BK>>Over the last couple weeks I had encounters with an American   
   BK>>living in South Africa, an Australian, and an Egyptian. All in   
   BK>>one group.   
      
    LL> On a regualr basis I meet folks from all over the world, at   
    LL> the same time, in the French Quarter.  But then, New   
    LL> Orleans has always been known as an international city.   
    LL> Maybe not so much Toledo.  :)   
      
    Toledo is quite international, but we very likely don't have as   
    many foreign tourists. So they aren't wandering around doing the   
    clubs as much. That plus, as a musician, you would meet more   
    visitors automatically.   
      
   BK>>The Egyptian is a grad student here at the University of Toledo.   
      
    LL> Even small universities all across America have a large   
    LL> number of foreign students.  I find that a good thing, as   
      
    When my oldest daughter was a teaching assistant at the U of   
    Toledo she said she had several Middle Eastern students. Since   
    she was teaching Spanish that is even more interesting.   
      
    There are quite a few there. She knew some Middle Eastern   
    students who were playing a tape of a woman reciting the   
    Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. One asked her if she had ever heard of   
    it, expecting she would not have. She told them it's her   
    father's favorite book of poetry.   
      
    I still have the tape of the recitation they gave her.   
      
    LL> Americans have an opportunity to meet others from around   
    LL> the world they would otherwise would not have that chance.   
    LL> Misunderstandings are often the cause of war, or a cause   
    LL> that leads to war.  The way to peace is through dialogue,   
    LL> open dialogue in an bonest manner, where conflicts or   
    LL> misunderstandings can be addressed.   
      
    True. Open dialog without pre-conceptions. Amend that, getting   
    to know them can remove the pre-conceptions.   
      
   BK>>He talked of how every year he went back to Egypt for the summer   
   BK>>break, and things were peaceful, then he came back here and all   
   BK>>hell broke out over there. This year he decided to stay here to   
   BK>>try to move up his degree completion, so naturally things went   
   BK>>to hell there early.   
      
    LL> A few years back, in the 90s, I met a cab driver from Libya.   
    LL> He was not here legally, his visa having been expired.  As   
    LL> such, he was an undocumented worker.  He longed for his   
    LL> country, but was scared beyond belief to return because of   
    LL> what Col. Qaddafi had done to his family.   
      
    My wife recently met a cab driver from Africa. He has a master's   
    in chemical engineering, and he is here legally. However, so far   
    he hasn't found a jog in his field.   
      
    LL> He asked me what to do, not knowing where to turn.  I   
    LL> encouraged him to apply for political asylum, which is   
    LL> later did.  At the time he applied for asylum, Bill Clinton   
    LL> was in office.  However, the Clinton administration dragged   
    LL> its feet to the point that nothing was done.  George W.   
    LL> Bush then took office, and his request for asylum was   
    LL> turned down.  What were the grounds?  Oh, Bush had made   
    LL> friends with Qaddafi, and Libya was no longer a terrorist   
    LL> state. Therefore, the cabbie had no choice but to return   
    LL> home to Libya.   
      
    IOW, he was sent home on the basis of a lie.   
      
    LL> I do not know if the cabbie is dead of alive, as he arrived   
    LL> back in Libya long before Qaddafi was overthrown.  What I   
    LL> mean to say is, Libya is a very rough neighborhood.   
    LL> Rougher than the 9th Ward in New Orleans at night.  Libyans   
    LL> armed with guns, following directions from nobody, is total   
    LL> mayhem.  It is a wonder anybody can survive in that wild   
    LL> place.   
      
    Nation building is anathema to the republicans in congress,   
    unless oil is involved. People don't matter, of course.   
      
    LL> If he is alive, he is probably part of the government.  If   
    LL> he is not alive, his body is likely never to be found.  And   
    LL> whose fault is it if he is dead?  Both Clinton and Bush, if   
    LL> you ask me.  It does not take a rocket scientist to know   
    LL> Qaddafi is not our friend. Or in this case, was ever our   
    LL> friend.   
      
    No dictator is ever our friend. No dictator can ever be our   
    friend. The very existance of this country is a threat to any   
    dictator. They can be allies for a very specific purpose, they   
    can be suppliers or clients, but never friends.   
      
    In the long run all democracies are natural friends. People are   
    naturally friends to other people unless they are deceived into   
    being otherwise. As democracy is rule by the people, democracies   
    are natural friends. It just takes time.   
      
   BK>>The American was asked if Americans were liked in South Africa.   
   BK>>She said they were fairly well, because the US didn't colonize   
   BK>>South Africa or the neighbors. All we did was send teachers and   
   BK>>missionaries. Those missionaries were not backed by guns.   
      
    LL> I played a wedding for an American and South African.  The   
    LL> American was a journalist from the New York Times.  The   
    LL> South African owned a gold mining company.  The two resided   
    LL> in South Africa.   
      
    And music was the international language.   
      
   BK>>The Australian is an executive with a statistical research firm.   
   BK>>He paid for lunch. Nice guy.   
      
    LL> Back in the early 1980s I met two Australian women, the two   
    LL> being twins.  I had a really nice time with them, and made   
    LL> a nice seafood dinner they would be sure to remember.  As a   
    LL> parting gift, I gave them some (uncooked) soft-shelled   
    LL> crabs, which are considered a delicacy in South Louisiana.   
      
    Ah the beginnings of a fantasy movie.   
      
    LL> A few days later they came over, and I asked them if they   
    LL> enjoyed their crabs.  They kind of looked at me a weird   
    LL> way, and said they were "Okay."  I could tell something was   
    LL> not quite right, so I asked them how they cooked the crabs.   
    LL>  And then they told me they boiled them.  What they could   
    LL>  not figure out was why the crabs remained soft, their   
    LL>  shells never hardening.  Since after boiling they did not   
    LL>  look edible, the twins tossed them in the garbage can.   
      
    Aha! Cultural disconnect.   
      
    LL> It was all my fault.  Being from South Louisiana, I had   
    LL> assumed that everybody (including Australians) knew how to   
    LL> cook soft-shelled crabs. I had already cleaned them, making   
    LL> it easier for the twins to cook. All they had to do was to   
    LL> beat an egg, roll them in fish fry, and deep fry to golden   
    LL> brown.  They should not be blamed for ruining a perfectly   
    LL> good meal.   
      
    I would not have known that. OTOH, I don't eat crabs of any   
    sort. My wife would have liked them, though. If ever I get down   
    there you can introduce her to the dish.   
      
    LL> This food post is getting me hungry for a grilled cheese   
    LL> sandwich. Better yet, a grilled dark chocolate and parmesan   
    LL> cheese sandwich. Already had a ham and jam sandwich earlier   
    LL> (ham, strawberry jam, red wine, on bread slices).   
      
    Grilled cheese needs tomato on it. Bacon is ok, but tomato is   
    the proper addition. Esp during lent. We are getting ready for   
    ham and eggs. Slept late today. One of the dangers of   
    retirement.   
      
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
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