Shqipo's Virtual Mumblings

Last night a friend of mine wanted to meet my brother so we went to this coffee shop (chain) in "trendy" Royal Oak. Everything went well, good coffee shop-type discussion - mostly about Albanian politics, of course, as all coffee shop discussions among Albanians are, etc.

I've seen this phenomena many times before but last night it start to burn a hole in my brain: about 65% of the people who were at this place were either studying, reading, or working on their laptops. Being one who never went to a coffee shop to study or read (although I have gone on numerous occasions to meet and work with clients), I just can't comprehend how people can study there! Coffee shops are, by far, the quietest places, even if a minority of patrons are the ones talking over coffee. Multiple the decibel level by a good amount when a bunch of Albanians (or any other group from a high-context culture) are present.

I remember from my studying days (yes, contrary to popular belief, I did practice that activity) that those who really wanted to study, would try and find the quietest places there were, such as libraries, empty classrooms that someone forgot open, cars, even somewhere in the woods surrounding our campus.

So, is this coffee shop studying just a new trend or can ppl really study there?

There has been a lot of complaining lately about jobs being outsourced to other countries. Car manufacturing jobs are being outsourced to Mexico, Canada and Brazil, textile manufacturing to China and Sri Lanka, electronic manufacturing to China, Taiwan and S. Korea, blueberry growing jobs are outsourced to Chile... and the list goes on and on. This, of course has become problematic for all those American employees who have lost their jobs due to outsourcing.

However, I really think we hit rock-bottom outsourcing everything - will there be any jobs left for Americans? It was announced that our wonderful gov't has outsourced torturing to other (mostly Eastern Europeans) countries. C'mon! Even torturing jobs have become more cost-effective to send overseas? This country is really in big trouble, relying for everything on others. What kind of job can the former American torturers find now, pick tomatoes? Oh wait, Mexican immigrants do that now. Eh.... .

The news

My brother arrived yesterday for a 2 week visit. Haven't seen him in 2 years. He caught me by surprise (as always) telling me just a few days before his visit. I don't know if I'll be able to entertain him properly as I still have work to do and such, plus he picked the wrong season to visit Michigan. Oh well... what's new? It looks like it's a general Albanian habit to make no plans in advance but just pack and go.

He looks like me, although older :P and skinnier. As I was growing up, I looked up to him, actually I was a bit jealous. For instance, when he started learning English, I tried to do the same too, although I was still in first grade. He started to draw, I tried to do the same too, but he was/is way better than me and went on to make that a career. We would be in a "brotherly" competition for knowledge. He's a very smart and talented guy, but he is an introvert, and a perfectionist. I think that's what is keeping him from achieving much more, and people taking advantage (professionally) of his kindness. Afterall, we live in a fast-paced, extroverted, dog-eat-dog world.

Let's hope we'll have a good time.

Believe it or not, that's what I read today as I was going to my dentist. There's this dealership I drove by and, for some reasons (I wonder why) their sign caught my eye. They had their dealership name and right under it, as their slogan, it said "Brand new used cars."

I really don't know what to make of it.

As I was driving to work yesterday, I see this cute VW Bug beside me. It was a new generation one, convertible and all. Sometimes I turn my head and look at the people driving. It's quite amazing what one can see. Based on my "observations." I've actually thought about a list of driving rules that I will post another day.

Anyway, as I look over, I see this lady who's probably in her mid-thirties. What caught my attention was a bunch of...flowers. Yes, she had a dried bunch of lavender attached somehow to her dashboard. The worst thing is that they were so close to the steering wheel, I have no idea how she drives without them getting on her way. From what I could see, they were about an inch away from the steering wheel.

Hey lady, as if cell phones, drinking, eating, putting makeup on, writing checks, etc. are not enough interferences with driving, now you have to have flowers there too? Perhaps they didn't tell you but the 60s happened 40 years ago, before you were even born. If you don't care about your own safety that's fine with me, but at least think about others who have to share the same road with you, flower-girl wannabe.

"Brokeback Mountain" has been making waves all over US, stirring the Academy (reviewers claim it's the best film of the year) but most of all, heating up seats under Jerry Falwell think-alikes' asses (I guess I can say that word on my blog) and make them jump up screaming.

Well, I haven't watched that movie yet, so I am not going to defend its artistic values. We haven't been to the movies in a long time (subject for another blog - possibly - hey, how else am I going to fill up my server?). But what surprises me is the passion and force that so-called religious people are bitching about this movie, as if a movie would lure kids (of all ages) to "convert" into gay - yes, convert, since, according them, we are all born heterosexual. Seriously, do these people really think this way? Using this f...- up logic, it appears to me that by now we'd have no gays whatsoever, because they'd all be converted to straight after watching the countless Hollywood straight/hetero romantic movies. Heck, I don't think I've seen any movie where there's not a love line (straight, of course), involved!

Now, here's what I don't understand: I do not claim to know the Bible that well, although I've read it once or twice. So, I may be wrong, but I never remember anything on the New Testament where Jesus or whoever else, condemned homosexuals. I do, however, remember how Jesus was all against violence and wars, etc. The "turn the other cheek" (not the butt, cheek!) has become well-known even among non-Christians (although I have never seen it put into practice). Despite that, there are hundreds of movies that depict wars, battles, fights, violence, rape, sex, etc. - yet they don't get all this opposition that Brokeback is getting.

So, the message that I'm getting is that being gay is much more dangerous than being violent and killing people. God can forgive a killer (e.g. Tookie but homos are going straight to hell! I actually think they should consider homosexuality a terrorist threat. They should even have a national and local gay alert level - they probably had gays in mind when they designed the "threat alert" cause it has gay colors.

Why couldn't they just make a regular Western movie, where people are shot for simply looking at someone in the wrong way and bodies pile up inside a saloon full of alcohol and (gasp!) whores. No religious objections there, that's for sure.

Here come the questions: Perhaps the governor of Utah and all the rest who are against this movie knew something we don't know and were right. Why, exactly, is that mountain called Brokeback? Did they call it that way because it's a hangout place for homos? How does one break his back there (not that I'm particularly concerned, mind you), by too much man-on-man riding? Do they yell "ride 'em cowboy" as they go at it? Is it possible that the mountain it's actually called "Bareback mountain" because of, well, all the "bareback" homo sexual activity but they decided to change it for the movie so it wouldn't upset (more than it has) the religious fundamentalist/evangelists?

Uh-oh, what do you know, it looks like the interesting theory so close to our leader's heart is now being opposed by the liberal, tree-hugging commies in...Vatican. Yep, the Vatican newspaper and scholars there are saying that ""intelligent design" is not science and that teaching it alongside evolutionary theory in school classrooms only creates confusion."

Isn't that interesting? I am not going to argue right now which theory is right or wrong (have to save it for another blog!) but it doesn't really sound too intelligent to design and try to enforce a religious theory without consulting it first with, oh say, the ones who have claimed to be Jesus' disciples for the past 2000 years, does it? Frankly, taking lessons from some money-siphoning TV evangelists as you clear brush, doesn't really sound too intelligent to me.

I can't wait to hear what the rebuttal from the house painted white would be. I have this feeling that those commies in Vatican are hiding something under their robes, perhaps some WMD. No wonder they keep those long, loose robes! And we got fooled all these years! I can't help yell out a line from "Austin Powers: The spy who shagged me" with the voice of Frau Farbissina: FIRE THE LASER!

I actually feel bad for the administration. As if all those scandals (which are still not enough to call for an impeachment) were not enough, now they have to endure this fiasco as well? What's a cowboy to do, with all that pressure build-up? Perhaps watch Brokeback Mountain? Or, as someone else has said it: "Would someone, please, give him a BJ?"

Disturbing news keep feeding the news machine. Today police shot a 15-year old who was brandishing a pellet gun (a.k.a BB gun, airsoft gun, etc.). I have no doubts that some eager attorney will cook up a lawsuit, probably some "community leader" will start bitching about another case of police brutality as well.

If they will do that, for a change, I will be on police's side for this one. I do not think our "finest" are that fine, not just because of quite a few case abuse case, but especially after I shared a house a few years ago with a cop. However, I do not blame them a bit for taking no chances. How can they know if the gun that the suspect is holding is not a real one? Look at this picture, can you tell which gun is a toy and which one is real? I know I can't. Imagine if you're 20 yards away, probably not in a well lit area - it's even harder!

I say sue the gun manufacturers. Why do they need to make toy guns that look so real? Does the real look of a toy increase a child's pleasure from the game? I remember growing up, we made "guns" out pieces of wood. The only resemblance to a real gun was the shape (barrel and handle). We would also take elastics from underwear and tree branches and make arches. And we had fun, because we acted as if they were real, it was our fantasy which pleasured us.


But now? Look at this other pic. This kid is holding a full-size air soft gun (shoots pellets) that looks very much like the infamous AK-47 (although it looks a bit more like AK-74, the barrel is shorter). I'm sorry, call me a crazy Albanian if you want, but if I see some punk pointing that thing at me, I am not taking any chances!

I wonder how do his parents feel, who are they going to blame? Will they blame the police (very likely)? I'm sure they'll blame the toy manufacturer as well. Well, I guess it would be an OK move. But wait a sec, the manufacturer didn't force them to buy that gun for their kid! Why don't they blame themselves and their kid instead?

I was browsing the internets this morning as I was having my coffee and went to google videos. Among many other disturbing ones, I saw this one. Generally, it's OK, I supposed, taking into consideration that, men (or, at least, some of us) are full of testosterone and need a way to, well, shoot them out.

What disturbs me is the little girl at the beginning and middle of the video. I guess that does explain Iraq, etc... .

Video

Speaking of the Pat Robertson and his friends, this video is pretty funny! Now, why won't you call and make a vow?

This is truly sad: it was reported today that hundreds of people are killed in stampede at Hajj pilgrimage, apparently caused by people tripping over fallen luggage and then others piled on top of them.

I understand God may punish me for being blasphemous, but I can't help coming up with questions. Since, according to loonies like Pat Roberston (and many, many others), God gets pissed at us when we do something sinful, does this mean that these poor souls were actually committing a sin as they were trying to honor God (a.k.a. Allah)? Is He trying to tell us (well, them) that they shouldn't do the yearly pilgrimage? Or were they just the yearly sacrifice needed to complete the circle of honoring/pleasing God? If so, this means that the ancient Aztecs were right when they sacrificed humans to please their God(s).

Why is God so blood thirsty?

So what is new, Pat Robertson did it again. After dropping the bomb calling to assassinate the President of Venezuela, now he's throwing his wrath against Israel's Prime Minister who's lying in coma.

Apparently, Pat thinks that God is punishing Sharon for dividing God's land, saying: "God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says 'This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine.'"

Here comes my "amazement" part: Those people who listen to him and have been following and financing him for the past billion years (taking into consideration his dinosauric age), do they really believe all the crap he diarrheas from his mouth? Do they listen to him with glazed eyes and are awed at what he says? Does he really think God speaks to him and tells him to say outloud these lunatic ideas? If so, doesn't that make his God a loony as well?

Now let me look at the "this is God's land" portion, which, apparently, is referring to Israel. I thought God was the super-power that created everything, including our tiny Earth. What does he need Israel for? And why only Israel? Is He going to build a nice villa there? Or maybe a farm? If so, does he clear the brush Himself, what kind of pick-up truck does he drive? Who did God buy that land from? Has he been paying taxes all these years? If God is super-natural, what difference does it make to Him if a piece of land is divided between by a political border? How come local administrative division (counties, towns, cities, etc.) doesn't make a difference to God but the name Palestine does? Do all people who work in God's land work for him? How do they get instructions? How and how often does he pay them? Can one live on that salary? Are all those people who live there chosen by Him? Are they special and privileged? What about the 6 billion other people who don't live on that little land, are we all doomed? Should we rush to apply for citizenship there? If those inhabitants are privileged, how come He's allowing they get blown up almost daily? Or are those the ones who didn't meet their brush-clearing quota?

I have so many questions! I wonder if Pat will be able to answer them for me. Do I need to send some money to him so he can ask God?

The Abramoff scandal has already taken the news outlets by storm, so there's nothing new anymore about that. Frankly, I don't even understand why everyone seems to be so shocked as to what he did. I agree, he was a bit more aggressive than the others - but isn't what he did called "lobbying" in D.C.? I completely oppose those practices, but hey, afterall, he needed to stay ahead of his competition.

What pisses me off is what he declared in court: "Words will not ever be able to express my sorrow and my profound regret for all my actions and mistakes. I hope I can merit forgiveness from the Almighty and those I've wronged or caused to suffer." I wonder why should he merit "forgiveness" from the Almighty? Notice how the Almighty is the first one to be asked for forgiveness, not the ones he "took" money from, nor the cheated people who voted for and are represented by the Congressmen/Senators he bribed. How, exactly, was the Almighty affected by his actions to be asked for forgiveness?

What made me laugh was when I read on the news a couple of days ago how the Native American tribes, who paid him gazillions of $, feel exploited/cheated by him and are quite upset and want his scalp. Some of the tribal leaders (who wrote the checks from the $$ they make from casinos) even went as far as saying that first they got cheated from the Europeans 400 years ago, then they got exploited for their land a couple of hundred years ago, and this would be the third time that "white man" exploits them. First of all, I'm not just trying to be politically correct, but I do sympathize with Native Americans for what was done to them in the past - I really do! But the feelings of these bribing tribes who just got caught with their pants down now are just way off. I just don't see how Abramoff can be a Gen. Custer.

But the main point I want to make is this: how were they cheated? Do they feel cheated because their scheme to gain illegal privileges was exposed? If that's the case, yes, they're right. I don't think anyone forced them to try and bribe members of US Congress/Senate so they could gain illegal privileges for their casinos, such as stopping other tribes to build casinos nearby. I'm sorry but I think they gambled (pun intended) and, just like what happens most of the time to their customers at their casinos, they lost! Now stop trying to cover up your illegal efforts with cries for sympathy!

It's my understanding that those who offer bribes and the ones who take them are the ones who needs to be punished (by law). It looks to me like Abramoff was just the middle link, a messenger, so to speak. It's really simple, it's all about supply and demand. If there was no supply or demand, then there wouldn't be Ambramoff. Indian tribes who paid and the legislators who took the bribes are the ones that need to be in court!

Here's the news

I know that, to most of you who know me, this will not come as a surprise, but I have a confession to make: I'm addicted...to internet.

One lady who has some very nice artistic photos on Flickr, had posted this one as well. It's a photo of her "tummy" as she's one month pregnant and she is planning on taking and posting a photo of her every month until she gives birth.

Well...I just don't know what to think about this. I understand how for many people, becoming pregnant is probably the happiest and most exciting thing to happen to them and, apparently, they don't know how else to express this excitement.

I may be wrong, but I just don't comprehend this urge to take naked pics of the growing tummy (and more...) and to top it all off, share them with the world. I guess I'm just not the exhibitionist type.

The night before New Year's Eve, I went out with my biz partner; ever since he moved to FL, I don't see him much, so it would be cool to go out. Since neither one of us was looking for any, uhm, "action," we wanted to go to a lounge type of bar and chill, but made the mistake of inviting another guy who suggested some place called "Tequila Rain" in Novi. What a big mistake!

First of all, although I've been to that part of town several times, I had never seen this gigantic mall-type development called "Fountain Walk." Anyway, our friend was all hyped up about this place, because it was a huge building where you had access not only to "Tequila Rain" (upstairs), but to (drum roll, please) a bowling alley and some kind of an arcade bar downstairs! It was funny cause they had tried to create some type of a high-class "lounge" downstairs, with couches and a nice mahogany-brass rail type bar. But then, you moved your head and could see the arcade in the next hall.

The "TR" was anything but the "quiet lounge" we had planned: it was a very loud place with obnoxious college-type kids (or younger... saw some girls that looked 18 drinking) bumping and grinding under the beat of the so-called "booty music." Don't get me wrong, maybe if I were in a different mood, perhaps it would have been OK, with all the scantily dressed 18-year old bar waitresses walking around, and the just as scantily dressed girls (from the crowd) dancing on top of a cement divider (thanks Coyote Ugly!). Speaking of dress code, has it become fashionable that every bar's waitresses need to be dressed like school girls and/or show lotsa skin?

This place reminded me of my "quiet" college days when we'd drive all the way to Mt. Pleasant to go to a couple of bar/dance places that we generally called them as "meat market" to...uhm...shoot pool ;-)

To make a long story short, I don't think I'll ever go to that place again. Am I getting old?

Yesterday was one of the most uneventful New Year's Eve I've had. Is that an indication of what the future ones will be like when you have kids? I sure hope not!

During the day, I went over at some old friends of mine (Albanian) to wish them a Happy New Year. Brought some wine (Pinot Noir and Bordeaux), part of which we consumed with some nice appetizers.

We had been contemplating about going to one of several Albanian gatherings/parties (food, drinks, music) but, frankly, it was a bit too expensive for what we can currently afford. Plus, a couple of our friends weren't going to be there so it wasn't really worth it.

Eda made some dinner (nothing very special) and I opened a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (reserve) that I've been saving. Then, for the first time, we watched the Dick Clark New Year show from Times Square (yawn). Watched the ball drop at midnight and then fell asleep around 1 or so. Now, how lame is that? It's probably the most boring New Year's Eve I've ever had!

I remember back in the old country, we used to celebrate it big time. First we'd start with a "family" rotation: both uncles (and their families) would come and have dinner/appetizers and home-made wine at our place, then we'd all go to each of them. It was fun because everyone had prepared different types of food, and the type of wine was different as well. This would be the first night we'd open the wine made that year, so we'd compare quality - no, it wasn't the typical "swirl and spit" type of tasting, so we'd get a bit buzzed. After midnight, we'd go to my aunt's. As I grew older, I'd go out with friends after midnight and stay out till the morning hours.

The first 3-4 years here in the States, I was lucky as the friend who paid for my undergrad would fly me to their house in Palm Springs (what a beautiful change from the cold and snowy Michigan!) and on New Year's Eve we'd be all dressed up (tuxedo) and go to this big Gala at the Ritz Carlton in Rancho Mirage. Imagine that, a 19-year old long-haired boy from Albania mingling with retired Hollywood stars and "Golden Era" singers/musicians, high profile executives or business owners, etc. Eh... those were the days... .

As the year 2006 starts here on the Eastern time zone, I guess a review of 2005 is customary. Friends of mine do that when they send out Christmas cards. I've never done it, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to write a short one this year - it sure beats watching a supersized Mariah Carey on TV lip-singing from Times Square.

Where to start... . Of course, the main event of 2005 for me was the birth of my first child, Ema, on 9/11. She sure is growing quickly. It's quite amazing to notice the gradual change on her as she grows. Others are saying she's becoming quite cute - but I don't know if I should be happy or worry about that :)

I was able to make new friends, and probably lost a couple along the journey - but the balance is on the positive side. There have been other things happening as well (how much more vague can I get?), some happy, some sad. I've heard people say "things happen for the best" or something similar. So far, I think it's a bunch of B.S. But I shouldn't let unhappy moments determine my future; I just need to archive them together with the happy ones and live another day.

Professionally, there were changes in my life as well. I started teaching some online business classes for Colorado Tech University. I am continuing to teach part-time for ITT Tech, as well as started to teach online for their MBA program.

For the first time in 360°'s a little over 3 years existence, I was faced with non-paying clients which is creating my first legal battles. Some people may consider this a sign of growth - I sure hope so! That is, IF those battles will be resolved to my advantage - as they rightfully should.

Here's a toast (no champagne - but a nice Cabernet Sauvignon) for a much happier 2006!