Some Of This And Some Of That

Lights back on finally at midnight here and blessed AC blasting away.It is now after dawn here in Tripoli , Saturday . I say Saturday because all day yesterday I thought it was Thursday .I opened my emails to find that so many of you have written comments of support in my crusade for the Libyan NTC to allow foreign spouses such as myself to have basic civil rights  in the NEW LIBYA as they are calling it .There are so many foreign wives and even a couple of husbands that are left feeling like a orphaned child when it comes to having the simplest rights taken for granted in other places around the world.Please NTC, don't forget us, we so deserve them.

A few reply's to several people that sent comments......
Son of Zwara : I can so relate to what you said about spouses being able to inherit in the USA . Moe and I owned joint property( our home) , businesses , cars, and each had individual checking accounts when we lived there . All of which he could have inherited if I had died. Would be so nice to have that here in Libya too . Moe has had several strokes ,has a bad heart and I am his main care taker even though he is independent and is able to do most things on his own . I still have to be with him almost 24/7 to make sure he is ok .But I can't inherit our apartment if something , God forbids, happens to him. It would go to our children.It makes me feel very insecure knowing that.You and your wife are so lucky to have one another.Moe and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in June.

Khedegah: Ah, my dear one , I have had you in my prayers almost daily and have wondered how you were.So glade to hear from you at long last . Happy to learn you are safe and sound in Ireland.I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of loved ones in your family here in Libya and will say prayers for them .Zlitan had it hard and our hearts go out to them .I hope you will be able to get your apartment back when you come back to Misurata. It was hit so hard and now parts of Tripoli are starting to remind me of that poor city. I still can't access your blog .Take care little one .

twilatexas : You know you are my favorite oldest niece and I love you too so much !!!!

Anonymous: Thank you so much for your kind thoughts . All the best to you Monica and Massud .

Pinky Tabor: Have thought of you and the kids so many times these last 6 months. Wondering if you were still there in the Philippines or had moved back here to Libya. If your family here were ok .So happy to hear from you ! Blessings little mother.

ibeebarbie: Believe it it not thoughts of you and Amira have entertained me many a time these last few months. I can't wait to get caught up and have continued access to the net to read what the two of you have been up to lately.Thank you for your prayers. The country needs them desperately

Now I have a few things to say about whats been going on here the last couple of days.My heart is breaking . I didn't think it was possible,for I had thought it was shattered beyond breaking anymore.I am seeing on CNN  and on Al Jezzera  things I dreaded and prayed would never come to pass.These are scary days here in Tripoli.I pray for wisdom ,intelligence,patience for the new government and the people.A swift resolution for an end to this conflict .I pray that this NEW LIBYA will become a shinning example for others to follow, but in order for that to happen it must have laws that are followed by all and not slip back into the old bad habits of he who has the most " wasta"( influence) wins.Or he who has the most guns wins.Keep us in your prayers.Counting our blessings , OTE.

The Real Saint Nicholas

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Turkish town cashes in on Saint Nick legacy By Ivan Watson, CNN STORY HIGHLIGHTS Hometown of the man who inspired the Santa Claus legend is in Turkey Muslim-majority Demre gets Christian and Orthodox tourists Santa Claus photos on sale alongside Saint Nicholas icons Shopkeeper Baris Yuksel: After lots of centuries we are earning money thanks to Saint Nicholas Demre, Turkey (CNN) -- The hometown of the man who inspired the legend of Santa Claus is a long way from the snow and arctic lights of the North Pole. The land Saint Nicholas is originally from rarely sees snowflakes -- it is a village of palm trees and orange groves on the Mediterranean Sea in what is modern-day Turkey. Nicholas, patron saint of sailors and children, lived and died there nearly 18 centuries ago. The legend of the 4th century bishop who gave gifts to the poor has spread since the earliest days of Christianity. Eventually, Saint Nicholas evolved from the bald and bearded man depicted in Orthodox icons -- dressed in long robes and clutching a bible -- to the more rotund and secular character of jolly old Saint Nick. Though Santa Claus is today inextricably intertwined with Christmas, hardly any of the residents of Saint Nicholas' hometown celebrate the holiday. Demre is an overwhelmingly Muslim town where the call to prayer periodically echoes from minarets over the sun-bleached stones of chapels and a sprawling Roman amphitheater that was constructed long before the days of Saint Nicholas. "Nobody celebrates Christmas here. It's interesting," said Baris Yuksel, speaking in his shop amid a sea of gold-framed icons of Saint Nicholas -- a man locals know here as "Noel Baba," or Father Christmas. Like many other residents of Demre, Yuksel grows and exports tomatoes from some of the many greenhouses that surround this small community. But in recent years he has also made a lucrative business selling images of Demre's most famous son to the hundreds of thousands foreign tourists who visit the Church of Saint Nicholas every year. "We are so happy with Saint Nicholas," Yuksel said. "After lots of centuries we are earning money thanks to Saint Nicholas." Demre's gratitude is evident in the town's official logo -- which features the familiar bearded face of Santa Claus -- and a bronze statue of a slimmer Saint Nicholas holding hands with two smiling children, which overlooks the central town square. The man behind the legend is believed to have died in Demre in 343 AD, when the city was then known as Myra and many of the inhabitants spoke ancient Greek. "Nicholas is a real man. He lived here and he died here, and he talked about Christianity in a widespread area," said Nevzat Cevik, a Turkish archaeologist unearthing history about one of the world's earliest Christian civilizations. Cevik said Nicholas of Myra was a Christian bishop, who is depicted in ancient engravings chopping down a tree that symbolizes the region's earlier pagan Roman religion. "He destroyed pagan temples also," Cevik said, referring to the Temple of Artemis, which is believed to have been razed to the ground on Nicholas' order. "They destroyed the pagan buildings ... and then they used the materials of those buildings to build their churches." As evidence, Cevik points to a 12th century Byzantine chapel his team recently discovered buried next to the house of an elderly Turkish man named Ahmet Gezer, whose bushy white beard was surprisingly Santa shaped. Part of the floor of the chapel is constructed out of stones pillaged from the sarcophagi of earlier pagans. After his death, Saint Nicholas was honored as a martyr. Cevik argues that his legend began to grow after it was retold by another Christian priest named Nicholas of Sion, who lived in the area more than 100 years after Saint Nicholas' death. Cevik theorizes that Christian believers began combining the stories of the two men named Nicholas. "After the 6th century AD, there are 2 Nicholases in one figure," Cevik said. "They come together and we know only one Saint Nicholas." In subsequent centuries, the tomb of Saint Nicholas became a place of pilgrimage for Christians traveling from around the Mediterranean Sea. Gradually, other European cultures adopted the popular saint, and added their own twists to his image. The Santa Claus we see today appears to have evolved out of a Scandinavian version of the saint, who was later popularized by 19th century American writers and U.S. companies like Coca Cola, which used Santa's image to promote their products. The mayor of Demre is a big fan of this contemporary Santa Claus, which some Turks refer to as the "Coca Cola Santa." "Indeed, he is something that the Americans invented," said Mayor Suleyman Topcu, "[but] he is nice and colorful." Topcu said he planned to put a big red Santa statue up overlooking the new street and beach he recently named after Father Christmas. But some of Demre's younger residents want to set the record straight on their town's most famous son. "He didn't have magic powers or flying reindeer. That's only in the cartoons," said 10-year old Habip Erdogan. His friend, Batuhan Katilimis, also 10, said: "He was a good man who gave gifts." No matter what version you believe in, everyone in Demre seems to agree -- it is the spirit of Saint Nicholas giving to those who are in need that is the legendary man's most enduring legacy.

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