Joy and Depression

 "A mad man does not know he is mad, but it is felt by others, same happens when someone is stupid." "Because a man has injured your goat, do not go out and kill his bull." "A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character."   Ubuntu African Proverbs.                Ramadan has ended. A nice tradition here is taking a plate full of food, usually couscous, to your neighbors and donating a little bit of money to the poor. So you can see folks walking to various houses with hot food in the evening after fasting all day during Ramadan. But Ramadan also means a lot less business, during the day cafés, restaurants and fast food facilities are closed, in the evening most folks eat at home with their families, banks and several shops, etc. work shorter hours. In addition not everybody copes well without food, gets a bit confused or falls sick unaware that their physical condition doesn't allow them to fasten. Not without reason elderly, sick people, pregnant women, travellers and children are exempt from fastening. During the 27th night of Ramadan angels are supposed to come down to earth, a very special night. Unfortunately those who lost their religion, have no love for their country, no respect for humans and animals, no empathy, just a lot of anger and aggression, blame others for their misery, take drugs, think this is a night to let out hate and revenge by killing innocent defenceless animals. An unknown number of such individuals got together and unfortunately managed with a lot of force to enter the cats' shelter of the Association RPA in Sousse, Port Elkantoui, in spite of high fencing and 40 strong expensive padlocks. It happed during the night, most cats must have been sleeping in what they considered a secure shelter. Many had suffered a difficult life before, threatened by disturbed stone throwing kids / youngsters and traffic, uncertainly of food, in addition often of  bad quality, kicked out off houses for convince, a tough life on the road. Innocently sleeping, expecting no bad, made them easy prey for those with evil intentions, torturing and killing them with stones. When the massacre ended 40 cats had lost their life, some cats manged to excape the horror, probably traumatised. The people in charge of the shelter and who work there are under shock. They cared for all those beautiful little treasures, fed them, looked after their health, got to know all those Habibis with their different characters, cuddled with them, enjoyed their love and gratitude, seeing them lying there, beaten to death, an absolute nightmare, difficult to stomach. The shelter is financed with donations from animal loving folks, including the Brigitte Bardo foundation, as far as I know, thus no money that was taken away from locals. Those (often women with roots in Europe or even US) who see the dire situation of cats and dogs here and feel forced to act, are frequently "advised" to help the poor instead. Is it envy? All bad I ever experienced came from humans, never from an animal (they don't lie, cheat, steal, use dirty tricks, start wars). Anyhow, cameras are installed near the RPA shelter and the videos should enable the police to trace, arrest and imprison the evil criminals. They are dangerous, it is a proven fact that those who abuse/kill animals often later in life commit simular crimes against humans (American survey on Death Row). Folks frequently believe that not  any animal protection laws whatsoever excist here, because so little action is taken. But that is often because of lack of knowledge, no money for lawyers and too little trust in the work of the police. Of course if you don't speak to the police then they can't act. Anyhow, we have got laws that can be helpful, but we urgently need stronger animal protection laws that should also make the ignorant understand the value of animal life, animals have feelings too and after all  Allah created them as well. By the way, the daily praised Prophet Mohamed loved cats and he advised: "Have sympathy with the animals on earth and then Allah will also have sympathy with you." It is also a proven fact that pets usually have a positive  effect on kids, they learn empathy, responsibility, solidarity, the meaning of true friendship, receive love and joy from their animal comrade. We need such kids, they grow up as good citizens that help create a great society. 

Postscript Come Rain or Sunshine

 "As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap the joy of love. Pythagoras ( C. 570 - C. 495 BC).     An ugly man does not look in the mirror, he is comfortable with his looks. Ubuntu African Proverb.                                                                                                                                Last night lovely Fleur gave birth to 4 sweet kittens, 1 grey and 3 resembling dark fur beautiful mummy. Fleur is a regular visitor to my Cats' Table and I couldn't miss noticing her pregnancy. I created a temporary shelter for her in good time. Previously she had her baby (only saw 1) between my plants and I also took them then inside. I did not have the money to prevent her falling pregnant again and there are at present another 2 cats in the same situation. Not sure where they sleep, but they visit my Cats' Table every day. I wish that I could do more for these poor innocent little treasures. Those who are poorly fed, lack vitamins, live under difficult circumstances and have a weak immune system, often fall sick and usually die young. Precious Mary (spayed and neutered) likes to  spend most of the day outside, usually next to or near our house (my guard cat) but at night sleeps  indoors. I noted her being in a bad mood and having problems with eating. She didn't allow me to check her teeth. So I had to leave this task to our veterinary. It turned out that her gum was in an extremely bad state and 5 tooth had to be removed. Poor darling, no chance of receiving false teeth..... Cats are amazing, they can cope fairly well with hardly any teeth. Wales, though, don't need a dentist - just as well - they grow a large number of spare teeth, a third row. Humans could do with the same solution, but it would leave dentists bredless. Still, I'd wish their charges would be as low as that of vets. ( I keep postponing my visit.) - Christmas mail from U. K. reached me after 4 months, of my X-mas cards sent to Germany only 1 was delivered, after 2 months. Lots of other mail also disappears, it's worse than ever, but I am pretty sure it's not our postman's fault. SONET (water supply) try to save water by cutting the supply every night now. STEG (electricity and gas) have increased their prices  close to European levels. Heavens know how folks manage to pay in view of general rising costs. Still, electricity bills include also the consumption by street lights, as far as I know. Nowadays scientists and environmental aware citizens regard too much and too bright street as well as other outdoor lights as air pollution. Nighttime glow of artifical light causes big problems for humans, insects, birds and other wildlife, and in general the environment. Artifical light contributes to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it also interrupts human sleep and obscures the night sky. Light pollution is like noise pollution a form of waste energy. It degrates the environmental quality and effects also the daylight air pollution. Unfortunately there appears to be very little awareness here of the aforementioned. The street lights are very bright and we have too many of them. Whenever the one opposite our house is defect, we enjoy a bit of natural darkness, less noise and a good night sleep. - Two days ago Carrefour sold sugar again. A sack full caused a que, one employee filing a kg or a bit more in a plastic bag, weight and labeled by another and then quietly handed to customers, one bag

each as long as the stock lasted. Though there doesn't seem to be a shortage of milk only 2 packets are presently sold per person. Strawberries are fairly cheap, but in my opinion sugar needs to be added for more flavour. Since last year we have a new quality of strawberries, less waste because they are less soft, but this has also reduced the flavour. I guess it's like with the roses, those looking perfect have lost their lovely scent. At long last we had a bit of rain, but require more. In Algeria a Mosque had an unexpected visitor. A cat jumped on an arm of the Imam leading the Ramadan prayers, climbed on his shoulder and decided to kiss him. The beautiful video can be viewed on BBC World Africa, a message sent from heaven. 

Come Rain or Sunshine

 "Be kind to every kind, not just mankind. Just like you and I animals are souls trying to survive." Mohamed Salah     "Truth doesn't mind being questioned but a lie doesn't like being challened."  "No man born to be wicked, but man makes man to be wicked."  Ubuntu African Proverbs       Ramadan has started, but a bit different this time. Not every food item is easily available (e. g. sugar and milk) or often quite expensive (e. g. coffee and meat) . According to the radio there is shortage of bred in Tunis. I hope it won't last long, cheap available bred (highly subsidized in poor countries) is the one item that ensures that no one remains starving. During Ramadan and therefore late meals kids and youngsters roam the streets most of the night. Yesterday a group of 20 children and teens got together, screaming as if bitten by scorpions and running around like mad, mainly in front of our door unfortunately. If these kids are living in good families that really care much  for their children, I would be very surprised. Neglected kids have a very bad start in life, most of their time out on the street, grown up not to respect anyone and adults excusing their bad behaviour with: "They are children." Various expats I talked with expressed their disappointment with the new generation, poor manners, their changed values (ME- First), less solidarity and empathy, in addition all too often living above their means (expensive smartphones and cars). But of course not all are like that, thank heavens. I recall a time when folks could only afford an egg once a week, were happy to possess a bike, nowadays roads are congested with big new cars (more or less paid off in installments) and noisy motorcycles creating black smelling clouds. Apart from "silent hours" I miss the absolutely charming, brilliant North African smile. In my neighborhood I see instead several depressed guys, some also mentally handicapped. In Germany I obtained a diploma as "Occupational Contact Person" for the later, to help them stay in employment. I noted that mentally handicapped persons in Germany are generally in a much better mood than in Tunisia, but of course here unfortunately less support can be provided. In Germany larger firms are legally bound to employ a certain percentage of handicapped persons. Those who don't have to pay a fine for every month this is the case. That money is used to finance aids of various types for severial handicapped individuals. - Sugar still remains a rare commodity, a large hidden stock of bananas has been recently discovered, first strawberries are on sale, bananas imported from South of America (don't they grow in Africa?) are offered at a presently lower price, but quickly disappear. At varied times the water supply is blocked at night until 6 or even 10 o'clock in the morning. Pipes are rinsed daily. We suffer a water shortage, insufficient rain, like in many other countries. Pity, not everybody understands yet the need to save water. My feral family drinks a lot, seems to be much more than the visitors to my Cat's Table. One morning I discovered that Fritz could no longer walk, his hind legs were lame and he dragged himself to the toilet. Suspecting a slipped disc (in the past this occurred to our Baxter, but unlike Fritz he screamed with pain), we took him to our vet. He suggested to get an x-ray. To our surprise the spine of our tomcat was perfectly okay, so the physical problem could only be caused by the brain. Fritz moaned with pain a few times, refused to eat and drank a lot of water. On the way to the vet the next morning he expressed pain, not very loud and we thought that he will soon be better. We got a shock when we opened the transport box, our little treasure had passed over the rainbow. He had suffered a stroke and in the end did not survive. In order to make sure that the diagnosis was correct and he did not die instead of a perhaps contagious illness (e. g. silent rabbies), though we considered this highly unlikely, we agreed to have his corpse sent to Tunis for deeper examination. After a week it was confirmed that a stroke killed our poor Fritz, who had been living with us for 3 years, ever since an elderly German lady appeared and asked us to take him indoors for  4 - 6 weeks. She said her brother will then turn up and take him to Germany. She once more turned up to bring some food and that was the last I heard of her or her brother. Maybe she did actually intend to offer Fritz a new life in Germany and circumstances prevented this, who knows. At least she mend well for him and did not want him to live as a stray. Poor darling. Jane is cuddling with Amelie, then she looks at me, stops and walks over to continue her cuddling this time with me. I feel appreciated and loved by my little treasure. Madona is very special. She has been living with us for 4 or 5 months, but I am still not allowed to touch her. She just tolerates me feeding her and watches me a lot. Obviously Madona only likes cats, she cuddles with them, but she doesn't like or trust humans. Surprising that not more cats share her attitude here, in view of the bad experience many have with humans of any age, young and old. Johnny is amazing, only approx. 4 months old, he suffered a bad accident, bones of one of his back legs broken in such a way that an operation is highly complicated, considered almost impossible, one bone sticking out, but still covered underneath his fur. We had him x-rayed. Young kids found him near the Mosque brought him to me and asked to please save him. Anyhow, our black beauty decided to ignore his handicap and with a slight limp climbs and jumps like the other cats, in addition started to get interested in the lady cats around my house. He is so brave. Being still young improves Johnny's chances to cope even without a risky operation, thank heavens. We want to offer him an enjoyful life, he deserves it and this is also what those young girls felt. Many entering or walking past the Mosque saw him needing help, but only they had enough empathy to act. They gives me hope. By the way, the weather forecast keeps announcing rainy days that then actually remain dry. 

Postscript Tolerance and Different Cultures

 "Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand." "Those who live in jungles aren't animals. All those who live in the city aren't humans either." Ubuntu African Proverbs While it is considered a typical European attitude to regard pets as family members, I was pleasantly surprised to hear such a statement from a young boy talking about his cat. He showed me her picture, for most Tunisians she would be nothing special, neither Siamese nor Turkish (in Europe called Persian). Great lad!!! Unfortunately she walked out the other day and he couldn't find her. The reason he came to me. To my regret I couldn't help. During our conversation he told me that his neighbor poisones cats outside, she had already killed 2 of his. Unlike what most Tunisians believe, what she does is against the law and of course a sin for Moslims (Haram). Besides, in an area where many very young children play on the road without supervision ( their protection: other kids) , poisoned food can also be eaten by these little ones. I have seen here cats that were given rat poison, they suffer terribly. If found in time they can be saved. In the past I've brought 3 to the vet. The owners were so happy they recovered. I have seen children cry when their pet dies. - Sadly there is presently a discussion whether people of colour and immigrants from other African countries belong to Tunisia. It seems to be a strange conversation for an African country. After all the darker colour is just a protection by nature against skin cancer. When I was very young I was playing a lot ouside, thus got a nice colour, was maybe a bit dirty as well one day, when I was mend to play in front of my parents' house but moved away from there. People who discovered me brought me to the police station and said: "The gypsies left a child behind..." My father was a bit shocked, while I when I heard the story years later, thought it'd funny. So much is just a question of attitude. Anyhow, some folks believe Tunisia belongs to Europe (many there are "not happy" with the manners of the new generation of North Africans), others think to Arabic or generally Islamic states and last but not least we also have of couse Tunisians who say we belong to Africa. Many countries, not just Arabic ones, can learn from Morocco a different than the nowadays usual approach towards immigrants. Those who respect the laws and regulations of the host country are welcomed, allowed to stay, become residents, work and are even entitled to financial support if needed. Since Morocco is not a rich country the EU helps to fiance this. Why not? Sounds like a win-win situation. Looking at history, welcoming folks from other nations has generally been beneficial to the host country. We can learn from each other, the Occident learned from the Orient. Great people are born in every country. 

Tolerance and Different Cultures

 "Cry about the simple hell people give to other people - without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give to coloured folks, without even stopping to think." "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." Nelle Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird  Quots  "  - " Europeans, Westerners, Russians, Arabs. If you were to get to know them, not as a category, but individually, then you can see how we are all, more or less, flesh and mind, the same. We can only recognize ourselves in the faces of the other. " Elif Shafak.                      It is a sad truth that racism, to a higher or lower degree, is a reality in most countries in the world. I read that it didn't exist before the slave trade. Anyhow, Arabs were the first and last in modern times to ship millions of Africans out of  the continent as slaves. The total figure for the 19th century was 1,2 millions slaves to Arabia. Most of the Arab trade slaves did not regain freedom, unlike those in Europe and America. Tunisia was the first country to abolish slavery. 10 - 15 % of the Tunisian population are "of colour" (should one call the others colourless?) many are descendants of slaves. Possible compensation for the horrible past appears to be unthinkable, instead several citizens discriminate these Tunisian folks of colour and shameless ignorant  persons nowadys sometimes  even address black folks with  words like " Abid" (slave in Arabic). Very sad and embarrassing for a civilized society. James Baldwin once explained racism which is widespread among poor uneducated white day labourers:  They want to think that there is a group of people who are "even less worthy" than they are. In 2021 approximately 21,000 sub-saharan African immigrants lived in Tunisia, many arrived legally to work or study here. But due to complex administration procedure, often experienced as blown up bureaucracy, (Tunisians created a good satire: "On the Divan in Tunisia") 60% don't have valid residency permits, even students attending private expensive universities that costs more than 3000 Dinar in a year. These people are given on arrival a 3 months permit to stay in the country. If they don't manage to achieve an extention in time they have to pay 80 Dinar for every month they stay byond that date. In December 2022 approx 9,000 refugees and asylum seekers came from countries like Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia according to the figures of the UN Refugee Agency. Undocumented migrants who want to leave have to pay a fine for overstaying their visas. In Tunisia many, in particular from the better off areas at the coasts, in the North and middle of the country, feel they belong rather to Europe than Africa. They believe their culture is more European and are proud if they have lighter coloured skin. A simular phenomenon exists in India, where Anglo-Indians like to marry among their group in order to keep their lighter colour and continue to believe they are superior. Anyhow, which culture belongs to which part of the world? After all the craddle of mankind stood in Africa. In Germany some stupid ignorant politicians and others stated that Islam doesn't belong to the Christian Occidental culture. Even if one wants to ignore that meanwhile several millions of Moslims live in Germany, neither the very popular beer, coffee or potato, algebra nor letters were invented in Germany. The churches structures, the "dresses" of clergyman including the pope and also the clothes of nuns look quite oriental. Once upon a time sciences were much advanced in the Orient and the Occident slowly learned from them. It seems to me mankind civilization is no longer developing. Scientists say people are getting less intelligent. Sub-saharan folks are nowadays suffering discrimination in Tunisia. They are accused of wanting to destroy the culture of their host country. Some are said to slaughter cats and dogs for meals or strange ceremonies. Tunisians are understandably horrified. Police should be able cope with this, so that those backward individuals understand that they must stop or face prison and deportation. In Al Alaoui, near Tunis, shopkeepers insulted and refused to serve students of colour. Neglected and disturbed uneducated children spit on them, swear und throw stones.  Prophet Mohamed clearly stated that Allah doesn't allow racism. Anyhow, it is stupid to think all Sub-Saharan peoples are the same ( are all Tunisians alike?), they share the same continent with us. Unfortunately many, including students, are now frightened of racism attacks, only leave their buildings if necessary and they are well adviced to carry documentation. In addion they fear unjustified  arrests in the streets, on public transport or even at work. Groups of young Tunisians gather outside of buildings where migrants live. One building has already been ransacked, many items destroyed or burnt. In Germany years ago a diplomat (of "wrong colour") got attacked by racists who accused him of being a froud asylum seeker wanting to exploit the social system. Though times are difficult, Sub-Saharan folks cannot be blamed for shortages of basic food items, the reason why is corruption, theft and greed of local citizens. Recently 20,000 tons of coffee were discovered hidden in Kantaoui (Sousse). Greedy citizens were intending to do big business during Ramadan. Thus it is not surprising that coffee has become a rare and very expensive item. Let us all remember Tunisia used to be praised as a friendly, tolerate state that made foreigners, including students and residents from other countries, not just tourists, feel welcomed!

Postcript Without Pain no Gain

Rescue dog taking a well deserved rest

 "When you are kissed by a thief, don't forget to count your teeth."  "If a beard indicates intelligence, the goat would have been a genius."  "What the monkey sees the monkey does."  Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                  Happy to see more sunshine and nights getting a bit warmer, doesn't feel like freezing anymore early in the morning. In addition the water is no longer turned off to protect the non- isolated piping during low temperatures at night, but it may yet be turned off to flush the drains, in which case one receives milky coloured water for approx. 5- 10 minutes and can only be used  for cleaning purposes or the toilet. - Rescue dogs of several countries (Tunisia, Mexico, European countries, etc.) were successfully employed in Turkey and Syria saving adults and children burried under rubble following the earthquake. Turkey, the best country in the world as far as animal rights are concerned, amazed with their gratitude to 4 - legged heroes. They did not allow rescue dogs to be flown back to their country of origion in the luggage hold, instead Turkish Airlines treated them like 1. class passengers and offered 1. class seats. One must bear in mind that rescue dogs worked until exhaustion, some paid with their life for their incredible engagement. A Tunisian dog, named Husky, only slept after 56 hours of non-stop search and discovered 40 people under the rubble. In America 65 tasks trained dogs are employed to help traumatised and injured soldiers. Hopefully ignorant folks will start to understand that dogs are a present from heavens, not dirty and useless and they must not be abused and killed. Since Turkey is a moslim country there is hope other moslim countries might learn that animals can and should be treated with respect and empathy. - There is still less coffee and rice on offer than demanded, haven't seen sugar in shops for weeks and milk comes and goes quickly. From time to time customers are restricted to 2 bottles/packets only and when not, those who try to have a stock in the house unwittingly ensure that milk is quickly sold out again. Rising prices, high unemployment and inflation isn't easy to cope with but we are still better off than several other countries. At least most poor countries usually have lots of sunshine and that is after all for free. 

A Hero flying 1. class with Turkish Airlines

Without Pain no Gain

 "People are lonely because they built walls instead of bridges." "Dirty water does not stop plants from growing." "When you see a poor man eating chicken it is either the man is sick or the chicken is sick." Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                                                    Cats are great companions, but living with just 1 or 2 is quite different from living with nearly 3 " football teams", yet strange folks seem to think that while they themselves are overwhelmed by just 1 in the house, we could take on more and hereby leave them with a good conscience. Cold, stormy weather with heavy rain recently, 2 girls knocking at our door asking me to please take their cat as their mother doesn't like cats. I felt very sorry for them and the lovely cat, but I had to refuse. My cats don't want more adoptions and would try to make the cat leave and besides, I am getting exhausted, physically and financially. There are so many hungry mouths to feed and when they look at me with their beautiful trusting eyes..... I left the poor nice girls with my message for their mother: "What you do is Haram. You have a bad heart. You don't like cats and Allah doesn't like you." Not sure whether this was the right approach to make that woman change her mind. She should be proud that her girls like cats and know empathy. We need more kids like that. - Surprising news, the president of the butchers' chamber asked the Mufti of the republic to cancel Aid Al Adha this year in order to rescue and preserve the cattle. Tunisia no longer has enough sheep and presently doesn't produce for the traditional slaughtering required by this religious feast. Imports are extremely expensive and costs are generally rising a lot. Aid Al Adha certainly would put much pressure on religious families. While adults may understand that they haven't got the means to buy a sheep or perhaps just a piece of meat, children often don't. They enjoy the tradition, feeding a sheep in the house for a few days, proudly taking the animal for a walk and then finally big meals with the family, lots of meat...... Frankly I am glad I was never subjected to this custom, I could never, not even as a child, eate an animal that I have seen alive before, or even worse, in whose eyes I looked. Listening to crying sheep in various houses before the big slaughtering takes place always makes me sad. In Saudi Arabia an incredible number of sheep get slaughtered every year, paid for by religious moslems arriving in order to fulfill Quran requirements. For them it is a good deed in the eyes of Allah. But there is too much meat, even after feeding the pilgrims and donating to the local poor, so a tremendous amount of sheep are thrown away, buried in mass graves. Frankly I don't understand this practice in a holly moslem country. Why can't the Saudis donate this surplus meat to poor countries in the Far East and Africa? (In Jemen many are starving.) In view of the millions of Dollars they spend e. g. on bribing politicians of the European Parliament, surely financing the transport etc. of the surplus meat shouldn't be a problem. Besides, such a donation would serve more effectively to improve the public image of the Saudis than bribing corrupt law makers in foreign countries. - In Sousse a car hit a big motorcycle and just continued his journey without stopping. The rider of the motorcycle suffered several injuries including an obviously broken arm, his passenger seemed to be okay and the motorcycle got badly damaged. My husband witnessed the accident while sitting in a taxi. This driver stopped his vehicle and immediately rushed to help and take the injured man to a hospital. He prior asked my husband to look for another taxi to continue his journey. I often noted that Tunisians are quick to help, not looking the other way or thinking that others should react. In Syria and Turkey Tunsians were among the first rescue teams to arrive from an Arabic country. In Syria a Tunisian rescue dog (German Shepherd breed) was hailed as a hero. He detected a child under 3 m of rubble and thanks to him it was possible to pull out the alive kid under the directorate of civil protection. I hope this case and the others of life saving dogs will make folks in Tunisia think twice before demanding the shooting of dogs.