Postscript The Way It Is

 "The more you can increase of fear of drugs, crimes, welfare mothers, imigrants and aliens, the more you can control all of the people." Noam Chomsky.  "Every saint has a past and every sinner a future."  "I don't want to go to heaven, none of my friends are there."  Oscar Wilde.  "Only he, who himself enlightened, is not afraid of shadows." Emanuel Kant.   "If you act like a rotten plumb, bats will eat you." Ubuntu African Proverb.   "Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy, or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell." Elif Shafak.                          Threat of extreme bad weather in parts of Tunisia, hard rain, flooding, storm, in Tunis, as well as in the the south and Kebili, near Kairouan. Friends warned us it might effect us as well. I worried if we can't leave the house, have we got enough food in the house for our cats (shops were closed for several days because of Eid Al-Fitr)? So far we have been lucky, I would hate to see our little treasures starving. As for me, lately I keep getting stomach ache every time I eat something, so I won't need much. It can only get better. Watched from the roof a lovely little kitten, still very young, walking on the pavement, trying to attract the attention of a man. Didn't work. Then the tiny darling decided to walk across a street crossing. Two cars arrived, almost meeting, the kitten disappeared. Was it dead? Miracle, not flattened on the tar, but there seems to be something wrong with its back legs. A passing man saw this, showed empathy, picked up the poor little sweetheart and placed it on top of the small shelter in front of my house. So I went outside and took the tiny feral treature inside, in spite of full house (felling exhausted in every respect). The beauty got long, mainly white hair, with a bit of black and golden-yellow. It turned out to be female. I named her Aicha. Took her for a check -up to the veterinarian. No leg broken, but suffering from the traumatic accident. In order to repair the effected muscles the vet prescribed Vitamin B (Tetra B) one quarter for a few days plus less than a quarter of Toledine, a pain killer designed for cats. Glad it exists, those tablets for humans aren't really suitable, can even be deadly. Anyhow, gorgeous Aicha was well received by our big family and quickly found friends, not just among our other 3 kittens. She receives a wash from some adults. My only displeasure, Aicha does "her business" in front of the toilet, not inside. But eventually she will probably learn from the other cats the correct way. We live in a neighborhood with several very inconsiderate folks. They like to pass on their problem with too many cats (spay and neuter would be a solution) to others, e. g. to us. If we try to explain that we reached our absolute limit (presently more than 30), they won't listen and just leave their cat babies in front of our door, near a street crossing. I know a woman with a simular experience and when she just couldn't take more, she secretly moved house. Anyhow, this morning I sadly discovered 4 lovely, poor kittens, approx. 4 weeks old, placed in my temporary shelter, designed for adult cats that perhaps need protection against heavy rain, or just a bit of rest because of a slight injury following a fight (happened a few times). Folks who shamelessly dump their "feral problem" on others can not wash their hands in innocence, whatever dire hardship their kittens or adult kicked out cats have to endure, they remain responsible!!! I explained to a group of females students why I can't take additinal cats inside and that it is irresponsible to place kittens, especially very young ones, in front of my house, where there is a cross road, a group of stupid youngsters performing there acrobatics on motorbikes, and also love to speed as if we got a racing track here, plus up to often rude 22 kids. Besides, Prophet Mohamed loved cats and taught that Allah wants us to have empathy with animals and rewards those who do with empathy in return. Some time later young ladies arrived and took 3 of the lovely long haired kittens to offer them a new home. So one little treasure remained. While I was wondering whether she would be okay on her own, a pretty young girl appeared and told me she would love to have the kitten. Wow, great experience, I felt happy and full of hope. Nonetheless I checked in the morning and the following days whether any of the kittens were returned  (parents perhaps causing problems). It looks promising and hopefully it's a win-win situation. Scientists say having a pet is good for children, they learn empathy, responsibility and that animals have a lot of love for humans. A young woman phoned and declared she intends to bring me 2 adult cats for a month while she's abroad. I replied that I can't take any more cats and even my ferals don't want our big family to extend further. They would fight and the situation is getting too much for me, after all 30 is really a lot. She advised me:  "If you have 30 another 2 won't matter." Amazing logic. I forgot to remind her that she already brought 5 in the past. (2 died plus another one already very sick on arrival. ) Further, one of these, a lovely tomcat (Alien) hates another tomcat (Ricardo) in my house, they threaten each other daily and if I don't arrive quickly actually fight fiercely. I may add both were a few years ago spayed and  neutered. Anyhow, she arranged a time to visit me on the next day. She didn't turn up though, and didn't phone. One day later she phoned and suggested another date. But again didn't come and didn't phone, this is called here "Rendez-vous Arabe". Surprise, surprise, next day she decided to actually come (?) with her 2 cats, at least this what she told my husband over the phone. I took the whole event as a warning that the lady is unreliable and it's risky to accept "one month only."  After all, no one who ever brought me cats returned to ask if I need help of any kind or to pick up their pet again as previously promised. So I decided this time not to answer the phone. By the by, several of my cats are sick and I keep on taken one or two to the veterinarian, even when I am not well myself. Keeps me "off the road" as the British say. My biggest worry: one day no longer being capable to support my big family of ferals. 

The Way it is

 "The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." "I was never aware of any other opinion but to question everything." Noam Chomsky.  "Agreeing with a fool is like giving a drunkard keys to the distillery." Ubuntu African Proverb. "Rats will never mourn the death of a cat."  Chewa Proverb.                                                                             My "woman - power" feral daughter,  Fleur, returned. She found that none of those handsome admirers courting her, could offer her a house like the one she already got and besides, there is nothing like "hotel vice-mummy." Guess I better try to stay fit and healthy so I can provide a good service to my spoiled kids. Minusa's ancestors lived in a palace and only the royal family was allowed to keep this beautiful Siamese cat with those unusual brilliant blue eyes. She is a bit of a princess, not always easy going but after all she comes from a high class family, neither we nor any of our neighbors had forefathers living in a palace! Unfortunately exotic cats and dogs are in fashion, breeding for this special demand led to "a flooding" of e. g. Siames cats and they loosing value. Sadly several even end up as "strays", unable to sell because of not perfect markings, kicked out for convienence, to save money necessary for medical treatments, or when their owners got tired of "their feral toys". I joke:  If you are not high class, at least your cat should be........   - Tunisia takes third place in the Arabic world reference food wasting (after Egypt and Morocco). Much is due to subsidized bred which is only nice while still very fresh and in addition there is an insufficient preserving tradition. My mother taught her children that wasting food is a sin. In many countries recipes exist for surplus bred (scroll down on my blog and you can find several). We use a toaster to refresh bred, this is though, unfortunately not available to all. We prefer bred from the bakery, more expensive but worth it if you can afford other bread than the in ex- French colonial countries so common white flour baguettes (or Arabic bred). If it didn't rain last night in parts of Sousse than it must be 'water - wasting - day' today. Bad habits die hard. The water monopoly belongs to Sonnet. In order to save money they employ students to read the external water meter. There is a saying that if you want to pay peanuts you end up with employing monkeys. Anyhow, in our experience these students are not exactly dedicated but interested in getting the job done as quickly as possible. For the second time we ended up with much too figures. My husband was advised to pay nevertheless the stated amount or the water will be cut off. It will take time to check the correct consumption, even though we presented our present reading for comparison. The gentleman in the office kindly offered that  should the issued bill turn out to be too high, then the difference will be deducted from future charges. Hopefully folks with very low income don't have simular experiences. - One of our local "stand - man - motorcycle boys" (riding his motorbike with one wheel in the air and in wavy lines like a drunkard) is only approx 14 years old and now occasionally lets a 4 year old kid sit behind him. A  woman remarked that it is dangerous here, the parents should stop this. After all we have a few elderly folks and lots and lots of children in the neighborhood. I replied their parents don't seem to be able to cope. One father said he would take away the motorcycle and sell it. Sounds like a solution, but actually nothing happened. A minor accident happened the other day, a boy on a motor scooter hit a motorcycle with 2 men on it. These were not amused, one of the 2 guys got so angry he wanted to beat the boy even though nobody got injured and there was almost no damage. Luckily the other man held him back. The boy looked shocked. Close to the end of Ramadan and a long break, up to 6 days including weekend, thus reduced income for shope keepers etc. Usually children get new clothes for Aid El Fitr, fairly expensive, even more so for large families. I would personally go to the flea market. Before the revolution the quality of clothes sold there was very low. Nowadays one can find also new items from expensive shops in Europe. Occasionally I even discovered some with a price tag still attached. The advantage of the other second hand clothes is that  hazardous substances often used by the producers (in the colour, to preserve) are already washed out. 

Myriam, once living on a Mosque compound, had a car accident, the vet discovered a broken jaw and the poor girl also lost an eye. For several years now she belongs to my big family. 

All my Perls and Diamonds

" Don't think money does everything or you end up doing everything for money. " " Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. " "Truely, whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." "Cheerish those who seek the truth, but be aware of those who find it." Voltaire.  "Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes."  "A good friend will always stab you in front."  Oscar Wilde.                           Being accustomed to welcome 12 to 15 visitors to my Cats's Table I was shocked to only see two this morning, a little later another three turned up, one running from some distance, viewed him right at the end of a long road. What happened? Knowing that this here is not exactly a paradise for cats (and dogs), I worry and checked several times later whether some little treasures perhaps overslept. Did not look like it, only a lovely gentle puppy appeared. His chance to enjoy a bit of saved sausage. Minusa, Salvador, (more or less Siamese beauties) and heavy weight boy Ricardo had to pay an urgently needed visit to our veterinarian - dentist, discolored theeth and red gum. Happy to see them in a much better shape afterwards and to be advised that suddenly appearing black spots on the gum or even black gum is not a sign of any illness. Minusa and dainty Salvador are now receiving Antibiotics on account of an infection. Riccardo is feeling fine, thank heavens.  Black beauty, Masud, wants to "eat out" and thinks the croquettes fed in another room are more tasty, though actually taken from the same 20 kg bag. Not feeling well I went to bed after breakfast. When my husband wanted to check how I am, Malek joint him, sneaked into the bedroom and greeted me like a long lost friend. So much pure love!!! Those who don't like pets miss out on such a lot. Feral light orange-golden coloured gentleman, Nikola, never gets angry. He allows others to snatch his piece of sausage and when he gets attacked he just closes his eyes, when threatened just walks away. Unlike several kids in the neighborhood (plus some adults) he certainly doesn't require an anti-aggression training. While I was lying sick in bed young girls were calling me, "Madame, Madame, Madame.....". It sounded urgent and got me worried that they discovered a cat in stress. But then they demanded "Bonbon, Bonbon, Bonbon" (sweets). I remained quiet and of course did not attempt to get up. Next I heard stones thrown against the metal fencing of our house. My husband was shocked, he had thought stone throwing would be just be a specialty of not very bright boys. Looks like there is no longer a big difference between the behaviour of boys and girls here, at least as far as kids of families are concerned that tend to keep a distance from education (as little reading as possible, no books in the house apart from school books temporarily). For a short spell (too expensive in the long run) I bought fairytale books and presented those to the children here, hoping they would discover the beauty of books. In addition I hope to teach them respect for animals. They do watch me and occasionally comment on my special relationship with ferals, which is new to them. One women looked astonished at a guest to my Cats' Table and explained: "This is my cat. What is he doing here?" Then she picked up the little beauty and carried him to a house in the neighborhood. By the way, now 12 cats again attend my Cats' Table, so I needn't have worried about their well-being, though, of the regular 4 more or less completely white cats only 2 returned. I had offered shelter to pretty brown-black Fleur with blond streaks because she was pregnant. She mainly lived in one of the 2 wooden pet houses on the roof terrace. After she had her kittens and finished feeding them, I missed the appropriate time to get her spayed and neutered. So she decided one day spring is a good time to enjoy the freedom of the road, an opportunity to get as often "engaged" as she feels fit. Fleur now just returns for meals (she really loves her sausage, locals call it Salami) and if need be she can always make use of one of my outside shelters. Beautiful little darling, I respect her wish and I am always happy to see her being well. 

Postcript Not Always What You Expect

 "Be yourself everyone else is already taken."  "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." Oscar Wilde.  "Comman sense is not so common."  "Every man is guilty of the good he did not do."  "Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are missable."  "Think for yourself and let others enjoy the priviledge of doing so too."  Voltaire. "Don' t do to others what you don't want to be done to you." German Proverb    My lovely Malcom X loves the croquettes and in particular the sausage I provide for my little treasures in- doors and at my Cats' Table, being able to walk again approximately one week ago he disappeared after eating his food and did not re-appear when I called him. Did this several times in vain. Seemed he may have gone back to where he came from. Since he was not undernourished when kids brought him to me following his accident, I hoped the gentle boy may have a family, a garden, a house, more or less for himself, as he doesn't like the company of many cats. In any case, Malcom knows my house and feeding times. Well, this morning Malcolm returned, not in perfect shape, patches of tar and sticking pebbles on his back thigh and tail. I offered him his favourite food and manged to remove a lot with a brush and cats' shampoo. Not at all a pleasant procedure for the poor darling. He demonstrated this by biting my hand - without injuries to my skin. Not sure how he managed this, (done it before) my special honey. Malcolm was feeling tired, may be had to do a lot of walking, so he decided to rest in his box, like he did in the past. I was happy my lost son was okay and returned to his foster mum. - Strange, bananas sold in Tunisia are not an African product but come from the same middle/south American countries as those in Europe. Comparing prices makes you wonder why they are more expensive here. For a while actually quite expensive, up to 15 Dinar a kg. The government arranged that 200 tons are supplied by Morocco, to be sold at 5 Dinar during Ramadan, according to Internet. All we found were offered at 9 Dinar and 

for a couple of days none at all, then again sold at 9 Dinar per kg.

Found on the internet, don't let this be our Ramadan!!! 

Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely sunny day and so did 2 kids on a motorbike, naturally without a safety helmet (pretty rare item here) and even top-less, hopefuly their skin works well as an air bag...... Among the ignorant not just the environment but also road safety is not much of an issue. Kids are seldom advised not to overstep a certain line. A case of try and error, learning by doing? Adoption appears to be handed in the open, I know of some kids that have been adopted. Do I need to know? Don't think so, wonder how the concerned kids feel, inferior because their parents didn't want them, or wondering whether these were no good? One youngster is playing mad, his foster dad doesn't know how to handle him. If I had adopted a child I would say: "You are very special, chosen. Love at first sight." As a teenager I admired Josephine Baker. She adopted a large number of children from different nations and taught them tolerance, you are all equal, the colour of your skin is of no importance. Instead of adopting children I ended up as a foster mum for numerous beautiful homeless cats of all colours. -There was a time when it was of great importance to have many children. Not all lived long, all too often died at a very young age. The survivors  were a kind of old age aid and protection. Nowadays it is mainly the poor who have big families and the more educated tend to have just one or two kids. At the same time folks live longer. This resulted in several, mainly European countries, but also those like Japan, having a population of predominantly eldery citizens. With other words, their economy and social services require young immigrants to fill vacant posts. In Germany 60,000 foreign doctors are presently working and still not all doctors who wish to retire because of old age can hand over their practice to a successor, in particular in the countryside (less attractive place for academics). The Dean of Tunisian engineers declared: "Tunisia annually gifts about 650 Billion to economies of foreign countries."  "Brain drain, 6,500 engineers leave Tunisia annually after finishing their university education. Approximately 100,000 Dinars are spend on education." This means not just a big economic and financial loss, but also missed chances for local innovations. And it is not just engineers. So rich countries profit on a big scale, it allows them to quickly fill important, profitable posts, save time and investments. Shouldn't they in return compensate the often poor countries who shouldered the enormous costs? Sadly it is not just the educational expenditures that cause a big problem to poorer countries, the situation is even much worse concerning the exodus of e. g. Tunisian physicians. Khemaies Zeyed, the president of the Tunisian Union of Free Exercise Physicians stated that in 2023 there were 1,325 young doctors leaving the country while between 400 and 500 graduate each year. "Currently the majority of doctors operating in hospitals are 50 years old or older." One can easily work out when this drain of medical men will lead to a collapse of the health system if nothing is done quickly to make Tunisia more attractive and a good reason to stay. It is not mainly a question of low pay, but circumstances like badly equipped hospitals, the quality of infrastructure, the environment in general and security that make others countries like France, Germany more attractive. Those who leave and maybe decide to return one day are hopefully welcomed with open arms, which in my experience is often not what expats encounter, but rather a lot of envy,  little understanding and appreciation of  support given to Tunisia while abroad (e. g. money sent to relatives) and now on return. I don't want to grumble, not all is bad, we met some great folks and discovered gorgeous gentle cats who definitely appreciate our presence. 

Not Always What You Expect

Malcolm X

Discovered in town center

They love to cuddle together

 "The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifférent to them that's the essense of inhumanity." "I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig." George Bernhard Shaw.  "It is not just children who are fobbed off with fairy tales."  Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (Nathan der Weise). "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will speak the truth." Oscar Wilde. "The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom." Voltaire.                       It is spring and we enjoy a kind of April weather thus often all 4 seasons in a day. The wind can be rather cold or warm, coming from the dessert. I prefer the warm version. Tomcat Carlo likes to jump on my husband's back (his taxi). Hubby complains about the sharp claws digging in. I advise him he's lucky, had he been born during the Middle Ages in the middle of Europe and folks saw this, they would believe he's a witch and burn him together with the poor cat. Witches appeared to be ideal scapegoats during those dark times but like nowadays history sooner or later brought the truth to the light. Anyhow, the price was high, killing many cats allowed an escalation of rats and the rats' fleas spread pestilence. Unaware of the source and not knowing how to treat this horrendous sickness millions of people died a terrible death. Yes, cats do a bit of pest control, e. g. they hunt and kill cockroaches, but they don't eat them. - Big surprise, butter appeared on sale again. A choice of either 50 g or 200 g, the latter at a price of 6,630 Dinar, and a notice that customers shouldn't take more than 2 packs  (at such a prize easy to accept). Milk and sugar appear from time for a few hours in some supermarkets. Otherwise one can find sugar (too much of it for my taste) in many products or on the black market. Rice is presently available. The price of bananas is more reasonable now, as promised by the government.  Milk and sugar are sold again in Kairouan. When you see a big que in or in front of a supermarket it will be because of those 2 items. - Cats are amazing. Lovely Malcolm X not long ago close to death, is doing fine. He walks, knows his name and comes when I call him. My blind boy Lulu has lost a bit of weight, being disadvantaged at feeding time, I must ensure he gets his share of food. Unlike blind humans Lulu doesn't require a walking stick or aid dog. In the beginning I worried that my house may not be suitable for him, too many obstacles. But nobody was willing to adopt a blind cat. Well, Lulu conquered my heart and I wouldn't dream of giving him away! No chance! Near my door I discovered this morning 2 large pieces of puff pastry filled with big chunks of chocolate. I guess an adult or child left this there for hungry cats, meaning well. But neither all medicine designed for humans nor all food is suitable for animals, but can be rather dangerous. Unfortunately consuming chocolate is even deadly for cats and dogs. I am glad I found the pastry in time and thus managed to put it in the bin. Cats wouldn't have necessarily touched it here, in particular as I offer them croquettes instead, but a little later a white puddle appeared looking for something to eat. I got him a larger piece of sausage. One of the cats I fed a few minutes earlier, tried to steal it of him. I managed to prevent it, " telling her not to be so greedy". -  Kids asked me whether I do Ramadan. I take it as a compliment that I look young and healthy as the elderly and sick are excempt from fastenings. Anyhow, Ramadan has started, this holly month is a very sad time this year. Of 1200 mosques in Gaza, many historic, only 200 are not damaged or destroyed. I hope and pray for an end to the fighting.  My prayer:  Oh Lord have mercy, silence the weapons of war, let there be food, clean water, medicine and shelters. Enlighten those in power. Punish those who commit war crimes. 

Mother Madona and daughter Lady Gaga

We need a lot of empathy and love to heal the wounds and traumatised children. - 

 

Postscript Times are A Changing

 "The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of convidence." Charles Bukowski.  "I don't trust anybody any more, not even myself." Joseph Stalin.  "Loyalty to countries always.  Loyalty to governments only when they deserve it." George Washington.  "When you destroy someone's life with lies, take it as a loan, it will come back to you with interest."  Mercy Guinita.                          Last week kids from the neighborhood brought me in the evening an adult black and white cat, lying on a flattened cardboard box and totally soaked in water. They said the cat got hit by a speeding car and couldn't walk due to a broken leg. The children thought the feral may be one of my cats (tried to cross the road towards my house) and if not, asking me for help would be the best choice around here when taking the cat to a vet is out of question, without money (parents wouldn't or couldn't pay) and after working hours. Well, the cat wasn't one of mine, but he may have occasionally visited my Cat's Table. I couldn't detect any injuries, perhaps under shock or with bad luck internal injuries. First of all I tried to dry the poor darling as far as he would let me, then I took him to one of my small outdoor shelters and gave him half of a pain killing pill for animals (bought from my vet). He was non-aggressive just warning not to mess with him, even though he's sick. My husband and I decided to take him to the vet the next morning for a check up. It turned out that luckily nothing was broken, but unfortunately injured spine a possibility. An x-ray could clarify this (too expensive for me at present), but with a bit of luck his condition is just the result of the tomcat's traumatic experience, or a nerve effected. I got a prescription for 15 days medication and we hope for the best. At the vet's the poor darling actually couldn't walk, he was just crawling fast on the floor. A very sad sight. He received injections on 3 consecutive days. Not knowing the little treasure's name I decided to call him Malcolm X. (The famous Malcolm used the X because he didn't know his actual surname since his ancestors had the misfortune to be kidnapped from somewhere in Africa and sold as slaves. These were given the surname of their slave holders.). Kids playing football in front of my house. One young lad lying on the street holding his tummy, obviously in pain, probably hit by a ball. The other children ignoring him. So I told them that they are not good friends of their playmate. (I have seen simular scenarios before.) The addressed looked shocked, why did I say that? I explained that real friends would stop playing and ask: "Are you okay? Do you need help?" One boy repeated my words and offered him a hand to get up. This he managed to do and then told me : "I am fine, I am strong, I am Tunisian." Good to know. - A woman from Kairouan informed us that couples have been seen kissing underneath the meanwhile big tree I planted a few years ago. She suggested felling the tree in order to avoid such unruly behaviour. I was actually shocked. Trees are important to reduce air pollution and in addition they reduce the temperature in towns, a significance matter in view of climate change and rising temperatures. I remember a time when towns like Kairouan and Sousse had quite a lot more trees. Wonder why they disappeared..... Among others, German and French people love their trees, they know their values and planting is promoted. In Paris e. g. additional woods are getting planted. Scientists worked out that plenty of trees reduce the temperature in town by 4 degree centigrade. Anyhow, we still have some wonderful trees here, planted in way that they built green roofs. Usually one can find benches underneath, offering a rest in the shade. My husband mentioned the good old days, when a 20 kg sack of croquettes would last for 6 weeks (now only 14 days at the umost), of course we had less cats then and less expenditures all together, in particular for medication and veterinarian treatments. This mend from time to time we could afford a holiday, visit a restaurant, a café. He feels our standard of living used to be higher. But on the other hand we now have the most beautful fural children in the world, even though beauty was never a criteria for adoption. By the way, tomcat Malcolm X no longer tells me to keep a distance, he actually allows me to cuddle with him. I feel rewarded. - Certain items are still difficult to obtain, or just more or less on the black market, like sugar, milk, rice, flour, even tea, coffee (a bit better, though at a higher price). Butter I haven't seen for maybe 2 years. I loved Arabic butter but enjoyed it with a bad conscience as the days of innocence are gone. As a child and for a while as an adult, I wasn't aware that only a cow with a calf would produce milk - not for us but for her baby calf. We "steal" the milk that adult humans actually don't need according to the evolution and in addition cows are forced to produce a maximum amount of milk (breeding and special food). Unfortunately I love dairy products like cheese and Joghurt. Otherwise I am vegetarian, (can't demand this from my cats) I love animals too much to eat them. - Recently another great man died, Alfred Grosser, writer, sociologist and politian. As a German jew he fled from the Nazis to France, gained French nationality and wrote several important books about the Nazis. He criticized what France did in Algeria as well as the treatment of Palestinians by Israel. Alfred Grosser, a human rights promoter, achieved a better understanding between German and French peoples. Don't we all bleed when injured? Humans and animals alike feel pain and suffer when hurt. A man asked, how can those who do the killing in a war sleep at night? Well, it's easier from a distance or when the enemy has been dehumanized. During the last world war a helicopter was shot down in a village in Germany. Residents rushed to the scene, wanting to know what the enemy looked like. Perhaps 2 horns on his head, looking like the devil? They were shocked to see instead a handsome young man. The famous Frantz Fanon worked during the French occupation in Algeria as a psychiatrist. He said that a man came to him, asking for help so he can lead a normal family life and not have nightmare in spite of torturing people during the day. Africa is a big continent with many resources. On acient maps Europe looks bigger. That is revealing, how European saw it at the time. With more solidarity in Africa we can achieve a lot. The African Union is a great organisation to promote this. I am happy to see Tunisia is a member. 

Times are A Changing

The water on the street is not rain water, but the result of residents using a hose to "clean" the street. 

 "Always forgive your enemies, nothing ennoys them as much."  "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."  "I am not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde.                     We enjoy lots of sunshine, feels like spring or even summer during the day and winter in the afternoon and at night. Still too little rain and at first from time to time, meanwhile daily, the household water gets shut off (at varied times, getting earlier and earlier and usually then lasting until the next morning.) Now at 1.30 p. m. already no water from the tap. Though ennoying in a way and it's surely not ideal to improve hygiene in the country, it is probably necessary since the water resource level is extremely low and ignorants love to use water hoses and seems to aim to create "swimming pools" on their street. I have seen it in many places. Occasionally I asked: "Is the beech too far for you?" Prices are rising yet again. Not easy to pay more for so many items., e. g. the 600 gram saucage I buy for my cats was sold for 2 Dinar a few years ago and now I have to pay 3,500 Dinar (price reduced after protest that 3,800 is simply too much), tinned kitten food I bought not so long ago for 5 Dinar is now sold for 7 Dinar. Unfortunately I need much as I don't want my little treasures to start a revolution. They love their croquettes (now of course also more expensive), in adition they are accustomed to have a bit of sausage in the morning as well, so do also the visitors to my Cats ' Table. My beautiful "children" thank me with lots of cuddles, purring and love. Sometimes cats talk while eating, sounds like "this is delicious." They are so sweet, couldn't live without them. Kittens are unfortunately often not strong when it comes to fighten off colds, flue and viruses. One day they may seem pretty fit and the next day suddenly pass away. Their immune system appears to be much weaker here than in Europe. In addition it is not very helpful if they are dragged away from their mother' loving paws at an too early age, a strange "custom" here among the lesser educated. I need  (but don't always feel very fit) to check daily the little ears, eyes (e. g. pus) noses, teeth and gums for parasites, possible signs of a virus, comb the lovely fur with a special flea comb. I learned a lot from my vet about how to treat minor problems. No time to get bored. Life would be easier if I had enough money to get my little ones vaccinated. At least most of the medicine they need is available here, with a bit of luck produced in the country. Imported items are not always available ("maktur"), some seem to get too expensive for the local market. Looking back, there is more available and often of better quality than before the revolution, but you can't always find what you want. 

I remember a time when one wouldn't view folks telephoning while driving because mobile phones didn't exist, when people were happy to ride a bike, no kids on a motorcycle polluting the air  just for fun. A smell as if there is a fire somewhere in the neighborhood. This can mean a barbecue, someone burning waste of any kind or simply motorbikes using cheap stinking diesel. Noone appears to worry about the harmful exhaust gas. Our hobby "standmen", youngsters riding their motorcycles with the front wheel in up in the air, continue their acts, one occasionally with a boy aged approx 12 years of age, sitting behind him., another one kneeling with one leg on the seat. They also like to ride in wavy lines, like someone drunk would. All of this on a street with traffic and usually kids playing football, our multiple purpose road. Nobody seems to take any interest and tries to stop this before a serious accident happens.