August 13, 2004
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Today is Friday, August 13th, 2004. A black cat crossed my path this morning, but she’s mine, and she’s always in the way. I don’t believe in “superstitions” insomuch as I believe in “benchmark” dates. Friday the 13th is one of those “benchmark dates”. The day itself is not worrisome, but the tenor of the times always seems so. Here are some random samplings from the news feeds this morning.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Mass protests against the U.S. assault on the sacred Shi’ite Muslim city of Najaf broke out in five Iraqi cities on Friday, with some demonstrators calling for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to step down.
HAVANA (Reuters) – Hurricane Charley brought howling winds to Cuba on Thursday and more than half a million Americans in Florida were told to evacuate beachfront homes, trailer parks and islands lying in the storm’s path.
BASRA, Iraq – Gunmen abducted a British journalist from his hotel in the southern city of Basra after shooting him twice in the leg, officials said Friday.
ATHENS — Greeks are watching the modern world’s supreme sports juggernaut — and attendant corporate sponsors — descend on their ancient land with a mix of pride, joy and palpable dread.
The world is perched on a precipice of dread this morning, as it seems every morning. Americans would tend to believe that this sense of dread began one bright summer morning in Sept. of 2001, but most people know the dread has been building for years, nay, perhaps decades, before that time. I heard yesterday on NPR that Americans are being cautioned not to “wave the flag” too much when in Greece for the Olympics. It might be detrimental to their health. I am very concerned about any attempted raid in Najaf on the Imam Ali Shrine. Breaking news proclaims:
NAJAF, Iraq – Iraqi officials and aides to a radical Shiite cleric negotiated Friday to end fighting that has raged in the holy city of Najaf for nine days, after American forces suspended an offensive against Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia, officials said. Aides said al-Sadr had been injured by shrapnel, though Iraqi officials disputed that.
If the shrine is damaged by Americans, the resulting cannonball of disgust for Americans will damage perceptions far greater than I want to even think about. I hope the “talks” result in a postive conclusion, except history doesn’t tell me this will happen.
This Friday the 13th, I don’t feel particularly doomed by any sense of “superstition” that any “bad luck” will fall my way, and I’ll just kick the cat out of the way, as usual. But I am a bit worried about the world, as usual. I’d love to travel, and be able to “be proud to be an American” on the world stage, but the world sees us in a far different light than we see ourselves.
I’m really glad we’re getting business in the company I work for, but we’re shipping lots of panels to Afghanistan, for use on military generators, and today we ship some panels to Florida, where they’re bracing for hurricanes. Isn’t it weird that strife and destruction makes money for some interests? I have ethical talks with my customers all the time about this, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Just design the panels, ship them, and collect the money when the invoice comes due.
Somehow, it seems strange that we don’t “celebrate” Friday the 13th.
Every thing else gets a holiday. Merchants could sell smashed mirrors, little ladders, and stuffed black cats.
Each Friday the 13th, (the last was in March) I get in my car to go to work, and hope that bad luck doesn’t befall me. I can joke about things like “I hope a semi trailer doesn’t go over the edge of a bridge on the freeway and fall on my car as I ‘m passing under it. (Which happened last week in the L.A. area, except, thank God the truck didn’t fall on any traffic). I can make light of disaster that hasn’t happened. But I think I, like most everyone else, is living in a nervous laughter sort of existence.
Terror, Bad luck, and misery. Hopefully sometime in our lives, these will be replaced by Happiness, hope, and good graces. I seriously don’t “hate” anyone. I don’t think so, anyway. I try to “see all sides to a question” and and open to other opinions, but I don’t seem to count, and life, with all it’s inconsitencies, goes on, as it has for thousands of years. We haven’t had any instances of West Nile Virus in the L.A. area for a couple of days. I thought I got a mosquito bite the other day, and began to worry. “Oh, well”, as I am apt to say. And I get in the car and go back to work, where we have to get that panel out to Florida today. And let’s hope the storm will pass without too much damage.
As usual.
Comments (2)
My black cat is on the couch next to me now. I was taught that if one crossed your path you should retrace your steps and then go on. And guess, what it worked. I’ve never had bad luck – right! Cheers.
Will check out that www link for photos. Thanks. Oh, I have a Canon powershot A70 witha 10X 3.2 mega pixels. I’d love to upgrade but right now I don’t have the money for a new camera. In fact, I haven’t learned all that there is to know about this camera yet. I appreciate your checking my site and yes, the darn news is disturbing as hell.