Does he control Iran’s foreign policy?

Is he a religious fanatic?

Does he have an e-mail address?

I incompletely answer those questions, and several more, in my column this week.

“I’ve already been through something very similar.”

That’s apparently what New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said during last night’s mayoral debate, after he was asked how he would prepare for a Category 4 storm.

From LonelyPlanet.com’s description of Ndjamena, the capital of the African nation Chad (emphasis mine):

The Chadian capital’s very good reputation before the civil war is slowly returning. Though expensive, Ndjamena has friendly people, great markets, interesting artisan goods and a thriving live music and bar scene. If police weren’t shooting people in the street, it’d be almost perfect.

Yeah, other than that.

Ulica Jozefa in the Kazimierz district of Krakow, Poland.

For 500 years, Kazimierz was home to a large and thriving Jewish community. Within four years of Hitler’s invasion of Poland, however, the 60,000 Jews who lived in Kazimierz were murdered.

On the right of the photo is the High Synagogue. It is now a museum. About 20 feet behind the camera is the Old Synagogue. Built in the 1400s, it, too, is a museum. Most of Kazimierz’s synagogues, it seems, are museums.

I’m not gonna spend my vacation blogging, but since I’m already sitting here at an Internet cafe on the Rynek Glowny in Krakow, Poland, what the heck!

Here’s a photo of my second favorite sign in Poland.

My favorite sign, and several others, are one of my Flickr pages.

Now, I must go. My placki is getting cold.

Dear Republicans Who Believe In Small Government Or That Government Should Get Off Our Backs Or That Government Shouldn’t Be A Nanny, etc.:

According to the AJC, last Friday night a woman named Denise Grier was pulled over in Dekalb County and given a $100 ticket because a police officer deemed her anti-Bush Administration bumper sticker to be in violation of the law.

In violation how? He apparently deemed the bumper sticker “lewd” because it contained the pun “Bushit.”

Because “Bushit” isn’t actually a word, and because even if it was a word, it’s still not obscene, I expect that all of you get-government-off-our-backs Republicans are simply furious at what seems to be a case of an American citizen being targeted by law enforcement for her political views.

And because you’re so angry at this petty abuse of govenment power, I’m sure you’re going to want to call Dekalb County Police Chief Louis Graham at 404-294-2606 and tell him that you’re not going to tolerate big government interfering with the free political expression of American citizens. You might even throw in a zinger about how the cops should be fighting violent crimes instead pulling over people for their bumper stickers.

When you defend Ms. Grier’s right to express her political views with bad puns, you’ll be telling your fellow citizens that your allegiance to the Constitution trumps your allegiance to your political party.

Yours in Patriotic Brotherhood,
Andisheh “Loves the First and Second Amendments Equally” Nouraee

UPDATE: Thank you again to all of the people who have offered help. We (meaning me, my girlfriend several other neighbors) have been able to collect a good amount on clothing, household goods and money to help our friends get back on their feet. The kids went back to school today with new clothes and new school supplies.

My access to e-mail will be sporadic for several days, so if you read the post below and want to contact me, I may not get back to you for a while.

—–Original post below:

My neighbor’s house was destroyed by fire yesterday. The house was gutted.

No one was home at the time and no one was hurt.

However, all of their possessions were destroyed or damaged by fire, smoke or water.

If you have any clothes or household items you can spare, please let me know. I’ll talk to the family and find out if they can use what you can spare and then I’ll coordinate a pick-up.

They’re a family of five — two parents and three children (a 14 year-old boy, an 11-year old boy, and a five year-old girl). They lost nearly everything. I think that clothes — socks, shirts, pants, etc. are the most immediate need.

I posted some more photos of the fire damage on my Flickr page. It’s awful.

I’d appreciate it if those of you with blogs of your own could use some of your linky/re-posting magic to steer some attention to this request. They’re a kind, loving family deserving of help.

The current war has been as lethal to Iraqi civilians as the Second World War was to American soldiers.

Really?

Yeah, really.

Read my latest column here.

The other day I said to myself, “Andy, I bet you’d enjoy hearing some German comedy records made between 1904-1909.”

I was right, so I sent myself this link.

From Saturday’s New York Times:

Corrections

Published: March 18, 2006

For the Record

A brief art review in Weekend on March 3 about photographs by Anthony Lepore at the Marvelli Gallery in Chelsea described one work incorrectly. It shows a woman holding a minister’s belt, not touching his “exposed private parts.”