Fallout from Unrest in Northern Africa

Five thousand immigrants from Tunisia arrived by boat on Lampedusa last week.  This small Italian island in the Mediterranean, usually a vacation destination, is closer to Africa than Italy, and is used to receiving immigrants from northern Africa.  Lampedusa has approximately six thousand year round residents, and facilities for 850 immigrants.  A ferry carries the immigrants in small groups to Sicily and then onto the Italian mainland.  Some Tunisians have relatives in France and that is their final destination.  Others want to go to Germany.  Italy processes each immigrant and gives him or her 30 days to report back or go home.  This process is not enforced by the Italian government.  The Interior Minister of Italy wants the EU to pay Italy for all this added expense, especially for security.  In the end someone has to pay.  Europe's population will swell.  There are not enough jobs for their own, let alone immigrants arriving on Lampedusa almost weekly or more frequently.  The first group of Tunisian immigrants reportedly were well behaved and marched through the main street with signs thanking the Italian people for their hospitality.  Then there were unconfirmed reports of fires being started in the holding facility, citing inhuman conditions.  How many Egyptians will take the same path, and now Libyans.  There is a fear of al quaeda operatives being among the immigrants.  Revolution and change are needed.  But we will all be affected eventually.      

Tunisia, Egypt, Who's next?

While the Egyptian people were protesting, demonstrating peacefully, I could not believe it.  It was unprecedented, exciting and I was riveted to the news coming out of that northern African country.  In fact, I wished I could have been there with them.  At least I wanted them to know I was with them and supported their brave actions in the name of democracy.  Every day during those two weeks I so hoped there would be no violence to spoil this pure people driven revolution.  Alas there was violence and in fact people were killed, but it was generated from those who had held power for thirty years.  Think of it, whole families sleeping outside in Tahrir Square for days, then one week, then two weeks.  At first I did not think they could achieve it, but as the protests progressed, I saw how determined this populace was, how they could not be deterred, and how their resolve could not be shaken.  I admired their steadfastness to achieve a single goal: to depose Mbarak.  When this goal was reached by their unyielding solidarity, I shared their jubilation, in fact I wanted to go out in the street and celebrate too.  Instead I shed a few tears. Now the military is in charge of that country.  I worry about that.  So far it is o.k. and during the protest the military held a sympathetic presence.
However, the Egyptian people's accomplishment is of historic proportions, and to have nothing in place to follow can be rather dangerous.  Egypt is in a fragile place where some faction or other could come forward and take negative advantage and undo this democratic venture in a very undemocratic environment.

So What's Up With So?

When I hear an interview of someone who is very erudite, with lots of letters behind his or her name or who has great accomplishments of which to boast, he or she always begins answering the initial question with the word "so".  This is a fairly new phenomenon, and to me it is a phenomenon.  I have heard no one else talk of this.  Now even the interviewer is beginning the interview with "So."  I thought "so" was a word that was used to connect phrases and events that had already taken place.  I am not saying it is wrong, just awkward.   The first time I heard it I thought I missed half of the interview.  This was not the case. Is it a case of the more it is heard, the more it is accepted?  Because it is everywhere.  I listen to NPR just about exclusively, and the other day I heard Terri Gross lead her interview with "So"  Is there anyone else wondering this same thing?
Or should I call this "So What?"