Give One. Get One

Some of you know that my new project in Uganda is to get a group of "total orphans" (here that means they've lost both parents) set up to go to school through an organization I was recently connected with here (Teso Widows Development Initiative, or TEWIDI). But that's another blog. As I'm researching all the possibilities, wanting to develop the technological exposure and education of the next generation, my mind was brought back to the One Laptop Per Child vision. It's a very exciting opportunity, bringing not just a laptop, but a whole new look at education and creativity and indeed the world to some very isolated and deprived (in many ways) children. It's certainly something I'd like to look into for the future of the school. But in the mean-time, you have an awesome oppotunity to donate one of these laptops to a child in one of the countries participating in the program at this still early stage. If you opt for the "Give One. Get One." choice, you recieve a laptop and a child in Afghanistan, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia, or Mongolia will recieve one. I know it's a little late in the season for gift buying (the whole idea of Christmas is just starting to sink in for me here on the equator, where it feels more like July than December), but it's certainly not too late, and the Give One. Get One. campaign runs till Dec.31. So check it out, even if you can't buy one today it's really interesting stuff--and worth knowing about to consider in the future.

Sensory Experience

A couple days ago I was making my way through the center of town. At one point I had to walk through the old taxi park ("taxi" here refers to vans that serve as buses, a.k.a. matatus; the taxi park being the center point of departure for locations throughout the city and beyond), across a busy round-a-bout intersection, through a gas station and then across a supermarket parking lot. This involves weaving through a throng of taxis--so packed in that I don't even know how it's possible they are moving--and trying to avoid the boda-bodas (aka motorcycles) cutting through the mass. At the road I jump into a space between vehicles I feel brave enough to traverse before getting hit by whatever is coming (much like a game of frogger), which is only complicated by the occasional boda-boda driving on the wrong side of the road and my tendency to look the wrong way for oncoming traffic (because they drive on the left side). Believe it or not cutting across the gas station is even more complicated than the road, since there is absolutely no order to things and any vehicle could be coming from any direction, and the boda-bodas in particular seem to have no qualms about running you over. If accomplishing this weren't hard enough, I also have to be particluarly aware of my belongings because in the crowd is the easiest environment for pick-pockets to operate in.

Simultaneous to this whole experience I realize that the song playing on my Ipod is "La Valse D'Amelie" from the Amelie soundtrack, and I had to laugh out loud. What a contradiction! If I didn't think that I would be killed in the process, I would try to film the whole experience, add the Amelie soundtrack, and post a little mini-movie so that all of you could enjoy my oh-so-contradictory sensory experience of the noise and rush and adrenaline in the streets of Kampala, accompanied by perky, peaceful, French music. I find it highly amusing, but maybe you had to be there ;)

I would like to note, that no matter how crowded the streets get, I have never been bumped or pushed or shoved. This is not something I can say about Korea, where I'm pretty sure they make an effort to do so (especially those ajumas!). For this, I would like to thank the people of Uganda (as well as apologize for when my asian-conditioning occasionally reveals itself!).

Happiness or Freedom?

Recently I was having a philosophical discussion with some other expats: which would you choose if you had to pick one, happiness or freedom?

It turned into a semantics debate, because really it depends on how you define happiness, and freedom for that matter. If happiness to you requires security and comfort and being surrounded by the familiar, then it's obvious that none of us (this group of expats) has chosen happiness. On the other hand, for us, remaining home and living the life that society generally expects (and understands) in many ways is not happiness. Our freedom, to explore the unknown and pursue a life that we find more satisfying (as challenging and uncomfortable and even dangerous as it may be), is our happiness. Of course this is only the beginning of the debate, as people aren't necessarily choosing between freedom and happiness, they might be pursuing power or love or any number of things.

This is part of why I love putting myself in new environments, it forces you to think about things (like your motivations in life) that it's easy to take for granted in the comfort of home. I've met several people here who seem distinctly unhappy, and through my conversations with them I've learned that they've chosen this life, despite how much they may hate it, because they are doing something they feel is important or valuable--something they think they couldn't necessarily do in an environment they would find more pleasurable. Believe it or not I found this surprising. In my mind. living in a "developing" country (where things aren't convienant--to put it mildly--and it's dirty and there is a whole new world of disease, submersed in a culture so very different from my own, where I'm forever perceived to be an ATM machine) does not equal unhappiness. Not that these things don't bother me, I hate assuming that any man who talks to me is only interested in a visa to the U.S. True my primary motivation in coming here is similar to those unhappy philanthropists: a desire to influence positive changes. But the fact is that you can do that at home (North America and Europe need just as much positive change as everyone else, it just looks different). So what else is motivating them to come and to stay?

I suppose it's part of the natural cycle of expat life and at some point I may feel the same way. I think no matter where you are or what you're doing there are always going to be highlights and drawbacks, and it's just a question of whether the highlights outweigh the drawbacks, and if the drawbacks are things you're willing to live with.

The Amazing Powers of Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is a natural anti-septic that I have used in the past on cuts and I've found it works so effectively that I don't even bother with other things like neosporin. I came to this conclusion after Pentaport Rock Festival in Korea. It was held outside, it was the rainy season, and the grounds were turned into a giant mud-pit, complete with bits of asphalt and rocks and who-knows-what. If you've ever tried to walk through 6 inch deep mud you know that the suction power is incredibly strong--making shoes just ridiculous. Over the course of 3 days our feet got cut up pretty badly, and I can only imagine what horrors were living in that mud. The only thing I had with me to treat the cuts on my feet was tea tree oil, which I applied evening and morning. One of my friends did not. Whereas my cuts did not get infected and healed quite quickly, hers did not. I always travel now with tea-tree oil.

My recent tea tree oil discovery was when I haphazardly decided to put it on my mosquito bites when I had it out to put on a cut and some mysterious cluster of bites on my knee. A few days later someone asked if I had gotten any mosquito bites (we were talking about malaria medications). I realized that since I applied the tea tree oil I hadn't scratched those bites, and they were even healed! I never before even considered putting tea-tree oil on insect bites, but I'm so glad I did! I know it's now winter in most parts of the world, and mosquitoes aren't much of an issue, but come next summer give the tea tree oil a try!

Some other tid-bits about tea tree oil, it's safe to use on your skin, but DON'T get it in your eyes or mouth. Also, it's a dry oil, so you can apply it to your face for things like pimples and eczema and it's absorbed instantly without making your skin oily. You can find it at health food stores like Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage, but as grocery stores have started carrying more organic items you may find it there too. Happy Healing! (too bad itwon't save me from Ebola!)

Malwa!

Lisandro is a Peace Corps volunteer that I got in touch with through a mutual friend. He is fabulously lucky to be living in a picturesque little village in the eastern mountains of Uganda--it's true, even without water and electricity I consider him lucky! After our Thanksgiving weekend I followed him home to get a glimpse in the life a first month Peace Corps Volunteer. He's working as a health educator, but has a lot of freedom to do basically whatever work he desires, related to his assignment or not. He has encountered the problem that everyone living and/or working in Uganda faces nearly everyday: corruption. I've heard some say that the corruption in Uganda is the worst in all of Africa. I've had few conversations where it hasn't come up. Everyone suffers from it--in the government, the schools, the NGOs, the churches, the justice system, even among friends, few aspects of life are not impaired by it. Everyone knows it's happening, but few (if anyone) do anything to stop it. This is the main complaint I hear from people about President Museveni, that he's done nothing to curb the corruption. It's a huge constraint on the economics of the country, it under-powers many well meaning organizations, and it creates a general atmosphere of mistrust and helplessness. When I've asked locals how they think the problem can be solved, they all say there needs to be a change of government.

Museveni has been in power over 20 years, he came into power through a coup and made many promises as an interim government working towards a democracy. There have been three elections since he's led the country, but there are many who feel they were far from free and fair. I don't believe that you can consider a country a democracy when there has never been a peaceful transfer of power, the ruling government changes laws and even the constitution in order to retain power, and essentially throws any opposition into jail. So while many citizens in Uganda feel a change of governing leadership is necessary, few have confidence that they can make it happen. The activist in me screams that you have to stand up for what you want, protest, write letters, sign petitions, boycott! But people don't want to stir up any trouble or violence (recent history has created a great deal of fear towards acting against the government), they don't want to go to jail, so they accept the status quo and just go on with their life.

Apparently Ugandans like to talk politics while they drink, so I had a long talk at a birthday party (over Malwa, a local millet based brew, which frankly looks like disgusting sludge, but actually isn't that bad) with a young man who was put in jail for working for the opposition during the last election. It scared him sufficiently that he stopped working for the party and voted for Museveni. He felt that the only way to make anything happen was war, and he didn't want that, so what could he do? I told him about Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, Gandhi and the independence movement, Nepal's protests to oust their king, and Burma's recent protests against their government. He seemed intrigued and encouraged.

The fact is that many of the people here feel helpless to change things. They're riddled with handouts from NGO's and manipulated by the government until they're convinced there's not much they can do for themselves. They even respect the medical opinion of a white man who's not a doctor (despite their mistrust of the west) over that of a local nurse. (Lisandro and I encountered this at a visit to a health center--the people were worried about giving their children vaccines. In the past western pharmaceuticals came and tested drugs in Africa, often to the detriment of their well-being, so this is a legitimate concern. We assured them that they were getting the same vaccines that we ourselves had as babies.* There was also a rumour that Americans thought Africans were having too many babies, so we were giving them these "vaccines" to strelize them. We pointed out that since these vaccines started being used in Uganda 20 years ago the birth rate has gone up!) I have long felt that empowerment is the key to creating positive changes--for the individual as well as the nation--and everything I see here tells me that's precisely what's missing. The question is how to organize the masses, educate them, and give them confidence to stand as a community to peacefully demand an accountable and democratic government. I feel I need many more Malwa induced discussions before I find that answer!

*You may remember that I posted a blog questioning the use of the flu vaccine a while back. I want to point out that while my concerns about many vaccines are still firmly in place, that doesn't mean I'm against vaccination on the whole--these babies need to be getting the polio, hepatitis, diptheria, tetanus, diptheria, etc, because the fact is that some of them are getting these diseases before they are even old enough to get the vaccine. The situation is desperate and the people working to make sure these children get the vaccines they need to survive deserve our praise.

Thanksgiving?

I had a totally unexpected and totally American Thanksgiving last weekend! Back on November 22, the official Thanksgiving day, I didn't even remember that it was Thanksgiving! My Australian friend reminded me in the evening after we had spent the day at the Uganda Museum getting a little taste of the many different local tribal cultures. After wishing me a happy Thanksgiving she asked "What's that holiday all about anyway?" It was very amusing. Anyway, the following week I got in touch with Lisandro, a friend of a friend back home, who's a Peace Corps volunteer in eastern Uganda. He invited me to their belated Thanksgiving bash, and I was happy to get out of Kampala and meet some more people--I got way more than I expected!

On the 4 hour matatu (a.k.a. taxi, which is the local public transport) ride to Mbale through a few other towns and lots of dust over bumpy roads, I saw some hilarious signs that I just have to share:
"Nice Peaceful Butchery"
"Uganda Martyrs College"
"God's Will Shop"
(the musings are endless!)
Then after another 2 hour matatu ride up into the mountains to Chiholo, I arrived at the "Mizungu Guest House." It was actually just the home of another Peace Corps Volunteer, but because it's unusually large for a PCV house (4 bedrooms!) and it was filled with foreigners (or mizungus), everyone jokes that it's the Mizungu Guest House.

After being introduced to a dozen people (all PCV's) I was pleasantly surprised to learn we would be having not only turkey for dinner, but also mashed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, corn bread, fruit salad and pumpkin pie! Everyone was busily helping with the preperations, luckily I had just missed the turkey slaughter, but was in time to catch a few photos of the cleaning and cutting. It had to be chopped into smaller pieces becuase it wouldn't fit into the pot to be fried otherwise. I can't say that I was much help with the cooking, but I will say this was one of the most fabulous Thanksgiving dinners I've ever had. Rene worked some magic injecting the turkey with spices and then frying it--I've never had tastier turkey! Sharing such a delicious meal with a crowd of new friends (by candlelight, no less!), was a wonderful treat. We all stuffed ourselves and then sat around chatting under the stars (which are incredible in the mountains with NO light pollution).










The next day a few of us decided to work off all those extra holiday pounds by climbing a mountain. I did not know what I was getting myself into! Lisandro pointed to a peak not too far in the distance and said "that's Mt. Nusu, let's go there" so we did. We were told by some locals after several inquiries that if we follwed the road it would go around to the back of hte mountain and then up. We decided to take a more direct route, so we veered off the road, down a hill, across a stream, and then up. And we kept going up, very steeply up, for the next 2.5 hours or so. I'm so out of shape, and even though I started out determined to make it to the top, I began to wonder if our eager party could make it. We ended up connecting ot another path, which led through people's little plots of crops and passed thier homes. We stopped to say hello and ask if the path led to the top--I'm sure that most of them were completely perplexed why this group of mizungus was asking about a path to the top of the mountain. I don't think hiking is common past-time among the locals. When we were running low on water they provided some for us--which we were certain wasn't treated but we drank anyway, as far as I know no one got sick, pretty amazing. Close to the top a man decided he would guide us, which was very generous, especially considering what we encountered towards the top. After Fred (our guide) joined us, I noticed that slowly other younger boys were also following us, pangas (machetes) in hand. I figured they all had nothing better to do on a sunday afternoon so why not amuse themselves at how winded these mizungus were on our mountain. Seriously these boys were running around and jumping from rocks (all the while with panga in hand) like it was nothing, and all of us could barely breathe! At this point we couldn't even climb for more than 5 minutes without stopping for a breather. Then all the panga weilding members of the party ran to the front and I quickly learned why they come along. The path was no more, instead we were in a jungle of overgrown bushes and grasses, and our guides were cutting a path with their pangas. Pushing our way through the undergrowth we finally reached our pointy peak and the view was amazing. I passed my camera to one of our guides and he hastily snapped a few shots, one of which managed to get all of us in it. After basking in the glory of our feat, we decided we had better head back down, to my dread! It didn't take long for my thighs to start shaking with each step, man was it painful! Our glorious reward at the bottom was a dip in the stream. The water was freezing and possibly pathogenic, but it felt so damn good! Luckily we made it home before the rain began, becuase it would have been nothing more than sliding down the mud and rocks on my butt if we were on that mountain in the rain. 5 days later my legs finally aren't screaming in pain with every movement, and I'm ready to take on another mountain!

EBOLA KILLS 16

This was the headline I spotted as I jumped into a Matatu headed into town. If you've read "The Hot Zone" fear ran through your veins as it did mine when you saw that title. Apparently the outbreak started in August in a district in the west (on the border with DR Congo) but was only identified (via samples sent to be tested in the US) yesterday. The numbers in the article seem conflicting to me (you may be able to read it at http://www.newvision.co.ug/), but there are something like 51 people infected. The WHO (World Health Organization, not the band!) is involved to contain it, and it's a good distance away from Kamapala (and I'm headed further east this weekend anyway), but it was a striking headline and definately something I'll be paying attention to. My internet time is about to run out, so I'll just leave you with that frightening news, haha! I had the brilliant idea of typing up blogs on my laptop at home and then transferring them to my blog as I've found a few places with a wireless connection, but as of yet that hasn't worked out too well. So at some point you'll be innundated with postdated blogs. Oh! Another shocking read in the paper today was a letter to the editor about how colonialism was a positive thing for Africa! This was not somethign I ever expected to hear from an African. Personally I think his arguements about the introduction of the english language and that curious people "deserve colonies" both severly underestimate the African people and seem erronious. Anyway, I found it shocking. But like I said, internet time running out, so more thoughts later!

Are you ready for CHOGM?

The face of K'La has transformed in the name of CHOGM, something that holds great potential for the countries future. Meanwhile Americans have no idea what CHOGM even means. The Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting is held (I think) every 2 years, hosted by a different member each time. For Uganda, preparing to host CHOGM takes on a very similar role as hosting the olympics. Roads have been paved, street lights installed, hotels and apartments and other buildings built, and security is unbelievable. It also means that they have the opportunity to dominate the discussion and possibly make lots of really good deals that could benefit their economy for the long-term.

When the Queen of England arrived something like 100,000 people lined Entebbe Road to see her pass--which is supposed to be the largest crowd to have gathered for her anywhere. (Actually, I was joking with some other foreigners that what the queen doesn't know, is that all those people are normally there anyway, it just happened that she passed through! Not really though, the Queens presence has been a very big deal). Many streets are blocked off, which has caused the town to empty out (it's very eerie). Apparently the government did a test run (closing off streets to escort diplomats through town) a couple weeks ago and it caused like 10 hours of gridlock. So it seems they successfully scared everyone away!

It's been interesting to watch the affect on the city, and it will be interesting to see what comes of the whole thing. There are some kind of public forums being held, so I may try to make it to some of them and see what I can learn.

K'la

Just a note to let everyone know I've arrived safely in Kampala (which will be referred to as K'la from here on out). I was utterly exhausted upon my arrival! I don't think I got a full night's sleep the night before my flight, I lost 7 hours on the flight from DC to Amsterdam and only slept about 1 of those hours. Then I spent about 10 hours running around Amsterdam (which was great fun, I even met up with 2 couchsurfers, one of which was a local which took all the guess work out of it for me), visiting Anne Franks House and the Van Gough museum. It's a very interesting city and I'd love to go back and spend more time there. However, I was literally falling asleep on my feet at the Van Gough Museum, so I thought for sure I'd sleep better on my flight that night to Nairobi. Sadly, I did not, I probably slept about 3 hours, but at least I only lost 2 more hours on this leg. My 6 hour layover in Nairobi was exceedingly painful, especially because I was dying to sleep and couldn't really find a spot that was either relatively comfortable or I felt safe enough. On the bright side, I sat next to a Ugandan on my flight into Entebbe, and when I asked him at baggage claim how much he thought I should pay for a taxi into Kampala, he offered to take me himself. Too bad his driver was the one who had to deal with my luggage! On a random side note, the other guy I sat next to was from Nairobi and headed to K'la for a golf tournament! I was also quite impressed that all the conversations I heard around me on this flight were centered on goverment, city planning, and the like. I've never been surrounded by so much politics on a plane!

Julius, my gracious host for the day, not only took me to lunch and to my guest house, he also took me to exchange money and get a SIM card for my cell phone (contact me for the number), so I had all my basic neccesities taken care of and could collapse for the night. After a torturous shower (it not only was freezing, but there was NO water pressure, so there was no speedy wash up) I groaned in contentment at the feeling of being horizontal and in a bed and happily slept. I must admit that my guest house has got to be the noisiest place in the world to try to sleep, but I managed.

I'm still jet-lagged, which is a first for me, and haven't found much excitement in K'la, but I'm sure it's just a matter of getting to know some locals who can show me the hot spots. It seems that the developing world is starting to feel like home to me, granted this is vastly different from Asia which will take a little adjustment. Once again though I've found that my perception of "dangerous" is just a little different from most people. I met a couple this morning who was asking me how to get out of K'la--they had been mugged and no longer felt safe here, they seemed surprised that I felt safe. But I won't get into that now.


FROM SOMEWHERE OVER KENYA

frost on my window
blurring my vision
yet fascinating in itself
flying on the wings of my dreams
a sea of clouds below me
the sun rising in the east
alone
and afraid
yet is this not what I've been fighting for?
I pursue the unknown
I pursue love, to have and to give
God help me to pour out all that I am
all that you are

the frost is melting

--

cool pics from DC

On the National Mall:

Washington Monument and the Capitol building

Lincoln Memorial at sunset

At the Hirshorn Museum:




From the Sculpture Garden:



From the American History Museum:

The Puffy Shirt from Seinfield and Mister Rogers Sweater
The remains of a bullet ridden Oak from the Civil War

Louis Armstrong's coronet

Lincoln's Top Hat

George Washington's uniform

From the Air and Space Museum:

a Wright Borther's plane

The most ridiculous plane ever concieved

One of the Apollo landing pods

NY, NY!

I flew into New York this past weekend to wander around a bit with Rich, and it was (somewhat surprisingly) great to be in a big city again. Being a big fan of diversity, NY is one the best places to find it, even if it means just listening to all the different languages being spoken around you as you walk the streets.

Since this was a stopover on my way to Uganda (which you might say is a stopover on my way to South Africa) I arrived with 2 huge heavy bags and my backpack. Getting from the airport to Rich's friends house (via skytrain, subway, and walking) was a challenging adventure--just not one I'd like to repeat! I have a very ambitious goal of minimizing the weight of my luggage before leaving for Uganda, which I feel is going to take some kind of miracle! But we made it there (and later down to DC via subway, walking, bus, more subways, and more walking).

Speaking of subways, I've decided they are a very interesting insight into a culture. Before NY, all my previous subway experience had been in Asia--where subways are generally immaculate and new and generally easy to figure out. The moment I stepped into the NY subway I knew I was in a very different world! By contrast I would define it as dirty (and a little smelly sometimes), old, and somewhat harder to interpret. In addition the spaces underground were much smaller. People's behavior on the subway--also dramatically different. In Seoul it's generally quiet and they pack a whole lot more people into those cars when it's busy! In NY it always felt like something was happening around you--be it dancing or singing or other generally less pleasant adjectives. The subway in DC is also unique. While it's much newer and cleaner and more spacious than NY, it's not as busy or efficient (in terms of car design, routes, and maintenance) as other subways, and it's definitely quieter than NY.

Anyway, I had a great time in NY--saw Times Square and took a ferry to Staten Island (passing the Statue of Liberty), ate some sushi, perused a farmers market and a book store, and just generally wandered and explored. The 9/11 memorial on Staten Island was beautiful--I've never even heard anything about it, but it was very well done and I definitely recommend it (especially at night).

I'm still busy doing some last minute things to get ready for my move, but slowly I'm seeing different sites in DC and exploring, hopefully more this weekend and early next week before taking off on Wednesday!

Movin' Out

That's right, I'm moving out of the US and into Africa! After a brief stint in NY/DC, I should arrive in Uganda on Nov.16, where I will be for nearly 3 months helping to do some research related to the mental health of a displaced group (Acholi) from the north of Uganda. Hopefully I will also get to do some rafting at the source of the Nile, trekking on some 16,000+ ft. volcanic peaks, see some of the biggest waterfalls in the world, and maybe even spy on a mountain gorilla (and lions and giraffes and rhinos, oh my!). Of course that all requires cash, and since I will be a student again come Feb, that is one thing I'm short on. That's ok though, because I'll be a student in fabulously beautiful Cape Town! where I'll busy braai-ing and kloofing and diving (did you just hear Bob Barker announce that in your head? I did!). But only when I'm not busy studying, of course.

Really though, I'm very excited at the prospect of living in Cape Town and getting to know it apart from the tourist track. It's an incredibly dynamic city and there's a lot to learn about development, conflict, education, race relations, the role of nonprofits, and so much more.

So here's to the unknown, to finding my groove, to international living, and to being a positive force in society! Cheers!

"Share the Love, not the Flu"shot

The campaigning and propagandizing for people to get flu immunizations seems to me bigger than ever. This is a problem for me because, like most everything pharmacueticals do, it's not about your health or that of your family, but about making money. The fact is that the average, healthy adult should NOT be getting a flu shot.

WHO SHOULD GET A FLU SHOT?
The CDC recommends children (6 months to 5 years), pregnant women, those with chronic medical conditions, adults over 50, and those living in longterm care/nursing home facilities get vaccinated. In addition, people who live with those who are at risk/cannot get vaccinated (eg if you have an infant under 6 months or care for someone with a chronic illness).

It is dangerous to get a vaccine if you are allergic to chicken eggs, had a severe reaction to the vaccine in the past, if you developed Guillain-Barre Syndrome after receiving the vaccine in the past, if you are under 6 months of age (and I'm SO impressed you're reading this if you are!), or if you have a fever.

However, the following factors (not to mention that GBS issue!) lead me to question if even the recommended population should get the vaccine.

WHY NOT GET A FLU SHOT?
1. The vaccine contains chemicals such as mercury, aluminum, ethylene glycol (antifreeze), phenol, and formaldehyde. Aluminum and mercury have been linked to Alzheimer's. Pretty sure everyone knows antifreeze and formaldehyde are poison. You may be thinking that these things must only be in very small concentrations, but these toxins do build up in your system year after year.

2. There is no guarantee! There are lots of strains of the flu virus out there, and they are all adapting and changing. The vaccine that is given each year is a "one-size fits all" solution--scientists monitoring and evaluating these changes choose which strains they think will be most common that year--given to everyone everywhere. The vaccine does not protect you against all strains. It takes time to produce the vaccine, and sometimes the predictions made so far in advance as to which strains will be common are wrong. Also, after several months the strain your body produced antibodies for could very well have already mutated, rendering that vaccine less effective.

3. If you have a chronic medical illness your immune response may be depressed enough that even in the presence of the inactivated virus particles it does not produce sufficient antibodies to protect you if you are infected.

4. Increased use of vaccines (in a case like this where evolution occurs so quickly), and antibiotics, can only increase the virulence of a pathogen. Meaning that we are acting to create a pathogen that will be far more deadly than it currently is, so we are not doing ourselves any favors.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?
Promote a healthy immune system! It's there to protect us from harmful invaders, so why not fully equip it?
Diet is essential:
-Avoid sugar! It suppresses the immune system and most of us are totally oblivious to the amount of sugar we are actually eating/drinking each day. I challenge you to try to go just one day without consuming any sugar--read labels!--just to make you aware of where it's coming from in your diet and better equip you to limit your intake.
-Avoid processed foods. They have been stripped of nutrients and contain harmful ingredients.
-Avoid junk food, fast food, trans-fats, etc. (obvious)
-Do consume essential fats and complex carbs
-If you eat meat, buy naturally raised (free-range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free) meat.

Sleep is essential. Do it!

Move your body. The more the better.

Do things that make you happy. (ok, I can't say I've read any studies linking happiness and healthy immune systems--which doesn't mean they're not out there--but as long as I'm talking about a healthy lifestyle, I figure this is pretty important. And it's easy to forget.)

Ultimately everyone has to judge their own situation and decide for themselves what they are, and are not, willing to do. Just don't be guilted into anything by a commercial!

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men" - Abraham Licoln

I wish I were in Burma (Myanmar), where cowards they are not. I know you all think that's crazy. Well maybe I am crazy, but I crave to be in the midst of people who are speaking out against injustice, standing up for what they believe, standing together even the face of physical harm. As some of you know I went to Burma this past June, and I fell in love. I worry about the people who are now my friends, but I am proud of them and wish I could stand at their side.


The demonstrations began in August as a result of the rise in gas prices (I believe it was something like $5 USD/liter when I was there, maybe more, which is pretty expensive by any standards, but all the more so in such a poverty stricken country), and mushroomed when monks joined in on September 19. Obviously big increases in gas prices spells out increases in the cost of everything else, from public transportation to food to clothing to . . . . Of course this isn't just about gas, monks aren't going to risk their lives (and they knew they were risking their lives in light of the uprising turned massacre in 1988) for gas. So why are they risking their lives?

RECENT POLITICAL HISTORY
1886-1948 - British Colony
1948 - An independent democratic republic
1962 - Socialist military coup topples the civilian gov't
1974 - Became the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma"
1988 - "8-8-88" demonstrations for democratization. Military coup. Became the "Union of Burma" and later "Union of Myanmar"
1990 - The first free elections in 30 years. The National League for Democracy party won 392 of 485 parliamentary seats. The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)--now renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)--which is the ruling military junta (who received less than 2% of the votes), refused to step down. Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected Prime Minister, has been under house arrest, intermittently, since July 20, 1989. Over 80 of the elected members of parliament have been arrested, 20 driven into exile, and others dismissed or forced to resign.
1997 - Burma was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

The majority of the population (and estimated 89%) in Burma is Buddhist. Monks and Buddhism became the pillar of protest during the colonial period due to cultural irreverence (e.g. the British refusing to remove their shoes when entering temples), and this continues today. Monks are highly revered and considered the moral voice and foundation of the people. It's very poignant to see Burmese citizens walking hand in hand in a chain on either side of the monks as they march, creating a barrier of protection for the most esteemed members of society.



8888 UPRISING
A national peaceful revolution started on August 8, 1988 (considered an auspicious day) by university students. General Ne Win's socialist military regime had been in power for 26 years and the demonstrators were demanding democracy. It began with students at Rangoon Institute of Technology protesting the governments second withdrawal of currency notes. When a student activist was killed by the military, large widespread protests led the way to the August 8 uprising. The students were joined by thousands of citizens from all walks of life, including monks and government workers. When the Ne Win government fell, martial law was imposed, giving General Saw Maung absolute power to quell the protests ("I want the entire nation, the people, to know that if the army shoots, it hits - there is no firing into the air to scare." NE WIN). It is estimated that over 3,000 civilians were killed in the military suppression of the demonstrations. In the aftermath over 10,000 activists fled to the borders to join opposition forces, and approximately half a million ethnic minority villagers sought refuge in neighboring countries escaping military operations, forced labor, and persecution. (Voices of '88)


CURRENT PROTESTS
Today, Monday Oct.1, the streets are reported to be empty and quiet. A technology school in Yangoon has been surrounded by soldiers, detaining 2,000 students and clergy who are staging a hunger strike in protest of the crack down. Throughout the country 6,000 people have been detained, with possibly over 1,000 monks arrested (their robes taken from them and clothed as civilians), and monasteries are locked and guarded.[1] Some monks have been allowed to leave, carefully watched by soldiers, to beg for food. I wonder how the monks have gotten food for the past several days while they haven't been allowed to leave? Normally monks go out every morning and people give them food for the day (monks are not allowed to work-even in a field to grow food-or cook). On mornings when I was up early enough and in the city I would see hundreds of them, with large brass bowls to hold the food offerings, sometimes in small groups and sometimes in massive lines, walking the streets to collect food.

The eerie absence of this motivational and emboldening religious force seems to have slowed the momentum and strength of the protests. While small groups of citizens still are making appearances, they are quickly scattered by watchful militia out in force, firing shots into the air and throwing tear gas. The government appears to have little regard still for the international community, as Ibrahim Gambari, the UN's special envoy to Myanmar, has thus far been denied a meeting with Sen. Gen. Than Shwe. [2]

Friday, 28 Sept., the government cut off access to the 2 internet providers in the country, claiming that underwater cables have been damaged. Apparently the government took this step after footage got out of a Japanese journalist being shot point blank by a soldier (the gov. claimed he had been hit by a stray bullet). For me this means I have not been able to get in contact with my friends there. This also means the information flow coming out of Burma is more limited (which is obviously the goal of the government), especially because foreign journalists are not allowed into the country. Fortunately, there are very creative and passionate people out there (journalists and bloggers) who I trust will find a way to get information to us, even at the risk of their own freedom and lives. Big companies in Yangoon that have satellite access can still get the internet, and while cell phone service is inconsistent it is an important method for recording and sending videos.

Thursday, 27 Sept., at least 9 people were killed and hundreds were arrested as government forces attempted to break up hundreds of thousands of protesters. This is the first day the monks were absent from the marching. Wednesday night troops raided several monasteries, beating monks, taking hundreds into custody, and thereafter barricading them inside their monasteries.[3]

On Saturday, 22 Sept., Aung San Suu Kyi made a bold move by appearing at her front gate in a show of solidarity and praying with protesters. The following day, as the number of protesters increased to 20,000, soldiers blockaded the road leading to her home, where she is under house arrest.[4]

When the protests began, even when the monks joined in, there was very little news coverage. Only as numbers grew, along with the fear of a government crackdown, did the world start to pay attention. Thanks to internet phenomenon's like YouTube and Flickr, in addition to international news agencies like the BBC and others, information was disseminated quickly by anyone with a camera. Maybe this international attention influenced the government's decision to shoot warning shots into the air (in contrast with orders during the 8888 uprising) and reduced the number of deaths that have occurred. (Granted, we can't know for sure how many deaths have occurred at this point, with the government reporting 10 deaths and witness accounts as high as 200).

I wonder if it's all over. Was the government once again successful in squashing the courage and hopes of the people to end this oppressive regime? What else can the people do, really, to bring in democracy, apart from peacefully marching in the streets and risk getting shot or imprisoned? Should they violently march with weapons, increasing their risk of getting shot and (by matter of opinion) making themselves no better than the military junta they seek to bring down? I hope that new leadership (since the leaders of the democracy movement have been isolated one way or another from the people for decades) will arise to inspire the Burmese people. I hope that the Burmese people will not give up. I hope the world will not forget, that we will protest, educate ourselves, write letters, and maintain dialog.

Stand with the Burmese and sign the petition for the UN Security Council and Chinese President Hu Jintao: Avaaz.org

"THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN WE ARE POWERLESS TO PREVENT INJUSTICE, BUT THERE MUST NEVER BE A TIME WHEN WE FAIL TO PROTEST" ELIE WIESEL

































































"USE YOUR FREEDOM TO PROMOTE OURS" DAW AUNG SANG SUU KYI





To keep up on events (locally reported):
The Irrawaddy
Mizzima News

Organizations:
Article 19
International IDEA
US Campaign for Burma
Freedom Campaign
Women's League of Burma

Other interesting tidbits:
Burma is the 24th most populace country in the world, ranks 12th in number of active troops, and is 15th in military spending.
Since Burma has refused to restore democracy, ASEAN has stated it will not defend them in any international forum.

New

I've been irritated by MySpace for a while, and after trying to write a letter for a grad school application I've realized just how poor my writing has become. So I'm here to challenge myself. Here to express my thoughts, concerns, and musings. Here to share my experiences, knowledge, and questions with whoever wants to read and hopefully respond with some knowledge or questions of their own. Mostly I'm here to relearn how to put my thoughts in writing. (Which is scary because that's always been how I best expressed myself and organized my thoughts.)

My life, as usual, is currently in limbo. I'm am without a doubt not happy to be living in the states. While I love the Rocky Mountains and hate to miss the ever-changing wonder of my 2 year old nephew, I feel more displaced at home than I do abroad. Few Americans understand this, and as of yet I can't better explain it, all I can say is that my soul calls me out. To the unknown and the scary. To where there is suffering and hardship and joy. Far from malls and fashion, BMW's, pollution, the rat race and suburbia. I don't care about toilets or running water. Give me a mud hut in the desert, a cabin in the mountains, a shack in the jungle, as long as I'm part of a community that I can bring some hope and joy and love to. I don't care about celebrities and certainly care even less about celebrity gossip. I want to know and be around those society likes to ignore and oppress. This is why I want to travel, live, and study abroad. Specifically in the developing world. So this is where I start. We shall see what follows: volunteering in Uganda? grad school in Cape Town? work in Sudan? Here's hoping.