Now opening for nobody...

I went out with a few friends the other night to one of the activities the French counsel sponsors for a week every year. It was a "blues" concert performed by some southern French band named Blues & Trouble; namely how you felt after hearing them play. In all fairness the percussionist that played random odd sounds and created moods was really good. The pianist was also a horn player and was excellent. The guitarist was technically sound as well as bassist, and the drummer had more of a Ringo role. The singer. Well she sort of had the air of an old French madam who was immitating Liza Monelli, who in turn was imitating Celia Cruz. It was heartfelt but not very good. They could maybe open at the Davenport Ramada, but when you are starved for ANY activity, the performance was an oasis in the desert.

I met a really cool guy from Aleppo who did his studies at U of M. At first I thought he was Danish or something. He carried himself different from other Syrians, and he was amazingly well spoken. I came to find out that he grew up here, taught himself most of his English, went to the states for his masters, and came back. The whole coming back thing really amazes me every time I hear it - I'm sure hey was sent back not by choice, but I intend to find out. It's not like Syrians are all that welcome in the states, and if they are, it is for a period of schooling and no more.

In other news, there is an official KFC in Damascus now. They have been working on getting it opened and sanctioned for a while, and a few months back they finally made whatever deals they needed to make for it to open. Even being in the axis of evil we can still get Kentucky's finest chicken! I thought the US wasn't doing business with Syria...you know, sanctions and all. Kind of like the way Cheney wasn't involved in oil deals with Iraq, through the nineties, with Haliburton. I guess an off-shore P.O. box is still a viable option these days as it was back then. Finger lickin' good all the way to the bank. Hipocrites the whole lot of 'em. I can count my weapons of mass destruction over a bucket of extra crispy thighs. Now THAT'S progress!

Did everyone see the Syrian woman who went head to head with some Islamic cleric about how Islam is responsible for the backwardness of the Middle East? Thanks for sending that website to me Erin! I thought for sure she would be dead by now, but as it turns out she lives in the states and everyone supports her. God, if she lived here she would be shot. Maybe not here in Syria. Here she would have a car accident. In Iraq she'd be given the choppy-chop. In Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and many of the Gulf states she'd be hung...maybe shot, maybe even stoned old-school style. But she lives in the states so she gets a parade...or at least I hope she did; that woman has balls! I haven't heard much about it in the news here. The people here probably deny she is Syrian. Denial is the order of the day for most things. It's like like the whole society can somehow socially repress bad memories. What lady? She will come back around in a few months like that cartoon of Mohammad did. Nobody notices now, and then someone will stir the whole thing up into a frenzy. I don't see any Syrians fire bombing their own embassies. What's up with that?

I guess you choose your battles. If the society can repress their collective heartbreak, then they can also displace their anger onto something else like a consular office. Ahhh simple social psych in action. In a follow up to the whole banning Danish products fiasco. We took a trip to a chocolate factory where wafer bars are made. It was a prominant brand for the region, and the greatest thing about the whole trip was that they got there butter and sugar from Danish sources. I can just see someone chucking a molotov cocktail all-the-while eating a primarily danish confection. I take joy in the little things.