An Active Mind

In a few short days I am due to celebrate my 76th birthday. The projection at my birth was that my maximum life expectancy was to age 47. So said the Actuaries, taking into account where I was born and my access to good health care. It's good that they are not always correct, although for many of my contemporaries they were indeed proved, sadly correct.

At age 76 I am firmly in denial. My place is supposed to be with my age group, spending leisurely days at the retirement home for seniors in day care, playing cards, and dominoes, and chatting away the time. I just don't see that happening. I feel no more than 55, and rather than to spend my time with the old folks, I have places to go, people to see, and things to do.

Having said all that, this week I attended a concert where the average age of the musicians was about 70. The band was all male, except one sole young woman, and one young man. They presented a full two-hour concert, in two parts with completed works by Spanish composers. It was wonderful to see all of these men conduct themselves with confidence, both on the stage and off. While their average age may well have been about 70, I think that they, like myself were all, in our heads about 55.

I recall as a young man being seriously impressed by a classical pianist who gave a one-man concert at the age of 90. He walked on the stage with vigor, gave his concert, including delightful comments to the audience, just as though he were a young artist. It occurred to me then that to keep ourselves young we should have something to focus our mind on that makes us grow. The key is growth, because in life we never stand still. We are either growing or diminishing. Even simply liiving in a foreign land with a language to learn means growth. You learn something new everyday.

It was wonderful to enjoy proof of this theory. I think I am on the right track. This may be something to bear in mind as we all grow older and older.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

The Power of a Smile

When I wrote my last blog, "World Noise" I was truly in a very dark place. I rarely allow world events to grind me down to that level, but there I was, thoroughly depressed. There is much to be depressed about, but such things are beyond my control. I have to remember the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." That part about having the wisdom is really important, but when you see so much human suffering it is emotive, and as a simple human being, I just can't seem to be unaffected.

Ever since  I arrived here in Spain we have had images of Africans washing up on the shores, having drowned at sea in their quest for a better life. In many cases they were simply trying to remain alive as they fled despots who would have killed them on the spot. They were the trickle before the flood. All that they were trying to do was to get to the place in which I had arrived in the comfort of an airplane.

So, yes, there is a world of uncomfortable noise that surrounds you and me, and I accept that from time to time it will get to me. My task was to pull myself up and shake it off. The day after I wrote the blog, I was driving down my estate road when I saw coming the other way a man on a pedal cycle. I have been seeing this man for the past eleven years. I don't know his name, but he always reminds me of Robin Williams, and he always smiles a Robin-esque smile. I always feel good after I see him.

In my native Bermuda we have Johnny Barnes, a man who for decades has greeted people on their way to work with a huge smile and a "I love you!" It is impossible to arrive at work in a bad mood after that.

During the week I have deliberately tuned out the negative, allowing space for only positive sound bytes. I have found there are many which lifted me and kept my spirits high. The owner of a dog that constantly barked, day and night, said, "Don't listen to him!" Well, I have turned the sound down on the negative, and up on the positive.

Today, I feel good! 

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

World Noise!

My principal sources of world news are: TVE, Channel 1, Spain, CNN, BBC, The Royal Gazette of Bermuda, and The Costa Levante News of Spain. It occurs to me that all these sources are in the business of reporting a lot of noise. They simply don't report much, if any news of a happy nature. What passes for news are those events that involve corruption, death, murder, rape, theft, political mismanagement, refugees, drownings, assassinations, drugs, gang wars, police killings, incest, slavery, prostitution, extreme weather,  forest fires, war, local conflicts, floodings, kidnappings, economic and financial disasters, among every other form of perversion and negativity we can think of; and now, we even have had a news reporter murdered while on a live over-the-air television feed. At least she was reporting on a simple non-controversial local event.  What a sick world we are all a part of, and the news has become the new pornography.

So, why on earth do I sit myself down in front of the television and let all of this crap wash over me every night. Why do I buy the papers or go on-line? It's all so depressing, and addictive, I have to wonder what effect this is having on me, and you? Why don't I simply turn off the news and content myself with watching people make love to one another. At least they are not trying to kill one another, or even to hurt one another...much!

A picture of a little dead boy lying drowned on a beach in Turkey, and the thousands of economic and war refugees enduring so much hardship; and now, the latest sad news is of a mother, in my native Bermuda who has been found guilty of murdering a sixteen-year old boy by deliberately crashing him over the head with a baseball bat.

According to the boy's mother, he was her only shining light and was full of hope for her, but there was another side to him that acted out when she was not around.  That was a dark side of gross disrespect to the public at large. He certainly seemed to have needed a strong hand, but that hand came from his neighbour, but it was too strong and now he is dead, and his killer, a mother of three, will have to spend a great number of years behind bars. It is almost incalculable how many lives have been totally messed up as a result.

Watching world events is like watching a slow moving disaster. I just can't seem to turn away. What's worse, I choose entertainment programs that re.enact these events for my "pleasure." What's up with that?

I have to ask, has the whole world gone mad? Are we totally off our collective minds and just don't realise it? Living as we do surrounded by the constant noise of so much ill-will cannot be deemed normal. It just isn't!

That's the way it is on this day, the 13th day of September, 2015.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

The Lonesome Billionaire

A man who is a billionaire has complained that in spite of the many friends and people in general who surround him, he feels isolated and loney. How can this be? If such a person wants to simply talk at any time, there will be someone of his choosing available to talk. If he wants someone to love him, there will surely be any number of people of his choosing who will be available to put their heart and soul into convincing him that he is loved.

Through the use of the pre-nuptial agreement he can even wed and raise a family while safeguarding his fortune. So, what could possibly be the problem?

I don't have the definitive answer to that question, but I do have some thoughts: Firstly, I believe that the gentleman in question has a lot of company across all social lines. This calls into question the dynamics of how attraction works between partners. From a man's viewpoint we are driven by the visual. We are told over and over again not to judge a book by its cover, but we see a woman who has the type of cover that turns us on, and right away we have to have her. Mistakes are made, sometimes lasting for life. I believe that women place a little more criteria on their sense of choice, but mistakes are also made, some of which turn out to be deadly. (Thirty-six women have been killed by their partners this year in Spain.)

Through my own experience with a wealthy woman I have an idea of the kind of problem money imposes on choosing and maintaining a mate.  We like to think that our partner's interest in us is based soley on our personality, but having said that we do tend to draw attention to our finer points.

The woman who dresses to reveal her best charms, such as the deep cut blouse, and/or the short shorts draws attention to those parts of her, and the man who wants to meet her because he likes what he sees, will want to get his hands on her. The man who deliberately shows off his wealth can be sure that the woman who is attracted by it will want to get her hands on it.

In my own case, many years ago I met a woman who seemed perfectly ordinary, and over a period of time, through the exchange of ideas and opinions I came to really adore her. I had no idea at all that she was wealthy because she lived in America and I lived in Bermuda. The time came when, evidently she decided that I needed to know something of her background, and so she told me what I needed to know.

Apparently, this had been a long standing problem for her because when she did this the guy would instantly realise that he was in love with her. In my case it was a complete turnoff. I read many years ago that if a man falls in love with a woman for her money, he will be made to earn every penny, every day. As I drew away from her she practically lost her mind, making me all sorts of offers to develop a relationship. They were wonderful offers, but the sad truth was that in every case she held the purse strings. For the sake of my own ego and sense of dignity I went my own way, doubting my sanity as I went.

What she needed was a relationship with someone from her own financial strata. It probably would not be something genuine, but such is the price of living in those lofty heights. Ironically, the social level where relationships are likely to be formed most honestly is at the bottom layer. The man will still be attracted by what he sees, but the woman might be short or tall, thin or stocky, beautiful or homey; but to her he will be just himself, as he will not have anything of a material nature as a distraction. If this couple are lucky they might build up some assets and have a nice life together.

At least their foundation will be built on honesty and solid ground. No-one of great wealth can be sure of that, so I think it's wonderful that we who have not much have a reason to feel better than the super rich.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

A Crisis of Epic Proportions

Those of us who live in Europe have a human crisis, and no-one is quite sure what to do about it. We have a human migration where people of Africa and the Middle East are moving into Europe like a growing human tsunami. I am an immigrant to Europe, although I am not seen as such as I arrived legally on an airplane holding a British passport. At the time that I arrived there were Africans landing on the beaches in search of a better economic life.

I always wondered who those people were. From what we understood large sums of money had been paid to the people traffickers, so they must have been people from subtantial levels of society in their homelands. In many African countries when a change of government occurs the new opposition lays bare a number of people who will simply be killed by the new intolerant administration. Those people will do well to flee for their lives.

Then came the Arab Spring and that has led to constant movement within a number of countries. We in Europe have no real idea of what is taking place on the ground. People are drowning themselves and they are dying in the desert to get away from a hell that only they know. We can't even begin to imagine what they have left behind.

Those people who are fleeing Syria are genuine war refugees. That we understand, but whether you are getting away from the Assad regime or some warlord, the end result is just the same if you are caught up in the melee...you're just as dead.

For years bodies have been fished from the Mediterranean waters, but the latest abomination is that a refrigeration truck, left parked along a highway yielded 71 dead bodies, including 4 children. Seventy-one people climbed into this truck that clearly had no ventilation, and allowed the driver to close the doors and lock them. With that simple action he deliberately snuffed out the lives of all those people. They say that desperate people do desperate things. None of us can even begin to understand this.

Some Europeans are behaving in the most shameful manner towards the migrants, particularly in Germany. However, it is a bewildering sight to have hundreds, if not thousands of people crossing your backyard. These are humans whose lives matter. They have nothing, not even a home.

The good news is that Europe actually does need more people. The question is how to turn these newcomers into productive members of society?

Copyright (c) 2015 Eugene Carmichael

Ashley Madison. Life is Short. Have an Affair.

A little over 50 years ago I walked into a hotel cocktail bar where The Woman, a stranger to me, was sitting alone at the bar. I went over to her and said, "Well, hello there!" She replied, "Absolutely, Yes! Let's go!" Slack-jawed, I followed. On the short walk to her room she said, "These are the rules of engagement: I don't want to know anything about you, and I don't want you to know anything about me. Let's just go to my room and get busy."

I have often thought of her and that encounter. That was when my education began.

To begin with, I had always thought that I was a seducer of women, when the truth was that I chased them until they caught me. Secondly, women need sex as much as men, (and sometimes more so when they are trying to get pregant) because we are both programmed to at least replace ourselves. Men are wired to lay down our seed as much as possible. It really doesn't matter whether the woman is beautiful or homely, short or tall, thin or stocky, our natural drive is to pass our seed.

Somewhere along the way the morality police came into being, and in today's Western society we are supposed to confine ourselves to one woman in the building of our family.

Enter Ashley Madison! Life is short. Have an Affair.

This flies in the face of everything we think of as moral, and frankly, is just plain offensive. I can see why the hacktivists targeted A.M. because it is just so in your face. I am a bit surprised that the culture of seeking a mate via a website has been so successful. Before computers people met one another the old fashioned way. There was work, church, social clubs, happy hour, etc. I believe meeting someone over the Internet is no less work.

There is no shortage of websites that try and bring people together. They thrive on testimonials from people who say they met each other on this or that on-line service and now they are married with family. However, a lot of the time people get together on-line to just plain have sex. But at least there is redeeming quality in most on-line sites.

So, why would a married man and woman reach out to have an affair?

The problem with life is that your relationship starts out fresh and passionate, but with the passing of time a cooling takes place. Men have always been the ones to seek outside passion. Tradionally we have always thought that sex was something that men did to women, but the fact is that once a woman casts off her inhibitions men have to step up our game just to keep pace. So, Ashley Madison sought to capitalize on the yearning for passion in one's life, and they were successful.

They also stood out like a red flag, thumbing their noses at society, encouraging, aiding and abetting people to break their vows and to throw trust to the winds. I imagine The Church would have been especially annoyed, so the destruction of this company will be greatly welcomed, and the 39 million people whose records are wide open for inspection will get no sympathy from anyone. However, it will change anything.

Life will go on. People will continue to seek passion from others in discreet ways. However, the truth is that the moment one partner has a one-night stand, the other will know about it. You tell your partner in lots of little ways, and it can't be avoided.

Men love sex, and women love good sex. Ideally, they want to be fully involved, not just some love object. Just as my encounter over fifty years ago taught me, we have our needs and when we are able to act out with a consenting adult, even if we know nothing about that person, it can be one of the most satisfying of experiences. However, if it is just for the moment, when its over it no longer has any meaning. (That's what men mean when they say, "it didn't mean anything.")  If it is done within the circle of love, to advance your love for one another, then its called making love, rather than simply having sex.

Here's a suggestion: Husband or wife, if you feel that your sexual relationship has grown stale and you yearn for passion from someone new, together, join a swingers club. There are many outlets for you to spice up this part of your life together. There is always the danger that you will get carried away with your emotions, but that might happen anyway. At least you won't be unfaithful and dishonest with one another.

The two most precious commodities in a marriage worth treasuring are Trust and Love. They should be preserved at all costs!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Wedding Traditions

I finally received an invitation to a Jewish wedding. There was a time in my life when I met and befriended many Jewish couples, but always they were on their honeymoons, so I never got to attend the wedding.

This wedding was held in the community of Wimbledon. The bride was the youngest of four sisters and the last to be married. No expense was spared and the event was a first class production. I was  very much impressed, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Just getting to the wedding was a whole story in itself as on that day the Ride London+100 mile took place that involved up to 80,000 cyclists, and we had to cross their path, on foot, three times. If you ask me, I think we must have had a death wish. That apart, I got to thinking about wedding traditions and customs. This arose because close friends attended a Hindu wedding a couple of days later, and we compared notes. Surprisingly, we discovered similarities between the two ceremonies that are different to Christian weddings.

In all three ceremonies it is customary that bride and groom do not see one another shortly before the wedding day. The language of the service is according to the religion: Hebrew, Sanskrit, and English or nationality.

In both the Jewish and Hindu ceremonies the couple stood on a raised stage under a canopy, while usually in British Christian ceremonies bride and groom and party are on the same level as the congregation.

In all three the bride is still, in these modern times, given away. I only mention this because modern young women are so independent I'm surprised they follow this tradition. After all, no one gives the groom to the bride.

The Hindu couple take seven steps, and the Jewish bride walks around her husband seven times. There is no similarity in the Christian service.

Hindu and Christian weddings usually take place inside a temple or a church, while Jewish weddings traditionally take place out of doors.

After being declared husband and wife the couple are showered as they pass along the line of well-wishers. Rice has been the preferred material but is hellish to clean up, so soft rose petals are generally used in all three situations.

At the celebrations that follow, both Jewish and Hindu couples were sat in chairs and hoisted by strong men and danced around the room. That simply doesn't happen in Christian weddings in England. Something to do with health and safety, no doubt.

As usual, when we do comparisons we find that we are more alike than we are different. Ours is a very small world and it really is better when we all get along.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

President Obama in the land of his Ancestors

President Obama would never have been forgiven had he not paid a visit to Kenya while sitting in the office of the White House. It was one of those things that was absolutely essential, lest he never be accepted back again. Some people are saying that he did this to show off. I imagine that aspect gave him the most difficulty, because to be sure, his visit would have overwhelmed the natives.

Those of you who have been there when the president comes to town, will know what a show that is. What with all the Secret Service, security, and the emphasis on everything big! Starting with Air Force One. When that plane comes in for a landing it must surely seem like a landing from outer space, especially if you are not used to that sort of thing. Then comes the massive line of cars flown in just for the event for the entourage, led by "The Beast," the president's own car. The security choreography is something to behold, especially as they were guarding against very real threats. What the Kenyan's have witnessed will be passed down through the ages as the most exciting thing the country has ever seen.

However, there were some very substantial reasons why the president should have visited. As we all know, Africans were ripped from their homes and taken across the sea to serve as slaves, suffering unspeakable degregation in the process. They did not do those things so that we, who now live in the West, can have better lives, but the fact is that we do. At least the opportunities are great, so great that one of us is now the sitting president of the number one super power in the world. That should be respected and honoured; so by visiting the land of his ancestors he pays homage to the people who made that possible.

More western blacks should follow the example as a way of repaying The Debt.

Approximately 200 Kenyans in service to the United States lost their lives in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. President Obama was able to personally lay a wreath in their honour. That is the ultimate tribute that any country can pay in the circumstances.

Kenya is a third world country, but apparently it responded well to such an historic event. However, as a third world country it has a lot of growing to do. The Visit represented a clash between cultures, and no doubt has left some hard feelings. There will be the brigade that condemns President Obama for having come and "talked down" to the country about some of the most outstanding human rights abuses that take place in Kenya. The most horrific is the treatment accorded to gays and lesbians. Kenya does not accept that it is a part of the DNA of such people, who had no choice in the matter. They think that such people should be simply killed. Meanwhile, in the United States, the thinking is more along the lines that such people should be married to the partner of their choice.

President Obama's role as chief executive of the United States lifted up an entire race of people in the West to know that we can do whatever our ambitions lead us to; and to know that whatever our dreams suggest, we can make them come true. YES, WE CAN!

The late President Nelson Mandela did the same thing for all africans, and now President Obama has come along to underscore that. I never ever thought I would see such progress in my lifetime.

The Visit was right, timely, and well worth every penny as it led to the conference in Ethiopia where the president was able to address all of Africa's leaders. He has said that he will be back after his time in office expires to lead certain social initiatives

Personally, I am very proud of the performance in office of President Obama. I am not a judge of his political decisions because I am not an American. I simply wanted for him to be seen as a responsible and capable leader to prove the point that a black man can be just as worthy as a white man. I also know that a black man can be as useless as the next white man, but that is for another time.

Meanwhile, I am trying to imagine what it must feel like to be the Kenyan half-brother and sister to the most powerful man in the world. That must be very hard to digest!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 



Sharing my beer with Mr. Bee

The is another in the continuing saga of lunching with Mr. Bee!

It happens almost every time I sit down on the terrace to have lunch. In flies Mr. Bee, drawn by the aroma of my lunch. He flies up to me and he goes through an elaborate ritual of identification. He flies in a zig-zag fashion across and up and down in front of me, which gives me a good idea of what it must feel like to be scanned. Once he completes that process he then turns his attention to what's on the menu.

Typically he goes to the far side of my plate where he will sample the meat selection. Today we were having chuletas, (pork chops). He found a sliver and took that in hand and flew off. He was gone only a short time when he returned, but this time he was curious as to what I was drinking. I could understand that because it was a super hot day. Normally I would be having a juice, but this time I felt like a beer.

I had only poured a little from the can, so the level in my glass was close to the bottom. Bee perched on the rim of my glass and decided he might get into trouble by dropping so far down, so he moved to the can. When you pour liquid from a beer can a small pool is left around the rim. Bee noted this and gave it a try.

I cautioned him about drinking and flying and told him that he was subject to the same rules as airline pilots, but he chose to ignore me. He sucked up all the liquid that was there, then he stumbled over to the opening of the can, looked down into the darkness, and although it was evident that there was more in the can, he thought better of going in, and flew off.

I poured myself some more only to see that within minutes he had returned with a friend, and this time he, or the friend went immediately to the beer and happily sucked it up. I'm not making this up when I tell you that when he flew away from the can he first flew sideways and crashed onto the table before quickly flying off in a very direct path. Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh out loud, and I took another drink. After pouring some more a fly came to see what all the excitement was about. It put down its head and took a drink and the reaction was immediate. It stumbled sideways, then went back to drinking some more before flying off.

By this time there was nothing left in the can, which was just as well as now I had a whole swarm of friendly party types who had come to try out the firewater. It was time for me to make a hasty retreat. I imagined that over at the nest the Queen had a problem with two or three of the the workers, who declared that they didn't feel like doing any more work for the day.

If they have karaoke in the bee world I can imagine three of my visitors doing their impression of The Bee Gees, "Staying Alive." Can you?

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

The World's most unlikely Billionaires

I have just heard the amazing statistic that in my country of Bermuda, population 65,000, there are at least 21 Billionaires. The truly outstanding factoid is that most are locals, and most are wholly unintentional.

During my early life, Bermuda was a quiet little island. The second world war brought many American, Canadian and British forces to our shores, and after the war many returned as tourists with their families. Locals made an industry from this, and with savings many people bought land. I know a couple of such people who purchased several plots of land throughout the whole island.

Then they started to build homes. As time rolled on they added on to those one family homes which became multiple apartments. The law, (now changed) restricted home ownership to 100 per person. Therefore, those families hold 100 in each member's name. Then, Bermuda was discovered as a wonderful place to conduct international business and the real estate market suddenly rose in value with the demand for accommodation for foreign workers. The combined value of  real estate holdings, market value plus rental income is just staggering I actually know three people who are in this bracket. One is a woman whose father was a builder and holder of a vast holding. She is an only child. Both her parents have now passed so that she has inherited everything from them.

She married a builder, who like her father held a huge holding, and she also inherited when he passed. I am unable to estimate her wealth, neither in terms of capital value of her holdings or in her monthly income. She is certainly secure, and she passes her time in simply managing her properties.

There is a man who drives a taxi to pass the time. He too is very secure in his portfolio of properties. He limits his time in his taxi to giving tours of the island to visitors. He is a person who has the most warm and welcoming personality, so for those visitors who respond to him in a friendly way, they can find themselves in for a tremendous surprise He lives with his wife on a hill-top splendid home, and he has been known to invite his passengers to his home for lunch, prepared by his staff. He has made many life-long friends this way.

Another man is in the water trucking business. Serving his own properties is enough to keep him fully occupied. He is well respected throughout the island community as a person who gets involved in projects, and he is a leading light in his church who is responsible for the funding of much of the church's building.

I grew up during that same period of time and I did purchase a property that is well positioned in today's market. But, I only purchased the one. I travelled the world with my other savings, so from that standpoint I am rich in experience.

If only we had the certain foresight to know the future!

Copyright (c) 2015   Eugene Carmichael

Dr. William H. "Bill" Cosby - My Idol with feet of clay?

As a young black man I grew up within a system of education that prepared me for a life of servitude to white people by working in the Bermuda tourist trade. I was constantly reminded that I should not overreach my station in life. If I ever had thoughts of my own busines I should have attended one of the white schools. Our educational systems were seperate and unequal. It was so depressing and soul destroying.

There arose two black men to give me hope. Sidney Poiter was one. He came from The Bahamas and he went to Hollywood and became the first black man to win an Oscar for his performance in "Lillies of the Field." I screamed, Yes! I Can!

Then came Bill Cosby, a very funny man who entertained us with squeaky clean humour that appealed across colour lines. I don't care who you were, you just had to laugh. He did not stop there. He went on to distinguish himself by earning a Doctorate of Education, to which would be added a mulitude of Honorary doctorates. That gave me confirmation that those people who were saying that I could not hope to amount to anything significant were damn liars.

I took stock of myself and I dared to dream. Yes I can do anything that I wanted to, but first I had some work to do. I prepared myself for business and I rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a manager of reinsurance companies for Fortune 500 companies. That was because of the examples of Sidney Poiter and Bill Cosby.

Bill and Sidney and I are old men now. Just when I thought it was safe to relax the bad news started to surface about Bill. Women were heard to say that many years ago Bill had drugged them and had non-consensual sex by using them. NO! This can't be possible.

Here I must point out that he has not been charged with any offense, and of course he has not been found guilty, in a court of law, of anything. Therefore, he is innocent until proven guilty of any allegations.

However, in the court of public opinion  he seems to have been found guilty and condemned. People who were proud to be associated with him are jumping ship in droves. Indeed, if he is guilty of any of the things that are alleged by a number of women, any decent person will be hard pressed to support him because he will have brought down upon his head the wrath of public morals and decency.

His wife said it best: I don't know this Bill Cosby!

I'm not saying, one way or the other whether I believe the allegations being made against him. What I'm trying to do is imagine how any of these things could be possible, and why, oh why would they be. As a man who has led a full sex life I can imagine that he might have been sexually active. Notwithstanding that he was a family man, married to the same woman for all those years, I imagine that as a successful entertainer he would have attracted women to him like a magnet. If you can make a woman laugh she will be unable to say no, so, I imagine he would have had to fight them off. I was someone unknown but I had no trouble finding women to share their bed with me. (If they were too drunk I gave them a pass, mostly because I didn't want them throwing up on me.)

Recently released court documents have him admitting to have brought Qualaades with the intention of giving them to women he wanted to have sex with. (Sounds like Ectasy tablets used by the unscrupulous in today's nightclub scene.)  However, he has not admitted actually slipping them to anybody.

This is a continuing story and we shall just have to wait and see where it goes. It does not look good! We seem to be confronted with a tale of two Cosby's, and no doubt scholars will weigh in with their assessments of how a person could be a very public and popular Dr. Jekyll, while at the same time carrying on life behind closed doors as a sinister Mr Hyde.

For what Bill Cosby has meant to me, I have to say that I am so grateful to have had him as a role model. He gave my life real meaning and that cannot be taken away. For this I say: "Thank you Dr. Cosby!"

I am super saddened by what he is presently suffering. He will end his life having already fallen from a very great height. He has accomplished so much good. He has helped so many, many people financially and through his inspiration. This is not a time to turn our backs against him as though none of that ever happened. He is hurting, presumably because of his own alleged actions, but we would be only fair weather friends if we simply gave him the thumbs down when he needs us.

I am not forgetting his alleged victims. I am not laughing at the experiences he allegedly imposed on those who say they were his victims. I have never forced myself on a woman, even once having stopped and walked away when I thought it totally unreasonable for the woman to have said stop! But stop means stop! That is my morality, so I cannot understand anyone who would deliberately incapcitate a woman to take advantage of her. How enjoyable could that be?

If it does come to pass that he is guilty of any of the claims against him, then none of that will be funny in the least, and that will be the most severe judgement of all. A comedian who was not funny.

I am personally very distressed by the position Bill Cosby now finds himself in, but it cannot be laughed away. I wish I were a wizard who could erase it all so that none of it had ever happened, but a wizard I am not. Alas!

Fortunately for me, there have come on the scene many new examples for my son to follow, including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. Also, I still have Sidney. I still believe in Sidney, a man who I actually got to meet and have dinner with.

Sidney, stay as sweet as you are!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael   

What to make of this?

Last week we spoke of the horrorific events that took place in Sousse, Tunisia where 38 people, all semi-naked lying on a beach taking the sun, were summarily executed by a demented young thug in the name of nothing sensible. We ask the question: What has the world come to, and where do we go from here?

It seems that we can no longer expect to go about our daily business in peace and safety. People have been shot down in extreme cold blood while having a hamburger; while at the movies; while in prayer and bible study; while engaging in wholesome compamionship; while in school; while shopping at the mall; while simply sunning ourselves on the beach; and in our own homes. Nowhere are we safe, at no time are we safe. We are aware of what is happening in war zones but what we fail to understand is that the entire world is a war zone. We have this beautiful planet to enjoy, but mankind, in all our massive stupidity are destroying the world and our selves. We are the enemy!

Following the Sousse massacre most visitors left Tunisia immediately. Of the 38 killed, thirty were British. However, not everyone did leave. Some stayed on. A TV interviewer asked one couple why did they not leave. As close as I remember their reply was as follows:

We came here to enjoy ourselves and we are determined not to let whats happened spoil our vacation. We think that if we leave early that would mean that the bad people will have won. We aren't going to let the bad people win.

What are we to make of this statement? Perhaps we may think those are the words of the most selfish, cold-hearted, self-centered  brigade. At first blush it certainly sounds that way. To begin with, how is it even posible to carry-on with holiday making; dining, drinking, swimming in the sea, shopping, all without giving any more thought to the 38 people who lost their lives around you. Back home in Britain the entire nation stopped in silence out of respect to those who lost their lives, so how could that couple do otherwise?

I was so appalled when I heard them speak, but it was only when I calmed down did I accept that they too had a point. Clearly it was the intention of the monster to kill the tourist business while killing the tourists. That was the case also with the attackers of tourists in March while they visited a musuem in Tunisia. The country relies for its livelihood on tourism, so what we are seeing is a concentrated effort to shut the country down. A State of Emergency has now been declared in that country as the reality sinks in. Tunisia is at war, as part of the world war against terrorisim.

What do the terrorists hope to gain? A world shaped in their own warped view? They have to know that if they ever do gain the upper hand there will only be others who will follow their lead to try and re-shape the world once again.

Life lived in peace, harmony and love is the best template. All right thinking people will agree with that. However, because we, as human beings are showing we are so flawed, perhaps that model is simply too sensible for us to comprehend. It seems we are only happy when we are killing each other.

What a sick world this is!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Where shall we go for our vacation?

With Summer firmly upon us people are looking forward to spending their vacations abroad. With ever more problems afflicting the world, we were talking about safety being a factor when considering where to go. Tourists have come to grief in Egypt where they were specifically attacked; they have died and suffered as a result of being on a cruise ship; and they have been seriously inconvenienced due to strikes and political upheaval in various places.

Last week we were reacting to the barbaric action of a monster who took the lives of nine gentle people who were in prayer and bible study. Since then I have been concentrating on the role of the gun. It is the only article that is available for purchase by members of the public, the purpose for which is to kill living animals and people. A knife has many uses. It can be used to slice and to butter bread, and to do many things of a domestic nature. It can also be used to kill, but that would be extending its use beyond its principal purpose.

A gun has only one objective: to extinguish life. Everything else is leading up to that ultimate end. I have heard people say as part of the debates that inevitably follow gun outrageous that they do own a gun, but that they are responsible gun owners. What's that? You own a gun presumably so as to kill something or someone. In far too many cases, those responsible gun owners end up killing their own family members, by accident.

I also said in my blog from last week, the gun has killed people not only in prayer, but in many other walks of life where people were simply going about their daily live in peace. This week, June 26th, 2015, we have to reckon with the deaths of 39 people who were simply sunning themselves on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia. They were practically naked. You don't get less threatening than that. They were thirty-nine people who were visiting the resort area  in Tunisia, bringing trade to the country to make it possible for the country to thrive. They reacted to the invitation of the Tourist Council to come and enjoy our country. For that they were gunned down in absolute cold blood.

On the 18th March, 2015, an attack was also launched on tourists in Tunisia who were visiting the Bardo National Musuem. It was said that the attackers were part of an element who do not want visitors in Tunisia.  They killed 21 people in that incident, but yet the 39 people came to Tunisia anyway. Many people will wonder why they did that, having such a recent horrid example to think about.

I think that it's common thinking, following some tragic event, that the situation will be greatly tightened and now will be the safest time of all to go while security forces are on full alert.

 It may be time to discard that trend of thought.

With the world in such turmoil answering the question as to where to holiday has become a real crap shoot.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

FORGIVENESS ???

The Oxford Dictionary defines "to forgive" as, cease to feel angry or resentful towards; pardon an offender or offense; (forgive us our mistakes); remit or let off  ( a debt or debtor).

This past week (June 14th-June 20th, 2015) in the United States, a 21 year old monster walked into a church and joined a bible study group and spent a hour with the group in study; then he stood and declared I'm here to kill you. With that he systematically shot and killed nine gentle people in worship, leaving one person alive to act as witness to his atrocity.

In committing these acts he laid bare to the world a new level of  human barbarity previously unseen and unknown, except as practised by the nazis. His actions were carried out as a result of hatred, and his objective was to start a race war in America. That is just not going to happen, in spite of the fact that America has many more monsters just like him. It is not going to happen because family spokesmen have done the most incredible thing while face to face with the monster: they have declared that they forgive him his actions and that they hope he will repent before God.

I believe they mean what they say! I just don't understand how on earth they could find the feelings necessary to pardon the monster for his deliberate and hateful actions that have taken the lives of their family members. He has not asked for their pardon, nor has he done anything at all to even suggest that he regrets his actions.

Although he is a white man and his victims are all black, that alone does not make his crimes any worse than a white man who shot white chilrdren, or any of the many other unspeakable gun crimes against innocent victims in America. For some reason America just doesn´t get it. They insist on their right to own as many guns as they want, and practically any type that they want. Meanwhile, people around the world all look on at such events taking place in America, supposedly the leading nation of the world, and we shake our heads in complete bewilderment. We fully expect more and more outrageous events committed with guns, but we don´t understand why Americans react with such surprise when they happen.

If Americans insist on the right to bear arms, especially in unlimited numbers and varieties, then so be it. They should simply expect that from time to time those guns will be brought out to kill other Americans while they are having a hamburger, or watching a movie, or studying at the library, or shopping for groceries, and, while they are simply in worship in the House of the Lord.

I have observed these events in horror, but were it not for the fact that surviving family members have expressed forgiveness face to face with the monster, I would not have been surprised at all. I expect more atrocities, and much worse because it seems to me to be some kind of perverse race. The next one, that is probably being planned right now will eclipse in horror the last one.

America, you have met the enemy, and the enemy is You!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael  

Bad luck or no luck at all?

I was having a conversation with a friend about playing the lottery. I said that I have been playing for about ten years, and that if I didn't have bad luck I would not have any luck at all. It's true that I have not won anything of significane during that time, but when I do win the Euro Millions I will probably just about get all the money I have paid in it returned to me, even if I win millions.

That, of course, is a bad joke. The moment my words left my mouth I regretted uttering them. I am a positive thinker, so I was surprised I would and could say that I am unlucky. What I need to do is stop and count the ways in which good luck has been firmly on my side.

The most obvious example is that, when I was born I was given a maximum life expectancy of 47 years. That was common to all males born in my year in Bermuda. As the group of us approaced our 39th year we started dropping like flies. This was partly due to lifestyle. That ole devil rum got many of them, and a variety of costums got others. Unfortunately, my wife at the time met her premature death in her 42nd year due to complications of an illness and its treatment.

I chose to change my lifestyle completely, but still it took a massive dose of very good luck to allow me to have recently celebrated my 75th birthday.

In 2012 our house stood in the middle of a five county-wide fire that took 800 firefighters on the ground, aided by 47 air water bombers to extinguish. The fire ran right over and around our house, but never actually touched the house. That exceeds good luck and can be called a modern miracle.

I sit at the head of a clan of three children, two daughters and a son; three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. All of them are a part of the solution to the world's problems, and that too adds to my growing good luck portfolio.

Good luck is something to be hoped for, but by its very nature is not something that can be engineered. If I am so fortunate as to win the present Euro Millions jackpot of 119 million euros, a lot of people will be very happy. I certainly don't need that much money for myself, but through a constructive social program I would use such a pot of gold to better the lives of people who could really use a break to simply be put in the position that I am in at the moment.

I am a happy, healthy, and a very lucky man indeed. I wish everyone was!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael  

You, Me, and Mr. Al (zheimer)

Growing old is both wonderful and very frightening. On the one hand you only get to be an old person if you have extremely good luck. You are living through, and making history. I tell my children and grandchildren, and my great grandchildren that I lived life during a time when the world did not have even one computer, or smart phone, and worst of all, there was no facebook. They all answer in unison with the question: How? That, young ones is a good question.

There are so many things waiting to kill us. A simple drive to the supermarket is fraught with danger, and once there the things we put in our shopping cart are out to get us. Butter or margarine, eggs or not, killer cigarette suspects, etc, etc, etc. If what we put into our own bodies don't cut our lives short, then there are the terrorists who want to use us to try and make their very bizarre points. There are so many barriers to old age that it is one of life's modern miracles that more and more of us are crossing the 100 year line, and in good health.

There is one thing, however, that gives me real cause for worry, and that is the possibility of losing my mental faculties to Alzheimer's disease. As our bodies age parts begin to suffer as a result of wear and tear. It should be no surprise that the brain will start to lose its operating sharpness. I have been told that the memory is the first thing to lose its edge, and once that starts there is no way to slow down the process, let alone to reverse the slippage. I suppose that once we use our minds less we lose the sharpness. Perhaps a case of use it or lose it.

During my working years as an insurance accountant I held a head full of numbers. I had instant recall with telephone numbers. I calculated sums in my head without effort, whether plus, minus divide or percentages. I was my own computer. Now, I have to stop and think hard, and usually I resort to my handheld calculator and computer.

I don't know if it is true or not that the slippery slope into Alzheimer's syndrome is something without control, but a long time ago I noticed that certain people who had reached an advanced age, but who remained busy using their minds seemed wonderfully healthy. People such as musicians, particularly classical concert performers were outstanding in their control over their faculties at eighty and ninety years of age. Clearly they were constantly using their brains, so I am following their examples by, among other activities challenging myself to write these blogs to put my opinions in written form. I am astonished by the number of followers I have. Each and every one of you are so precious to me, but I do this principally for my own personal mental health. 

My late mother-in-law, who was a delightful woman, spent much of her time doing crossword puzzles to the extent of professional level. Her mind remained sharp to the end, which is more evidence that by using her mind she held off Mr. Alzheimer and remained in control.

I suppose that I could do all sorts of research to see what the scientists have to say but I do not set myself up as any kind of expert or guide in matters of this sort, but the common sense angle appeals to me, and so I have deliberately set myself on a course of physical fitness by attending the gym twice weekly, and Pilateus once a week. I read, write, and I pay attention to images; I live in a land that is foreign to me so I study the language every say, and I am determined to fight on.

Use it or lose it!

There's hope for us all.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Eurovision that I love/hate!

Our first full year in Spain was the year 2000. That was the year we first heard of and experienced Fallas. As May rolled around we were still in shock over Fallas when there arose an excitement and expectation over something called Eurovision. The first two run-offs had been held and it was time for the final event. All the buzz was over where would you be to observe the show because it was going to be something to see.

In fact, Eurovision celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. It is a big event, in the same league as football's World Cup, Baseball's World Series, and, in my opinion it stands above all of the talent shows. This is the real event between countries that try to send their absolute best.

I have come to hate the event at the same time as I love it because of the intrusion of politics. tThat becomes evident in the voting process, yet it is still wonderful to see such diverse countries finally come together to choose a winner.

As everybody now knows, Sweden was the overall winner for 2015. I don't feel strongly against them, but my personal choice was Italy, the very last country to present their song. My reasoning is that they did not rely on special stage effects as part of their presentation, but rather it was all about the music. Three males, in the style of the Three Sopranos, sang their hearts out in an absolute splendid performances that was strong, inspired, and fabulous. They made magic, but the voting placed them third, behind Sweden and Russia. I did agree that the Russian song was splendid, but for me, Putin and the Ukraine kept getting in the way of my enjoyment of it. Politics do matter, but this was one case where politics was overcome.

Spain's Edurne presented a very serious competitive song that belonged in the first five, or at least the first ten final places, but instead it finished in 21st place. It is a memorable song performed by a highly talented young woman who will go far, but without the political support it had to settle for what it got. Having said

 that Austria was the host country because of Conchita, a man in drag who aced the competition last year by signing a flawless song, as a woman. This year, Austria didn't get one point, which suggests that their entry would have been disqualified had not Austria been the host country. Worse than that, Germany also failed to get one point. We have no excuse for that.

I have come to the conculsion that in order to win you must present a grade AAA song in a manner that will stick in the voters minds. Last year it was Conchita, the bearded lady that no-one could forget. This year it was Sweden with a song that was delightful, but that I no longer remember the tune, but I do remember the cartoon that accompanied it. I will probably still remember that by the time next year's Eurovision comes around, so clever was it.

Perhaps the award should have gone to the creator of the cartoon.

Eurovision. Love it or hate it, but it is not to be ignored.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Unequal pay for equal work

The year is 2015. In this year people rely on sixth generation smartphones; wearable communication devices, self-drive cars that can even race themselves, and worldwide connections at the touch of a button. In other words, we are living in a smart,connected world, but those of us who live in the leading edge nations continue to do some really stupid things. There are many practices that have been carried over from the darker ages of our ignorance. Today, I focus on only one that is long overdue for radical change because there is no logical reason why it remains solidly in place.

Approximately 55 years ago I recall having a conversation in a sports club with a man who was the personnel officer of the electrical monopolyin my country. He said that he was receiving a constant stream of applications from females who wanted to do man's work as linesman, etc. To his mind this was an unhealthly trend where women no longer seemed to know their place.

I said that I thought it was probably driven by the need for such women to earn a realistic wage to look after their children that had been fathered by men who had moved on without financially looking after them.

That was 55 years ago, at a time when we didn't even have a jail for females in my country who society thought incapable of committing crimes. Times have changed drastically. Now women have shown that they are capable of  working alongside men in every way. They also make capable world leaders, but yet their compensation packages are routinely set below those paid to men. Why?

White men seem to think that the role of captain of industry is a role reserved for them. A white man will more likely receive the support of his bank than anyone else. That propels him into the managing director's seat, and from there he gets to make decisions that affect a lot of people's lives. One of those decisions is that he should pay other white men more in compensation than any other staff members because that props up the myth of white male superiorty. He sees a woman's place as being in the home. She should have a husband who is the head of family, and the principal breadwinner, so if she insists on working she only needs enough of an income to assist him.

In 2015, the truth of the matter is that in many societies we humans decide whether we even want to go the family route. We are independent thinkers and decide for ourselves what lifestyle we want. Our private lives are our own. Our professional lives are another matter. If a woman brings equal skills to the table then surely she should be paid the scale equal to a man for that skillset. A company that imposes other social related considerations upon her that are antiquated is itself a fossil. It also hurts its own bottom line because if you can get the level of work required for a lower compensation, why on earth would you pay more?

We probably all make the mistake of thinking that the boardroom is a place where serious, advanced, and adult thinking takes place. Not necessarily! Maybe it will take the old farts departure into retirement and the grave before more modern thinking can prevail.

 It would be wonderful if such modern and sensible thinking came from a woman CEO!

Copyright (c) 2015   Eugene Carmichael

A Taste of Global Warming!

Ever since time began the earth's weather has been cyclical. There has been an Ice Age, followed by periods of dry, hot, arid temperatures, with the in-betweens signifying the transitions. We are warned that the earth has entered into a period of global warming, yet there are those who steadfastly refuse to believe it. Perhaps that is because it really is one of those truths that are inconvenient.

This past week, the Valencian Comunity got a taste of what is to come. Fortunately it only lasted for one terrifying day, and what a day it was.

The forecast warned that a frontal system was moving up from the Sahara bringing with it a dust storm and intense heat. We expected the system to descend upon us on Thursday, May 14th. Probably most people closed up their homes tightly upon going out in the morning. I went to work in the market place in LLiria, and fortunately I had a secluded and shaded spot, but just after twelve the wind got up, the heat suddenly rose, and in the sky, there hung a grey/brown pall which was a combination of smoke from fires that had broke out and the dust fog, a smog, in fact.

The effect on the crowds in the market was the same as if it had started to rain. We gathered up our stuff and headed for the hills. If you can think of a giant turbine that throws out intense wind and heat, being in the midst of the system on Thursday afternoon would have been like just standing behind the turbine and sucking it up.

By the time I arrived home my dog and one of my cats were quite disturbed. They had no idea what was going on. I scooped them up and took them inside and turned on the A/C. I suspect my other cat had taken refuge in the downstairs apartment, where he lives on his own. I spent the afternoon with the two animals watching, and in their case, listening and sleeping through movies.

If you did not have A/C I find it difficult to imagine how you got through it. The official temperature for Valencia was 41.5 degrees centigrade, however, one prominent spot registered 50 degrees; another 48, others 42, 44, and 46. Deaths of humans were recorded, especially of homeless people that were suspected to have been because of the overwhelming heat.

It seems that the streets were unusually free of traffic, and for good reason: it actually hurt to be exposed as though you were experiencing direct fire. I never did take note as to whether there were any people at the beach lying naked in the sun.

This was just a one-day taste of things to come. During the height of the day in Summer it gets hot enough to send all who can, to have a siesta. But, we are not yet in Summer. This is Spring!

 Vaya!

Copyright (c) 2015   Eugene Carmichael

Beautiful People

I sometimes get to thinking about the lives of super beautiful and handsome people, and how different those lives could be from my own. I would describe myself as never having been more than average, although I also never had trouble pulling females. I have been guilty of thinking I was God's gift to women of the world, but in reality I was never model material. My son is; and does model clothing and is a part-time actor in television commercials. I'm happy for him and hope it will lead him to success.

What got me thinking about Beautiful/Handsome people is the question: is it a blessing or a curse to be a man, admired by your fellow males and desired by women; and a woman so strikingly perfect that you just know that probably every man (and some women)  coming towards you wants to get their hands on you?

I think that if you are a person who can ignore the attributes you have and keep your feet planted solidly on the ground so that you live an ordinary life, then I imagine it would neither be blessing or curse. The fact of the matter is that in The United States of America and Canada, where beauty is an art form, there are lots of people who fall into that special class.

There are opportunities for beautiful people to take advantage of their looks to advertise stuff, or to get themselves in the movies because beauty and good looks are real saleable commodities. The most obvious place to sell oneself is the movies, but being good eye candy is not enough, you must be a good actor.

My two all-time favourite actors are Hallie Berry, and John Travolta. They both have been featured in some great films, as well as some failures. While their looks and personalities added greatly to their successful works, their flops were not saved in any way because they looked good.

Is it even possible for a hot personality to have a normal life? A normal life would be described as one where a person can have a relationship with a person who truly loves you, and whom you love with all your heart. In such a relationship you both want children, and you trust each other to be true to one another. At least that's the traditional definition. I'm sure people have written different descriptions. There are many relationships between professional people where they don't enter into marriage because they just know that a marriage cannot survive. The problem is simply self-discipline which is difficult enough for all of us ordinary people.

The other thing that many people do with their superb looks is become porn actors. It's not for me to judge, but once you are out there you cannot take it all back if your life takes a turn for the better. Something to think about before the director calls: Action!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

  

Is Homosexuality a free Choice ?????

I have recently heard opinions from two influential persons who have said that, (a) to be gay is a free choice; and (b), being gay is a curable condition. What worries me is that they have followers who are impressionable, so I am responding with an opposite view.

Firstly, there is a very good reason why we live in a world so full of organised chaos: it is because life would be unbearably boring for humans if we had no differences to challenge us. Life is also about balance, where beauty is the opposite balance to ugly, and kindness to cruelty, etc, etc, etc.

When a child is born he/she develops with certain attributes. Some will come as a result of the heritage of the parents, such as skin colour, hair texture, eye colouring, perhaps potential height, and sexual perference will also be factored at that time. The gender of the child is not something that can be chosen with any certainty, and normally the child's sexual preference will only develop over time.

I can only speak to the matter from personal experience as a male, which should suffice as this was what the two individuals were speaking about. If we take history into consideration we have lived through a terrible period when young men discovered what the nature of their sexual preference was, and they chose to live in the closet with it because society, in its collective ignorance,  rejected that people could be wired in such a way that it was something that was completely out of their power to control.   Surely, if it was something that a person  could freely choose, would they not choose the path of least resistance?

If being homosexual or lesbian is an aberration to the normal hetrosexual, is it a condition that can  be cured? I think you might have better success in changing a person's choice of breakfast cereal than making any difference at all to sexual preference.

I put this question to the two men who have made their controversial statements: Are you absolutely certain that you do not have latent homosexual tendencies? And if you answer is yes, how do you know? There have been cases in the past where men have been hugely outspoken against one thing or another, only to find out later that very person was a practioner of the thing he spoke out against.

I am a 100% hetrosexual! I know this because as a young man I have been challenged on more than one occasion by some bug-eyed, horny man who wanted my body for his pleasure. I have had to fight my way out of situations that I could simply not be a participant to, but the easier option, if it were an option would have been to just say yes. I know my sexuality, and I have the bruises to prove it. Do you?

Here's the point: If you are gay or lesbian, than that's who you are and you must live your live for yourself, not for society as a whole, so long as you do not hurt others. If you are a person who believes in one religion, but you fall in love with someone who is outside your faith, if you follow your heart that is to be expected. If you are a person from one racial group and you fall in love with someone from another group, if you follow your heart that is reasonable and is to be expected. If your personal politics are those of one political party and you fall in love with someone from the opposing party, perhaps you should be pitied, but it would be perfectly acceptable to follow your heart.  I have deliberately grouped all of these situations within one section because they are all driven by the same thing: Honesty!

There is nothing to be cured or changed in who as person is, except as the participating persons deem necessary. For you and I, we simply need to mind our own business because our own lives are complicated enough.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

A Tsunami of Immigrants

I became a resident of Spain officially in the year 2000, but I am not considered an immigrant because I hold a British passport. Spain has many invisible immigrants who blend in, including the English, even though the United Kindom is not a party to the Schengan Treaty. I arrived by air and I have been allowed to live in peace. I am privileged.

It was not too long after I arrived that I became aware of people who were arriving illegally from North Africa, and even from countries below the Sahara. A program was presented on television that showed where some of those people came from. In one African village a collection was made to buy one of the local lads passage with people smugglers to get to Europe. The sums of money that is paid is astounding, and in more cases than anyone is aware, the hopeful person dies along the way.

I remember seeing that program and thinking I wish they wouldn't do that because there was nothing here for them. Even the Spanish were struggling.

Then came the Arab Spring and everything changed. Rolling unhappiness with the usual way of life brought on terrible strife in a number of countries that has led to untold deaths and torture and injuries and incarcerations, that people are running for their lives. Countries closest have become overrun with refugees, and now desperate people are looking to Europe. People have a lot to run from, including extremist groups or brutal dictators. I find it really impossible to imagine a person leaving his or her home south of the Sahara to make the trip across that vast desert heading north. I think you must be well equipped to survive such a challenge, but if you do survive that is only the first stage.

Now you are in countries full of turmoil, such as Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisa. None of these countries are welcoming of South Sahara immigrants, in fact their own citizens are fleeing  across the Medditerranean sea. The Paradigm has now completely shifted. It's no longer a matter of simple choice to better one's life in an economic sense, but rather a choice to live or die trying.

They set off to cross the Meditterranean sea in flimsy craft suitable only for drifting along the beach. There are no records so no one has any idea of how many set sail and reached European soil. We can be sure that more than we can bear to know about have drowned along the way. For those who do reach dry land they can only say that they are still alive, and everday brings hope that things will improve. Coming from such humble beginnings the very smallest progress is to be celebrated.

The challenge is overwhelming, but the greatest journey starts with the first step. I need to win a lottery of at least 100 million euros. I know exactly how I would put it to use.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

This is a Tsunami of immigrants from north and south of the Sahara who are asking for life. They need help from all of Europe, but also from the Western countries such as the United States and Canada. There was a time when Africans were plucked from their home countries and forcibly brought out to be slaves. Many first families made their wealth on the backs of those early reluctant immigrants.

Now their lives depend on the help that is offered them. Consider it, if you will, a repayment of the debt.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael  

A Prime example of Convoluted Thinking!

The following happened in Afghanistan and is an absolutely true story.

The Villian of the Peace:

I will call the villan Abdul. He is a married man with children.

The most unfortunate victim who belongs in The Guinness Book of Records:

I am calling her Fatima.

Fatima is the unmarried cousin to Abdul's wife. Abdul is besotted with Fatima and decides he has to have her, so he forces himself on her and rapes her. She complains to the police and Abdul is tried and sent to prison for one year. So far I think we can all understand this chain of events.

The Twist:

Fatima is arrested for having had (non-consensual) sex with Abdul, therefore under Afghanistan law she has been an (unwilling) participant to an adulterous act. She is sent to prison where she finds out that she is pregnant from having been raped. She delivers her baby in prison and serves her time.

Fatima's family scorn her for having had (forced) sex with a married man. She is an embarrassment to them. They want her to go far, far away, never to have any further contact with them. However, she is dirt poor and has no means to do this, so she stays put.

Fatima's society see her as a fallen woman and she is an outcast. There is only one way she can be brought back into society and that is to marry the man whose action put them both in prison. In order to do this she becomes Abdul's number two wife. She now has a second child by him. Her society now considers her to be a respectable married woman who nobody ever sees, but her family think of her as being dead.

Presumably, Fatima's cousin, Abdul's number one wife, has no comment on any of this.

This is not your average romantic story which ends with the words: "They lived happily ever after!"

A whole society who think along these lines is not only nuts, they are also dangerous.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Luxury Orgies

I turned on the television to see if there was something interesting to watch. I turned to the Odessy channel where a slide announced, "Up Next: Luxury Orgies."  WTF?

I sat up straight as the program began to roll. Sure enough, the program took us through a number of events hosted by various people in the U.K. and America, where it seems that as part of the lifestyles of some of the rich and famous, people are getting together, mostly on weekends to screw each other to their hearts content.

There are all sorts of parties, some very expensive indeed where the very top rated champagne is drunk along with fine food. All sorts of rules as well, including giving up your mobile phones so that there is no photography; to one party where no man may hit on a woman. At that party women are in charge. They are the aggressors with the men playing the passive, cute roll. Attendance is by strict invitation after a process of vetting takes place, and acceptance of an application means you have to fit into a rigid criteria.

It seems that this quiet movement has been taking place for some time. However, I would not call it a revolution, but rather it is simply part of the sexual cycle where we go through times of high and very loose sexual action, usually followed by some kind of limiting period of war or horrid disease as a result of rampant sexual activity. That is followed by a reigning in of behaviour and very conservative behaviour.

For some examples of that we could focus on the time of ancient Rome, the time of Caligula, to reflect on sexual libertinism. However, the 60's was a time of real sexual revolution. That was driven by the introduction of "The Pill."  This meant that women became freed up to have sex without pregnancy, and also, they were now free to be open and honest to the fact that women have always enjoyed sex as much as men, and perhaps even more so. The problem was that they have always been concerned about the protection of their own bodies and safeguarding themselves against untimely pregancies. The Pill changed all that.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that I had never made a conquest in my life. It was also a pleasent surprise to realise that women can be as horny as men, and apparently show up in large groups at these sex parties to get well and truly screwed.

AIDS brought the sex of the sixties to a screeching halt. We all retreated into our shells and were horrified to hear that the incubation period for AIDS might be as long as ten years.

We are talking about consenting behaviour between adults, so at face value there is nothing wrong, if safe sex is practised. (How do you do that in an orgy?)  For a group of women friends in attendance I can see no obvious problems. However, men generally must bring a woman. This is where I see things getting complicated. Now let me say that I am being naive because I have never attended such a party. I suppose I wish I had. I can only use my imagination, and what I imagine is that if you are a young guy who really likes sex, you could have the time of your life. However, who would you bring to such a party? It just isn't done to invite a prostitute, so what kind of friend do you bring? Clearly it would'nt be someone you cared deeply for because once there, each of you would go your own way.

I have heard from two couples who swear they are very much in love with one another, but they are swingers and they attend parties at least once a month where they get seriously active. All four people agree that what they are doing is open and honest and should avoid one of the pitfalls that wreck marriages. I can understand that thought process, but this is the most intimate of intimate acts there is. Done between a married couple you are bringing each other inside a zone where all others are locked out. It is the one thing that sets you apart from the world outside and gives your relationship special value because you touch each other in that certain way. It is why it hurts so much when a betrayal takes place by letting another person into the special place.

I just don't understand how a couple, who care for one another, and say that they love one another could participate in such activity without long-term serious damage to their relationship.

Also, from a man's point of view, I think once you have gone once over the top you start thinking about sleep. To go twice over the top you must start thinking about heading for home. Your wife however, may just be warming up. I hope they have a room set aside for men who just want to sleep. That would be nice.

As two young women said, they would hate to meet the man who became the love of their lives and their husband and father of their children at an orgy.

Enough said!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael 

Spring in Valencia

In the past I have always answered that Summer is my favourite season, when asked. I love Summer in Spain, even if it does get a little too hot in the height of the day, but that's what Siesta Time is for. Everybody does it, not just we old folks, and it's called siesta, not naptime. Siesta time is to die for, and the principal reason I came to Spain.

However, I have been doing some thinking about this subject because I realise I have been selling Springtime in Spain short. To get to the joys of Summer we have to experience the wonders of Spring. How could I have missed it? In my country we have Summer, and the next thing we know we have Winter. If there are Autumn and Spring periods in Bermuda we don't notice because everything is always green there, but here autumn sees plants turn brown, and this year the country, except Valencia, has been well and truly snowed in. So, it is with great joy that the country has welcomed back the sun in all its glory, and people are able to sit out in the sunshine and feel warmth about themselves.

In Valencia, Spring means that the province awakens from its Winter hibernation with a great big bang. I mean that literally. March madness means the Festival of Fallas when for three full weeks we make so much noise with fireworks, both daytime and at night. Children go around with petardos and lighters to see how high grandparents can jump. At the City Hall in Valencia City there is a daily 2pm firework display that grows in intensity every day. We fool ourselves into thinking that those big bangs are fireworks, but in Iraq and Syria they are called ordanance. The shows usually lasts between five and seven minutes, but it is the most violent five/seven minutes one could ever ask for.

Why do we make so much noise, twenty-four hours a day? We say that we are chasing old man Winter away. The thing is, it always works, so no need to change that then!

There is singing, concerts, dancing, parades, a band might follow you into the Metro and then play loudly and you would dance if there was room. We eat too much, drink far too much booze, and there are bullfights, both the kind where the bull is killed for the supermarket, and where only the skill of the humans is the main thing. They try to keep the incidence of the bullfighter getting killed to a minimum as there is not a lot to do with a human dead body.

The culmination of the celebrations is the destruction of monuments that have taken a year to create at costs that average a fullscale house, by blowing them up and burning them down where they stand in the street. So far, after so many years of doing the same thing the town is still standing. Also, it's no coincidence that on that day, March 19th, we celebrate Father's Day. Apparently, Valencia fathers don't do sedate lunch celebrations with the kids.

I have changed my answer to Springtime in Valencia as my most favourite time because it's when orange trees hang heavy with golden orbs and are harvested; it's when my garden burst forth in flowers, and my spirit actually takes a leap towards the sun. Its the time of year when hope comes alive with the warmth of the sun.

Springtime in Valencia; all's well with the world. Happiness has returned, and that is good!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

Flight AU 9525: A Betrayal of Faith!

I'm not sure whether to be more shocked that a 28 year old young man would commit suicide and choose to take 149 other people with him; or that over the past fifteen years there have been ten other such incidents resulting in the total loss of more than 500 innocent lives.

That does not include all those incidents where light, single pilot planes have been deliberately flown into the homes of wives, ex-wives and ex-girlfriends by jilted pilots.

It is clear that we do not live in a perfect world, and we will never reach that level of Nirvana. In fact, the world goes around based on Trust. It will never be otherwise.

We start the day by listening to the news. We trust what the news reader is saying is the truth, which is ridiculous because not even the reader knows that to be true. He, or she simply believes it to be so.

If we take mass transport we trust that the operator is sane, sober, responsible and does not have a death wish that day.

If we have surgery scheduled for that day we place our total faith in the surgeon. In all cases where general anaesthesia is involved we close our eyes while gazing at a person who is wearing a mask and we submit totally. Will we reopen our eyes? Only time will tell.

I'm sure that the families of the victims of a very twisted mind, including the co-pilot's parents and relatives, have the sympathy of the world at large. In particular, I cannot even begin to fathom what his parents and family are going through at the moment. Clearly, what he did is not the fault of his family. Evidently he had been planning to do what he did for a long time. Every passenger that flew on a plane in which he was co-pilot was unknowingly playing Russian Roulette.

That is a very scary thought. What can be done about it? There is only so much that we can do. Beyond that we take our chances. The elderly are living longer and in good health, but there are a lot of very screwed up people trying to kill each and every person they can. We are like baby turtles scrambling towards the sea. Some of us will make it, and others will not.

It is important for us to continue to have Faith that we will always experience good luck!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael  

 

Dumping the Parents. A very bad idea!

In the news this week was a story of a community that is accusing itself of having resorted to a controversial practise of dumping its elders in care homes, rather than having them live out their lives in their own homes. As senior citizens we are living longer, much longer, but many don't have the luxury of good health to be able to care for themselves.

Having arrived here in Spain to take up permanent residence in 1999 I immediately observed some cultural aspects that I really grew to love. Two were, (a) parents took their children everywhere they went, including to the bar, and, (b) that parents lived out their days at home with one or other of heir offspring.

That was then, but great negative changes have taken place that have placed significant pressures on the average family around the world. First, here in Spain fantastic growth was enjoyed during what we now know was the bubble period. That's when offspring worked very hard and many of their parents had to take up residence in care homes. However, the question is, once they were put there did they continue to have a close relationship with their children through regular visits, or were they simply forgotten? If that was the case they would have been dumped.

"Growing old is ugly!" So said Michael Jackson. He was absolutely correct. We go from young, vital, perhaps beautiful or handsome to the effects of age-creep. The effect gets more severe day-by-day, and  generally, it's not a pretty sight.

Young people are responsible for a number of actions that are taken against older people, and apparently they do so completely forgetting that they too are headed in that same direction. One of those actions is the dumping of their parents. Meanwhile, their own young children observe the treatment accorded to their grandparents, and so of course, when the time comes they will do the same thing to their own parents. They will dump them and forget them because they got the model from their mom and dad, so it must be alright.

The irony is that mom and dad will surely moan and complain about all the sacrifices they made for their children, and now they dump us here and never come to visit.

Also, there is one other class of parent who will complain bitterly: that is those fathers who were careless where they spilled their sperm as young men. They never took responsibility, and in their old age, although they fathered the equivalent of a football team, nobody comes to visit. 

I hope they complain to the wall!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael