People : Donald Trump

This afternoon, in a few tens of minutes actually (by the time I schedule this post) there will be a new President of the United States of America.  A controversial figure, whom some might argue didn't win the election in a 100% clear cut fashion (his opponent - Hilary Clinton - won the popular vote, and then there's a little grey area with foreign involvement in the whole process).

But, I'm British, so I'm not too invested in who the man is, I am more interested in his politics, he's a half Scottish, through his Mother and has close ties to Britain.

We ourselves are not enamoured with the whole EU affair, and so trade avenues with the US may now open back up.  I certainly have a vested interest in the US economy as one of my pensions is tied up over there in a US fund, but for the tiny amount I put into that pension it's paying for itself, and depending on how things look in a years time, I may have to jolt things around.

However, we're left guessing about the next steps he will take, we can not tell whether he'll stick to all his pledges or promises.  He is however a business man, rather than a dyed in the wold politician, so he may have more rancur than previous presidents elect.

But politics aside the question today then is what will happen with the man?  Will, with protesters, detractors and so many unhappy voters in the US, both foreign and domestic, will the man survive?

This is a very serious question, one of the major points of out going president Obama's calls was for gun reform, however, everyone and their granny is seemingly still packing a piece in the US, even in liberal New York City & Washington DC.

So, will he survive the day?  The week?  The Year or his whole term?  I think that is an important question to ask.

As for the politics, we can but wait and see, though I believe the markets will heave this afternoon and though the seas may not boil and the sky may not fall, Donald Trump will be sworn in.

Egypts Drugs Problems - Cultural Perhaps?

Reading of the problems of prescription pain killers being used as energy boosters in Egypt I believe there maybe a simpler problem at work, read the original here.

In 2001 when I visited Egypt I had the fortune of mingling with the people, unlike the US visitors who travelled in armoured convoys, us Brits just mingled in; even if in one bar we were accused of stealing the history by one chap and the bar man told him to "shut up, go read your history about the French".

Anyway, we met all sorts of people, backstreet hagglers, beggars, con-artists, sailors, tour guides, shop workers, children, the elderly... A good cross section.

But one chap I particularly remember was in a carpet shop, we didn't want a carpet, we didn't want to be in this shop, but we were bundled through this shop into a back room, literally the store room, and made to sit on a rug listening to a guy who had maybe four words in English, and we said "Thank you, but NO", several dozen times.

Anyway, this was our last day, kicked out of our hotel rooms, and in this hot room for so long I developed a headache.  I casually excused myself and took a paracetamol.

This old guy, and he was old, 70+ immediately asked for one, he pointed at the pill in my hand stopping me taking it and pointed to his head and held out his hand.

He knew what it was, I believe now he perhaps thought it was tramadol, but it was just paracetamol.  Anyway, he took his, I took mine and that was that, we'd been swapping tea in shops with people for the whole week.

It's only now I realise the cultural significance of this, how quickly wanting or taking a pill is, or anything it.. "You're smoking a dried weasel, gimme one of them too!"

It just seems to be part of the Egyptian attitude, now I've also been to Morocco, and whilst they share the same customs with sharing and offering tea they don't jump on wanting a pill off of you, they're in fact more weary if you ask "are you unwell?  would you like an asprin?"... they really ask what it is, read the packet and check the bubble is intact, you know in case it has been tampered with.

I noticed this working with Moroccans for a couple of weeks, it was common for them to be the same, but weary, Egyptians however... "Chuck it down my neck, it's good for you".