Blindness - Home Brew

Blindness

(The Home Brew)

For years home brew had been favourite past time amongst the ethnic community in Australia.  With fruits like grapes and plum in abundance and particularly cheap toward the end of their season, it had become one of the pleasurable hobby for many to make their own favourite drink such as ouzo, arak, and grappa.  More often than not those brew makers fabricate their own distillation apparatus by welding zinc or brass tubes to copper pots often the likes of the old belly pots prior to the washing machines.  As it is a clandestine operation this home laboratory is often hidden in the garage, or a shed at the back of the house or in the basement.  In some cased the distillation tubes are bent and welded so that the whole apparatus can fit into limited space.  It is important to note that when tubes are bent a sort of crevice or an empty space in the bottom of the bend is formed.  This space or spaces depending on the number of bends in the apparatus needs to be first filled before the brewed ouzo, or  arak, or grappa starts flowing freely through the tubes on its way to filling the bottles and flagons.

Many of you dear readers will know that the fermentation process is chemically the reverse of the breathing process in human.  The alcohol that we enjoy and makes us merry when we drink beer, wine or spirit is ethanol.  Two carbon chain molecule with hydroxyl group (OH) bonded to the end carbon.   Methanol which is very toxic to the optic nerve and causes almost instantaneous blindness is one carbon with hydroxyl group at the end.  Accordingly methanol has lower molecular weight than ethanol and thus lower boiling point.  Therefore when the home brewer lights the gas or logs under the distillation apparatus methanol is the first to evaporate and makes its way through the series of welded tubes filling the crevices.  Exactly like a curled up poisonous snake waiting for its prey.   As the copper gets hot ethanol now evaporate and makes its way through the series of welded tubes.  The methanol now in the crevices gets carried to the bottles and flagons that start filling much to the joy and pleasure of the home brewer.  It is the enjoyable end products of the clandestine operation.  The first bottle or flagon that gets filled will have the most lethal concoction for the optic nerve.  Whether that first bottle or flagon contains ouzo, arak, or grappa it poses serious and real danger of blindness to whoever drinks from it.

In my next blog I will tell you about Costa, a 35 years old school teacher who went to bed on a Sunday night after attending barbecue in his neighbourhood and shortly after realized that he could not see.

Cheers,

 till next time.

Michael S. Abdul-Karim           

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH LATEST SMART PHONE

Dear Reader,

 

For number of years, 6 years to be exact, I had Nokia 71 mobile phone that I gradually learned to be familiar with and started to like.  When I received a call the phone will, in a robot sounding voice, tell me the name of the caller thus giving me the option of taking or ignoring the call.  This was so till about three weeks ago when I decided to upgrade and go with the latest Galaxy Note which I was told is one up on the iPhone with latest updates and technology.  Each of my three adult children had iPhones for almost a year and each had been telling me to upgrade.  Upgrade I did when I brought my Galaxy Note and to surprise my beloved three children took it out of my pocket after dinner and threw it on the dining table for each of them to see.  ‘Wow, wow dad that is the latest’ said Caroline as she started to navigate her way through the latest technology for which Apple and Samsung had been locked in Court each accusing the other of breaches of the Copyright Act.

After three weeks of trying to make sense of the Galaxy Note during which I went through one screen to the other and back to the original screen or been requested to answer questions that made no sense, and, after some consideration, I decided to pulp the Galaxy Note. 

Yes Dear Reader, you read it right.  I decided to pulp the Galaxy Note. 

I went to the factory of a friend who manufactures range of small goods including range of delicacy beef, ham, sausages, salami, and other unique smoked fish product.  At the factory there are a number of mincing machines that can instantly turn any solid item, such as boned meat, into powder.  My Galaxy Note had a new brown leather cover that was a gift by my Vodafone carrier.  I thought to weigh the Galaxy Note on accurate scale then decide not to.  I paced the Galaxy Note, like a lamb to the slaughter, on the table in my friend’s small goods factory and took the cleaver and hit it with all the might of my right hand.  The Galaxy Note did not make any noise but I was confident enough it was not any longer capable of making any noise.  It was not quite split in half.  I carried it and put in the mincing machine and flicked the switch.  The Galaxy Note was instantly minced with the machine giving a whiff of brown powder.   I collected the now particles nearly powdered Galaxy Note and weighed it on the electrical scale.  It registered 393 grams.  Needless to say my friend was totally astonished and thought I had have lost the plot and gone mad.  After a while he and I laughed our hearts out after he reminded me that he needed to clean and sterilize the mincing machine to ensure not a single particle of the Galaxy Note remained.

I went home feeling good having had my revenge and expressed my outrage at the latest frightening technology that by design or otherwise is changing ingrained human instincts and behaviour and making it robotic. 

Just before arriving home I realized I also pulped the microchip that stored all my contacts.  I went to the local store and purchased $23 mobile phone with a new microchip and started to store the contacts that I could remember - at the same time thinking that the pulped powder that I had in a tissue in my pocket contained all those dear contacts.  Needless to say I went back to my Nokia 71. 

I suspect that sometime in the near future some of you Dear Readers will emulate my deed.  Undoubtedly some of you will understandably think I have lost the plot.

Let me make this prediction: in few years time, if mankind did not create cataclysmic catastrophe or survives a surprise cataclysmic catastrophe there will come a major revolt against the kind of technology that was in my now pulped Galaxy Note.  Fans of the movie The Terminator no doubt will agree.

I have decided to ask a friend to make a special micro urn for me to place  and finally put to rest  the 393 grams of pulped Galaxy Note.  I think I will tell my friend to engrave on the urn the following indelible words: Sam once Sung and inside this urn is Michael’s song to what Sam Sung’.

Let me know what you think.

Till next time cheers for now  

Doctors Bury Their Mistakes - A tale of Ivan the bludger

Dear Readers,

This is a story of a young man forever aged 29 years and had he had any breath or any bodily function left he would be, healthy or otherwise, now be 35 years old.  His name is Ivan and he hails from Serbia. Here is his tragic story:

Ivan arrived in Australia aged 22 years with his parents and elder brother and younger sister.  The family had relatives in the Wollongong Area some 70 kilometers South of Sydney and naturally enough the family rented house and settled close by.  Within matter of two weeks Ivan commenced working in a nearby factory that manufactures refractory material.  Within two years Ivan married young Serbian lady whom he met in the Serbian church at Wollongong.  With their joint savings and some assistance from relatives Ivan and his new bride put a deposit on a two bedroom unit in the nearby suburb of Figtree and started their lives as married couple. 

Within a year Ivan and his wife were blessed with a young boy.  To make ends meet Ivan often worked on weekends.  Whilst his wife was pregnant with their second child Ivan started to feel lethargic.  He went to the local General Practitioner who examined him in the manner GPs are trained and could not find anything abnormal.  The GP gave Ivan medical certificate that allowed Ivan two days off work to rest.  The certificate simply said: ‘Ivan is unwell recommend 2 days off work to recuperate’.  After two days off work Ivan returned and managed to work for one week when the lethargy returned.  Despite the lethargy for few days Ivan persevered and went to work but on his wife’s urging he went again to the same local GP.  Again the GP could not find anything wrong with Ivan telling him he looked very much as a healthy young man and presumably out of courtesy he reluctantly gave him another medical certificate for two days off work.  After two days Ivan again returned to work but this time he could only manage to work four days before the lethargy returned. 

Ivan went to another GP who examined him and like Ivan’s previous GP could not find anything wrong but did order standard blood tests – full blood count, electrolytes, urea, creatnine and liver enzymes.  The GP did give Ivan certificate to be off work for a week and asked him to return to see him.  Even resting at home Ivan still felt tired and somewhat abnormal.  He returned to the GP who told him that all blood test results were normal.  As far as the GP was concerned Ivan was faking his lethargy and told him in no uncertain language that in Australia such individuals are known as BLUDGERS.  Somewhat distressed by that label Ivan asked the GP to explain what the meaning of the word bludger.  The GP volunteered:  ‘a scrounger, idler, dole bludger’ said the GP.  ‘But since arriving in Australia I worked hard and not taken anytime off work’ protested Ivan.  ‘If you are coming to me to get medical certificate don’t come anymore I am not prepared to give you any medical certificate’ said the GP.  Ivan went home and went back to work.  He worked for a week and again the lethargy returned. 

Ivan and now his concerned wife were told about another GP in another nearby suburb of Albion Park.  This third GP gave Ivan medical certificate for two days off work and on a second visit a week later the GP called the two GPs that Ivan had seen earlier.  Like his two peers he sent Ivan home without medical certificate without even cursory check up and told him that he was a bludger and wanted to go on the dole instead of working. 

A week after he was sent packing by the now third GP Ivan felt very tired and collapsed.  His distressed wife called ambulance.  Ivan was conveyed to Wollongong Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival.  Post mortem showed cancer that had metastases throughout the abdomen.  

Post mortem report was sent to the now Late Ivan last GP.  This GP called Ivan other two GPs and told them about Ivan demise and the post mortem report.   ‘You think we’ll be sued?’ asked the first GP.  ‘I nearly gave him referral to a specialist but on balance I thought he was a bludger’ said the second GP.  ‘We bury our mistakes don’t we?’ said the third GP.

Do you think Ivan’s widow has any recourse of getting justice by way of compensation or admission by any of the three GPs or their professional indemnity insurer?  If you do you are certainly not living in modern day Australia or if you are you are certainly unfamiliar with the latest case law in relation to professional negligence claims.

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Observations about Modern History of Lebanon

With the so called wave of Arab Spring having since about March 2011 reached the Syrian coastline and crossed to the mainland the fallout of either the ripple effect or the peaks and troughs of this wave will impact on Lebanon and other neighbouring countries especially Jordan and Israel.  Given the close historical, geographical and economic ties between Syria and Lebanon dating back to the Ottoman Empire from about 1516 until the defeat of the Empire toward the end of World War I in 1918 it is easy to appreciate the fact that however and in whatever way the cookie crumbles in Syria Lebanon may have to pick up a piece or two and watch its own cookies.  If the Lebanese cookies crumble or even crack there will be direct and indirect ramifications that will send chills to the State of Israel and makes lots of its people nervous.

Arguably what had taken place and continues to take place in all the countries in the Middle East, including the so called Arab Spring is both direct and indirect result of Versaille Treaty signed by the victorious powers mainly England and France in 1918.  Under the Treaty England and France split the Middle East between them in accordance with what each country could obtain to pay for some of its own war debts. That is obtain by hook or crook the treasures, and whatever of value, present and/or contingent.  This is so regardless of whatever preamble or justification the wording of the Versaille Treaty provided for the loot.  You can bet the 'welfare and future and best interest of the people in the Middle East' are included in the Treaty.

The current map of the Middle East is but arbitrary line drawn to suit England and France.  Shortly after that arbitrary line is drawn the Foreign Ministers of  England and France, Sykes and Picot met and signed agreement promising the Jewish diaspora/Zionists homeland in Palestine right in the heart of the Arab World.

The arbitrary line resulted in the creation of new smaller countries better described as Sheikdoms that are effectively run exclusively by tribal families.  The territory making such countries were part and parcel of bigger territory.  Tribal Families that were subsequently elevated to the status of Emirs bestowing on those countries various names including the exclusive title of  'Royalties' that was once exclusive to the English now better described as Monarchs.  Some of those countries became effectively under the 'protective umbrella, of England. The countries forming of the Gulf States and Kuwait are creations of the English arbitrary line.  The history of conflicts in those countries after they became independent speaks for itself - Perhaps topic for another blog.

Syria/Lebanon

 The presence of Christians in Syria and Lebanon pre dates Islam by  several hundred years.  The Christian community in Syria and Lebanon was forgotten by Christian Europe and Rome and only came to the fore when the Crusaders of the First Crusade passed through Lebanon on their way to Jerusalem in 1097.  The main reason for the Crusade was the destruction of the Church of Holy Sepluchre on the order of the Sixth Fatimad (hakim fi amr Allah).  The Lebanese/Syrian Christian suffered under the various Islamic dynasties - Ummiads/ Abbasaid/ Mamlukes and Ottomen - The Ottomen of course were non Arabs and the conversion or adoption of the Turkomen Sultan of the Islamic faith made him take on the Caliphs role as official protector of the faith.

In the nineteenth century the Christian communities in Syria and Lebanon witnessed number of massacres that caused the European powers who were squabbling over colonies in Africa at the time to send or threaten to send troops to help the Christian communities.  This was especially so after the massacres of 1842, 1844 and 1860 when France and Russia sent troops to Lebanon.  The British simply spoke with the Sultan in Istanbul and played political role without sending troops.  This could be also due to the fact the countries under the English protection were exclusively Moslem.

As mentioned above after World War 1 France took over control of Syria/Lebanon.  At the time there was a call for one Arab country and ruler covering the entire Middle East.  This call started in Saudi Arabia and saw advocates of this call come in drove from Saudi Arabia to Syria in preparation after the last Turkomen left. This call for one Arab nation had lots of popular support amongst the  people including the intellectuals of both the Moslem and Christian communities in Syria and Lebanon.  Britain and France would not have a bar of it.  Likewise the overwhelming majority of the Maronite community in Lebanon and Syria.  At the time, in theory at least the geography of Lebanon was limited to Mount Lebanon.  Lebanon as it now exists as independent country incorporated additional territory added by the French to make it into Greater Lebanon.  This additional territory included Tripoli which as at 1918 regarded itself as part of Syria.  Likewise the Bekka and Hirmal region.  Lebanon gained its independence in 1943 and some three months later Syria gained its independence.

Curse of Lebanon's Presidential Post


In the near future my next blog entry will be dedicated to families/people who played a role in the independence of Lebanon and whose offspring are still playing dynastic role in Lebanese politics.  For variety of reasons those families had been and continue to be jinxed.  Let us take a look.  Camille Shamoun who had been successful lawyer with Bishara El Khoury (first President of Lebanon before independence) was elected President of Lebanon in 1952.  His opponent for the position was Hamid Franjieh.  Shamoun became President at a time when Pan Arabisim euphoria was sweeping the Middle East and when the Cold War was at its peak England having handed over control to America after the Second World War.   Shamoun presidency saw the very same colonial powers - England and France - send troops to stop nationalisation of the Suez Canal by President Nasser of Egypt.  In 1958 US Marines landed in Beirut to protect Shamoun and Lebanon being engulfed by the wave of Pan Arabisim. Whatever chance Shamoun' dynasty had surviving to make it again to the presidency that chance was cut short.  His eldest son Danny was assassinated in 1992.

Pierre Jummeil is the founding father of the Phalange (Katieb) Party that had played significant role representing the Christian Community interest in Lebanon from the late 1930's onwards opposing the Nahda Party which was the non Christian Party wanting unity with Syria.  Although Pierre got off on the wrong side of the French after the outbreak of World War II his dynasty played its part and continues to do so in modern day Lebanon.  However the curse of the Lebanese Presidency did not spare the Jummeil Family.  In fact the curse is most prominent in that family.  Pierre younger son, Bashir took over as leader of the Phalange Party and was at its helms at the official  start of the Lebanese civil war on 25 April 1975.  Bashir was elected President of Lebanon in 1982 when Israel was occupying the country.  Before he could be formally sworn or make any formal or official  decision as President of Lebanon he was assassinated.  His eldest brother Amin became President and served full six years term.  Amin is a lawyer and a businessman he is still involved in Lebanese politics and is very much alive.  However his eldest son Pierre who was elected member of Parliament was assassinated in 2006.  It would be brave Jummeil to think of making effort to occupy the Presidential Chair any time soon.

 The word Marada is the name of the tribal fighters in Syria who came to the assistance of the Maronite Community fleeing persecution of other Christians and later Moslems as they made their way to the relative safety of the Lebanese Mountains.  The Orontes River (Nahr El Assi) and the valleys that depended on the flow of that river provided sanctuary and were historically the bread basket of the various civilizations that crossed that part of the Middle East  including the  Romans and in latter days the various Christian communities now incumbents in Lebanon and Syria.  The exclusive heartland of the Marada Party is the village of Zhogarta in North Lebanon located in the mountains above Lebanon' second largest city Tripoli.

The Franjieh Family (claims its descendency to date back to the Crusades some of whom decided to make Lebanon/Syrian and Palestine their homeland) became involved in Lebanese politics and is one of the Christian families that did not escape the Presidential curse.  Hamid Franjieh' brother  Sulieman, is highly respected intellect opposed Shamoun for the presidency in 1952 and had leaning towards Syria.  Hamid was highly respected politician the calibre of Bishara Khoury, Emil Eddie, Riad El Solh, Shamoun and Ors.  Sulieman was elected President of Lebanon in the early 1970's his tenure as President saw the outbreak of the civil war in 1975.  His heir apparent son, Tony, was assassinated in 1978.  Tony's son, Suleiman is still in the Lebanese Parliament and hold position as Minister.  Suleiman is a potential future Presidential candidate and his name was touted as a candidate during the last two presidential elections.  Should Sulieman make it as President he is certainly not immune from the Presidential curse. In recent times some of the Lebanese Presidents, including the current incumbent, Michel Suleiman, hailed from the ranks of the army.  Thus far they had been immuned from the Presidential curse.  May be the curse is presently cautious of arsenals or more likely taken holiday.  Let us hope holiday for good.  

 The curse that jinxed the Christian families that made it to the presidency did not exactly spare the non Christian families including Prime Ministers and leaders of other sects that played and continue to play prominent role in Lebanese politics.  This will be the subject matter of future blogs about Lebanon.

Holy Grail – Part 2A – Short Review/Dissertation

Dear Readers,

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series of blogs about the Holy Grail the name ‘Joseph of Arimathea’ regularly appears as the first person to be in possession of the ‘mystical Holy Grail (indeed if the same ever existed).  In Part 1, I ended the blog by asking you to keep in mind the name Joseph of Arimathea.  In Part 2 I raised the question of likelihood that Joseph of Arimathea being a member of the Sanhedrin that sat on the trial of Jesus.  

The Gospel of Matthew tell us that  after His arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane (the word Gethsemane is derived from Aramaic meaning “oil press”) Jesus was brought to the house of Caiaphus, the High Priest (26:57).  It is noteworthy to observe that the Gospel of Mark makes no mention of the name Caiaphus. The most likely location of the High Priest house where Jesus' trial took place is the west side of the city within short walking distance from the Roman Governor palace (Praetorium).  The Gospel of Mark tells us that Caiaphus heard testimony from a witness who alleges that he heard Jesus say: ‘I will destroy the Temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands’ (14:57-58).  Asked by Caiaphus to respond to the accusation Jesus is said to have kept His silence.  However, when He was again asked by Caiaphus: ‘Art thou the Christ the Son of the Blessed?’ ‘I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven’ replied Jesus.  Caiaphus decided there was no need to hear from further witnesses and said to have torn his garments and condemned Jesus to death.  Simon Peter who was watching and listening to the trial denied that he knew Jesus of Nazareth telling the maid of the High Priest he knows nothing and does not understand her question (14: 60-68).

The late appearance of Joseph of Arimathea in the gospels would rule out the likelihood of him being a follower of the teachings of Jesus and there is no evidence that he stood up or defended Jesus during the trial before the High Priest.  It is noteworthy observation that the Sanhedrin had the power to pass death sentence and commute the sentence.  However in this trial the wise Caiaphus, for all too obvious reasons decided to pass the buck to Pilate on the grounds that the crimes of sedition and insurrection with which Jesus was charged were outside the Sanhedrin jurisdiction and  the exclusive jurisdiction of the Romans. Hypothetically if the Sanhedrin passed the death sentence on Jesus and carried out that sentence one can be sure it would not have been crucifixion on the cross. It is more likely it would have been by stoning.  Crucifixion was the most popular Roman form of death sentence to convicted criminals.  It is also noteworthy that after questioning Jesus and could not find ground to convict Him on either a charge of sedition or insurrection he turned to the priests and told them so. After seeing and hearing the chat of 'death, death, death' from the gathered Sanhedrin and crowd Pilate said 'I wash my hand of his sins'.  This comment by Pilate is rather unusual in that it is Jewish not Roman practice to purify one and announce his purification by washing hand or immersion in water.  The Bethesda pool and the Siloam Pool were the two main public purification pools which Jews purified themselves before entering the Temple Mount. They are also the pools in which Jesus performed healing miracle. Private houses had their own ritual bathing pools (miqwa'ot).


So how can one rationally explain Joseph's concern to ensure dignified burial of Jesus given the fact that the corpses of the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus were either left to the vultures or thrown in a pit in Golgotha?  Various possibilities and likely answers spring to mind.  Luke tells us that Joseph was waiting for the Kingdom of God (15:43).  That could suggest that he was highly religious person upholder of the Jewish tradition of honouring the dead.  The fact that the tomb to which Joseph took Jesus body to bury was rock cut  (hewn) and new would suggest that Joseph of Arimathea was relatively new to Jerusalem otherwise in accordance with Jewish tradition one would expect members of Joseph family to have been buried in the grave:  ‘and also all the generation were gathered into their fathers: and there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord, nor yet the work which he had done for Israel (Judges 2: 10).  And Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David and Asa his son reigned in his stead (Kings 15:8).  The Gospel of John states categorically that Joseph was a disciple of Jesus (19:38). However given the fact that not one of the other three Gospels makes any clear statement or reference in support of John would more than likely rule out Joseph as being disciple of Jesus.  What is more puzzling is the fact that after he buries Jesus Joseph disappears completely off the scene.   It is important to stop at this point and ask the following questions:  Was Joseph fearful that he would be asked by Pilate or the High Priest to explain the disappearance of the body of Jesus from his tomb on the Sunday after the burial and the consequences flowing from any explanation he may offer?  Alternately, and in accordance with our subject matter, he had possession of the Holy Grail, did not want anybody to know and sailed away toward Europe with members of his family ending up in England from where ‘romances’ of the Holy Grail commence their journey.   It is also noteworthy to observe that the Jewish insurrection against the Roman was rife in the first century CE.  This insurrection culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in 70 CE which saw the Jews leave the Middle East and to return 1878 years later to establish the current State of Israel in 1948.
In Part 3 I will start reviewing the romances and Europe' fascination with the Holy Grail.