merry lao christmas no. 1

expecting.

(a baby). oh crap!

merry marxmas

we didn't pay attention while getting our visas last summer, and now we have to make a last minute border run to laos to renew. this means communism for christmas.

constance finds this turn of holi-political events conspiratorial. personally, im thrilled:

never forget me i am nirodh

con posted this video back when she was in india in may. it is — in our opinions — an unlikely embodiment of everything brilliant and ridiculous about india.

con and i miss india a lot.. especially after the mumbai sadness. it's strange. this video sort of provides a glimpse why:

what starts here changes the world

thailand = trendsetters

tennis

Sam Holmes, aka the "Liberian Leptoceratops," helped his college team earn Texas On-Campus Club of the Year, and will play in nationals in Arizona. Congratulations, Brother!

the sky

smiled the other night in thailand.

our new friend da blogged about it.

christmas

this video, via constance, is very very well done:

two on the pad's trail o' destruction

link and link

meanwhile.. happy birthday to h.m. the king today. the closest i've ever had to living under a king is mr. rogers. this is more interesting.

here are a couple of the tributes we stand for and watch before all thai movies:

PAD quits

declares victory*. will leave government house and the airport. airport won't reopen for a week or two.

*if victory means devastating the thai tourism industry and international reputation. after breaking about a billion laws, wonder if any of the leaders or armed guards will face charges. but they got their guy, and at least they quit when they said they would.

glad it never got more violent than it did. credit to somchai and friends for showing some restraint (although i think most people wouldve understood if they did what was needed to clear out the airports).

somchai out (updated)

we hardly knew him...

still impressed that he outlasted our hospital stay. all sorts of analysis here.



the obvious question: will the PAD leave the airport? the sad answer: no. instead they've been emboldened. here's my favorite blogger:

"I just blogged before "PAD wanted Somchai gone has PM. Now, that he has gone, will they leave the airports? It is a rhetorical question as the answer is clear, no".

It was so predictable as The Nation reports:

People's Alliance for Democracy leader Somsak Kosaisuk on Tuesday vowed to continue rallying at Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports and demanded the departure of the entire Cabinet.

Following the verdict on party disbandment, Somsak said the PAD would not allow the Cabinet to work in the caretaker capacity until the formation of the next government.

He said every minister must depart along with Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Of 36 Cabinet members, 22 are not affected by the party disbandment and can carry on in the caretaker administration.

BP: First, it was Samak must go, he goes and the PAD protests continue. Then, it is Somchai must go. He is gone now. Now, it is the entire Cabinet must go. If the entire Cabinet was to go then they would come up with some new condition etc. "

saturday

... was the best day since we've been here.

just two hours at a children's home and an hour wandering around in burma was all i needed to remember why we're here (i spend most days on my computer, and problems here sometimes get a bit abstract).

constance describes the day better here.

coup?

maybe...

it's sort of like when we landed at plymouth rock, shut down the airport and gave the indians smallpox. thanksgiving irony!

anyway.

man.

what i really meant to say is.. is mumbai making anyone else sick?

more stuff is happening.

i know i officially quit caring at the end of the last post, but four bombs exploded yesterday, the airport is still shut down (with 3000 passengers stranded. the PAD has even reportedly taken over the control tower. yeesh those guys are power hungry)* and there might be a new government soon (still only a small chance of a coup). this seems like it's only going to get bloodier before it improves.

*striking how hesitant the police seem to use any sort of force ever since they bombed my wife. constance has that effect on people. still.. i can't imagine JFK getting shut down by protesters.

here is a great blog, written (i assume) by an expat, following everything with some clarity. and this nation writer says the airport siege is the PAD turning to the dark side (the nation is usually pretty sympathetic to the PAD):

This is not civil disobedience. It's the PAD holding air travellers hostage to push for its goal. It's the PAD leaders telling its loyal followers that if someone inflicts you harm, it's ok to get back even at the expense of innocent others. The airport seizure caused more trouble to people whose sympathy the PAD had sought than the politicians the movement has tried to dislodge.

turmoil (updated. a lot. and again.)

RFK in Bangkok, from Life Magazine, 1962.

- Twice this week grenades were launched into Government House, where the PAD protesters are holed up, killing two.

- Big simultaneous protests today in different parts of town from pro and anti-current government groups escalate possibility of violence.

- The PAD is trying to take over Parliament, or something.

This is getting ridiculous. Pray for rain.

Update: The police and military have increased their numbers to 1,500 now to control things. The PAD is pushing back their Parliament party until Monday morning, and using apocalyptic language* like this:

"I would like to invite people to join the last battle. We know what we are doing and we believe that what we are doing and will do has same objective which are to protect the country, religion and monarchy," Sonthi told the cheering crowds.

* They say stuff like this often, ostensibly to rile up supporters and keep themselves in the news. Still.. I'm not looking forward to reading about what happened when I wake up tomorrow.

Update II: Here's how The Nation sums it up. I didn't realize PM Somchai is in Peru.

parliament, october 7

Update III: Protesters have besieged both Parliament and the Metropolitan Police Bureau — the place where Constance and I got caught in the tear gas attack. Apparently, the police aren't using tear gas.. which has allowed protesters to just push right in.. which makes it more understandable why they were using tear gas last time (just wish they would use the legal, non-explosive tear gas, and use it correctly — i.e. not fire it directly at people). This is the same as protesters storming Capitol Hill. It just wouldn't happen.

Update IV: The Parliamentary meeting which the PAD protesters were protesting was cancelled (the meeting, according to protest leaders, would've paved the way for the return of Takshin, the powerful and controversial PM who was ousted in the 2006 coup, and who the PAD blames for just about everything wrong with Thailand), so the Parliament siege dissipated. There are still other protests going on, but nothing like that one. Thankfully, no major violence from either side (there will still a few explosions near a TV station, but all and all not as violent as the pre-siege rhetoric indicated).

happy protester, october 7

Update VXIILP: Washington Post says there was PAD-induced violence (NYTimes front page now too). The PAD is trying to shut down the airport, or something. Yawn. I'm getting bored of this, and I'll shake my fist at them if I ever miss a flight. Life is normal in Bangkok as long as the protests are confined to one area of town. But messing with the airport, etc. can't be good for tourism and business.

I understand that this is real and about real problems in my new country, and I understand that both sides think they are right. People should protest, and most of the people I saw at the protest in October were normal, well-meaning people concerned about their country. But I also understand that rigid group think can be easily manipulated and the ignorant, excitable, us vs. them types who are running around armed, setting motos on fire and hijacking buses lose my sympathies pretty quickly. Just because it feels good to be angry and fighting for a cause (it's why I like football) doesn't necessarily make everything about your side good and true.

Cobras, however, are awesome and have my full support. Northern Thailand is supposed to be slithering with them, but I've yet to see one. I just wanna hold one. Cmon cobras. I'm on your side.

this thai life

so.. back to blogging. we're back home in phayao. while we were gone, the weather turned perfect. it feels like early northern california fall, which fits well with our spanish-tiled, butterfly-ridden northern california house.

it could get confusing. so here is a list of things about our house that are really thai:

bamboo TV antenna:


kim jong il stickers in the office:


super fabulous gate:


pile o' tires in the kitchen:


and.. NEW DRAGON POWER:

Walking Man Walks

Con and I have met only one other expat in Phayao: an interesting, lively, well-traveled guy named Dennis Peacock. He's the sort of character you hope to meet while traveling abroad. He lost a restaurant in the tsunami, and once walked with a monk through every province in Thailand (no one walks in Thailand). He always seemed to delighted to see Constance and me, and emailed a very nice note after reading the newspaper story of what happened to us.

We have very little community in Phayao due to cultural and language barriers (this will change with time, but it's been difficult), but I had plans for long weekly beer chats about life and Thailand and Chris Hitchens with Dennis. He seemed like the sort of guy who could fill that community/conversation void.

Dennis died last Friday (according to his website). We're shocked. Just shocked. It's difficult, as he always seemed a little bit sad and hungry for the same intangibles as us. Would've been a long, memorable friendship. As it is, we barely knew him...

If you have time, read through his blog a bit. He's a bit of a national celebrity, and knew this country probably better than any other expat we'll meet.

leaving bangkok..

had plans to return to phayao on october 10. today is almost thanksgiving.

plans change, life happens.

loy krathong; capitalism

Two places I avoid in the states: malls and Starbucks. Yet, much of my month-long stay in Bangkok has been spent, of all places, at a various mall Starbuckses, where I could work and download TV shows via the best internet in town, before returning to the hospital with TV and western food court food for Con and her mother (deep fried chicken donut delight).

So.. last night's Loy Krathong celebration was fitting. As is the case much of the time while traveling, I had little clue to what we were doing. You light this or that little candle, and then do this or that little chant and honor this or that god. Culture!

In some parts of Thailand, Loy Krathong looks like this:


In Bangkok, Loy Krathong (I think) honors the goddess of the Chao Phraya (the big river rolling through BKK). But in order to avoid Chao crowds, we set our krathongs sailing onto a man-made pond next to a mall, before spending the rest of the evening at a Starbucks. As such, our experience looked more like this:


It felt like teaching your kid about nature by camping on a golf course.

CHRISTMAS TIME II

in bangkok, santa flies in on a sled pulled by eight flying elephants. our santa could beat up your santa.

two good ones from the NYtimes

1) A poignant piece by several writers about what they admire and will miss about President Bush.

When I asked him if he felt betrayed in any way by the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s errors relating to the war in Iraq, Mr. Bush refused to assign blame. “No,” he said. “See, every decision’s mine.” During my final interview with him, he told me that he held back his doubts and worries in front of subordinates because “I don’t want to burden them with that.”

2) What Arab bloggers are saying about the Obama election.

A new day dawned in Cairo today. As it does every day.

And it started as it always does: with birds, schoolchildren and car horns. No national holiday here.

I’m looking forward to going out in the streets to hear the reaction. The best reaction I’ve heard so far: “Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job.”

Bah humbug. I confess I’m moved.

and from an Iraqi..

... I shall not congratulate you on your 44th president. He will simply finish off what the other Zionists had started — the final partition of my country.

To hell with all of you and all of your presidents.

CHRISTMAS TIME; global cooling?

that this succinct report was breaking news made me laugh. it's not unlike when they'd cancel school for a week in houston at the first sign of frost.

Chiang Mai - Frozen dew happened on the Doi Inthanon Mountain early Tuesday morning, a park official said.

Thitipat Phoraksa, assistant chief of the Doi Inthanon Park, said it was the second consecutive morning that frozen dew happened.

He said mercury on the mountain dropped to 6 Celsius degree in the morning.

The Nation

banksy

my good buddy paul banks has a new little diddy out. he just keeps getting better and better.



the sound isn't the best, so watch in high quality. if you're ever in austin (or wherever he happens to be touring).. go see him.

tall, pale and handsome

I've never been to a country where darker is better.. even Liberia, where mixed-race ex-American slaves dominated politics for 150 years.

Dark-skinned Thais are similarly discriminated against here in the Land of Smiles, to the point where ads for "skin-lightening cream" instead of suntan lotion are ubiquitous, Thais are rarely caught in the sun without an umbrella and it's not unusual to see Thais swimming at the beach fully clothed.

On that note, found this delightful article yesterday:

Farmers, fishermen, urban laborers, rubber tappers and those just "born that way" celebrated wildly yesterday throughout Thailand as the United States elected its first African-American president, Barack Obama.

The victory has inspired Thais ostracized for having dark skin.

Farmers in Khon Kaen gathered at the rice field of Krit Leerasuk to drink rice whiskey and discuss years of hardship caused by a culture that idealizes white skin as beautiful.

"Barack number one," said Krit. "I not ashamed to go to massage parlor in town anymore," he said proudly.

Out at sea in the Gulf of Thailand, a fisherman on the Suriyothai IV welled up with tears as he remembered the first time a school classmate pointed at him and shouted "khon pue dum." "I will find that guy and tell him to kiss my black ass," he promised.

On plantations in Yala, rubber tappers were seen torching bottle of whitening cream and other cosmetics.

In Bangkok, however, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat assured the capital's Chinese business community, blue bloods and other elites that Obama's historic victory would not affect the country centuries-old custom of belittling and denying opportunities to those countrymen with darker skin.

"We will continue to prefer the whitest men and women in television, film and bed," he said.

"As for democracy, yes, we still want that," he added.

Only after the Somchai quote did I realize this was satire.

Too bad really. This sounds a lot like most Thai journalism I read and the quotes sound a lot like what I've heard from Bangkok's fleet of poor, dark-skinned taxi drivers."You like Obuhmaaah?"

Guess the world can't be saved in just one term. Obama/Biden 2012!

"history" as brought to you by the bbc

the bbc is our only english news channel.. which is fine, considering my disdain for network news and the knowledge that if i had been in the states, i probably would've watched live election coverage with jon stewart. but the bbc has been covering the elections with an obvious "outside looking in" style, making for several awkwardly enjoyable moments.

wednesday morning (tues night in the US) was no different. they did their best to emulate american networks with a fancy map and a bunch of half-crazed pundits, and the whole thing made for a nice glimpse on how europe and (considering that the bbc is the most powerful international news source anywhere on the globe) the world were watching this thing.

some highlights:

-- jesse jackson (mr."i want to cut obama's n--- off" himself) comes on looking positively giddy. guess it's going to be a big night (morning) for black ameria.

-- the well-meaning anchor suddenly sounds very very british:

• "and minnesota the wonderful state of.. um.. lakes... and beautiful forests... goes for obama."
  

• "and now wisconsin, known for.... um.. dairy.. also goes to the senator from illinois."

• "north dakota, home of mount rushmore i believe.... no i'm sorry that's south.. north is home to.. well anyway it's home to mccain voters."

-- john bolton appears. somehow the bbc found the most internationally unpopular bush appointee ever. bolton, who im sure is a smart man, is decent on tv and starts off with several salient points about what mccan did wrong.

he then calls obama "the most radical candidate ever nominated" and repeats "fact"-less smears about obama's supposed socialism (mccain is also a wealth-spreader) and obama's coal bankrupting (mccain's cap and trade plan is nearly identical), before getting in a pair of arguments with liberal media biased BBC reporters about their "facts." nice guy:



-- mark penn, aka the man who wrecked the most powerful political machine in modern times, aka hillary's old chief strategist, somehow finds a spot at the table. he seems sheepish.

-- and then this.. the greatest political interview in modern times with a (drunk? liberally bitter?) gore vidal. watch till the end:

what a day. man oh man. man. man.

still can't get over obama. what a day. i teared up a lot (especially when i'd see stuff like this. i mean.. jesse jackson, who i cant stand, made me cry). it just feels like the world is glowing.

what a long, incredible election. here's the column from long ago when i first realized that obama could turn into an intriguing candidate. he just gets "it" a lot.

also.. in an attempt at nonpartisianship, i never link to huffpo (i read it, much like drudge report, because it carries a lot of weight. but i try to take it with lots of salt). but here's a very heartwarming slideshow about global reactions to yesterday. i've been on four seperate trips abroad since the race heated up, and the globality of this election very much resonates.

speaking of drudge.. up until polls closed yesterday, he was in full anti-obama force, with several links speculating about socialism, coal smears, chicago thuggery, african bull slaughtering and voter fraud and intimidation. but as soon as the race was called, he pulled all those links and celebrated the historic moment. so.. good for him.

obamamama

for what it's worth, i voted obama and then straight libertarian in a protest vote against the two party system. strict partisanship makes the election seem like little more than a football game, and seems indicative of voters allowing power-hungry political parties to do their thinking for them.

there's not much time to write these days, and thai politics has sucked up half of it, so here are two articles that sum up why obama got mine, and that do my thinking for me:

chris buckley (one of 15 or so conservative intellectual heavyweights who i regularly read who've broken for obama):

But having a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect, President Obama will (I pray, secularly) surely understand that traditional left-politics aren’t going to get us out of this pit we’ve dug for ourselves. If he raises taxes and throws up tariff walls and opens the coffers of the DNC to bribe-money from the special interest groups against whom he has (somewhat disingenuously) railed during the campaign trail, then he will almost certainly reap a whirlwind that will make Katrina look like a balmy summer zephyr.

Obama has in him—I think, despite his sometimes airy-fairy “We are the people we have been waiting for” silly rhetoric—the potential to be a good, perhaps even great leader. He is, it seems clear enough, what the historical moment seems to be calling for.

and... the ever intrepid constance dykhuizen.

crazy how long this thing has been going on, and let's all be glad it didn't end up as hillary vs. giuliani. this was my first election as a reader, as a traveler, as a non-neocon (voted bush in 2004 for really lame and maddening reasons). what a compelling time to be an american..

update endorsement link: wasn't planning on posting a center/left media endorsement but.. james fallows, the pragmatic editor/expat traveler who i much admire as a thinker and writer, mirrors my thinking almost exactly and more than anyone else i've read.

this made me laugh?

anyway, we're sneaking out of the hospital tomorrow to take con's mom here. con is the only expat patient in the hospital. i'm the only beard in the hospital. she limps a lot and sometimes wears butterfly wings. con's mom won't go anywhere without her furby. there's not an ounce of inconspicuousness about us and the army guys at the front door carry large guns. whatever. vive!

pt party

i went with con to physical therapy. frankly, i don't know why she hangs out there so much. it's all hospital-y and depressing. group of debbie downers.

downers.. until someone flicked on the MOGWAI:




you should probably watch in full screen, high quality. my wife is very groovy.

and.. video.

sometimes it doesn't load all the way. keep trying. the music is appropriately melodramatic (and our facial expressions), and almost made me giggle. also has footage of us arriving to the hosptial, which brought rushing back forgotten memories of bunnies, daisies and deep paralyzing panic.

click here.

"contance"; 15 minutes starts now

con heard today that she might be asked to present an award at the thai mtv music awards. we've steadily been getting more and more notice around here. apparently, here's why:

i read the nation every day.. somehow missed this interesting, relevant piece published a week ago:

Jobs Non Jobs

US visitor among street clash victims

By Preecha Saardsorn,
Wannapa Phetdee
The Nation
Published on October 22, 2008

The October 7 street clashes did not claim only antigovernment protesters and police as victims. Among the hundreds of injured was at least one unlucky foreigner.

Contance Dykhuizen, an American visitor in her mid20s, went with her husband to watch the confrontation on Phichai Road when something exploded near her right foot. They tried to run for safety, but Contance found her right leg was bleeding and she couldn't move.

She was taken to Phramongkutklao Hospital.

This was her first visit to Thailand, arriving a month and a half ago.

The couple work as volunteers at the Education for Life Foundation in Phayao province to help provide education for northern children suffering from poverty, lack of parental support, child labour, prostitution and drug addiction.

"My husband has a journalism degree and we both like to travel and learn more about culture and politics. We went there to see what's going on," Contance said.

Both her legs and feet were wounded, her right leg severely.

Colonel Peerapol Pokpong, head of the hospital's Centre of Public Relations and Special Affairs, said she must stay at the hospital for two more weeks.

"Her wounds are now improved, but some are infected. Doctors are treating the infected wounds and will perform surgery to dress the wounds within two weeks. We have teams of physical therapists and psychiatrists to help her," the doctor said.

Contance agreed with critics who said the police should use better kinds of tear gas for crowd control as the type used on that day hurt people.

"I am very grateful for the government for taking care of me; but I find the situation with the tear gas very unfortunate," she said.

"It is unfortunate too that both sides have chosen to resort to violence and I wish that things could be more peaceful in the future for both sides."

Despite the bad experience, the two foreigners insist they still want to stay in Thailand to continue helping children.

They were afraid that if the violence continues, it will rebound on tourism here, as the flareups make people in their country nervous.

"We're telling everybody that it's very safe here - if you stay outside the very specific protest area," her husband said.

###

i'm flattered, and the article was accurate. but all the attention still makes me feel like this:

news:

• things might blow up tomorrow (pray for rain).

• prime minister somchai is attending a summit in beijing. the 2006 coup happened while the prime minister (takshin) was in new york for a summit. rumors..

• this lady sang for us at the hospital

• none of this matters because constance is walking. without crutches. on her feet. even if only for a few meters at a time. and really that's all i care about. i slept for 11 hours last night, partly, i think, from resulting stress relief.
  

• doctors say stay in the hospital for 7-10 more days, and bangkok another month for checkups.

• constance's mother is here, much to our relief and delight.
  

protest day II

the protest directly in front of parliment. sorry for the shaky video.. i was all adrenaline-y.




and.. this ridiculous scene. when i reached the outskirts, about 15 minutes walking from this spot, heard another series of loud blasts. this was the spot (the side gate to parliament) where the first clash had happened early that morning (where the police had first used the tear gas, blowing off someone's legs, to clear a path for senators and the prime minister to get in the building for an important meeting).

somehow or another, the protesters had pushed the police out to block access again, trapping the senators inside. they slashed the tires and commandeered about 15 riot police trucks and five or six more buses, and a PAD pickup full of riot police shields was pulling away when i arrived. tear gas was still very thick. the whole thing was just festive and strange.




the tunes were very catchy. you can understand why i was there.

protest night

protest before the teargas started. not unlike a texas football rally. very gold, and almost beautiful.





(credit: constance)

greyness

just realized i mis-linked to this call for nonviolence earlier.. which is fine since i wanted to go back and re-highlight it anyway. i loved this piece:

In every war, everyone thinks he is right. The reality is always the opposite: everyone can easily be wrong in any war. The man who lost his leg yesterday in the new outbreak of political violence can blame anyone - Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin Shinawatra, People's Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang, overreacting police or even himself.

and..

With the "elephants" clashing head-on, there is no time for the "grass" to think. The latter can do nothing but follow the guidance that serves anyone but themselves. Yesterday, police had to follow orders, while protesters had to march and seize Parliament. It does not matter that the protesters were provocative or the police were violent. This is a war, so "we" must be right, and "they" must be wrong.

the nation is a generally well-reported but poorly written english newspaper here. the grammar, etc. is forgiveable, as the paper is written almost entirely by thais (hence the solid reporting). but its urban professional middle class reporting staff is also the primary demographic of the PAD (the protesting group), so the paper tends to be rabidly anti-thaksin and anything else PPP (the party in power). so.. in a polarized environment, nice to read something articulating the dangers of absolutes in a confusing situation. and.. selfishly, makes me feel like less of an idealist/outsider for thinking similarly.

also.. in searching for this op-ed, stumbled upon this piece, written by some of the senators who came to visit con in the hospital the same day prime minister somchai showed up.

news; yul brynner hospital

• con had surgery yesterday. the doctors seemed satisfied. she came out of it nauseous and dizzy, but her ankle seems oddly better (i almost fainted looking at it. i've been looking at it for a week. guess the shock/adrenaline is wearing off). starting physical therapy on monday... just like when she started physical therapy last monday. square one.
  

• i hate, hate it when she's in surgery.
  

• this made me more sad than any of the other deaths in bangkok recently. wrong?

• somchai's days are numbered. i feel a little sad for the guy. wrong? (this is all very confusing). you always remember your first head of state:

• some station ran a news story about constance's pink flip flops yesterday morning, after doing a series of tests on them to prove that it was in fact explosive chinese teargas that caused all this (the u.s. teargas was soft and pleasant-seeming, not unlike being pelted with a basket of warm muffins. those WTO protesters have it easy). neither con nor i cared enough to get up at 6:30 am to watch.

• the police showed up today with sudden interest, leading me to believe that the news story was in fact broadcast, despite our indifference. the police chief apologized. con's mom's hotel will probably be comped.
  

• our hospital (phramongkutklao) is translated in english to (king mongkut hospital), which, therefore, means our hospital was named after the king from the king and i. his old palace is out back, next to the waffle stand.
  

• while waiting for pictures to load right now, i am running sprints across the roof of said hospital. there's a breeze, a lightning storm, a strong wifi signal and a 360 view of the city. i'm not wearing pants, and the thai government owes me at least this much.
  

• this is a picture of me at the protests that tuesday:

protest day

common enemies unite nations, or "two buddhist nations warring over a hindu temple."

yeesh. thailand's on a roll.

better news: happy birthday sam! best african brother i've ever had.

woo privacy

refreshing huh. i feel like we should all walk around my blog naked.

um.. thanks for cooperating. this is a very confusing time, and not easy to watch ourselves slowly lose control of this story. had a few anonymous comments on this blog.. nothing really threatening.. just mildly hostile, that made me rethink the reality of how this all might be perceived here in thailand.

here's an explanation i just wrote in an email to some:

I've decided to make my blog (philliporchard.blogspot.com) invitation-only for a bit. I'd like to write frankly about what happened in Bangkok last week, without concern for our safety. I am not expecting problems as is, but the situation here is pretty charged with a lot of anger on all sides. We want to be able to talk about it with friends and family back home, without getting involved politically here. Additionally, the government (embarrassed) is paying for all of Constance's health care, and we don't want the level of care to erode in any way.

Con's blog will remain open to all at congraced.blogspot.com