The Hazel Files

A story of Stegnerian reach......

2012-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

On Canaan's Side by Sebastian Barry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book of utter and astonishing beauty and sadness and poetry.

Snow in the Northwest

2012-01-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

It is so quiet, due to almost no traffic, it really is like living deep in the woods.

The ANC turns 100

2012-01-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the ANC is a milestone to be contemplated and considered. That it took 82 years to bring about the official end of Apartheid, as South Africans had their first free election in 1994, says something about the difficulty of change and the tenacity of the freedom fighters. Two articles this last week, one in the New York Times and another in the Financial Times, highlight many of the issues and problems facing the organisation today. The biggest challenge they face today is themselves: cronyism, nepotism, greed, corruption, unfulfilled promises, and authentic leadership.

Nelson Mandela (stamp)

Helen Suzman

Desmond Tutu

Seattle Rings in the New Year

2012-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

The last post of 2011: South African bureaucrats must be rubbing their hands with glee....

2011-12-31T19:27:00.000-08:00

.....at potential kickbacks and the US government should be ashamed of itself. There is an article in today's NYT on the proposal by Shell Oil and others to start digging for gas under the Karoo. This is as bad as, if not worse than the rape of the tarsands of Alberta, Canada. The oil companies are using the bait of employment to assuage whatever qualms the South African government may have (and they don't have many) about environmental degradation of the deep aquifers under the Karoo. The US government has been promoting the development and export of fracking technology abroad, even as concerned citizens and scientists here have exposed the negative effects both here and Canada of the use of this technology.

Strange Relations

2011-12-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

In the Department of Politics makes Strange Bedfellows, here is a recent article in the Seattle Times on the close relationship between Turkey and Native Americans and the negative response from the Armenian American community. And, not only is this relationship quite long standing, but Democratic and Republican legislators have joined together on each side of the issue, depending on whether they have large numbers of constituents who are Native American or Armenian American.

When we visited Aleppo in June 2010, we visited an Armenian Church. The young man showing us around lectured us for over 20 minutes on how the US government has not yet recognised the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turks. The fact that Congress supported such resolutions did not make any difference: a formal condemnation was required.

Armenian Church, Aleppo, Syria 2010

An excellent novel exploring the complexities of Armenians, Turks, and the two in America is The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak.

Reality According to Assad

2011-12-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

The BBC aired the ABC Barbara Walters interview with Bashar al-Assad early this morning (Pacific time). Later in the day, BBC interviewed Barbara Walters regarding this: it is worth listening to her comments and outrage. The only factual error she made and the only grain of truth Assad said, was regarding Assad being part of a dynasty: Assad said he was not groomed by his father to take over the regime; Walters fulminated at this statement in her interview on BBC. Assad's brother was the one groomed to take over, as Bashar was seen as too weak. The brother was killed in an accident; Bashar apparently was reluctant.

Be sure to also listen to the interview on NPR that Kelly McEvers did with a Syrian activist who had been tortured and is now still active but in hiding.

Mugabe and Nando's Chicken Commercial

2011-12-02T15:35:00.000-08:00

Mugabe was not amused and objected to the Nando's Chicken commercial, so, Nando's caved and pulled it. How wimpish. See my previous post on 29 November.

Let's spread the word.

The sham that the ANC has become

2011-11-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

An op-ed piece in today's New York Times. A whole show on On The Media. Reportage on the new law.
Commentary from Kenya. A letter from Desmond Tutu to Jacob Zuma. The ANC is beginning to wear the robes of its former oppressor. How chilling is that. The new secrecy/censorship law should curdle the blood of any thinking South African.

How to sell chicken.....

2011-11-29T11:05:00.000-08:00

Nando's Chicken, a South African fast food chain, has launched a new ad campaign. Check this out for a few laughs. A story about this was featured on PRI's The World.

China + Russia = Laugh of the day

2011-11-17T10:54:00.000-08:00

This has got to be one of the more amusing news items....yesterday, the New York Times reported that China has awarded the Confucius Peace Prize to....Vladimir Putin. For what you ask? His decision to go to war with Chechnya in 1999. This is more than an oxymoron and 1984 doublespeak: this is truly pathetic.

If you need yet another laugh for the day: apparently, Chinese officials are upset with the new US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, the first Chinese-American to hold this job. There are speculations that the officials believe he is inciting discontent because he is not remote and officious, but merely being his down-to-earth wonky self. When he visited his ancestral village, reporters were told to make a brief report with little human interest information.

Syria Undercover

2011-11-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

The title of this post comes from a PBS Frontline special.
Watch it here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/syria-undercover/

Join the Facebook group called 'We are all Hamza Alkhateeb' (named for the 13 year old boy killed early in the uprising) for up-to-date information on the daily horrors perpetrated by the regime.

Baskets and Textiles

2011-11-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

A visit to The Textile Museum in Washington, DC today for the exhibit Weaving Abstraction:
Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa, resulted in several hours of mesmerizing visions in raffia: intricate patterns, fractals, chevrons, texture, and sheer wizardry of craft, skill, and design.

There were 'tufted' boxes, capes, beaded/shelled/tufted belts. The people who created these objects of beauty and wealth were Kuba, Tutsi, Hutu, Shoowa, and more.

Also on display was an exhibit called Second Lives: the Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles. There were examples from all over the world of how people had taken old fabrics and re-purposed them into new articles of clothing, household objects, etc.

The reality of dreams

2011-11-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finishing this book while in Washington, DC was a bonus, adding to the book's ambiance. Mengestu deftly describes an immigrant's euphoria and dislocation: the hope and thrill giving way to resigned acceptance that dreams are merely that: dreams, not reality.

China in Africa

2011-11-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Interesting story in today's NYT on Zambia's recent election: the out-going president actually acceded and turned over the reins to the winner; a white person actually won the vice-president's seat. But most interesting of all, to me, is this quotation from the article:

"The new government openly chafes at the idea of being beholden to the Chinese, who are inking enormous mineral deals across the continent and spending billions to ingratiate themselves with Africa’s rulers. In Kenya, the Chinese are working closely with the national spy agency. China has shipped arms to Zimbabwe, even as it was torturing opponents. And in South Africa, the Chinese are so influential that they just pressured the government to deny a visa to the Dalai Lama, who stood shoulder to shoulder for years with anti-apartheid activists.
But while many African leaders say they welcome China, preferring its business-first approach to what they often call the West’s preachiness, Zambia’s new president, Michael Sata, campaigned explicitly to protect workers from exploitation by China. Still, he has been careful not to threaten to kick out the Chinese, who run copper mines, coal mines, chicken farms and banks here."

May the Zambians keep China at arm's length and present on their own terms.

Score one, Zapiro

2011-10-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

I posted this cartoon by Zapiro back in February. They are all gone now! And next is Assad....

The Zuma-Putin Connection

2011-10-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

For some time now, I have been carping about China's incursions into Africa. A recent column by Simon Kuper of the Financial Times of London, draws attention to "Nick and Marc Francis’s new documentary When China Met Africa". Most interesting also is his discussion of how old-time communists cannot get the lessons of the Party out of their heads, thus the policies and behaviour of Zuma and Putin and their rise to power.

South Africa kow-tows to China; Zambia warns China

2011-09-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

What is it that the ANC does not get? This week, Desmond Tutu decried, yet again, the government's refusal to grant a visa to the Dalai Lama, for fear of angering China. China needs South Africa's mineral riches and its place as the most strongest economy in Africa. You would think this would give the ANC a negotiating advantage.

With a change in leadership in Zambia, the Chinese are being put on notice to do a better job with workplace conditions and hiring Zambians rather than bringing in Chinese workers. President Sata has been so critical of China in the past, that the Chinese had threatened to pull out of Zambia if he were to be elected. Let's hope that his leadership on this issue will give some backbone to other leaders in developing economies in their demands that the Chinese act more ethically and with greater integrity in their economic/resource development policies.

Job creation in the 'other' sector

2011-09-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

With all the talk of bankers sitting on piles of cash, employers squeezing out the last ounce of productivity in order to avoid hiring new workers as that would mean paying more in benefits, here is a story of niche-filling, job creating, seeing a need and filling it. An article in a recent issue of the Weekend FT tells of a high powered business woman whose wardrobes (she has many homes and many closets) so overwhelmed her due to her travel schedule and very important events that she created a service that stores, barcodes (so you can see what clothes you have in storage) your clothing, alters, shops, and even delivers via personal jet whatever items you may need for whatever event you are attending in whatever part of the world. This business is called Vault Couture.

Moon Rise over Astotin Lake

2011-09-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

The posts below had photos of the beauty of the sunset at Astotin Lake, Edmonton, Alberta. No less fabulous is the moon rise.

Edmonton Highlights

2011-09-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Edmonton is a city in flux. There are a few older buildings which reference the city's past as a frontier town and legislative centre of Alberta. There is also much evidence of the Alberta oil boom: construction and supplies businesses, plenty of buildings recently and currently under construction. Like many western cities, the blocks are large, many are empty, the streets are broad: very little of the city seems of pedestrian scale. The University of Alberta has a few older buildings, but most are built since the 1960's. One of the newer buildings on campus is a centre for foreign students: a block long, four story structure that contains housing and all services a student might need. See photo below.

HUB Building on U of A Campus, Edmonton

The Art Gallery of Alberta is another new building of interest. Those in Seattle might describe it as a successful version of the EMP mess! The main exhibit on the Conceptual movement in Canada was as ho-hum as the movement itself. The new exhibit, Up North, however, was a fantastic multi-media installation.
Edmonton is also the home of the West Edmonton Mall, self-described as the largest indoor mall in the world. The sensory overload of so much muzak, canned scents, and white lights is overwhelming. The mall contains theme parks, hotel and conference centre (in the European Quarter), a Chinatown (see photo below) that is mostly a grocery store (resembles Uwajimaya in Seattle) where Asians actually do shop, an ice skating rink, and mostly international brand name stores of the "aspirational" variety.

On to things of a more organic and human scale nature. There are several successful farmers' markets in Edmonton; we visited the oldest. Great fruits and vegetables, crafts, baked goods, and excellent people watching.

Alberta is home to a large Ukrainian community, going back to the late 1800's. The Ukranian Harvest Festival is housed in a replica of an Albertan Ukrainian village. The various buildings are originals, replete with great furnishings and household items, that have been moved to this location, which also features demonstration wheat fields, farm animals, etc.

Near the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is the Elk Island National Park, home to woods buffaloes and plains buffaloes. There are camping, hiking, picnicking, and driving opportunities amongst the buffalo.

Other wildlife opportunities are to be found in Edmonton: jackrabbits are found on people's front lawns!

Observations Along the Road: Seattle to Edmonton and Back

2011-09-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

The route and major stops: Seattle - Colville - Kalispell - Glacier National Park - Waterton-Glacier - Fort McLeod/Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump - Calgary - Edmonton - Jasper - Osoyoos - Seattle. This trip was about 2400 miles in ten days with 4 nights in Edmonton. The beauty of the North Cascades Highway, the majesty of the Rocky Mountains, the weirdness of rural Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia , and the strangeness of urban Edmonton, all in all made for an interesting swing through the West and Pacific Northwest.

Here are some notes I made along the way:
The Mountain Pine Beetle seems to be marching across the Cascades, is in evidence throughout Glacier, and in parts along Blewett Pass, WA. If the dead trees we saw were not the result of the beetle, then something else is causing huge swathes of trees to look grey and dead. If you look carefully at the photo below, you will see grey trees.


Glacier National Park

The orchards of gala apples in the Okanogen valley were plentiful and beautiful.
There is plenty of evidence that Omak, WA is anti-government country.
From Colville to Usk to Newport (the latter two places are also in Wales!) the hay was looking good. Washington hay is highly prized, especially in Japan.
Somewhere between the middle-of-nowhere Washington and the middle-of-nowhere Idaho, we saw a drive-through convenience store!
Driving through the magnificent beauty of Alberta, all I could think about was the Rape of the Athabasca Oil Sands and the Plundering of the Arctic Tundra.

In Jasper, the mountains are so steep, the pine trees have had a tough time taking hold: they were marching up the slopes one tree at a time. See photo below.

We had the opportunity of staying at the Observatory B&B in Osoyoos, BC and having a tutorial on the night sky as seen through a 16" telescope. The most beautiful sight was a close-up of the moon at night and the sun in the morning. Below is the photo taken by Jack Newton of the sun and seen by us.

A good holiday read

2011-09-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

Sunflower by Rebecca West

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was written in the mid-1920's and published posthumously in 1986. It is pure Rebecca West in acerbity and incisive observation. It is clearly written out of incredible frustration caused by her relationship with H.G.Wells. It is equally frustrating for the reader, because the work was never finished and her description of the protagonist (herself but the opposite of her) is so harsh. As social commentary, it is interesting and damning. Well worth reading.

South Africa continues to jump into bed with China

2011-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Does the ANC really still believe that being comrades in arms with China is the good and revolutionary thing to do? Like the ministers in many other African countries, South African government ministers continue to allow China access to resources in exchange for infrastructure funding. Recently, the most egregious display of this pandering, sycophant-ish behaviour has been on display on the international political stage: South Africa and China have prevented UN resolutions condemning the bombing of civilians in Southern Sudan:
"South Africa and China are preventing action in the U.N. Security Council, and he [Daniel Beleke of Human Rights Watch is] hoping this report of ongoing airstrikes will get the international community's attention. The government of Sudan, though, is also trying to get the U.N. Security Council's attention."
Where is their integrity? Where is their humanity? Where are the ideals they fought for for so long?

In Stegner's Footsteps

2011-08-22T06:50:00.001-07:00

To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A truly remarkable work of fiction. Beautiful writing, interesting characters, great story. And, the author was a Stegner Fellow!: he learned the lessons of Wallace Stegner well.

A good summer reasd

2011-08-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author has great insight into the hyper-reality and excessive empathy generated by heart-rending news stories. A good take on the old Shakespearean notion of appearance versus reality and self delusion and self reinvention.

Latakia in a quieter time and under siege

2011-08-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Latakia assaulted from the sea by Bashar the Butcher on 13 August:

Today's NYT reports on the continued shelling of Latakia
This photograph is from the NYT article, followed by one we took overlooking Latakia in June 2010.

Uncomfortable Reading

2011-08-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Property by Valerie Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stories about slavery and the consequent distortions of relationships, ideology, and behaviour always make uncomfortable reading. Valerie Martin has written a spare, insightful story about two women: slave and owner. As usual, who is truly enslaved is the crux of the story. A previous book by Martin, Mary Reilly, is about the servant of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Martin's characters have depth and she explores some of the more unsavory sides of people's personalities.

Pendleton Woolen Mills & American Indian College Fund

2011-08-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

Pendleton Woolen Mills creates beautiful blankets to benefit American Indian College Fund. The latest design is based on the magnificent glass sculptures of Preston Singletary.

Maureen Dowd is on a roll....And, Glenn Beck is disgusting

2011-07-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today, Maureen Dowd's column in the NYT points out several causes of the mess we find ourselves in with the debt ceiling debacle. Her choice words about Bush Cheney, her reminding us of another apt nickname for the rabid right wingnuts is........the Taliban Wing of the Republican Party: when you listen to what some of these people actually say in interviews, you wonder that they have not grown Pinocchio noses.

And then there is Glenn Beck today, saying that the youth camp in Norway that was attacked by the madman was...like a Hitler Youth camp, because its focus was political. And why is he saying this? Because his supporters are right wingnuts and he cannot acknowledge that this horror was committed by a right wingnut: so, he blames the victims.

A novel of love, loss, suffering, the horrors of war.

2011-07-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A powerful story, generally well written. The author did a very good job revealing parts of the story, layer by layer. The horror of war was both visceral and sublimated.

A Banner Day for the New York Times Sunday Review

2011-07-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Review section in today's New York Times had many excellent columns. My favourite, however, was Maureen Dowd's atta boy to the longest serving politician in Ireland for his scathing remarks to the Vatican. The title of her column, The End of Awe, was also a commentary on Rupert Murdoch and any of the other people who feel they can do what they please because the have cowed the public with their money and supposed power.

In a similar vein, Thomas Friedman's column Make Way for the Radical Center, both pillories and parodies the Republicans with their "pledges" and warns against the group America Elects.

Two other columns worth attending to are When Wealth Breeds Rage by John Githongo and John Burns' Rude Brittania. The rage discussed by John Githongo was also well described by one of the characters in Aminatta Forna's book The Memory of Love.

Syria Specialist

2011-07-19T22:33:00.001-07:00

Syria specialist Joshua Landis compiles information on his daily blog: it is well worth reading.

Support Free Syria

2011-07-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

To read up-to-the-minute reports of activity in Syria, please visit this link:

Go o Facebook and search for "We are all Hamza Alkhateeb"

Tony Judt: A true public intellectual

2011-07-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A memoir of a man who lead a thoughtful life, who was not afraid to grow and change intellectually, who was willing to stand out.

Hama

2011-07-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of trauma in Hama yesterday:

Here are photos of Hama May/June 2010: A more peaceful, beautiful time. May the people of Hama find freedom soon.

A witty and crafty writer!

2011-07-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Tragedy of Arthur by William Shakespeare: The First Modern Edition of His Lost Play, with an Introduction and Notes by Arthur Phillips by Arthur Phillips

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightful conceit and tour d'force!

Today in Aleppo

2011-06-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Headlines, the Photos Speak for Themselves

2011-06-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

So much hope.......just look at these fabulous people!
From today's New York Times:

Syria Allows Opposition to Meet in Damascus

Meeting of 190 opposition leaders

Charges of War Crimes Brought Against Qaddafi

Celebration in Benghazi

This dress!

2011-06-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

If only I had somewhere to wear this:

Jean-Paul Gaultier 2011

Comments & articles on Syria at FT

2011-06-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

There is a list of articles published by the FT on Syria at this link

Glimpses into children's lives filled with horror

2011-06-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A most depressing set of short stories. Unlike Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, where there is an arc of misery to possibly less misery back to more misery, Say You're One of Them goes from misery to horror to awfulness. Most of the stories are well written, but in several of them, the author has a most annoying habit of having the narrator refer to him/herself in the second person.

For real-time info on Syria...

2011-06-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Join the Facebook page We Are All Hamza Alkhateeb, in honour of the 12 year old boy who was tortured and murdered by Bashar the Butcher

Bashar the Butcher Part 2

2011-06-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

There are no words.....

China and Laos

2011-05-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

This morning, the BBC news featured a commentary from one of their correspondents reporting from the Laos/China border. One the Chinese side of the border are massive plantations of rubber trees. These trees do not satisfy the needs of China. So, apropos previous blog posts, the Chinese government has been in conversation with Laotian officials. The latter have agreed to supply the Chinese with land to expand their rubber tree plantings. The Laotian government secondered the lands of Laotian villages along the border where farmers owned the land and grew rice. One villager pointed out that the plantations are so vast it will take a million people to work on them.....there are not enough Laotians, he pointed out, so it will have to be Chinese workers.......

The Chinese Behaviour Pattern Continues

2011-05-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

They have poisoned their wells with unsafe mining practices. They have ruined villages and wreaked environmental havoc with dam building. They have continued farming and food production with unsafe practices that sicken and kill their own people. And, not content to rob developing countries of their resources, the Chinese are now in need of other sources of food. The have buttered up the regimes of such popular leaders as Lula da Silva of Brazil, getting their foot in the door. And now Brazilians are starting to feel a little uneasy and queasy about the land grab that has ensued as the Chinese are "investing" in small farmers and getting them to grow soybeans. See this story from today's NYT.
To read about their incursions into Africa and the regrets of various African nations, search this blog under 'China".

Blood Brothers: Putin & Mugabe

2011-05-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Joe Nocera's opinion piece in today's NYT had a great sub-heading: "What Putin & Pals want, Putin & Pals get". This observation is in regard to the trial, and today's conviction, of Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky and Platon L. Lebedev.

Also in today's NYT is a review of Peter Godwin's new book The Fear : Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe. Peter Godwin is a journalist who has two previous memoirs on his life in Zimbabwe: A White Boy in Africa and When a Crocodile Eats the Sun...both excellent. This newest book is another indictment of Mugabe. He really has to go.

South Korean author's first book translated into English

2011-05-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Calcified Mugabe

2011-05-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Robert Mugabe insists that his age is no deterrent to seeking re-election and continued despotic rule in Zimbabwe. Citing his excellent health in the face of claims to the contrary, he says that doctors have told him they are amazed and his good bone structure: perhaps he misinterpreted their diagnosis. He has ruled with such an iron fist that his bones, and brain, must have calcified by now, rendering him incapable of anything but rigid thinking.

Another killing in Libya: South African photographer

2011-05-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

The South African official view of Libya:
History of Relations
Unofficial relations between South Africa and the Great People's Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya are of long standing and go back to the days of the struggle against apartheid. The first South African formal accreditation was established on 19 November 1996, when the South African Ambassador to Tunisia presented his credentials to the Secretary of the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Co-operation (Foreign Minister). Relations between South Africa and Libya are solid and have been highlighted by high profile visits to Libya by both former President Mandela and President Mbeki. South Africa made a significant contribution to negotiations for the release of the two Libyan suspects in the so called "Lockerbie issue".

Maybe the official position will be reassessed and recalibrated affter the coldblooded killing of photographer Anton Hammerl. See this article in the Mail & Guardian.

He will become known as 'Bashar the Butcher'

2011-05-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Accolades for Emma Donoghue

2011-05-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Room by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I dreaded starting this book as it sounded just so traumatic and creepy. But, it was a page turner, beautifully written, and well worth putting aside feelings of horror and dismay at the subject matter.

Crackdown in Syria

2011-05-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Just a year ago, my husband, son, his girlfriend, and I ate falafel sandwiches near this square in Damascus

.

The above video is from this article from the Los Angeles Times.

You can also find more videos from Syria at this link.

The Pain and Horrors Begat by Apartheid

2011-05-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

I listened and sobbed. People are remarkable.

Listen to this show on KUOW:
Forgiving my daughter's killer
Ginn Fourie’s daughter was killed in an attack by the African People’s Liberation Army (APLA) in Cape Town in 1993. After nearly a decade of agonising grief, Ginn eventually met the man who masterminded the shooting, former APLA commander, Letlape Mphahlele. In their own words, they explain how they’ve forgiven each other over the past.
Link - Lyndie Fourie Foundation
Link - The Forgiveness Project

In fact, this whole show on 10 May on KOUW Presents is excellent.

As the sands shift........

2011-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia is taking preemptive action amidst change and unrest in the Middle East. Unsure of its future relationship with the US, it is looking to diversify its supply chain by reaching out to.....China! See/hear this story from NPR. Ah, opportunistic China.

Iran Demands Syria Free Dorothy Parvaz....

2011-05-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Now this is an interesting development

Iran has been strangely silent throughout the unrest in Syria. D. Parvaz was born in Iran.....

D. Parvaz is Missing in Syria

2011-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Former Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter is missing. She landed in Damascus last Friday, 29 April, and has not been heard from since. There is a Facebook page dedicated to information on her. A former colleague, Joe Copeland has written a story in the online newspaper, Crosscut. Call the Syrian Embassy in Washington, DC, tweet, and email: (202) 232-6316 ext. 139 or send an email to as1@syrembassy.net. A Twitter campaign uses the hashtag #FreeDorothy.

The beginning of the end has begun in Syria

2011-04-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

May the people of Syria prevail.
More bloodshed in Dara'a
Crackdown and sanctions
Witness describes crackdown
Iran's hypocrisy and silence

The Horrors & Terror of being a Woman in Pakistan

2011-04-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Pakistan high court frees five accused of retaliation rape

"In a ruling seen as a setback for women's rights in Pakistan, the country's Supreme Court on Thursday freed five men accused of gang-raping a woman on the orders of a village council."

By Alex Rodriguez

Los Angeles Times

KHALID TANVEER / AP

Mukhtar Mai said she feared the men she accused will seek vengeance against her and her family.

For the full article, click on the linked headline above.

What more can be said about this abomination......

Hyperbolic reviews cause subsequent deflation

2011-04-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book very much, but was disappointed only based on the hype it had received in the literary press. Some of the images are haunting and will stick with me and I thought the idea of the Deathless Man was an interesting device.

Ronald Singer: In Memoriam, Five Years On

2011-04-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

How timely and appropriate. There was an interesting article in The New York Times on Friday 15 April, titled "Phonetic Clues Hint Language is Africa-Born". A biologist from New Zealand has used the model of DNA analysis that has shown the likely spread of humans out of Africa to the rest of the world to look at the origin and dispersal of language in much the same way. What would have pleased my father, Ronald Singer, about this is the showcasing of Southern Africa, a region he researched and felt strongly about: that the most important information about early humans would be found here. Details of his research can be found in this Memoriam written by Paul Dechow. Ronald Singer's last work, on Peers Cave in Fish Hoek, South Africa, is currently being edited by Jay T Stock and Curtis Marean.

A glimmer of good news from Lesotho

2011-04-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

One dedicated person can make a difference. With some help, she can blaze a trail of good news! An article in Sunday's New York Times profiles Dr.Grace Phiri, a pediatrician committed to saving children in Lesotho from HIV/AIDS. She now has help from several physicians from USA, who, with grant money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, do good work.

Spring, again

2011-04-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

                                                      A new flower in springtime
                                                      The Mason bees arrive
                                                      A gentle nudge, a reminder
                                                      Ah, Ariel, a soughing, a sigh.

Deserts Attract/Encourage Quirky Individuals

2011-03-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

A recent trip to Palm Springs, California included excursions to several places that were excellent examples of "only here could this exist"! These were: Cabot Yerxa's Pueblo in Desert Hot Springs and The Edward-Dean Museum in Beaumont. More along the lines of normal were Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs, The Palm Springs Art Museum (especially interesting is an exhibit of architect Donald Wexler's work: he is the father of Palm Springs desert style homes and buildings), and Joshua Tree National Park, where you can see the San Andreas Fault.

San Andreas Fault

Joshua Tree


Cabot Yerxa's Pueblo

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

2011-03-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

by Edmund de Waal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fabulous book! A book about family, history, achievement, accumulation, and loss. It is both personal yet a story to which anyone can relate. It is full of insight, reflects hard work and dedication and how we become obsessed in pursuit of ideas, things, stories, and answers.

Thoughtful Pieces of Writing

2011-03-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

The eminent thinker and sociologist, Daniel Bell, died in January. Very early on in his intellectual explorations he realised the bankrupt nature of Communism and ideologies in general, yet was able to study and understand the social needs and underpinnings of societies/communities and why they need ideologies. Mark Lilla has written a thoughtful and touching elegy in memory of his mentor in the current issue of The New York Review of Books.

Speaking of ideologies: The online news aggregator, allAfrica.com, reproduced an essay titled 'Manyi and Manuel-Why Apartheid Didn't Die' by Leonard Gentle. This essay is wonderful in showing how people manipulate ideas and language to suit the circumstances and what a complex subject this is. The article originally appeared in The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS), an excellent forum for the discussion of difficult topics.

A Winning Outfit from the Paris Collections!

2011-03-18T12:13:00.000-07:00


From left: Chloé, Christian Dior, Chanel, Hermès

The Chanel number is actually something an ordinary human could wear!

A Double Sided Quotation....

2011-03-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Financial Times of London's reporter, Alec Russell, had dinner with Morgan Tsvangirai and reported on this difficult-to-arrange event. It was quite depressing! Tsvangarai actually said "Mugabe is very human" and interesting to work with! Are these quotes from a man desperate to survive and hang on until the dictator finally dies? A man so weakened and worn down by having to deal on a daily basis with a nutcase? It does not bode well, in the short run, for the opposition in Zimbabwe. Sigh.

A Story of Pain and Suffering in Libya

2011-03-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Short listed for the Booker, this emotionally searing book about a boy in Libya in 1979, sets the stage for what is happening today. The author, Hisham Matar, has an essay in the Weekend FT (25 Feb 2011) and an opinion piece in the NYT, 9 March 2011. Gideon Rachman, of the FT, has an interesting article on fiction as a route to political truth, discussing Matar's book along with several others: J. M. Coetzee and Aravind Adiga.

A delightful new voice in fiction

2011-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Last Brother by Nathacha Appanah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Such a poignant story. Beautiful writing

Autocrats in the Former Soviet Union or When Will the Yoked Get Rid of the Yokels

2011-02-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

How much abuse can the people of the countries of the former Soviet Union take before they say enough?! Clifford Levy comments in today's New York Times. And the biggest abuser of them all, Putin: when will Russians put down their vodka glasses and sober up?

Gloom and Doom in Alaska

2011-02-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Caribou Island by David Vann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A remarkable book. Exquisitely written. So painful. So sad.

Russia's Corrupt Judicial System

2011-02-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

There is only one person of prominence who is supporting the very brave whistle blower, Natalia Vasilyeva, in her claim that the judge in the Khodorkovsky case read out a rigged verdict, and that is Mikhail Gorbachev. She has received lots of support from ordinary citizens. Listen to an interview with her on the BBC here.

Freedom is a loooong way off in China

2011-02-20T20:33:00.000-08:00

This blog post on the New York Review of Books website about China's renewed effort to reign in any democracy enthusiasts in China is more than just concerning....

2011-02-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey
Peter Carey's most recent book was received with mixed reviews, inspite of being short-listed for this year's Booker. The most common criticism was of the Olivier portion of the narration. I mostly agree with that assessment: Olivier is an irritating individual! However, Carey does a great job of the nuances of class stratification through this character and I think it was a necessary part of the goals of this book.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

2011-02-19T17:54:00.001-08:00

Compass Rose by John Casey

This story was a very satisfying follow on to John Casey's first book 'Spartina'. Casey clearly loves the land and the people in this New England neck of the woods. The characters are both stereotypes and individuals. The pacing of the book is fast but the language and the wonderful descriptions of place and person slow you down so that you really savour the grace and beauty and mystery of what it means to be present in life.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

New York Treats

2011-02-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

A visit to New York resulted in visits to wonders of the arts and eating worlds. The Morgan Library and Museum is a near orgasmic experience for a bibliophile and appreciator of exquisite taste. John Pierpont Morgan created a monument (one of many) to himself in the form of a library and study. The building is lovely; the book collection is fabulous; the art pieces are exquisite examples of their eras and genres. Three visiting exhibits included The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives, Mannerism and Modernism, and The Changing Face of William Shakespeare.

This painting is amazing...any fan of Shakespeare would be overwhelmed and awe struck to see the liveliness, beauty, and humanity of this man.

A visit to The Frick Collection is another monument-to-self, Henry Clay Frick, who amassed a fortune and built the Frick Mansion, which now houses a magnificent art collection.

The International Center of Photography has the first viewing of The Mexican Suitcase, long lost, of films taken by Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and Chim of the Spanish Civil War. These rolls of film provide real insight into a very civilian war. Having just finished reading Timothy Snyder's 'Bloodlands' recounting Stalin's manipulation of propaganda and emotions and interfering in the Spanish Civil War to further his own aims, this exhibit is painful in pointing out, in hindsight, the poignancy and naivete of many of those who sacrificed their lives to combat fascism.

The Metropolitan Museum also had excellent exhibits: we managed to see a Roman mosaic from Israel; Cezanne's Card Players; Treasures from the Forbidden City, Beijing.

And restaurants! Veritas; John Dory; Artisanal Fromagerie and Bistro; The Red Cat.
And be sure to visit The Highline, for a walk in the new park.

The State of the Young & the Elderly in China

2011-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

The toll of China's rapid industrialisation is being born by the vulnerable: the land, the children, and the elderly. An article in the Financial Times of London on 4 February 2011 details the lives of a few of the 58 million, yes, 58 million, children who are being cared for in dormitories, a.k.a orphanages in rural areas, while their parents work in factories in cities far away. These children are seen by their parents maybe once a year. Their parents place them in these schools/dormitories to keep them from becoming street urchins. The grandparents often care for these children until they are adolescent; however, the grandparents are generally illiterate, so the parents feel the children are better off in dormitories.

At the other end of the age spectrum, adult children are being "encouraged" to spend more time with their elders, who are being neglected for the same reason the young children mentioned above: adult children are needing to work in factories far away inorder to try and better their lives. See the article on this in the New York Times.

Illegal mining for "rare earth minerals" is causing incredible degradation and poisoning of the land, especially farm land, in China. Farmer's are finding their wells poisoned; people getting ill; the land too sick to use.

Zapiro says it all

2011-02-02T19:35:00.001-08:00

Zapiro is a South African cartoonist; this cartoon appeared in the Mail & Guardian 28 Jan 2011

Unemployment and Regime Change

2011-01-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

The events in Tunisia and Egypt have, so far, been truly monumental, with the path ahead in Egypt still very unclear. The majority of the analysts interviewed from a variety of think tanks (Chatham House, Brookings Institute) and reliable news sources (NPR, Al Jazeera) to the Council on Foreign Relations, all seem to agree that unemployment and poverty, particularly among young men, is the major impetus for this demand for change. Government corruption and inefficiency, cronyism, political and personal repression for decades have led to economic stagnation for most people not friendly with the ruling elite. With regime change, people are pinning their hopes on a future that includes opportunities for work and a better life for their families.

I am reminded, sadly, of two vastly different situations where regime change has not dramatically improved people's economic lot. The first is South Africa. After the first free elections in 1994, one of the new government's major goals was to reduce the unemployment rate, particularly among young black men.
From Wikipedia: "In post-apartheid South Africa, unemployment has been extremely high. While many blacks have risen to middle or upper classes, the overall unemployment rate of blacks worsened between 1994 and 2003.^[30] Poverty among whites, previously rare, increased.^[31] While some have attributed this partly to the legacy of the apartheid system, increasingly many attribute it to the failure of the current government's policies. In addition, the current government has struggled to achieve the monetary and fiscal discipline to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth." Currently, the total unemployment rate is officially 25.2%, and much higher amongst black men aged 18-35. And this in the continent's largest economy. The government has been unable to improve education and vocational training amongst the poorer classes inorder for these people to be attractive employees to new manufacturing ventures. The people in South Africa have been remarkably patient and hopeful: for how much longer. How are Tunisia and Egypt going to fare any better?

The second example is the USA: with all the hopes that the new administration (our regime change) in 2009 would be able to actually activate "shovel ready" projects to help get the newly laid off back at work and give businesses tax breaks so that they would employ the unemployed....where are we? Still at an average unemployment rate of 9.6%. Businesses are making profits again, not hiring; banks are hanging onto their cash, not lending; local and state governments seem unable to get those shovel ready programs jump-started and have severe budget problems. If we can't do it in a hurry, how are Tunisia and Egypt going to fare any better?

Individuals and Rights

2011-01-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

Recent examples of people who became (unintended) heroes because they stood up for their rights and those of others:
Mohamed Bouazizi of Tunisia: who only wanted to sell vegetables to support his family
David Kato of Uganda: who only wanted humans who are gay to be treated with dignity and as...humans.

Mr. Bouazizi had no idea that his act of desperation would become a crossroad in history and lead to a chain of events, the conclusion of which, are still in the making.

Mr. Kato had wanted to be "good human rights defender, not a dead one, but an alive one.” It can only be hoped that his death will eventually unleash changes in Uganda and the rest of homophobic Africa. Unfortunately, this will not happen for some time. Similar hate and discrimination exists against Albinos in Africa.

Alan Greenspan.......is there no penalty for excessive self-importance?

2011-01-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

The results of the inquiry into where the blame lies for the 2008 financial crisis were released today. A story in the NYT has generated 543 comments so far! People are exercised and so they should be given that the overarching conclusion of the federal inquiry is that the disaster was avoidable. The debacle, on both the domestic and international fronts, that was the Bush Cheney administration will affect all of our lives for a very long time.

Bush and Rove....

2011-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

buried on page A13 of today's New York Times......this damning piece of news. And here is the actual report

Another Creepy Book about Russia

2011-01-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

The New Nobility: The Restoration of Russia’s Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB
by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan
PublicAffairs, 301 pp., $26.95

The New York Review of Books has an excellent review of this book. "The book’s title comes from an interview given at the end of 2000 by the then FSB chief, Nikolai Patrushev—a longtime ally of Putin’s from St. Petersburg—in which he called members of the FSB “our new ‘nobility.’” Patrushev’s description has proved apt. After Putin, a former FSB chief, became president in 2000, he made changes that substantially expanded the authority and the resources of this agency." The book's authors, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogon, are both journalists who have shouldered considerable risk in openly speaking about Russian corruption, government and otherwise. Their website is Agentura.

2011-01-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very difficult, complex book. While it is billed as darkly humourous, I find the humour better described as painful.

Change from the Bottom Up

2011-01-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Inspiration and action from people organizing to change their own lives (Saul Alinsky would be so thrilled!) with minimal intervention from do-gooding expats from the developed world patting themselves on the back and adding notches to their fell-good wrist bands. Listen to a discussion of this topic on KUOW when Steve Scher hosted Celine D'Cruz of Shack/Slum Dwellers International. The number of reports these days on the ineffectiveness of so many NGOs in the work they are purportedly doing, the huge sums of money being frittered away, is appalling.

Headlines and Why Words Matter

2011-01-15T23:52:00.000-08:00

A headline in the NYT on Saturday 15 January reads:
Belarus Accuses Poland, Germany of Takeover Plot
Having just finished reading Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands, I am immediately reminded of Stalin's same accusations, the results of which were the famines of Ukraine (where multi-millions of people died), the murders of hundred of thousands of people who were Poles, Belarussians, Ukrainians, and Jews. Stalin said what he wanted to say, regardless of truth and reality. People were too afraid and/or brainwashed to contradict him.
Currently reading The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson and on page 153 in the paperback edition, one of the characters is talking about anti-Semitism and where that leads: "Soon it would be full-blown Fascism, Nazism, Stalinism. There was nowhere for them to go. They were indestructible, non-biodegradable. They waited in the great rubbish tip that was the human heart." On page 156, another character continues "The trigger isn't the violence in Gaza. The trigger, in so far as they need a trigger-and many don't-is the violent, partial, inflammatory reporting of it. The trigger is the inciting word."

Parents and Children

2011-01-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Recent tragedies in our world have given parents pause to think about children and children pause to think about parents. Here is President Obama reflecting, as parent and as Mourner in Chief, on the shooting of Christina Taylor Green in Tuscan, Arizona. And her father was able, somehow, to gather his thoughts. And the parents of the alleged murderer.

Last week, Shehrbano Taseer wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times on the assassination of his father, Salmaan Taseer, governor of Punjab.

Saad Hariri insists on investigating the assassination of his father, Rafiq Hariri: Hezbollah, as potential guilty party, walks out; Lebanese government falls.

And what of the parents of Mohammed Bouazizi? No one has reported on them.

Personification of Evil

2011-01-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder

The author creates an interesting,useful,and important paradigm shift in how we should think about, consider, and learn from the lives and deaths of over 14 million humans at the hands of Stalin and Hitler and the people they lead, in a geographic region called The Bloodlands.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
See reviews in the London Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00


Space Needle, Seattle: Showering in the New Year 2011. Photo by Joshua Trujillo

May humans treat each other with greater respect in the coming year.

The Rise of Stalinist Tactics in Russia

2010-12-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Three articles today in The New York Times raises red flags (no pun intended!) about Russia and its "legal system": enough to raise the hairs on my neck.
The first one is about the friend and colleague Oleg Orlov, of murdered human rights activist Natalia Estimirova. It has taken sixteen months for the trial to begin..and who is now accused and on trial? Not the accused murderer. "The authorities had charged Mr. Orlov with defamation because he had publicly pointed the finger at the man he believed was responsible for the murder: the Kremlin-installed leader of Chechnya. If convicted, Mr. Orlov could face as many as three years in prison."

The second article is about a jury being dismissed by the judge before it could deliver its verdict. Jurors felt pressure, some were approached by police. The quote I love the best is: “Thank God such a juror did not deliver a verdict, a juror who felt he was under pressure,” Ms. Usacheva added. “Decisions involving the fate of another person cannot be made under the influence of fear or any other emotion.” This sounds like the rationals invented by Stalin where black is white if he says so and tortured logic regarding the means justifying the ends..read Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder.

The third article is about the rearrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky upon his release from seven years in prison for opposing Putin. "[T]he Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement accusing other countries of trying to interfere with a domestic judicial matter." This is also a tactic used by Stalin: accuse its own citizens of treason by invoking international conspiracies.

The New Colonialism

2010-12-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Relationships between politicians and their constituents and politicians and other nations get stranger by the day. On 21 December, there was an article in the New York Times about farmers in Mali being told by their own politicians that after the rainy season they would no longer be able to farm on their land or live in their villages. And why? The Malian government has leased out this land to.......Colonel Qadaffi! So, now we have, not only resource rape by the Chinese, but actual land being taken by foreign governments...by agreement, not force; these are: "neocolonial land grabs that destroy villages, uproot tens of thousands of farmers and create a volatile mass of landless poor. Making matters worse, they contend, much of the food is bound for wealthier nations." What a way to take over a nation without doing battle. This is not the first instance of its kind, check out the article to see what land is being taken, by whom, and for what purpose. What a sorry state of affairs.

Words, words, and more words!

2010-12-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Interesting story on NPR about "Google's book-scanning project. The company has converted approximately 15 million books so far into electronic documents. That's about 15 percent of all books ever published. It includes books published in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Russian and Hebrew." The authors of the project found they are able to track word usage through time and note cultural changes as words decline or increase in usage. They are hoping others will derive pleasure and usefulness as they browse the data base: apparently, it is a real time "waster".

Journalists under attack again in Russia

2010-12-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

A proposed highway through one of the last oak forests in the Moscow region has met with resistance by environmentalists. Medvedev actually postponed a decision on the project last August because of public outcry. He has now authorised the building of this highway. According to an AP and NYT article in the Seattle Times, highway projects are a major source of bribery and corruption. Evidence of this comes in the form of violence against journalists merely reporting "on the topic [who] have been brutally beaten, their skulls cracked and limbs broken. Kommersant reporter Oleg Kashin was the most recent victim — hit some 50 times by two thugs in a stomach-turning attack last month that was caught on a security camera and outraged the nation."
Amnesty International is urging protection for Russian journalists. United Nations Human Rights committee urges more protection for journalists in areas of armed conflict: given the number of journalists killed in Russia, they might as well be working in an area of armed conflict and seek help under the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists.

2010-12-13T11:50:00.001-08:00

To the End of the Land by David Grossman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a book! Just the sheer writing and planning of it must have required the writing of five stories of the three main characters and two smaller characters. Beautiful writing; I think a reviewer mentioned that Grossman has written the best insight into a female character (by a male writer) since Reynolds Price wrote Kate Vaiden....and I would add Wallace Stegner's women in Crossing to Safety.
Such a poignant story of people and place: Israel.

Finally................

2010-12-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

some good news about the Roma

Gifts of Knowledge

2010-12-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

There are many gifts that last a lifetime and more. Gifts of education. Gifts of reading. Gifts of leisure time in which to read. Gifts to support readers and writers. Make a gift, small or large, to an educational institution you care about, in your area or elsewhere. Give the gift of a loan to a parent working to educate her child. Buy a subscription to a journal or newspaper whose mission is to provide information responsibly to people who think and care. Buy a book: support a small publisher, a writer, a bookshop.

Look in your own 'backyard', check out the places and people in the world you care about. Here is my list of favourite places to offer some support:
KIVA.....one of my criteria for who I make a loan to is if they are needing to support their children's education. And, you can do this with a loan of $25!
American Indian College Fund (AICF).......they do a fabulous job of providing scholarships and educational support to Native American Indians heading to college or university.
Whit Press...a wonderful small non-profit press devoted to providing an
"oasis to nurture and promote the rich diversity of literary work from women writers, writers from ethnic, social, and economic minorities, young writers, and first-time authors."
Elliot Bay Book Company..and independent book store devoted to readers and writers
London Review of Books and The New York Review of Books
University of Washington.....the home of active minds. The University makes a great effort to provide scholarships to those in need: " Each year the University of Washington awards over $240 million in financial aid to over 60% of our undergraduate students"; alumni and donors go to great lengths to support these scholarship funds.
Umuzi Photo Club....their mission is "To empower learners from developing communities in South Africa with the skill of photography while promoting artistic self-expression and critical thinking as means for raising social awareness"
Seattle Public Library Foundation...publicly funded institutions also rely on private donations

So, these are a few of my favourite things, please support yours.

Employment in Syria

2010-11-30T20:04:00.000-08:00

The current debacle that is wikileaks and the cables quoted regarding Syria, reminded me of the sad state of affairs that is the job market in Syria. Syria is, nominally, a socialist state. The government has nationalised any successful sector of the economy, resulting in the usual consequences of such actions: inefficiencies, shoddy work, high unemployment among males. All successful business people take their money out of the country, returning for the minimal amount of time to maintain residency so that they can use cheap labour and make more money to send out of the country. They avoid paying taxes at all costs. The only guaranteed employment is in the military, service in which is compulsory. Bright young men avoid military service as long as possible by earning certificates in as many occupations as they can (foreign languages, etc). Syrians are highly entrepreneurial and open small shops in the souks, small businesses such as car repair, charcoal making, sheepskin tanning, farming, tourist support, taxi driving, bureaucrats, as well as highly skilled artisans, etc. Below are some photos of people working very hard to earn a living in a country where doing it is very difficult.

Making charcoal near Serjilla


Tanning sheepskins


Taxis waiting for business at the bus depot

Small businesses at the border with Lebanon

Oud player in Aleppo

Deliveries to merchants in the souk, Aleppo

Recently written, and reviewed, books on China

2010-11-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

In the current issue of The New York Review of Books, Christian Caryl has reviewed seven recently published books on China. This review is a must-read for amateur Sinologists and/or those interested in what the Chinese government is doing. After discussing the various interests and approaches of the authors, Caryl says
"From my own years in the region, I’m inclined to think that the experience of the other East Asian countries—which Deng privately regarded as practical models for what he wanted to do with his own—throws a great deal of light on where China is headed now. Consider, for a moment, the city of Shenzhen. Back in 1979, when the CCP decided to designate it as one of the first four “Special Economic Zones” in the country, Shenzhen was home to about 80,000 people, most of them fishermen or farmers. Today the place has a population of just under nine million, a bit more than New York City’s. The workforce that fills its countless factories is drawn from China’s immense “floating population” of migrant workers desperate to escape the poverty of rural life. Virtually everyone who lives in Shenzhen comes from somewhere else. And since all Shenzheners are outsiders, they tend to speak to each other in Mandarin Chinese rather than the Cantonese dialect that prevails in most of surrounding Guangdong Province and Hong Kong." There is no act of innocence or accident or incident by the Chinese government, only acts of calculation.

Another book of interest to China watchers is
The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers by Richard McGregor. A thought-provoking review by Slavoj Zizek can be read in the London Review of Books.