Trouble in Paradise


I am both saddened and angered by the violence in southern Thailand because some militant Muslims want a separate state. Why now? I do not know if they have been in the minority or the majority in the three provinces effected but what was wrong with things there that they could not be addressed by the national government, or if they really disliked it there so much, why didn't they just move to Malaysia which is right next door and is a Muslim country. Now some rebels are warning tourists to stay away from Krabi and Phuket. These popular tourists destinations are further north and could suffer a major financial loss if things get out of hand in the south. I will be in the country in a few weeks and am not worried especially since I will be in the central and northern parts of the country but still it is worrisome for the welfare of the whole country.


Other troubles: As I walk around my neighborhood in the Nob Hill area and on down to Polk Gulch I am disturbed by the increasing amount graffiti present on so many buildings. I personally would like to dump a gallon of the same color paint on a perpetrator of these acts of vandalism if they could be caught but I guess these things happen late at night when most honest folks are at home and asleep.

Then there is the old woman who lives on Pine Street between Hyde and Leavenworth who rolls around a small piece of luggage containing plastic bags of bread crumbs which she leaves in the gutters to feed the pigeons. As a result the west end of her block has become a mess with pigeon droppings galore as has the west side of Hyde Street between California and Pine. She even dumped a bunch of these bread crumbs in the Muni bus stop there one day and stood there blocking bus access to it until her beloved pigeons had eaten most everything. She is a nut case for sure. This is against the law so I would love to get a picture of her doing this so I could submit it to the proper authorities.

I guess for these and many other reasons it is always so pleasant to visit downtown San Jose where the streets are clean and there aren't any derelicts passed out on the sidewalks beside their stolen shopping carts full of vermin and other assorted crap.