THE BEST AND WORST PASSPORTS TO HAVE: A METAPHOR FOR OUR WORLD IN CONFLICT

I am very happy to see Singapore and Malaysia in this list, I think it is because of their active diplomacy. For example, Malaysia is one of the few countries with a favoured status with Cuba, its citizens are  not required to have a visa or Tourist Card to enter Cuba. Malaysia maintains an Embassy in Havana as does Cuba in Kuala Lumpur.
Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia , a nice quartet. The other members are expected EU and AUS/USA/CANADA/NZ

It is interesting to look at the least powerful passport to hold. India is not in the list, but its neighbours  Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as Nepal and Sri Lanka fall in. Apart from South Sudan and Ethiopia, all the other countries are also in the list of failed countries and have seen sectarian violence.

WONDERFUL DAYS WITH THE ANTLER TRIBE OF AMERICA

 I have been very fortunate with my long association with the Antlers. They are a tribe who had gradual contact with the Outsiders and maintained their identiy intact to the modern times.

 In 1932, Margaret Mead, the most prominent Cultural Anthropologist of her day, lived among the Antlers and published a book about them.
Then as now, the true identity of the tribe is not revealed as Indians in general are private people

 I am lucky to spend a week to ten days each month with the Antlers, arriving as I did on an evening when snow was beginning to cover the ground.

 Used to the diversity of this vast country, many of the newcomers to the USA and their descendants look at the Indians as Brown Skinned Americans, but the truth is far from it. The Antlers maintain their ancient culture, think in a form very distinct from the North American white/black/mexican/asian. In fact an Antler would be comfortable more in the Amazonia with a Ticuna than he would be at the home of a upper middle class white person in a city in USA. 

 I am a Jew, and I am impressed with the respect they bestow upon us, whom they consider to be yet another tribal affiliation. Food being an integral part of the Antler way of life, they are always making sure that forbidden foods of the Jews do not find its way to my plate and many a time, they would prepare seperate dishes for me. Like Antlers, I am also traditional and fond of some of our rituals which they respect.

 My long term association with the Antlers have been given me a place of honour in their midst and I am often invited to be part of them when they are invited by outsiders for dinners. A group of people , who are helping the Antlers deal with their medical problems invited us to dine with them. It was such a wonderful evening, because of the respect each side had for each other. Diversity does not mean blending in but maintaining ones cultural identity but integrating into the wider society. The antlers have done this well. Both Antler ladies in the photo have Masters degree education and impressive in their achievements in securing good health care for the Antlers.

 Antlers are very family oriented and it is not uncommon to see young children wandering around the work places or in the offices. This young child whom I have known for years, always greets me with a warm smile and a hug .

Antlers are incredibly caring people, every one including this teenager knows that I am visiting and may not have food provisions in this village without a shop or restaurant. She came up to me and said she had ordered some food from a Mexican restaurant from the nearest town and was willing to share with me in case I was hungry. I was very touched with this gesture.

Health care delivery to the Antlers is unique in that it is not problem oriented but rather people oriented. There are no clients or patients but friends and family members or relatives. Once that is established every one does the best as the person they serve is related to them one way or another.
It reminded me of the Israeli society where you are vigilant and careful and protect your fellow citizens with greater care and scrutiny as the person you may save is your own tribe and perhaps your own immediate family. It is so different from the fiercely individualistic nature of the American society where the individual is placed above the society.

These two Antlers knew that I liked Fish and broccoli and goat cheese and cherry tomatos, so while I finished the days work with them, the man had gone and shopped for these and prepared a meal and brought it over to the Blue House where I stay when I am with the Antlers.
All in all I am grateful to be able to spend time with the Antlers and I have learned a lot from them.
Antlers are not like Mexicans or Mexican Americans who had given up their cultures over and over again in the hope of gaining entrance into the predominant north american culture. Antlers are Antlers, they were and they are and they will be Antlers, maintaining as much of their traditions as they can, in face of the mounting pressures from the fiercely individualistic, materialistic north american society.
When I leave the Antlers, my destinaton is usually outside the USA and I know I remain in their hearts as they do in mine, while we wait for our return rendezvous.. month after month..

RECOLLECTING LISBOA.. FEW HOURS IN LISBON WELL SPENT

On arrival at the LISBOA airport, the exit was speedy, as there were no passport controls, coming in from Nantes in France. Quickly making myself familiar with the arrivals area, I saw a sign  DEPOSITO DE BAGAGEM, a sub continental gent was manning the area, 3.85 Euros for a bag weighing less than 10 kg, which seemed a bargain, and you could leave it there for 24 hours. Outside an Aerobus was waiting and a very pleasant driver (grudgingly thought of the rude bus drivers of Paris), Antononio Gonsalves, informed me that I could use the ticket worth only 3.50 euros for a 24 hour period, on and off as I liked. The fact that I could go downtown and back for 3.50 euros, whereas it could be easily close to 20 euros in any other european city. The buses depart every twenty minutes.

Soon we were travelling along leafy avenues and I, to my own surprise, began recognizing the area as we approached the Marques de Pombal statue facing the Ave de Libertade. I got off at Rossio, even though the square is called Dom Pedro IV (who was Emperor of Portugal for a few short months and the EMperor of Brasil for years). His statuehigh up on a pedestal, looks down on the plaza. This day being a Sunday in addition to being Christmas day, only a few restaurants were open and most of the shops were closed with a notable exception.
Souvenir stores are all staffed by Bangladeshis, I was told there were more than 10 000 Bangladeshis in Lisboa and more each day call this city home. Why are you here? I asked one of them, wanting to an anthropological clue, but his reply was curt: MONEY. But you have no relationship with Portugal? MONEY he replied once again. I wondered why there were a large number of sub continentals on the Doha to Casablanca flight, perhaps this was a route to Lisboa or Madrid?

It was nice to look into the elegant restaurants, in fact Lisboa has an elegant feeling of another time. I tried to skirt around the tourist streets, but hordes of Chinese tourists were everywhere. I walked towards the Mirador, built in 1902.

Then on to CHIADO, with its colonial buildings and churches, the square named after a 16 century poet, where I could say Buenas Tardes to Otavalo Indians plying their stuff on the streets to the tourists and their hangers on

These are the very same streets that PESSOA and SARAMAGO cruised during their interminable stays at the various cafes, Pessoa with his statue and books on display everywhere, is present so is the Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago.

The cafe society, the intellectuals, the poetry and the lietarature, all evident in Chiado, despite Portugal being under a dictatorship for a very long time..the atmosphere is maintained. Yet another statue on a pedestal, this time of CAMOES, the greatest of the Portuguese poets who died 400 plus years  ago, Luisades and Goa are associated with this swashbuckling gentleman of passion

I looked into a barbershop, thought of a poem by Pablo Neruda, down past closed stores and surly Bangladeshis, manning stores selling the same rubbish, towards the Praca do Comercio. I looked at the majestic columns and remembered they were built around the time of the jewish expulsion from Lisboa and Portugal. Jews had walked along the same streets and many centuries later I was to meet one of its descendants in Kingston, Jamaica

Lisboa is hilly, you can look up to the Castelo Sao Jorge. My legs were begining to ache from the walkabout, despite a short one in this delightful city, which makes a poet out of you.
I walked towards the Aerobus No 1 stop, an empty bus arrives, just me and the driver who was extremely friendly and helpful, she had red painted hair 
Are you from Lisboa, I asked her politely. No, I am from Cabo Verde, she chimed. 
I thought of my long association (in my mind only , because of the music) with Cabo Verde and began reciting  Cesaria Evora, Bau, Bana, Ildo Lobo, Tavares, Morna and Coladera.. after all who in the world has not heard of Cesaria Evora?
Eu moro na Cuba, i said to her in my imperfect portuguese,it elicited further appreciations from this driver as she had benefited from the Cuban medical generosity to Cabo Verde

The sun was loosing its shine, painting the tops of the trees a bright yellow, Christmas lights were coming on. the bus lurched on, avenidas Libertade, Republica, to the right and then lefft into the leafy streets leading to the airport
Here you are, said the painted red hair lady driver from Cabo Verde, and I got out.
The waiting hours at the airport was spent at the Lounge of the TAP airlines and I had some Portuguese vinho verde
then the flight took off to Casablanca.

QATAR AIRWAYS CASABLANCA TO DOHA

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM HAVANA, CUBA