Maybe the Bible is right, Part 1

 

China has long been on the list of Asian countries, which we wanted to visit.  We have to see the notorious historical monuments, a rich cultural heritage and more, Beijing facing the Olympic Games, 2008 - too much temptation to procrastinate. The whole world knows that the Chinese want to show us how advanced they are and how many have achieved, thanks to their political system. Okay, let's go.

 

And so, we arrived in Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games with the prescient 2 months. The surprise and comfort when I landed on the new airport in Beijing, resonated with one thought in my mind - probably the Bible is right, it is possible that one day the Chinese will be one of the greatest powers in the world. When we walked the city later I was convinced that a part of this nation does not want to waste time, she went ahead on the shortcut, preserving all the best of the old and adding the newest towards it. 

No wonder, the pyramids in Egypt soar up to now, but I don't know how many of the modern Egyptians wear blood of their builders. Greek and Roman temples, amphitheatres and stadiums many impressive buildings, built from them are still enjoying our eyes, but the Roman Empire, Athens and Sparta are only history. The descendants of the Chinese who built the Forbidden City, the Great Chinese Wall and much other dazzling stuff, still live in the land of his ancestors; wear their surnames, and some owned family relics from that time. Yes, the Chinese are being kept as a nation and the population has grown like no other.

In any larger American and Canadian city to go you can see Chinese neighborhoods.  The Chinese population comes and more and more are incorporated in the life of those countries. I recently heard on television that the white population in the United States by 2042 year will become a minority and the dominant race will be Asians. Who knows?

I don't know how it is in Europe, but in America already even the biggest patriots have difficulty to buy only American production, and why, after all the Chinese here is cheaper and not so worse. No wonder, if some day we start to buy North Korean goods…

And so I think maybe the Bible is right. It is possible that a billion smart Chinese

 would flood the world with their intelligence, production, and population


.

In this country was born an atheist philosopher Confucius, who is considered a contemporary of Buddha, born 500 years before Christ. His wisdom ideas are at the root of many religions, philosophic and natural sciences. Probably still very large number of young   Confucius’ follower’s row up now and prepare China for the way it's going. They are the champions that within two generations have walked away from the plow to the computer. These several million are amazing phenomenon of China.

Mao Zedong had said that the revolution is not funny party, but he is long gone, the young rich Chinese think differently.  In honor of Olympic Games 2008 under the shade of Great China Wall there was a cocktail of those young businessmen. The sounds of rock-band music and glasses of liquors didn’t bother them to take the right decisions.  Most of them are approximately 40 year old. They develop private business for millions in electronics, trade, construction and other industries. Many of them have graduated in the West, others have returned from there with capital and diplomas. Just for them was my word when I wrote the first lines of the essay.

There was a time when some rich ”daddies’” from socialist countries supported their children to receive education and experience in the world renowned universities. The only thing that connects young to the communist parent generation was the money, generously provided by the fatherly arms. By the time remembering who was holding a pistol and tampered with the pockets of "rich" if he was a gangster or a liberator is not known. The money changes it masters, time wash the stains or glory. Before on our land, we called them "our comrades", now everywhere are called the most enterprising businessmen or maybe? Well, a little black humor I think and my travel is allowed.

As a former resident of a small country, I do not support the weakness to the big things, unless they are so nice, you're happy to get in touch with them as much as possible. For example,  the Hermitage, the Louvre, the Prado and Versailles can keep a ton of days in, without saying come on, but the monumental  Socialist "palaces", appeared as a negation of Royal splendor, repel. I am glad that in Beijing we sew from distance only three of them, as befits – Parliament, the Museum of Chinese revolutionary history, and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. You won't see them in this book and if it is better to have them in reality, it is to remind people how bad it is, simple people to guide States.

 Beijing means northern capital. This is the last and final name of the 3,000 annual city, 800 of which was the capital. It is the final of the third emperor of the Ming. The capital moved here during the 15th century, when had began the building of the Forbidden city. It is believed that this was the biggest in the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries

 

            Beijing is growing by the day, something that in other countries may not be the case, this translates into an advantage. The ugly, old neighborhoods are razed and indiscriminate. In their place appear wide transport arteries and multi-story super-condos. I don't remember where I read that, due to the reconstruction of Beijing 1.5 million people were resettled in other neighborhoods. The old settlers received a condo as big as they had, unless they want to pay for more money.

I'm not saying it's nice to shares a home with thousands of people, but what can be done in a country where the population is listed in the hundreds of millions. The sedative is that 20-30 floor homes look reasonably well, brightly colored in different tonalities. The faces of some blocks have variety of decorative elements, that refresh the view and enable you to guess in which one is your apartment.

I was very unhappy with myself, when we moved into the new neighborhood and due to the uniformity of the buildings, at the beginning I went often by mistake in another entrance. Conceived sometimes came to the seventh floor to see another name on the door. Later, I began to distinguish the entrances on mailboxes and scent. Yes, the smell, because the family that lived on our ground floor was from a village where cooked delicious and regularly, only that it had quietly walked in and walked right past them, to not get caught on the talk.

For now only one central district (hutong) who ever grew up around the Forbidden City and is therefore more representative now is under restoration. We had organized a trip with rickshaws there. We were a picturesque view- in front was the Gide with bicycle and we followed with the rickshaw, which also was “bicycle-powered".


 

The first thing that troubled us when we got in the old neighborhood was the grey colour all around. The streets were narrow and in front of many of the houses were parked cars. Rickshaws have passed hard with them, and how was the other transport – I don't know. Some of the restored houses have been converted into shops. The presence of two stone figures from both sides of the front door is given time information about the status of the owners. By this we understand that here lived senior government officials and military personnel, and there are now many wealthy families. What impressed us was the fact that 90% of the houses had very small external windows. Everything was looking to the internal courtyards.

In our program was included a visit to a medium-wealthy Chinese, senior citizen family in this houese.  I'm glad we saw how they live. Small room had a narrow window to the courtyard and a small living room in the middle. An additional were still had outhouse parts such as, one or two rooms directly on the ground for newlyweds-newcomers in this family. The little yard had quite mixed functions - flowers, sometimes aquarium, drying cloths and everything owners did not want to throw away the last decades. 

In the House of our hosts had several essential pieces of furniture along the walls, including a TV. In the small kitchenette we sew a refrigerator, and other necessary household gizmos. The walls stood pictures dating from the wedding of owners (the former teacher, and a nurse) to their children and grandchildren.

One street divides the old from the new "Forbidden city", which has also been enclosed with a high fence. Here live the new Lords (party and Government leaders). From the street only see the second and third floor of a nondescript houses, while in the Forbidden City on the other side, over fences peek rooftops of beautiful old palaces.

 

 

From the windows of the tourist bus, with whom we toured the city and its surroundings we were watching anxiously for our reply what is China. We did not expect that almost the entire urban population has adopted the life of our times, that it no longer can meet people dressed in national garments. The youth is often more prettily styled by American, at least one of our Northwest.  We suspected that the shops are well-stocked and settled, at least for the Olympic Games. In the ground floor of the newest shopping centers were represented all the prestigious Italian, German, French and other companies come here to sell their European prices. There are already many wealthy Chinese, they are for them.

We didn’t anticipate seeing so nice Metro here.  It was done with a lot of money and cheap labor, to be presented to the world for the Beijing Olympics 2008. Some stops were better than those of the Tokyo metro, which is naturally from earlier years. Different color marble characterized stops, laser projections on the walls above the rails and long advertising posters diversify the eyes of passenger. The clear and complete enough information boards allow easy orientation. Unlike the Japanese nationalism in China all signs around town wherever we went on a field trip are on Chinese and on English.

We took hundreds of photos of big beautiful public and residential buildings, not because they are unique, but because they are in Beijing, where we not expected.

 I don't know where is this our weakness to the high points. At the time, when we went on the mountains the greatest pleasure was to climb to the top, to see what's on the other side and naturally take pictures. Now -we are “reprogrammed”, we “climb” the skyscrapers and towers. Wherever we go, another see or not, but they are on our list. Best proof of this are the photographs in our books. Our friends joke that it ought to be called them Skyscrapers in the world. I think for me there is something else, a race of humans with nature, who reached above.  I feel personally flattered to see that we, people, at least in this respect, keep.

The change of China began in the late 1980s with ever increasing force. Now Beijing skyline is not different than any other developed city, for up to the beauty and pride of the Chinese. What is the price – they know. The Olympics is an additional serious stimulus that appeared motorways, high-speed train, a huge Chinese, very modern airport, unique in its architecture, stadiums and everything you need to show that there is a new China.
 Good or bad the world accepted it and the Olympics is the new open page of the book for this ancient country. You will get unhappy, where it remains to neglected human rights in China?  What happens in China, banned for our eye is inexcusable and needs to be changed, but require some intermediate form that avoid violence and theft. I know it sounds very cruel, but it seems that the enormous mass population of a country lagging behind unable to unleash inflates to full freedom, it requires the time and education.
The history of many African and Arab countries demonstrates that  for the freedom you need knowledge and experience, or come to abuse and theft on the part of the Government and the population. Like to give sports cars in the hands of people who until now only been plowed and dug and let them go on avtostradite, without them learn to drive. After living in African countries and visiting several Asian countries, listening and watching on TV, how are things going in the third world, in my mind course such thoughts – people really have to be ready for the great word freedom.

Of course we came to China for the Great China Wall, the Forbidden City, the beautiful temples and all that I will describe in the following essays.
 

 

 

For women of the third world

 

What always fascinated me is the question of dignity of women in many countries is unfair. I call them so, and whether they feel disenfranchised is another matter. I think that to get to the need for equality in the present century, will have to go very fast path that women in advanced countries have already walked for centuries.
 

In my 40 years of touring I have visited for a long time only  United States, Mozambique and Angola and of course Bulgaria. For the short time I've bean in, some other countries, where there are Muslims - Turkey, China and Taiwan. Recently, I was in Dubai and Israel. On this occasion, it occurred to me to share the numerous episodic impressions of women gathered there. I picked the listed countries for discussion consciously, because I saw them in a different form of inequality.

I was a child, when for the first time in the Bulgarian town of Shumen saw a veiled woman. She worked in the public bathroom and her name was Emine. My mom didn’t explained to me a lot and I was thinking this is a group name for women who hide their faces – Emines. I asked childishly why, are they ugly or something bothers them? I finally received the necessary explanations.

Do you remember the wise green eyes of Afghan girl Šarbat Gula, its name in the Pashto means freshwater flower? A decade ago we watched her face  on television screens often and on one of the covers of Smithsonian magazine, unsettling the powerful eyes, staring at us. Šarbat disappeared somewhere for a long time.

After several years  a journalist found her and took a picture of her. So was changed, It had to make the retina-test to confirm the authenticity of the photograph. Where are already those eyes-projectors? By veil was snooping with indifference tired broken-down woman's face. It seems to me that the only thing she accepted by the Foundation, was the education subsidies to his son.

Two years ago another case has attracted global attention, the little Pakistani schoolgirl Malalas Ûsafzaj, hired with an impossible task for adults. After the attempted of murder this very matured, for her age girl recoverd from severe trauma, operations and phsychological stress. She devoted her entire life to the cause - the right to education for Afghan and all the girls on Earth. Time magazine ranked her among the 100 most influential personalities in 2013. Malalas received other honors, including a proposal for a Nobel Prize...

These are just two examples of the fate of two beings placed in extrim situations. I ask myself: How long time will take for these as Šarbat to reach the thinking of the little Malalas?

 I saw various forms of inequality among the various layers of the population.  Wealthy women in the Oriental world live in splendor, but outside the home, they still become black silhouettes. I watched them in Dubai to come out of expensive cars. From under the broad black "shrouds" I sew for the moment, luxury clothes and expensive shoes, but only so much. How to handle in this heat? I sew them to go out of expensive stores with a lot of packages. Sew them seated in expensive restaurants and cafés, but is that enough? Well, that very few of them hiding their faces.

I have to admit, I couldn't figure out how those with covered faces drink coffee on public places. For me it is not an easy destiny to live "under the burka", but Muslim women for generations are like this. We see most of them already concerned about their rights.

Long ago in Alaska Eskimos women wore in thick warm ugly cloths to protect from frost. Why the women of mostly desert countries not covered themselves end protect from the Sun and dry desert wind?   If we delve in religious traditions, we will see that many of them follow hygiene rules, but let us not forget that we are now in the 21st century, by when? Is it time to change an iittle bit living condition, sufficient to move towards more practical?

 In the end, who should decide, such as me or Muslim women themselves?   I read somewhere recently that they are spending the most money for cosmetics, but what's… under the burkas?  What these women feel like watching a compatriot to them dressed in a light, elegant clothing, showing their pretty black hair as only orientals can have?

 A friend of mine years ago was on the Congress in Cairo and its co-workers invite her to the party in a house. Even at the moment of entering black vestments  were gone and Egyptian turned into elegant European. Then? Why obsess them these standards?

To go to pray in the temple, to be separated from her husband and her sons, to look at the world through the wooden bars. 100 years ago, I accept to somewhere, but now? Not to have the right of public appearances, of education, to drive and how many more restrictions?           

 In fact, maybe men know, what they did. The Socialist Bulgarian heaps of things I hated, but I take my hat off to one. The legacy of Ottoman rule to suppress woman, was liquidated for several years.   Do you know what happened, smart girls, resilient and in no case less clever part of the Bulgarians showed what they can do. It got to the restrictions to protect men ....Some number of seats in the universities and many competitive positions maintained for them. Naturally, when Mother Nature care any grown kids, has given a little too much for women to continue the mankind. 

  As I see now, some aggressive Muslims by Malthus's idea, surely, try to purge the world from individuals that dare to oppose them. Unfortunately, the fire does not burn only dry wood and. ..

             Speaking of Muslim restrictions, you only need to add that in poorer families, who often have no elementary living conditions, expensive price is paid by women. To raise a family with income "below the level of survival, to keep household without running water, to see your child sick because of a lack of money for a doctor and medicines? And all this on a woman's head clock. You say, nothing new, sunny little tales. That is, whatever happened, happened, but why to go back again to the limitations to the slavery of women?

Where are most of Muslim men in this moment? They fight, in Africa, the Middle East and make attacks worldwide. How can, why the world accept this?  What again is set in Muslim lands? New state - ISIS or  killing machine? While you kill in the name of fanaticism, who pays? The expensive price is paid from women and children, mothers who mourn for their lost sons.        

We finish this year with 51 Ml people refugees of whom the majority are women and children, the victim of religious bigotry, what do you think of that?     Can we count the depth in the World, their victims?

  We started with the clothes and we came to the brutal truth, Muslims are subject to mutual destruction and the most expensive price is paid by those with the burkes and their children, until when?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stolen toy

I really feel like a kid whose new toy was stolen. Actually, my toy is my travelling to Israel and Dubai. I have so many thoughts to share about the live of Jewish and Palestinians and what? Everything broke down.

 

Is it possible to convince people how many nice things were created on the past and now among the arid desert of the Arabian Peninsula, when again and again, the most blood was shed? This is their own blood and that of their children. Their own cities, where they have to live with their children were ruined. The farms that supposed to feed their families were burned. Bitterness and vengeance have altered the eyes of so many fighters for "faith" that soon these lands do not remain faithful. Is there a universal belief? Who has rights to punish "crooked believers"? Who gives us the right to be judgmental?

What luck we had to sneak in a lull and see what the Palestinians and the Jewish do, if they not fight. And why, the first, is this fight? How many times I'm asking this question and I'm not the only one. The history gives the answers, but they depend on who, when and why  wrote them. Everyone chooses those who supports his cause. Join point of course is that these lands are populated longer from Jewish and Palestinians, as well from Romans and neighboring Empires. Convenient summary, which is close to the facts of the millennium.

That is why the event, which I want to tell begins and ends with the reign of the cruel, selfish King Herod. Something remind you of that name, or the expression "evil like Herod? He is the son of a highly placed officer of the Roman Jewish ancestry (74/73 BC)  With the help of the Roman Senate, he became the King of Israel for 37 years. His name remains for generations connected with building of significant architectural monuments such as the Temple of Herod in Jerusalem nearly destroyed later, the fortresses Hedorium and Masada.  Imagine, he and Cleopatra had a monopoly on the asphaltum deposits in the Dead sea, which help a lot in building fleets.

If you're known as one of the most brutal rulers, who among other evils is ordered  the murder of 14000 innocent children in Bitleem, out of fear for his throne, who killed his own wife and child, then you won't be wondering why he had 2,000 people personal security. You won't be wondering that when relations with Rome worsen to extreme, King Herod ran in the fortress Masada.

I wonder if someone from modern rulers has surpassed Herod in self-protection? Whether if any protection has the power to keep them from what bed rulers deserved?

Masada is one of many archaeological monuments, which are supposed to show us the meaninglessness of the wars. King Herod, roman, accepts Jewish faith because he wanted to become King of Israel, but with the support of the occupiers. Later he had started war with them. What is its cause? Why exactly, he and many like him led people to war? Is the protection of the throne and crown their "high politics". Is this all the intrigue in the world, so thousands of people are dying?

I wonder, how can there be a “higher policy” in the World, and there is no overriding “global wisdom”? If it is a stalemate of unresolved  problems, then  it is better to talk about the traveling experience, for flowers, for birds of love, for everything else that makes people happy. Why should we put the finger on the exact spot where it hurts the most, it is better to drive around. We need a distraction, but In my “distraction” there are quite a few rocks. I will tell you something about the place – Masada (Fortress). Herod went there when Jerusalem become very "hot" for him in, even though there was no shadow under the scorching sun among the rocks of desert.. There he spent the last years of his life, in the siege of the Romans. Those`, who 3-4 decades ago gave him the Jewish crown.

 

We are on the road to Masada. The greenery around us is over, after the bus left the Jerusalem’s outskirts. The highway crosses the infinite white plain. On one side elevates  equally white high mountain plateaus. Here there are oases of Jewish kibbutzim.  It turned out that these groups do not differ too much from former Soc-collective  farms, but only the idea. Do you remember French philosopher Jan Jack Russo? But everything is divided according the work people do. If you need something extra, then the General Assembly decides. Residents gather every evening on the report and the design for the next day. Moreover, children live in hostels apart from fathers and mothers and spend too little under parental custody.  This was for a more effective protection of children in the attacks.

Great! So, this is the way to do good and strong people. O, yes only if you start your preparedness from childhood you may resist intense years in these wars? Maybe the discipline with which they are bred  contributes  to a surprisingly high standard of living in Israel, until recently. Unfortunately, the wars and the incoming Palestinians who together with Israeli nationality, receive unemployment progressively drain the country.

 

Masada was founded in the 1st century BC. by Alexander Janneus on a vast plateau near the Dead sea. It has a natural slope to the sea, and this has enabled the defenders to collect  pelting in huge underground reservoirs. In other similar repositories was stored their food. So the defenders of the fortress  resisted there 3 years of siege. The plateau was only 400 meters above sea level, but long was impregnable for the opponents.  Finally, 10,000 Roman army built an enormous trestle, which got to the plateau. The defenders, 960 cikarii (zioni), headed by Herod suicide and only women and children left alive.

 

Alexander Janneus and later Herod have created big and luxurious settlement. The fortress with all its reception halls, the Throne Hall, patios and sleeping accommodations were arranged on three terraces, one below the other, along the edge of the slope. The wind even now carries the freshness of the sea, although it is catches a few miles away. Little remains for us, despite the efforts at excavations in the 1960 's. However, it is enough to make us wander how in such a place at the former technique level were built marble halls, bathrooms and even a swimming pool on the middle of the desert.

 

I walked away from the band, so I can imagine the white walls of the three main buildings, sparkling in blue sky. It is the only one that has not changed. I have imagined the worried defenders, who knew that their end is coming.  I could see down into the plain eager Roman soldiers. I thought, if the war can be a good thing, which is more acceptable, their primitive, denouncing the enemy of slow death, or modern our instantaneous dealing with opponents?

 Our guide shows very thoroughly all that's left of the distant centuries and how it is protected now. Posters and three-dimensional shapes help us implement the idea of the fortress and the small village of servants.

 

I don't want to get a lift back. This place is like halfway between heaven and Earth. I look up, shoreless blue sky,  down - valley full of white, yellow and brown overlays of dolomite. Forward the gaze is lost in the blue of the Dead sea. A nice breeze and the spirit invites me to stay longer. What songs were sang the erstwhile inhabitants.

 

 

The blue Dead sea invites us, it is our next goal. In minutes, we come to the humble beach complex.  Once the picture has been another, medical sanatoriuns and hotels were scattered along the coast, but the withdrawal of the sea for miles  has destroyed their business. We stop at a nice shopping center, with regular commercial stores and restaurants.   A small path leads to the sea.
 

      I wonder how some tourists haven’t gone in the water, at least out of curiosity. There is also another attraction – black healing mud, thrown down in a pile right on the sand. Around it, like Devils lurking black, shiny bodies. I coated from head to toe for the first time in my life and I went timidly in the water. Nothing special, you don't feel a difference, try to swim, it's even easier. They told us to keep the eyes and nose out of the water, of course that I put on doubt, but why you should keep your head higher than your body? If I kick twice I can restore my balance. No, not kicking helps, but the surrounding people reacted quickly. I apologized telling that maybe my very heavy head irresistibly pulls down ....If this head weighs that much… it might be smart?

Here's a new method for measurement of brain weight, my patent. .