The Grandfather of Resistance Movements

Earlier this month [January 3], the New Statesman ran a very interesting profile of Gene Sharp (who they call the "Machiavelli of non-violence").

Sharp is the author of the 102-page essay, From Dictatorship to Democracy, which has inspired resistance movements and rebellions around the world.

The essay (or pamphlet, rather) is available in .pdf format from Sharp's Albert Einstein Institution here. It makes for very interesting reading; and -- who knows? -- it might even inspire non-violent resistance in the increasingly unfree societies of the industrialized West as well, not just in developing countries.

Happy New Year, Bonne Année, Prosit Neujahr (belatedly)!

A Happy New Year to everyone! We are happy to report that for the past several months, we have been thinking quite seriously about the future of this little space -- and about the kinds of comments, posts, ruminations and other observations that we will  post here in the coming months. We hope to be able to be a little more consistent this year than in years past and look forward to more content. More soon ...

BoJo's Ping Pong Speech

Despite the fact that many people see him as a buffoon, Boris Johnson (BoJo) is one of our favorite writers-turned-politicians. Formerly editor of the London Spectator, he is now Mayor of London. He recently gave what some people are calling the "ping pong" speech at the London 2012 Hand-Over party at the end of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Click below to see the man in action. He is comically brilliant!

A Personal War of Attrition

I've been working at a multi-lateral, international organization for the past 6 months and while things have gotten better, in some ways, things are getting worse.

That is to say, that as I learn more about my tasks and about the field in which I now work, and as I learn more about historical aspects of the work I am involved in and improve my skills -- in short, as my role improves within my division and among my colleagues, the overall role of the entire division has deteriorated to such a point that everyone feels hamstrung. Almost every day there are new rumors and stories about a request being denied, or the division's budget for 2009 being questioned and then promptly rejected. All trips abroad have been denied and our overall work is increasingly being brought under the supervision of management. In fact, no products can be completed by our division without being previously approved by the management committee. The situation is so dire, so repressive, that it is almost comical.

Behind it all is some kind of personal animosity that management feels towards our division head. Whether it is a problem of personalities or whether race and ethnicity difference have something to do with it, no  one seems to know. What's most likely is that all of those factors are fueling management's drive to make life as difficult as possible for the division head. There is some sympathy for him within the division; at the same time, many people say that he brought it upon himself by not sticking up for himself or his department, for not standing firm and for being, essentially, weak and pliable. It is a horrendous situation overall with only our short-term contracts protecting us from further bullying.

So little by little, drop by drop, dollar by dollar, the managerial powers are hacking away at our division. It is truly a war of attrition -- and some rebellious voices are beginning to whisper conspiratorially about a back-channel plea for help from members of the all-powerful executive board.

Things could get quite interesting.

Enough with African Pirates!

In what is apparently the 31st such incident this year, Somalian pirates off the Horn of Africa took control of an Egyptian ship carrying unspecified cargo. According to Bloomberg, this latest act of piracy comes barely two days after thugs took over a small French yacht. (There is a US$ 1 million ransom being asked for the return of the two hapless Frenchmen who were on board.)

Isn't it time that the international community did something about all this? It is outrageous that in an era of global humanitarian efforts, and with so much talk (blather*, really) about human rights, stability and security, we have to deal with such open acts of violence and criminality. Immediate steps should be taken to ensure security off the Somalian coast.

* We've been asked by some readers what "blather" really means -- and we were fortunate enough to find this lovely definition (at blather.newdream.net): "Blather is words. Bunches of words, strewn about in a twisty tangly web of pontification, insight and nonsensical delight."  Very nice!

Editorial Vent I: Learning Curves

I hate them [learning curves]. Steep or not, I get impatient with the time and effort necessary to learn a skill or acquire new knowledge.

In the case of this particular blog, now hosted by Squarespace, I find myself completely engrossed and yet completely frustrated as well. I want it to go faster, better, farther -- but have so much to learn still. I want to get over the hump of learning quickly so that I can go on to write, publish and produce.

I am struggling now ... but I suppose all of us, bloggers included, have to pay our dues. Your kind patience is requested.

Another day, another blog

Welcome to yet another attempt to document our adventures as we make our way through different countries, drinking and carousing, working and studying, and learning, in the end, what it means to be truly humanely educated.