Subj : Recent events 3. To : BOB KLAHN From : Lee Lofaso Date : Wed Jul 17 2013 19:39:55 Hello Bob, 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. On a regualr basis I meet folks from all over the world, at the same time, in the French Quarter. But then, New Orleans has always been known as an international city. Maybe not so much Toledo. :) BK>The Egyptian is a grad student here at the University of Toledo. Even small universities all across America have a large number of foreign students. I find that a good thing, as Americans have an opportunity to meet others from around the world they would otherwise would not have that chance. Misunderstandings are often the cause of war, or a cause that leads to war. The way to peace is through dialogue, open dialogue in an bonest manner, where conflicts or misunderstandings can be addressed. 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. A few years back, in the 90s, I met a cab driver from Libya. He was not here legally, his visa having been expired. As such, he was an undocumented worker. He longed for his country, but was scared beyond belief to return because of what Col. Qaddafi had done to his family. He asked me what to do, not knowing where to turn. I encouraged him to apply for political asylum, which is later did. At the time he applied for asylum, Bill Clinton was in office. However, the Clinton administration dragged its feet to the point that nothing was done. George W. Bush then took office, and his request for asylum was turned down. What were the grounds? Oh, Bush had made friends with Qaddafi, and Libya was no longer a terrorist state. Therefore, the cabbie had no choice but to return home to Libya. I do not know if the cabbie is dead of alive, as he arrived back in Libya long before Qaddafi was overthrown. What I mean to say is, Libya is a very rough neighborhood. Rougher than the 9th Ward in New Orleans at night. Libyans armed with guns, following directions from nobody, is total mayhem. It is a wonder anybody can survive in that wild place. If he is alive, he is probably part of the government. If he is not alive, his body is likely never to be found. And whose fault is it if he is dead? Both Clinton and Bush, if you ask me. It does not take a rocket scientist to know Qaddafi is not our friend. Or in this case, was ever our friend. 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. I played a wedding for an American and South African. The American was a journalist from the New York Times. The South African owned a gold mining company. The two resided in South Africa. BK>The Australian is an executive with a statistical research firm. BK>He paid for lunch. Nice guy. Back in the early 1980s I met two Australian women, the two being twins. I had a really nice time with them, and made a nice seafood dinner they would be sure to remember. As a parting gift, I gave them some (uncooked) soft-shelled crabs, which are considered a delicacy in South Louisiana. A few days later they came over, and I asked them if they enjoyed their crabs. They kind of looked at me a weird way, and said they were "Okay." I could tell something was not quite right, so I asked them how they cooked the crabs. And then they told me they boiled them. What they could not figure out was why the crabs remained soft, their shells never hardening. Since after boiling they did not look edible, the twins tossed them in the garbage can. It was all my fault. Being from South Louisiana, I had assumed that everybody (including Australians) knew how to cook soft-shelled crabs. I had already cleaned them, making it easier for the twins to cook. All they had to do was to beat an egg, roll them in fish fry, and deep fry to golden brown. They should not be blamed for ruining a perfectly good meal. This food post is getting me hungry for a grilled cheese sandwich. Better yet, a grilled dark chocolate and parmesan cheese sandwich. Already had a ham and jam sandwich earlier (ham, strawberry jam, red wine, on bread slices). --Lee --- MesNews/1.06.00.00-gb * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2) .