Hmmm: Am I following trouble....update.

[videoeditor1]

So far in December i had gigs... Dubai Pakistan Indonesia Pakistan and Indonesia were canceled. So I pick up dates in... Nigeria With the Mz. World riots in Nigeria, my wife thinks I'm nutz, and unless my geograpy is skewered, Bali (location of the recent double bomb blast) is in Indonesia. I'm headed to Jamaica on Monday...and they had 42 dead last weekend. What to do? Quit working and live in a bunker?

[Dan South]

Ain't enough goin' on in NYC for ya, Drew? I wouldn't sweat Nigeria. That was localized trouble, and now the pageant has been moved to London, so things should calm down. Just make sure your bandmates know how much HIV is goin' on over there.

[nhcomp45aol.com]

Come home to NYC where it is safe. Paul.

[Tedster]

Man...sorry, I've got no love lost for Nigeria right now, with that lady, Amina Lawal, being sentenced to death by stoning for having a baby out of wedlock. You want to talk about a human rights cesspool...that's it in my book. Here's a link to the story... http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,777421,00.html

[Hippie]

[quote]Originally posted by Tedster the Pilgrim: [b]Man...sorry, I've got no love lost for Nigeria right now, with that lady, Amina Lawal, being sentenced to death by stoning for having a baby out of wedlock. You want to talk about a human rights cesspool...that's it in my book. Here's a link to the story... http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,777421,00.html [/b][/quote]Geez, that is seriously messed up. What a bunch of freakin' barbarians! I'm sure glad I live here in the good ol' US of A.

[jackpine]

Jeez... I'm thinking of visiting a friend outside of Nagril, Drew, where and whats the prob down there.

[videoeditor1]

[quote]Originally posted by jackpine: [b]Jeez... I'm thinking of visiting a friend outside of Nagril, Drew, where and whats the prob down there.[/b][/quote]People in Negril are usually too stoned, or too busy jumping bones /drinking red stripe beer to notice what's happening in the rest of the country. Kingston is where the turmoil usually is - and it is in this case. There are a whole lot of former "drug dons" that were deported from UK and the USA over the past few years. Many were unable to bribe their way back in (USA/ UK/ etc), they are in Jamaica with dwindling influence & money, but they all have more firepower than the average cop. In the 70's and 80's (can't comment on the 90's - cuz I left in 90) POLITICIANS would "nominate" certain dudes to "protect" their constituents - guns and vehicles were also provided to facilitate this. --- As for Nigeria, I am not one to criticize another's custom - until I have studied it long and hard. If we look and say "geez, that sucks", we are no less guilty than the radicals that see our way of existence as irrelevant or blasphemous.

[Tedster]

I don't criticize other people's customs, if that means not eating meat, or holding their fork in a different hand, or praying five times a day, or having to hunt and slay an antelope with a spear to prove their manhood, or eating what we consider weird foods, or dressing in what we see as odd ways, or anything of that nature. Where it involves stoning a woman to death by burying her up to her neck in dirt, and throwing rocks at her head until she's dead...not for murdering or even thievery, but for being divorced and having a baby out of wedlock...or other things like "female circumcision", or infanticide (some in China have allegedly on occasion followed the practice of leaving newborn baby girls out in the woods to starve), ...THAT I take strong exception to. That goes way beyond "custom" and into the realm of "barbarism". Don't really need to study that too long to see that.

[Jotown]

Wow, and I thoght I had it bad when I have to play in Detroit.

[fantasticsound]

[quote]Originally posted by NYC Drew: [b]So far in December i had gigs... Dubai Pakistan Indonesia Pakistan and Indonesia were canceled... ...What to do? Quit working and live in a bunker?[/b][/quote]Hey Drew, were these AFE gigs? I'm wondering how you ended up with mideast gigs if they aren't connected with the military. That's the only way I'd tour there, again. Of course.. I [i]am[/i] Jewish. On one base in Qatar, the military police turned white as ghosts when they noticed the back of my military ID mentioned this fact! I'd already realized how easily I could go unnoticed, so... It did upset my wife when she found out that "classified forward location," in our case, meant Pakistan and Afghanistan. What can you do? I would love to return to those places. Nice weather (I like the heat) and the armed forces there were the most engaging audiences I believe I've mixed for. :) That said, stay safe. Especially if you're not being escorted by military personnel in some of these places.

[videoeditor1]

Neil, None of these are military gigs. I've been to a few countries in the middle east I shouldn't mention...so I won't. Thanks for the tips on surviving over there. Honestly, I am much more unsettled about going to Jamaica for 19 hours than I am about being in the middle east / far east for two weeks. I was born in Jamaica.

[Rog]

I wouldn't worry Drew, nowhere is safe these days .. . not NYC, not anywhere. If you worry too much you'll never leave your home so just get out there and be careful and be sensible and take care of yourself :)

[Cup]

Wow, far out and hard to get to gigs. I take it they must pay REALLY well. Stay safe, maybe I can get you a gig in Belfast, maybe in the Europa hotel (the most bombed & rebuilt hotel in the world)Just in case you're ever feeling bored !! CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven :freak:

[patrick_dont_fret]

Ha, there's no safe place left in the world. Right...am I supposed to believe that? Memphis is one of the safest places to raise your children. We have a low crime rate, a low vehicle accident rate, and low everything else rates. Now if you look at the facts, you'll see they contend with what I've stated above. Don't worry, the facts are right. I'm not. Don't come to Memphis, unless you wanna git shot, abducted, and in a car crash, fool!

[Rog]

[quote]Originally posted by patrick_dont_fret: [b]Ha, there's no safe place left in the world. Right...am I supposed to believe that? Memphis is one of the safest places to raise your children. We have a low crime rate, a low vehicle accident rate, and low everything else rates. Now if you look at the facts, you'll see they contend with what I've stated above. Don't worry, the facts are right. I'm not. Don't come to Memphis, unless you wanna git shot, abducted, and in a car crash, fool![/b][/quote]What are you talking about Patrick? NYC was a safe place, Bali was wonderful ... I'm saying that the world is not as safe as it once was but if you worry about that too much then that will stop you from living your life ... care to disagree?

[BP3]

Drew, you know about the sad state of the planet more than most. Enjoy the gigs as you can. bp

[videoeditor1]

[quote]Originally posted by Kringle: [b]Drew, you know about the sad state of the planet more than most. Enjoy the gigs as you can. bp[/b][/quote]Yeah. One time I was in a 4 (or 5) star hotel in Madagascar [I'm sure I've told this story before]. There were people immediately outside of the hotel with flies crawling over them begging for small change. I think the exchange rate was 9000:1 My phone bill was $2.4[b]MILLION[/b]... the poor lady at the front desk was so, very flustered. Of course, we couldn't drink the water etc etc. Tickets to the show (stadium) was $2US dollars ($18,000), there was a huge fireworks display after the show (apparently Jimmy Cliff is a big deal there), there must have been 40-60-80,000 people there. While I was mixing, I had to go back to the delay stack, because I could not hear [b]a damn thing[/b] from the main stack - because the people were deliroiusly happy and noisy. A few days before in the Mauritus Islands, everybody got the runs. I'm sure the people thathad to clean the charter flight have shitty opinions of us. sorry for rambling...

[KenElevenShadows]

[quote] Where it involves stoning a woman to death by burying her up to her neck in dirt, and throwing rocks at her head until she's dead...not for murdering or even thievery, but for being divorced and having a baby out of wedlock...or other things like "female circumcision", or infanticide (some in China have allegedly on occasion followed the practice of leaving newborn baby girls out in the woods to starve), ...THAT I take strong exception to. That goes way beyond "custom" and into the realm of "barbarism". Don't really need to study that too long to see that.[/QB][/quote]I've been staying out of the posts that deal with controversial issues lately, but hopefully we can discuss this sort of stuff without getting into horrible namecalling! Regarding Nigeria, does anyone know if stoning someone in the manner described above is common practice? Do most Nigerians consider that barbaric? Is this something that more reflects on the leadership than the people who live there? And as far as the Chinese, that is considered barbaric practice by many Chinese people in China (and certainly out of China), but is still unfortunately somewhat prevalent in rural areas to the degree that it is a large, important issue. It's very, very sad. I don't have facts and figures on this horrible thing, but we discuss that occasionally with my family (we are of Chinese descent). This abhorrent occurrences are a result of the one-child policy that China has enacted. In China, over 75% of the population lives an agrarian existence, and males are perceived as being more useful because they can do more work in the fields and around the house. Also adding to that is the fact that it is extremely important in Chinese culture (much more important than in Western culture) to have a male to carry on the family name. Obviously, I'm not trying to justify some people's behavior, but to put it in context.

[Tedster]

[quote]Originally posted by NYC Drew: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Kringle: [b]Drew, you know about the sad state of the planet more than most. Enjoy the gigs as you can. bp[/b][/quote]Yeah. One time I was in a 4 (or 5) star hotel in Madagascar [I'm sure I've told this story before]. There were people immediately outside of the hotel with flies crawling over them begging for small change. I think the exchange rate was 9000:1 My phone bill was $2.4[b]MILLION[/b]... the poor lady at the front desk was so, very flustered. Of course, we couldn't drink the water etc etc. Tickets to the show (stadium) was $2US dollars ($18,000), there was a huge fireworks display after the show (apparently Jimmy Cliff is a big deal there), there must have been 40-60-80,000 people there. While I was mixing, I had to go back to the delay stack, because I could not hear [b]a damn thing[/b] from the main stack - because the people were deliroiusly happy and noisy. A few days before in the Mauritus Islands, everybody got the runs. I'm sure the people thathad to clean the charter flight have shitty opinions of us. sorry for rambling...[/b][/quote]Drew...one of my best buddies from college lives in Mauritius...and he used to be the chief met officer for the Republic of the Seychelles. If you go again, please email me...I'll give you his email...and if he's not trotting the globe perhaps he can set you up with some good Scotch and some good hot curry! And Ken, that is exactly what I'm talking about. Call me Ameri-centric or what you will, but that is barbaric by any standards. My cousin and her husband adopted a little girl. Her name is Song-Mei. She's a little cutie! They live in Seattle, and I haven't met Song Mei yet. But I'm sure to give her the biggest of hugs when I do...I happen to consider her a very lucky little girl!

[jackpine]

God.... I do a fair amount of world travel and from my expirience the world is NOT THAT scary of a place.

[videoeditor1]

[quote]Originally posted by jackpine: [b]God.... I do a fair amount of world travel and from my expirience the world is NOT THAT scary of a place.[/b][/quote]It depends on where you go, when you get where you're going to.

[Dan South]

[quote]Originally posted by Hippie: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Tedster the Pilgrim: [b]Man...sorry, I've got no love lost for Nigeria right now, with that lady, Amina Lawal, being sentenced to death by stoning for having a baby out of wedlock. You want to talk about a human rights cesspool...that's it in my book. Here's a link to the story... http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,777421,00.html [/b][/quote]Geez, that is seriously messed up. What a bunch of freakin' barbarians! I'm sure glad I live here in the good ol' US of A.[/b][/quote]Barbarians? A lot of countries consider America barbaric because we still have the death penalty. - Don't jump down my throat on this. I'm not a capital punishment basher. I'm just stating a fact. - So, the definition of barbarism is not universal, it appears. Nigeria has yielded to international pressure to some degree. Nigerian officials claim that these sentences will not be carried out. Hopefully, they'll soon abolish the practice altogether, but in the meantime as long as the sentences are not acted upon, it's a step in the right direction. Nigeria is a complex country. Some areas are predominantly Christian, others Muslim, and others favor indigenous religious practices. These sentences are the result of regional statutes, not national laws.

[Tedster]

[quote]Originally posted by Dan South: [b] Barbarians? A lot of countries consider America barbaric because we still have the death penalty. - Don't jump down my throat on this. I'm not a capital punishment basher. I'm just stating a fact. - So, the definition of barbarism is not universal, it appears..[/b][/quote]Now that America has instituted more humane types of capital punishment, we need to make sure our criminals are also more humane... (Serial killer)...Well, lady, I was going to rape you, torture you, and slit your throat...but now it's required of us serial killers, since we are subject to more humane sentences, that we, in turn, dispatch our victims in a more humane manner...so could you please hold still for a moment so I can give you this injection? Just an Andy Rooney-esque observation... ;)

[videoeditor1]

I'm back, unscathed. Now for a bit of levity.... Yesterday while waiting for I flight, I browse over to one of the shops. I saw this card, and had to get you guys it as a present. [img]http://gearslutz.com/board/attachment.php3?s=&postid=18376[/img] :cool:

[Kris]

Yah Man! Have fun in Jamaica...

[jpmiii]

NYC Drew we're all glad your back safe and sound. Did the gig go well?

[fantasticsound]

Glad you made it back in... well.. Did you make it back in one piece? :D ;)

[videoeditor1]

Hey guys, It wasn't even a gig! The INS mangled my step-sons "greencard", and they wouldn't let hinm back up in here. The fix was to get a "travel" stamp in his passport from INS Manhattan, only, he needed to be there in person or no stamp. Only he can't board a plane/boat/anything without the stamp. So it had to be done at the INS office at the US Consulate in Jamaica. Hence the short trip. Don't ask how much it cost. Thank goodness for American Advantage frequent flyer miles... Now it looks like I might be working [edit][i] "Sting"[/i]...[b]the annual "Boxing Day" show...not the artiste...[/b][edit] on the 26th down there..... Yeah, every thing is cool.... Thanks for looking out.