two days ago i had lunch at a lebanese restaurant with sanjee, who had just come back from geneva. i cannot remember the last time i had felafel and baba ghanouj. george wassouf was playing in the background, and sanjee was talking about rumi. sigh. those two hours were bliss, stolent moments of another time.
since graduating in 2003, i have not been back to cairo. i really want to be back there, but i am waiting for a reason .. i simply cannot go back for a holiday, that would feel weird. what i mean (i think) is that i don't want to be a tourist there. i want to belong. i want to live there, be a part of the city as i once was. plus, many of my friends are no longer there, others come and go.
perhaps i should try to find some conference to attend : p
02 January 2007
saddam's death = victor's justice
before coming across some strange reactions to saddam's execution, i had no intention of blogging about the issue. i have no great insights to offer, but i at least know the difference between the icc and the world court. if persons unaware of this difference can make statements regarding saddam's death and the tragedy of iraq, i should be brave enough to blog. particularly since this blog was meant to aid me in articulating my thoughts.
yes, saddam's execution bothers me. yes, his farcical trial bothers me. what bothers me the most however, is that there are so many people who are not concerned by (or are unaware of) this.
if saddam's trial had truly been fair, he would not have been prosecuted for only the dujail massacre. if he had been prosecuted for all his crimes, including the destruction of the iraqi communist party and his invasion of iran, the terrible roles played by america, britain and other nations would have been revealed. saddam was a terrible dictator, but those who supported him are no better. genuine justice demands that all those involved in crimes are punished. and genuine justice is not the same as victor's justice.
i am astounded when i hear comments such as 'of course his trial was fair' or 'yes, there are other dictators who were not punished for their crimes, but anyway, it was saddam's time to die'. how can i argue with someone about saddam's sham trial when she is unaware of the principles of fair trial? and how can i argue with the notions of karma and fate?
yes, saddam's execution bothers me. yes, his farcical trial bothers me. what bothers me the most however, is that there are so many people who are not concerned by (or are unaware of) this.
if saddam's trial had truly been fair, he would not have been prosecuted for only the dujail massacre. if he had been prosecuted for all his crimes, including the destruction of the iraqi communist party and his invasion of iran, the terrible roles played by america, britain and other nations would have been revealed. saddam was a terrible dictator, but those who supported him are no better. genuine justice demands that all those involved in crimes are punished. and genuine justice is not the same as victor's justice.
i am astounded when i hear comments such as 'of course his trial was fair' or 'yes, there are other dictators who were not punished for their crimes, but anyway, it was saddam's time to die'. how can i argue with someone about saddam's sham trial when she is unaware of the principles of fair trial? and how can i argue with the notions of karma and fate?
26 December 2006
brave new world
Joan Martinez-Alier, writing in 2025:
Instead of counting in money, it was more sensible to count sometimes in calories and sometimes in hours of work, and sometimes not to count at all. Instead of working for the market, it was better to work for family, friends, neighbours and communities. Reciprocity and redistribution were preferable, socially and ecologically, to the unlimited expansion of the generalized market system. Was it Herman Daly or Leonardo Boff who in the bad old times reminded us: 'Our blessings cannot be counted in money'?
research from my last paper of this term (yay). 2025 sounds like a good time (but i'm not sure how counting in calories would work exactly. very intriguing though).
Instead of counting in money, it was more sensible to count sometimes in calories and sometimes in hours of work, and sometimes not to count at all. Instead of working for the market, it was better to work for family, friends, neighbours and communities. Reciprocity and redistribution were preferable, socially and ecologically, to the unlimited expansion of the generalized market system. Was it Herman Daly or Leonardo Boff who in the bad old times reminded us: 'Our blessings cannot be counted in money'?
research from my last paper of this term (yay). 2025 sounds like a good time (but i'm not sure how counting in calories would work exactly. very intriguing though).
17 December 2006
the spirit of giving
those of you looking for gifts during the holiday season (or at any time in fact) may like to check out this site http://www.changingthepresent.org/
as gifts to your friends and family, you can buy toys for sick children, hire lawyers to free prisoners, provide micro-loans to women or counselling to cancer patients. what a great concept: 'changing the present, one gift at a time'. it is, indeed, the thought that counts.
closer to home: http://www.changingthepresent.org/nonprofits/show/204
please spread the word.
as gifts to your friends and family, you can buy toys for sick children, hire lawyers to free prisoners, provide micro-loans to women or counselling to cancer patients. what a great concept: 'changing the present, one gift at a time'. it is, indeed, the thought that counts.
closer to home: http://www.changingthepresent.org/nonprofits/show/204
please spread the word.
13 December 2006
new projects
so i started working on a new lesson at work yesterday--about constitutionalism, with particular reference to thailand; its 1997 constitution and the recent military coup. i am excited, i know very little about constitutionalism, and am ready to immerse myself in a v dicey, federalist papers and more.
elaborating on the theme of constitutionalism and the rule of law, i will also be working on a research project covering other asian countries until mid january.
another topic that is fascinating me at present is the idea of green taxes (check out this link for more info). in fact, i'm thinking this could be what i want to write my thesis on..
all in all, i have some great food for thought. i just have to finish up with boring exams and assignments before i can jump into all this!
(i have to add however, that it is always the ideas and research part that interests me more than the actual working on stuff ; )
elaborating on the theme of constitutionalism and the rule of law, i will also be working on a research project covering other asian countries until mid january.
another topic that is fascinating me at present is the idea of green taxes (check out this link for more info). in fact, i'm thinking this could be what i want to write my thesis on..
all in all, i have some great food for thought. i just have to finish up with boring exams and assignments before i can jump into all this!
(i have to add however, that it is always the ideas and research part that interests me more than the actual working on stuff ; )
10 December 2006
alone
despite the fact that i live with my family (five/six other people to be exact), i feel increasingly alone. in fact, i feel more alone when i'm with them than when i'm not. linked to this is a sense of alienation as well..
this can't be normal.
this can't be normal.
01 December 2006
birthday again
today i went in to work, where i got gifts, a cake and more wishes.
work makes me feel spoilt; it is where i have professional standing, where i feel loved, and where i have the freedom to work (in terms of both content and logistics) largely as i please.
in many ways, i started grad school to get away from work, to try something new. and yet, i enjoy my work more now than before. i look forward to that one day in the week when i will be at the office.
life is strange. in a good way.
work makes me feel spoilt; it is where i have professional standing, where i feel loved, and where i have the freedom to work (in terms of both content and logistics) largely as i please.
in many ways, i started grad school to get away from work, to try something new. and yet, i enjoy my work more now than before. i look forward to that one day in the week when i will be at the office.
life is strange. in a good way.
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