What is going on in the world?

Well, I can't say I am surprised. I think most people have often wondered when terrorism was going to come to London and specifically to the subway system. IT just seems like such an obvious target. And now that terrorists have an easy excuse to target Western nations - Iraq (but as if they needed one) - I am frankly surprised it hadn't happened sooner in the UK. Tony Blair has been the only one to stand so close to Bush on the whole Iraq question, even after the facts were found to be bent to fit a call for war and after the Downing Street Memo.

I don't understand who these terrorists are or what they think they are accomplishing. Well, I guess they are terrorizing people. Perhaps that is it's own kind of reward for them? I don't know. What I do know is that of the Muslim people I have known in my life, and of the books I have read about Islam (Gigi's mom loaned me a few after I had so many questions after 9/11), I can't figure out how these people can so distort the teachings of this religion. I am always struck by the similarities between Islam and Judaism. So many of our customs seem to be similar but with some twist that makes them different. I mean, Orthodox Jews wear hats and beards. So do "orthodox" Muslims (they don't call them Orthodox but I am making a comparison here!). They fast on their most important holidays, so do we. Friday is their big prayer day, so is ours (well, Friday night). They say "A salam alekim" (that's meant to be phonetic) and we say "Shalom a lechem" (phonetics again). Etc. etc. etc. Is it because we are so similar that we chafe?

Well, my heart goes out to the Londoners. I am glad James and Felipe are safe and I am so sorry for anyone who experienced those awful events yesterday and the inevitable dark days ahead as they sift through the wreckage. I feel pretty impotent right now...I am in nowhere-land and feel so out of the loop. I hate it.

Although, I am sort of glad I don't have TV..According to Niko the American media is doing a great job of really fucking the coverage up, making it all about us and not really about London or the people there. Figures. We seem to think that we are the only ones on the planet who matter. Sometimes I am not surprised people hate America. While I would like to say that the corporate media doesn't really represent who we are, how can I? We get what we ask for and so by not engaging our government more effectively, by not demanding a free and fair media, this is what we get. And the newscasters and so-called journalists we put forward are certainly not our best and brightest. I wonder if Fox News is even covering this one...Have they managed to pull away from the Natalee Holloway case on Aruba or all the shark bitings on the Florida Gulf Coast?

In other news
Peter is going to be an uncle again! Judit and Micu's baby #2 is on the way! We were expecting the baby on Monday - she is having a C-Section and so it was scheduled for Monday. But this morning Peter called to tell me that the baby is coming early and should be born today! In Hungarian tradition, the day a baby is born there is a big party at the new parents' house that night. Sounds like a pain in the ass to me...how do you gather everyone? And I would imagine that after giving birth the last thing I would want is to have a house full of people. Wait, is the new mom even invited to this party? I would think she is in the hospital still.
Hmmm... Anyway, this party happens and if it can be pulled together it will be tonight so we will be off to Miskolz for the festivities! If not, it will surely be tomorrow night so we will head out then. Selfishly I want it to be tomorrow. Peter and I have a date tonight and, more importantly (!) I have my massage
tomorrow.

BABY UPDATE:Just got a call from Peter. The baby was born. His name is Mihaly (pronounced Me-high). And this traditional party? Well, it's tonight alright. But, as Peter said, "Marce, there's a small problem." Turns out the party is for men only. OF COURSE IT IS. Because no woman in her right mind would want to have a party the night she gave birth. And it just goes to show you how retro this place is that the father isn't even going to stay in the hospital with the new mom and baby on the night of its birth! Well, if Peter thinks I am going to have a baby in this backwards country...he is sorely mistaken, that's for sure.