Looking Back to Look Forward

Having learned so much from all the news sources I peruse every day to bring you what I hope are interesting tidbits, analysis, and opinionated opinions, I figure that since today is already the 5th of January, we should have a quick gander back at the year that passed into history and herstory! So here we go in my abbreviated version: For many of us it kind of sucked. Period.Now for the coming year, the flames of hope of course are always lit. But unfortunately they have caught the scenery and stage on fire. There are many hands busy trying to keep the whole shebang from going up, and I do sincerely hope that they are successful! There are however two very weird struggles going on in the world (actually more than two, but I only have so much space).For purposes of illustration, I will blatantly steal a quote from one of Latin America’s leading lights (no, he is not on fire), Peruvian Nobel Prize Laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa: He said that there was “a choice between AIDS and terminal cancer” when referring to the two finalist in a runoff election in his country, Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the imprisoned former president, and Ollanta Humala, a former military officer who was being painted into a Bolivarian/Chلvezian corner by the right wing ultra conservatives wanting to keep a hold on the power and money this mineral rich country has in abundance.As most of us know, Ollanta Humala won that contest, and has since led his nation in a very good direction. Socialism, as the right feared, did not sweep the nation, but social justice is slowly establishing itself in the Andean nation, with amazing results but still meeting a few bumps in the road.Now, the United States of America has just had a meaningless beauty contest where in reality all the contestants should have been eliminated for one reason or another, and when all the votes were counted, it turned out to be an almost dead heat between AIDS and terminal cancer.On the one side, we have the evangelical rural Iowans who picked the “Anyone But the Mormon” candidate, the booted out of office former Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum, with 30,007 meaningless votes. On the other side we have Mitt “The Mormon” Romney, with 30,015 votes, followed by Rep. Ron Paul with 26,219 votes. The other candidates are either delusional or plum stupid, but I think both. At least Michelle Bachman had the decency to finally declare the horse dead, and hopefully she will return to Congress. She was missed!So an astounding 0.00039% of the nation went to the caucus places and got the national media in a frenzy; an absolutely meaningless frenzy. While I really like Ron Paul as one likes their Grandpa, I would like someone with experience in foreign policy to lead “the World’s Policeman!” Some of his ideas sound really good, but one has to have solutions to the problems confronting the U.S., not just catch phrases. He would like to do away with the Federal Reserve Bank, as would many, and go back on the Gold Standard. I am soooo sorry!  The Titanic has sailed. The current U.S. reserves would only cover a fraction of the currency in circulation. It’s time to think up something new and revolutionary. Maybe the Silver Standard?So at the close of this debacle, they are all heading to New Hampshire, which is the ninth least populous state and suffers from extensive poverty, where the kissing of babies and having breakfast at the mandatory diners will go on and on and on. So I did mention at the beginning that there were two weird struggles going on. This one is even stranger than U.S. election politics. In Israel, home of our best friend in the region, the only “democracy” in the Middle East, there is a life and death struggle going on between the ultra orthodox Jews and the regular orthodox Jews. It seems that in the ultra orthodox faction, women have to ride in the back of the bus, cover up, and be subservient to the male of the species. This in a country where both sexes are required to report for mandatory military service, except for the Haredi ultra orthodox  sect, which is excused from military service as long as they study in yeshivas. Apparently it is there that they are instructed in the proper ways to treat their fellow humans, as last week there were serious disruptions when several orthodox woman were spat on by Haredis and a female member of the Israeli Defense Force was intimidated and physically assaulted when she refused to go to the rear of the bus. Anyone remember 1955 Montgomery, Alabama and Ms. Rosa Parks? The member of the IDF stood her ground and is now referred to as Israel’s Rosa Parks. Shalom Sabra!Question to my readers: Who is AIDS, who is terminal Cancer, and who is the Plague? Please feel free to make stuff up. All the candidates do![image: Rosa Parks, arrested for not moving from the center of the bus to the back to make room for more white passengers in Montgomery, Alabama, via Wikipedia]I encourage you to write to me, jamie@expatdailynews.com with any questions or suggestions you may have, and if necessary, we can establish a voice communication via Skype. Disclaimer: I am not in any travel related business. My advice is based on my own experiences, and is free of charge. (Donations accepted). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.Jamie Douglas is an Adventurer, Writer and Photographer with an amazing array of Nikon equipment, and a lifetime of experience traveling and documenting. To contact him for assignments, email: jamie.douglas [at] yahoo.comSee more expat articles by Jamie at

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