twenty million

Another nice sunset, unchanging today except five weeks ago it was going down a ring finger to the right.

A lunar eclipse is set for the 27^th this month.  I think I’ll have a good view if solar lights don’t interfere. 

Fezel made lunch today; rice with a yogurt like something I just can’t remember the name of:  white, slightly watery and creamy curd like texture and needs a little fruit or sugar or it goes great with the rice and bread and he brought along three pomegranates.  There are enough chopped up quarters to feed five or six kids.  Yesterday’s grapes still hang on in the warm kitchen.  I think I’ll have to toss them soon.

The second day of a three holiday saw work almost finish writing two exams.  I should finish that tonight and then all day tomorrow it’s toefl time.  Ya.  Ok.  Anything else going on?  Breaking news on cnn of a new member to the family tree.  A dude who buried his own, they say.  It’s no coincidence is it, of this recent start up fb about the family looking at their family tree, no?

Sometimes it happens, not all the time but after I post a blog on some particular topic or post something on fb the next day it’s front page on the NYT or CNN. 

Anything else in the news worthy of mention?  Germany letting in possibly a million.  That’s all-star stuff, I tell ya. 

And just for the record.  Most Americans should know this number.  20 Million.  Between 1880-1920.  Is one million an equivalent to today?  I don’t think so.  The cost might be greater today, maybe not.  The German people are a resourceful bunch.  Nevertheless, that’s a hellava number.  Is it possible we’ll see another huge life tilting move like that today?  Ya gotta hope not.

And here’s a question I should go search and answer but out of the 20 million how many could be classified as refugee?  Were the Irish refugees?  Hell yeah.  And so were fleeing Germans during the first world war.  At least smart ones.  The Oppenheimers came then I don’t remember.

“The peak year for admission of new immigrants was 1907, when approximately 1.3 million people entered the country legally.”

Germany’s benevolent and noble actions do not set precedent but ya know it’s real good to see it happening in our lifetime. 

After I posted the story about gulf states reluctantly helping the masses on the move I read two stories a day later and one note of interest was fear among the leaders that thousands of Arabic speaking peoples could influence and create possible dissent.  Using language as a reason to not accept people reveals insecurities in a government’s ability to maintain peace.  Brothers, shabobs, do what is right and you’ll have no dissent. 

8:20pm

I accepted Hanukkah’s offer of bread and something else at nine pm and I just finished writing two exams for next week and finished most of the quizzes they took a few days ago.  Am I on pace, I think so. 

We’re getting city energy right now though at five we started with solar.  Whatever, bring it on.  A cricket’s loud call for something edible is coming through the water cooler fan. 

My eyes are tired and I got this strange gloopy bubble under the skin next to the navel.  Is it a lump of some kind if I can squish it and it is gone?  Odd.  And yes, the gloopy formless thing returns.  Could it simply be floating cholesterol which has decided to take refuge close to the navel.  

9:52pm

Hanukkah rolled up the plastic and stacked the empty bowls after we watched a few Afghani music videos.   Pretty woman from Kabul, nice song, no women in Kandahar.  I ate a wedge of pomegranates and in the bowl the cook showed me a ripe red piece and the rest of the fruit pods, seeds, what are they called I don’t know but the rest were pinkish.  The real red fruit was exceptionally better than the pink ones and that’s all I have. 

We’re back to solar energy.  The city gave it for about two hours.  I have no doubt my frustrations with the internet are directly connected with the lack of electricity here, I suppose I’m overstating the case, it is just frustrating though in truth today when the power went off and my pc battery expired it was good to walk away from this thing and I guess today I needed to be cut off.  It isn’t like I don’t have lots of paper from trees to look at.