case you knuckleheads don't realise it, this is a school, a place of learning. We come here to get an education, so what I want you to do is get an education for yourselves, and to leave all of the other students alone who are trying to get the best education they can.  And one more thing, if you don't leave me alone, I will kill you!"

They left me well alone!

I am a very tranquil, non-violent person. My mood and attitude is the same every day. I learnt from that episode to control my anger. When someone provokes me my reaction is generally to go stone cold. If they go on to hurt me, rather than getting angry, I get even. I recognize that my temper is a dangerous thing and I have learned over the sixty-six years since then to control it.

Unfortunately, children are unaware of the danger of their actions when picking on others. They can have no idea of the powerful seeds that they sow, and when the worm turns they will be the first to be surprised.  Schools need to conduct regular reminders of the harmful effects of bullying and to encourage the reporting of such actions when they take place.

As a parent, I cannot imagine how those affected are able to face each new day without their child, struck down in such a heartless manner, especially as at Sandy Hook. Time is frozen for them and there is absolutely nothing that anyone can say to soften the blow. As someone who was driven beyond all reasoning when I was only eight years old, I'm relieved that my reaction did not result in any loss of life. To that I credit the fact that I lived in a society that outlawed guns.

Something to think about!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

What just happened to the World?

One of the two murder suspects, with hands bloodied, and holding a knife and meat cleaver in Woolwich.

The world has been shocked by the events that unfolded at 2.20pm on a street in Woolwich, South London on an ordinary afternoon in May, 2013.

A soldier, now known as Lee Rigby, aged 25, left his barracks dressed in civilian clothes. He was immediately stalked by two men in a car, who, at the earliest opportunity ran him over on the sidewalk, then pounced upon him with a gun, and knives and a meat cleaver and had at him in a frenzied attack, apparently trying to cut his head off. Lee Rigby died in the attack. His self-confessed killers then dragged his body into the road, and then stood around talking to people while awaiting the police.

One woman, who was riding the bus, got off to give help at what she thought was a car accident. Upon realising what had actually happened, instead of running to safety she engaged one of the culprits, asking what he wanted or intended to achieve. His answer: to start a war in London tonight. Instead he has moved people to the peaceful degree that is beginning to look like the outpouring of emotion that the world saw for the late Princess Diana.

When the police arrived the men attacked the first car in an attempt to do the driver harm. They were shot and disabled. 

One man gave a statement to camera in which he apologised that women and children had to witness their attack, but said that the only reason they killed the soldier was as an act of an eye for an eye because Muslims are dying daily as they are killed by British soldiers.

The British war machine was called into theatres of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and indeed they will have killed Muslims that they deemed to be the enemy. However, the soldiers react to the orders that they are given, just as the two men seemed to be obeying orders given to them by some shadow command. That will make them no better than the man they killed. Should we now expect foreign wars to be acted out on the streets of towns and cities around the world?

Almost as an answer, a demonstration in London against violence by Islam brought out around 2000 people that resulted in a fierce clash against police. Meanwhile, over in Paris a uniformed soldier was attacked and stabbed in the neck by a man who fled. These are dangerous times when less than cool heads could set the bonfire that gets completely out of control.

America has always thought that it acted in good faith in its foreign adventures, but as time has proven it has often been mistaken. The Vietnam War was about keeping the Communist North from invading the South. America lost, and the South is now in Communist hands, and America is doing limited business with them.

On a day in September, 2001, America was attacked on its own shores, and it pushed back when it discovered that Afghanistan served as the base for the Taliban and Al Queada that authored the attack. It was seen as only normal that America would go after those who had done it harm, but the problem arose when America decided to attack Iraq on a contrived story that Iraq was planning to attack America by using a stockpile of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

They brought down Saddam and his family, and good riddance to them, but so many Muslims have lost their lives, and continue to do so that it is not difficult to see from where the passion of the two assailaints comes from. However, that has to be traced back to one single man and his misguided decision that has caused so many people unnecessary loss of life and suffering. That was wrong, and what the two men did against Lee Rigby and the British Army was wrong. The London demostration and the attack on the soldier in Paris are all wrongs, as will be anything along those lines to come. We need actions that are right, actions like those of the two women who tried to help, but although in spite of their apparent good intentions, I think they placed their own lives at great risk.

Lastly, I have to question what was in the mind of the woman, who was pulling a personal shopping bag on wheels, who left a small pocket of people and walked toward a lone killer with a knife and a meat cleaver still in his hand. I presume she walked right past him, when she should have gone the other way.

Sometimes, at moments like these people will do the strangest things. 

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

When your woman wants more than you can give.

Life is so much better when a couple are facing in the same direction and living in Sync.

I have encountered two articles on this subject lately, but I seem to remember writing on this same subject many years ago. The title could refer to almost anything, but we are talking bedroom talk. For such a long time the public conception was that sex was something that men did to women. If you were a woman you were supposed to cooperate with your man to keep him home and happy. Whether that was ever the truth, only history can say, but the modern reality is that women want sex, and they want to enjoy it every bit as much as their lover.

Women want orgasms! When do they want them? They want them now!

You only have to get a glimpse of lesbians playing together and that will put the lie to bed forever that women don't really like doing it. I suppose that as long as there have been lesbians their delicious pleasure has been a best kept secret. I'm not thrilled that women can have such a good time without me, but the fact is that they can, and regularly do.

Normally the man is the villian of the piece. His woman is constantly pestered by his demands for sex, and more sex. For some men his one woman is not enough. He has to go out chasing and cheating as though every woman needs him to satisfy them. However, we are now hearing about the shoe being on the other foot. How does this problem arise?

The most obvious way to avoid it happening is for a man not to marry a much younger trophy woman. You will age quicker than she will, so that when she is in her prime you will be over the bloody hill. When she is longing for a hard one three or four times in the night, you will be content with a good night's sleep. That's trouble, mister, with a capital T. I suppose if Viagra works for you that may be your life saver, but although that will give you a stiff one, will you have the will to use, and enjoy it?

Another way that the problem might arise is where there is a major difference in personalities. We hear that opposites attract, but the real question is whether that's a good basis to grow a solid relationship. After all, a man has to be aroused to be able to want a sexual relationship, but if you have an abusive woman that is unlikely to make you hard; but she, on the other hand may get her jollies by being abusive, to be followed by a good romp in bed. I'm afraid, that wouldn't do anything for me.

The main thing to emerge from a focus on this topic is the public realisation that women are equal. They are equal in so many ways, in fact in any way that they want to be, and in bed is so fundamental we have to ask ourselves why did we ever think anything different.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

Pornography! What Redeeming Qualities, if any?

Girl sitting without panties, and other depictions.

Pornographic?

There are no wrong answers.

What is pornography?

According to The Oxford Dictionary, it is described as follows:

"The explicit description or exhibition of sexual activity in literature, films, etc,  intended to stimulate erotic, rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings."

I have no argument with this description, which also says to me that it is an entirely subjective matter. For instance, I look at the above picture and I am unmoved. What is clear to me is that because it is subjective, I have no authority to judge your tastes, and I will not accept your views regarding my own. However, there is an exception:

Pornographic material that features children or interaction with animals is unlawful and prohibited in decent society, and is therefore within the norms of public decency, unacceptable. Those who use and direct children in such activity are committing grave illegal acts and should be made to pay severe penalties.

Otherwise, where activities involve consenting adults we can choose to accept the material or to turn our backs. Here in Spain, normal family viewing television channels change their program content at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays to bring us as much porn as we might like. However, they use male/female couples and female same-sex couplings.

I do believe that the sex lives of same-sex couples mirror that of hetro-sexual couples in every way. Consequently, I imagine that two men can be tender and romantic and deeply loving in the expression of their love for one another, or simply for the fun of fucking, but I have no desire to witness it. I have never seen any such depictions and I have never seen anything involving children, and I hope never to come face to face with such material. However, if I did I don't think I would faint.

At this point, from time to time the news reports show police officers scrolling through this material. I cannot think of anything worse than being that officer having to troll through such pictures.

In my opinion, there should be a law against capturing on film  females on females having sex. This even sounds stupid to me, but the sight of those women having so much fun without any need for a man is horrifying to me. It makes me feel so completely useless and redundant that it is scary. I think that perhaps when we hear men speak so vehemently against lesbians, they are expressing their own horror at being deemed excess to requirements.

That leads me to consenting couples: it just may be my imagination but it seems that a man could walk up to a very beautiful woman and ask her to have sex with him on film, and she will likely enthusiastically agree. Of course, they are showing off their bodies while in the prime of life, and some are so incredibly perfect, they should only pose as eye candy. They are too beautiful to be put through such  paces. But, I think those who play on film have to really like mindless sex. (I have been there.)  I don't think it is a place for thinking and feeling, because you are in the glare of lights and crew, and I don't see any place for real genuine feeling. They are supposed to be actors simply playing a part. However, I wish they would pay more attention to lubrication.

I saw a clip of a man who was preparing to have sex with two women and he was self-stimulating to get  hard. What the hell is wrong with this picture? Having succeeded, that had nothing to do with the women, that was him achieving an erection all on his own. He might as well have gone on to climax on his own.

The bottom line is that sex, as spectator sport is really quite boring. If you are a man who is not getting sex, and you choose to watch others in action, that's kind of like not having anything to eat, and choosing instead to stand at a restaurant window to watch while a person inside devours a steak. That is a very unsatisfactory thing to do. Also, watching a lot of people having sex does not lead to a desire for more sex, it leads the other way.

So, what redeeming quality does pornography have for me?  Television offers me, apart from porn, the news, which is all about the effects of the economic crisis, small wars that result in more people being blown up, shot, stabbed, mugged, raped, abducted, trafficking of people, buildings falling and killing innocents, people losing limbs and lives while supporting wholesome activities, families having something to eat at fast food restaurants being shot to death, natural disasters, theft by bankers, corruption within governments, children who walk into school and shoot their classmates, fires, flooding, wives being killed by husbands, and the latest thing I heard was that in India several men have been arrested for actually sexually penetrating baby girls aged between four and six months.

Given that partial list of things, I could do worse than watch porn.

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

A Dream! A Fantasy!

Grandpa's Home!

In an earlier post I described how I had bought a pre-paid funeral plan from Golden Leaves Ltd, last August, and I had chosen cremation for my body. No sooner had I done that a September raging fire that covered six communities rolled over our house at 3.30 in the morning and we had to run for our lives, staying ahead of the fire by no more than one minute.

Let me make this abundantly clear: I choose cremation, but only AFTER I have well and truly finished with my body. Perhaps this was a case of being really careful about what you wish for.

A few nights ago I had one of those very long dreams that seem to take up the entire night. It was a really sweet dream in spite of the fact that it began with my death and cremation. My family were given my ashes to take with them, and as I am originally from the beautiful islands of Bermuda, they decided to make sure that my urn was unsinkable and indestructible so that they could float me in the Atlantic in the hope that I would find my way back to Bermuda.

They fit the urn with a tracking device and painted the destination on it, and together with family from Bermuda they travelled from Valencia, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal, and there, they caught an offshore breeze and gave me a gentle push. The monitor was given to my grandson, Ramon, who lives in the house that I purchased that is located along the Western shore in Bermuda.

Ramon tracked my movements every day. He could see that I had floated from Lisbon across to, and through the Azores. This is significant because Bermuda has many immigrants from the Azores who are a hard working, law abiding group of people who have given Bermuda much to be thankful for.

After the Azores I turned left and drifted Southeast down along the African coast until I washed ashore on the beach at Kribi, Cameroon. This was an important stop, because I have come to believe that my original ancestor was taken from Cameroon. For the past fourteen years, myself, together with a small group of people have adopted a village in the far north of Cameroon named Gouria. We have worked with the villagers to bring them forward into the 21st century, and in doing so I have come to be very close to my brothers and sisters in Cameroon. It was appropriate that I should make a stop at my spiritual home to bid Cameroon goodbye.

Some boys had found the urn and were about to take it home, but a tourist who knew what it was and who was literate in English convinced them to place me back in the water in a small ceremony. So, once again I was on my way. As luck would have it, one of the many storms to begin as tropical depressions off Africa took my urn across the Atlantic in a Northwesterly track and I ended up on the beach in Barbados.

My island of Bermuda is breathtakingly beautiful, but Barbados is indescribable. That country is also the host nation from which the original of the Carmichael family in Bermuda came.  My original ancestor was shipped to America as a slave on the estate of a Scotsman by the name of Robert Carmichael, from Glasgow. Hence our family name was taken from his as as brand. After emancipation, the freed Carmichaels left America and went to Barbados, and from there our Great, many times over grandfather, Nathaniel Daniel Carmichael made the very wise decision to emigrate to newly found Bermuda. I have one son, whose name is Nathaniel Daniel Edward Carmichael, which is a really big name to live up to, but he is more than capable.

Having touched shore in Barbados the urn was caught by the northerly current flows of the Sargasso Sea that brought the urn closer to Bermuda. Ramon could see that on the monitor, and in spite of the fact that he was himself getting on in years, he put everybody on notice that Grandpa was almost home. On one perfect Bermudaful day, early in the morning, my urn was just offshore from "MySugarAppleSunSet", the name of the house.

All the family and friends, including the media gathered on the lawn overlooking the ocean to watch as I gently drifted straight in on the waves to make a perfect docking in the lagoon below. They were all waving and my urn, moved by the sea waved back. And then, I woke up.

I would have added a part where they fit a giant sky rocket to the ashes, then sent it up into the air so that it could go off with a giant bang, scattering my ashes gently in the wind, with the ashes just reaching the shoreline and the cliff upon which the house sits. 

It's a fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed in my dream. Perhaps it might not be too much of a fantasy to be made into a reality. Hint! Hint!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

Decisions of a Woman

Decision Time!

Decision-making is as integral a part of life as is breathing, but it occurred to me, a man, that to be a woman carries with it the burden of extra heavy responsibility for many decisions that she will make throughout her lifetime. In common with a man, she will make decisions that are a shared responsibility, such as political, business, health related issues, and what country she would prefer to live in as wife.

Other decisions that are supposedly shared, but usually go her way are what and where to buy a house, where to school the children, and other important choices involving the family lifestyle.

There are decisions that only a woman can make. A man has some similar choices but the list is much longer for a woman. In my own opinion that list is partially as follows:

From the time of personal responsibility, one of the first things she will have to learn is how to dress and to present herself to the public. If she does not take responsibility for these things, then who will? In our society I wonder what some young women could be thinking as they dress to attract stalkers.

She has to decide on what direction her future is to take. That will encompass her educational and career path. She might choose to consult with others but the final decision must be hers.

What will be her personal lifestyle? This is one of the Big questions that will set the pace for her whole adult life, but only she can make this choice. The range from which she can select is very broad and covers Nun to prostitute, and everything in between.

It is her right and privilege to select the type of car to buy. This is a small matter, but in common with a man the car she chooses most likely will reflect her personality and must be a free choice without interference.

In Western societies, who a woman chooses as her life partner is her exclusive right and privilege, as is anyone else whom she wishes to invite into her bed. Although we men grow up with the belief that we persue women and conquer them in our bedrooms, the fact is that we chase them until they catch us. Imagine my astonishment upon learning that little factoid!

In our society, anything less is called rape or sexual harrassment. Therefore, it is the decision of the woman that must be weighed very carefully when considering what to do in matters of a personal sexual nature. In the lighest of circumstances, when she is a single and unattached female, she will have men in her face showing interest in spending the night together. For a man this is not really a decision. He just wants to get his end in with any warm and wiling woman. For her there is so much more to consider, although through the fog of lust most of those things get overlooked.

When thinking more long term, if she is to encourage a man to come around on a regular basis she has to be aware that the relationship could lead him to ask her to marry him, so she would be wise to use the time to get to know him really well. Making this decision could lead to how many children she brings into the world, where they will live, and the other "shared" decisions she will make in the future. It will also determine whether she will experience true happiness, or a married life of misery leading to divorce.

She, and she alone must be free to have control over her body. There will be men who will assume the arrogance to arbitrarily make decisions concerning abortion, but there are no circumstances where a woman might be called upon to make such a decision for a man, with the exception whether to circumcise her baby or not.

One of the most vexing decisions she will make is should she have that extra-marital affair. The problems that can flow from this activity potentially are without limit. Where a woman chooses to enter into a personal relationship where she works, when it becomes evident to management she is usually the one to lose her job, (although they should both have to leave if they have broken the company's rule of non-fraternisation) because it was her final decision that allowed it to happen.

This places the decision that one woman made, to encourage a relationship with a married colleague when his wife also worked with them, into an awful perspective. The wife eventually killed herself and the rest of the staff were deeply affected.

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

What a week that Was!

The fertilizer plant explosion near Waco, Texas and The Boston Marathon Bombings

What a hellava week its been for the world around us. The week started normally enough with a Marathon. It was Patriot's Day in Boston, the center piece of that holiday was The Great Boston Marathon, but as the world now knows a couple of very young guys decided to blow things up, with all the attendent horror that brought. Three people died in that event; two young women and an eight year old boy who had previously asked that there be "no more hurting people!" How ironic!

Then, as we all know, Wednesday brought an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. two people are dead from that, and dozens have been injured and many homes flattened. That scene is being treated as a crime scene.

Wednesday was also the day that the funeral was held in London, England for ex prime minister Margaret Thatcher. That event got half the country all stirred up because she was a person who was either hated or adored, and both sides were all too keen to make their feelings known. Tensions were riding high, but in the event those who hated her showed their scorn in a very British, understated, and civilized manner. They simply turned their backs on the procession.

Wednesday was the day that Boston held a wonderful "Day of remembering the victims and their familes," service at the catherdal, in which President Obama and his First Lady were in attendance. The president gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard, which was exactly what the people wanted to hear. He promised the perpetrators of the bombing that they would be hunted down and brought to justice.

Meanwhile, someone had sent a letter containing ricin to him. It was intercepted well before it could have reached his office. Who the hell thinks that the president opens his own mail?

No sooner did the president promise whoever was responsible would be brought to justice for the bombing, than the message went out that the FBI were looking for two young guys. That night these two numbskulls robbed a store, shot and killed an officer on the grounds of MIT, and got themselves in a firefight with officers, ending with the one, who I predict was the mastermind, being shot to death. These guys were brothers, and the younger one went on the run, but not before running over his brother with the car, whereupon a couple of small bombs that the brother, that was down, was wearing went off but the impact was limited because he was on top of them. How about the beauty of that as a statement: blown up by his own bombs! Nice one!

We were then subjected to non-stop coverage of the manhunt for a 19 year-old, very misguided boy. Never before in my lifetime have I heard of a situation where an entire major city and its suburbs had been locked down for a whole business day while a manhunt took place. Almost 10,000 men and women were employed in the hunt for this one man who was Public Enemy Number One.  Incidentally, at one point in a live feed, the announcers were saying that the only traffic was that of law enforcement people, when a guy rides across the camera on his bicycle, just as relaxed as could be. I had to laugh out loud.

Sure enough the fugutive was finally surrounded   as he took shelter in a man's sailboat that was ashore in his backyard.

I nust comment on this aspect, because it was reported that the owner noticed that there were bloodstains leading into the boat. Then he is supposed to have gone to the boat and pulled back the covers and noticed the wanted man inside. At that stage he risked having his head shot off. Had that happened he would have died as a result of stupidity. Having noticed something was awry he should have made the call and cleared the area. I suspect that by now even he is kicking himself. Lucky bastard! Perhaps he should check his boat very carefully before putting it back overboard as it most probably won't float.

So, another shootout resulted in the boy's capture alive, which is really good news because I suspect that there are those in the background who influenced the older brother while he was on a six month visit to Russia to make a strike against America. The younger brother, I believe was drawn into the situation by his older sibling. The country needs answers. So far, nothing suggests that North Korea had anything to do with it. Thank God!

The week ended as it began, with another Marathon, this time with 30,000 runners over in London on Sunday, April 21st. As I write this there have not been any incidents, but a 30-second period of silence was held at the beginning to remember the Boston Marathon.

President Obama has promised that there will be a Boston Marathon next year. I predict that the number of runners will be the most ever for such an event, as well the number of spectators will overwhelm the route. That's how terrorists are defeated, even though these two guys left more than 175people injured, and Krystle Campbell, aged 29, Lu Lingzu, aged 23 of China, Police officer Sean Collier, and especially young Martin Richard, all lost their lives.

In his own words, young Martin Richard wrote:"No more hurting people. Peace!" So Young! So Wise

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

The Boston Bombings

A scene that was supposed to be only one of joy turned into the worst nightmare.

The Boston Bombing of 15/4

UH! OH!

Here we go again!

Monday, 15th April, 2013 saw the Boston Marathon interrupted by at least two bombings at the finish line and around about the time that the run was supposed to reach its conclusion. It was similar with 9/11 in that the location was one that was classicly important to America, and there were two blasts that were evidently intended to cause a lot of injuries. As of this writing 176 people are injured, at least 17 of whom are seriously so, and three people have died.

The big question is, of course who is responsible, and why was it done?

To cut straight to a worst case situation the people who have most recently been threatening all-out war with America are the North Koreans.

Let us all hope and pray that this is not the case because the follow-up could well lead to nuclear war, and that would have a result with no winners at all.

Meanwhile, over in London, Wednesday the 17th of April will be the funeral of Margaret Thatcher that will have its own built-in disruptions, and shortly after that will take place the London Marathon.

Suddenly we have a great deal to worry about!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael
 

Expedición Imposible

Raquel Sanchez Silva, Presenter of Expedición Imposible

The Best television viewing experience that I can recall in a very long time!

I have just concluded twelve weeks of addictive television viewing with the final of the Spanish version of Expedition Impossible, an American adventure reality show. Both versions were staged in Morocco, but the major difference between the participants was that the Americans had to have certain basic survival skills, whereas the Spanish were a group of twenty people with fairly ordinary lives. I say ordinary, but they ranged from dancers and actresses and singers and models, to people who worked with bulls. One was even the former Miss Spain, 2006.

I have never followed reality shows, or even series, except "Boss" in part. I became interested in this one because of Maria Abradelo, the TV presenter and actress. We became aware of her when we first arrived here in Valencia as a personalty who dominated Channel 9, the Valencian principal television company. Since then there has been a drawing closer between herself and our family, to the extent that we were considering English lessons taught by myself to her. She was entered in the contest, together with her sister and was featured as the principal contestants in the publicity.

For the sake of jogging your memory, if you did watch the program, there were ten groups of two-person teams at the beginning. There were four teams of two women in each: Noelia and Elizabeth, both models; Maria and her sister Rommy; Raquel and Leticia; and Marbelys and Lola. There were two all-male teams: David, the super strong man, and Dani who kept finding courage and strength he never knew he had; and Ismael and Ivan, the oldest participant, for whom I was solidly in his corner as he represented us senior citizens. The remaining four teams consisted of one man and one woman.  They were: Cristina and Alejandro; Rafael and Yolanda; Alex and Roció, the person I most admired for maintaining an upbeat and positive spirit throughout. She is also a very beautiful and charming person as well. And finally, there was Felipe and his girlfriend Mirela.

Canal Cuatro aired the show, and it was presented by Raquel Sanchez Silva, a presenter of reality shows, but even she was over-awed by the complexities and challenges of this particular show. They started off with an 8.0% share which had dropped to 5.9% for the final show. That means a lot of people missed one of the most fabulous shows on televisions. I urge them to watch the re-runs.

Shortly after the contest began, which involved extremely taxing challenges throughout, both Mirela and Elizabeth, the former Miss Spain, found that they could go no further. Normally that would have meant that their partner would also drop out, but an exception was made that allowed Noelia, Elizabeth's partner to team up with Felipe. No one expected much from this change because Noelia is also a slender model, and so evidently way out of her league in the unforgiving great outdoors of Morocco.

As the episodes concluded and new ones began, teams were eliminated due to their arrival at the checkpoint in last place. Maria and Rommy were eliminated/dropped out due to illness in the fifth episode. I was so disappointed for them, yet I found it extremely difficult to understand why they were putting themselves through such agony. Yes, there was prize money to be won, but some of the things they did were dangerous in a controlled sort of way, I suppose, but always a real challenge. There must be easier ways of winning money than that!

By the tenth episode, David and courageous Dani had been eliminated, and in the eleventh episode Ismael and Ivan, the senior citizen were eliminated. Ivan said that he was competing because he wanted his grad-daughter to be proud on him. No worries Ivan, we all are! That left two teams of one man, one woman each. The woman who no one expected to stay the course, including herself, was still in the running. That was Noelia, the model, who was really struggling. She had hurt her leg and was in pain and hobbling. Meanwhile, Cristina, of Cristina and Alejandro was staying strong and cool. This couple had arrived in first place most often, which gave them the privilege of being driven straight to the end of the next episode, as well as winning a 3,000 euro prize several times.

We had come to the final in Marrakesh. The two teams didn't seem to be evenly matched, and every effort was made to break at least one of them because there could only be one winner. However, both teams stayed consistent with one another, with Noelia doing her part and simply powering through the pain. Neither team could be broken, so it came down to a matter of who would be luckier. That part of the contest was inspired, and when it turned out that Noelia and Felipe were declared the winners my eyes misted over, a massive lump appeared in my throat and I jumped out of my seat with joy. Noelia had survived and triumphed over all the massive odds placed in her path.

This is the story of all mankind, of course. In order to achieve something outstanding it is necessary that we choose to do the thing that is difficult, because it is difficult. Once we begin our journey we have to stay focused with our eyes on the prize and simply power through adversity. Everyone loves the underdog. This is not something that can be scripted but it all came together in the end.

Congratulations to Felipe and Alejandro, both very strong competitors, and to Cristina who kept her head throughout. Noelia is an enduring champion and now she is a role model. I certainly hope that all of the contestants have something lasting to remember their extreme efforts because they all contributed to a standard of television entertainment that was a cut above the normal. Congratulations also to Raquel, la Presentadora and the producers and crew.

When I say, "Well Done!" everyone, I really do mean it!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene  Carmichael 



In Celebration of a Life and a Legacy!

In Celebration of a deserving human being!

Melanie Kiener

Former Area Governor

Toastmasters International
District 59, Spain

When I first met Melanie Kiener she was Area Governor for District 59 that covered at least four Toastmasters clubs along the Mediterranean coast, including Valencia, Alicante, Las Palmeras, and her home club of Marbella. It is natural to form an impression from when meeting for the first time. Looking back, I think I felt her charm and warmth, and I know that I thought she was someone I could work with. What I didn't think about was the fact that Melanie was a person with an infectious energy and attitude that radiated the message, " Be the best that you can be; do the best that you can!"

As I reflect on her personality I see her as a person who went through life like a fine cava sprinkling her bubbles upon all with whom she came into contact, gently, and in a very lady-like way moving us forward, always urging us to do the best that we could.

Toastmasters clubs worldwide are self help groups of individuals who are intent upon growing and refining our inter-communications skills. The Mission Statement of Toastmasters International reads, "We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth."

In my short experience with Toastmasters I have seen people grow from being shy and introverted into confident outgoing individuals. Part of the role of Area Governor is to shepherd all the members in your collective care towards attaining the goal of personal growth. The first requisite must be the desire and the ability to care for each person. In this regard Melanie excelled and set the bar for her successors. She lived a life that was full and she has left a legacy that is wonderful and worthy of emulation.

At too early an age she was given a cross to bear that she bore with strength and dignity, and with a smile on her face. All too soon (March 27, 2013) she passed on to that great Toastmasters Club, District Number One, Club 001 in the sky, where we will all join her, in the fullness of time.

Meanwhile we celebrate her life and her legacy. It was our privilege to have known her and to have worked together towards our common goal. Melanie's life was indeed a life well lived, and that leaves only one thing left to say:

Thank You, Melanie!   

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael