[Let's talk about the weather! ....No, seriously, let's talk about the weather one last time :) ]
Looking outside the window you might want to complain about the rainy grey day - but for what reason? Compared to some parts of the worlds, the bit of rain over here is quite a trivial topic. And still, probably half of the population has mentioned this topic at least once today! The weather - our beautiful (more or less), reliable topic! And yet, not so trivial if you look at other countries right now after all: A cyclone wrecking a huge part of Australia -fortunately without taking lives- and a blizzard in the U.S.!
Quite a note to end on for this weather-blog!
One last daily laugh: Don't we all love facebook?
And even if I'll probably not keep an eye on American Politics all the time, chatting about the weather is probably never going to stop.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Oh my blasphemy!
[Let's talk about the weather! ....and...blasphemy?! OMG?!]
Lets talk about those fickle days which are so annoying because they just can't seem to decide what to do with themselves. It makes you want to yell 'Please just rain!' or 'Please just shine!' but it won't. These days dance between weather patterns so you just want to cry with frustration because you don't know whether to wear a jumper or not (and your hair is going to end up frizzy when you leave your umbrella at home!) They can't decide what they -want-.
Just like some 'modern' nations. Are they with us in modernity or not? Its impossible to say when you hear a story like this, a story which made me feel like shedding tears – in frustration and simply out of pure sadness – and it is the case of the Pakistani boy facing the death penalty for blasphemy (Blasphemy!? I'm sorry I thought we were in the 21st century...my mistake!)
But, really, this is no matter that you can smile at even if your lips twitch up in disbelief and amusement when you hear the charge (Blasphemy!?) but when you hear the possible consequences of it everything changes. This boy who is barely out of childhood as far as our own standards are concerned has made a -mistake- and now he may never be allowed to grow to adulthood. At 17 in our country a child can make a mistake, sometimes consequences are worse than others but they are still judged as children. In Pakistan this boy is being judged as a criminal right from the start, not a child. And he might die for his mistakes.
Pakistan is a signatory to The Convention on the Rights of the Child which is a treaty which sets a standard for the treatment of children. It is an international treaty that -guarantees- everyone under age 18 the right to freedom of expression, thought, conscience, and religion and Pakistan is a part of it! Then why are they so blatantly ignoring it their promises to the international community? It has also been noted by international organisations that Pakistan use this blasphemy law against minority religions, and international organisations are fighting to have the law changed.
As I mentioned in my blog entry Tragic, tragic, tragic... I am opposed to the death sentence generally, but this story in particular is horrifying. Another thing that is horrifying is the realisation that the world’s ‘Greatest Democracy’ and the ‘Leader of the Free World’ and the ‘Shining City on the Hill’ shares such a medieval practice of -killing- a criminal as Pakistan, which is clearly in violation of international treaties and basically in violation of decency of behaviour!
As someone who wants to teach children...no, as a -human being- this is the most horrifying thing: that a child can even be sentenced to death at all and for something that seems so senseless.
He scribbled a few frustrated words on his exam paper when he couldn't answer a question! The allegedly blasphemous remarks (against the Prophet Muhammad) which were pencilled in in the way any schoolboy in the world might write a swear-word word or doodle an obscene picture to fill the time while his mind struggled with the difficulty that any school student on earth can identify with! Maybe those words weren't considered and they were dangerous considering his country's intolerance to this kind of thing but they weren't published in a newspaper (which should be okay anyway, freedom of speech!) or yelled out in the street. They were scribbled on an exam paper which he wasn't really doing so well in.
Instead of encouraging this boy to grow up into a deeper thinker who won't make the mistake again his very own country is cutting him down before he can ever grow. And he's not the first child to suffer because of the 'blasphemy law'. The senior children's rights researcher, at Human Rights Watch Bede Sheppard said 'Pakistan has set the standard for intolerance when it comes to misusing blasphemy laws, but sending a schoolboy to jail for something he scribbled on an exam paper is truly appalling.' (For more click As the here.)
Human Rights Watch official said in New York the other day their misuse of their blasphemy law is appalling, but not only that. Pakistan misuses and ignore international standards and laws as well as the rights of children. A US consular official is still being kept in in extended detention in Pakistan for the shooting deaths of two people despite information that it was for self defense. The US demand his rights to diplomatic immunity but they are being ignored. Pakistan is in the spotlight of negative international attention of late, maybe the calls for change will get through.
Ultimately this is a tale where we can hope the world's freer nations can gather up the courage to help. Human Rights Watch is already on the case and hopefully world opinion will come through loud and clear! Free the child, he knows not what he does. And even if he now knows what his mistake was, the intolerance shown here is frightening. Lets hope the future is a better place for all people, whether they make a mistake or not.
Daily -smile-! A quick post to cheer on Australia! As I mentioned in my blog entry looking into the eye of the storm we couldn’t know what would happen in Australia until it happened, and it seems that their mandatory evacuation and preparations were a success because this ferocious category five cyclone passed without taking a single life!
Lets talk about those fickle days which are so annoying because they just can't seem to decide what to do with themselves. It makes you want to yell 'Please just rain!' or 'Please just shine!' but it won't. These days dance between weather patterns so you just want to cry with frustration because you don't know whether to wear a jumper or not (and your hair is going to end up frizzy when you leave your umbrella at home!) They can't decide what they -want-.
Just like some 'modern' nations. Are they with us in modernity or not? Its impossible to say when you hear a story like this, a story which made me feel like shedding tears – in frustration and simply out of pure sadness – and it is the case of the Pakistani boy facing the death penalty for blasphemy (Blasphemy!? I'm sorry I thought we were in the 21st century...my mistake!)
But, really, this is no matter that you can smile at even if your lips twitch up in disbelief and amusement when you hear the charge (Blasphemy!?) but when you hear the possible consequences of it everything changes. This boy who is barely out of childhood as far as our own standards are concerned has made a -mistake- and now he may never be allowed to grow to adulthood. At 17 in our country a child can make a mistake, sometimes consequences are worse than others but they are still judged as children. In Pakistan this boy is being judged as a criminal right from the start, not a child. And he might die for his mistakes.
Pakistan is a signatory to The Convention on the Rights of the Child which is a treaty which sets a standard for the treatment of children. It is an international treaty that -guarantees- everyone under age 18 the right to freedom of expression, thought, conscience, and religion and Pakistan is a part of it! Then why are they so blatantly ignoring it their promises to the international community? It has also been noted by international organisations that Pakistan use this blasphemy law against minority religions, and international organisations are fighting to have the law changed.
As I mentioned in my blog entry Tragic, tragic, tragic... I am opposed to the death sentence generally, but this story in particular is horrifying. Another thing that is horrifying is the realisation that the world’s ‘Greatest Democracy’ and the ‘Leader of the Free World’ and the ‘Shining City on the Hill’ shares such a medieval practice of -killing- a criminal as Pakistan, which is clearly in violation of international treaties and basically in violation of decency of behaviour!
As someone who wants to teach children...no, as a -human being- this is the most horrifying thing: that a child can even be sentenced to death at all and for something that seems so senseless.
He scribbled a few frustrated words on his exam paper when he couldn't answer a question! The allegedly blasphemous remarks (against the Prophet Muhammad) which were pencilled in in the way any schoolboy in the world might write a swear-word word or doodle an obscene picture to fill the time while his mind struggled with the difficulty that any school student on earth can identify with! Maybe those words weren't considered and they were dangerous considering his country's intolerance to this kind of thing but they weren't published in a newspaper (which should be okay anyway, freedom of speech!) or yelled out in the street. They were scribbled on an exam paper which he wasn't really doing so well in.
Instead of encouraging this boy to grow up into a deeper thinker who won't make the mistake again his very own country is cutting him down before he can ever grow. And he's not the first child to suffer because of the 'blasphemy law'. The senior children's rights researcher, at Human Rights Watch Bede Sheppard said 'Pakistan has set the standard for intolerance when it comes to misusing blasphemy laws, but sending a schoolboy to jail for something he scribbled on an exam paper is truly appalling.' (For more click As the here.)
Human Rights Watch official said in New York the other day their misuse of their blasphemy law is appalling, but not only that. Pakistan misuses and ignore international standards and laws as well as the rights of children. A US consular official is still being kept in in extended detention in Pakistan for the shooting deaths of two people despite information that it was for self defense. The US demand his rights to diplomatic immunity but they are being ignored. Pakistan is in the spotlight of negative international attention of late, maybe the calls for change will get through.
Ultimately this is a tale where we can hope the world's freer nations can gather up the courage to help. Human Rights Watch is already on the case and hopefully world opinion will come through loud and clear! Free the child, he knows not what he does. And even if he now knows what his mistake was, the intolerance shown here is frightening. Lets hope the future is a better place for all people, whether they make a mistake or not.
Daily -smile-! A quick post to cheer on Australia! As I mentioned in my blog entry looking into the eye of the storm we couldn’t know what would happen in Australia until it happened, and it seems that their mandatory evacuation and preparations were a success because this ferocious category five cyclone passed without taking a single life!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tiger Mum
[Let's talk about the weather! ...And bestial mums.]
Since tuesday the Midwest is covered under a blanket of snow and the blizzard is moving on towards the northeast. Apparently, these regions will be suffering the cold for a long time to come … but the physical cold it will inspire has nothing on the emotional coldness the so called Tiger mum –one Amy Chuan- is trying to carry into the pedagogical world with her new “book” ‘The hymn of the Tiger Mother'.
She is a blizzard of the worst sort, attempting to take the pedagogical field back to the Middle Ages. At first I wondered whether the topic was even worth being treated in this blog … since it’s so laughable. Then I read the word ‘bestseller’ in connection to this masterpiece of educational guidebooks and I'm simply too shocked at the fact that people actually buy her stuff (2 ways) so that I could not -not- write about it. I imagine that the founders of the progressive education movement would turn in their graves if they ever got wind of these “new findings” which belong to a dictatorial regime rather than to a supposedly enlightened democratic society (not surprising when one considers Tiger mum’s Chinese roots).
I’m not sorry to say that Tiger Mum would get the shock of her life if she ever saw my school certificates. I never really enjoyed chemistry lessons and unfortunately my chemistry grades testified to this antipathy for everything that had to do with swirling test tubes only to hold a piece of indicator paper into it. My parents graciously accepted my dislike of Bunsen burners, and took pleasure in the good grades I achieved in my other subjects. And I didn’t even have to threaten them with cheap old people’s homes. This way I lived happily ever after while some of my classmates were suffering from parental pressure and hours of private tuition. One might think that their neglect of my academic failings would already have spoiled me for good. But there is still worse to come (if you can believe it!!!): my parents didn’t spank me or lock me away when I insisted on avoiding any kind of musical lessons during childhood. I played tennis instead, and Amy Chuan would have doomed me and my parents for our lack of ambition. … Strange to say, I still got accepted at University… My childhood taught me an important lesson (one that Tiger Mum probably missed). A child’s love for its parents and its surroundings can only flourish if it is treated accordingly (what an insight, isn’t it??!!), and social interaction is essential for developing its own identity. Then there is of course this tedious business with the basic sense of trust (not insignificant for children). I wonder whether Tiger mum’s children have lost theirs yet.
Well , well, well … if you ever take a course for teacher training at a German University, you will be told from the beginning on that praise is more effective than punishment and that intrinsic motivation beats extrinsic motivation hands down. But what is even more important (and according to Tiger mum’s notions dangerous and reprehensible), is that we learn to treat young pupils as independent human beings with their own opinions and emotions. Can you imagine how the humiliation (denial of toilet or food as Tiger Mum suggests) would effect children?
On another note, it is a strange process to witness the reaction on american media towards the book. Some appalled but some also strangely fascinated. Especially recently, Americans have become more aware of the 'chinese threat' to outrun them soon enough in the future on the economic level and superior position in the world.
For this book to be published, there could hardly be a more crucial 'sputnik moment' - since it goes along so perfectly well with the politics and economical competition. Already, Americans acknowledge the threat China poses and also many begin to see global economy in a more critical light.
So, all you professors and researchers burn your books or entrust them to your shredders, because Tiger mum decrees it thus!! Dust off your canes and pull on your masks of emotional indifference. Thank God the era of democratic education and cooperative learning is over!! Hasn’t it brought enough heartbreak to the economy and to parent’s self-esteem?!?! Don’t we all yearn for ambitious, super intelligent children that behave like machines instead of independent human beings??
Honestly, I don’t. Children are still exactly that: children. Young human beings who need to have a life beside school. They need the experience of climbing trees and scraping their knees because that’s what life is all about. It’s not about getting the best job and the highest salary; not about competing with everyone else. Tiger Mum still hasn’t learned that and probably never will.
Watching videos like this one, you can see how people might react less appalled and get fooled. But it doesn't take much to look behind the smile. Click here
Since tuesday the Midwest is covered under a blanket of snow and the blizzard is moving on towards the northeast. Apparently, these regions will be suffering the cold for a long time to come … but the physical cold it will inspire has nothing on the emotional coldness the so called Tiger mum –one Amy Chuan- is trying to carry into the pedagogical world with her new “book” ‘The hymn of the Tiger Mother'.
She is a blizzard of the worst sort, attempting to take the pedagogical field back to the Middle Ages. At first I wondered whether the topic was even worth being treated in this blog … since it’s so laughable. Then I read the word ‘bestseller’ in connection to this masterpiece of educational guidebooks and I'm simply too shocked at the fact that people actually buy her stuff (2 ways) so that I could not -not- write about it. I imagine that the founders of the progressive education movement would turn in their graves if they ever got wind of these “new findings” which belong to a dictatorial regime rather than to a supposedly enlightened democratic society (not surprising when one considers Tiger mum’s Chinese roots).
I’m not sorry to say that Tiger Mum would get the shock of her life if she ever saw my school certificates. I never really enjoyed chemistry lessons and unfortunately my chemistry grades testified to this antipathy for everything that had to do with swirling test tubes only to hold a piece of indicator paper into it. My parents graciously accepted my dislike of Bunsen burners, and took pleasure in the good grades I achieved in my other subjects. And I didn’t even have to threaten them with cheap old people’s homes. This way I lived happily ever after while some of my classmates were suffering from parental pressure and hours of private tuition. One might think that their neglect of my academic failings would already have spoiled me for good. But there is still worse to come (if you can believe it!!!): my parents didn’t spank me or lock me away when I insisted on avoiding any kind of musical lessons during childhood. I played tennis instead, and Amy Chuan would have doomed me and my parents for our lack of ambition. … Strange to say, I still got accepted at University… My childhood taught me an important lesson (one that Tiger Mum probably missed). A child’s love for its parents and its surroundings can only flourish if it is treated accordingly (what an insight, isn’t it??!!), and social interaction is essential for developing its own identity. Then there is of course this tedious business with the basic sense of trust (not insignificant for children). I wonder whether Tiger mum’s children have lost theirs yet.
Well , well, well … if you ever take a course for teacher training at a German University, you will be told from the beginning on that praise is more effective than punishment and that intrinsic motivation beats extrinsic motivation hands down. But what is even more important (and according to Tiger mum’s notions dangerous and reprehensible), is that we learn to treat young pupils as independent human beings with their own opinions and emotions. Can you imagine how the humiliation (denial of toilet or food as Tiger Mum suggests) would effect children?
On another note, it is a strange process to witness the reaction on american media towards the book. Some appalled but some also strangely fascinated. Especially recently, Americans have become more aware of the 'chinese threat' to outrun them soon enough in the future on the economic level and superior position in the world.
For this book to be published, there could hardly be a more crucial 'sputnik moment' - since it goes along so perfectly well with the politics and economical competition. Already, Americans acknowledge the threat China poses and also many begin to see global economy in a more critical light.
So, all you professors and researchers burn your books or entrust them to your shredders, because Tiger mum decrees it thus!! Dust off your canes and pull on your masks of emotional indifference. Thank God the era of democratic education and cooperative learning is over!! Hasn’t it brought enough heartbreak to the economy and to parent’s self-esteem?!?! Don’t we all yearn for ambitious, super intelligent children that behave like machines instead of independent human beings??
Honestly, I don’t. Children are still exactly that: children. Young human beings who need to have a life beside school. They need the experience of climbing trees and scraping their knees because that’s what life is all about. It’s not about getting the best job and the highest salary; not about competing with everyone else. Tiger Mum still hasn’t learned that and probably never will.
Watching videos like this one, you can see how people might react less appalled and get fooled. But it doesn't take much to look behind the smile. Click here
looking into the eye of the storm
[Let's talk about the weather! ...and when it becomes dangerous.]
Today is a day to talk about storms. Storms in Australia and America, the whole world seems to be storming right now, especially following the upheaval in Egypt which is only now seeming to reach its peak. But this time we're talking about storms in their most literal sense.
The Northeast coast of Australia is being hit by a massive tropical cyclone by the name of Yasi tonight, landfall was approximately midnight and this category 5 cyclone defeats all others as far as setting records. Many accounts suggest this is the worst cyclone in Australia's history. As a cyclone of records big numbers are to be expected, but even this is mind boggling. Meteorologists have predicted winds of up to 350 km/hr with current winds topping 290. The storm surge is predicted to reach 20 feet above the normal highest tide and the sheer size of the eye of the cyclone is staggering, 80km in length with the storm cloud itself almost the size of Queensland (which could fit Germany inside it five times with room for a few other smaller European countries). But this is not my main point today, rather I'd like to talk about the preparation for this storm which rivals Hurricane Katrina in size and ferocity. However the big difference here, apart from the fact that, mercifully, the eye of the storm is passing over a number of Austrlian cities and towns much smaller than New Orleans, is the preparation for this natural enemy.
The biggest cities to be hit by eye of the storm is the small city of Cairns with a population of approximately 164,000 people and the city of Townsville with 180,000. Cairns is where much of the preparations were based. The Australian army troops were seen in the streets assisting evacuation of low lying areas, the first mandatory evacuation of its kind seen in Australia. All the patients of the Cairns hospital were moved to Brisbane hospital, the critical patients airlifted out by airforce helicopters as early as meteorologists could track the course – over 24 hours before predicted landfall. Evacuation centres were set up, the largest in Cairns a home to over 2000 people for what could be an extended period, most likely over 24 hours as the storm rages. The state government stayed in contact with citizens through hourly updates and through text messages sent widely through local telephone carrier companies. The response was instantaneous thanks to early warning systems and the hope that lives could be spared through quick action. The Queensland Premier said, in a blunt and chilling piece of advice 'Do not bother to pack bags, just grab each other and get to a place of safety. People are irreplaceable.'
This effort is in stark contrast to the bungled efforts in New Orleans in the lead up to Hurricane Katrina, if 'efforts' can even be the right word here, not to mention the disastrous response in its wake. The US government under the leadership of George W. Bush seemed to do everything wrong that it was possible to. In New Orleans the first mandatory evacuation orders were given but it was almost impossible for many people to follow considering the fact that public transportation was shut down well in advance, little help was given to those without private means of transport and many care-giving facilities had no means of evacuating their patients. Many people in the most vulnerable position were forced to stay, given no other choice, no help and ultimately no future.
The comparison is curious, category five vs category five, evacuation vs evacuation. But until tomorrow we won't see how Australia fares. Lets keep our fingers crossed that their preparations meant the difference between life and death for them in a way they didn't for many of the people of New Orleans.
Daily laugh: Yes, even when facing a storm that Australian sense of humour jumps out and bites you on the Yasi, if you don't get what I mean have a look!
Today is a day to talk about storms. Storms in Australia and America, the whole world seems to be storming right now, especially following the upheaval in Egypt which is only now seeming to reach its peak. But this time we're talking about storms in their most literal sense.
The Northeast coast of Australia is being hit by a massive tropical cyclone by the name of Yasi tonight, landfall was approximately midnight and this category 5 cyclone defeats all others as far as setting records. Many accounts suggest this is the worst cyclone in Australia's history. As a cyclone of records big numbers are to be expected, but even this is mind boggling. Meteorologists have predicted winds of up to 350 km/hr with current winds topping 290. The storm surge is predicted to reach 20 feet above the normal highest tide and the sheer size of the eye of the cyclone is staggering, 80km in length with the storm cloud itself almost the size of Queensland (which could fit Germany inside it five times with room for a few other smaller European countries). But this is not my main point today, rather I'd like to talk about the preparation for this storm which rivals Hurricane Katrina in size and ferocity. However the big difference here, apart from the fact that, mercifully, the eye of the storm is passing over a number of Austrlian cities and towns much smaller than New Orleans, is the preparation for this natural enemy.
The biggest cities to be hit by eye of the storm is the small city of Cairns with a population of approximately 164,000 people and the city of Townsville with 180,000. Cairns is where much of the preparations were based. The Australian army troops were seen in the streets assisting evacuation of low lying areas, the first mandatory evacuation of its kind seen in Australia. All the patients of the Cairns hospital were moved to Brisbane hospital, the critical patients airlifted out by airforce helicopters as early as meteorologists could track the course – over 24 hours before predicted landfall. Evacuation centres were set up, the largest in Cairns a home to over 2000 people for what could be an extended period, most likely over 24 hours as the storm rages. The state government stayed in contact with citizens through hourly updates and through text messages sent widely through local telephone carrier companies. The response was instantaneous thanks to early warning systems and the hope that lives could be spared through quick action. The Queensland Premier said, in a blunt and chilling piece of advice 'Do not bother to pack bags, just grab each other and get to a place of safety. People are irreplaceable.'
This effort is in stark contrast to the bungled efforts in New Orleans in the lead up to Hurricane Katrina, if 'efforts' can even be the right word here, not to mention the disastrous response in its wake. The US government under the leadership of George W. Bush seemed to do everything wrong that it was possible to. In New Orleans the first mandatory evacuation orders were given but it was almost impossible for many people to follow considering the fact that public transportation was shut down well in advance, little help was given to those without private means of transport and many care-giving facilities had no means of evacuating their patients. Many people in the most vulnerable position were forced to stay, given no other choice, no help and ultimately no future.
The comparison is curious, category five vs category five, evacuation vs evacuation. But until tomorrow we won't see how Australia fares. Lets keep our fingers crossed that their preparations meant the difference between life and death for them in a way they didn't for many of the people of New Orleans.
Daily laugh: Yes, even when facing a storm that Australian sense of humour jumps out and bites you on the Yasi, if you don't get what I mean have a look!
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