guns & politics

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Signs forbidding entrance with a gun are everywhere, even in a ladies restroom in the yacht harbour. I imagined that I have a gun, and I visit Chicago. I cannot enter any museum, any restroom, any restaurant or mall. This is a big handicap. How could be living with such a disposable handicap, why ?

40% of Americans have a gun. Viorel was talking about tradition, about a feeling of security. The grandfather had a riffle, maybe a Colt, but not an Uzi or other Matrix style gun-machine. About the security, you are in the room where you keep the gun, and then you here strange noises. Maybe is a thieve, maybe is your kid. Guns are among the biggest cause for accidental death for kids.

In the late period there are in US a lot of mass shootings, in a church, in a school. They are suicidal acts. There is a theory that if everyone would have a gun, the casualties could be highly limited, so give guns to everyone.

I was to a Walmart, I think the biggest retailer in the world. At the sport section, there were only air-compressed guns, and a catalog heavy like golden pages one. I ask if they don’t have real guns. The clerk apologize, but he gives me very precise direction to another Walmart where I can buy. With 70$ I could buy a decent one.

So?

souvenir de Cuba

Aujourd’hui nous nous séparons de notre presque unique souvenir de Cuba:

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C’est un dessin à l’encre de Chine de Henry Aloma. Nous l’avions rencontré à las Terrazas, petit village perché dans les montagnes, notre dernière destination à Cuba. Il a voyagé avec nous pendant presque 3 mois, nous avons du le protéger des intempéries, du froissage, de l’oubli, des taches… Nous avons confié notre oiseau-île à Viorel, l’ami de Dan qui rentre parfois en Roumanie.

Il ne verra pas les Rocheuses, mais c’est peut-être mieux pour lui…

Las Terrazas était une terre ravagée par les cultures intensives de café, dans les années 70, le gouvernement a réussi à transformer le lieu en un petit village tranquille où il fait bon vivre. De nombreux artistes y sont installés et la nature a repris sa place.DSC_0324

From farming to a millionaire life style

One day I discussed forex trading strategies with Emilie’s uncle. Her family lives in Naperville, at 45 km near Chicago, the second best place to live in US.

We had to use a car to get there, otherwise by bus it would have taken more than 2 hours, so …

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Yes, it’s a Porche ! Nobody plays golf. So we had to be content only with boating on the lake…

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and the usual grill on the terrace (huge)

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city life

Chicago is the city of Blues, I always wanted to go there for this reason. We had no time for that ! And I don’t regret it, so many great evenings !

The Bean (the cloud gate, but no cloud today…) is the new symbol of the city, so we met there, Viorel, my friend from university.

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We prepared a picnic waiting for the daily concert with Viorel’s wife, Olga and her sister. The atmosphere was like at a festival.

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It’s the first time after several months that I feel like at home: to have a drink with a large group of friends (6-7 all the time, once we could have been 9), all our friends !

I liked the free festival, swimming in the lake at 15 minutes walking, tennis playing for free at a 10 minutes walking, Andrei’s terrace, entrepreneurial culture, jazz …

American Gothic

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The water house in Chicago, used as a water tower. It was the only building which survived the fire of 1872, which was caused by the so polluted water: all the junk started to burn…

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The old city hall of Toronto, it was build around 1900