On Thursday I went with another American, Jacob, and his Algerian journalist buddy to watch the voting for municipal elections. Never mind that it was pouring rain. I mean really pouring. Remember when I wrote a while ago about the heaviest rain I've ever seen, and being caught in it? Yeah, it was like that, but coupled with standing in the street under a flimsy umbrella - on purpose - for a few hours. We did get into one of the polling stations, and I even saw with my very own eyes a box of ballots being counted, but we were quickly shooed out of there. Prior permission necessary.
I guess they don't want people doing any kind of counting of voters. The official number was 42% of the population turning out, in the Biblical rain. A newspaper here, El Khobar, called 18,000 people, a pretty good sample, to ask if they would vote. 4% said yes. People definitely were not knocking down the doors to the polling stations where I was. This is what leads to claims of fraud. That, of course, and the rampant fraud.
I have also been to the National Archives, an imposing Soviet-type building out in the middle of nowhere. There are many security checkpoints, seven heavily-armed policemen on duty, a week-long waiting process to get clearance, and about seven workers for every researcher. Probably more, actually, as there is all kinds of construction going on.
Now that I think about it, at lunch-time in the canteen there are at least 50 workers of various titles, and I am one of usually three people using the reading rooms. So that puts it at about sixteen workers per researcher. But hey, at least the bloated, oil-rich state is employing people. Its a step up from building another presidential palace or funding another two-week trip for the finance minister to France.
Ted Williams was Basque-American.
The 1976-77 TampaBay Buccaneers went 0-14 for the season, getting outscored by an average of 20.5 points per game.
1 comment:
Teddy was Basque?! These people should be made aware of that. Their hero is Che, even though I think the Basque people are actually his hero...
I read about the rain in 20 minutes. The photo in the paper looked like there had been an earthquake, so the road was torn up and some people were stranded. Is Algeria really that bad? Can't be!
How long will you be in Paris?
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