The Mystical Jett

“What do Jerusalem and Atlanta have in common?”, you ask. The answer is simple: ME! It is my blog after all.

I woke up yesterday morning preparing to leave for Atlanta when I heard the news of yet another terrorist attack in Jerusalem involving a bulldozer attacking traffic. Apparently, this is the new weapon of choice for the Arabs of E. Jerusalem. The attacker was shot of course and the attack was less successful than the first one a couple weeks ago.

The sad part of this is that now Israeli’s are going to have to rethink the use of Palestinians in construction. There are very few employment opportunities for Palestinians the way it is and construction is the one field where they’ve always been welcomed. Now, that is going to have to change causing even more hardship on the Palestinians.

It is also going to serve to seperate the two sections of Jerusalem even further. I think up until recently, while the two sides didn’t really mix, there was a feeling that Jerusalem in spite of racial/religious differences could live as one. Now, that feeling is eroding at a fast rate. And while Olmert and some other boneheaded politicians would divide the city to make a peace deal, there is no stomach for a divided Jerusalem among Israelis. Jersualem could easily become the new flash point in Israeli-Palestinian tensions in the days ahead. Troops also came under fire in Bethlehem last night.

The trip to Atlanta was good albeit long. I drove down to deliver my nieces and nephews to my brother who met us there and then turned around and came straight back. I was in the car about 14 hours yesterday. Unfortunately, there was little chance for sightseeing. 

I made a pit stop in Nashville on the way back to eat some dinner and do some quick shopping. There is an Earth Bound Trading Company store there and they have the best incense. So I stocked up. Actually, I could spend my whole paycheck in that place. I also bought a cd of Middle East Music and an oil burner that was on sale.

I also met an Israeli in the mall and we ended up talking awhile. I always consider it a good day when I meet an interesting person. The whole experience made me wish I was back overseas though. Actually, this was suppose to be my first week in France and I think I must be compensating for it a bit by buying myself little things that I normally probably would pass on. Oh, well. Time to crack open that cd I bought.

Day Two of our visit to Bardstown, Kentucky allowed us to visit a couple of the main sites outside the musical which we saw last night. We skipped the visit to the brewery (I would’ve found that interesting but since no one else drinks….)  and started off the day at what is commonly called My Old Kentucky Home or Federal Hill.

Built in 1795 by Judge John Rowan, it was a focal point both for social life and political activity in the 1800’s. There’s a chance some of my relatives visited here. I have no proof of that other than some of their friends did stay there so there is a decent chance that happened.

The house is the typical mansion built in this part of the country during this time period. The family was interesting having a Senator and Ambassador to Italy among their ranks. And as I posted yesterday, the house and family were inspiration for Stephen’s Foster song, My Old Kentucky Home, which is the State song. One interesting tragic trivia point was that 8 members of the family died on the same day as a result of a cholera epedemic in the 1830’s. I know from my family research that the epedemic devestated whole towns in the State. Typhoid also was rampant.

One of the highlights in the house was a handmade rosewood piano with real pearl keys. Apparently, there are only about a half dozen left in existance. It was really kewl to see. The grounds were also pleasant to visit. Very peaceful actually.

One thing we didn’t see in Bardstown was the slave auction block which had been on display years ago. It was one of the first ones west of the Appalachians but has been removed for some reason. It use to be a good reminder to our tragic past.

One thing I wish we could’ve done - but is only done on Saturdays - is a ‘ghost trek’. Apparently, there is a professional ghost hunter in town that runs the tour weekly. I hope to catch that at some point. I think that would be kewl.

We ate lunch at Old Talbot Tavern which has been around since about 1779. I like eating in old taverns like this. The crowd was only a fraction of normal - again the recession was evident everywhere we went - but the food was really good. I did feel sorry for the waitress who was suffering from a severe case of the hiccups which could prove an occupational hazard.

The old jail is next door and serves as an inn now. I’m not sure how it would be to stay in an old jail but I will keep that in mind too. Bet the ghost hunter has some friends in there. Overall the trip has been pleasant so far. Headed to Atlanta in the morning.

I’m in Bardstown, Kentucky at the moment. It is a historic town, home to a couple major whiskey makers, but also most famous for it’s connection to the famous American songwriter Stephen Foster who stayed here and wrote about this place.

Foster, originally from Pittsburgh, lived in the mid-1800’s and died a tragic death while still in his 30’s. His songs are still sung today and pieces like ‘Camptown Races’ use to pop into early movies. ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ - the State Song of Kentucky - are two more of his more famous ones. In fact, he’s the only composer to write two state songs.

There is an outdoor musical about his life which we went to last night. I’d seen it before several years ago. It’s a good introduction to Stephen Foster.

The musical was well done especially the song productions. However, the crowd, which I know to mostly fill the amphitheatre in times past, was only about a third of what it normally is. I take that as a sign of the recession as everyone is cutting back on travel.

One major change in the musical came about as a result of political correctness. There is a major scene involving ‘Christy’s Minstrel Show’. They really scaled that back. And they did away with the ‘white faces’ and gloves due to racism charges. Now white faces and the gloves etc. were racist in nature but the problem is you’re doing a historical piece and so it is a little odd seeing that portrayed as though it was a more modern production. I actually think it is a bit of a disservice.

My major complaint though with the show is that they actually didn’t show his death and the tragic end of his life. They use to but for whatever reason now have cut it from the script. Foster, whose songs were being sung everywhere around the country and even around the world, died in dire poverty. He’d been ripped off by publishers and guys like Christy who were raking it in at his expense. Foster became a drunk and died in the Bowery. The show skipped over all that and made it seem like he lived happily ever after. Now talk about rewriting history….

Like I said though the musical portion was very good. The show itself served as a reminder of the influence of Foster which still resonates. I’m off to do some sightseeing this morning before driving back home later today.

Italy is waging a war on gypsies. The National government has mandated that all gypsies be rounded up and fingerprinted. Those who can’t be id will be detained. Many of the gypsies live in camps outside the main cities like Milano and Roma. They are like migrant workers anywhere else who live and survive in the shadows of society.

To their credit, the Roma government has refused to fingerprint the gypsies. Obviously, the concept of fingerprinted EVERYONE is a little farfetched and the regional police authorities have refused to do it. They should get a kudos for that.

However, the Italian National Government is apparently harkening back to it’s fascist past with this kind of progrom. You’d think they would be more sensitive or come up with a better solution but the ego of PM Berlusconi, who I think fashions himself as a modern Mussolini, stands in the way of any logical and humane course of action.

Like half the country, I went last night to see the latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight. This is like the movie everyone has been waiting all summer to see and no one will be disappointed.

The best thing about this movie - far and away - is the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. The whole movie pivots on his performance beautifully. There must be something about playing the Joker that lends itself to great performances. You might recall Jack Nicholson’s role as the Joker in the first Batman film which was also outstanding. However, these are two very different Joker’s being portrayed.

I think what I liked most about Heath Ledger’s performance is that he captured the psycotic nature of the character but yet there was something very logical about him at the same time that made him very believable.

I saw the film with my nieces and nephews who are up to see my parents (who also went) and they all gave the movie a big thumbs up as well. There was a trivia question we were debating ( to no real satisfaction) afterwards. There is an appearance by the character ‘Two Face’ in the movie. I won’t say when or how to keep from spoiling the movie. Now ‘Two Face’ was in one of the other Batman movies and my nephews insist he was in the cartoon series as well. However, no one recalls him ever being in the TV show (which had plenty of kewl villians yet to make the movie versions) and so we were wondering if he originated in the Comic Book series. Anyone know?

You won’t be disappointed by this movie. It is worth price of admission and if the sold out crowds are any indication, it will be in a theatre near you for a awhile to come.

I know and support a lot of charities that do their primary work outside the U.S.  Some of the workers I know personally and others are just causes I care about. But lately, there is a common concern among all them, and that concern is the falling dollar.

You wouldn’t think the falling dollar would have a big impact on them but the dollar has fallen so far that it can’t but hurt them. To give you some perspective, when George Bush came into office, it cost in the ballpark of .75 to buy a euro. Now it will cost you around 1.55 -1.60. For charities, this mean it is taking literaly twice the dollars to do the same amount of work.

It has gotten so bad that in some countries works that have been in existence for years are closing up shop. They just can’t raise the funds anymore. In other places, efforts are being curtailed. It just seems so sad to me that American mismanagement is going to negatively hit so many people in so many places. And for the record, the fall of the dollar is also one major contributor to the high price of oil and gas.

Sometime today, 5 Palestinian terrorist are going to be exchanged for Israeli soldiers Regev & Goldwasser. No one knows for sure, but it is assumed that Regev and Goldwasser are dead and it will be their bodies that are coming home.

The Palestinian terrorists are very much alive however. The most infamous of the bunch is Samir Kuntar who led an attack back in the 1970’s in which he took hostages and then killed them. Among his victims was a 4 y.o. girl who had her skull crushed.

Kuntar and his fellow terrorists will be receiving a Lebanese State welcome upon their return. It’s been declared a national holiday. The Lebanese President & PM will meet him. There is a parade planned etc. All to celebrate the murderer of a 4 y.o. girl as though it was a giant military victory. Maybe it’s the closest to military victory Hizbullah and the likes of these terrorists will ever get. Apparently, it is all they can cling too and it is pretty pathetic when you have to build your legacy on something like that.

I have mixed emotions about the exchange. On one hand I’m glad to see Regev and Goldwasser’s families finally find out what happened to them. I sincerely hope they are alive and can hug their families again.

On the other hand, I’m disgusted at these terrorists being set free. But even in that I’m finding some solace because as Hizbullah and Lebanon celebrate these murderers, they’ll being do so on a world stage and it will be there for all to see. They’ll actually be disgracing themselves but are too dumb to realize that. All their ribbons and flags are doing is shrouding their country in shame. It is a stain that will wear for a long period to come.

I went to see Hancock this evening. It was a fresh take off all the superhero movies we’ve been bombarded with the last few years. Will Smith was his usual self and there was plenty of comedy. Spoiler alert:  The twists involving the wife seemed to come out of left field but it really kicked the movie into another gear. The action seemed to take over the movie towards the end just a bit but it didn’t go too much overboard. I also liked Justin Bateman as the PR guy. They could’ve developed that character a bit more though to round it out. Overall, this is a good escapist movie.

Remember that we’re fighting a war in Afghanistan? There was a stark reminder of that today when 9 U.S. soldiers were killed during an attack launched by the Taliban against a U.S. base.

The Taliban have been on the offensive all summer. They’ve also been launching attacks against Pakistani troops inside Pakistan. Some tribes are helping them but truth is that if the Americans weren’t bogged down in Iraq the Taliban would’ve been wiped out a long time ago. It also doesn’t help that some elements of the Pakistani Intelligence Services are helping them. They also get funded by drug money as Afghanistan is opium central.  In fact, a Taliban operative was busted in Asia a few days ago during a major drug sting.

If more attention isn’t paid to the Afghani front, the Taliban are likely to be stronger than they ever have been and poise an even bigger threat. Still, we hear very little of it here in the U.S. even less than Iraq and that is saying something.

Saturday I went out and got a bit toasted. Good for me I say. It’s been awhile. I did have a special occaision though. Well, it was as good an excuse as any. And I know I write I bit more about history than the normal blogger but it was on that day that one of my ancestors, (who was fighting along side King William of Orange), was the first to rush his men across the Boyne River giving William the victory. It was this victory that divided Ireland. North from South. Good for them at the time lousy for later generations.

I celebrate my ancestor’s bravery which earned him recognition from King William but at the same time confess in my time I’ve stood up for the rights of those (mainly Catholic) that became oppressed as the result of that victory. I was once suspended from school for wearing an arm band in honor of Bobby Sands. Go figure. Actually, at this point, I don’t worry to much about Irish politics but would like to visit there someday.

I don’t know, but lately I feel as though things my ancestors intended to accomplish didn’t turn out the way they planned. Ireland. America. The goal of peace. Maybe that is natural instinct. Maybe that is a a part of regeneration or even just the course of time as we know it. I wonder though, when we screw up as a generation, what is the price? If there is no torment in the afterlife, what is the price we pay for our greed, prejudice, and injustice? Which myth or god covers that field? I don’t know for sure.  The Christian concept doesn’t buy it for me. If there is a hell, we all deserve it. Jewish concept maybe. Some chance for redemption seems possible. Pagan concept of reincarnation is also feasible. Do we keep getting chances to correct our mistakes or change the outcomes? I don’t know. The Moslem concept of Allah wills seems a bit farfetched in the sense that it is all pre-ordained. If “Allah wills”, he has a lot to answer for. HIs will is not perfect it would seem and I know that gets debated all the time.

The older (& hopefully somewhat wiser) I become the more I realize I ‘don’t know’. I’m envious of the gods who know outcomes or the ‘miracles’ performed by a Moses or the patience of wandering in the desert for 40 years knowing in advance it was an act of futility. I find that difference with Christianity…Christians tend not to acknowledge the futility. Has anyone else noticed that? Acknowledging the futility recognizes our limitations. Human limitations? What’s that right. <sarcasm>

I’m rambling. But our fates, time, and consequences seem so fragile and almost inconsequential at the moment as though it is a grain of sand slipping thorugh God’s hand deserving no more consideration than simple irritation on the fingers of the divine.