Be Good...

...till I get back. I'm away until July 1st. I'm cooking up two series of posts -- one on food and the other on sports, so if you see anything interesting, let me know. Send me a link to the article. You can use either kmccabe@mtlakes.org or ktlmccabe@optonline.net.

I hope you're having fun!! See you soon!!

--Mrs. McCabe

Summertime!!

Summer- time, and the livin' is easy.

I hope you all enjoyed your last day of school!!

Esperanza, pictured here, is still paying us back, but her besitos are almost exactly like the kisses cookies I made for you this year. Here's the recipe:

4 egg whites
Beat to stiff peaks
Gradually add 1 1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips

Drop by teaspoonful on brown paper bags that cover cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes. Watch carefully!!

Those are the exact directions from my family recipe. My mom says the recipe came from a neighbor back in the late 60s. I'm sure you could update the directions somehow, but these work for me.

Oh, one other thing... I included on the CD a song from Orchestra Baobob. They are a band from Senegal, and they'll be playing next Wednesday night at Rockefeller Park in lower Manhattan. The details are at River to River Festival. I've seen some of their live stuff, and it's incredible. The studio CD doesn't quite capture the real sound. If you go, have a great time! Maybe I'll see you there!

Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela!!

Since I'm on the mailing list for Vusi Mahlasela, I got this email today announcing a concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. It should be something to watch. Tons of people are scheduled to perform, and I'm sure more will sign on by June 27th. I'll have to see if it's televised around here. If not, it's probably going to be online.

Census Maps

On the Brian Lehrer show on NPR today, one of the segments was about the census maps of New York City. Scroll down his website to get to the spot where you can click on the slideshow and find several different maps with information about the city. The map on the right shows the dominant ancestry identified by the people in different regions of the city. Pretty cool, huh?

Plus, there's a program this summer in the city where the government is going to shut down major streets and only allow pedestrian and bike traffic. On August 9th, 16th, and 23rd, from 7am to 1pm, the government will close a route from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd and 5th Avenue. How cool is that?? How much fun would it be to ride your bike down the middle of Park Avenue??

Also, there's a bunch of free stuff to do in the city. Check out the website for the River to River festival. Highlights include Terence Blanchard playing Castle Clinton on August 7th. Wow!!

Germans in Namibia

Today's New York Times has an article about the German influence in Namibia. The article is in the travel section, and the author has basically recreated the major steps in Namibian colonial history. One quote from the article states that "millions of carats" of diamonds were mined during the German colonization of Namibia. I wonder if the Namibians were paid a fair price for those gems.

It turns out that the Germans didn't have Namibia for very long -- they lost the colony to the British rulers of South Africa, but the Germans who went to Namibia have been pretty determined to keep their heritage alive. That makes for some touchy moments, though, as the Germans killed 80,000 Herero men, women, and children in Hamakari in 1904 by surrounding them and firing on them with machine guns.

((The Germans, apparently, consider their actions to be no worse than the British actions in other parts of the world. However, critics point to the Hamakari massacre as a precursor to the Holocaust. That might make for an interesting lesson next year -- which European power was the worst colonial ruler in Africa? My money is on King Leopold. What do you think?))

Olympics Mascots

The BBC Magazine has a piece about Olympic mascots which includes an opportunity for you to create your own suggestion for the 2012 Olympics in England. There's also a review of the worst Olympic mascots in recent memory as well as an explanation of why the Olympics even has a mascot (here's a hint: $$$).

The mascots for the Beijing Olympics, pictured above, are Beibei the fish, Jingjing the panda, Huanhuan the Olympic flame, Yingying the antelope, and Nini the swallow. You knew that, right?

World's Religions

My dad sent me this flash movie about the world's religions. I'm curious to see what you think of it. It basically shows a video timeline of the spread of the world's religions, along with some of the key battles between them. My father's comment what that it doesn't show fighting either within Christianity or within Islam. My comment is that it's overly simplistic, leaving out any number of religious traditions. But, I guess it is just a map of the "organized religions." So... what do you think?

I also went to the website mapsofwar.com. There are some other flash movies there, about the spread of democracy and imperialism in the Middle East, for example, and which American political party was in charge during which American engagements overseas. I learned a few things that were surprising. There was a 19th century expedition to Korea? Wha??

Enjoy!

Neutering Nunu

Today, driving into work, I heard some excellent stories on National Public Radio. There was the grim news about A.Q. Khan's sale of Pakistani nuclear secrets, and sobering details about NATO efforts in Afghanistan and the once-in-500-years flooding in the Midwest, but there was also a story from correspondents in Baghdad who decided that they had to neuter the stray dog they had adopted. Apparently, this contradicts history, tradition, and culture in Iraq. The Iraqi vet who performed the procedure offered to get him a "girlfriend" instead, and the Iraqi translators told the Americans that Nunu would be shamed by the members of the dog community. They claimed that having a large family is a blessing and a right which cannot be denied, even to dogs.

Oooo! And you know what else? India has seen a new development in its television programming! Until last year, the television channels have been run by the state, but now that the airwaves have been freed, political satire has started. One of the commentators said that India has a long tradition of intrigue and melodrama, but not really one of comedy. Not, at least, until now.

And, do you have any idea what a cocoa plant looks like? I didn't. NPR has an audio slideshow about chocolate which will completely astound you. Never in a million years would you imagine that chocolate starts out the way it does. Thank goodness somebody decided to taste this bizarre looking plant. I never would have. Yuk.

Spend some time at npr.org. Take the daily news quiz. It's fun. Trust me.

If You're Bored...

...you could go to the Newark Museum. They have an exhibit on now called Embodying the Sacred in Yoruba Art. The exhibit runs until August 24th (my birthday!), so you have time to see it if you decide to spend today studying. (That's probably a better idea than museum-hopping.)

It looks really cool.

The museum is super easy to get to and has a great collection of stuff to explore. If you go, enjoy it, and let me know how it is!

No More Metabo

Japan, in an attempt to improve the health of its citizens, has embarked on a campaign of measuring the waistlines of people between the ages of 40 and 75. If people are over the recommended limit, they are given six months to improve their numbers, and, if they don't improve, they, their companies, and their local governments will be subject to fines.

Wow.

The recommended waistline size is determined by the government of Japan. The International Diabetic Federation, accommodating the larger frames of most Americans, set the ideal American waistline at 40 inches for men and 34.6 inches for women.

Apparently, the idea is to prevent metabolic syndrome (hence the nickname "metabo"), which is caused by a combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol.

Read the article. It's wild.

Why Americans Should Not Be Allowed to Travel

Actual stories provided by travel agents:

I had someone ask for an aisle seats so that his or her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window.
A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?”

I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts. “Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, “Capecod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa.” Her response … click.

A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state.”

I got a call from a man who asked, “Is it possible to see England from Canada?” I said, “No.” He said “But they look so close on the map.”

Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, “I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time.”

A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of llinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!

A woman called and asked, “Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know who’s luggage belongs to who?” I said, “No, why do you ask?” She replied, “Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I’m overweight, is there any connection?” After putting her on hold for a minute while I “looked into it” (I was actually laughing) I came back and explained the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

I just got off the phone with a man who asked, “How do I know which plane to get on?” I asked him what exactly he meant, which he replied, “I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them.”
A woman called and said, “I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes.” I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, “Yeah, whatever.”

A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. “Oh no I don’t, I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those.” I double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, “Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express.”

A woman called to make reservations, “I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York” The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent: “Are you sure that’s the name of the town?” “Yes, what flights do you have?” replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t find a Hippopotamus anywhere.” The customer retorted, “Oh don’t be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!” The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, “You don’t mean Buffalo, do you?” “That’s it! I knew it was a big animal!”

The Bodies Exhibit

On the final exam review sheet, there is a line which reads "Civil Rights Violations" under the East Asia/China heading.

In class we talked about the limited right to vote in China, as well as the curbs on freedom of expression, speech, religion, etc. We also talked about the way in which China uses the death penalty more than any other nation and that many killings in China are "extrajudicial," meaning they take place outside of the justice system. I mentioned the Bodies exhibit, and how the company which created this exhibit cannot guarantee that the bodies in the exhibit belong to people who willingly gave up their bodies for the purposes of the exhibit.

According to the New York Times, visitors to the Bodies exhibit will now see a warning which reads "Warning: The body parts you are about to see may have come from Chinese prisoners who were tortured and executed."

The State of New York asked Premier Exhibitions, the company which creates the Bodies exhibits, to produce "documentation demonstrating the cause of death and origins of the cadavers and body parts it displays as well as proof that the decedent consented to the use of his or her remains in such a manner." Premier Exhibitions could not produce the documentation. The State of New York could not provide any evidence which clearly showed that the bodies were tortured, so the two parties agreed to a compromise. The Bodies Exhibit could stay in New York, but they would have to post the warning.

Today's Papers

The Canadian government has issued a formal apology to the "aboriginal" children who were forced to attend residential schools. Those schools, run by Christian churches, tried to convert the children from their traditional beliefs, and, according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, were "had been based on the assumption that "'aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal'".

Sound familiar? Maybe like the Belgian Congo Schoolbooks we read?

Hmm...

And, in news which should remind you of Aung Sun Suu Kyi (the woman detained in Myanmar for -- can you believe it? -- having the audacity of winning the popular vote in a presidential election), the government in Zimbabwe has detained members of the opposition party. They detained the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, several times yesterday before releasing him. The second in command has been arrested and no one but his jailers knows where he is. And, according to Tsvangirai's spokesman, over 66 members of the opposition party have been killed by the government.

This morning, the SuperBadGuy in charge of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has said that he is doing all he can to keep the veterans of the war for independence from attacking the opposition. He said they're poised to attack. Somehow, that doesn't sound all that nice. To me, it sounds more like a call to arms. But, maybe I'm wrong. I hope I am.

Ooh - and in Egypt, leaders have blocked a 92 year-old man from getting married. Turns out, his bride to be was 17. Ew. Score one for the Egyptian government. They put in place a law which states that there can be no more than 25 years age difference between the bride and groom. This is an attempt to stop old men from taking brides from desperately poor families. Again, good news from Egypt.

Fishawack-i-ness

This Saturday, Chatham will have its Fishawack festival. The name Fishawack is, supposedly, the Lenni Lenape name for the Passaic River, which they crossed on their way from their winter homes in the North to their summer homes at the shore.

Fishawack is sort of like a Founder's Day, with a street fair and a 5K run. The symbol of the run is a Native American man, pictured here. I tend to wonder about this. Is this a celebration of kicking the Indians off their land? And, if so, isn't that just a more honest way of saying "Founder's Day?" Or, is it meant to be inclusive? As in, we celebrate the spirit of the Native Americans who used to live here, proudly wearing their image on our shirts and hats?

What do you think?

Amandla!

Amandla!

Awethu!

You guys sang really well this week! Nice going!

Some of you wanted to know where to find out more about the Toyi-Toyi. I googled it and found a bunch of stuff on it, including YouTube videos of it. The wildest thing I found is that the SuperBadGuy in charge of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has banned the Toyi Toyi, because people were using it as a form of protest. No one in Zimbabwe can dance the Toyi-Toyi, even if they're inside their own homes!

Can you imagine?

Equal Pay for Unequal Work

Do you remember when we were watching For Love or Country, and we saw the one scene where Sandoval and the old man are in the graveyard, laughing about how funny it was that the old man was a surgeon? Do you remember how I didn't really take any time to explain why they were laughing? Well, here's the answer -- finally!

Cuba has, up until now, followed a policy which states that everyone gets paid the exact same amount, regardless of what they do. So, a person who works at a job which involves very little stress & effort & education makes the same amount as someone whose work involves life and death decisions, long hours, and years of training and education. The theory is that everyone would work at a job they loved. No one would work at a job just for the money. Also, everyone is equal, no matter what their intelligence, work ethic, or creativity.

I suppose it didn't work out so well.

According to the BBC, the salary for every person in Cuba is $20/month. (Wow, that's low!! No wonder it's so cheap to go there on vacation.) According to the new rules, there will now be increased salary amounts for managers and workers who meet performance goals.

The Cuban government just recently allowed people to buy personal computers (fat chance as no one has any money). I wonder what they'll think of allowing next....

Wah?

According to the BBC, if the past 15 years, over 4,000 children in China have been named "Olympic Games." Apparently, it's not uncommon to name children after political slogans like "Defend China."

Who knew?

Bastard Tongues

I just finished a phenomenal book. Pure brain candy. It's Derek Bickerton's Bastard Tongues. I'm sorry about the language of the title, but it was his choice, not mine.

The book is about Creole languages -- the somewhat mixed languages that people speak in places where different peoples have come together to form a new cultures. This book is incredible.

Bickerton, a professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii, studied the Creole languages of the Caribbean, Latin America, Hawaii, and the Indian Ocean, and tried to figure out why they're so similar. That may sound boring, but Bickerton learned about all of those languages by living among the people of those islands. This is his life story, so it's more like an adventure piece than a textbook. Plus, the man can write really well.

Go to the library, get the book. Trust me.

Obama on the Nile

Today's New York Times has an opinion piece by Thomas Friedman which looks at the Obama nomination from the perspective of Egypt. You could read it by clicking here. Or, you could just read the way Friedman sums up the way that America is like no other place in the world.

He wrote: "Could a Copt become president of Egypt? Not a chance. Could a Shiite become the leader of Saudi Arabia? Not in a hundred years. A Bahai president of Iran? In your dreams. Here, the past always buries the future, not the other way around.

These Egyptian officials were particularly excited about Obama’s nomination because it might mean that being labeled a “pro-American” reformer is no longer an insult here, as it has been in recent years. As one U.S. diplomat put it to me: Obama’s demeanor suggests to foreigners that he would not only listen to what they have to say but might even take it into account. They anticipate that a U.S. president who spent part of his life looking at America from the outside in — as John McCain did while a P.O.W. in Vietnam — will be much more attuned to global trends.

...Yes, all of this Obama-mania is excessive and will inevitably be punctured should he win the presidency and start making tough calls or big mistakes. For now, though, what it reveals is how much many foreigners, after all the acrimony of the Bush years, still hunger for the “idea of America” — this open, optimistic, and, indeed, revolutionary, place so radically different from their own societies.

In his history of 19th-century America, “What Hath God Wrought,” Daniel Walker Howe quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson as telling a meeting of the Mercantile Library Association in 1844 that “America is the country of the future. It is a country of beginnings, of projects, of vast designs and expectations.”

That’s the America that got swallowed by the war on terrorism. And it’s the America that many people want back. I have no idea whether Obama will win in November. Whether he does or doesn’t, though, the mere fact of his nomination has done something very important. We’ve surprised ourselves and surprised the world and, in so doing, reminded everyone that we are still a country of new beginnings."

I tell you -- probably not as much as I should -- that you have won the world's lottery. You live here. Think how many billions of people wish that they did.

Just a little something to be grateful for as you sweat over finals. ;-)

More Kiva, Yeah!!!

So, we added 20 more loans to our Kiva portfolio today!! Three of the loans have already been completely funded: Bertha Azucena Avalos Arteaga, the woman who runs the general store in Peru; the En Prak Group, the people who make mats in Cambodia; and, Azizi Adededzi (pictured here), the man who runs a hardware store in Togo. (Do you remember where these countries are?? ;-b)

If you want, you can check on our other loans at our lender page. You don't need to sign in to see the loans. Thanks for your help today! I think we picked some great people! Now, all that's left to do is wish them luck with their businesses & wait til our money comes back in so we can relend!

Kiva!!!

Our Kenyan entrepreneur, Patricia Wanjiku, has made another payment!! This is extraordinary news, since she was missing for a long spell after the unrest in Kenya. She seems to still be struggling, as her normal repayment rate was $47.00/month, but this month, she was only able to pay $9.09. The nine cents stops me cold. Look at that. This is a woman who is trying to do her best, down to the last, and I mean the very last, penny. I do hope she continues to recover from the recent troubles.

As for why we don't just let her keep the money, I would, but I don't think that's the goal. I think the point of Kiva is to give everyone the opportunity to improve their lives through their own work. Plus, I don't know that Kiva entrepreneurs are the people at the very bottom of the economic ladder. They don't need charity, they need financing. There's a difference.

Anyway, my thoughts are with Patricia. I do hope she's okay.

South Korean Beef Protests

South Korea decided to resume the importation of American beef products, and, apparently, some of the people of South Korea were not so happy about it. Check out where they had this protest... Hm.....

I don't quite know why these people are upset by the American beef. I found a website which posted people's opinions about why the protests were happening. You can find it here. I can't make heads or tails of the comments, but I think the protest is an expression of how frustrated the people in Korea are with their government. Apparently, the government made a deal with the American government to allow the importation of beef, and the Koreans weren't happy with it. Hence the protest, in front of the McDonalds...

Today's Papers

This picture was on the BBC's Africa page. It's a Kenyan newspaper proclaiming victory for their "Super Power Son." I love it. Kenya has just come through an electoral nightmare, where open political debate turned into murder, arson, and chaos. (Think of our Kiva woman who disappeared.) Now, a man with a Kenyan father is one of two people who could be president of the United States. That's something.

The New York Times has two opinion pieces about the Democratic nominees. Gail Collins wrote a piece about Hillary Clinton that I think you would like, and I teared up reading the Bob Herbert piece about Obama. (Being the goofball that I am...) You have to get to the end to read "So a victory lap is in order. Not for Senator Obama (he still has a way to go), but for all those in every station in life who ever refused to submit quietly to hatred and oppression. They led us to a better place."

There's also a review of Dr. John's new album that's really more of an essay on New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

And, there's an article on the BBC about a woman who overdosed on licorice. Who knew?

Oh, and if you ever wondered if elevators could be something besides squares & rectangles, you could read the Atlantic article about Frank Lloyd Wright's building in Oklahoma, where he made the elevators into hexagons. Pretty neat (although you'll have to find the magazine for that, they haven't posted the article online yet -- sorry!).

And You Thought I Was Weird....

This is my cousin Joey!

He's a free-gan. Click on the title to find out what that is.

We're all very proud.