Oh, we were the cultured ones! he had realized. It was a deep insight. He had seen that uncle mixing Dry Gin with tonic, garnished with a slice of lemon! And the uncle did it in Kabul! At that time! Now, that was culture. There was no doubt in his mind.
It took him another 20 or so years to drink a gin as it was supposed to be drunk. But nonetheless: Cultured, he was. He didn’t really know if he liked gin at all and didn’t drink it often anyway. Now, on a higher level of that cultural plain, he preferred wine. Not any wine, but Cabernet Sauvignon if available, of course. Merlot did serve as second choice. The year and origin was important, but he soon learned to live with unimportant variations.
Unimportant variations! It looked that he was becoming increasingly tolerant towards those variations in his convictions. He didn’t see a threat to his belief – that he was cultured – in those variations. Moreover, he saw this quality of his as a sign of the higher culture in himself.
Or…... was it really so?
He felt no need to ponder upon this “unimportant”….. (You know what!)
He remembered a definition of culture by a mighty authority that wasn’t just authority to him that culture is the sum of all products created by the hands and heads of humans.
Hmmm….he didn’t feel the need to ponder upon this one either.
He remembered though last night’s wines. Yes, wines, because there were two of them involved. One was an already the day before opened Burgundy, 10 years old and with a soaking cork, and the other, a Merlot, California grown and without a year declaration on the label that he had opened last night.
The first one could afford one glass only before it went empty. It was sour and almost vinegary but his unimportant variations helped him to finish the glass, or almost finish it. The last sip, he didn’t drink because she said to him how could you drink this? It tastes so bad! after she had attempted to drink from his glass but was uphold by just the smell of the old Burgundy. From the second bottle, the Merlot, he poured two glasses for both of them.
She liked that one and made even a very complimentary comment about it. He was reluctant. His cultural taste was just questioned by someone who knew definitely less about wines than he did. But he decided to not say anything and took his first sip.
It was a very good wine.
The End
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
President Obama
Once in a while, we get to really witness history revealed before our eyes in its good tendencies. The election of president Obama is one such historic event that needs to sink first to be fully appreciated. It is historic because it offers hope for future.
It is good for the country and for the world. All limitations of democracy and liberalism aside, this is an example of the possibility of a better world in progress.
The world is definitely better off with him as president than with any other available alternative.
We should welcome the presidency of Barak Obama and help it succeed.
It is good for the country and for the world. All limitations of democracy and liberalism aside, this is an example of the possibility of a better world in progress.
The world is definitely better off with him as president than with any other available alternative.
We should welcome the presidency of Barak Obama and help it succeed.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Clash of Cultures
Obama, is he a sexist? He did do the remark about the putting lipstick on a pig! Do u really believe this? He’s not prepared? He was never president. Oh really? Is this the problem? He wants to tax the rich? Oh really, tax all people? Is this the problem? He is black, not the typical black who can trace his ancestry back to a slave. But is that the issue? And there is the “drill, baby, drill”! Yes, that really solves our problems? Do u really believe this? The Wall Street is corrupt! Greedy CEOs, hah, we found them, we know how to fix the problem of financial collapse! More government! No new taxes, the tax payers just were burdened by new taxes! Who needs new taxes? Really? Who really needs Democrats for tax increases! And security, terrorism? Can we ignore that? Obama will not fight thoroughly the fight, really? Do you believe this?
No, really not. We are too intelligent to see pseudo issues as issues. But……
But what’s the problem? Really? I’m not an economist, and no need to be one to know, that there is no easy solution to the current financial crisis. My friend, the economist helps me understand, that market is far more complicated then to always be blamed or praised for its results. And oil prices will not go down because we drill more and more. Demand and pure speculation have driven the prices high. Why blame the oil companies for wanting to make more profit? Housing crisis? We all wanted the quick buck, some more than others.
I know that sounds like one more liberal comment, but I will make it anyway:
Here is why I think McCain and Palin should not become the leaders of this nation:
1. He is too old and frail. This is no disrespect, it’s just a fact.
2. He was a staunch supporter of a deregulation he helped establish, and that many economists blame as one cause, among other causes, for the current breakdown of the financial market. He has offered no new policy; no one probably has a silver bullet available anyway. But why would McCain be the better one to help fix the problem? No new taxes? Really? What if we don’t bail out? Again, some economists say it has become a necessary step, not ideal, but necessary. Bail outs are tax increases! Wholesale tax increases. If I’m wrong, please correct me. The bottom-line is that society has to shoulder the common burden. But would it not be just that burden is distributed as is the wealth? Greed and speculation are not the only motives for profit chasing, but they are facts of life. Most capitalist, small and large, know that they need others to survive. And they do act responsibly. Most people have agreed with the system of free market because it is the best of the possible worlds. But can’t it be adjusted? Reformed? Limited? Controlled? Balanced? By itself, and by the government that responsibly acts on behalf of the tax payers, all of them, not just some?
3. He wants to continue an already lost war to the victorious end. Oh, really? How do you win a war that’s already lost? How do you win an insurgent and guerilla war anyway? You can’t. You are a winner if you don’t lose. And losing is the end of that war if you don’t stop it right now. Some wars need not be fought to the end to be victorious. Again, as the old wisdom says, it’s easy to start any war, but difficult to end it. The Iraq war is not an exception. Only the failed strategy has to change.
4. To win, McCain has to sell out to the religious right. He has done already so by picking a religious fundamentalist as his running mate. Mrs. Palin represents that tendency in American history that was always present but never dominant in the modern political arena. She doesn’t even have the pseudo modern outlook of the new cons who at least want to shape a new world. She does not understand the world because she had only hers. She is convinced that nothing is wrong with that world. She just wants to bless the rest of us with it. Our political leaders in Washington send the soldiers to Iraq knowing that they do God’s work, she said two months before her nomination. Really? Do you believe this? I think she does believe it! Do you really want her as vice president, or worse as possibly the president of the militarily strongest government of the world? Really? A woman who says that she can see Russia from her Alaskan state on some days, no joke by the way, and gives that as a testimony for her foreign policy qualification, could soon make decisions that will be shaping the world of tomorrow. Do you really want that? Really?
The alternative is not ideal. Many points against it are being made, factual ones and assumed ones. But at least we do have an alternative in this real clash of cultures!
What makes these American elections a truly historic one is the possibility of the country to make her worse conservative and reactionary step backward if McCain/Palin are elected. It’s historic also because it could show the world that this country has the potential to change and to make progress towards a new direction. Big political changes have always stemmed from bold visions. That’s why they were belittled by some witnesses as too idealistic and unrealistic. By any standard, the American founding fathers were idealists and unrealistic, but their vision has kept this American dream alive, despite so many nightmares in the history of the nation.
These American elections are a clash of cultures. It’s clash between a culture of “ we don’t need the world” vs. a culture of “the world is one world”. It’s a clash of culture of raising fear of everything different and alien with the culture of acceptance of difference and divergence as enriching. It’s a clash of culture between “I’m proud to be proud” and the culture of “I’m proud because I made the world a better place”. It’s a clash of culture between “I give a damn about what anyone else thinks” with the culture of “it matters to listen and respect each other”. It’s a clash between the culture of “I’m proud of my ignorance because I am powerful” and the culture of “knowledge and wisdom are liberating and universal”. It’s a clash between a culture of “I matter because I am an American” and a culture of “Americans matter to the world because they feel and act responsible for the humanity at large”. It’s a clash between a culture of “either my way or highway” and the culture of “let’s find and cultivate the common ways of humaniy”. It’s a clash of culture between “terrorism is what I define it to be and fight” and the culture of “all humanity has to come together to fight terror, hunger, poverty, global warming and natural disasters”. It’s a class between a culture of “country first!” and the culture of “humanity first!” It’s a clash between the culture of “drill, baby, drill! And fight wars for oil” and the culture of “find and cultivate new alternative energies and make them available to the whole world to a fair price and fight global warming with global effort”.
It’s a clash between McCain/Palin culture and the culture of Obama/Biden.
No, really not. We are too intelligent to see pseudo issues as issues. But……
But what’s the problem? Really? I’m not an economist, and no need to be one to know, that there is no easy solution to the current financial crisis. My friend, the economist helps me understand, that market is far more complicated then to always be blamed or praised for its results. And oil prices will not go down because we drill more and more. Demand and pure speculation have driven the prices high. Why blame the oil companies for wanting to make more profit? Housing crisis? We all wanted the quick buck, some more than others.
I know that sounds like one more liberal comment, but I will make it anyway:
Here is why I think McCain and Palin should not become the leaders of this nation:
1. He is too old and frail. This is no disrespect, it’s just a fact.
2. He was a staunch supporter of a deregulation he helped establish, and that many economists blame as one cause, among other causes, for the current breakdown of the financial market. He has offered no new policy; no one probably has a silver bullet available anyway. But why would McCain be the better one to help fix the problem? No new taxes? Really? What if we don’t bail out? Again, some economists say it has become a necessary step, not ideal, but necessary. Bail outs are tax increases! Wholesale tax increases. If I’m wrong, please correct me. The bottom-line is that society has to shoulder the common burden. But would it not be just that burden is distributed as is the wealth? Greed and speculation are not the only motives for profit chasing, but they are facts of life. Most capitalist, small and large, know that they need others to survive. And they do act responsibly. Most people have agreed with the system of free market because it is the best of the possible worlds. But can’t it be adjusted? Reformed? Limited? Controlled? Balanced? By itself, and by the government that responsibly acts on behalf of the tax payers, all of them, not just some?
3. He wants to continue an already lost war to the victorious end. Oh, really? How do you win a war that’s already lost? How do you win an insurgent and guerilla war anyway? You can’t. You are a winner if you don’t lose. And losing is the end of that war if you don’t stop it right now. Some wars need not be fought to the end to be victorious. Again, as the old wisdom says, it’s easy to start any war, but difficult to end it. The Iraq war is not an exception. Only the failed strategy has to change.
4. To win, McCain has to sell out to the religious right. He has done already so by picking a religious fundamentalist as his running mate. Mrs. Palin represents that tendency in American history that was always present but never dominant in the modern political arena. She doesn’t even have the pseudo modern outlook of the new cons who at least want to shape a new world. She does not understand the world because she had only hers. She is convinced that nothing is wrong with that world. She just wants to bless the rest of us with it. Our political leaders in Washington send the soldiers to Iraq knowing that they do God’s work, she said two months before her nomination. Really? Do you believe this? I think she does believe it! Do you really want her as vice president, or worse as possibly the president of the militarily strongest government of the world? Really? A woman who says that she can see Russia from her Alaskan state on some days, no joke by the way, and gives that as a testimony for her foreign policy qualification, could soon make decisions that will be shaping the world of tomorrow. Do you really want that? Really?
The alternative is not ideal. Many points against it are being made, factual ones and assumed ones. But at least we do have an alternative in this real clash of cultures!
What makes these American elections a truly historic one is the possibility of the country to make her worse conservative and reactionary step backward if McCain/Palin are elected. It’s historic also because it could show the world that this country has the potential to change and to make progress towards a new direction. Big political changes have always stemmed from bold visions. That’s why they were belittled by some witnesses as too idealistic and unrealistic. By any standard, the American founding fathers were idealists and unrealistic, but their vision has kept this American dream alive, despite so many nightmares in the history of the nation.
These American elections are a clash of cultures. It’s clash between a culture of “ we don’t need the world” vs. a culture of “the world is one world”. It’s a clash of culture of raising fear of everything different and alien with the culture of acceptance of difference and divergence as enriching. It’s a clash of culture between “I’m proud to be proud” and the culture of “I’m proud because I made the world a better place”. It’s a clash of culture between “I give a damn about what anyone else thinks” with the culture of “it matters to listen and respect each other”. It’s a clash between the culture of “I’m proud of my ignorance because I am powerful” and the culture of “knowledge and wisdom are liberating and universal”. It’s a clash between a culture of “I matter because I am an American” and a culture of “Americans matter to the world because they feel and act responsible for the humanity at large”. It’s a clash between a culture of “either my way or highway” and the culture of “let’s find and cultivate the common ways of humaniy”. It’s a clash of culture between “terrorism is what I define it to be and fight” and the culture of “all humanity has to come together to fight terror, hunger, poverty, global warming and natural disasters”. It’s a class between a culture of “country first!” and the culture of “humanity first!” It’s a clash between the culture of “drill, baby, drill! And fight wars for oil” and the culture of “find and cultivate new alternative energies and make them available to the whole world to a fair price and fight global warming with global effort”.
It’s a clash between McCain/Palin culture and the culture of Obama/Biden.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Taxi stories......
1
It was my first day of driving a taxi and I was very nervous, to say the least. I stood at Sheraton hotel taxi stand and was hoping that nobody would come to my cab. What if I don’t know the address, what if they are in a hurry and I get lost? What if they find out that it was my first day of driving a taxi? My heart was pounding. I wished to disappear behind the steering wheel. But it was too late; there was no going back. It was my turn and the four passengers got in my cab.
“Hi”. I just uttered out of my mouth.
“Heeello, we would like to go to Hyatt hotel”.
They are three men and a woman, Ohhh…Germans, no doubt, I think. The accent is obvious.
“Weisst er auch wohin er fahren muss?” the woman asks the men in German, wondering “if he knows where to drive?”
It’s my time, I have the better cards in my hand, get almost too excited about it, aim for the deepest impact and say: “ Natuelich weiss ich wohin ich fahre!” An outcry. Followed by a open mouth, I watch and enjoy. She is shocked that I say “of course I know where to drive”!
The men are not easily moved, hold their position, but there too surprise and barely closed open mouths. “Wow! A dark haired cab driver in
I speak German, and am not bad it even though I am neither German nor German looking.
My anxiety has transformed to relief, the tension is gone.
You ask how that’s possible, but I have to plead for your patience then you will certainly find out later all about it. For now, it’s sufficient to say that my knowledge of German saved my day, my first day at my new American job. Later, far more than proficiency in German was required to do my job of driving a cab and my passengers to their destination. I knew from that first day that this job will be interesting, that there were waiting many more open mouths, including my own, for me.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Obama is the Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party
It's a truly historic day for the people of the United States and the world. Obama's nomination as the Democratic contender for the president of the United States mark s a new beginning in many respects.
He is young, intelligent, well educated and well spoken, and he is the first African American to be a presidential candidate. He represents hope and change for a country that seemed to forget it's fundamental principles.
Remarkably, he has shown on many occasions on the campaign trail that he understands and respects these founding principles of the nation. Those principles, conceived by a few brave and intelligent white man, have the remarkable quality to envision a future not as yet on the thinking horizon of their authors. They had the fantasy and the will to think beyond their own social, religious and racial existence. They thought, what if..., and so have created the perhaps best possible of the systems on earth.
It is now up to Obama, the Democratic Party and the voters to complete this historic reinvention of a nation. America will certainly benefit from the change as will the world. Those of us who live here know that United States is a better place than it's image around the world suggests.
Change is possible, and it doesn't need to be one towards bad........
He is young, intelligent, well educated and well spoken, and he is the first African American to be a presidential candidate. He represents hope and change for a country that seemed to forget it's fundamental principles.
Remarkably, he has shown on many occasions on the campaign trail that he understands and respects these founding principles of the nation. Those principles, conceived by a few brave and intelligent white man, have the remarkable quality to envision a future not as yet on the thinking horizon of their authors. They had the fantasy and the will to think beyond their own social, religious and racial existence. They thought, what if..., and so have created the perhaps best possible of the systems on earth.
It is now up to Obama, the Democratic Party and the voters to complete this historic reinvention of a nation. America will certainly benefit from the change as will the world. Those of us who live here know that United States is a better place than it's image around the world suggests.
Change is possible, and it doesn't need to be one towards bad........
San Diego Wildfires 2007
October 23, 2007
I’m sitting on my veranda in the back of my small house in the middle of
The sun came out today and it was a warm day, but the light had a matt glow to it and the air was filled with a dry heath. I hear that more than half a million people are evacuated, and more then a thousand houses are burned to ground. Even though I’m hearing throughout the day the traffic noise, most public places, such as schools and colleges, are closed. I stayed with my children at home, watching TV and waiting.
There are many fires in the county, burning simultaneously. Fire and wind playing with people and landscape their game of seek and hide, once flaring out here, dying down there, blowing west, and then to the east. Santa Ana winds, representing one of the two destructive elements, the other being fire, seem to be the stronger ones then their counterparts in this yen and yang of nature, earth and water.
The fires are fiercer this time, so is the human response to them. It’s remarkably calm and coordinated what people and authorities display and do. There are firefighters from all over
It’s amazing that sometimes tragedies bring the best out in people! Most people who lost their houses in the fire respond with such a dignity and calm that one truly feels their loss as one’s own loss. And anyway, these natural disasters violently put human existence in a perspective that allows us for moments to look at us in more a human way, to see each other as sitting in the same boat. We could and should learn from the nature that violence should not be the work of humans, and that nature doesn’t discriminate when it hits us!
Stories....
Hey everyone, it's a pleasure to talk to you. Storytelling has been always a dream of mine. Knowing that I'm not good at it has prevented me from trying it publicly. But I don't want to wait anymore. Encouraged by the the beautiful blog of my friend Maya and the persistence pushing of my family I take this dangerous step: To let flow, or rather sicker the drops of thoughts....
To search for meaning in realm of nature seems to be in vain. As humans, we have to postulate. Human history seems to me to be constituted by stories, some good, some bad, but all just stories, or that is at least how and what we know about it. Evolution has endowed us and our imaginative ancestors to use thinking and language. To look for meaning outside of its human and individual context would be perhaps disappointing, but language had taken us somewhere, where?, I don't know. But I, for myself, would not exchange the ability to think and to utter words and sounds for any of the the other "wonders" of life and universe.
They are drops, not waves and streams, of thoughts that do really happen inside this mass of living stuff, called brain. It hasn't giving me more of the poetic power of the other fellow humans which has made me feel at home in this tiny human house in an undisclosed location of the universe(s), but they are drops anyway of the same nature... Looking forward talking to you.
To search for meaning in realm of nature seems to be in vain. As humans, we have to postulate. Human history seems to me to be constituted by stories, some good, some bad, but all just stories, or that is at least how and what we know about it. Evolution has endowed us and our imaginative ancestors to use thinking and language. To look for meaning outside of its human and individual context would be perhaps disappointing, but language had taken us somewhere, where?, I don't know. But I, for myself, would not exchange the ability to think and to utter words and sounds for any of the the other "wonders" of life and universe.
They are drops, not waves and streams, of thoughts that do really happen inside this mass of living stuff, called brain. It hasn't giving me more of the poetic power of the other fellow humans which has made me feel at home in this tiny human house in an undisclosed location of the universe(s), but they are drops anyway of the same nature... Looking forward talking to you.
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