good talk

From Georgetown I went overland to the Corantijn River to cross over into Suriname. I had gotten my Visa for Suriname in Georgetown, the same day, and it cost $100 US, just to go to little insignificant Suriname. At the River I found out that I had been charged $20 US more than everybody else to go to Paramaribo, who had recommended this particular Overland Service? It was the Suriname Embassy and they also phoned and set it up while I sat there. The Guyanese people that I had traveled with told me "You were Licked-Off," and that what had happened to me was a "Lick-Off." When I told them that our Expression for this was a "Rip-Off" they thought that was very funny. Once the Ferry took us across the River I got in a big Buick with 4 other people and a driver to go to Paramaribo. The road to Paramaribo was one way in each direction and our driver often touched 135 K (90 miles an hour) while constantly passing vehicles by a couple feet and while sometimes talking on the phone or smoking a cigarette. I know skill when I see it and this guy had some, it made for an exciting ride. This chap dropped me off at a popular guesthouse and I got a decent room for twenty US. These people are in love with Birds particulary the Bacolet, sort of like a Finch. They have a Singing Competition on their Commons every Sunday and you'll see people carrying around a bird in a cage even going to work. One fellow that I spoke with carrying his bird to work with him was a Carpenter. This bird is also often called a Twatwa. Suriname is only 470,000 people and gained their Independence from Holland in 1975. I toured Fort Zeelandia and this was quite good, I pointed out to a guy who was working there that their Eternal Flame had gone out. In 1982 twelve prominent people were Murdered inside the Fort because the Ruling Party didn't Vtheir Politics. I saw a good downpour while I was walking around in Paramaribo, about the only rain I saw on my trip. Catting about in Paramaribo was Very Exciting. On Keizerstraat there's a beautiful Mosque with 4 Minarets, the most beautiful Mosque in the Caribbean or that part of South America and right next to it is a Synagogue, the Dutch Israeli Synagogue. But in Contrast to the Mosque the Synagogue is not so beautiful, in fact it's in Bad Need of a Good Roof. It's an Eyesore. Now if you Jewish Folk go without Lunch for a Week and Send that Money to the Synagogue so that they can Replace the Roof it Will be Greatly Appreciated especially by the Local Moslems.

good talk

I flew from Trinidad and Tobago on Caribbean Airline to Georgetown, Guyana by reputation one of the roughest cities in the World. No doubt in the recent past but it's cooled off considerably. I was told that it was so much more tranquil because all the Major Criminals had died over the past 3 years. Eh could be, I do know that after arriving at their crumby airport and making my way into the Center of Town where I got a Taxi that the Hotel that I directed the driver to go to had burned down and a little later I directed him to a Restaurant that had also burned down. Sounds like things had been Hot recently. Guyana is only 830,,000 people and of course doesn't have much of an infrastructure as a result. Everybody asks about Jonestown but nobody is allowed to go to that sight and there'd be nothing to see anyway, a lot to do with it is still CIA Secrets. I liked Georgetown, I was in their Parliament but not while it was in Session, I was in St. George's Anglican Cathedral, one of the largest Wooden Structures in the World, I was in their National Museum and saw and touched the Printing Press that had printed the Rarest Stamp in the World, the 1856 one-cent Black on Magenta British Guiana. Like many of you as a Child I had a Stamp Collection. In these 3rd World Places you don't need a Prescription to get Medicine and I bought Mefliquine anti-Malarial which is the Preferred for that part of the World, just a buck a pill, in the States I'd be gouged for the same thing. The People as in T and T are mostly Black with an Indian Minority. At this juncture I might Comment on the Deportation of John Demjanjuk to Germany to face 29,000 Counts of Murder. Demjanjuk was a Dime a Dozen Guard of Whom there is no evidence of him hurting anybody, There were Tens of Thousands of These and hardly any have faced Prosecution. Evil People are Determined to Get Their Pound of Flesh from this Poor Old Man who has been Persecuted Himself-----And They're Gonna Get It.

good talk

I ate Watermelon on Memorial Day as always but for the past several years all one can get is Seedless and to me eating Watermelon and Spittin' Seeds goes hand in hand. A lot of this Show of Patriotism since 9-11 is New-Found, it wasn't in Evidence before that. On March 11 I flew Las Vegas to Miami to Port of Spain, Trinidad, my 100th Country. Trinidad and Tobago is a country of 1.3 Million with a Beautiful, New Airport, the most developed of the Caribbean Countries. It's total area is say, 45 x 45 Miles and about all of that is Trinidad with little Tobago 60 Miles Away. Formerly British, they speak English, Mon, and the People are Mostly Black with a sizeable India Minority. By reputation it's a rough place full of Criminals, maybe recently but not now, just take normal precautions, I found the People to be All Right. Their Stadium is named Ato Boldon after their great Olympic Sprinter. Walking around in Port of Spain was a lot of fun. I was walking down the street and a Passerby said "England," the Sun Never Sets on the British Empire as is evidenced by Myself. One of Queen Victoria's titles was "Empress of India," even though she had never been there. I went to a beach 15 miles outside of town to swim but I noticed a chemical plant, Alcoa, Bauxite, in the near Distance. I Commented to White People getting out of the Water, I hope that you don't grow another leg. I didn't swim. I went up and down the length of Trinidad on both sides on the City Bus. I went to their 2nd City, San Fernando, and looked around, quite nice. I went to "Pitch Lake" where the Entirety of the World's Asphalt comes from. Just South of San Fernando, it's only 95 Acres and maybe 300 feet deep. It used to be much bigger but there's still supposed to be enough Pitch for the Next 400 years. I toured it with 4 other People and our guide was "Lindsay," who has done this almost all his life. A 45 Minute Tour where Lindsay walked us across the Lake knowing the firm parts where we won't sink in. There's healthful water on the Lake and people were splashing it on themselves. Lindsay looked much younger than his 58 years. There's a few other places where Pitch can be found but their's is Inferior, this is where the World's Asphalt comes from and Port of Spain was the first City in the World to have Paved Streets (1810). I took the Ferry to Scarborough, Tobago, 3 Hours away and thought it to be as beautiful as Trinidad (the English had governed Trinidad and Tobago as a Single Entity and so it has Continued).

good talk

Greetings my little emptyheads, I see that after 90 Blogs I still have no official Followers even though I'm widely read, you're Shy. We got our Flag from my Uncle's Casket. Actually it was my Great-Uncle, my Mother's Uncle, who was with the Americans in France in WW I and was Mustard-Gassed (Poison Gas), he didn't die immediately but it shortened his life and he died in his early 40's a few years before I was born. I've been to the grave of Ernie Pyle at Punchbowl in Hawaii, the War Correspondent much beloved by the GI's who was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on le Shima. I've been to the grave of Sonny Liston, Heavyweight Boxing Champion in the early 60's. "Sports Illustrated" ran a long story about Sonny Liston twice years ago and in it he was asked the source of all the scars on his back and he replied, "Bad Dealings with my Father." My Father used to give me a hard beating with a Belt about every 6 Weeks from ages 4 to 16 and I empathized with Sonny Liston. I went to "Paradise Memorial Gardens" 15 years ago I put a Red Rose and a White Rose on his Grave. Indeed, a psychologist could do much with Charles Liston competing in this most punishing of Sports under the Sobriquet of "Sonny." Recently I had authorized 16 Masses to be said for 4 people, Four apiece for my Grandmother, Younger Brother Tom and 2 other people who I found worthy and one was a Filipino and the other was an American Black, the 2nd time that I've had Masses said for a Filipino and American Black. Both the American Blacks were Men who died by homicide at the hands of other Blacks and both were ruled Justifiable---I liked the Guys. Each Mass costs ten dollars, now who else besides me would do that for somebody? I'd like to point out that every time that my Father beat me it was for no good reason, you know that I would never do anything that was wrong and this is why I don't miss my Father at all, in fact.....