Inconvenient Truths

My head is itching and I just received an email from the school nurse that a few of my students have head lice….uhhhh ohhh. I am sitting in my class looking out at the green vegetation and the heavy rains that fall from the sad sky. The many tears are needed and I wonder if Mother Earth is crying for all the local people here who are now having problems procuring enough water to shower and wash clothes. You know who I am talking about - the “other” people. The ones seldom talked about. The “other” ones who act as caregivers to the many expatriates here - The “others” who seldom talk unless spoken to but smile all the same. The water table is extremely low due to a delay in the rainy season. I am glad to see the sky crying but it makes me wonder about global warming. I also dread riding “Old Blue” (my Vespa) in the rain given the brakes are not quite up to snuff. So, I will blog to avoid marking and entering grades. Avoidance.

One of the reasons I bring up Global Warming is because I saw the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” this weekend. It did not surprise me much. What I did appreciate in the film was that Al Gore admitted to being a part of the problem as was his father who grew tobacco. Tobacco, he admits, was a cause to his sister’s death – lung cancer. Gore talks about connecting the dots. The dots that hold us all together as a humanity and global community. Few people actually take the time to reflect on their jobs, their actions, and connect the dots. Are we leaving a positive legacy or are we just another cog in the wheel – Yes men and women? Al Gore was connecting the dots when he realized that growing tobacco not only made money but also killed people. Not only “those other” people but family members. Loved ones. Good people. He had a lucid moment and so did his father when he stopped growing tobacco. It suddenly became not only about money makin' but about morals and ethics. It became personal. Al Gore uses a great quote in his film: “If is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it"- Upton Sinclair. True indeed. I call this the “Golden Handcuff” syndrome. We see this everyday and many of us have either experienced it or are living it. Gore also states his other lucid moment. The time his son was nearly killed after being hit by a car. This was the impetus that drove him to go on his world tour of promoting this film after losing the Presidential race. It became personal. It happened to someone close to him…someone he loved. It suddenly made him think of the “other” and connecting the dots. I hope more people are able to put the dots together soon for all of us. As he said in the film…there will be a reckoning. The challenge ways heavy on our shoulders.

Here is a video stream to the film if you interested:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15801.htm

Another BBC take on Global Warming: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15818.htm

The rain has stopped…

Avoiding

What do you do when you have 80 essays to grade and 80 report card comments to do and it is raining outside your classroom? You Blog. Yep, you avoid it, try not to think about it, hope it will go away, even though you know it won't. Procrastinate and create stress for myself is what I do. I need a break. I've graded a few essays and I am already fried...

I have a few weeks left of school before V, Zee, and myself blow this popscicle stand and head for the open space of desert and mountains. My students are busily researching about particular conflicts and preparing for their final presentations in the form of a Conflict Fair. Each student will provide three 7 minute speeches on their particular conflict: Rwanda, The Cold War, Maji Maji, Cambodia, Russian Civil War, Korean War, French Revolution, Gulf War, Iraq War, Kashmir, American Civil War, Segregation, Palestine/Isreal, Kurds....the list goes on. It will be interesting how they bring everything together. Watching them prepare and becoming knowledgeable and articulate about Hezbollah, The Balkans, why The Cold war was called Cold makes me smile. The teachers are stress cases though - each of us scurrying to mark, enter grades, all before vacation.

I just finished my online college course about the Holocaust, racism, discrimination and prejudice. It was interesting but far too academic. Every time I posted a controversial topic it seemed like my colleagues avoided it like it was the Ebola virus. I get tired of theory and want something practical. I am now thinking about becoming certified in Conflict Resolution and I think I will take another course on Genocide, and then another course on Transitional Justice - oh yeah - I have to keep my CPR up to date too and take another course for that too. It all relates to my subject matter - World Studies....pretty broad I know. One thing is for certain, there is never a dull moment in teaching. It all comes down to time....which is a precious commodity. I figured out the reason teachers don't get paid much money. It's because they don't have anytime to use it....ha ha ha!!!!

I finished reading the book Kite Runner the night before last and like the string that pulls a kite and cuts your fingers drawing blood this one yanked at my heart and made my blood boil. It was a powerful book that provided a greater insight into Afghanistan. I have a few friends working in Kabul and I had to email them so they could help me answer some questions that I can't find in the media. I would recommend the book but be prepared going in that this is not a story being told from an American perspective.

It's mango season here in Big Smoke and Vanessa, Zee, and I bought kilos of mangoes over the weekend. The vendors are on a road near our house and you can fill big bags for the equivalent of $1 US. I also picked up some nice rambutan off the trees (like Vietnames Leches) that I love. I freeze em and eat em like candy.

Zee had his first professional hair cut over the weekend. The term "hippie kid" and questions like, "Is that a boy or girl" prompted us to enter a kiddie cut salon in which the child sits in a little car while Barney plays on a screen in front of the child. Zee sat there while Mom and I distracted him with various toys, crackers, and funny faces while the stylist did her thing. Afterward Zee looked at himself and smiled from ear to ear. He liked the result. We also noticed an elevated level of energy - he was running laps in the house. Amazing what a good haircut will do.

Zee stuck his fingers down his throat the other day, puked all over himself, and then started laughing. Should we be concerned? It was pretty funny...and scary too. At least I know he wasn't taking after his Daddy....

So Vanessa bumped into a PhD student the other day and their discusson somehow included cancer. Apparently, Asians should stay clear of salted fish because it is known to cause stomach cancer. Apparently, different races have different protective coatings (for lack of better term) to prevent certain types of cancer. 'Tis all in the mapped genome. For example, Indonesians smoke like chimneys but rarely get lung cancer. Caucasions are more susceptible to lung cancer if they smoke because they do not have the protective genes that Indonesians do. If any of you have more information re: food and health let me know.

Ok, I've procrastinated/avoided long enough....back to real life and marking essays. More to come later, when I have more stress....