Archive for category Worldwide Wednesday
TRAVEL ALERTS
Posted by Mary Allan Mill in Worldwide Wednesday on August 3rd, 2009
Throughout April when the Travel Alert was issued April 28 and revised May 8, the world became aware of the 2009-H1N1 influenza. “Flu” has been with us for a long time under various names. My great grandfather and aunt died in Quebec City in the late 1800’s epidemic.
The Department of State warned U. S. Citizens not to travel to Mexico in April, and those already in Mexico should return home at once. Schools and commercial venues in Mexico closed. They reopened on May 7th and 11th. By the end of May, most museums, bars, discos, night clubs, movie theatres and convention centers were up and running.
Consider what happened to Mexico’s tourism industry which helps to support much of the population directly and indirectly. Their “tourism stimulus package” initially cost approximately $165 million dollars. The World Health Organization is not restricting travel, and noted that it’s unfair to accuse Mexico for overreacting.
There are great bargains on tour packages, hotels and resorts across Mexico. Check out the travel offers with your travel agent.
HATCHED, NOT BORN
Posted by Mary Allan Mill in Worldwide Wednesday on July 15th, 2009
My mother explained, shortly after I began to walk, that I was hatched and not born. She left it at that, and throughout my life I never questioned it. However, to some extent it explains the life I’ve led, and an almost insatiable desire to learn and absorb all I experienced.
Am I an alien? It didn’t bother me because most of the members of my family were more than “mere” mortals sailing fleets of ships, climbing tall mountains (I got half ‘way up Mt. Kenya), building mansions, painting and writing. They were fascinating.
My father didn’t blink when I blew up the chemistry lab at boarding school. He was secretly delighted as a chemical engineer, because I was developing a new formula for bleaching hair.
Yes, I admit that I gave normal birth to my son and daughter. However, as soon as I could, I turned my son’s interest toward sci-fi. I always had someone with whom to go to alien movies!
Yes, I am deeply concerned about preservation of our natural resources and “the greening of the planet”. I also consider what will happen if we wake up one day and find that our planet can no longer support human life. The endless debris floating in space concerns me, and I want to find a “nasty” black hole out there and dump it all in…
When I flew on the Concorde (alas, no more) I got a taste of flight at mach speeds, and wondered what I might see in the blackness beyond my tiny window. Fortunately, Sir Richard Branson will soon offer “space” flights to folks like me who can afford the price tag.
We have come so far with our journey into space. What next? I’m ready.
Expert Comments on Cyber Attacks in South Korea, U.S., and Their Implications
Posted by Dewey Davis-Thompson in Worldwide Wednesday on July 8th, 2009
News organizations are reporting that about 35 government and commercial Web sites in South Korea and the United States have came under major attack in recent days. Suspected in the coordinated cyber attack is North Korea or its sympathizers. Heon Joo Jung, an Indiana University expert on Korean politics, is available to speak with the news media.
Korea
Heon Joo Jung, assistant professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and a native of South Korea, pointed to strong statements issued in late June by North Korea’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland about South Korea’s attempts to join Cyber Storm, a full-scale cybersecurity exercise led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) considered joining the Cyber Storm program this year,” Jung said. “North Korea on June 27 heavily criticized their efforts and (said) that was one of the provocative actions by South Korea.
“South Korea is one of the most wired countries in the world,” Jung said, adding that a cyber attack eventually had been expected by intelligence agencies and lawmakers as a result. “The South Korean government and the ruling party have been suspicious, but this kind of massive attack is unprecedented.”
Broadband access to the Internet is available in more than 90 percent of homes in South Korea.
Citing Pyongyang’s recent actions to test nuclear weapons and launch missile tests, the cyber attacks could be a further attempt by North Korea to get the United States’ attention. “North Korea has not been a top priority of the Obama administration so far. They’re trying to be a focus of the Obama foreign policy, because they have been feeling neglected,” he said.
While it is logical to believe reports coming out of the NIS, Jung said it would not be implausible that the Internet attack could have been launched by anti-conservative forces within South Korea to oppose the current administration’s policies, including tightening of Internet restrictions.
“The tension in the cyberspace in South Korea is growing,” he said. “That’s where many of the progressive people are really active. The ruling conservative forces in South Korea tried to pass a law called a ‘cyber terrorism law’ to strengthen censorship and strengthen the monitoring of the Internet, because they think the cyberspace is dominated by the progressive forces.”
Among the targets in the attacks were the ruling party’s official Web site and another site belonging to the country’s most influential conservative newspaper. Tensions between the two sides have been especially heightened since the suicide of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in late May.
“The key is that regardless of who launched the attack, implications might be very similar in the domestic politics of South Korea,” Jung said. “Already the major conservative newspaper has published editorials that call for strengthening of anti-terrorism efforts in cyberspace that has been regarded as anti-democratic by progressive forces.”
While doing research this summer in South Korea, Jung was able to interview some recent defectors from North Korea a few weeks ago. They told him that few North Koreans were aware of Kim Jong-il’s health condition and the possible anointing of his youngest son as Kim’s successor.
“Having said that, I think that the leadership change (in North Korea) will be very secretive,” Jung said. “If the Obama administration is still waiting for the leadership change and adopting a ‘wait and see’ strategy, I think North Korea may keep initiating provocative actions. There might be further danger to regional security and stability in East Asia as well.”
Iranian-American Scholar Posts Daily Updates
Posted by Dewey Davis-Thompson in Worldwide Wednesday on July 1st, 2009
Newswise — As millions of ordinary Iranians took their political protests into the streets and on to the World Wide Web via cell phones, YouTube and Twitter, much of the world was getting its first unvarnished look at a complex and diverse society that may be quite different than the one often painted by Western news media, suggests an Iranian-American scholar at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Sometimes it is hard for people to admit that there are good, ordinary, sane Muslims living in Iran, because it feels as though they are supporting the actions of the government,” said Fatemeh Keshavarz, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures in Arts & Sciences.
“But I think we have to overcome that. There are good Muslims — ordinary, peace-loving people — out there, and we have to let them come into the picture.”
Keshavarz, professor of Persian and of comparative literature and the author of a recent book on women in Iranian society, has been posting daily updates on election-related turmoil in Iran as part of her long-running electronic newsletter on cultural, political and social issues in Iran.
Her postings, filled with cell phone videos and firsthand anecdotes from friends and academic contacts within Iran, are available at the Windows on Iran Web site: http://windowsoniran.wordpress.com.
In her most recent posting about what she has referred to as “a peaceful movement that is seeking a repeat of the election in Iran,” she writes on June 22: “There seems to have been relative calm in Iran today. If there were clashes, they have remained unreported. All my personal attempts to dial numbers in Iran remained unsuccessful. The general mood seems to be that of waiting and reevaluating the situation among the people.”
However, the scene was quite different the night before when she wrote:
“Dear All, ?If you believe in praying, it is time to pray for Iran. Things are getting worse and worse.
* Riot police has blocked all the streets to the Azadi Square. People are being arrested in large numbers.
* After dark, shotguns and cries of Allaho Akbar from the rooftops are heard.
* On the streets, the chants have now changed to ‘Down with Khamenei.’”
Keshavarz is available for media interviews on the day-to-day news reports she’s receiving from contacts within Iran and for broader discussions of the cultural context of these events, including the role of women, art and literature in modern Iranian society and the unique ways that this protest is being shaped by the use of cell phones, instant messaging and other online social media.
Countering negative images
Raised in Shiraz, Iran, Keshavarz earned a bachelor’s in Persian language and literature and a master’s in library, archive and information studies from Shiraz University and a master of arts and a doctorate in Near Eastern studies from the University of London.
She also takes interest in the broader implications of cultural education for world peace, and in May 2007, she spoke on this topic to the United Nations General Assembly.
Keshavarz has not resided in Iran since leaving for college abroad just prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, but she returns to her homeland for long visits almost every summer.
Although she continues to wear a headscarf on these annual trips, she strongly favors freedom of choice for women in the way they dress.
Her most recent book, “Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran,” offers warm stories about ordinary, peace-loving Iranians who share the hopes and aspirations of us all, a perspective intended to counter the negative image of Iranian society that is so often portrayed in Western news coverage and in popular books, such as Azar Nafisi’s “Reading Lolita in Tehran.”
Americans don’t know this side of Iran, she says — and don’t realize that it still exists today.
THE BIG PARTY IN GENOA
Posted by Mary Allan Mill in Worldwide Wednesday on June 24th, 2009
If you ask me what my favorite mode of travel is, without hesitation, I will answer that I’ll go anywhere, anytime by boat or ship. To date, I’ve taken over 40 cruises in this country, Canada and abroad. Flat out, I love to sail!
All ships and boats have a “soul”, and when you understand the spirit of a ship, it opens doors. When does a ship receive that soul? On its christening, of course. And so it was June 5, 2009 that two Costa Cruises’ ships were christened at what was called “a massive party”. The 114,500 ton Costa Pacifica and the 92,000 ton Costa Luminosa (the fleet’s first flagship) were christened together on a moonlit night in Genoa, Italy which has been Costa’ homeport since 1854.
That morning Costa VIP’s, along with dignataries from the area made speaches. By cocktail time 9 planes of the Italian Air Force put on an airshow. The piers were filled with residents and guests. Red, green and white plumes were released skyward amidst cheers. The sounds of the voice of the late Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma filled the air. In Italy, forget the champagne. They toasted the event with prosecco.
4,000 guests attended a gala dinner prepared by two of Italy’s finest chefs. The christening started at 11 PM with a show, “An Italian Portrait in Music and Light” starring Noa, an Israeli singe – he christened the Pacifica. Valentine Vezzall (an Italian Olympic fencing gold medalist) christened the Luminosa. Despite the fact that some questioned two ships being christened at one time, it was certified.
There were circus acts, cutting of the ribbons and two bottles of prosecco completed the celebration. The ships are not twins, but both breathtaking. The Costa Luminosa has more streamlined decor, but each is understated luxury and pleasure at sea.
Many thanks to Theresa Norton Masek, editor in chief of Vacation Agent Magazine for all of the information. When are you going to run away to sea?
Are Socialists Happier Than Capitalists?
Posted by Dewey Davis-Thompson in Worldwide Wednesday on June 17th, 2009
Driven by a decline in satisfaction with work life and family life, overall well-being initially plummeted in countries directly affected by the fall of the Iron Curtain, reveals an important new study.
The research, forthcoming in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, expands our understanding of the correlation between happiness and democracy — and whether economic concerns outweigh political reforms in their impact on subjective well-being.
“Although one might suppose these questions are of interest — some might even say fundamental interest, considering that they involve comparing capitalism and socialism — they have received little attention in the voluminous literature on transition economies,” says Richard Easterlin, USC University Professor and professor of economics in the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.
Easterlin examines life satisfaction in thirteen countries in the so-called communist-bloc using self-reported data from a range of sources, particularly the World Values Survey. Communist-bloc countries first appeared in the large-scale Survey in 1989, when a representative population in each country was asked to rate “life these days, as a whole” on a scale of 1 (dissatisfied) to 10 (satisfied).
Other surveys before and after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 asked similar questions about specific aspects of life — such as work, health, and standard of living — and about “the way democracy works in (your country).”
“The dissolution of the police states and increase in political and civil rights in many of the transition countries might have been expected to increase life satisfaction,” Easterlin says. “The sharp decline that initially occurred suggests that adverse economic and social conditions trumped the political in their impact on subjective well-being.”
Indeed, the study finds that the trend in overall satisfaction with democracy is actually slightly negatively correlated to the trend in reported happiness after the fall of the Iron Curtain. This correlation is not statistically significant, according to Easterlin, but undermines the assertion by some scholars that democratization in these countries significantly increased happiness.
“There is evidence that, when asked about their sources of well-being, people rarely mention political circumstances,” Easterlin explains. “Rather, they put foremost those concerns that principally occupy their time, most notably making a living, family life and health.”
Satisfaction with work, childcare and health all decreased significantly during the transition from socialism to capitalism, reflecting a marked rise in symptoms of social stress such as divorce rates, suicide rates, domestic violence and increased alcoholism and drug use, Easterlin finds.
However, people were much more satisfied with one particular aspect of their lives after the fall of the Soviet Union: their material circumstances, including standard of living, goods availability and the environment.
“The positive contribution of life satisfaction to improved material living was outweighed by losses in employment security, health and child care, and provision for old age,” Easterlin says.
Disparities in life satisfaction also increased after the fall of the Soviet Union, particularly along the lines of age and education. Those older than 30, who had already established careers under the socialist system, were far more likely to be dissatisfied with life under capitalism than younger adults. Older people also faced the deterioration of old-age pension support and rising unemployment rates.
Men and women had about equal declines in life satisfaction, Easterlin finds.
“The human cost of the transition was enormous, with the lives of millions turned upside down,” Easterlin says. “The impact of these changes on people’s personal lives and their well-being is almost totally missed by GDP per capita.”
While life satisfaction had rebounded somewhat by 1999, there is evidence to suggest that even by 2005 it had not yet reach pre-transition levels, according to the study. By this time, GDP in the countries studied had increased 25 percent on average since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“The life satisfaction measure, which reflects not only material well-being, but the everyday concerns and worries of women and men about work, health and family, is more indicative of the far-reaching changes that were taking place,” Easterlin says.
He continues: “Life satisfaction is not an exhaustive measure of well-being. But if, in formulating transition policy, some consideration had been given to this measure, perhaps there would have been fewer ‘lost in transition.’”
Richard A. Easterlin. “Lost in Transition: Life Satisfaction on the Road to Capitalism,” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (2009: 71:2).
Uighurs in Palau
Posted by Kelly in Worldwide Wednesday on June 10th, 2009
There are various reports that the tiny Pacific nation of Palau will take in 17 Chinese Muslims from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo. The ethnic Uighur prisoners had been previously cleared of wrongdoing and ordered to be released, but could not be resettled in their native region in western China due to fear of reprisals from the Chinese government.
“The agreement opens the door to the largest single transfer of Guantánamo prisoners and is the first major deal on detainees since President Obama pledged soon after taking office in January to close the prison within a year….But the United States had not been able to persuade any country to take them, despite contacting about 100 governments. Washington had said it would not hand them over to China, which has demanded their return, because it feared they would be persecuted or even executed.”
The U.S. goverment has promised $200 million in aid to Palau, but denies that the aid is linked to Palau’s acceptance of the Uighur prisoners. Whether this is true or not, it is a relief that these persecuted men finally have a place to go.
Chinese Pottery
Posted by Kelly in Worldwide Wednesday on June 4th, 2009
The world’s oldest known pottery has been discovered in China, according to a report from the BBC. The pottery, in fragments, was estimated at about 18,000 years old and found in a cave that had previously yielded the oldest kernels of rice.
“The previous oldest-known example of pottery was found in Japan, dated to an age between 16,000 and 17,000 years ago, but debate has raged in the archaeological community as to whether pottery was first made in China or Japan.”
Pottery and ceramics have a long history, and archaeologists have relied upon shards as insights into ancient cultures. According to Wikipedia, “The study of pottery may also allow inferences to be drawn about a culture’s daily life, religion, social relationships, attitudes towards neighbours, attitudes to their own world and even the way the culture understood the universe.”
Visit Your Own Country!
Posted by Kelly in Worldwide Wednesday on May 27th, 2009
I have not traveled the world as much as I would wish (who has?), but I have been lucky enough to see parts of Canada, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Spain. I have also been lucky enough to grow up with a mother who thought that traveling my own country, the United States, could be equally edifying. The list of states that I have not visited (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, North and South Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii – 11 out of 50) is actually much shorter than those I have, and I’ve even managed to actually live in eight (Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland, New Mexico, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, and California), but I still hope to see them all in time.
Recently I dreamt that I stole a car and careened off across the states, visiting all manner of crazy sites before the police caught up with me thanks to credit card receipts. In just such an insane spirit, then, here are a few places that are on my list…
The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California, features 110 different themed rooms, including “Caveman,” “Fabulous Fifties,” “Kona Rock,” and “Safari.” The tacky appeal is endless.
The Amargosa Opera House, founded, designed, and performed in by the multitalented 84-year-old ballerina Marta Becket, is located in Death Valley Junction, California. Get tickets sooner rather than later.
Mitchell, South Dakota’s Corn Palace, originally established in 1892, is made of corn. I first saw the Corn Palace at 2 a.m. one morning, falling asleep in front of the Weather Channel, and thought I had hallucinated it. It would certainly make a great setting for a creepy, corn-themed horror film.
Carhenge, in western Nebraska, is a reproduction of Stonehenge, but made with gray-painted vintage automobiles. Check out its eerie power…
South of the Border, located in Dillon, South Carolina, is a complex of shops, restaurants, and other attractions (a dozen weddings performed every weekend in the summer!). SOB combines the best of the old South and old Mexico. I think.
Finally, I had to include York’s Wild Kingdom, in southern Maine, for old time’s sake. It’s a rather grimy little amusement park and zoo that only a child might love – or at least this child. Wild Kingdom was also home to my imaginary childhood tiger-friend, Tigerolly – another story entirely.
So, there are a lot of wild places to visit in this enormous country. Go out and find some, and let me know all about it.
World’s Best Beaches
Posted by Kelly in Worldwide Wednesday on May 20th, 2009
The Guardian recently published an article about the world’s best beaches from various experts and locals. Their choices range around the world from Hawaii to Australia to the Caribbean, Cornwall, and Scotland.
I have been to countless beautiful beaches in my life. I have visited various coastal spots in the United States, as well as Mexico (Mazatlan, Cancun, Tulum, and Cozumel) and the Caribbean area (Bahamas and U.S. Virgin Islands). But despite the icy water and summer overcrowding, my favorite beaches are those in my home state, Maine. Boothbay Harbor is gorgeous. Ogunquit features some of the best sandy stretches on the coast. But I always go back to York Beach.
Most of us carry some amount of nostalgia for our childhood homes. I am uplifted by the harsh salt tang in the air, the punishing breezes and shrieking gulls and dark, glittering water that sends the sun’s dazzling rays straight into my eyes. I can wander along Long Sands for hours, or frolic in the tiny shelter of York Harbor. But Short Sands, with its summer skeeball and old cliffside hotels and homemade fudge in nearby shops, cannot be topped.
If you get a chance, visit sometime. And tell them I sent you because it’s wicked cool.
