Here comes the sun

Well today I saw something I haven't seen in a while: the sun. It's not that it has been too cloudy in Thailand; I've just been spending so much time here inside watching movies. Today no movies.
Actually I woke up to rain. Lots of it. I love heavy rain, particularly when I am inside. Then I had breakfast, the rain stopped, and then it started pouring again. Maybe nature was just getting rain out of its system. By the time I went to have lunch the sun was out with full force. Fortunately I have only one plan for today: to be as lazy as possible. So I am not too worried about the weather. I see a day of reading my book, getting back to my Arabic study, and then later seeing a movie that isn't at the film festival. Should be a pretty awesome day.

Cheerio.

Some random thoughts

Thoughts on Kuwait

It has been nice visiting Bangkok. I like being here. I have been giving my friend, John, a hard time about living here. But I think he will like it, and I am happy for him. For all of the fun I am having though, I can honestly say, I am glad that I am going back to Kuwait soon. I really am looking forward to another year with my school. I like the people I am working with, the courses I teach, and the kids. What more could one ask for in life.


I honestly think that I am a very luck individual. Many people complain about Kuwait, something I have been guilty of as well, but for me it is a good place that I call home. I cannot imagine living there forever, but the next 24 years I can envision, but I am sure they will want to make me leave before then.


Thoughts on Iraq


Tonight I got to watch an amazing football match: Iraq versus Saudi Arabia. Iraq won with a nice goal in the 72nd minute. I was really happy for that poor country. It is nice to see when good thing happen to people who really need something good in their lives. I hope this is a historically significant sporting event that rallies a nation around it's new heroes. Good job Iraq!


Thoughts on the 2008 Presidential campaign
I think the Democrats are about to making a mistake by nominating Hillary Clinton, who is the insider. Whenever they do that, they seem to lose. Bill Clinton was an outsider. Gore, Kerry, Dukakis, Mondal, all insiders. I still hope Obama gets the nomination or that Gore throws his hat into the ring. I don't think I am ready for four more years of the same same but different.

Thoughts on my watch
A student gave me a watch four years ago. It was heavy. I wore it. It took the hair off my wrist. It hurt. But now I am used to it. That student will graduate next year, but I still like that watch.
Good job Sharifa!

Thoughts on women
I need a wife.

Thoughts on evolution
It really doesn't bother me.

Thoughts on Socrates
I am starting to like him more and more.

Thoughts on my friend James
Good luck on your new life. May you have a happy prosperous marriage.

It was twenty years ago today...

July 29th has been a significant day in my life for the last twenty years. This was the day in 1987 when I started basic training. Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas really isn't that place you want to be for six weeks starting in late July. But that was when Uncle Sam wanted me. Of I went for the adventure of my lifetime. Truly this is as significant a date as my birthday. Because of the Air Force, my life has taken so many unexpected turns.

I remember arriving in Texas in the middle of the night. Me and the fifty or so other recruits boarded a bus, drove to the barracks, got yelled at immediately, and then went to the floor where we would live and got yelled at some more. I had seen far too many Hollywood war movies, so I knew what basic training was like. Okay, he would yell a while, but it was just part of the show, I thought. I thought that for a while and then my confidence started to wane. Then, finally, I realized the guy doing all of the yelling was crazy and that sometimes in the next six weeks (if not six minutes) he was going to kill me.

Then we went to bed. None of us really knew what to do. The next morning we woke to the bugle call and went off to do our bathroom business. I remember one guy walking up the aisle with hair down to his ass, butt naked for all of the world to see. He saved me that day, since Sgt. Abrahamson would have someone else to yell at. Lesson one for the day was learning how to make our beds. One of my duties for the next six weeks was to crawl under beds, pull the sheets really tight while someone else made the top. That is how you make a tight bed. I also was pretty good at ironing.

I only got into trouble a few times. Once was for calling my neighbor by his first name. The other time was when my drill instructor found a hair on my chin. He pulled my towards his face with it, before yanking it out.

There were many good moments in basic training. Once, Nick Jaeger, a young man from Minnesota, got in trouble for not having his towel in order. Sgt. Abrahamson took the towel and started wrapping it around Jaeger's neck.

"Airman Jaeger," the sergeant growled out, "do you know what would happen if I were to twist this towel one time for every soldier killed in Vietnam?"

"Sir, Airman Jaeger, reporting as ordered," Jaeger responded. "My head would pop off, sir."

It was the funniest thing we'd heard in weeks, and we all wanted to laugh. So the drill instructor barked out, "Permission to laugh." Everyone cracked a gut over that.

Looking back on it I am glad I was there. After graduating I went to Wichita Fall, Texas, and had a country fried steak on the way. No one yelled at me when I ate it. A few days after arriving in my Tech school I turned 22. I got to sleep in late and it was a great birthday, let me tell you.

One of my worries in life was that I would be the type of veteran who sat around all day, in a crappy job, saying "I wish I'd stayed in for 20 years. I would have a pension today." Well today is that day. I think I have had a pretty good time since getting out. I have no regrets for leaving. I also have no regrets for going in.

Well there's my nostalgia for today.

Qatar sheikh delays BA plane over seating

I found this online at http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4143477a4560.html. This story ended up with a happy ending.

A Qatar sheikh held up a British Airways flight at Milan's Linate airport for nearly three hours after discovering three of his female relatives had been seated next to men they did not know.
When none of the other business class passengers agreed to swap seats, the sheikh, a member of Qatar's ruling family, went to the pilot, who had already started the engine, to complain, an airport official said.
But the pilot ordered him and his travelling companions, the three women, two men, a cook and a servant, off the plane.
The London-bound flight took off nearly three hours behind schedule on Thursday evening and around 50 of the 115 passengers missed connecting flights.
Traditions in the conservative Gulf Arab region bar women from mixing with unrelated men.

BIFF, Day Nine

So today was the big finale for me. Today I saw movies 20 and 21 (I think; though technically I had already seen movie 21). The first film was called "Short Bus," and as my friend John said: "Let's don't talk about that movie ever again." So I will just say--I knew it would be shocking, but I was really shocked.

To end things off, I saw "Cashback" again, and I have to say, it was probably the highlight of the entire film festival. Rent it if you can. See it wherever you are (don't watch it in Kuwait at the movie theater).

Well that is it. Now I will just have to find something else to do in Thailand. Actually there are already seven or eight movies playing here that I haven't seen. What can I say, I like movies.

And as they say in Hollywood: "Cut!"

BIFF, Day Eight

Today my film festival was bookend by bad foreign behavior. First off, I went to buy my tickets and there was an American man having a hissy fit over tickets. There are a few things you don't do in Thailand. One of them is yelling in public. This man did it twice. I love movies, and what I really wanted to tell the man was "It's just a movie." He was trying to exchange tickets. He was out roughly four dollars and he wanted to make a scene. I apologized to the woman selling me tickets. That's how odd it felt.

Well then I got to the movies. The first movie I saw was a "sequel" to "Belle de Jour," called "Belle Tojour." Well Belle wasn't forever. She had changed (new actress, couldn't get Catherine Deneuve), but her main foil from the first one hadn't. He had tried to seduce her then but failed. He was still wanting to do that, but she had gotten somewhat spiritual, having gotten her perversions (her word not mine) out of her system. Still it would have been nicer looking at Catherine Deneuve. It was a talking film, with only a bit of Bunuel's magic thrown in (a well placed rooster gets quite a good reaction.


The second film I saw was another one from France (though technically the first of the day was produced in Portugal), called "Inside Paris." It was about two brothers, one with floppy hair who manages to have sex with three different on this one day, and the other one who has too much body hair and is having trouble with his "wife" (this being France). They talk a lot about affairs de couer and eat fish and contemplate suicide. You know, the usual existential stoueffe. I actually thought this was a quite funny film. There was one moment when the floppy haired brother walked up to a woman and said: "May I kiss you? If I don't something terrible might happen."


Then I had the second of my two culturally experiences of the day. I decided to go to Tony Roma's (I was craving meat). A man was there with his Thai girlfriend. She asked him where they were going to eat after leaving there. He said this was her dinner. She didn't understand. Neither did he. How could this be dinner if there was no rice or noodles? He said he was tired of noodles. I could tell this wasn't a relationship built for the ages.


Well that was my day. Cheerio.

BIFF, Day Seven

Today there were two movies to see, maybe three. We'll get to that when we get to that. There are two wonderful words in the language that I choose to speak. That set the heart to fluttering. I read them last night before leaving the theater and I knew instantly that this would be the first movie I would watch. The words were: "Juliet Binoche." Ah, Juliet, why are you in faraway France? Have you ever considered teaching drama in Kuwait? Look if you need a reference, I will happily give you one.

Back back to the movies. The first movie I saw was called "A Few Days in September." It was a French film that explored how a rogue American agent basically destroyed the World Trade Center as a way to make some money for his kids. Okay, it sounds a little far-fetched, until you realize these are the types of rumors that have been floating around since 9/11. It was a pretty good movie, if one overlooks the premise. And it did contain Juliet Binoche, and she was wearing glasses, which was sexy, but she was smoking, so I think it might be over between us, before it even began.

The second film was called "Dreams," and it was from Iraq. It took place before and during the American war there. It was a neat film to see, considering how I live in Kuwait. At one point someone lit a cigarette with the same matches I have at home. That was neat. It shows some of Saddam's cruelty, but I don't know who they got to play Americans. I think they were Italian or something. They just seemed a little off.

The third movie didn't happen, because I was tired. So I went to eat Korean food instead. Of course, I will remember missing that third movie, but no worse than how I will feel tomorrow morning when I remember that I had spicy Korean food last night. As my friend Paul used to say: "Spicy in, spicy out."

So that is a wrap. Two more movie days to go.

Year of the Golden Pig Reading 13: "Open Wide"

As most of you know (that you being singular; you know who you are), I really enjoy the world of film. So it should be no surprise that I have been reading another book on Hollywood. This one, "Open Wide," looked at the way movies are made in Tinseltown. It focuses on three movies, all which came out on the July 4th, 2003 weekend. The movies weren't really the important part of the story, just on how they were financed, distributed, marketed, etc. It was a fast read, but I learned a lot about the ins and outs of movie-making.

BIFF, Day Six

Today was an odd day, full of stops and starts. First of all, I didn't know what movies to see. There were a lot of them, but none that I just had to see, except for a Thai film, called "The Sperm." I went a little early to read some more of the descriptions of films and then decided to see a Japanese one called "Look of Love." There is two cardinal rules of filmmaking. One, you must be able to hear your actors. Two, you must be able to see them. This film let you do the first (when they were talking), but it was difficult to see anyone. This was either the most poorly lit film in human history or a stylistic nightmare. I was basically in a room with a blackened screen for 100 minutes, with the occasionaly bit of white to let me know there was an actor on the screen. Yet, I didn't leave. The story went nowhere, but I was hoping I would be left with something a little more than racoon stew and a woman having sex with a spy satelite. (Yep, that's what I said.) So would I recommend this one: I have a list of people I don't really like. Perhaps I would buy everyone of them a ticket and then lock them in and keep playing it over and over. Perhaps I will send that suggestion to Mr. Bush for his boys in Cuba.

The second movie I went to was the aforemented, "The Sperm."This was a Thai, science fiction comedy. Unfortunately, as I have said it was Thai, without English subtitles. So half the audience left. They had ordered the wrong print I guess. So I will never know what happens. I bet it was something no good.

So I went and tried to find another movie. There was a German film called "The Edge of Heaven." I wasn't originally planning on seeing it, but I am glad I did. The director won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and this film won the screenplay prizes at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It was a very interesting movie about Germans and Turks. There were interconnections and all kinds of weird stuff happening. Very serious drama, mind you, but one that made you wonder. It was the Death part of the director's trilogy of ideas. I will now have to go and get the first one. Oh, and it had lesbians. One of the other rules about filmmaking is this. If you are a male filmmaker, in the back of your mind, what you really want your female leads to do is to become lesbians. This film didn't stray from that model of successful filmmaking.

Unfortunatley the last film of the day tempted you with lesbianism, but didn't deliver. It was called "Take this Waltz." It contained three leading ladies, and one was obviously in love with the other, but in the end she went for the Vienna sausage. I have a feeling this might have been directed and written by a woman, for the first rule of female filmmaking is to make men frustrated. The best way to do that is to do what this film did. It was a French film, but everyone in it seemed clean, so I am wondering if that had to do with the American expatriate who it was about. There were a lot of words in this movie, which I usually don't mind, but this one kind of lost me. When it ended I was wondering "What in the hell was that?" But that is better than the ending of "Look of Love." When it ended I said, "'bout damn time." Actually at some of these movies, people have clapped at the end. With "Look of Love" there was more of a groan.

Well that was day six. Three more to go. Finally, today I saw a film book called "How to survive a film festival." I think it was written for aspiring filmmakers, like myself, but today it could have been given out to film watchers as well.

Well that is it for today. Bon chance.

BIFF, Day Five

Has it been five days already? Man that is a lot of movies. Today I limited myself to two. It was actually a little difficult chosing. I met my friend John for coffee and then it was off to the movies. He remarked at one point that seeing all of these movies was kind of difficult.

The first movie I saw was an Australian one and it was called "Home Song Stories". I made the mistake of going to it thinking it was something else. Turns out it was a film about a Chinese woman who married a man from Australia and then deserted him a week later. It was a movie about making all of the wrong choices and then blaming it on others (wait this is starting to sound a little familial). Overall there were some pretty good performances. It didn't fall into the stereotype of blaming Ozzies for the troubles that the immigrants faced. It was a really personal film, and you feel it was based on a true story. I felt bad mostly for the kids. It starred Joan Chen as the mother and let me tell you she has held up nicely.

The second movie was called "Beaufort," and it was about a group of Israeli soldiers in Southern Lebanon during the last days of the occupation there in 2000. Mostly it is about some young men who really just want to go home, but are caught up in the political wranglings between their government and Hezbollah. I thought it was kind of good. The message was a little heavy from time to time, but you get that in war movies. I liked the fact that many of the soldiers were Jewish Arabs. We often think of Israelis as mostly European which isn't the case (which is also a belief that many Arab governments like to promote).

So today was a pretty strong day.

BIFF, Day Four

Today I slept late. I think all of that time in the cineplex has worn me out. Went off afterwards to see a few films. I was interested in a Korean film, but unfortunately, it was dubbed into Thai. So I went off to see a Hong Kong movie, instead, called "The Exiled." It was about a gangster who had tried to kill his boss. He left Hong Kong, but had returned to Macau years later. So the boss ordered his old friends to kill him. Some agreed, some didn't. There was a lot of honor involved. At first it looked like your standard Hong Kong shootmeup, but then it turned into something else. Unfortunately, it then returned to its shootmeup roots. Not the best movie I have seen in a while.

The second movie I saw was an animated film called "Renaissance." I reminded me of all Jim Steranko comic books, something from the Hernandez Borthers, or something from Metal Hurlant. The animation was mostly black and white, and sometimes quite inventive. It was often quite stiff though. I thought I was watching Ken and Barbie action figures. What the movie really needed was a better story, dialogue and acting. Some of the acting was so terrible I thought it was done by middle school kids. Neat style, but that is about all.

So day four wasn't the best day yet. I limited myself to two films, but I think I may have picked the wrong ones. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

BIFF, Day Three

Okay, so ask yourself this: can someone possibly watch too many movies in one day? If youare searching for an answer it is this: Yes! Four is too many. At about two and a half my neck was saying: "What in the hell is going on?" My bladder was just happy to have a break from time to time. And let me tell you: there are way too many advertisements before movies in Thailand. One session today went on for thirty minutes!

But enough of the sore stuff. How about the movies?

Well, I started off with an American film called "Broken English," starring the ever so neat Parkey Posey. I have always been a Posey fan, but this film's reviews weren't the best I have ever read, but I heard her performance made it better, so off I went. I thought it was actually okay in that Hollywood sort of way. It was a romantic comedy, of sorts, about a thirty-something who was still single and the folks were starting to get worried. Parker was that 30-ish woman and she really needed a long term partner and a new career (wait a minute this story is starting to sound familiar). Then out of nowhere a Frenchman arrives and saves the day. Well, kind of. I don't think anyone took a shower in this movie, except after cheating on your husband (but does that count). So do I recommend it: yep, Parker's performance is really good. Plus in the end they leave the stinky old Big Apple and go to the much more visable stimulating Paris (watch out for the dog poop). It was weird, but watching this movie really put me off on New York. If I ever move back to America and become a famous filmmaker, I don't think I ever want to move there.

The second movie I saw was called "Free Zone," and was from Israel (or "the land across the river" as we say in Arabic). It was about a woman who takes a car to an area of Jordan where cars are bought and sold duty free throughout the Middle East (a real place, that I had never heard of). In the end we learn a few things about the Israelis and Palestinians (like Israelis are rude and Palestinian women are much more attractive) and we get to see Natalie Portman cry. It was an okay film. The director was there to speak to the crowd. I learned a little, but not too much, but it was definitely the best Israeli movie I have ever seen (now my count stands at two).

The third film was about water polo (?) and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet occupation. It was called " Children of Glory." This one kind of reminded me of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," in its political content, but the overall story was so much less philosophical. It was enjoyable though, in that European kind of way (there was female underarm hair--another word for "super-sexy" if you ask me--to confirm its Europeaness). I would like to know more on the real historical context of the lead characters since it ends without you really knowing what happens to the female protagonist. I liked the fact that the film spoke of the power of liberty, making it something worth fighting for. That is kind of a message that we don't hear anymore, except in partisan political discussion.

Last, but not least, I finished my day watching the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" Turns out it was the same person who shot both Mr. Burns and J.R. Well actually, it wasn't just them, but everyone else that you can imagine as well. It was a good documentary, raising important questions about what role government and business should play with one another. It strangely ended on an optimistic note, which I thought was a good choice for the director.

All in all, a good day. Had some ramen noodles to give myself the needed energy to keep going. But as Scarlett O'Hara said: "Tomorrow is another day." And I will get to see more movies then.

BIFF Day Two

Haven't been sleeping too well lately. I think I might be drinking too much tea during the day. But it is so nice.

Really this has something to do with the Bangkok International Film Festival. Because of my lack of sleep I wasn't able to see a movie today. That's all I will say about that, but I will tell you the nap was most excellent.

When I was finally managed to wake up I went to see my first of two films. The first one was from China and was called "The Case." The producer of the film was there so we were able to ask her a few questions when it was over. The film, itself, was about a man who was plagued by his nagging wife. One day he finds a suitcase floating in the water. Inside is something that will change his life. Without giving too much away I will just say there was a body in the suitcase, and it led to the untimely demise of the nagging wife. However, before you can say--"Oh it had a happy ending-- you find out that maybe things aren't as they seem. Throughout the film, there is a recurring scene of a spider spinning a web. It is this image that is critical, or so I believe, to understand the whole picture. You see, was the spider just spinning the web or was he creating the world that was trapping him? By extension we see the life of the husband in a nutshell. On that level, the film had a really Buddhist feeling to it. It was also filmed in Lijiang, Yunnan, which is one of the more picturesque parts of China. I must say I got a little nostalgic for my time in the Middle Kingdom. Yunnan has always been a place I fancied running away to when I get tired of teaching (as if that ever could happen). It would be nice to live amongst the mountains working on my hanzi.

The second film was from Britain, called "Cashback." It was a wonderfully inventive film that I think anyone who likes good thoughtful comedies and the site of a woman's body. If you like either of these please check it out. It might be rated NC-17 however, which might make it really difficult to find. This film involves a man who breaks up with his girlfriend and suddenly discovers he cannot sleep. He is up for weeks on end. To fill his day, he gets a job at the local supermarker. There adventures ensue. I think I am going to go and see this one again. It was a great reflection on art, and beauty and childhood and the difficulties of growing up. And did I mention all of the pretty girls?

So after two days the BIFF has been a lot of fun. As always it has got my creative juices flowing, making me wonder about the choices I have made in life, and most particularly wondering if I have ever made any of the right ones. We'll see in the long run I guess.

See you tomorrow.

BIFF Day One

So I am on the plane to Bangkok, reading the inflight magazine. It is an issue dedicated to Thai food. I think this is a good start to my trip. Usually food isn't a problem in Thailand, but it is still fun to read about.

Then I discovered something truly amazing: the Bangkok International Film Festival is about to start. Talk about excited. I have never been to a film festival, but has always dreamed of doing it. So I go the list of films coming and today was the big first day of films.

The first movie I saw was "An Andalucian Dog," by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. It was a silent piece, that is most famous for the scene where a man takes a straight razor and cuts a woman's eyeball. It is quite shocking even though the scene is nearly eighty years old! It was a very experimental film, and really I didn't understand any of it. But it was still fun to watch.

The second film was "Belle de Jour," also by Bunuel, starring Catherine Deneuve, as a young, sexually unsatisfied newlywed, who one day decides to become a prostitute. I thought: "Now here is a move that is appropriate for Thailand. I really liked this film. I never really understood the main character's motivation, or if indeed what happened really happened. It was fun watching Deneuve look young, French and beautiful. Not a bad way to spend a few hours. This film came out in 1967, the year of Sgt. Pepper, and it must of caused quite a stir in that Summer of Love. Quite a bit of sexuality, but really very tame by today's standards. The heroine comes undone at the end (ah, morality raising its head), all the work of a whily, greasy Italian, but really she should have seen it coming (did I mentioned the whily, greasy part? and his teeth!)

Finally, this evening (after lunch, a little reading and a siesta), I saw "This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated," which dealt with the ratings system in America. This film got an NC-17 rating since it showed a lot of clips that were cut out of other films (let's put it this way: there were a lot of lesbians in this film). I thought it was really funny, particularly on how it looked at the fact that Americans are a bit prudish when it comes to this issues; but don't seem to squeam as much when there is lots of killing.

So there you have it, day one. Tomorrow I have a whole lot of other ones to watch. If you look for me, I will be the guy with popcorn on his shirt.

There will be pork

Okay, so I am off to Thailand in a few days, or as I like to refer to Asia: "The land of the little piggy, piggy, piggy. "

Kind of reminds me of that book by Dr. Seuss: "Oh the pork You will eat." It was called something like that.

Actually I don't think I will eat too much of it, except in the ramen and the gyoza at the Japanese restaurant. Oh yummy.

Who am I kidding? Really in Asia pork is king. Actually when I look at that little fellow in the picture I have to think back to the time I saw the movie "Babe." I was in Japan, and watched it once. Then my friend Elaine came in and we decided to watch it again. Afterwards we went out and ate something that was pork. I don't remember what, but it was something special.

So there you have it. I don't care less for the alcohol there, but I know in about 48 hours I will have a bowl of Hachiban ramen in front of my face. There will also be some lovely gyoza. And it will be so good. I will be slurping. Listen and you might just here it.

The Seven Wonders of Kuwait

I saw that there is a new list of the Seven Wonders of the World. So I started thinking: what are the Seven Wonders of Kuwait?

Number One: The Kuwait Towers

Topping anyone's list would be the Kuwait Towers. There are three of them. They are simply amazing. Probably more strikingly beautiful than anything you have ever seen. They were made by IKEA in 1973. Those Swedes are incredible. Actually the money to build them didn't come from oil. It came from ABBA.

Number Two: Independence Tower

Sometimes this is called Liberation Tower, but that is a misnomer. Kuwait was liberated from the Iraqis by Kuwaitis (and its allies, who really didn't do that much) in 1991. Someone was building this tower at the time (non-Swedes; though there is a belief that Bjorn Borg might have somehow been involved; here is a picture of him celebrating something, probably the liberation of Kuwait). This is really a big, fancy radio station. Kuwait has amazing radio, so I thank the tower. It is the 8th tallest tower in the world, or somewhere in that ballpark. I like radio and tv and I can see this tower from my apartment window.

Number Three: The Water Towers

There are a lot of towers of this list, but Kuwait does have some pretty neat water towers. Who would have thunk that water towers could be so cool. When I was walking around today in the 47 degree heat, I realized the importance of water towers. It would be nicer though if they could be painted black.

Number Four: The Dome of the Marina Mall

There are other malls in Kuwait, but only Marina has a dome. It is kind of like the Dome of the Rock, but in Kuwait. It is also made out of glass! Can you imagine the skills it took to put up a glass dome? Over a mall? The new mall in town is called the Avenues. It has an IKEA but not a dome.

Number Five: The Corniche

Before I went to Lebanon I used to hear about their corniche. When I went there I realized Kuwait has a better one. If you want to walk for miles and miles, then this is the place to go. The only drawback is the lack of toilet facilities on part of it. I guess the other drawback (minor) would be the amount of feces that Kuwait is dumping into the ocean next to the Corniche. So it makes for a smelly walk somedays.

Number Six: The Young Driving Acrobats of Gulf Road (sorry no picture available)

It is amazing what you can see kids doing on Gulf Road. They will stand on the back of their motorcycle at 100 miles per hour; they will pop wheelers and have their head an inch of the road; they will stand straddling two cars. Amazing stuff. I am surprised more people aren't killed, but that is because of the "specialness" that is Kuwait.

Number Seven: The Delivery Services that are available

Besides stinky old McDonald's, you can have almost anything delivered to your home in Kuwait. You don't even have to tip the delivery man. Just throw your loose change at him, just like a local. It is so great to be rude! Rude rules! Speaking of which, I think I need a pizza.

So if you find yourself in Kuwait, check out its amazing Seven Wonders.

Year of the Golden Pig Reading 12: "The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan"

I moved to Japan for the first time in 1987. When I left two years later I was already under its spell. Since then I have been reading as much on that country and its culture as possible. Nowadays I still take refuge from life by reading something interesting about Japan.

In 1992 I had to read "The Tale of Genji," by Murasaki Shikibu. To be honest, I wasn't able to finish it. It was just too long. I think the professor realized that it would be impossible to finish in half a semester, but he still tried to make us.

This book is about the life that existed in Japan during the Heian period. It talks a lot about Japanese concepts such as aware, which roughly translates as the sadness of life. After reading this book I want to go back and finish the novel. I remember the parts I read fondly. So maybe it is something I will have to pick up again. Maybe I will do it when I am in Thailand.

Thailand, in some ways, has become a surrogate Japan for me. I can get all of my favorite Japanese food there (including a new opened Mos Burger and my old favorite Hachiban Ramen), and I can just pretend I am back in time, back when I was in a different part of Asia (I didn't say better, though I wanted to).

So I am off to Asia once again in a few weeks (or days even). I will let you know how it goes after I arrive.

China 'buried smog death finding'

I don't usually steal the news, but I found this on the BBC. Now I know where all of my headaches were coming from when I lived in Beijing.

The World Bank is alleged to have cut from a report research that suggests pollution causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually in China.
The move followed pressure from Beijing, which believes the material is too sensitive and could lead to social unrest, said the UK's Financial Times.
It said information was cut from the forthcoming report after requests from two Chinese government departments.
The World Bank told the BBC the final version had not yet been finalised.
But a statement added: "[A preliminary] version of the report did not include some of the issues that are still under discussion."
The Financial Times said the Bank report, entitled 'Cost of Pollution in China', found up to 760,000 people die prematurely each year in China because of air and water pollution.
High levels of air pollution in China's cities leads to 350,000-400,000 premature deaths, it said. Another 300,000 die because of poor-quality air indoors.
The newspaper article, quoting World Bank advisers and Chinese officials, also said research showing that there are 60,000 premature deaths each year because of poor-quality water was also left out of the report.
'Social unrest'
"The World Bank was told that it could not publish this information. It was too sensitive and could cause social unrest," one adviser to the study told the Financial Times.
It said the bank "reluctantly" agreed to take out the sensitive information.
The World Bank told the BBC that information for the report, which is being compiled in conjunction with the Chinese government, was still under review.
CHINA'S EMISSIONS
Between 1994 and 2004, China's greenhouse gas emissions grew by 4% a year
China currently depends on coal to meet two-thirds of its energy needs
It hopes to raise its use of renewable energy from 7% to 10% by 2010
China may overtake the US as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases by the end of this year
A World Bank spokeswoman refused to say whether or not statistics about premature deaths were amongst the information taken out of the initial version.
Despite the apparent dispute over figures, the preliminary World Bank report published in March suggests air and water pollution do lead to an increased number of deaths in China.
It also says the total cost of air and water pollution in the country amounts to about 5.8% of gross domestic product.
According to the Financial Times, China's State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) and its health ministry asked the World Bank to cut out the reference to the specific number of pollution-related deaths.
The BBC could not reach anyone at Sepa to comment on the issue.
But the government department is certainly aware of China's pollution problems. Last month it said about 60% of Chinese cities regularly suffer from air pollution and have no centralised sewage treatment facilities.
The final World Bank report is due to be released soon.
The organisation has previously said that China is home to 16 of the world's 20 most-polluted cities.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6265098.stm

One of the many things I am not: I am not dead

Just watched a little Arabic news. Saw that Yemen was being spotlighted. I wasn't one of the tourists who were killed, in case you are wondering. I am safe and sound.

Actually I am no longer in Yemen. I finished my course and am back in Kuwait. I leave for Thailand in three weeks. I thought Yemen was pretty nice, but a little boring. Glad to be back home. I have been enjoyed my sleep here. Sana'a was so noisy. Gunfire in the streets. Stupid, noisy kids (I really hate kids). Weddings. What was next?

Today I saw Die Hard 4.0 (as it is called overseas). I thought it was just the right kind of summer movie. Lots of things blew up. Actually there were quite a few things in there that I couldn't believe, but, hey, it's Hollywood (blow that up your ass, Osama). I wish we had real life superheroes like Bruce Willis who could just kick all of the bad guys in the ass. Alas, we don't.

Glad I am not in Scotland. That is messed up. Another instance, according to the local news here, where an Arab didn't do it. It couldn't have been him, said one of the alleged criminals fathers. He is such a good boy. Must be one of them Jewish conspiracies. (Those Jews are at it again.) Or maybe Bush is behind it. (At least you know that Cheney is involved.) I am just glad that no one associated with Arabs or Muslims was involved. Whew, what a relief. Where is Bruce Willis to kick some ass. I would even take some lesser known Hollywood star (even Van Damme, though he is Belgian).

Well now you know what I am up too. Thanks for caring.

Jeff

Ticket to Thailand

Well, I had to change my dates around but I now have a confirmed ticket to Bangkok. I will have to leave a few days early (unless the other ticket comes in). I will still get 23 days in Thailand, so I am not complaining.

Now the big question: do I go?

Well I will let you know.