Land of the High Sky

This is the Land of the High Sky, you know, very open and freedom lovin’ and free enterprise spirit.



If we can’t show people how to do it in Texas, then I don’t know who can.


I’m an engineer in my background and I enjoy solvin’ problems. Also, the people in this industry—phenomenal group of individuals that, have an incredible work ethic, who don’t mind taking risks.

Hold on a minute. Larry, Hi. Yeah. Larry, I gotta call you back. I’ve got a young lady in here, doin’ an interview. What? Look, if you’re not excited about it, I’m not gunna be excited about it. Let me know about that acquisition. Alright. Yup.

You do big things, you have to take risks.

Take me for example. I mean, I was doin' fine, workin' here in oil and gas. Comfortable. But then President Bush called me up. And so, you know, when the president asks you to be Secretary of Commerce, you don't say no. Hahaha. So, I have lots of stories from that. Two come to mind. (holds up two fingers).

One. (hold up one finger). I was meeting with President of China…here’s a guy from West Texas meeting with the President of China…he’s responsible for 1.3 billion people, you know, 20% of the people living on the planet. He said Thanks for comin. Appreciate you bein’ here. Enjoy your stay in Beijing, in Shanghai. But if you want to come back as our friend, go West. Figure out what I’ve got goin’ on out there, where I’ve got 800 million people livin’ in poverty.

Powerful statement, really powerful.

I did go west. Met two blind brothers. I befriended them. I still stay in touch with them. They are two Chinese boys that have grown on up now. They’re doin’ good. Both of em, blind. Legally blind. Helped one of em get surgery, he can now see at some level. It’s all part of a neat story, it’s a much bigger story. But. Kind of just bring it back to focus to leaders of the world and the challenges they have.

(picks up phone) Sarah, yeah. Could you come in here and bring me some water. (hand over phone) You want some water darlin’? Alright. Thanks hon.

And the other story would be meeting with President Putin after 9/11. And, he asked me, How has America been so successful after 200 years. It’s a pretty interesting statement. Facts are, we’re a young country. Huh! And uh, and I told him, I said, well, I think, I don’t think, I mean, it’s our people. Extraordinary people. It’s our freedoms, grounded in our constitution. The people in America are good people that wake up each morning tryin’ to do the right thing. You can put all the rules and regulations and laws you wanna put in place, but if the people aren’t basically good people, then it won’t work.

….Thanks Sarah. And uh, call Larry’s office and tell em to fax that spreadsheet.

So, yeah. We’re here to serve other people…That’s it. That’s it. I mean, I’m here to make your life better, not me, you. Pretty simple. I think it’s why I stay so busy. Whether it be church activities, United Ways, or, president’s library, or stayin’ in touch with young people, doing interviews for nice young ladies that come through here, hahaha. (wink) I’m just tryin’ to impart a little bit of that wisdom that got imparted to me. You see?

How to Talk to People

There were a few times, like when I’m riding around in a patrol car, and because, again, they look at you and they go, “Oh, look, a woman police officer,” the first thing in their mind is that they can challenge them, you know? And we…I guess, you know, there was women police officers but it was not a lot. And…I guess people are so used to the fact that women should be behind a desk, at home, whatever, so they don’t look at us and take us seriously. Um…I remember one time we were driving down the block and we stopped at a…in our patrol car, and we stopped at a traffic light. We were in this area where it was all Projects. And we pulled up…we stopped at a stop light, and this guy who looked like some war veteran, with his army fatigue jacket, he’s walking, you know, he comes up to the window, and he goes, “I wonder what you would do if I decided to take your gun now.” Right?

So again, we’re back to that verbal command and, you know, how we look at this thing. So I…I looked him straight in the eye and I said, “You’re gonna have to try that and you’ll find out what’s gonna happen to you.” Then he…he looked at me, for like a couple of seconds, and he didn’t even look at my partner. My partner was like a…um…like a 5’8”, 5’9” guy, um…and he didn’t even like, address it to him. He just totally looked at me and said that. And when I responded, he didn’t expect that response. So he just goes, “Oh…have a nice day officer” and he walked away. You know? So I said, “Okay! One for me!” because, you know, it’s the way I responded, that kinda put him in shock.

Do You Know Babi Yar?

Our mother, two children, and we go in train and go to Siberia. First, we go to Ural. Do you know Ural? It is mountain in Soviet Union between Siberia and European part of Soviet Union. Ural very big mountain and we go to small, small town and she work factory, that made grenade for soldiers. We live very badly and one time I look in window and saw wolves walking under our house, and very cold because wood, we don’t have wood. Sometimes factory give his employees wood, sometimes not, and we sit [wraps arms around himself] and sit in room, brrrr, and put on all that was in room. I remember because I was small, because it is very big impression and when we go, my brother, older than me five years, and when we go in train, Germany planes begin to bomb-throw and train stop and all people run and our mother lost us and I began to cry but she sit in last wagon after bomb and I cried two hours. Without mother at three years, it is impossible because I not remember father, only mother and my mother was very beautiful, very beautiful and she died young. Cancer. And my grandfather don’t wish go to Siberia. He said, “Impossible!” He remember First World War and Germany army very nice relate to Jewish people—“No! Impossible!” and with his sister, he stayed in our room. We had not apartment, only one room in big apartment in this home where we lived. ...During Second War, my grandfather live with his sister in our room, but in our home was a man—in Russia every house or two houses was man or woman who clean street and around buildings and he said to Germany that in house live two Jewish people and they require him and he take them with machine gun and go into Babi Yar. Do you know Babi Yar? It is place—all old people know this place because in Kiev there is very big gap between small mountains, very big gap, and 200 people go to here and shooting. Yes. This man, after war, was caught, judged him, and he received 25 years because he was crime and he—but he sit in prison 22 years because 1967 was very big holiday for Soviet Union. Fifty years Soviet Union, and release him and he return, and my mother ask him, “Why you our father go to Babi Yar because we always help you and your family?” “If I not take them to Babi Yar, other take them but Germany soldiers kill me.” It is empty phrase.

Leaving Afghanistan

I was born in Afghanistan in 1970 to the best of my parents knowledge. My mom wrote it down July 22nd of 1970. They wrote it down on a piece of paper, there was really no birth certificates or anything like that.

I don’t remember too much, I just remember little, little details about certain things, like for instance I remember having this little eraser that smelled like fruit, and I remember getting out of school and buying this little dish of food every day that they would sell, it was like a spicy sort of thing with a lot of vinegar in it that I loved. I don’t even remember until I was in America that somebody showed me a picture, I think it was my cousin’s picture, I was like “What is that?” She goes “That was my uniform.” I was like “You wore a scarf with a white shirt and a black skirt?” She goes “Yeah, that's what we used to wear in school there.” I don't even remember that, my uniform, but those are the things that, you know, I guess stuck in my memory, and I just remember one packback that I had, a bag. I loved it. So I don’t remember a recollection of a lot of things from there, I just remember little details of eating certain fruits that I loved, berries, but it wasn’t too many of other things.

I just know that when we were coming to America we were all excited, and we were all packing up and leaving and, um, all of a sudden my aunt was crying, my grandmother was crying, and I was wondering “Why are they crying?” because my parents told us we were going to a wedding, my uncle’s wedding, but we were really leaving the country quietly without knowing.

But on our way coming to America I do remember we had these camels to go through the desert, and we were like “Wow! We’re going to dress like nomads!” We were very excited, we never got to see a camel before, we didn't’ get to dress like that, we were very excited, we thought we were in a zoo. We didn’t know, they didn't’ tell us so it wouldn't slip out of our mouths. I do remember in the middle of the desert they were like “All right, everybody stop,” and we were in a lot of pain from our legs and everything, and we were like tired and like wondering “Why is everything so hush-hush?” and not realizing that we were leaving. It was kind of sad but we thought, it didn’t click to us, we were very young and very naive. There was more to it and we weren’t supposed to know.

Nicole's Footage of Colin

Hey Class,

Sorry we couldn't get the dvd running in class today but here it is as a youtube link! Click on the link, or cut and paste it into your browser, should work. This is Colin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZXEAFScdOQ

thanks,
nicole

Stan at Mt. Olympos Diner, Yonkers, NY by Carol Bartold

Stan breezed into the crowded Mt. Olympos Diner alone, with a big smile, a wave and a personal greeting for each server on duty.

"Somebody talked me into sitting down next to you," he said as slid into the counter seat. The dark brown hair on top of his head didn't quite match his gray sideburns and didn't look as if it was quite attached to his scalp. He wore a man-sized chunky gold ring on the pinky of his right hand.

"Some great weather," he said. "I told the wife I'm going out for a cup of coffee.

"Oh sweetheart," he called to a waitress behind the counter.

"Hey Stan! I know what you want, fried egg sandwich, dry, on wheat toast. Right?"

"That's right, dear, and be sure to bring me the cole slaw this time." She laughed

"Good weather for flying. I hope it holds out for tomorrow. Vegas. I go out three, four times a year. I've been going to Vegas for 50 years. They all know me, the pit bosses, the dealers. I used to know all the comedians who played the showrooms, too. Great bunch of people. Bally's. I always stay at Bally's."

What do you play?

"Blackjack, craps, pai-gow. That's Chinese poker. I used to count cards at the blackjack table and the casinos don't like that. They say it's cheating but it isn't. It's nothing but keeping track and calculating probability. But you can't count cards any more the way they deal from a bunch of decks.

"Let me tell you a story. Way back, after World War II there were these Quonset huts set up as casinos on the Strip. They'd put three or four of them in a row. One night I went into one and at the blackjack table, a young woman got an ace and an eight. She didn't know much about the game and she asked me what she should do. Well, she had either a nineteen or a nine, depending on how you want to look at it so I explained to her she could either stand on nineteen or take a hit on nine.

"So the dealer says to me, 'You can't help her. that's cheating.'

"'No,'" I says to him. 'You're the one cheating because you didn't call what she had in her hand and that's what you're supposed to do.' The dealer calls the pit boss over and told him what happened and I tell the pit boss I had done the dealer's job for him. That pit boss tells me to cash out and get out of the casino." Stan shrugged. "What're you gonna do?"

"Vegas had some class back then. Remember the old Flamingo? That was the first big hotel on the Strip. Some of the new hotels are nice. I like Bally's and the Wynn is nice. I always like the old MGM Grand. The wife and I used to stay there. Let me tell you something. Were were staying there and we checked out maybe an hour before the big fire started. Were were down the Strip and people were running, yelling about the fire. 'What fire? What are you talking about?' I said. We looked back and all we could see was this black smoke pouring from the windows of the rooms. You just never know?"