Elvis Would Have Been 75 Years Old Today

Thirty-three years ago today, Elvis Presley died at the age of 42.

As is said about him, "Elvis did everything before anyone did anything."

That's a pretty accurate statement when it comes to what "being a rock star" has come to mean over the past few decades. For example, here are somethings that Elvis did bigger, better or first...

• Combining blues, country and hillbilly music into what became known as "rock and roll" - check.
• Male sex appeal sending teenage girls into a frenzy - check.
• Gender bending with eyeliner - check.
• Shocking parents and older adults with stage moves - check.
• Big TV specials - check.
• Entourage of childhood buddies - check.
• Cross-over from music to movies - check.
• Messy divorce - check.
• Big estate - check.
• Extravagant possessions (jet, horses, cars, jewelry, etc.) - check.
• Drug addiction, paranoia and an early demise - check.

So for all you did for music and pop culture, R.I.P. Elvis...

Picture taken by me, Marc Osborn, and is not authorized for any use without permission from me.

Excursion to Egypt - Sinai & the Red Sea

This is the fourth installment of my series called Excursion to Egypt.  You can read about our experiences in Cario HERE, about Aswan and cruising the Nile HERE and about our visit to Luxor HERE.

"Impressive" is one word to describe that first portion of our trip. Another word is "tiring." We knew this was likely going to be the case, so with a little foresight we built in a "vacation from our vacation" on the back end of our two weeks. Yep. We went to the beach. And what a beach!

Here's what we did...

Sinai Peninsula Paradise

Flying from the middle of hot and dusty Egypt in Luxor, we took a short 1 hour flight over to Sharm el-Sheik. Oh, it's just about as hot as Luxor, but its situated nicely right on the Red Sea at the southern point of the Sinai Peninsula. "Sharm" as it is called, is a resort city dotted with hotels, resorts, restaurants, etc. It also has one of the largest and most spectacular coral reefs in the world right there in front of it.

Checking into the beautiful Hyatt Regency Resort just north of the main town, we knew we had found what we were looking for - a luxurious crash pad to rest from our busy sightseeing schedule. The property features white terraced buildings, lush gardens, excellent restaurants, pools, scuba/snorkel gear, sandy beaches with thatched umbrella shade "palapas," and that reef right out from the beach.

The place was so great that we knew we wouldn't be leaving much and would rather just laze away a few days right there. And that's exactly what we did. A typical day for us here would start with a beautiful mid-morning breakfast overlooking the turquoise ocean from a shady terrace restaurant, perhaps a quick swim or turn down the hidden water slide, then parking ourselves for the day down at the beach. Settled in there, only two things disturbed our rest, read and nap schedule: lunch and snorkeling.

The restaurant at the beach featured fresh seafood and sandwiches - of which we tried pretty much every one over the week we were there. The staff came to recognize us quickly - both because of our week long tenure, but also because were one of the only U.S. citizens at the entire resort. I'd guess that about 80% of the guests here were Russian. Yep, apparently Sharm is their "Mexico" or "Bahamas." Pretty close to their homeland, but oh so much warmer, sunnier and cheaper. Also to note, there were strictly two types of Russians we saw here - first, families just like you'd see anywhere in the world at the seaside and second, pairings of overweight Russian men - young and older - with skinny young Russian girls. Hmmm. More on that in another post.

As for snorkeling, what can I say? We've been in Hawaii and in Mexico, and sure, we've seen some coral and fish. Not bad. But this place! Wow! They call these reefs coral "gardens," and I can see why. Just under the water is a whole world of green, blue, yellow, purple and orange coral of all shapes and sizes. And, yes, there are loads of colorful exotic fish to see too. Quite simply, this was the best snorkeling we'd ever done.

Peeking Outside Paradise

We ventured off the Hyatt property two times while in Sharm. One of them was to go for a look at the old market in Sharm el-Sheik town itself and an Italian dinner nearby. The bazaar in the older part of Sharm is filled with small shops selling pretty much anything tourists might want, so it's not really the type of market that locals would be shopping at for everyday items. The buildings here are older, and unlike many such markets the streets are actually wide. We strolled around, stopped into a few places, bought some small items and generally had an OK time.

Also, in the back of my mind, I knew that this was the place where not too many years ago a terrorist bomb killed tourists. So, you know that this is extremely unlikely to happen again, but still you wonder. Obviously it didn't and we caught a taxi to the Italian restaurant we'd read good things about.

Arriving there, we saw that the restaurant sat perched on a bluff of land overlooking the Red Sea. We'd read that this place, El Fanar, was notable because the Italian chef had fresh ingredients flown in from Italy 3-4 times a week. Apparently, there are enough Italian tourists who come to Sharm that the town boasts some very good Italian places.

So, we were pretty stoked to eat here. As we walked in at about 7:30 p.m. we noticed a couple things right away: 1) a nice, well appointed and big space, and 2) absolutely nobody else was there. Nope. Not a sole except a waiter, a bartender and a chef. For all we'd read about this joint, this was pretty surprising. We even wondered if they were really open. We asked, and they waiter said certainly they were.

So, we took our table and thought, "what the Hell, we're here lets eat." I figured maybe that we were just unfashionably early as Italians (like many/most Europeans) tend to start dinner much later than we Americans. But no, nobody showed up the entire 90 minutes we were there.

The saving grace here was that the food was really good. Both Diane and I had pasta dishes, and I have to say that they were delightful - savory, pasta cooked just right. We also quickly consumed the best bruchetta we'd ever tasted. In the end, we exited just as we had arrived...the only customers in the whole building. Oh well. As one of the guys hailed a taxi for us, we asked him why the restaurant was empty that night and he offered that it was "change over day" and that all the Italian tourists had left earlier that day and more would be coming tomorrow. Who knows if that's true, but our strange - but enjoyable - dinner was memorable.

Camels, Moses and A Monastery
The other occasion we left the friendly confines of the Hyatt compound was for a hike up Mt. Sinai. But this wasn't just any old hike. No. This was a nighttime climb up a sacred mountain in the middle of the desert for a sunrise crescendo at the summit. Oh, and camels.

To lay it out for you, this hike entailed us being picked up at the Hyatt at 10:30 p.m. by our guides, a long drive through the middle of the Sinai desert arriving a the base of Mt. Sinai just before 2 a.m., a camel ride two-thirds the way up the mountain by starlight and a hike up the rest of the way to see the sun rise at the 7,500 foot high summit, and then a full hike all the way back down to the base where the ancient St. Catherine's Monastery awaited for a visit. And then the return drive back to our hotel.

All of this sounded exciting, fun and both Diane and I were looking forward to it. But before I get to all that, we did not do the hike without some trepidation. Ultimately we did not encounter any trouble and had a lovely time, but in the moment we did ponder some concerns.

For example, as the time drew closer for us to be picked up for the nighttime drive through the Sinai desert to the base of Mt. Sinai, I began to consider that we'd be driving through desolate areas with people we didn't know in an place that had in the not too distant past seen acts of violence against tourists...only to get out and climb up into even more desolate hills and mountains where who knows what type of operatives lived. We'd even been told that it was only in the western desert and the rugged hills of the Sinai where any organized extremists or militants actually existed in Egypt. This caused both Diane and me to pause and wonder just what we may be getting into. And to top it off, as we rested in our hotel room waiting for our guides to pick us up, we tuned into CNN and saw a story about an American couple who had just been kidnapped in Yemen. In any case, by the time our guides arrived I had dispensed with the "terrorist" worry as so extremely unlikely that it wasn't, in fact, worth worrying about. And of course I was right.

However, at this point it dawned on me that the all too real danger for this jaunt was, in fact, a car accident. Yes, as you may have read in my first post about our Egypt trip, car accidents are very common in Egypt and as our small tour bus ventured out into the roads of the nighttime Sinai peninsula, I realized that the most serious threat to our safety was getting in a accident on these open and vacant roads. All it would take is one sleepy or wild driver and - boom! - big trouble. Obviously, we didn't have any problems, and by the time we were actually on the road and on our way to Mt. Sinai, I just "let it go" and tried to get some sleep before we arrived.

We rolled into the little town near St. Catherine's Monastery about 1:45 a.m. and met up with a couple of our friends we'd met on the earlier part of our trip. After a hot cup of coffee at a little coffee shop we all headed out with out guides to get the monastery and the camels that we would ride up most of the mountain.

As we walked together closer to the base of the mountain, we strode through a valley and right by the ancient monastery. Lit by the moonlight, the mountains were magnificent as the moonbeams shone off their ridges to give us an otherworldly view. It is also at this point that I abolished any lingering doubts about being "out on a mountain all alone." For indeed, there were hundreds of other tourists making the ascent this morning too. Most were walking up the hiking trail rather than riding up on the camel trail, so luckily we did  not have to share the trail with most of them. But, it was clear to me that no funny business would happen with all those people around.

Our group met up with a number of Bedouin tribesmen who were the keepers of the camels we would ride up the mountain. According to our guide, it is the law that all tours up the peak need to be done with a local Bedouin as a way for them to have work in the tourism industry. So, under the starlight we loaded up on our camels - each of us riding our own.

From there, we began an ascent like no other we've done before - unlike our hike in China in 2008 and unlike our annual hikes in the Cascades back home.

Clopping their hooves on the trail, our camels negotiated the twists and turns up the mountain in the dead of night as we each sat back and marveled at the spectacular display of stars above us. The Milky Way, occasional shooting stars and, well, more brilliant points of light in the night sky than we'd ever seen before were conveniently laid out over our heads to enjoy. Because we were on camels, we had the luxury of focusing on the sights above and around us rather than carefully picking our way up the side of the mountain in the dark with hundreds of tourists.

Along the way up there were a few places where you could stop for a snack, soda or tea. We chose not to dismount and kept pushing onward.

One thing about riding camels - or at least if you're not used to riding one - is that it really stretches your legs at the point where they meet your torso. Your legs are draped over each side of the beast, but there are no stirrups to put your feet. This became pretty uncomfortable at times, but you just have to ignore that and appreciate where you are and what you're doing. This is what we did.

By about 4:30 a.m. we reached a rally point high up on the mountain and dismounted our camels to join the rest of the masses making the final climb to the top. Here is where we realized that most of the other hiker tourists were Russians. And wow, those Russians don't much care for, oh, little things like dressing for an aggressive 7,500 ft. hike. Seriously, for every one we saw who was semi-equipped for a hike we saw 2 or 3 dressed like they were out for a night at the dance club or perhaps the beach. Really. We're talking about girls in tight shorts, heels and flimsy tops...guys in flip flops and beach shorts...and just about everything in between. Amazing. Oh well.

After a short while we picked our way up the steep and narrow stone steps to the top of Mt. Sinai. The first hints of light were appearing. Before the sun burst over the horizon and rose above the peaks around us, Diane and I quickly ventured to the very top to see a couple sites that are mentioned in the Bible. Now, neither of us are religious types, but on the other hand - whether you believe in the Bible or you do not - it is surely true that this is the spot that is referenced in the text where Moses received the 10 Commandments from God. And for that, there is a small chapel up on the mountainside, along with a small hole where Moses is supposed to have "holed up" for many days before receiving the Commandments. We saw that. Then we went to go see the sunrise.

After sunrise and taking in the view, we started our hike down the mountain and back to the Monastery. On our way down, the full extent and beauty of the surrounding mountains impressed. Arriving at the bottom, we toured the St. Catherine's Monastery - a Greek Orthodox outpost dating back 1,000 years and built over the spot where the men who wrote the Bible said Moses saw "the burning bush." In fact, it is said that the bush still exists in the confines of the Monastery. Below is a picture I took of it:

Getting pretty dang tired at this point, we had breakfast at a local spot and then loaded up on our bus again for the ride back to the Hyatt in Sharm.

The ride through the desert - this time in daylight - revealed a very desolate, very rugged and in that way beautiful topography. After some rest I simply looked out the window and watched it all go by with a very rare camel, rest stop or guard post visible once and a while.

Eventually we arrived back at our Hyatt oasis around 1 p.m. We immediately cleaned up, got a bite to eat and hit the beach for a nap and relaxation knowing we'd just completed a unique and memorable adventure. Now completed, we concentrated on getting the most out of the hotel over the next day before we had to leave.


NOTE: All pictures featured in this article were taken by me, Marc Osborn. They are copy written in my name and are not authorized for any use by anyone without written permission directly from me.

Excursion to Egypt - Luxor & the Valley of the Kings

This is the third installment in my series about our trip this spring to Egypt. The first two are HERE and HERE. And, as a reminder, you can see more pictures from our trip on my Flickr Photostream by clicking HERE.

Following four days of cruising on the Nile, our ship transformed into a stationary hotel tied up to the riverbank for the next two nights as we docked at Luxor to see the sights in this important area of Egypt.

Carriage Ride Offers Perspective
Our first adventure here was a horse carriage ride around old Luxor at dusk. Each couple in our group boarded their own vessel and the set of them formed a line of clippidy-cloppidy vehicles snaking through a variety of scenery including the cramped and vibrant quarters of a market, empty side streets, tranquil residential areas, hussely-bussily broad avenues, shopping areas, etc. With a now tolerable early evening breeze blowing, the ride offered a pleasant way to see parts of Luxor we would never otherwise get to.

Arriving back at the ship after dark for a late dinner, I also found it interesting that many of our older tour companions did not enjoy the trundle through Luxor. Most said they disliked seeing the poverty or the dirtiness. "I know it exists, but I don't need to see it," was a comment I heard more than once. I chose to maintain a polite demeanor and simply nod at such escapism as I had to be around these people for a couple of days still.

However, in my mind I could not disagree more with what I was hearing. Sure, nobody "likes" poverty or unsanitary conditions, but they exist...and in fact, most people in the world live right there down in that stuff. It's more "real" than suburban American life, and my opinion is that it is precisely valuable to see what that's like so you can have a better informed, more well rounded perspective back home when you're trying understand any number of things - immigration, world events, politics, or even just why those new neighbors might look or act different than you.

Anyway, I'm not one to wallow in "how good we have it" comparisons or take - as described in a Sex Pistols song says - "a cheap holiday in other people's misery," but I do want to get a perspective on the world beyond big hotels, fancy restaurants and impressive monuments.

Lots of Hot Air

And speaking of different perspectives, how about what you can see at 1,000 feet above the ground?

Neither Diane nor I had ever been up in a hot air balloon, and honestly it hadn't occurred to us that this would be an option on our trip to Egypt. But, just before our evening carriage ride around Luxor, our guide mentioned that this would be something we could do the next morning if we wanted. Pondering the variables as we rode the Luxor streets that evening - How much would it cost? How safe is a hot air balloon in Egypt? And, perhaps most importantly...how early would we have to get up? - we went back and forth on whether or not to do it. Eventually, we decided that it was a minimal risk and it would be a shame if we regretted not seeing the sites from the air when we had the chance. So, we made the arrangements and hit the sack.

Rising early and disembarking our ship as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Egypt was hotting up already. The skies were clear and you could tell we were in for a great view of whatever we floated over.

A short bus ride later, we boarded a covered river longboat that would transport us across the Nile and over the the western bank where our balloon awaited. As we chugged along, we were offered instant coffee that we both refused because, well, you never know if that water really has been boiled. No need for contracting a rotten gut on the cheap like that. We also began to see balloons go up into the air and that made us anticipate our own flight even more.

Leaving the boat, we rode again in a bus for a short while, eventually arriving at a flat tilled field where a number of balloons were in different stages of inflation or take off.

After a while, our blue balloon inflated enough for us to board the basket. Roughly a rectangle in shape, it held about 12 people, plus the pilot in the middle. As the pilot fired up the balloon further to lift us off the ground, we felt the very hot blasts come down on our heads. Sure, the fire was nowhere near us, but the down draft was so hot that we cringed down to the floor of the basket to get away. We had not anticipated this and the only relief were hats and cringing down. Eventually we took off and all was good again.

Rising slowly, the magnificence of where we were revealed itself. As we climbed, the massive Temple of Hatshepsut came into view. This huge complex was built by one of the only female Pharaohs - Hatshepsut and is the most striking above ground structure in the area.

Nearby and around there were other ancient temples built near the river by the Pharaohs and their queens as their public statement from the afterlife - even while their bodies were secretly buried over the ridge in the Valley of the Kings.

As we rose further to an ultimate height of 1,000 feet above ground, we took into view the Nile, Luxor town, the Temple of Luxor, the ridge line of the Valley of the Kings and vistas beyond. Quiet and still, the flight proved to be calming and, obviously, impressive. Lots of "oooos" and "ahhhs."

The breeze this day dictated that our flight floated straight up, then drifted east back toward the Nile. All good except that if you're the balloon company you want to land your craft on the west side of the river, and if you're a passenger...well, you don't want to have a swim along with your flight. Our captain managed to entertain us with a little guessing game called, "will he land us before the river." Turns out, he did. We came down nicely in a dirt field about 100 yards from the Nile. After disembarking our balloon basket and a quick scamper through a banana tree orchard...in which Diane was convinced there were snakes, but of which we saw none...we were back in the truck and off to meet up with our group once again.

Valley of the Kings

Later that day, we visited The Valley of the Kings. Nestled in the hills just beside the Nile River, this is a place where more than 30 of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs had their graves secretly built and guarded. With their public temples visible to all down by the river, these graves were created to ensure the kings had an uninterrupted journey to the next world after they died. Hence, the tombs were carved by hand out of the rock deep into the mountainsides to hide their presence and demure grave robbers and looters.

Each tomb is different - some are big, some small, some long, some not, some deep, others shallow, some with many rooms and levels, some with just one, some with columns, others not., etc. However, most have common attributes. Those include an entryway into a hall that descends into the earth. The walls and ceilings are covered in colorful hieroglyphs depicting the king's history, fidelity to the gods, accomplishments and more. Most of these hallways are long and have smaller side rooms or coves. Eventually you reach a large room that houses the sarcophagus where the Pharaoh was buried. Virtually all the mummys of the Pharoes have been exhumed and quite of few of them now reside in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo where you can see them up close and personal. Oh, and another common attribute? It's dang hot down in those tombs!

Seriously though, it was quite a sensation to walk the corridors of these ancient underground structures and see the graphics on the wall...painted and carved so long ago. One could just imagine how difficult it was to dig these out of the living rock, decorate them, perform all burial ceremonies in them, seal them up and guard them.

Finally, another interesting thing that I learned on this trip was that all of the tombs - save one - had been entered, robbed and in some cases defaced many times over the millennium. Virtually all items of value and consequence had long been removed. Ironically, the mummies themselves were not among those items prized by ancient thieves, but certainly the jewels, gold and other valuable pieces were. Now, the one tomb not robbed or even opened until the 1920s was that of good old King Tut.

Yes, his relatively small tomb went undiscovered and untouched for thousands of years, only to be found by accident by a British archaeologist as he was excavating a nearby tomb entrance. Because Tutankhamen's tomb remained intact all along, all of the fascinating items from it provide an invaluable insight into not only this king's life and death, but also how many of the other tombs must have been decorated and arranged. All of the items from King Tut's tomb are now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and a traveling exhibit is hitting the U.S. soon I hear.

Shopping - the Art of Alabaster Negotiation
Departing the Valley of the Kings and back near the Nile, our group stopped at a shop where we disgorged from the bus and perused the wares available at a shop specializing in alabaster stone. Now, to be sure, our guide was getting a kickback for taking us here. So, we were under no illusions that this shop was not a random choice for our stop. But, we also knew that alabaster is one thing this area is known for in terms of art and souvenirs. Therefore, regardless of why we were at this shop, the question in our minds was, "is this stuff any good or not?" After looking, handling and asking questions about the merchandise we figured this was as good a place as any to buy some things.

As with every shopping experience in Egypt - and indeed many places around the world - buying is a negotiation. It basically should go like this: upon entry, the shop owner treats you like a king...his best friend...and shows you loads of things based on what you say you want. Price is not discussed at this point, just what you're looking for and what you like. Assurances are given that price will not be a problem. Sit back, relax, have some tea or a cold drink that the shop owner will lavish on you. In your mind, you start determining what it is exactly what you want and how much you are willing to pay for it - never mind what price tags you see. Eventually, you tell the shop owner which one or collection of items you want. At this point, you either ask the vendor how much this will cost or you offer your price. But in any case, the price you throw out there at this stage should be lower than what you've calculated in your mind you will pay for the item because you'll need the room to come up to that ideal price as you negotiate. My advice is not to offer a super low price just to get a bargain, but rather, shoot for a price you think is fair to both you and the vendor. Also key to know is that once you say a price, you cannot then go lower still. So, chose well and let the fun begin.

In any case, once you say your initial offer the vendor will invariably react as if you've just stolen food off his table and you are starving his children. Never mind this. This is a ruse to guilt you into paying a high price. Keep in mind, this does NOT make the shop owner or seller a bad person. This is simply how it is done. Remember, he will not sell you something if he isn't going to make a profit. At this point, the negotiation is in full swing and you and the vendor go back and forth on price...him coming down from the asking price and you coming up from your offer until a happy medium is reached. In many cases, that's it. You agree, pay and everyone is friends again.

Frequently, however, this dance will come to an impasse where either you or the vendor will not budge. And this is where your secret weapon can be used: you MUST be willing to walk away and not buy...or at least appear to be. The more real your resolve to walk away the more power over the situation you have. If you find yourself in this situation, the way to handle it is to politely say thank you and sorry, but you cannot afford the price and then start leaving the shop. You may even need to actually leave the shop. I estimate that in about 80% of the time the vendor will come after you and his reservations about meeting your price will start to crumble. Sure, he'll throw out a token reduction off his last offer at first to lure you back, but just stick to your guns and your leaving and the numbers will come down quickly. In a few instances, the vendor will indeed let you leave without pursuing. In that instance, don't feel bad because you can take comfort in the fact that you did not pay a price you were uncomfortable with or get suckered.

All of this happened on our alabaster shopping trip and after some drama we walked away with some very nice items that now look beautiful in our house.

Temples-O-Plenty Redux
As a center of great importance in the ancient Egyptian world, the Luxor area has many large and important temples to see, thus ushering in the second "Temple binge" of our trip. Here are the highlights:

Temple of Hatshepsut
A massive complex built by one of the only female Pharaohs, Hatshepsut. In addition to it's notoriety as an antiquity, this is also the place where back in 1997 terrorist attacked and killed western tourists. Below left is a picture I took as we walked up to this temple in the late morning heat.

Karnak Temple
This is the largest ancient temple from the days of the Pharaohs. It's a massive complex with walls, sanctuaries, columns, obelisks, lakes, avenues and more. We toured it under the late afternoon hot, hot sun. Many of you may recognize some parts of this temple as they were featured in movies such as The Spy Who Loved Me and Death on the Nile.

To me the most interesting aspects of this place beyond its sheer size were the rows of sphinxes and the colossal columns. Here are a few pictures I took around the temple...

Temple of Luxor
After a busy and long day of hot air ballooning, shopping and tomb and temple sightseeing, we ended with a sunset visit to the Temple of Luxor on the banks of the Nile.

The format of this building is very similar to the other temples - large and small - that we had seen on the trip so far, but it seemed to me there were more fully formed and impressive statues here. Also, the setting sun provided some great lighting to see this structure. And therein lay the interest to us here. Here are a few pictures to show you what I mean...

Returning to our ship after dark, and looking forward to departing for another part of Egypt the next morning, we dined that evening one last time with our tour mates with the pleasure of knowing we had seen the impressive best of this area.

NOTE: All pictures except those of the Valley of the Kings (postcard scans) that are featured in this article were taken by me, Marc Osborn. Those pictures are copy written in my name and are not authorized for any use by anyone without written permission directly from me. 

BP - Tax Deductions to Contribute to Paying for Oil Mess

Wonder how BP is going to pay for the $32 billion it estimates the gulf oil spill, cleanup and compensation will cost the company? Think they are simply going to pay up and move on? Oh no, they are going to make sure they come out even on the deal and don't take the hit to their bottom line.

How are they going to do that?

Well, part of their answer is to deduct $10 billion of the cost from their U.S. taxes.

Yep. A third of the expendatures they're laying out they are going to recoup by not paying taxes.

I'm not saying that this is illegal or anything, and I understand that BP is committing the $32 billion. But, I bring this up because I think this maneuver again shows you the nature and motivation of big business. In this case, a company is ready and willing to deduct the cost of a disaster it caused from their taxes to help pay for it's cleanup...depriving the U.S. public of funds that in a more equitable situation it should in receive as compensation for this mess.

Oh, and how will BP make up the rest of the $32 billion so they don't go into the black? It appears they will sell off certain elements of their business to raise the funds. This certainly makes sense, but the thing that is interesting to me is even after doing that, BP will STILL be the second biggest oil company in the world. This is a massive, massive international company. Is it any wonder they have so much influence on our government, its policies and energy regulation?

Naked, Gay, Vietnam Taj...and Don't Tread On Me

As I like to do about once every quarter, the other day I checked in on my Flickr Photostream to see what were the 10 most viewed pictures of mine that people across the Internet were viewing.

 Most  were similar to quarters past. My closeup of detail on the Taj Mahal in India is by far and away the most looked at with more than 1,400 views.

After that it's a repeat from previous quarters with an aircraft carrier in South Carolina, the Don't Tread On Me flag, various pictures of Vietnam, the Beijing Olympic stadium and paraders from the 2009 Seattle Gay Pride festivities.

New to the top 10 and skyrocketing into place number eight in just about a month since I posted it is a picture of naked bicycle riders from the Fremont Solstice Parade in Seattle this year.

So, what does this tell us?

Well, there appears to be a massive appetite for close ups of the Taj Mahal. Who knew?

After that, for kicks I'll break it down this way this time...there seems to a pattern perhaps along political lines:

• On the left there are some free spirits seeking pictures of naked paraders and/or gay paraders and some travel shots of Asia.

• On the right there are some uptight and traditional people looking for aircraft carriers, the iconic "don't tread on me" flag that has become a symbol of the Tea Party and shots of "the 'Nam."

 But who knows?

Why Does Everything "Suck"?

You suck.

That movie really sucked.

The Seahawks really sucked today.

Working for the man sucks.

The word "sucks" is ubiquitous in today's American language. I'm sure you've noticed...and probably use the word many times a day without even thinking about it.

It's always used to express displeasure or to disparage something or someone and is commonly accepted as a non-offensive word. It's everywhere - in TV programs, in commercials, in movies, in articles and other writings. Children and adults alike use the word.

But do you know where the term originated? What it means?

I've had my hunches, but seeing a recent TV ad in which a "suck-o-meter" is used to make some point or another about how the product being promoted doesn't "suck" demonstrated to me how much this word is in our culture and got me thinking about why such as strange term would be used to express a negative feeling or judgement.

Well, the first thing to know is that yes, "suck" is a term for oral sex. This is what I had assumed all along, and perhaps you did too. But, the real mystery is why it is so commonly used in general society. And I think the answer suggests perhaps it isn't a great term to be throwing around so easily.

OK, back in the day...like, the 60s and 70s and probably before..."sucks" was used in a very negative way as shorthand to essentially say, "you suck c*%#k" or "that sucks c*%#k." So, the intention was a degrading insult. But, it was also usually meant to imply that "you are gay." So, it's a bigoted term too - anti-gay. The translation of "you suck" was "you are gay and suck c*%#k." Because it was offensive, you didn't hear it as much and it wasn't in media, movies and print.

Perhaps the defining moment for the word "sucks" - proving its anti-gay insult status AND its adoption into everyday American syntax - is the whole "disco sucks" thing that happened in the 1970s. Disco music started in the gay clubs in NYC in the mid-70s and had a following in the African American community too...and it spread from those places into the general American culture as a sizable sector of our population wanted to get down.

Along the way, some people who were not gay, black or living in NYC took exception to the disco sounds they were hearing on the radio and the disco fashion they were seeing on the street. It all seemed awfully "gay" to them...and in their contempt they started saying, "disco sucks." By the mid to late 1970s, this essentially homophobic and racist mantra was picked up on rock radio stations as DJs became distraught over their beloved Stones, Zep, Rush and Sabbath being scaled back on airplay in favor of dance songs by Donna Summer, The Village People, Chic and other disco acts. Hitting the airwaves daily, the term "sucks" was used to describe disco in a derogatory way...and spread broadly from there.

At this stage, two events in particular really really propelled and solidified the use of the word "suck" as mainstream. First, the movie Saturday Night Fever in 1978 was a HUGE hit nationally - spreading the groovy disco sound across all corners of America and generating the predictable backlash call of "disco sucks!" among people who may not have quite appreciated the innovation of the Bee Gees and John Travolta and his white suit. Second, the Disco Demolition Night at Comisky Park in Chicago in 1979 where nearly 90,000 people responded to a Chicago area DJ's call to bring disco records to the field to literally blow them up before the start of a White Sox game. Following the initial explosion, a mini riot started on the plying field.

This stunt came across for what it was - low brow and reactionary. It also got a lot of attention in the media...complete with the "disco sucks" chants from the crowd and "disco sucks" signs in the stadium. America, say hello to your new term for saying something is not good.

The rest as they say is history. All of a sudden, many things "sucked." And that's how it is today. Thirty years on from the baseball stadium stunt and the heyday of disco, even kids cartoons say things "suck" when they want to say something is not good.

There are those who defend the modern use of the word and I can see some of the logic, but primarily I try and not use the word myself because each time I do I think that it's a lame way to say something that could be articulated better with other words and it has a quite homophobic and racist history. The word is so ingrained in our culture that I am sure I will still use it reflexively now and again, but I'm trying to dial it back.

Excursion to Egypt - Aswan & Crusin' the Nile

After a couple days in Cairo, we took a morning flight all the way down to the southern region of Egypt to the city of Aswan. Arriving to 110 degree temperatures at 10 a.m., this is where we boarded our Nile River cruise ship that would take us down the river to more spectacular sites. However, before our river journey began, there were a number of things we did right there in the Aswan area.

Ship and Felucca
From the airport we were transported through Aswan and down to the river where our cruise ship, the Movenpik Royal Lily, awaited. This thing looked like most every other cruise ship on the river from the outside, but inside it was like staying in a W Hotel. We had a very comfortable cabin with big windows facing out to the river, king sized bed, couch and lounge, killer air conditioning and more. Really nice.

After we checked in, but before lunch, we decided to go up top deck and take a dip in the pool to cool off. As reached the doorway up to the pool, I observed a thermometer outside that said the temperature had risen to 120 degrees. That pool really was going to feel good. And it did. But here's the thing - I left the card key for our room and my flip-flops on the pool deck as we swam around for about 10 minutes. When a went to fetch them, the key card had melted into a warped piece of plastic and my flip-flops were far too hot to wear. I had to quickly scoop them up and scamper into the shady part of the deck. After lunch we attempted to go up on the deck again to sit in the shade and read, but by this time the temperature had reached 131 degrees! After a minute of that Diane said, "this isn't good, lets go back to the cabin." She was right and we did.

Later that evening around sunset, when the temperature had cooled to a chilly 90 degrees or so, we went on a fun boat ride on a vessel called a Felucca. Basically, they are small sail boats the likes of which have plied the Nile for centuries. This was a fun excursion as it got us out on the river, in the breeze and we could see Aswan from the river perspective. At right is a picture of a felucca sailing in front of Aswan to give you the idea.

Aswan High Dam

After a restful night on the boat moored at Aswan, the next morning we went to the Aswan "high dam." Built in the 1960s, the dam is one of Egypt's major sources of revenue and regional power. It's also one of the biggest dams in the world. By bottling up the Nile, Egypt can produce a massive amount of electricity with the dam that it uses domestically and exports all around the Middle East. And, by controlling the flow of the Nile, the government can reduce the instances of devastating flooding and occupy the position of a major player in water issues for most of North Africa.

While the dam does not have the "wow" factor of, say, the Great Pyramids, it is clear that this structure is as important - if not more so - to the Egyptian economy and way of life than any tourist attraction. That's why our guide made a point of showing it to us. Here is a shot of the dam. You can see it in the middle of the picture at the back.

After the dam, we went into Aswan town and did some shopping. We purchased some beautiful glass perfume bottles that artisans from that area are known for.

Nubian Village
Later in the afternoon, with only our guide and another couple, we took a motor boat up the river to a Nubian village for a visit. Nubia is a region in the south of Egypt and most of the Sudan. Nubians are the native people of that area. In this instance, we went to one of their homes for a visit. I'm not sure how "typical" the home was as there were plenty of things to buy sitting around (kickback to the guide no doubt), but none of that was a distraction and our visit proved to be interesting. For example, we got up close and personal with some crocodiles. From a balcony offering shade and views of the Nile, we snacked on some home made bread, cheese and honey. And, we partook in smoking from the hooka water pipe - tobacco only just so you know. We really enjoyed this little get-away within our trip because it allowed us to see something off the beaten path, see how some Nubians live, and experience some tastes and smells to go along with all the sights and sounds of Egypt. Here are a couple pictures from our visit:

Temples-O-Plenty

After seeing the Aswan high dam, but before the Nubian village, we took a small boat over to an island to visit the Temple of Isis. In the heat of the day, we wandered through the ancient doorways and worship chambers, marveling at how old the construction is, how well preserved the carved hieroglyphs were and pondering what the Egyptians of old would have done here in this place thousands of years ago. This was our first temple tour and the basic construction and shape were the template for most the other temples we would see on the trip.

Shoving off later that that afternoon from Aswan, our ship chugged down the river to the site of one of the best preserved ancient temples called Kom Ombo. Notice I said "down" the river. The Nile is one of the only - and certainly the largest - rivers in the world that flows south to north. So, our ship journeyed north back toward Cairo.To be honest, between the time zone change, three aggressive days and the evening hour...we were exhausted by the time we started our exploration of the Kom Ombo temple at dusk. 



But, the sunset and twilight hour bathed the temple beautiful hues, and we learned that the site is the only ancient Egyptian temple that honors two gods simultaneously - Horus (the Hawk) and Sobek (the Crocodile). The temple was also a center for medicine and houses the original ancient Egyptian calendar - remarkably accurate. Ready to drop, we ate a late dinner and then hit the sack and slept hard. In the morning, our ship sailed down river again - this time the destination was a town called Edfu. 

Edfu is not a tourist destination itself, although you could get an education on what a typical Egyptian town is like by hanging out there. What the city does have is one of the biggest, best preserved ancient Egyptian temples left standing...and we toured it. By this point we were becoming experts on what these temples looked like, how they were constructed and which rooms served which purposes. With this knowledge in our memory banks, the visit here was more about appreciating the art than learning anything new about the structure's function or history itself. Following an enjoyable - and hot! - visit, we went back to the ship and sailed onward in the afternoon toward Luxor.

NOTE: All pictures featured in this article were taken by me, Marc Osborn. They are copy written in my name and are not authorized for any use by anyone without written permission directly from me.