SELF PORTRAITS

This has been the SELF PORTRAIT WEEKEND for me ... probably the need to prove to myself that I was really back home ... :)

After the one with my wetsuit I posted yesterday here an other couple of them. They are very different to each other. The first one is with my beloved SURF BOARD in front of my place in HERMOSA this morning after a 2 hours of perfect surfing ...

... the waves were small but "surfable" and in the water I met a couple of surfer friends ... and the dolphins came to visit me ... a group of 4 / 5 dolphins swam around me and that made me feel so special and so lucky to be there.

The second one is totally NOIR ART ... it has been taken in one of the few places that make me feel sick ... in front of the sink of a public restroom (this one is in the SANTA MONICA, CA PIER) ... the mirror itself is not even glass ... it is a thin slice of stainless steel ...

... but I still prefer the second one to the first ... it looks to me more real ... and probably not even the second one is so real ... if you think that in the world there are still millions and millions of people who don't have access to running clean water ... probably what make me feel sick is only a dream for millions ... strange to think, but it is true.

ASHES and SNOW

ASHES AND SNOW is the enchanting name of a moving exhibition (the organizers call it THE NOMADIC MUSEUM) that after VENICE, ITALY and NY, NY has rested in SANTA MONICA, CA for the last 4 months ... and because I am the prototype of the procrastinator I almost missed it ... it is in fact going to close in 2 weeks ... but fortunately for me (next stop is BEJING, CHINA) my friend JILL reminded me about it and we went there together to see it.

Here a funny picture of the exhibition booklets at the entrance ...

... the organizers put stones on them because they didn't like indeed to see them fly around even if the cover image can only let you think that it wants to fly ... I think this picture is a good metaphor of the exhibition itself ... magical images which are unable to trigger any fantasy and passion in the viewer ... or at least they didn't manage with me and JILL. To us it was a little bit repetitive ... and not as powerful and natural, for example, as the pictures of my friend ANDREA (who became the favorite topic in today's conversations) ...

Simplifying a little bit ... but non too much ... the exhibition is a collection of very powerful videos and pictures of animals and human beings interacting in a way you have never seen before. The set up of the exhibition is pretty powerful as well ... the frame of the NOMADIC MUSEUM is constructed with steel cargo containers ... a nice idea ...

... if you have the chance go to visit it ... but don't rush ... probably the website ... http://www.ashesandsnow.org/ ... will be enough for you.

LOCHAN

A couple of days ago, after I wrote the post where I mentioned ANDREA's wise words (i.e. "you will get old when you will start thinking that you can't do anymore certain things") , I wrote him an email with the link to the post. More than 1 year was basically passed without any email ... last time we wrote to each other he was ready to pack his stuff for a second trip to THAILAND, which he really liked during his first trip.

ANDREA replied me back yesterday ... and I found out that back in JANUARY he quit his job and decided to take an amazing 3 months trip that bring him across the BUDDHIST WORLD of Nepal, Bhutan, India, Thailand, China, Japan and Korea ... reading his email I was at the same time STUNNED by his words and CERTAIN that he was doing the right thing. ANDREA is such a CREATIVE and in a way (i.e. the wise way) FEARLESS guy ... this trip is exactly the type of things that only an amazing person like ANDREA can do.

ANDREA has also a new website ... http://www.lochan-photo.com/ ... and I have to say that it is simply amazing ... I spent 2 hours last night browsing through the - few but incredibly powerful - words and photos he decided to put there ... you have to look at it, I am sure you will love it ... and I am sure that even if you don't know him, he will make your day brighter and happier ... and there you will find, of course, also the meaning of the word LOCHAN.

JASON is in the CLUB

Today JASON (i.e. my American roommate ... he is really cool ... I need to write a post on him ... later) has been finally inducted in the 244 MONTEREY SURF CLUB ... which is basically the surf club that JAKE and I started last year as a joke ... the club is still a joke ... but the list of surfers joining is getting longer ... :D

The rules to enter the club are simple ... you either surf down in 2nd street in HERMOSA and / or you surf with an other member of the club anywhere else ... this morning JASON and I went down to surf the mini waves that the PACIFIC OCEAN decided to donate us today ... so JASON is in ... here the moment of the induction ... JASON still with his wetsuit on and leaking salty water on the floor put his name on the board ...

... you can appreciated the original HAWAIIAN LEI on his neck ... I did bring it from my last trip to OAHU, HAWAII ... now the leafs are dry ... but it is still great, especially for these historically surfing events ... :)

And here the new 244 MONTEREY BLVD board on the worldwide famous FRIDGE OF FAME (named after the HOLLYWOOD more famous but less important to us WALK OF FAME) ...

... and on the board of the CLUB the magnet with the picture of our SPIRITUAL FATHER ... NELSON MANDELA ... thanks to him I hope we will have soon a black South African Surf Champion ... :o

HAPPY TO BE BACK HOME!

So ... here I am in the beloved PORCH of my house in HERMOSA BEACH to write this post. LEIF is here with me ... but looks a kid of wasted ... he is trying to finish the last TECATE beer of day just pulled out of the fridge ...

... but is basically falling asleep every sip he takes. JASON already hit the sack ... tomorrow morning we are planning to go surfing together even if the waves are really small ...

Today has been a great day for me ... after 7 weeks (!) I am finally back home ... and I am HAPPY ... I loved being in ATLANTA and in WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE ... but there is nothing like HOME ... and for me HOME is HERMOSA BEACH, CA!

Fortunately for me I didn't spend all day on the porch. So ... let's go back to this morning. I got to the LAX airport around 10AM after almost 6 hours flight from BWI ... and as soon as I stepped out of the terminal and I saw the line of TAXI ...

... I felt at home ... a fast ride with the TAXI and I got to my real home ... still there as simple and nice as remember it ... the only "new entry" was this empty beer keg in front of the main entrance ...

... probably from last weekend BBQ ... well done JASON and LEIF ... :) ... I used my room to unpack thee luggage, packed just few hours ago in BALTIMORE ...

... but the real challenge of the day has been to check the MAILS that LEIF has collected for me in last 7 weeks ...

... :) I managed also to go to the BANK OF AMERICA to pick up my new check books, to the barber, to lunch to "LOS MUCHACHOS" my favorite MEXICAN RESTAURANT ... when you will come here to visit remind me to bring you there ... and of course I went to HERMOSA BEACH 2nd Street to check the waves ... aaaaahhhhh ... they are still there ... tiny waves ... but I love them ...

... thank G-D I didn't gain much weight and the wetsuit still fits me ... better I take a picture to prove it ...

... WAX the board ... RUN down to 2nd street ... and SPLASH ... I am in back to the water ... not as cold as last time I did surf back in March ... and you know what!? Surf was actually pretty good today ... I mean the waves were small but that doesn't matter I just wanted to see if I am still able to stand up on the board.

After surfing was sooooo nice to meet again JASON and LEIF ... who got home from work ... we had some pizza, watched a couple of NBA PLAYOFF games ... and we headed to the PITCHER HOUSE to close the day ... some good beer ... some game to the SHUFFLE BOARD ...

... and FOOSBALL, of course ...
... really a great nite after a perfect and simple day full of the things that I love the most ... I am really happy to be back home ... :D

BYE BYE BWI

Today was the last day in the Washington Baltimore area ... I had a 7AM flight to LA and my last memory will be this wonderful SUNRISE ...

... at the BWI (Baltimore Washington International) airport ... very nice indeed and I like the fact that I end this chapter of my life with a sunrise ... rather than with a sunset .... :o

3653 days

LAURA and LUCA are two of my best friends ... they are living in BERGAMO ... my / our own city back in ITALY and I speak with with them every other weekend ... and they make me sooooo happy ... they are something special for me ... I am telling them everything is happening in my life and I am asking what they think ... and they are doing pretty much the same ... they are like an other couple of brother and sister, really!

But most important ... OK, GET READY ... because this is not something so common ... yesterday, April 27th 2006, they celebrated their 10 years of engagement ... I know that it sounds pretty crazy for non Italians ... but they are breaking every record also for the Italian standards ... today they are celebrating their 3653rd day of engagement (considering 2 leap years and today) ... :o

I think that next big target is the 25 years of engagement ... I know it is tough ... but you guys can do it ... and it would be really a pity if you guys will get married and you will ruin everything ... :D

LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU! XA

TIME TO PACK

It is time to pack ...

... and leave. Tomorrow, Friday, I will fly to LOS ANGELES, CA ... happy to go back home ... even if I won't be there for long ... just for the weekend ... Monday I will fly to SEATTLE, WA for a new work assignment ... I am pretty excited about that as well ... new technology, new team, new customer ... I feel that my life is still blooming like this flower(*) ...

... when I think about my life I always remember an email that, Andrea, an Italian friend living in Israel sent me once ... he wrote me something like this "you will get old when you will start thinking that you can't do anymore certain things" ... I think Andrea was right ... as a matter of fact ... before taking any important decision I always think to Andrea's sentence ... and most of the time I realize that I can still do anything I want ... actually now that I have also a good economical independence (something I didn't have when I was a student) ... I can realize all the my dreams ... and one of the them has always been to WALK THE EARTH ... so I can only be happy when I am packing my stuff and I am leaving to new cities ... am I suffering of the PETER PAN SYNDROME? Mmmm ... maybe ... but actually I don't think so ... I just want to make things that make me happy ... :D

Speak you later ... next post will probably be from California ... :o

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(*) I took this picture in front of my hotel, here in Baltimore, last Sunday ... not sure which flower it is, though.

PERSPECTIVE

Nite drive can be pretty boring ... tonite while I was driving home from BALTIMORE I took this picture ...

... and I really like it. What I really like abut it is that I can see details and appreciate colors I wouldn't be able to see with my eyes ... a picture can really give you a different perspective on the reality ... not a fake image though ... just a different point of view ...

And it doesn't happen only with pictures ...

Today I did my final presentation to the customer of the WABADA (WAshington BAltimore DramA) project ... RICCARDO and I worked on this project for the last 5 weeks ... the final results were not as good as expected ... and we will have a second round of it ... but what I realized today, once again, is that the presentation skills are soooo important in our work ... you can work like a dog and present your results in such way that you won't grab the attention of the audience and ultimately ... you can really ruin everything. Today our customer simply loved an analysis we did because it was presented in a nice way ... here a slide as example(*) ...

... I mean it is nothing dramatic ... but it is neat, logic, and it gives an idea that you have something there ... I mean ... you need to have technical arguments to justify the findings ... but at the same time you need also to present in the right way.

I think I have a kind of a skill to present stuff ... I still remember what MARKUS, a former Austrian boss and mentor, told me once back in Israel ... "50% of our work is to make things work and 50% is to convince the customer of the effort and the added value of what we have done" ... I still believe it is true ... not just a picture but take an interesting picture ...

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(*) Of course for sake of CONFIDENTAILITY I removed the name of the indicators and other confidential info from the slide.

SHOA REMEMBRANCE DAY

Mmmm ... an other post about the SHOA (Jewish Holocaust during WWII) ... you will start thinking that I am obsesses with it ... actually I am not ... just a strange combination of events ...

Today I am writing about it because today in ISRAEL is the SHOA (Jewish Holocaust during WWII) REMEMBRANCE DAY ... and in ISRAEL is really a day different from any other (probably as powerful as the YOM KIPPUR) ... and I want to speak you about this ... so if you are planning a trip to ISRAEL you can think to include this day in your trip ... I mean it is not really a touristic attraction ... but it is an unique experience to live ...

What is happening is pretty simple but at the same time very very emotional ... exactly at 10AM load sirens all around ISRAEL sound for 2 minutes ... everywhere ... any type of siren ... mostly anti aircraft ... like the one used in the WWII CONCENTRATION CAMPS ... and EVERYBODY STOP to do what they are doing and stand up to salute the memory of the SHOA MARTYRS and HEROES ... and it is completely amazing ... insane ... unique ... I don't know which other word you can use ... everybody and everything stops ... trains ... cars in the middle of the freeway ... schools ... airport ... supermarkets ... offices ... I lived it I 2 times in ISRAEL ... and it is one of the biggest emotions I ever felt ... you are there standing up with this loud siren sound which is passing through your ears ... and you start to think ... to all the innocent people who died ... but 2 minutes are looooong ... so you think again and again ... and everything seems so crazy ... and you think again ... why did they kill them ... and you start to think to the people who everyday die in wars ... to the innocent Palestinians civilians that everyday are dying in GAZA or in the WEST BANK or the innocent Israeli civilians who are dying while boarding a bus ... and everything sounds soooooooo crazy ... why are we killing each other? ... why? ... and you don't know if hope that the siren will never stop ... so people won't be able anymore to kill each other ... they will be forced forever to listen to the siren ... or you hope that it will stop soon so you can go back to your daily activities and you will forget about the innocent people who is dying everyday ... and ... suddendly it stops ... but you will never forget those 2 minutes ... and we will never be sure if we should have ths siren everyday everywhere in the world ...

If your WALK THE EARTH tour will bring you to ISRAEL ... if you can ... try to visit it during the SHOA REMEMBRANCE DAY ... I am sure you will never forget it ...

WHITE, GREEN and BLUE

Isn't this combination simply wonderful ...

... we could propose these 3 colors for the PLANET EARTH FLAG ... I think they are pretty representative of the natural beauties of our planet ... and in the middle of the flag we could put something man-made that makes people happy ... mmmmm ... like a vase of NUTELLA ... :D
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BTW I took this picture last Sunday in the ARLINGTON CEMETERY in WASHINGTON DC.

AN OTHER SHITTY DAY in PARADISE

Today a new terror attack. 3 bombs exploded in DAHAB, EGYPT on the SINAI coast of the RED SEA. Looks like at least 23 people die, 20 of them were tourists.

Probably to most of you this name DAHAB, EGYPT won't tell you much but to me it means a lot ...

I visited DAHAB 3 times while I was living in ISRAEL and I still remember each visit as the happiest breaks of my 3 years in ISRAEL ...

The first time Rosita and I went there with BRIAN and STU. I immediately loved that tiny Bedouin village on the RED SEA. I was amazed by the beauty of the scenery ... the amazing RED desert Sinai mountains and the stunning BLU sky and the perfect EMERALD sea just cracked me down ... I loved the simplicity of the village ... and I loved the warm welcome of the Bedouin people. We were there only for a weekend ... but I still remember it like one of the most relaxing vacations of my life ... probably because when you live in ISRAEL everything is so difficult and complicated and ... and going there .... only 4 hours drive from TEL AVIV and find an other world ... looked to me like a dream.

The second time I went with MAURO and KENNY. I still remember KENNY (who didn't have a proper backpack) crossing the ISRAEL-EGYPT border with his 2 shopping bags full of clothes ... soooooooo funny ... I think he managed to make laugh also the tough Israeli border guards ... :o ... and again was a perfect weekend ...

... and nice memories also thanks to these pictures that MAURO took ...

... we managed also to make a visit to the Mt. SINAI ... where according to the biblical tradition G-D appeared for the first time to ABRAHAM in the form a burning bush and after some time (I mean ... Biblical time) the same G-D gave to MOSES the 10 COMMANDMENTS. We saw also St. CATERINA MONASTRY ... the perfect example of the world a lot of us are dreaming about ... a monastery with a SINAGOGE a CHURCH and a MOSQUE ... probably some crazy terrorist around the world is thinking to put a bomb there as well. I still remember sitting on a huge rock overlooking the monastery and ...

... having for at least 1 hour a furious typical middle eastern geopolitical discussion with my buddy MAURO ... I can't remember if in that case I was defending the rights of the PALESTINIANS or of the ISRAELIS ... :O ... probably Mauro has a better memory ...

The third time I went only with ROSITA ... for an entire week ... we took the OPEN WATERS PADI SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATE (DAHAB is perfect for diving) ... a wonderful week ... really wonderful. And there we met one of the person who in a way changed my way to see life ... our scuba trainer ... NIGEL J. RUSHTON ... a cool English guy who 2 years before did finish to pay for his mortgage in LONDON ... and decided to take 6 MONTHS GAP in DAHAB as scuba master and ... after 2 years he was still there ... :D One day we were commenting how beautiful the scenery was ... and he told us his favorite way to welcome that gorgeous heaven ... he told us that he was used to open his window, look outside and say ... "The sky is blue ... the sea is perfect ... aaaahhh ....AN OTHER SHITTY DAY IN PARADISE" ... :o ... I simply loved it ... and when I moved to HERMOSA BEACH became JAKE's and mine morning motto ... but I never told to Nigel ... I never saw him again ... and now I am praying that he went back to the cold and foggy LONDON ... and today he wasn't involved in the explosion (DABAH is so tiny that anybody who is there can get hurt by 3 explosions) ...

Probably most of you won't remember the name DAHAB in few hours ... it won't happen to me ... to me DAHAB was the HEAVEN ON EARTH ... it is now A DREAM WITH BROKEN WINGS ... I don't know how these bastards can kill other human beings ... brothers ... but I know one thing ... from now on ... every single morning that I will be on this planet ... I will welcome the new day in the same way NIGEL taught me ... it will be my personal way to remember the souls of the innocents who today died while they were hugging their mate or ... drinking a tea or laughing with a friend or ... buying a necklace from a girl or ... paying the restaurant bill or ... discussing with their friends about political issues or ... thinking to tomorrow's dive or dreaming to live forever in that paradise ... or they just couldn't wait to tomorrow sunrise and salute the day saying ... "The sky is blue ... the sea is perfect ... aaaahhhh ... AN OTHER SHITTY DAY IN PARADISE" ...
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I never went a fourth time ... but in a way I went because ... two of my best Israeli friends ... RONEN and SIMA visited it back in October 2002 ... and they had also a wonderful time ... just weeks before someone tried to ruin his career and their lifes ... but they didn't manage to do so ... because RONEN has two shoulders and a heart that the people who tried to sack him can only dream about ... and in a way I want to believe that the trip to DAHAB made him stronger ... :D

TONS and TONS of BUCKS

Today browsing around in WASHINGTON DC I found the FEDERAL RESERVE headquarter ...

... I did knock the door ... but nobody answer ... probably they were busy counting US DOLLARS ... :D

US CAPITOL Vs. INDIAN CAPITOL

Apparently my target (the US CAPITOL) and his target are not in the same direction ...

... :o

ARLINGTON CEMETERY

An other day in DC. No museums ... but a cemetery ... but not just a cemetery ... the ARLINGTON CEMETERY. ARLINGTON is basically a military cemetery but at the same time it is also the most famous of the US NATIONAL CEMETERIES, a NATIONAL SHRINE and it shelters the dead bodies of VETERANS OF ALL THE US WARS, US PRESIDENTS and the most prominent US OFFICIALS. It is built on a hill, the former property of the CONFERDERATE GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE and in a clear day like today offers gorgeous views of DC.

The visit to military cemetery always fascinated me ... all these regular tombstones give me a sense of equality and serenity ...

... although I can't really believe that anybody buried here deserved to die so young ... like the KIDS who are dying everyday in IRAQ ... this picture represents just a minor section of the wall with the last casulaties ...

Among the most visited tombs there are the ones of the KENNEDY BROTHERS ... JFK and ROBERT ... both killed by who knows whom ... here JFK who was killed in DALLAS, TX ...

... and here ROBERT F. KENNEDY who was killed in LOS ANGELES, CA ...

I liked the visit ... when you will visit DC don't miss it ... you can spend 3 good hours going up and down the prettiest hill in Washington DC, now seeded with the bodies of dead kids and question if all these wars and killings were necessary. I have my idea ... but I am not sure if it is so popular ... so better I keep it for myself ... :o

LEFTISTS

Seems to me that these TULIPS have a strong POLITICAL IDEA ...

BTW ... I took this picture today in front of TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN in the ARLINGTON CEMETERY in WASHINGTON DC.

MY 5 "NAZI MARKINGS"

Today I had a lot of thoughts after the visit to the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM in DC. I was thinking to this patchwork I saw in the museum ... these are some "examples" of the MARKINGS that the NAZI used in the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in order to easily identify the prisoners. The most (in)famous one is the YELLOW DAVID STAR given to the JEW, but they weren't the only one.

Most of the people tend to forget that in the WWII German concentration / extermination camps (*) were concentrated / killed not only JEWS but also POLITICAL PRISONERS, PRISONERS OF WAR, GAY, LESBIANS, ROMA (i.e. what we call normally GIPSIE ... but they prefer to be called ROMA), HABITUAL CRIMINALS, RELIGIOUS SECTARIANS, FOREIGN FORCED LABORERS ... and for each "group" there was a special "mark" ... for example ROMA had a black triangle, and if the ROMA was coming from ITALY it had an "I" in it ... you can check this website ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badges.

So, today after I left the museum I start thinking to all the reasons why a NAZI would like to put me in a CONCENTRATION CAMP ... mmmm ...

* I am a RELIGIOUS SECTARIAN (not sure in what I believe ... :o).
* I am a GIPSY (I love to travel anywhere I can w/ my backpack).
* I deserve a DAVID STAR because I did work and live in ISRAEL.
* I am for sure a POLITICAL ENEMY (I am lost 99% of the elections).
* I am a FOREIGN FORCED LABORER (I did work in 4 countries).

... mmmm ... the result is pretty dramatic ... here my new T-SHIRT (**) ... according to the "NAZI MARKINGS" ...

I guess I wouldn't have resist more than 5 minutes in a concentration camp ... too much troubles to deal with me ... directly to execution ... :o

This game sounds funny but believe me ... it makes me think a lot ... for example ... in how many countries could I do, even today April 2006, such a webpage w/o having serious troubles? How many people out there think that I am a real troublemaker and at that someone should put me straight? Scary ... isn't it!? Yep, scary. Really scary. But, I believe, each of us can do something ... each of us need to continue to speak about the INSANITY of the believe that if someone is different from us is wrong. I actually believe that the DIVERSITY is the real JUICE OF LIFE.

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(*) There is actually a huge difference between the two ... extermination camps were the one where people was just sent there to die ... they didn't even try to make them work, for example. My grandpa was in a concentration camp were he was forced to work otherwise he was killed ... but is wasn't an extermination camp . Also the US during WWII had concentration camps for American Citizens of Japanese origin ... but, fortunately, they didn't systematically kill them ... so they never became extermination camps. One of them is now a NATIONAL PARK in CALIFORNIA (WWW.NPS.GOV./MANZ/) ... I think I will go to visit it sooner or later.

(**) Original picture, before the digital patchwork, is from Mt. ALBAN, MEXICO ... a stunning place ... if you have the chance ... visit it ... it is very close to OAXACA.

SCREAMING to GEORGE W. BUSH

Ok. Before I will start. I am not sure what the title made you think ... but I didn't go to scream neither to the WHITE HOUSE nor to GEORGE W. BUSH ... and in case you think I should be in a psychiatric hospital ... don't worry, sometimes I am thinking the same ... but again ... you will have to wait a lot for that ... I hope ... :D

Anyway that's not the topic. Here the real news. Tonight I was reading the news on CNN.COM and I found this story of a woman who loudly protested in the WHITE HOUSE during the few days ago HU's visit (i.e. CHINESE PRESIDENT)... I open the link and I found out that the woman addressed the US PRESIDENT shouting ... "PRESIDENT BUSH, STOP HIM FROM KILLING" and "PRESIDENT BUSH, STOP HIM FROM PERSECUTING THE FALUN GONG" ... of course GEORGE told to his CHINESE BUDDY ... "THAT'S OK" ... and of course in few minutes the woman was on a police car ... and probably she is now in that psychiatric hospital where some of you think I should be as well ... :o

The reason why I am writing this on my BLOG is not because I want to steal customers to CNN and become a new news challen ... but because 2 weekends ago when I visited WASHINGTON DC ... in front of the SPACE MUSEUM I found a CHINESE MAN who was showing this (and similar) placard ...

Now that I uploaded the picture (I actually forgot about it the day after I took it) ... and I checked it ... I realized how easy it is to feel touched when you go to the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and you light a candle to the memory of the dead people ...

... and how difficult it is to take a position and fight for the people who is still alive ... I mean I am not sure if the woman who shouted and the man who was showing these pictures are telling the truth ... but I am 99.99% sure they are ... and again I feel ashamed that I am not doing anything to help people who really need help ... today's tragedies are not in a museum, I guess.
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If you are curious ... here the link to the CNN article on the WEB ... http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/20/china.protester.ap/

DON'T MISS the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM!

Today I spent the entire day in the UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM (aka HOLOCAUST MUSEUM) ...

... some friend told me it was worthwhile ... so I decided to go ... on my way there I was thinking what kind of impact could have on me after I have been SHAKEN by my grandpa stories about his 2 years struggle in a WWII German concentration camp, the SPEECHLESS SHOCK I had visiting the DACHAU concentration camp, the EMOTION of the visit to YAD VASHEM (the Holocaust Museum in JERUSALEM, ISRAEL) ... at the entrance I found this ...

... I have to say that every single word is so true ... A VISIT TO THIS MUSEUM WILL TOUCH YOU IN YOUR DEEPER PART OF YOUR SOUL ... you will never forget it.

You will go through the reconstruction of the life of a normal German kid ...

... who is pushed with his family and the entire Jewish community to a GHETTO ...

... and from there to a concentration camp with a train ...

... but he is lucky enough to get liberate ...

... but when he realizes that all his family members are killed he doesn't know anymore if he deserves to be alive.

Or you will be able to visit the HALL OF REMEMBRANCE ... where an endless flame reminds us the need to remember the past tragedies ...

... and to get more informed of the tragedies, the sore and the pain that the world is living everyday ... the other GENOCIDES that are happening today like the one in DARFUR ...

... the WEST region of SUDAN, AFRICA ...

Or you will see the endless pictures of the JEWISH COMMUNITY of a village where today there is no JEW no more ...

Trust me ... when you will visit WASHINGTON DC ... you can miss anything but the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM.
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Once you decide to visit the museum plan to spend an entire day there and even if the museum visit is FREE ... the access to the PERMANENT EXHIBITION needs a ticket (FREE, I guess it is done in order to regulate the amount of visitor and let them space and time to reflect) ... and you can get the ticket itself at the museum INFO DESK when you get there ... or if you want to be sure to visit it (and you want to be sure!) you can get it in advance through the website WWW.TICKETS.COM (I believe there the website charges you $omething) ...

SPEEEEEEEEED KILLS

On the I-295 between BALTIMORE, MD and WASHINGTON DC there is a big sign that always makes me think ... it says ... "SPEED KILLS" ... today after that sign I found a looooooong line ...

... and unfortunately after the line a wrecked car ...

... not sure what happened to the driver ... p

Probably that sign is right ... but for sure here the RAIN did his part here ... I need to be honest ... I AM SO CONCERNED WHEN I AM DRIVING UNDER THE RAIN ... I feel like on a slippery surf board ... with the difference that if I do any mistake ... there is the edge of the road ... and not just water ... :6