This is a funny moment, and I feel obligated to share. Given the recent political problems, the office has been closed a lot lately. The protesters have agreed to stand down for a few days, so I have come into the office on Saturday to catch up on some work. Supposedly.
MSU is playing at Madison Square Garden right now. I know this because I went on to ESPN.com, and I am reloading the page every thirty seconds to keep track of the score. There are thirty seconds left and we are down by three points. I am visibly anxious.
I wonder what the people in the cubicle next to me think. Hunched over my computer screen like my life depends on what I see there. I almost let out a whoop when we scored back to back threes.
As much as I love being in Bangladesh, I also love my NCAA sports. It's funny when different parts of life come together. I wish I had more time to wax philosophical right now, but the games almost over.
Go Green!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
in which Tim reflects on American politics from India...
Yes, I am presently in India. More specifically, I am in a small cyber cafe in the touristy district of Calcutta/Kolkata. I've come for a few days to let my visa renew. It's a huge city, bursting with people. There is a lot of history here too. Lot's of old, colonial looking buildings. Lot's of streets named after Monarchs and other people I've read books about. I might go see the Mother Theresa house this afternoon, after I am done visiting the memorial that was built to Queen Victoria.
But this entry was supposed to be about politics, so here we go. The Democrats pulled it off. At this point they have won the house, and pending the results of one contest, have either won or split the Senate. A lot of people criticized Dean for using a 50 state campaign strategy. They said he should focus the money on winning a few key races. It seems that all the scandals that turned up late in the race caused the 50 state strategy to pay off. It was a landslide.
I am happy about the results of the election, but I am bracing for a painful couple of years to come. It seems to me that the Democrats are like a sports team that has managed to stumble their way into the play offs. Yes, they have made it this far, but the real work is still to come. Winning elections is one thing, but learning how to govern is quite another. I sincerely hope that Pelosi and co. have what it takes to compromise, negotiate, and come up with a plan to make something out of this victory they've won.
And I wonder who will run in '08...my prediction is that within the next month we will have announcements from Clinton, Edwards, Daschle, McCain, and maybe Rudy. Should be fun.
But this entry was supposed to be about politics, so here we go. The Democrats pulled it off. At this point they have won the house, and pending the results of one contest, have either won or split the Senate. A lot of people criticized Dean for using a 50 state campaign strategy. They said he should focus the money on winning a few key races. It seems that all the scandals that turned up late in the race caused the 50 state strategy to pay off. It was a landslide.
I am happy about the results of the election, but I am bracing for a painful couple of years to come. It seems to me that the Democrats are like a sports team that has managed to stumble their way into the play offs. Yes, they have made it this far, but the real work is still to come. Winning elections is one thing, but learning how to govern is quite another. I sincerely hope that Pelosi and co. have what it takes to compromise, negotiate, and come up with a plan to make something out of this victory they've won.
And I wonder who will run in '08...my prediction is that within the next month we will have announcements from Clinton, Edwards, Daschle, McCain, and maybe Rudy. Should be fun.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
in which Tim announces that he is still alive and goes to the mall
I am still alive. I appreciate the bevy of concerned sounding emails that I received after my last posting. The political situation has simmered down for now, and I am quite safe and sound. No worries.
Today a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go to the mall with him. Having little else to do, I agreed to go along, not knowing anything about what this "mall" would be like. We met up, found a cab, haggled with him about price for a while, left because he wanted too much, and then repeated the process three or four times until we found a reasonable price. Our cab then began the journey through the usual blend of other cabs, rickshaws, cows, goats, people, bicycles, dust, and all the other things that I've stopped noticing so much because they've become normal.
When we arrived at the mall, my mouth dropped open. I think I was expecting the typical Bangladeshi outdoor shopping area. Loud, colorful, crowded, and lacking extensive organization. This was not what I found. This mall could have fit anywhere in America without attracting much attention. It was big and air conditioned, and every surface was polished to a shine. There was pleasant music playing on an intercom system. There was a nice car parked in the main lobby that shoppers could win in a drawing.
There were stores selling everything you could need for a comfortable suburban life. On the eighth floor was a food court, a video arcade, and a movie theater.
Maybe it's because I've never liked shopping malls much anyway, but the contrast between the inside of that building (shininess and expensive consumer goods), and the street out front (dirt, cows, and beggars) really hit me. I felt a sudden wave of moral guilt for being one of the people on the inside.
I know that it's not morally wrong to go to a nice shopping mall, or have a nice car, or eat a fancy meal. But I wonder how popular American shopping malls would be if out front there were little kids in rags begging for money. Would the contrast be enough to get people to change their behavior, maybe buying less and giving more?
I wish I had more time to reflect on this. But my hour is almost up, and I have to go to India in the morning. Look for updates.
Today a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go to the mall with him. Having little else to do, I agreed to go along, not knowing anything about what this "mall" would be like. We met up, found a cab, haggled with him about price for a while, left because he wanted too much, and then repeated the process three or four times until we found a reasonable price. Our cab then began the journey through the usual blend of other cabs, rickshaws, cows, goats, people, bicycles, dust, and all the other things that I've stopped noticing so much because they've become normal.
When we arrived at the mall, my mouth dropped open. I think I was expecting the typical Bangladeshi outdoor shopping area. Loud, colorful, crowded, and lacking extensive organization. This was not what I found. This mall could have fit anywhere in America without attracting much attention. It was big and air conditioned, and every surface was polished to a shine. There was pleasant music playing on an intercom system. There was a nice car parked in the main lobby that shoppers could win in a drawing.
There were stores selling everything you could need for a comfortable suburban life. On the eighth floor was a food court, a video arcade, and a movie theater.
Maybe it's because I've never liked shopping malls much anyway, but the contrast between the inside of that building (shininess and expensive consumer goods), and the street out front (dirt, cows, and beggars) really hit me. I felt a sudden wave of moral guilt for being one of the people on the inside.
I know that it's not morally wrong to go to a nice shopping mall, or have a nice car, or eat a fancy meal. But I wonder how popular American shopping malls would be if out front there were little kids in rags begging for money. Would the contrast be enough to get people to change their behavior, maybe buying less and giving more?
I wish I had more time to reflect on this. But my hour is almost up, and I have to go to India in the morning. Look for updates.
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