On the Front Lines: Changing Minds Proves More Challenging than Changing Borders & Administrations

As I read through Geraldine Brooks' Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, I am continuously surprised by the riveting, intimate stories of women whom I imagine are just like me in many ways. And women whom I imagine could be good friends of mine. Women who are strong and beautiful, driven and courageous.  And yet, while some of my greatest struggles are in proving the worthiness of my ideas and concepts, turning these into a profitable business that will provide for my living, these young women are often struggling to prove that they themselves are worthy of simply living as individuals with a brain and will.

This post is in honor of International Women's Day.

Jenny Matthews/Panos

As I continue to seek out transitional environments -- traveling to observe first-hand when I can; reading and interviewing about them when I can't -- I continue to find evidence that laws and constitutions and job titles and borders are not the biggest challenge facing those who seek progress.

Deeply ingrained cultural ideas and traditions are much, much more difficult to challenge.


The following excerpts from Brooks' Nine Parts of Desire reflect her experiences during six years in the Middle East as a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.  In this story out of northern Africa, we watch women fight and prove their physical equality and strength of character, then return home only to fight again -- this time against oppressive cultural traditions.  Like so many of the transitional regions I've lived in, the story of Eritrea reveals that cultural and ideological walls are much more difficult to break down than walls of brick and mortar.

Inter-Ideological Relationships: What's to gain?

This week my very talented friend, political life expert, prolific journalist, and well-known libertarian blogger George Scoville wrote about his recent engagement to a member of the Democratic party - and why it works.

I read the article to my family over breakfast and it got great reviews, plus spurred an interesting discussion. The essence of George's message is this:

"My instincts tell me that it's not people's specific politics that make them compatible or incompatible, but how they prioritize their politics within the order of the rest of their lives."

Going West

Eventually, Finnish summer came to an end.  

In late August I welcomed American friends to Helsinki.  

Caleigh, Garrett and I strolled the sunny, windy green streets of Helsinki and visited plenty of seaside cafes where we always picked patios with the best views of the archipelago.  Angry skies signaled the changing season.

Articles of Note

I seem to be finding all sorts of fascinating articles this weekend.
Maybe you'll find something here that piques your interest...

1. Innovator of the Year Awards 2012.  
Would you have guessed that Mary-Kate & Ashley Olson are among the winners? These are some hard-working gals.
To sum up their current fashion design philosophy:

"We like the mentality of the way men dress—a few investment pieces that you can wear all the time and build upon."

Read the full story about their company, The Row, in this interesting article in WSJ.

2. Already -24 Celsius in Lapland! (Northern Finland)

3. Want a Better Economy? History Says Vote Democrat.

A fascinating review of Bob Dietrick & Lew Goldfarb's book Bulls, Bears, and the Ballot Box. The review is written by a reporter who espouses to be a big fan of Milton Friedman's economic theory.

As Dwight Eisenhower said in a New Yorker interview
“I despise people who go to the gutter on either the right or the left and hurl rocks at those in the center.”

I have to copy/paste the closing remarks of this article, as I know they're going to stir up some opinions:

The book covers only Presidents Hoover through W. Bush.  But as we near this election I asked Mr. Goldfarb his view on the incumbent Democrat’s first 4 years.  His response:

• “Obama at this time would rank on par with Reagan

• Corporate profits have risen under Obama more than any other president

• The stock market has soared 14.72%/year under Obama, second only to Clinton — which should be a big deal since 2/3 of people (not just the upper class) have a 401K or similar investment vehicle dependent upon corporate profits and stock market performance”

As to the challenging Republican party’s platform, Mr. Goldfarb commented:

• “The platform is the inverse of what has actually worked to stimulate economic growth

• The recommended platform tax policy is bad for velocity, and will stagnate the economy

• Repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will have a negative economic impact because it will force non-wealthy individuals to spend a higher percentage of income on health care rather than expansionary products and services

• Economic disaster happens in America when wealth is concentrated at the top, and we are at an all time high for wealth concentration.  There is nothing in the platform which addresses this issue.”

There are a lot of reasons to select the party for which you wish to vote.  There is more to America than the economy.  But, if you think like the Democrats did in 1992 and “it’s about the economy” then you owe it to yourself to read this book.  It may challenge your conventional wisdom as it presents – like Joe Friday said – “just the facts.” 

U.S. Constitution Day

Today, Sept. 17, 2012, marks the 225th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution at the Philadelphia (Constitution) Convention in 1787. The best way to honor the day might be to read it.

"Nepal Falls into Political Turmoil" - (But I'm Alive!)

The Wall Street Journal May 29, 2012
KATMANDU, Nepal—Nepal sank into political turmoil Monday after lawmakers failed to agree on a new constitution, leaving the country with no legal government. The premier called new elections, but critics said he lacked the power to do so.
Security forces went on high alert and riot police patrolled the streets after several political parties called for rallies to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and protest his unilateral decision to call elections for November. Only a few peaceful protests were reported."The country has plunged into a serious crisis," said Ram Sharan Mahat, a senior leader of the country's second-largest party, the Nepali Congress, who said that six months would not be enough time to prepare for new polling."This government has no legitimate grounds to continue," he said.The squabbling political parties in Nepal's Constituent Assembly had failed to agree on a new blueprint for the Himalayan nation by their own deadline of midnight Sunday, despite repeated extensions of the due date over the past four years.A key sticking point was whether the country's states should be drawn to give regional power bases to ethnic minorities.Writing the new constitution was supposed to cap an interim period aimed at solidifying details of Nepal's democracy after the country turned the page on centuries of royal rule and resolved a decadelong Maoist insurgency by bringing the former combatants into the political mainstream.Mr. Bhattarai, from the party of the former Maoists, said the previous constitutional assembly, elected four years ago, had failed and must be dissolved, and that he would head a caretaker government until the Nov. 22 elections."We have no other option but to go back to the people and elect a new assembly to write the constitution," Mr. Bhattarai said in his announcement.However, his plan immediately drew criticism from legal experts, who said any plans for new polling should be made in consultation with the country's other political parties."It was politically, legally and morally incorrect of the prime minister to announce fresh elections," said constitutional and legal expert Bhimarjun Acharya.Police spokesman Binod Singh said thousands of police officers had been deployed in the capital, Katmandu, and major cities across the country to stop any violence in the coming days.At a rally Monday in Katmandu, small groups of college students burned effigies of Mr. Bhattarai and demanded his resignation. Police quickly put out the flames.Separately, a group supporting the abolished monarchy also demanded the prime minister's resignation, blaming him for the country's political crisis. Police allowed the demonstrators to march through the center of Katmandu.On Sunday, police had clashed briefly with protesters outside the Constituent Assembly, where political leaders from the country's four main parties had been meeting in a last-minute attempt to agree on a new constitution before the deadline.Much of the debate was over whether to draw state boundaries in a way to boost the political power of the country's ethnic minorities.Nepal's minority ethnic groups and low-caste communities were overshadowed for centuries by the country's elite. In the past couple of years, as Nepal has struggled to create a new government, those divisions have given rise to caste- and ethnic-based politicians, who insist their long-marginalized communities deserve to live in states that maximize their influence.The Constituent Assembly was elected to a two-year term in 2008 to draft a new constitution but has been unable to finish the task. Its tenure has been extended four times, but the Supreme Court rejected any further extensions.—Copyright 2012, the Associated Press

Though there is certainly some turmoil in the capital, I am fortunate to be in the high Himalayas, beyond the reach of its influence.  Pema Choling is perhaps the safest place I could be in Nepal during a time like this.  I'm thankful that we flew out early in the morning on the very day the constitution was supposed to be completed, and that we actually made it to Lukla, as we are officially the only flight which the clouds permitted to land here in the past two weeks!

Life in the Himalayas revolves around tourism, and as long as the trekkers keep coming and eating, the Sherpa people are happy. As far as I know, the Sherpas are not very politically active beyond their isolated communities, have not declared any strikes, and are not included in the minority ethnic groups which seek to maximize their political privileges and influence.  In fact, I don't believe the political situation in the country is even a hot topic of discussion up here.

I'm just glad that I won't be flying back to Kathmandu until August; hopefully in the next three months things will die down. And if it is still unpredictable, I'll simply book my ticket home and, upon arriving at the KTM airport from Lukla, stay there until boarding my connecting flight.

In other news, seemingly unrelated to the constitution business, but equally tragic...

"Nepal Supreme Court Judge Killed"The Wall Street Journal May 31, 2012
KATMANDU, Nepal – Motorcycle-riding assailants shot and killed a Supreme Court judge under investigation for allegedly taking bribes as he headed to work in the Nepalese capital Thursday, police said.Rana Bahadur Bam's bodyguard and another passenger in his car were also wounded in the attack as the judge was driven to work after worshipping at a Hindu temple.Mr. Bam was being investigated by the Judiciary Council for allegedly taking bribes from suspects charged with abduction in 2010 in exchange for releasing them with light sentences and fines.Police official Rabindra Shah said two masked men on a black motorcycle drove by the judge's car and opened fire. Mr. Bam, his bodyguard and another person identified as the judge's friend were hit but the driver managed to escape. The attackers fled the scene after the shooting and the injured men were rushed to the hospital in a taxi.Mr. Bam, shot several times, died at the local Norvic Hospital as he was being treated for internal bleeding, said hospital doctor Bharat Rawat.The other two men were undergoing surgery and their condition was unknown.Police set up checkpoints in Katmandu and were searching for the motorcycle and culprits.

Again, I'm not able to follow the happenings in Kathmandu very closely, but I'm not in the least bit concerned for my own safety during my time here at Pema Choling and along the trail to Base Camp.

Welcome to the New, Flat World

Thomas Friedman, political journalist--turned 21st century philosopher, brings us his thought-provoking thesis on globalization in this video from MIT. 
I've read several chapters of his revolutionary book, The World is Flat, as well as most of another, The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

 

In an Information Systems for Business course I took last semester, I was challenged to think about the following questions while listening to Friedman's lecture. These are themes I'd been periodically mulling over for a while, so I welcomed this opportunity to draw a few conclusions and support them with anecdotes from my own experience.

What does a flattened world mean for you as a student looking for employment in the near future? 
A flattened world puts each of us as individuals in direct competition with the rest of the world for jobs. As Thomas Friedman mentioned, everything can be (and is being) outsourced.

Moldova: Who/What Are You? A country in the midst of a major identity crisis

**Written July 24, 2011.  Published August 15, 2011.

The road to Moldova...Sunflowers for as far as the eye can see!

Last Thursday night I was thinking about the weekend ahead and decided spontaneously to make a trip to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.  Two of my friends from Belmont - Stas and Eugen - are international students and are back visiting their family in Moldova this summer.  (In fact, Stas just graduated this spring and got married this weekend -- a big congratulations to him and his new wife, Mariana!!)
Stas and Eugen have told me a lot about their country during the past few years at Belmont, and I always told them one day I would visit them in Moldova.  Now, living just 180 km away, I couldn't pass up the opportunity!  So on Thursday evening I walked into the kitchen where Anna, my Austrian roommate, was eating a buterbrod, and said, "Hey Anna, I think I'm going to Moldova this weekend.  Do you wanna come?"
When I pulled my water bottle out of the fridge and turned around she was just staring at me.
"Are you serious?" she asked?
"Yeah, of course.  Let's just go for the weekend; spend one night; see the city a little; and come back by Sunday afternoon -- we'll still have enough time to do our homework and take a nap!"

TULI ISO JYTKY!...A taste of Finnish Politics

If you don't happen to closely follow Finnish politics, I'll give you a brief run-down on the current political climate...

Timo Soini, leader of the True Finns

Parliament elections took place the weekend I arrived in Helsinki. You might remember the Swedish-speaking Finnish men's choir I met on the way.  They were nervously checking their phones all night as the votes trickled in, and the reactions were not positive.  The ultra-conservative "True Finns" party gained 35 seats, a huge increase from the three they already had.  I don't have a complete picture of their agenda; but I've gathered bits and pieces of public opinion from conversations with people I've met here.  It seems that I've been meeting the most liberal Finns around, however, because no one I've met has been a True Finn sympathizer.  (Although one guy said he was embarrassed to admit that his dad voted for them.)

The California-Texas Travel Dictionary

I don't usually engage in the perpetuation of email chains or forwards, but every now and then something so funny comes along that I can't help but share.
I don't know where this originated, but it certainly made me laugh.  Here's your daily dose...

The California - Texas Travel Dictionary

Intended for use when listening to main stream media.

A lexicon, with translations for Californians who are visiting Texas , or vice versa.

In California	In Texas
Diverse or Lifestyle Choice	Sinful and Perverted
Arsenal of Weapons	Gun Collection
Delicate Wetlands	Swamps
Undocumented Worker	Damned Illegal Alien
Cruelty-Free Materials	Synthetic Fiber
Assault and Battery	Attitude Adjustment
Heavily Armed	Well-protected
Narrow-minded	Righteous
Taxes or Your Fair Share	Coerced Theft
Commonsense Gun Control	Gun Confiscation Plot
Illegal Hazardous Explosives	Fireworks or Stump Removal
Nonviable Tissue Mass	Unborn Baby
Equal Access to Opportunity	Socialism
Multicultural Community	High Crime Area
Fairness or Social Progress	Marxism
Upper Class or "The Rich"	Self-Employed
Progressive, Change	Big Government Scheme
Homeless or Disadvantaged	Bums or Welfare Leeches
Sniper Rifle	Scoped Deer Rifle
Investment For the Future	Higher Taxes
Healthcare Reform	Socialized Medicine
Extremist, Judgmental, or Hater	Conservative
Truants	Homeschoolers
Victim or Oppressed	Criminal or Lazy Good-For-Nothing
High Capacity Magazine	Standard Capacity Magazine
Religious Zealot	Church-going, God fearing
Reintroduced Wolves	Sheep and Elk Killers
Fair Trade Coffee	Overpriced Yuppie Coffee
Exploiters or "The Rich"	Employers or Land Owners
The Gun Lobby	NRA Members
Assault Weapon	Semi-Auto (Grandpa's M1 Carbine)
Fiscal Stimulus	New Taxes and Higher Taxes
Same Sex Marriage	Legalized Perversion
Mandated Eco-Friendly Lighting	Chinese Mercury-Laden Light Bulbs

A 5th Grader's Solution to Inflation

I was on the phone with my mom last night, when Raam, my youngest brother, calls out,

"Hey Mom! Tell Shirah I know how to get rid of inflation...

                     ...Just wait a while, let the earth get more populated, and then more of the money will get used."

TED Talk: Political Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte

Using clean, simple pencil strokes, editorial cartoonist Patrick Chappatte wields globally literate and to-the-point humor on world events -- the tragic, the farcical and the absurd.

Does Democracy Lead to Economic Growth, or Vice Versa?

I'm loving every minute of my International Business course this semester.  Both the professor and the textbook we're using are quality sources, and we've had some great class discussions.  Coming from an entrepreneurship point of view, it's been neat to see how the authors of the text approach entrepreneurship in the context of international trade and politics, and global economic growth and development.

Belgium

THIS is why I don't feel so bad about coming back from a year in Belgium with only a rudimentary understanding of the country's governing bodies.
The following video is a striking satire on the complexity and sometimes seemingly illogical structure of the Belgian system.

To my dear Belgian family and friends:
I may not understand your government, but I love you all the same :)


A short animated film about the Belgian political structure.

The text was written by Marcel Sel, a Belgian writer, author of Walen Buiten, a best-seller on the «Belgian Crisis».
The music was specifically composed by Laurent Aglat for the film, and Emma Dornan's beautiful voice gave the commentary its magical tone.
The film was directed by Jerome de Gerlache.
And a special thanks to Karine Quarant-Schmidt !
http://blog.marcelsel.com
http://www.laurentaglat.com
http://www.jeromedegerlache.com

Revisiting the Global Youth Leadership Summit - 25 June 2008

**This is a never-before-published journal entry from June 2008.

Hi again from China!

A big thank you again to all of you who've contributed to my trip.  This has been by far the most unforgettable trip of my life.  China isn't just on the opposite side of the globe, it's on a completely different planet. 

The Global Leadership Summit was an amazing experience through which I formed some great relationships with fellow students.  During discussions in formal meetings, on the bus, and over dinner, I was touched by their insightful thoughts and opinions on anything and everything.  I'll never forget Lema, a girl from Beirut, Lebanon who had lived the scenes we watch on our televisions about the conflict in the Middle East. 

I was happy to see how much my past travel experiences positively affected the way I was able to skip over cultural barriers and relate to many of the international students.  After having lived in a variety of countries and states I was easily able to share inside jokes with Germans, Australians, some Mexicans who spoke French and German, students from California, Alaska, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, etc., Icelanders, Trinidad and Tobago-ese?, as well as a smattering of people from all corners of the globe. 

In fact, I found a lot of people just like me; students who have been lots of places for relatively long periods of time, and have taken bits and pieces from each culture they've encountered.  Although I most certainly am still American (and don't want to be anything else), there may be a lot about my views and habits that are foreign.  This trip came at the right time- just when I was starting to doubt if I might ever find that group of people where I really fit, I met a whole new group of people, an international community where we all share the same joys of traveling and exploring, and the same struggles to fit in once we get back home. 

The 12-day Summit included A LOT of sightseeing.  Although this was fun, many of us felt that the schedule placed the academic goals of the Summit second to tourism.  We would have liked to have more time set aside to work on our group projects. 

A total of 300 students participated in the Summit.  We were broken down into 9 groups of about 35.  Each group was assigned to a Chinese province.   My province was Shandong-located on the east coast between Beijing and Shanghai. 

Here's the simulation we were given:  The Chinese Govt. has set aside USD $800 million to be given to one or more provinces this year.  The awarded province(s) will have developed and presented a project that will better their province as well as surrounding provinces and China in general. 

Our goal as a group was to conceive, develop, and present a project that we would present to the "Govt Board" (a panel of students) on the last day. 

All of the research and late nights paid off-- when it came time for the awards my group received first place and was one of only 2 groups to have their project fully funded.  Of course, it was fake money.  But it was a great exercise through which I learned a lot about China's infrastructure, social situation, government structure, and how each is affected by the others. 

Summary of First Week in Beijing - 11 June 2008

**This is a never-before-published journal entry from June 2008.

Ni Hao!

Wow, five days in Beijing.  It's a totally different world.  I've found that I'm not able to send group emails from my Blackberry, but I hope you've been receiving the quick updates I've sent to my mom, which she so kindly agreed to pass on. 

This city of 17 million has much to offer.  I was a bit put off by all the pollution at first; coming from the clear blue skies of Australia this was a huge adjustment.  I'm slowing beginning to tolerate it a bit better. 

Our trip to the Great Wall the other day was very memorable.  Visiting this World Wonder has been one of my traveling dreams for a very long time.  I can remember the exact moment I was introduced to the Wall and its history in depth in 6th grade.  It was such a dream come true to walk it and climb it and look out from the top (of the segment we were on).  I called my parents while I was up there.  It was one of those moments that I wanted to share with my family.

 

We visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday morning.  The head of the North American Relations Department addressed us, and then we had time for questions and answers.   The CYLC's (Congressional Youth Leadership Council) policy on question and answer time is usually that students write down their questions ahead of time to have them okayed by an Advisor.  This is to avoid any inappropriate or offensive questions.  This being the only program they offer for university students, and with the knowledge that every student here is an alumni of a previous program, the faculty gave us the benefit of the doubt in this situation and did not request that questions be submitted beforehand.  I was disappointed to see this priveledge abused, especially by a young man in my Leadership Group.  Towards the end of the Q&A time he stood up and asked, "Is it true that your country has been selling automated weapons to Sudan?"  The minister was stunned and answered, "what?"  And the kid had the gall to repeat the question.  I was sitting directly behind him; my jaw was almost on the floor.  We had been specifically briefed on topics that were seen as confrontational-- this question didn't even pertain to the topic that was being discussed.  For the event we were seated in the Foreign Affairs building.  On the right hand side of the room there were windows near the ceiling.  Most students didn't notice, but hiding in the shadows behind the glass were Chinese military men closely watching our every move.  We were not allowed to, at any time, leave our seats or advance towards the front of the room.  As soon as that question was asked I was just waiting for the sniper to peek out and bring him down. 

The Minister was very diplomatic about it though and handled the situation as best as one could expect. 

The top-right corner of this photo shows the tinted windows behind which were stationed several fully-armed Chinese soldiers.

 

Later in the day we had Scholar-Led Debates.  My topic was the U.N.-- we debated the effectiveness of the structure of the institution and what role we believed it should play in the future.  The veto power of the 5 P's (USA, China, Britain, France, and Russia) was a hot topic.  We ended up running over time and about 12 of us who were really interested in the subject stayed after the audience had left and discussed it for a further half hour at least.  I was really impressed with the innovative ideas brought to the table and the diverse opinions and well-supported arguements. 

 

We're about to leave the hotel and head to the airport for our flight to Xi'an.

More about the Conference later!