Hablas español?

Immigration is a very sensitive issue in various parts of the world and often time it becomes a political tool at election time. In the US it has been a prominent item on the agenda of politicians, the media, non-governmental organisations and the general public for quite a while. Most of the immigrants into the US are from Latin America and Hispanics now make up a larger part of the population than African-Americans. The effect of this is that Spanish is now basically the second language of the US- much to the chagrin of those who see America as an Anglo/European country.

I came across this feature on the BBC where a team is going to go across the southern USA from San Augustin, Florida to Los Angeles, California with the sole aim of speaking only Spanish throughout the journey. The team will have a daily blog, photos of the trip on Flickr and a group on Facebook and I think it will be interesting to follow their experiences.

The topic of immigration is also very popular in Barbados with many Bajans uncomfortable with the influx of Guyanese. I stumbled upon this article in the Guyana Chronicle which makes some important points about the cyclical nature of the movement of people and the large numbers of Barbadians who previously moved to Guyana in search of jobs. The critical point the article fails to mention is related to size, capacity and sustainability. Barbados is a tiny, overpopulated island with scarce limited physical resources including most importantly water and land. Guyana on the other hand is a vast under populated country with immense physical resources and can fit little Barbados on one of its rivers furthermore its land mass.

The debate over immigration inevitably degenerates into emotional diatribe and fear mongering and race become a central part of the arguments. While this must be resisted, practical realities such as scarce resources and abrupt social and cultural changes must be acknowledged and addressed in a sensible manner. A failure to tackle these concerns of the native population can provide convenient fodder for racists and right wingers and can have serious consequences.

Of Artic Wolves and Springs, Disappearing Lakes and Desalination

I am going to share some articles on the environment and nature today:

Earlier this year I had written an entry about wolves and my fascination with them. Professional explorer Jim McNeill along with a BBC crew has travelled to Ellesmere Island to film the elusive Artic Wolf. The Artic Wolf which maintains it white coat year-round lives in Greenland and the Canadian Artic. The BBC website will be featuring McNeill’s diary of his experiences and it can be seen here.

The second article is about the Magellanes region in southern Chile where a five-acre lake has mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind just a huge crater and some chunks of ice.

The third one is about the Artic spring arriving weeks earlier than a decade ago according to a team of Danish researchers. The obvious effect of this situation is the disruption of the natural eco-system and the threat to the various species that comprise it.

A number of countries have embraced or are exploring the possibility of adopting the process of turning salt water into drinking water to address water shortages. However a recent WWF report has cautioned that desalination is not the solution to global water scarcity as the technology used is energy intensive and would therefore only increase emissions and damage coastal and river habitats. The WWF’s contention certainly provides food for thought.

A Celtic Tiger and an Island of Ice

*Photo from BBC website

A few days ago I mentioned Ice Island, a huge chunk of ice which broke off of the Canadian Artic coastline, changed the geography of the area and further highlights the effects of climate change. The BBC team and scientists landed on the Island yesterday and their latest report can be seen here.

Ireland, Europe’s model of economic success and labelled the Celtic Tiger, goes to the polls tomorrow in what is expected to be an extremely close election. This is despite the significant economic gains achieved in the past decade. Ireland has witnessed the same phenomenon as every country before it which experienced a serious economic transformation: conflict between the new and traditional ways of life, prosperity not reaching everyone, ecological/environmental challenges, immigration and a construction/real estate boom putting the price of property beyond the reach of the average person. The BBC website has a series of articles devoted to the Irish election and the various issues that have formed part of the debate leading up to polling day.

An Ice Island and West Indian Woes

Torturous viewing! West Indies did not bowl badly in the morning session but they dropped catches; after lunch it was all England as the weaknesses of the bowling attack were cruelly exposed. Of course, poor umpiring did not help as Collingwood was plumb LBW to Taylor in the morning and was not given out by umpire Asad Rauf. It is amazing how many times poor umpiring decisions go against us, whether we are batting or bowling.

I was not at all surprised that Prior scored a century on debut. We have made it a habit in recent years to gift centuries on debut to batsmen and from the time the fools started bowling short at him and he kept swatting them away, a century was there for the taking. What sense does it make to bowl short at a batsman if he keeps putting you away? Nothing makes my blood boil more than to see a pathetic so-called fast bowler from the West Indies bowling sugary short balls to a batsman and then giving him chat and glares. You should be on a plane back to the Caribbean in disguise! I wish I could feel positive but it appears as if an innings defeat will be the result.

In more depressing news- almost everyday we hear negative news about the destruction of the environment and climate change- I saw a feature today on BBC about Ayles Ice Island, an iceberg that broke away from the Arctic coastline in summer 2005. The iceberg is huge- 10 miles long and three miles across- and while it separated almost two years ago, it has only now received public attention. The event is significant as it has transformed geography of the region and provides more evidence of the effects of climate change. A BBC team along with two scientists have departed for the island and will be providing daily updates.

Sarwan’s Initiation, Honouring Lara and Not Having an Impact

The first match of the four test West Indies versus England series begins tomorrow at Lords. I have not yet decided whether to purchase the package being offered by willow.tv. I am still contemplating whether I should waste $100 to watch the West Indies get beat. I would love for the team to win but I know better than to get my hopes up high. Fazeer Mohammed has written a good preview which can be read here.


While the West Indies play England on the field, off the field the MCC Museum at Lords is holding an exhibition in honour of Brian Lara. The exhibition which charts his career and numerous achievements will feature various types of memorabilia including the bats with which he scored his 375, 400 and 501. Here is the BBC’s take.

I came across an interesting blog about a man and his family’s attempt to live in New York City for one year and not make an impact on the environment. I try my best to do whatever I can for the environment but I know it’s far from enough. This guy must be admired for going to such lengths. His fascinating story is a must read. I have also added it to the sidebar.

Young, Gifted and Black/ Aicha

Nina Simone. No need for commentary!

Khaled performing Aicha in 2005 at the BBC.

Neither of the two videos was posted by me on YouTube. I am just taking the liberty of sharing them.

Nina Simone was posted by this person.

Khaled was posted by this person.

The Doha debates

The Doha Debates broadcast on BBC World are a forum for public debate in Qatar and organised similarly to the traditional “Oxford Union” debate. They focus on issues related to the Arab and Islamic worlds and the format allows for open debate: two teams of invited speakers (speakers have various backgrounds and hold diverse views) debate a topic which is usually controversial and the audience participates by asking questions. The debate is chaired by Tim Sebastian who formerly presented the BBC programme “Hardtalk” and at the end the audience takes a vote in favour or against the motion.

I watched one of them earlier today entitled “This House believes the pro-Israeli lobby has successfully stifled Western debate about Israel's actions.” It took place at Oxford University, the first time one of the Doha Debates has been held outside Qatar. A very interesting discussion and appropriately, the House decided in favour of the motion.

If you want more information or want to watch past programmes, check out the website.

Sporting and Environmental Dilemmas

Cricket World Cup begins in a few weeks and I have no idea how I will watch it. The rights to televise in the US were sold to Dish Network by the ICC. Unfortunately I have Time Warner Cable and get my internet through them also. It isn’t feasible to change just for World Cup especially as Dish Network, according to their website, can’t provide me with internet. This is not good at all. I am rather alarmed. Ideas/ suggestions anyone?

After a mild December and January, winter has returned with a vengeance. The only positive about staying home is that I have not had to deal with the freezing temperatures. I am not a cold weather person at all.

I was watching a programme about Alaska yesterday. Every time I watch something about Alaska I am amazed at the beauty. I hate the cold but I think the beauty is worth a visit! I was also reading a few weeks ago about a row in Peru over the building of a bridge near Machu Picchu and saw another article on the issue on the BBC website today. Environmentalists and the central government are opposed to it while the Mayor of the province has ignored a court ruling and continued with its building. The Mayor argues that the bridge will reduce the time villagers from Santa Teresa village need to take produce to Cusco from fifteen hours to three, increase commerce and tourism and end its isolation, while environmentalists argue that the bridge which provides a new route to Machu Picchu will lead to an influx of tourists and ultimately to the destruction of this World Heritage site. I have been to Machu Picchu and while I agree that the bridge will help to address the poverty experienced in the area, the concerns about thousands of tourists tramping around the site are very real. Already around 2500 tourists visit each day and many environmentalists believe that this huge number poses a significant threat. UNESCO is supposed to inspect the site this year to determine whether it should be classified as an endangered heritage site.

This dilemma is similar to a multitude faced in so many parts of the world, both developing and developed- “development” versus environmental protection. While I am very much the environmentalist and will always argue in favour of protection and against exploitation by multinational companies whose sole purpose is profit, I am also a realist. A number of the areas targeted by these huge companies with profits that are times larger than the GDP of many developing countries, suffer from abject poverty. In some instances, the case against allowing the multinational company to enter the area is compelling, especially when the local population is also in opposition. Here, I believe that a resounding no should greet the multinational. In other situations, I believe there is room for legitimate compromise (the diplomat in me) and sustainable exploitation of the natural resources. Obviously, it is never in the interests of the multinational to do this as their aim is absolute profit. However, strong pressure from both civil society and government can allow for operation in an environment of profit while still maintaining the integrity (natural, cultural, social, and religious) of the area and indeed leading to socio-economic advancement of the indigenous people.

The simple solution to the Peruvian problem would be to allow the bridge to operate (it has been built despite the court ruling ordering a halt in construction and will be inaugurated this month) but to limit the numbers of tourists visiting Machu Picchu. The villagers of Santa Teresa will benefit from the decrease in transport time to Cusco while strict limits on tourists will help to preserve the site. Tour companies and hotels which have supported the building of the bridge because increased visitors mean increased profits would have to be bluntly informed that long term survival rather than short term private sector profits is in the interest of the Peruvian people.

In Alaska, I believe the area is too important to the well-being of the global climate to warrant any more destruction there. Instead of drilling for oil, the logical and sustainable option would be to invest in renewable and environmentally friendly sources of energy. Yes, I am being idealistic. Oil companies, car manufacturers, other multinationals and their brethren and sistren in government would never permit that. Short term profit means too much to them.

The Politics of Fear

I am writing with Grover playing in the background. Needed some calming tunes after watching a Fox News Special (“Radical Islam: Terror In Its Own Words”) earlier. The right wing blogs and sites had been salivating all last week as they waited in anticipation for the programme to air last night and again today. As I expected (it is Fox after all), a load of sensationalist diatribe and propaganda aimed at demonising the “other”, keeping the populace in a constant state of fear and justifying foreign policy. I would write a long article dissecting and destroying each argument in the programme but I don’t think my employers would be very happy. Diplomatic life is very restrictive when it comes to voicing personal opinions on issues like this.

Food has always been an interest of mine, whether it’s eating, cooking or talking about it and while I definitely will not be going back to my days of gluttony, my obsession with food will always be ever present. I like watching cooking shows and have spent lots of my time home watching a number of them. Besides having to suffer as chefs prepare mouth watering dishes, I have been picking up many useful tips. For example, using the twigs of rosemary with the leaves still attached at the top as a skewer when grilling fish. This imparts the flavours right into the pieces of fish.

I came across this December feature on the BBC website. It is an interview of a Barbadian called Laurie Daniels, one of the thousands of West Indians recruited in the 1950s by the British to work on their buses and trains. It’s presented as an audio slideshow. Check it out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6164665.stm

While you are doing that, also check this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6310685.stm It’s an audio slideshow about the Festival in the Desert which is held every year in Essakane, Mali. I actually saw the link to the interview of the Bajan transport worker while I was watching the feature on the Desert Festival.