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Thursday, September 22, 2011
Diana s R
Fourteen years ago on 31 wide. Of particular note was highways and property at
August, the beloved Prin- the appearance of a lack of Althrop, While hundreds
cess Diana died in a car understanding on the part of small teddy bears sat on
accident in Paris, France. of the Queen as to the the flowers, a few people
The chauffer of that car tremendous outpouring of decided to take them and
.]),. ,2. { be
By
Dr. B. Curtis Hamm
was intoxicated and was love for the Princess. Even
given most of the blame for the urging of the Prime Min-
that terrible accident by the ister did not seem to impact
police. Her body was taken her on the importance of
to England for a funeral at this death to the people.
Westminster Abby with The Royals were accused
a Eulogy by her brother of a lack of compassion.
Spencer Althrop. She was Nevertheless, the Princess
later buried in a private was given a public funeral
ceremony on a small lake at Westminster Abbey on
at the Althrop, the family September 6.
home. Princess Diana was then
While there was a lot of taken to Althrop for burial
controversy over her death, on a small island in the lake.
she was highly respected Over one million bouquets
and loved by people world- of flowers were on the
Princess Diana Memorial
were subsequently given
jail sentences.
The funeral itself was not
always according to English
traditions. Elton John sang
a song he had rewritten for
the funeral entitled; "Writ-
ten in The Wind." Diana's
brother gave the eulogy and
it was met with applause.
He strongly criticized the
press and to some degree
the Royal family. Most
people seemed pleased,
thus the applause. Diana
had specifically requested
to be buried in a coffin and
not cremated like those of
her ancestors. This cre-
ated quite a dilemma for
the Spencer family as all
their ancestors for the past
five hundred years had
been buried in The Spen-
cer Chapel at St. Mary's
Brington, Those of us who
have suffered the loss of
a special loved one know
that insomnia is one of the
great symptoms of grief.
Charles Spencer, Diana's
brother decided during
moments of sleeplessness
that he should bring Diana
to Althrop for burial and the
location should be the island
in the Round Oval. One of
the reasons for this site was
that it was well known that
Princess Diana's final
resting place on a small island in the lake.
Diana loved water sports, done. A modem tea room is benches made to look like
The water would also keep close by for those who want fallen trees so that people
unwanted individuals from to experience English tea. can sit and contemplate.
getting near the grave for Even great thought was Althrop House itself has
their own purposes, given to the toilets which nineteen rooms with private
Althrop is open sixty were constructed to resem- apartments. The grandeur
days a year for tourist and ble other architecture on the of the house is not so much
of course it was obvious property. One of the main in the architecture as it is in
that thousands would come sites to see is the video of the furnishings. It is said to
to see the burial site. The Diana's childhood as taken house the finest collection
first date that the park was by her father. This video offumiture and paintings as
open was July first, Diana's includes: her christening, any manor in England. It is
birthday. A shop was also first birthday party, her love open to the public for sixty
planned which would sell of animals and her passion days a year in the summer
natural products, thosefor swimming, and tickets must be pur-
inspired by Althrop andThis exhibit has six large chased in advance as only
products which represented rooms with the last being a 2,500 visitors a day are per-
her love of children. All celebration of Diana's life. mitted with no exceptions.:
profits were to be given to One can look at over one The house, grounds and the'
the Diana Trust to support thousand white water lilies burial site will no doubt bea!
her various charities. The and thirty-six oak trees on place for contemplation for:
Morris Stable Block was the island to celebrate each many years to come. Death
renovated as an exhibit of year of her life. Around the comes to all, but not all will
Diana's life andis tastefully outskirts of the Oval are have such a burial site.
That's what they call the old tractor speed. Speeding driv-
two-lane highway that runs ers often come around a curve
between towrux here in Oman: at around 80 or more miles
The Road ofl3eath. Itcurves per hour and come upon
through the hilly region of the these other drivers moving at
Join ha}
4
! : By Tom Hughes
I'm here, it is going to be bus, and train services were him what to do. He can do One afternoon, one of my
because of traffic. Driving cheap and superb. Riding whatever he wants - butt to students took a couple of
is undoubtedly the most dan- with a Korean driver, how- the front of the line where you us out snorkeling. We were
gerous activity that a person ever, could be a harrowing are waiting to buy your train driving home from the beacla
can engage in here, in my experience, ticket, step in front of you at a and neared our compound.
opinion. There were 22 million convenience store, or charge By law, he was supposed to •
The "Road of Death" is the people in Seoul, and it through an intersection, cut- go past the compound to a
most dangerous place to be seemed there were 22 nail- ling off all the younger and point where he could exit the
involved in the practice of lion vehicles all hitting the female drivers. The ajjashi divided highway, crossunderl
driving. Laws are only n0mi- roads at the same time. Okla- has the right-of way. and return up the other side
nally obeyed and even more homaCityhasaboutamilh'on What kind ofrule is that? As to exit at the compound. He
desert here, weaving its way half that speed. It seems they poorly enforced. I'm not sure people in the metro. Imagine near as I could tell, it wasn't in didn't want to go to so much
along with few passing zones, would rather pass on a blind what the job of the police is approximately 20 times that the driver's manual but it was trouble.
The speed limit is 120 KMH, curve than to be slowed in in this country, but it doesn't number in relatively the same widely practiced throughout He crossed over into
or75MPH. However, many their pursuit of whatever they seem to be traffic control, area. That would be Seoul. the country. Tothem, itmade oncoming traffic, jumping
drivers blaze along at a speed are speeding toward. When I lived in Korea, I The country is governed sense. To me and other for- to the oncoming shoulder of
far in excess of that. Since moving here to teach never fully understood the by Confucianism. One of eigners, it spelled chaos, the road to avoid a collision
Many migrant workers in a Muslim country, many local drivinghabits.Ofcourse, the tenants of Confucian If there was a wreck and it and pulling into the corn-
drive the same highway in in my family have expressed I never drove in Korea. Since society is respect for elders, was the other guy's fault, but pound that way. My friend
carsthatcan'tseemtomuster concerns about my safety public transportation system Basically, after a certain age, his car was more expensive was screaming for his life in
more than 70 KMH. Many here. I always assure them was fantastic and cheap, a man becomes an Ajjashi, or thanyours, you were expected the shotgun seat while I was
trucks and heavy machinery by replying that, if anything there was no real reason to elder man. Once he reaches to pay forpart ofhis damage, searching for the seatbelt and
also traverse that same road at ever "happens" to me while drive anywhere. The subway, this status, nobody can tell It didn't matter that it was his wondering if he had airbags.
fault. Same if the other car is Ramzi, the driver, was laugh=
,driven by an ajjashi. If you ing maniacally at our fear. "
Fort Washita reenactment this weekend
younger driver, you I reminded him that ~
could also be expected to pay was only 22 and had alre ,
Commemorate the 150th Choctaw Nation, Indian and 7th Infantry garrisoned 2010 the South Barracks for part of his damage, shown me pictures of 2
anniversary of the Civil Territory, as the south- the post. at Fort Washita HistoricLiving in Jeddah, Saudi and a motorcycle that
War with a special reen- western-most military post On May 1, 1861, the fort Site burned. The building Arabia, driving seemed had totaled. No problem, he
actment at historic Fort of the United States. The was abandoned by U.S. and its contents were a like an ongoing game of insisted that he was a gre
Washita this weekend, mission of the soldiers forces and occupied the total loss. "chicken." Jeddah was a driver. One can imagine why
Friday September 23 will was to protect the recently next day by Confederate The South Barracks were city of approximately 6 or 7 I had my doubts.
be a special school day immigrated Choctaw and troops from Texas. South- a reconstruction of an origi- million people. Perhaps 30 So, in a nutshell, I strongly
for students. Friday hours Chickasaw Indians. The ern soldiers used the post nal 1849 post building. The percent of them were from suggest purchasing or leasing ,
are 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Southern Plains Indians to as a headquarters during furnished barracks served various countries; India, the largest vehicle possible"
Saturday September 24th the west and non-Indian the remainder of the Civil as the main interpretation Pakistan, Korea, China, etc. when living abroad. Regard-"
the fort will be the scene intruders posed threats to War. After the war the setting for the historic Many of them arrived with less ofhow good a driver you
for more activities from 9: the peace and stability of the Chickasaw Nation received site. Living history groups licenses and driving habits think you are, there is always
00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. region. Troops stationed at the old post grounds and stayed in the barracks that they brought from their the other guy. And, depending
At 11:00 a.m. living his- Fort Washita on a rotational buildings from the federal and presented programs own countries, on which country you end up
torians will reenact the sur- basis during the 1840sgovernment. The Colbert bringing the fort back to The6-1anehighwaymerg- in, there can be millions or 20
render of the fort in April, included men belongingfamily, prominent Chicka- life for the visiting public, ing into 2 lanes was the clas- million of the other guy.
1861 to Confederate forces, to companies from the 2nd saws, owned the property Numerous other programs sic chokepoint that made us Tom Hughes is a 1979
At 1:30 p.m. there will be a Dragoons, U.S. Regiment of until it was acquired in such as candlelight tours crazy every morning as the graduate of Perkins-Tryon
battle reenactment. Riflemen, and the 6th, 7th, 1962 by the Oklahoma made visits memorable for van transported us from our High School. He received
These events are part of and5thlnfantry Regiments. Historical Society.'The site young and old. cornpound to the campus each his Masters in English from
the commemoration of the In the 1850s, soldiers from is on the National Regis- For additional informa- morning. Nobody would give UCO in Edmondand teaches
150th anniversary of the one battery each of the 2nd ter of Historic Places and tion, go to the Oklahoma an inch and often it seemed university English abroad. He
Civil War in the territory, and 3rd Artillery were at the designated as a National History website: http: you couldn't pass a slip of has taught in Miami Beach,
Admission is only $5 per fort on frontier duty. From Historic Landmark. //www.okhistory.org/ paper between ours and the South Korea, Saudi Arabia,.
car. 1858 to the beginning of More recently, in the outreach/military/ next vehicle on either side and currentlf-lives and
Fort Washita was the Civil War in 1861, ele- early morning hours of fortwashita.html, or call or running upon us from the teaches in Oman (wherever
established in 1842 in the ments of the 1st Cavalry Sunday, September 26, (918)759-8733. rear. thatis).
