One of the profound paradoxes of life is that the average person can see through an issue with a clarity that eludes the best and the brightest.
Such is the case with deploying more troops to Afghanistan. What exactly is the strategic importance of Afghanistan to the United States at this time? The Soviet empire has collapsed, so there is no question of any contest for supremacy there. A reminder for Iran to behave and Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban? Questionable. To stop Al-Qaeda from returning to that graveyard of empires? What a laugh!
Yet our leaders and military commanders continue to act as if saving Afghanistan from Osama Bin Laden and warring warlords will translate into making the world safe for democracy.
What would happen if America were to withdraw from Afghanistan or reduce its footprint? Tom Friedman of the New York Times offers this analysis: In the Middle East, all politics happens the morning after the morning after. Be patient. Yes, the morning after we shrink down in Afghanistan, the Taliban will celebrate, Pakistan will quake and Bin Laden will issue an exultant video. And the morning after the morning after, the Taliban factions will start fighting each other, the Pakistani Army will have to destroy their Taliban, or be destroyed by them, Afghanistan’s warlords will carve up the country ..."
Judging from nationwide polls, this seems to be how many Americans feel. Yet President Obama is weighing requests by his top military commanders to send more troops and deepen America’s involvement in Afghanistan. Given his penchant for consensus, the president will probably not send as many troops as requested but overall, is likely to prolong the war there. Note that by 2010, America will have been in Afghanistan longer than the Soviets were in their catastrophic attempt to bring the country under their control.
Consider another perspective by Nicholas Kristof, also a columnist for the New York Times. “One of the most compelling arguments against more troops rests on this stunning trade-off: For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools there. It is hard to do the calculation precisely, but for the cost of 40,000 troops over a few years – well, we could just about turn every Afghan into a Ph.D.”
Kristof also notes that “Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, has now built 39 schools in Afghanistan and 92 in Pakistan — and not one has been burned down or closed."
So there you have it. But an “expert” may say, “Well, these guys are not on the ground. They are armchair generals, as most of you are, so you really don’t understand the complexity and that’s why you offer these simplistic solutions.
Not quite. Consider Matthew Hoh, the Foreign Service officer and former marine captain, who resigned from a civilian post in Afghanistan this week to protest U.S. policy. We can’t win, he said in his resignation letter, and our presence is only fueling the insurgency. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
Indeed, why and to what end? The stark truth: There is none. Yet the cost in lives and wasted resources in Afghanistan are beyond calculation.
And democracy? Impartial observers have confirmed that Hamid Karzai stole the recent election and that his brother has been on CIA's payroll all along. “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"
We return, then, to the paradox: How is it that the smartest brains cannot see the forest for the trees, particularly when their claim to fame is that that’s precisely where they tower above you and me?
Is it because power and an inflated sense of self blind one to the obvious? Can it be because they think that the fate of the world depends on them and that their decisions today will change the course of history tomorrow? Or is it because they are such believers in technological superiority and manifest destiny that they have become immune to history’s lessons?
Humility and a sense of the big picture seem to be missing from our leaders and commanders. The solution: heed the wisdom of the average citizen, do not be goaded into prolonging this war by the exhortations of rabid right-wingers, and know that history keeps its own timetable, indifferent to the might and machinery of mere mortals.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Missing the Big Picture
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Happiness and Terror
Which is stronger, happiness or terror?
It must be terror because each occurrence of it bears its unique unexpectedness, its singular set of demons and diabolical characters. Happiness, on the other hand, is more fleeting, its source more common. And therefore, more easy to miss. The contrast is similar to how Tolstoy described happy and unhappy families in Anna Karenina: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Substitute terror for unhappy families and Tolstoy's insight remains equally compelling.
I got to thinking of this after watching "Where the Wild Things Are." Maurice Sendak's 1963 classic has been turned into a movie and shows Max fleeing from his "monstrous" mother into the arms of wild things who are torn between eating him and hugging him (well-meaning relatives who pull your ears and squeeze your cheeks, selfish siblings who have no time for you, absent father, hectoring teachers, bullying neighbors - take your pick). But Max manages to convince them that he is their king and so the wild rumpus starts.
It is not all play and amusement, however, as the presence of Max brings to light hidden wounds and grievances among the wild things, leading to murderous rage and rampage. Cowering in fear with a kindly being in a cave, Max is told that "being a family is not easy."
At that moment, the thought of home fills his heart and Max sets sail across the ocean for suburban life with mother and sister.
Max fled terror, experienced terror and some happiness with wild things , and returned willingly to his family. Once back, he sees his mother in a new light of love. The daily terror of living in an adult world with its autocratic and cruel ways will certainly continue but now there is a difference. It's okay, it's bearable, because now there is love.
And like Max, we suddenly realize that terror, both internal and external, is what makes happiness possible, however elusive it may be.
It must be terror because each occurrence of it bears its unique unexpectedness, its singular set of demons and diabolical characters. Happiness, on the other hand, is more fleeting, its source more common. And therefore, more easy to miss. The contrast is similar to how Tolstoy described happy and unhappy families in Anna Karenina: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Substitute terror for unhappy families and Tolstoy's insight remains equally compelling.
I got to thinking of this after watching "Where the Wild Things Are." Maurice Sendak's 1963 classic has been turned into a movie and shows Max fleeing from his "monstrous" mother into the arms of wild things who are torn between eating him and hugging him (well-meaning relatives who pull your ears and squeeze your cheeks, selfish siblings who have no time for you, absent father, hectoring teachers, bullying neighbors - take your pick). But Max manages to convince them that he is their king and so the wild rumpus starts.
It is not all play and amusement, however, as the presence of Max brings to light hidden wounds and grievances among the wild things, leading to murderous rage and rampage. Cowering in fear with a kindly being in a cave, Max is told that "being a family is not easy."
At that moment, the thought of home fills his heart and Max sets sail across the ocean for suburban life with mother and sister.
Max fled terror, experienced terror and some happiness with wild things , and returned willingly to his family. Once back, he sees his mother in a new light of love. The daily terror of living in an adult world with its autocratic and cruel ways will certainly continue but now there is a difference. It's okay, it's bearable, because now there is love.
And like Max, we suddenly realize that terror, both internal and external, is what makes happiness possible, however elusive it may be.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Give the Body a Chance to Heal Itself
The sharp pain in my right ear made me wince. I was having difficulty eating. My throat was hurting. Should I or should I not? Call the doctor, that is. Since the weekend was coming up, I reluctantly made the call. I have a bias against burdening an over-burdened system.
The kind and compassionate doctor checked my throat and ear. "No infection in the ear," she said with relief, "but your jaw muscles are inflamed." One possible reason was that I had visited my dentist two day earlier, and opening the mouth wide and clenching for x-ray might have caused the inflammation.
She prescribed the tablets that would cure me of my pain and I left with gratitude. Normally, I go straight to my neighborhood pharmacy. But this time I had an idea. Why not give the body one more day to see if it heals itself. I could put up with the pain for 24 hours but not any longer.
It worked. The pain began to subside and within 72 hours there was no pain whatsoever.
I am not trying to draw any general, high-sounding conclusion from this. It is always better to err on the side of caution than to be cavalier about one's health. Certainly, and in most cases, one should consult the doctor and take the prescribed medication.
But too often we underestimate our body when it comes to common ailments. At the slightest hint of a sniffle or a headache, we panic and think that without a doctor's intervention, or without some medicine, we will fall apart physically.
The body has its own natural, check-up mechanisms, and as long as we eat healthy food, do not overeat and do some form of regular exercise, the occasional flare-up is actually no cause for concern. The best medicine in such situations is probably to wait for a day or two while taking commonsensical precautions.As ancient cultures know and have practiced for generations, the body has the capacity to heal itself far more than we give it credit for.
The kind and compassionate doctor checked my throat and ear. "No infection in the ear," she said with relief, "but your jaw muscles are inflamed." One possible reason was that I had visited my dentist two day earlier, and opening the mouth wide and clenching for x-ray might have caused the inflammation.
She prescribed the tablets that would cure me of my pain and I left with gratitude. Normally, I go straight to my neighborhood pharmacy. But this time I had an idea. Why not give the body one more day to see if it heals itself. I could put up with the pain for 24 hours but not any longer.
It worked. The pain began to subside and within 72 hours there was no pain whatsoever.
I am not trying to draw any general, high-sounding conclusion from this. It is always better to err on the side of caution than to be cavalier about one's health. Certainly, and in most cases, one should consult the doctor and take the prescribed medication.
But too often we underestimate our body when it comes to common ailments. At the slightest hint of a sniffle or a headache, we panic and think that without a doctor's intervention, or without some medicine, we will fall apart physically.
The body has its own natural, check-up mechanisms, and as long as we eat healthy food, do not overeat and do some form of regular exercise, the occasional flare-up is actually no cause for concern. The best medicine in such situations is probably to wait for a day or two while taking commonsensical precautions.As ancient cultures know and have practiced for generations, the body has the capacity to heal itself far more than we give it credit for.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Nobel Barrier is Falling
This year, a record number of women were awarded the Nobel Prize. The Nobel committees have been overlooking worthy female candidates for some time now, with the possible exception of the literature prize, and their acknowledgment of the oversight is good news for all.
In Physiology or Medicine, two of the three winners were Elizabeth H. Blackburn (60) and Carol W. Greider (48) who, along with Jack W. Sozstak (57), were honored for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase."
In Chemistry, one of the three winners was Ada Yunath (70) who, along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (57) and Thomas Steitz (69), was awarded the prize for "studies of the structure and function of ribosome."
Herta Muller (56) won the Literature prize, "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed."
And finally, one of the two winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science was Elinor Ostrom (76) who was cited "for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons." The first woman to win the Economics prize, she shared the honor with Oliver E. Williamson (77).
Only Physics and the Peace prizes were without women laureates this year.
A total of 5 out of 13 winners in 2009 may not seem much but when you consider that the Nobel committees honored a total of only 41 women from 1901 to 2009 for the various prizes, you can see what a breakthrough year 2009 has been. Of the 41 winners, Marie Curie was honored twice, first for Physics in 1903 and then for Chemistry in 1911. So, in reality, the Nobel committees awarded the prize to just 40 women until now.
You can expect to see more female laureates from now onwards, a recognition by Nobel committees that women have been ignored and denied the prizes for too long. You can also lay to rest all those stereotypes about women not being good enough to compete with men in the sciences. Such myths have persisted for too long. Let the best women, and men, win!
In Physiology or Medicine, two of the three winners were Elizabeth H. Blackburn (60) and Carol W. Greider (48) who, along with Jack W. Sozstak (57), were honored for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase."
In Chemistry, one of the three winners was Ada Yunath (70) who, along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (57) and Thomas Steitz (69), was awarded the prize for "studies of the structure and function of ribosome."
Herta Muller (56) won the Literature prize, "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed."
And finally, one of the two winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science was Elinor Ostrom (76) who was cited "for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons." The first woman to win the Economics prize, she shared the honor with Oliver E. Williamson (77).
Only Physics and the Peace prizes were without women laureates this year.
A total of 5 out of 13 winners in 2009 may not seem much but when you consider that the Nobel committees honored a total of only 41 women from 1901 to 2009 for the various prizes, you can see what a breakthrough year 2009 has been. Of the 41 winners, Marie Curie was honored twice, first for Physics in 1903 and then for Chemistry in 1911. So, in reality, the Nobel committees awarded the prize to just 40 women until now.
You can expect to see more female laureates from now onwards, a recognition by Nobel committees that women have been ignored and denied the prizes for too long. You can also lay to rest all those stereotypes about women not being good enough to compete with men in the sciences. Such myths have persisted for too long. Let the best women, and men, win!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Pastoral City
It's in October that cities takes on a pastoral look. Pumpkins on bales of hay in front of grocery stores and in stalls set up on empty lots by the roadside. Orange on yellow evokes autumn, as do falling sycamore, maple and sweet gum leaves. Cars drive over and the leaves swirl, rise, and descend like confetti, only to rise and fall again as other cars follow.
You can see the anxiety on people's faces as the uncertain times claim their toll. Morning mist there's aplenty in the city but mellow fruitfulness seems a thing of the past. Children bundle up against rain and wind. They too sense the struggle confronting mom and dad and do not smile like before.
Yes, falling leaves continue to remind us of our mortality. And yes, the times are tough. The way out, though, is to shed old thinking and to reinvent oneself. The temptation is strong to settle for a job, any job, that will put food on the table and help make the minimum payment on credit cards, but that will be extraordinarily shortsighted. Go through the hardship but resolve not to work at a thankless, passionless job ever again. For everyone, there is a second act in America that promises to be better than the first. If there ever was a time to be an entrepreneur that reflects one's passion, this is it. We cannot achieve our dreams unless we burn the old bridges and begin anew. What's there to lose?
You can see the anxiety on people's faces as the uncertain times claim their toll. Morning mist there's aplenty in the city but mellow fruitfulness seems a thing of the past. Children bundle up against rain and wind. They too sense the struggle confronting mom and dad and do not smile like before.
Yes, falling leaves continue to remind us of our mortality. And yes, the times are tough. The way out, though, is to shed old thinking and to reinvent oneself. The temptation is strong to settle for a job, any job, that will put food on the table and help make the minimum payment on credit cards, but that will be extraordinarily shortsighted. Go through the hardship but resolve not to work at a thankless, passionless job ever again. For everyone, there is a second act in America that promises to be better than the first. If there ever was a time to be an entrepreneur that reflects one's passion, this is it. We cannot achieve our dreams unless we burn the old bridges and begin anew. What's there to lose?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Muse of the Romantic Poet
The star in "Bright Star" is Fannie Brawne, the love of Romantic poet John Keats's (1795-1821) life. On the screen, it is Australian actress Abbie Cornish, whose luminous, heart-breaking performance as Fannie makes her the star of this lovely, lyrical, poignant movie.
Keats died of tuberculosis when he was only 26. You can sense the tragedy developing frame by frame between the poet and his muse as the lovers desperately try to overcome poverty and prejudice to consummate their love. But it is not to be, and as played by Cornish's Fannie, far more than British actor Ben Whishaw's Keats, the pathos is almost unbearable throughout the movie.
Fannie is a self-assured seamstress but to win Keats's love, she attempts to learn the finer points of poetry from the young master himself. In one of the lessons, she tells Keats that she is going to "work" the poems, no matter how long it takes. An exasperated Keats exclaims: You don't dive into a lake to reach the other shore. You dive in to feel the sensation of body meeting water, to feel only the presence of the water. You don't work the lake!"
Keats could not make money with his poems to support himself, which was why he could not marry Fannie, and died in distant Rome away from his beloved, convinced that he was a failure. Time has redeemed him and many of his poems are considered among the finest ever written in the English language. Fannie lived with her beloved's memory for the rest of her life. In the very last and long scene, she is seen taking a walk in the snowy woods, reciting the lines of "Bright Star."
Each line of the poem evokes a distinct expression on her face, sorrow and longing combining to convey how love can conquer time and space. As she recites the last lines of the poem, "Pillowed upon my fair love's ripening breast/To feel for ever its soft fall and swell/Awake for ever in a sweet unrest/Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath/And so live ever - or swoon to death," we become believers in timeless love ourselves.
Keats died of tuberculosis when he was only 26. You can sense the tragedy developing frame by frame between the poet and his muse as the lovers desperately try to overcome poverty and prejudice to consummate their love. But it is not to be, and as played by Cornish's Fannie, far more than British actor Ben Whishaw's Keats, the pathos is almost unbearable throughout the movie.
Fannie is a self-assured seamstress but to win Keats's love, she attempts to learn the finer points of poetry from the young master himself. In one of the lessons, she tells Keats that she is going to "work" the poems, no matter how long it takes. An exasperated Keats exclaims: You don't dive into a lake to reach the other shore. You dive in to feel the sensation of body meeting water, to feel only the presence of the water. You don't work the lake!"
Keats could not make money with his poems to support himself, which was why he could not marry Fannie, and died in distant Rome away from his beloved, convinced that he was a failure. Time has redeemed him and many of his poems are considered among the finest ever written in the English language. Fannie lived with her beloved's memory for the rest of her life. In the very last and long scene, she is seen taking a walk in the snowy woods, reciting the lines of "Bright Star."
Each line of the poem evokes a distinct expression on her face, sorrow and longing combining to convey how love can conquer time and space. As she recites the last lines of the poem, "Pillowed upon my fair love's ripening breast/To feel for ever its soft fall and swell/Awake for ever in a sweet unrest/Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath/And so live ever - or swoon to death," we become believers in timeless love ourselves.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Obama Delivers with Health Care Speech
President Obama delivered on health care reform through his speech to Congress on September 9. Yes, it was only a speech but after months of vacillations and wrong signals, he cut through the lies and innuendos of Republicans and laid out his plan in clear, powerful language. It was vintage Obama and a persuasive call for action. The President’s health care bill has now a realistic chance of becoming law.
Obama had help, although from unexpected quarters. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina screamed “You lie!” when the President declared that illegal immigrants were ineligible for health care. Wilson was wrong and his indecorous behavior revealed the bankrupt tactics of the Republicans to undermine the President at any cost. Support for Obama swelled after the speech.
What also helped was Obama’s quoting the late Senator Kennedy’s last thoughts on the subject that he considered the ultimate goal of his life. "What we face," Kennedy wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country." (Here is Kennedy's final letter).
A companion piece to read with Obama’s speech would be Food Guru Michael Pollan’s take on Big Food vs. Big Insurance. Much food for though there.
Now, full steam ahead on health care.
Obama had help, although from unexpected quarters. Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina screamed “You lie!” when the President declared that illegal immigrants were ineligible for health care. Wilson was wrong and his indecorous behavior revealed the bankrupt tactics of the Republicans to undermine the President at any cost. Support for Obama swelled after the speech.
What also helped was Obama’s quoting the late Senator Kennedy’s last thoughts on the subject that he considered the ultimate goal of his life. "What we face," Kennedy wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country." (Here is Kennedy's final letter).
A companion piece to read with Obama’s speech would be Food Guru Michael Pollan’s take on Big Food vs. Big Insurance. Much food for though there.
Now, full steam ahead on health care.
Monday, September 07, 2009
Obama's Tough Advice to Nation's Schoolchildren
"But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed." - President Barack Hussein Obama
Our schoolchildren needed to hear this, and I am glad President Obama was the one to say so in his speech to the nation's kids.
With all the talks about incompetent teachers and bad neighborhoods and missing parents, students might have gotten the idea that they didn't have to apply themeselves. As soon as all the external factors were fixed, they would be successful!
In this timely reminder, however, Obama tells them in clear terms that their success depends ultimately on their effort and struggle and sacrifice.
Read the full text of the President's speech.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Edward Kennedy's Quest for Justice
The date is etched in my memory. February 14, 1972: First day of spring in the newly independent nation of Bangladesh. 
Ted Kennedy arrived at theDhaka University
“Even though the United States government does not recognize you,” Kennedy said that morning, “the people of the world do recognize you.” (The United States recognized Bangladesh on April 4, 1972. Bangladesh became an independent nation on December 16, 1971).
“Joi Kennedy,” we roared, a play on the “Joi Bangla” slogan that carried our country to independence. (Joi is Bengali for victory).
The Pakistan army had launched its attack on the night of March 25, 1971. 10,000 Bangladeshis were massacred in the first three days alone. Over a period of nine months, as many as 3 million were killed and 10 million had to flee to India for safety. Kennedy witnessed firsthand their plight when he toured parts of India and spoke of “one of the most appalling tides of human misery in modern times.”
On that spring day, our hearts filled with gratitude for the man who had denounced the Nixon-Kissinger policy of “tilting” toward Pakistan. Kennedy compared our struggle for independence with the American Revolution, drawing tumultuous applause.
Bangladesh had found a friend in need who would remain a friend indeed for as long as the new nation existed. And so it had been.
That is why, when Edward Moore Kennedy passed away on August 25 at the age of 77 after a year-long battle with cancer, Bangladeshis took it personally. Many of us had made the West our home now but who could forget his fight on our behalf during those fateful days of 1971?
I replayed the scene of his visit to Dhaka University over and over again in my mind, reliving those magical moments when anything seemed possible and freedom resonated in every fiber of our being. A human wave brought me close enough to shake Kennedy’s hands; the next minute another wave carried me back to the periphery. When Rab, the student leader, finally managed to establish some order in the crowd, Kennedy planted a banyan sapling at the spot where another banyan tree was uprooted by the Pakistan army.
It was under that ancient and historic tree that students had first planted the seeds of Bangladesh’s independence movement. Kennedy’s sapling was a reminder to tyrants everywhere that while you could uproot a tree, you could never uproot the sapling of freedom that sprouted in every human heart.
In subsequent years, Kennedy experienced both triumphs and tragedies. We learned of his undisciplined personal life, his reckless pursuit of pleasure. But in a second act of self-renewal that is unique in American history, Kennedy conquered his personal demons to become, in President Barack Obama’s words, “not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy … For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives - in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education’s promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.”
Kennedy was most animated by the quest for justice. Although he was the prince fated never to be king, his achievements far exceeded those of many presidents. He had no taste for abstract ideas. He excelled in the particular, in the painstaking and prosaic legal processes that resulted in laws that brought meaning to millions of lives. He inspired us by proving that we could overcome our failings, however deep and many, if we dedicated ourselves to causes larger than ourselves.
Once asked what he considered was his most valuable trait, Kennedy replied, “persistence.” His persistence was the product of his convictions – justice, equality, opportunity for the marginalized and the forgotten - on which he staked his political fortune. “I have believed,” he once said, “that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when hate and prejudice against Islam and Muslims gripped America, Senators Kennedy and Richard Lugar sponsored a "Cultural Bridge to the Islamic World” program. Addressing visiting Muslim students in June, 2004, Kennedy said, "After a year here, each of you are now unofficial American ambassadors to your home countries. I am sure you don't agree with everything the United States says and does, but I hope that you'll be able to explain our country and our values to your friends and family. Each time you do, you'll be sending forth a new ripple of hope.”
On September 27, 2002, a year before the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Kennedy gave a prescient speech in which he voiced his opposition to the war. “War with Iraq before a genuine attempt at inspection and disarmament, or without genuine international support - could swell the ranks of Al Qaeda sympathizers and trigger an escalation in terrorist acts.”
In another speech on January 9, 2007, he called the Iraq War “George Bush’s Vietnam.” The Iraq war, he said, “is the overarching issue of our time, and American lives, American values and American honor are all at stake … Congress can demand a justification from the President for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out … This bill will give all Americans – from Maine to Florida to California to Alaska and Hawaii – an opportunity to hold the President accountable for his actions.”
Another person who worked hard to focus world attention on the genocide in Bangladesh was former Beatle George Harrison. Along with Ravi Shankar and other musicians, he organized the Concert for Bangladesh in Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 1, 1971. Harrison’s signature song was “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Musicians and politicians, of course, use different media to express themselves, each effective in its own way, but there was no gentle weeping for Kennedy when it came to opposing injustice and atrocities. Rather, he thundered. No equivocation or considerations of political expediency. Simply state the truth as you see it and reveal the crimes, wherever the chips may fall.
As I was reminiscing about the events of 1971-72, I tried to articulate anew my thoughts and feelings on that spring morning in Dhaka almost four decades ago when Kennedy came to our campus. Then I read these memorable words of Kennedy himself, delivered at the 1980 Democratic convention in Madison Square Garden, and knew that I had found what I was looking for: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
Thanks to Ted Kennedy and those like him, our hope endures and our dream of a just world moves toward reality step by step, moment by moment.
Ted Kennedy arrived at the
“Even though the United States government does not recognize you,” Kennedy said that morning, “the people of the world do recognize you.” (The United States recognized Bangladesh on April 4, 1972. Bangladesh became an independent nation on December 16, 1971).
“Joi Kennedy,” we roared, a play on the “Joi Bangla” slogan that carried our country to independence. (Joi is Bengali for victory).
The Pakistan army had launched its attack on the night of March 25, 1971. 10,000 Bangladeshis were massacred in the first three days alone. Over a period of nine months, as many as 3 million were killed and 10 million had to flee to India for safety. Kennedy witnessed firsthand their plight when he toured parts of India and spoke of “one of the most appalling tides of human misery in modern times.”
On that spring day, our hearts filled with gratitude for the man who had denounced the Nixon-Kissinger policy of “tilting” toward Pakistan. Kennedy compared our struggle for independence with the American Revolution, drawing tumultuous applause.
Bangladesh had found a friend in need who would remain a friend indeed for as long as the new nation existed. And so it had been.
That is why, when Edward Moore Kennedy passed away on August 25 at the age of 77 after a year-long battle with cancer, Bangladeshis took it personally. Many of us had made the West our home now but who could forget his fight on our behalf during those fateful days of 1971?
I replayed the scene of his visit to Dhaka University over and over again in my mind, reliving those magical moments when anything seemed possible and freedom resonated in every fiber of our being. A human wave brought me close enough to shake Kennedy’s hands; the next minute another wave carried me back to the periphery. When Rab, the student leader, finally managed to establish some order in the crowd, Kennedy planted a banyan sapling at the spot where another banyan tree was uprooted by the Pakistan army.
It was under that ancient and historic tree that students had first planted the seeds of Bangladesh’s independence movement. Kennedy’s sapling was a reminder to tyrants everywhere that while you could uproot a tree, you could never uproot the sapling of freedom that sprouted in every human heart.
In subsequent years, Kennedy experienced both triumphs and tragedies. We learned of his undisciplined personal life, his reckless pursuit of pleasure. But in a second act of self-renewal that is unique in American history, Kennedy conquered his personal demons to become, in President Barack Obama’s words, “not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy … For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts. His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives - in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity; in children who know education’s promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.”
Kennedy was most animated by the quest for justice. Although he was the prince fated never to be king, his achievements far exceeded those of many presidents. He had no taste for abstract ideas. He excelled in the particular, in the painstaking and prosaic legal processes that resulted in laws that brought meaning to millions of lives. He inspired us by proving that we could overcome our failings, however deep and many, if we dedicated ourselves to causes larger than ourselves.
Once asked what he considered was his most valuable trait, Kennedy replied, “persistence.” His persistence was the product of his convictions – justice, equality, opportunity for the marginalized and the forgotten - on which he staked his political fortune. “I have believed,” he once said, “that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, when hate and prejudice against Islam and Muslims gripped America, Senators Kennedy and Richard Lugar sponsored a "Cultural Bridge to the Islamic World” program. Addressing visiting Muslim students in June, 2004, Kennedy said, "After a year here, each of you are now unofficial American ambassadors to your home countries. I am sure you don't agree with everything the United States says and does, but I hope that you'll be able to explain our country and our values to your friends and family. Each time you do, you'll be sending forth a new ripple of hope.”
On September 27, 2002, a year before the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Kennedy gave a prescient speech in which he voiced his opposition to the war. “War with Iraq before a genuine attempt at inspection and disarmament, or without genuine international support - could swell the ranks of Al Qaeda sympathizers and trigger an escalation in terrorist acts.”
In another speech on January 9, 2007, he called the Iraq War “George Bush’s Vietnam.” The Iraq war, he said, “is the overarching issue of our time, and American lives, American values and American honor are all at stake … Congress can demand a justification from the President for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out … This bill will give all Americans – from Maine to Florida to California to Alaska and Hawaii – an opportunity to hold the President accountable for his actions.”
Another person who worked hard to focus world attention on the genocide in Bangladesh was former Beatle George Harrison. Along with Ravi Shankar and other musicians, he organized the Concert for Bangladesh in Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 1, 1971. Harrison’s signature song was “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Musicians and politicians, of course, use different media to express themselves, each effective in its own way, but there was no gentle weeping for Kennedy when it came to opposing injustice and atrocities. Rather, he thundered. No equivocation or considerations of political expediency. Simply state the truth as you see it and reveal the crimes, wherever the chips may fall.
As I was reminiscing about the events of 1971-72, I tried to articulate anew my thoughts and feelings on that spring morning in Dhaka almost four decades ago when Kennedy came to our campus. Then I read these memorable words of Kennedy himself, delivered at the 1980 Democratic convention in Madison Square Garden, and knew that I had found what I was looking for: “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die.”
Thanks to Ted Kennedy and those like him, our hope endures and our dream of a just world moves toward reality step by step, moment by moment.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Moment of Truth for Obama’s Health Care Plan
Will it or won’t it? That is the question.
Will the public option, a government health insurance plan to compete with private insurers in the open market, remain a part of ObamaCare or will it have to be jettisoned to salvage the remaining reform pieces?
That the United States needs a better health care plan than what exists today is almost universally accepted. 47 million Americans are uninsured. Current health care is discriminatory and unfair. Administrative inefficiency is excessive. We spend almost 18% of our GDP on health care. That’s about 2.5 trillion dollars!
But Obama has so far failed to convince voters that his reform plan is the way to go.
In downtown
But this also is true: There is a strange lack of passion in the president’s attempt to convince voters of the soundness of his health care reform plan. What calls for rolling up the sleeves has instead brought us a theoretician’s ruminations, something the nation – rocked by recession - is in no mood for.
Forget the rabid right-wingers and manipulators, their outright lies about death panels, “pulling the plug on grandma” and socialism. The average American is beginning to question the president’s commitment to health reform. Has compromise been the goal all along? Is appeasing his most vocal opponents the president’s priority?
There is widespread fear and anxiety about what the future holds for health care in America that the White House hasn’t been able to dispel.
It is not too late for Obama to put his health care reform back on track, with the public option in place as it ought to be. But this will require the president to infuse his advocacy with the same passion that he poured into his presidential campaign. Too many voices from his corner are crowding out his message, leaving many perplexed and confused, while allowing his diehard opponents to spread their lies with impunity. “These are the reasons why you should vote for my health care reform plan,” the president should say, and then list his top 5 points with a clarity that anyone can understand. The only way he can combat the fiction of FOX and followers is with facts expressed in clear language. For a gifted orator and wordsmith, that shouldn’t be difficult.
P.S. With Ted Kennedy's passing today, it becomes that much more urgent for his fellow legislators to make health care available for every American. It was the goal that Kennedy worked for, "the cause of my life," until the very end of his life.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
MERLOT 2009 International Conference
I attended the MERLOT 2009 International Conference in San Jose, CA (August 13-16) as a presenter. MERLOT is the acronym for Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (www.merlot.org). Title of my Poster Session was “Acing K-14 Algebra: An Online Case Study.”
Education is going through a radical transformation, given the vast array of Web-based tools available to teachers and educators. Yet in his electrifying keynote speech (Uncommon Knowledge and Open Innovation), John Wilbanks, Vice President of Science at Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/), made the point that the Web has transformed our culture and commerce but its impact on education has been relatively small. Arcane copyright laws, artificial controls and obsolete business models have thwarted the emergence of value creation that is the hallmark of the Web. We have to take down all barriers to scholarly communication so that as more people are able to engage, possibilities of intellectual breakthroughs that we sorely need in our times dramatically go up. Innovation is an emergent property of networks. Many smart people around the world cannot make scholarly breakthroughs because they lack access to integrated information. A sustainable and scalable digital commons increases the flow of scholarly knowledge.
Educators are fond of forming “Standards Bodies,” said WilBanks, but these do not lead to breakthroughs. “Solving real problems do.” “If we can make the things we know more useful in the evaluation of hypotheses and models, we are simply increasing the mathematical odds of discovery. This is the transformational potential. It is treating the literature and data online as elements in a vast periodic table of knowledge, a common reference point against which we can test how things fit together.”
This was probably the most intellectually challenging and provocative keynote address I have ever heard. It may take a while to realize the vision that Wilbanks articulated but now we can at least hope that the Web’s radically disruptive (as opposed to traditionally incremental) effect on education will become a reality, at par with its effect on culture and commerce.
Several presentations and workshops ran in parallel during the conference’s 4 days, an abundance of riches that made me dizzy. What amazed me were the number of teachers committed to helping students get ahead in life by introducing them to innovative tools and practices. Online teaching and Web 2.0 tools are now a fact of educational life and we will see more and more of these with time. The challenge is to ensure that we are not using the Web merely as a wrapper to digitize face-to-face classrooms but to use its transformational power to bring about real and lasting changes in the ways we think, teach, learn and innovate.
Education is going through a radical transformation, given the vast array of Web-based tools available to teachers and educators. Yet in his electrifying keynote speech (Uncommon Knowledge and Open Innovation), John Wilbanks, Vice President of Science at Creative Commons (http://creativecommons.org/), made the point that the Web has transformed our culture and commerce but its impact on education has been relatively small. Arcane copyright laws, artificial controls and obsolete business models have thwarted the emergence of value creation that is the hallmark of the Web. We have to take down all barriers to scholarly communication so that as more people are able to engage, possibilities of intellectual breakthroughs that we sorely need in our times dramatically go up. Innovation is an emergent property of networks. Many smart people around the world cannot make scholarly breakthroughs because they lack access to integrated information. A sustainable and scalable digital commons increases the flow of scholarly knowledge.
Educators are fond of forming “Standards Bodies,” said WilBanks, but these do not lead to breakthroughs. “Solving real problems do.” “If we can make the things we know more useful in the evaluation of hypotheses and models, we are simply increasing the mathematical odds of discovery. This is the transformational potential. It is treating the literature and data online as elements in a vast periodic table of knowledge, a common reference point against which we can test how things fit together.”
This was probably the most intellectually challenging and provocative keynote address I have ever heard. It may take a while to realize the vision that Wilbanks articulated but now we can at least hope that the Web’s radically disruptive (as opposed to traditionally incremental) effect on education will become a reality, at par with its effect on culture and commerce.
Several presentations and workshops ran in parallel during the conference’s 4 days, an abundance of riches that made me dizzy. What amazed me were the number of teachers committed to helping students get ahead in life by introducing them to innovative tools and practices. Online teaching and Web 2.0 tools are now a fact of educational life and we will see more and more of these with time. The challenge is to ensure that we are not using the Web merely as a wrapper to digitize face-to-face classrooms but to use its transformational power to bring about real and lasting changes in the ways we think, teach, learn and innovate.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Exercise to Lose Weight? It's a Delusion!
For over a decade, I have been hitting the gym with a regularity that is downright scary. Five times a week, sometimes even 7. The idea was to keep the brain alive against the ravages of time and age, and also to tone the muscles and develop at least a 2-pack, if not 6.
But the main reason was to become lighter by shedding excess pounds. I started with 162 and aimed for 150, a nice round number that seemed just right to me. Getting rid of 12 pounds or so wouldn’t be much of a problem.
So I thought. After more than a decade of aerobics, treadmill, cycling, pushups, stretching and other forms of punishment, I weigh … 161 pounds. What gives?
In a cover story, TIME magazine (August 17, 2009) tries to explain the mystery, although the knowledge doesn’t exactly cheer me up. Apparently, exercise, particularly strenuous exercise, can actually add to your weight rather than subtract because of the effect it has on you. The effect is commonly known as … hunger. After the sweat (and sometimes the tears), you want to “compensate.” And that often turns out to be variations on the theme of “lip-licking, perfectly salted, golden-brown French-fries!”
In other words, what the gym taketh, the self giveth … and giveth. Let’s say you manage to melt 200 calories in your typical workout. But that blueberry muffin that you crave, and succumb to, after a hard day’s calisthenics, packs 360 calories. You are already in the red by 160 calories!
On the other hand, the average person who finds the idea of formal exercise with expensive equipments preposterous but casually exerts himself (walk around the block, climb stairs and such) without having to consume muffins, fries or Happy Meals, actually comes out ahead of the gym guru.
One metabolism expert puts it bluntly: “In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.”
So how do you become lighter? By choosing your food carefully, while maintaining a reasonable amount of physical activity that does not require a trip to a gym.
Exercise minimizes the risk of heart attacks, prevents diseases and improves cognitive ability. There is no doubt about this. But its effect on weight loss has apparently been greatly exaggerated. The key is moderation. Eat good, wholesome food in moderation. And strike a balance between a potato (couch) and a rat (gym).
Meanwhile, for old times’ sake, glazed chocolate donuts, anyone?
But the main reason was to become lighter by shedding excess pounds. I started with 162 and aimed for 150, a nice round number that seemed just right to me. Getting rid of 12 pounds or so wouldn’t be much of a problem.
So I thought. After more than a decade of aerobics, treadmill, cycling, pushups, stretching and other forms of punishment, I weigh … 161 pounds. What gives?
In a cover story, TIME magazine (August 17, 2009) tries to explain the mystery, although the knowledge doesn’t exactly cheer me up. Apparently, exercise, particularly strenuous exercise, can actually add to your weight rather than subtract because of the effect it has on you. The effect is commonly known as … hunger. After the sweat (and sometimes the tears), you want to “compensate.” And that often turns out to be variations on the theme of “lip-licking, perfectly salted, golden-brown French-fries!”
In other words, what the gym taketh, the self giveth … and giveth. Let’s say you manage to melt 200 calories in your typical workout. But that blueberry muffin that you crave, and succumb to, after a hard day’s calisthenics, packs 360 calories. You are already in the red by 160 calories!
On the other hand, the average person who finds the idea of formal exercise with expensive equipments preposterous but casually exerts himself (walk around the block, climb stairs and such) without having to consume muffins, fries or Happy Meals, actually comes out ahead of the gym guru.
One metabolism expert puts it bluntly: “In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.”
So how do you become lighter? By choosing your food carefully, while maintaining a reasonable amount of physical activity that does not require a trip to a gym.
Exercise minimizes the risk of heart attacks, prevents diseases and improves cognitive ability. There is no doubt about this. But its effect on weight loss has apparently been greatly exaggerated. The key is moderation. Eat good, wholesome food in moderation. And strike a balance between a potato (couch) and a rat (gym).
Meanwhile, for old times’ sake, glazed chocolate donuts, anyone?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Which States Will 'Race to the Top?'
The only constant in the calculus of K-12 public education, it turns out, is … money. Who would have thought of that? But since that’s what it is, I am relieved that the Obama administration is using money as a leverage to connect student performance to teacher effectiveness in the nation’s public schools.
There has been little, if any, progress in correcting America’s dysfunctional public schools in spite of the billions of dollars spent by the federal government and wealthy philanthropists over the last few decades. George Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was too malleable to be a meaningful criterion for progress. Teachers union has traditionally protected incompetent teachers despite their devastating effects on students. It also continues to put a limit on the number of district charter schools, a successful model in which student performances and teacher evaluations are treated as two sides of the same coin.
The Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” program changes the equation. And it comes not a moment too soon.
By dangling the carrot of money – federal grant of $4.35 billion for school reform and innovation throughout the country - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has forced the issue. Either States abide by the Race to the Top guidelines to be eligible for grant, or they don’t, in which case there will be no money. Take it or leave it. In other words, no more business as usual.
As Secretary Duncan explained in a Washington Post opinion piece (7/24/09):
"Under Race to the Top guidelines, states seeking funds will be pressed to implement four core interconnected reforms.
- To reverse the pervasive dumbing-down of academic standards and assessments by states, Race to the Top winners need to work toward adopting common, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards that prepare students for success in college and careers.
- To close the data gap -- which now handcuffs districts from tracking growth in student learning and improving classroom instruction -- states will need to monitor advances in student achievement and identify effective instructional practices.
- To boost the quality of teachers and principals, especially in high-poverty schools and hard-to-staff subjects, states and districts should be able to identify effective teachers and principals -- and have strategies for rewarding and retaining more top-notch teachers and improving or replacing ones who aren't up to the job.
- Finally, to turn around the lowest-performing schools, states and districts must be ready to institute far-reaching reforms, from replacing staff and leadership to changing the school culture."
While several states have already signed on to the program, two notable holdouts are New York and California. The reason is the insistence of the teachers unions in these states to preserve the firewall between student performance and teacher effectiveness.
But the message from Washington is clear: This firewall must be taken down, or you can forget about asking for school reform money. Arne Duncan must ensure that states are not able to find loopholes in the program to undermine its effectiveness, as was the case with NCLB. His words instill hope: "For states, school districts, nonprofits, unions and businesses, Race to the Top is the equivalent of education reform's moon shot -- and the Obama administration is determined not to miss this opportunity. We will scrutinize state applications for a coordinated commitment to reform -- and award grants on a competitive basis in two rounds, allowing first-round losers to make necessary changes and reapply."
As an educator and a concerned citizen, I hope that recalcitrant teachers unions throughout the country will welcome Race to the Top as the best K-12 reform package to come from Washington in living memory. The holy grail of public education in America has been to measure whether kids are actually learning anything in our schools to help them become productive members of society. Race to the Top offers the best hope yet to make this measurement available for public scrutiny. Schools will then be forced to promote a culture of excellence, taking corrective actions where necessary, to make our K-12 public education system among the best in the world again.
There has been little, if any, progress in correcting America’s dysfunctional public schools in spite of the billions of dollars spent by the federal government and wealthy philanthropists over the last few decades. George Bush’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was too malleable to be a meaningful criterion for progress. Teachers union has traditionally protected incompetent teachers despite their devastating effects on students. It also continues to put a limit on the number of district charter schools, a successful model in which student performances and teacher evaluations are treated as two sides of the same coin.
The Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” program changes the equation. And it comes not a moment too soon.
By dangling the carrot of money – federal grant of $4.35 billion for school reform and innovation throughout the country - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has forced the issue. Either States abide by the Race to the Top guidelines to be eligible for grant, or they don’t, in which case there will be no money. Take it or leave it. In other words, no more business as usual.
As Secretary Duncan explained in a Washington Post opinion piece (7/24/09):
"Under Race to the Top guidelines, states seeking funds will be pressed to implement four core interconnected reforms.
- To reverse the pervasive dumbing-down of academic standards and assessments by states, Race to the Top winners need to work toward adopting common, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards that prepare students for success in college and careers.
- To close the data gap -- which now handcuffs districts from tracking growth in student learning and improving classroom instruction -- states will need to monitor advances in student achievement and identify effective instructional practices.
- To boost the quality of teachers and principals, especially in high-poverty schools and hard-to-staff subjects, states and districts should be able to identify effective teachers and principals -- and have strategies for rewarding and retaining more top-notch teachers and improving or replacing ones who aren't up to the job.
- Finally, to turn around the lowest-performing schools, states and districts must be ready to institute far-reaching reforms, from replacing staff and leadership to changing the school culture."
While several states have already signed on to the program, two notable holdouts are New York and California. The reason is the insistence of the teachers unions in these states to preserve the firewall between student performance and teacher effectiveness.
But the message from Washington is clear: This firewall must be taken down, or you can forget about asking for school reform money. Arne Duncan must ensure that states are not able to find loopholes in the program to undermine its effectiveness, as was the case with NCLB. His words instill hope: "For states, school districts, nonprofits, unions and businesses, Race to the Top is the equivalent of education reform's moon shot -- and the Obama administration is determined not to miss this opportunity. We will scrutinize state applications for a coordinated commitment to reform -- and award grants on a competitive basis in two rounds, allowing first-round losers to make necessary changes and reapply."
As an educator and a concerned citizen, I hope that recalcitrant teachers unions throughout the country will welcome Race to the Top as the best K-12 reform package to come from Washington in living memory. The holy grail of public education in America has been to measure whether kids are actually learning anything in our schools to help them become productive members of society. Race to the Top offers the best hope yet to make this measurement available for public scrutiny. Schools will then be forced to promote a culture of excellence, taking corrective actions where necessary, to make our K-12 public education system among the best in the world again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)