After all these years,... Part 1

I've lived overseas (i.e., not in the USA) for many years.  More than half of my life now, in fact.  And sometimes I stop and wonder about how strange I must sound to people "back there" when, for example, I post a joke on Facebook and my sense of humor or point of reference is too bizarre for "them" to get it.  A friend of mine works for a company that produces, among other things, Bluetooth devices for mobile phones.  Once, when he was traveling for business not far from Afghanistan, I asked if he had one that, uh shall we say, might be useful for suicide bombers.  He said that warzone humor borders on the creepy.  I guess I might agree.  Well, my sense of humor is DEFINITELY wasted here.
Now, the flipside is all those phrases heard daily in the US that we just know what they mean and accept them.  BUT, I wonder how they might go over in some of the countries where I've lived, particularly those diffused by television.  (Granted, there are equally bizarre sayings in the the languages I have learned that would be met with equivalent confused looks in the US.  Anyone who has learned another language would agree.)  For example, watching all the cop shows on local TV, I am very tired of hearing, "We've got company!"  In many cultures, that would be an exciting thing, but for different reasons.  Or, the one that took the cake (in of itself, weird) was, "They're all over us like a cheap suit."  Go to some of these countries to see what the guys are wearing....Cheap Suits!  So the audience is thinking, "Wow!  What a deal!" 
There are many more, but they all form part of the fun of living overseas.  Now, if I could just figure out a way to make a universal translator for idioms... 

Change takes time and appropriate strategy

Can we change the so-called systems of Afghanistan?  If so, how?  I came across an article on a CNN blog where the author referenced a recent book on J. William Fulbright, which brought to light the circular thinking or at least, the difficulty of changing the way people think, even across decades.

The article started like this:

"When the president decided to send more troops to a distant country during an unpopular war, one powerful senator had enough.  He warned that the U.S. military could not create stability in a country 'where there is chaos ... democracy where there is no tradition of it, and honest government where corruption is almost a way of life,' said Sen. J. William Fulbright, then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in 1966 as the Vietnam War escalated."

Back then, it was oh so important to stem the Red Tide of communism that would surely arrive at our doorsteps (and take over our system, thus putting many politicians out of work... at least, temporarily) if we did not do something.  But the article's focus is to show how many opinions favor taking the money invested in an un-winnable war and investing it in an effort to respond to domestic problems.  But another old school of thought cannot be ignored:  War is good for the economy.  And many of Bush's "friends" (maybe in the style of Facebook) are still profiting from the US presence in Afghanistan.

It might be time for Obama to unfriend some of the leftovers from the Bush administration.  Lots of "friends of friends" are hurting his attempts to change things. Washington politics is the proverbial exercise of executing a change of course for a large ocean-going vessel:  You need to start a good five miles before you actually need to be aimed in a different direction.  The US has a short existence compared to may countries around the globe, but so many of those other countries have been ecstatic with Obama as a US President, mostly because he does not project a holier-than-thou attitude.  (Wait...in this day of child-molesting clergy, that may not be an appropriate term to use.  Unless, of course, you are referring to certain past presidents.  But I digress.)  He is approachable and humble enough to recognize that national pride does not mean perfection.  He also seems to understand something about "development" in the sense of aspiring to reach human potential.  Quality versus Quantity.

Back to the original question:  Can we change Afghan systems of governance?  There is another piece of wisdom that might be considered here.  As R. Buckminster Fuller once said, "You never change anything by fighting existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."  Or in other words, the people need to want the new model, it must appeal to them on some certain grounds, in order for it to become the new system.  Key to achieving the necessary level of acceptance is, as in marketing, the "consumer preferences" are in the design.  And once they are, we need to find that "tipping point" that will gain the new system the popular support that will make it the new model.

Whatever happened to...?

There are a few theories floating around about what might have caused the dinosaurs to disappear from the earth.

What do you think?

 

Should someone else be in the White House?

I mean, come on, look at the pool of candidates:

Florida Vampire to Run For President (?!?!)
http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2010/03/15/20100315vampire-running-for-president.html
I guess we could expect some draconian measures if he gets into office. Seriously, though, if he ran his own little territory, it would be a bonanza for the FBI because it would draw a huge number of pedophiles together and they could capture the bunch of them in one operation. Do you think the "Virgin" Islands would give up one piece of land for awhile?

Who wants healthcare?

Here's one one argument against universal healthcare:

I have a lot of appreciation for what US Presidents go through to get their legislation enacted, but here is a solid (flabby?) argument against the current universal healthcare initiative:


http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1027360/woman-aims-to-become-worlds-fattest

But, then again, there are those special interest groups who stand to profit, in some way, at someone’s cost…

No comment, but you have to wonder...

The Colonel didn't die...He went to Afghanistan!

In a parallel universe known as, "Afghanistan", Colonel Sanders has installed himself as the reigning Fried Chicken Master, thus spreading his secret recipe, and the peace-loving feeling that comes with it, to other strife-stricken regions of the world.

If you can read the Dari script, they just phonetically spelled out "Kabul Fried Chicken" under the KFC brand. Those wily Afghans! What will they think of next?

The Tragedy of the Commons

Inspired by my current assignment to document experiences in Afghanistan in community-based natural resource managment, I'd like to dredge up an old story that is applicable around the world:

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.
Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

As stated in the premise of this blog, I continue to be amazed at the similarities and the differences of humanity and nature no matter where I go.

Rajoelina "wins" the presidency in Madagascar

This is just too much, and unfortunately, just like I called it several months ago. The Mouse has waited out the international community's patience and perseverance, and he is now the "accepted" de facto leader (dare I say "President") of Madagascar. The Economist magazine ran an article this week (http://www.economist.com/world/middleeast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14664639), that actually predated the next failed attempt to bring the four parties together yet again in Geneva. Early on, the leader of the TIM party said he would not accept The Mouse as president because that would lend an air of legitimacy to a coup d'etat. In principle, he is right, but it was the only way The Mouse would play ball with the other kids. And, in their inimitable prose, The Economist tells us, "Mr. Rajoelina, meanwhile, will merrily stay on as interim president. Coups, it seems, can still pay."

One of the comments on the story accused France of being the reason the African Union and the South African Development Community softened their stance against The Mouse. France did not want that American-loving deposed president back in office. Shame on him for turning his back on the country that exploited Madagascar for so many years. Step aside, and let someone else have a turn!