Immigration. What does the word mean to you? If you live in the southern United States, it might conjure up an image of Mexicans crossing the border in the dead of night. If you’re Italian or otherwise European, you’re probably thinking of the 20,000+ Tunisians who have landed on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa during the past few months, and who may be landing in your neighborhood soon. On the other hand, if you come from Mexico, Tunisia, the Philippines, or sub-Saharan Africa, you might look at immigration from the other direction. The other side of the fence, as it were.… Read more
my own brand of politics
Am I Guilty of Collaboration with the Regime?
Bashar al-Assad, sometime doctor, now autocratic ruler of Syria, has killed at least 50 people during the past week, and probably far more. In their hearts, I think the Syrian people knew that they would pay a heavy price for freedom. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons it has taken so long for protests to take off there, even though Syria is high on the list of the most repressive governments in the world. Emergency laws, in place for the past fifty years, allow the government to censor, arrest, torture, intimidate, and suspend most constitutional rights. And Syria has a lingering nightmare always in the back of its mind.… Read more
The Dreamers of the Day
“Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” – T.E. Lawrence
What would it have been like to walk the streets of ancient Athens, and see Solon’s new laws resting in the Prytaneum? Or stand with the English barons as they forced King John to sign the Magna Carta? What must have been the atmosphere of the Second Continental Congress, as it took the helm of a revolutionary war and struggled to hammer out the structure of a government the people could believe in?… Read more
About to shoot a flower
Have you read Les Miserables? I’ve only read it once, long ago. Although I found the entire book deeply affecting, there is one part I still remember particularly with the same passionate vividness as when I first read it as a romantic sixteen-year-old. It is in Volume 5, Book 1, Chapter 23, in which the disarmed but resplendent revolutionary leader Enjolras is executed during a failed revolt. The storm of tears with which I greeted the unflinching death of my hero prevented me for some time from continuing my reading. Neither before nor since can I remember any character whom I have idolized more.… Read more
Ripples of Revolution
Well, looks like we timed our visit to the south of Tunisia perfectly. I’m sure things are a bit more hectic there now, as thousands of refugees from neighboring Libya stream over the border into Tunisia. Especially heartwarming to me is the fact that the Tunisians in the area are opening their own homes to the refugees as they wait for the delivery of tents from the United Nations. Thousands of Tunisians also marched in Tunis today to express solidarity with their Libyan neighbors, as well as to continue criticisms of the interim Tunisian government. Feelings of brotherhood with the rest of the Arab world are very much in evidence here in Tunisia.… Read more
And the People Wanted Life
That’s two for freedom, democracy, and the power of the people! Looks like Tunisia was NOT a fluke, and the Egyptian people were much more powerful than the pessimists predicted. Who’s next? Well, if you ask me, a village in England is missing its ophthalmologist . . .
Since Egypt eclipsed Tunisia in the press a couple of weeks ago, some of you have asked us how things are going now in Tunisia. The short answer is, great! Nearly without exception, the Tunisians are thrilled with their newfound freedom of expression, and exuberantly optimistic about a democratic future. We’ve seen fewer police and military, although they’re still around (I wasn’t here before the dictatorship fell, though.… Read more
And The Chains Were Broken
Tunisia. It was only a month or so ago that I really started thinking about this little Mediterranean country. Coincidentally (or not), that was just about the time when the demonstrations first began. Since then, for various reasons, I’ve kept a close eye on developments there. Yesterday, in fact, at around 5:30 in the afternoon, Tony happened to be online skyping with a friend in Tunisia when President Ben Ali left the country, ending 23 years of repressive dictatorial rule.
And so here and now I want to express my heartfelt congratulations and deep respect for the people of Tunisia, who during the past four weeks have steadfastly worked and fought for their freedom.… Read more
Why I Outsourced Your Job To India
Well, so maybe it wasn’t your job. But I don’t mind outsourcing overseas. And here’s why. When my husband and I started our first business, we were living in a one-bedroom cinderblock apartment on Brigham Young University campus while he finished up his degree. So our shoestring budget was always more than a little threadbare. When we had the idea about a year later to make a flash-animated online design tool to sell our basketball uniforms, we got a quote from a local company. The Utah company we consulted (which will remain unnamed) quoted us $150,000 to $250,000 to design our tool.… Read more
Love is How We’ll Ask For Peace
Last week my husband told me about his favorite co-worker, Mauro. For the first few months that he worked at this job, Tony didn’t really get to know Mauro, who is sincere and nice, but also very quiet. But last week in the course of a rare conversation, Tony found out something truly awesome about his taciturn office mate. He’s part of an Italian NGO called Emergency. He travels to countries like Sudan, Algeria, Cambodia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, providing desperately needed medical care. Emergency builds hospitals, trains local medical staff, and provides free medical and surgical care to victims of war, landmines, and poverty.… Read more
“Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman
For those of you now under the misapprehension that I spent all my time at college studying in the library, here is a story of my secret double life. A story of crime, intrigue, and ultimately, wretched embarrassment. It’s so bad, in fact, that even though I graduated almost ten years ago, I don’t believe I’ve ever told anyone but my husband the story. I figured he should know the full truth about me.
(By the way, if you are looking for literary commentary on the Harlan Ellison story “Repent, Harlequin!” said the Ticktockman,” you will find it here. If, on the other hand, you want to hear about the time I came closest to being Harlequin myself, by all means read on.)… Read more