Study Trip

I took the job in Washington.

"Okay, so what's with all this US bashing and, in the same stride, moving to the US?" a well-intended person might ask?

1. Don't tag me as an anti-American. My awe at the behaviour and ideas of some Americans is only matched by my admiration for other Americans - or my surprise at the opinions of non-Americans. And I know many Americans who are not pleased with some of their fellow citizens too.

2. American conservatives are a unique breed in the world and the arouse my curiosity. I want to see them from a closer perspective - although I admit that DC is not the best place for this.

3. The international organisation I'm going to work for is based in DC, what can I do?

Fundamentalist difference

Paul Krugman would be a blessing to Americans if only he was given a public space to express his opinions. Conservatives would learn little-known but useful facts such as:

"According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, productivity in France - G.D.P. per hour worked - is actually a bit higher than in the United States." (French Family Values, New York Times, July 29th, 2005)

At the end of his article, Krugman grabbed my attention by writing "Senator Rick Santorum, are you reading this?" Who's that Santorum? According to what I found, he seems to be a pretty funny guy.

"I have no problem with homosexuality. I have a problem with homosexual acts." (Sen. Rick Santorum's comments on homosexuality in an AP interview, San Francisco Gate, 22 April 2003)

Must be a comedian.

Big Wheels

Pic taken in Cannes, on the Côte D'Azur. How stylish. I'm a sucker for the French touch.

In the background: a bomb threat that almost had me missing my plane back to Geneva. My luggage were in their lockers. They re-opened the station in time, but not the lockers section. It had me running for help like a stranded tourist. I ended up getting my stuff and rushing to the bus shuttle. I ran for nothing: the bus arrived an hour late. By that time, my time cushion was long gone and if this bus wasn't a Maclaren, I had little chances of catching my plane. With my luck, we've also been caught behind some car accident on the way there. And the bus wasn't even going to the right terminal at the Nice airport. Despite all of this, I only arrived 10 minutes after the check-in deadline. I pleaded my case (bomb threat makes for a good reason apparently) and benefited from my last badluck: the plane was also late.

Am I waking you up?

"You bet you are, it's only 7 am. What's your problem?"

US citizens are likely to face a new wave of international anger. This time, it would be for making early phone calls to their foreign counterparts. Congress plans to unilaterally extend the daylight savings time by two months. The rationale is to save energy, although problems arise for being the only country to do so.

Funny how it apparently never crossed their mind that an international coordination would have been useful. I suppose they expect the rest of the world to follow.

"Why should we ask for permission?" Well, you'll see if you're shut out of European airport, early birds.

Still, my favorite argument in favor of daylight savings.

Crooks don't tend to be early risers, so the extra daylight helps cut down on crime. (Houston Chronicle, July 20th, 2005)

As fate has it

And the offer came.

A career in Washington DC or love in New York? Your pick? Both?

How can such a great job offer be such bad news?

The girlfriend is pissed and depressed and that is to say the least. She could already see us staring at the Manhattan bridge, like Woody Allen's lovers. And so did I. Is it so bad, to see each other on week-ends for 9 months? Well, it feels reeealy bad at least.

I asked for a 48 hours delay before giving an answer, so that I could think it through and get to an agreement with my girlfriend. But that doesn't sound long enough now.

Update: Last night, the girlfriend was at the ER from 2 am to 6 am because she had a nerve crisis, mostly related to this job offer. She can't stand the idea of being separated. Neither do I, but good God. She sure stressed the hell out of me. I mean, just wandering in the streets of New York at 2 am...

Now that we found love

The sun's beaming, stress is behind me and, albeit in NY, my girlfriend's in love, mostly with me. What could go wrong?

An offer you can't refuse in Washington DC.

I had that clear in mind: no side wind will steer me away from my heartfelt goal: move with Miss Universe in NY (speaking of offers you can't refuse), in less than two months. Ever since, like a true pointing dog, I moved my focus slightly North and gave up on DC, my first terrestrial destination. So I was minding my own business when this tease came into my inbox "Job for you, great pay and amazing career opportunity in a city you've been dreaming of for 3 years." Exact wording. I forgot: "And nobody else will apply anyway since we don't circulate it very much". And I spare you the unbiased words of my friends to whom I asked for advice.

Is this a love vs. career situation? Needless to say that the gf is, to be polite, pissed. And so am I. Not at her, not at me, not at the offer. At life.

Offer should come - or not - Tuesday at the latest.

Walking is good for the brain

Hey, can someone confirm this?

Neighbourhoods without any pavements, just roads. It might seem like a bizarre concept, but new housing developments in America are being built without anywhere to walk. The only stroll that's taken in the local vicinity is from the front door to the car. (Walking Towards a better life, BBC, July 15th, 2005)

Sick.

Group Think

While everybody's looking for a justification for suicide bombers and terrorism, I'll add my two cents: group think. Those people are manipulated. The solution is to open the group to new perspectives, to confront their rationale to other people's view. It's to break the isolation of those groups, to include them in our debates.

How many times have you seen a group at a meeting start to make ridiculous decisions. I won't share names, but it did happen to me all too often. It's ridiculous how people are eager to please the group and want to appear as leaders by having their opinions adopted. They only suggest things that will be accepted. They avoid contradictory arguments or just facts that don't fit the group. Those people are weak, but they can set the tone. As ridiculous as it may be.

Even an isolated group of slaves could start talking against liberty.

When I grow old, I'm gonna be a blogger

I'm learning to blog here (I'm sure you noticed). Actually, I think I'm mostly getting prepared to be a blogger by the time I move to New York in now less than two months (already?). Yep, I'll be there just in time for the terrorist attacks linked to the huge UN meeting. Ah, being part of history... Actually, I was recently thinking that given the choice by the three-wish genie, I would rather choose never to appear in a newspaper. I'm too afraid that it would be for being killed in a weird way.

Anyway, one of the rare (the only one, I think) blog I read written by someone I don't personally know is Nickerblog. Today he linked to these blogging tips from Tony Pierce (whom I don't know and haven't read before - or after). My thoughts after this good read:

1. I'm glad I didn't told anyone I know I have this blog.
2. I wonder if I should start blogging about sex.
3. I have to link to other blogs much more.
   
4. I should be making more lists.
   

But my main goal is to find my tone. I've been quite lame at blogging compared to my hi-la-rious (not to mention instructive and humble) emailing to some of my friends. It seems like when I have a certain audience in mind, I can be much better. Or worse. Basically, it's all your fault.

It bothers me to blog about blogging. Feels like calling to talk about the phone.

Attention Span Deficit

25 Algerians will rock our office for the next two weeks. They're future diplomats on training. Funny to see how they're eager to please and understand their new environment. They look like puppies. Aren't we all the same in these circumstances? Note to self: Try not to look like a puppy in a new environment.

Their ambassador came for the official opening. He noted that there's been 48 deaths in a suicide bombing in Baghdad yesterday. It barely made the news (it wasn't on my Google News front page this morning). But 4 days ago, the world was mourning as many deaths in London and heads of governments were sending their condolences to Londoners. We obviously have double standards when it comes to accepting violence. People in developing countries will start praying for a tsunami to hit their coast...

That being said, congratulations to Tony Blair for focusing the G8 agenda on issues like aid to Africa and climate change. No, the outcome is not perfect, but I believe that it was more than PR. And anyway, if helping the poor and stopping climate change is good PR, then I'm happy. Let's hope that they will deliver.

Now what ?

More immediate than the long-term question of "How to prevent terrorism", there's the here and now question of "How do we live with it?" Do we live-off homegrown potatoes, carrots, chicken and eggs not to offer our precious selves to public spaces? Or do we just get on with our lives as if nothing happened? The latter seems to be the most popular option. "Get going, people. Mourn, but act as if nothing happened!" Remember the famous call by Bush to keep shopping after 9/11? And now, the Queen.

I just don't know. Yes, we shouldn't give in to "terror" since it's the goal of terrorism. But at the same time, it feels like something should change, and not only in the way of more paranoia. Should we be more open to each other?

Blogs are a good place to vent opinions. I guess they're just as good when you don't have one either...

My London was bombed today

I had the best year of my life in London. It was the first time that I lived abroad and I had my fears. But never the thought of terrorism crossed my mind. That's why I'm so struck by today's bombings.

Yes, yes, it was predictable - especially after the fact. But I went to London three times since September 2004 and I'll go again in August, and it never ever crossed my mind that I could be in danger. Had I have an invitation for this week (and the cash and the time) I would have accepted without any afterthought.


When in London, I lived at Goodenough College on this map (bottom center). Between Russel Square (bottom left) and King's Cross (top left), and close to Tavistock (center left). Tavistock was on my way to Regent's Park, where I played ultimate frisbee and walked around. I took this bus ride to go to Hampstead Heat. Russel Square, my departure point for tube rides and the place where I would welcome my visitors. King's Cross, where I would take the tube to work or for the airport. I was there two months ago. My friends were there today, I guess. Of course there's been crazy emailing today to make sure everone's okay. So far, so good, but everybody hasn't responded yet.

But the point is: I'm still looking forward to going in August. And I'll get off the metro at the same station as usual: Russel Square. I just won't give in. And I'm moving to New York in September. It's not about me, courage or lack of basic prudence. It's about standing straight.

Layers of Information

If an archeologist of a yet unkown type digs my memory in a millemium or two for July 7th, 2005, here's what he'll find.

"Wow, those Gold Wing machines sure are monsters. I get the feeling that they were important to me when I was young. Maybe a friend of my father had one. I can't find it in those previous models. Yurk, what an ugly yellow for the 2001 model."

"Clive Owen blew me away in Closer. I think I could watch this movie again."

"Maïeutique, yes!, I remembered that word correctly"

"For God's sake, why can't there be a proper protocol for diplomats in French like the one from the US Department of State?"

"Women in diplomacy, now that an interesting topic, overlooked here at the office. I'll add it to the reading programme."

"When's the national holiday in Algeria again? It think it was recently. Oh no: July 5th is independence day and national holiday is "Revolution Day"on November 1st. They Algerians will be impressed."

"Why the heck can't I differentiate NTSC from PAL time after time? Ok, let's say the "N" in NTSC stands for North America."

"Pluckiness, that's funny word, but I won't remember it anyway."

And I lived in London for a year, right next to Russel Square, so the London bombings will be the first thing they'll find on my mind if they look for today. And for a long time. But that's for another post of its own.

Bad aid

Who said that?

On aid
"Foreign aid does not help the poor out of their misery - it exacerbates their problems and prolongs their agony."

On trade:
"It's the domestic environment that holds trade expansion back."

On debt:
"Many people think that debt cancellation is a clear cut solution to Africa's indebtedness. But think again. Common sense tells you it's wrong to reward bad economic behaviour. "

Wolfowitz? No.
Bin Laden? Nope.
Satan? Non.

Andrew Mwenda, a Ugandan journalist.

Impeach Bush Jr ?

Apparently, one of my pet-topic: the so-called liberal media in the US (I never noticed I was so interested before starting this blog). Here's the news.

More than four in 10 Americans, according to a recent Zogby poll, say that if President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment.

And here's the analysis.

But you wouldn't know it from following the news. (...) Nevertheless, could there by anything that 42 percent of Americans agree on that the media cares about so little? (Washington Post, July 6h, 2005)

Jump the Thames

Surprise: it's London 2012 !

I'm a big fan of London, but somehow I was expecting Paris to get them. I had been to both cities recently and felt that the Olympic spirit (or propaganda) was much more present in Paris. Also, I liked the heart shape of their giddy logo...

I was hoping that a detour through Paris in 2012 would revive - or at least preserve - the place in the olympics of the French language, one of the two official languages with English. Not because I'm such a fan of France, but French remains, with Spanish, one of the few languages spoken on all continents (yes all languages are spoken on all continents...). Cultural diversity fans, say with me "Vive le français!"

All of this by a native French speaker who writes a blog in English..

Someone's Jesus said yes

Now that's a surprise to me.

"The million-strong United Church of Christ (UCC) has become the first major US Christian denomination to come out in support of gay marriage." (BBC, July 6th, 2005)

Was I too pessimistic yesterday? If gay marriage becomes legal, it will soon be forgotten that it wasn't and people will be ashamed to admit that they opposed it. Just like those who opposed equal rights for women (well, I hope they're ashamed).

I love this quote:

"On this July 4, the United Church of Christ has courageously acted to declare freedom, affirming marriage equality, affirming the civil rights of gay... couples to have their relationships recognised as marriages by the state, and encouraging our local churches celebrate those marriages," he said at a news conference after the vote.

Yep, what about freedom? I don't hear that argument too often from the opponents to gay marriage.

Unique in a crowd

This will be my profile picture for a while. Yes, I'm somewhere in there and no I won't tell you which one I am.

Nobody I know is aware that I have a blog. I want to engage with people without restraints, to share my opinions and interests without the judgement of my close acquaintances. There's something about the self-promotion of blogs that annoys me. I still haven't found exactly what. By being anonymous, I hope to escape it.

But I do so well, that so far, nobody's been hanging around here. The next best thing to have a few who never come back.

My secret: sometimes I think of telling my girlfriend about my blog. If it wasn't fun as a Wednesday afternoon in deep space, maybe I would. Let's face it: I am not the Maureen Dowd of blogging (she hits the top 5 of most emailed NYT articles with each column). I only find ink in my pen in very specific circumstances. Some of my friends think I'm a funny correspondent. I can be the (low) life of a party when I'm in the mood. But this gooddamn blog setting just doesn't get off the ground.

I say so just in case you came around and were thinking of coming back...

Marriage is so gay, anyway

Turning the argument on its head.

Traditional marriage, with its 5,000-year history, has already been upended. Gays and lesbians, however, didn't spearhead that revolution: heterosexuals did. (New York Times, 5th July 2005)

I bet the Americans will succeed at banning gay marriage for a very long while. The most fascinating feature of the American right is to feel reinforced every time the world disagrees with them. Or they plain ignore it. Aren't they curious to find out why they're among the last countries in the world with Iran and China to use the dealth penalty? Why the rest of the world is legalising gay marriage?

It reminds my of this colleague who thought that homosexuality should be banned, otherwise everybody would become gay and the human race would disappear. Did I just hear someone say he's dying to be gay if only he could?

Secretly public too

PostSecret is one of the greatest blog concept ever. That's where I go for free hypnosis. It gives me such a creepy feeling, but I can't help reading on and on. Maybe it's my secret.

A taste of freedom

Karla Homolka, one of Canada's greatest criminals has been released from prison yesterday. Here's what she said:

Asked what she was looking forward to first now that she is free, she giggled and said, "this will sound stupid. I'd like to have an Iced Cappuccino at Tim Hortons." (Globe and Mail, July 5th)

Now that's a good idea for one of Tim Hortons' real-life TV commercials. "After twelve years behind the bars, serial killer Karla Homolka had only one thing in mind..."

Nouveau bored

My girlfriend has left more than a week ago and it feels like my right arm has gone to Sydney (and I don't live in a city called Sydney). Or New York in this case. Result: I'm a stray cat in Geneva.

I now look forward to busy Mondays even on sunny (not pictured here) but boring Sundays. Sitting by the lake to play guitar or read a book bores me because I don't have much alternative. There's only so many times you can see your friends, especially after spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday with them.

One's network has its own limit in a city where you only live for a year. Since everybody my age is only passing by in Geneva, the group of friends thends to shrink rather than extend as time goes by. In no time, it's going to be me and the Mont Blanc. Some distant friend.

CNN's Nemesis

So the media are liberal? I only discovered that recently since where I come from the media are considered to be conservative. After all, they belong to large conglomerates of businessmen.

This perspective must be in part what motivates a mostly Canadian initiative to create a brand new international news network, the International News Television (IWT). It would start broadcasting on satellite television and on the web in 2007. They want to be independent from governements and sponsors, so they're currently raising funds from.. you.

I wonder if being a "Canadian" (well, not exactly) initiative will hamper the project's credibility in the US. After all, what do foreigners know about the state of the world?

And the winner is...

Oh well, it looks like the race is over and that Canada won: "Spain is the fourth country to legalize gay marriage, after Canada, Holland and Belgium." - New York Times, June 30th, 2005. They must take the Senate approval of the law for granted - rightly so.

Hurrah for Canada. And happy Canada Day, on this 1st of July.