Help a sister out
February 11, 2009
My friend Ashley is a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova, the country author Eric Weiner–once a guest on The Colbert Report–calls the unhappiest nation in the world. Ashley has a new project underway to improve the health conditions at her school. For example, the school’s “outdoor bathrooms are situated in the back corner of the school yard. There are no lights, no toilet paper, no garbage cans, no drainage system, no sink, and no privacy. Every latrine is a block of cement with a hole that leads to a large hollow where all feces and garbage remain.”
If I have to talk about feces to get your attention, I will.
Ashley is someone who has dedicated her whole life to improving the lives of others. She deserves love and support from every corner of the world. If you’re able to help her out with a donation, you will be getting some serious karma points in return.
For more information on Moldova:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/md.html
Discurso de Gervasio Sánchez (Gervasio Sánchez Speech)
January 28, 2009
One of the things that I often do in my (currently abundant) spare time is translate poems, short stories, articles, or chapters of books that I find particularly interesting or worthwhile. I generally choose things that don’t already have an accessible English translation. I just do this for practice, but if anyone reading this wants to pay me to do this please do not hesitate to contact me.
A friend recently sent me a Power Point that had been circulating among Spaniards on the web for several months. The presentation introduces Gervasio Sánchez, a photojournalist who was awarded the prestigious Ortega y Gasset Prize by the newspaper El País in May 2008. The winning photo comes from Sánchez’s project entitled “Vidas Minadas” or “Mined Lives.” Below is the original Spanish version as well as the English translation.
Sánchez’s photos are stunning. It’s extraordinary that he has been able to capture these people at such different stages in their lives. Beyond that, his mission is noble. I haven’t conducted a serious investigation into his claims about Spanish arms sales, but it doesn’t seem far-fetched and anyway my instinct is to side with the hippie photo-journalist who’s trying to shake things up. I do know that the United States never signed the Ottawa Treaty, an international ban on anti-personnel landmines (the kind meant for people as opposed to the kind meant for tanks) which most European countries adopted in 1997. The U.S. wanted an exception for the landmine barrier system along the border between North and South Korea, supposedly protecting the South from a Northern invasion. But the Veterans for America are among the organizations calling shenanigans. In unsurprising NGO fashion, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines suggests we help by staying informed, spreading the word, donating money, or going to work for them. They have a very cool internship opportunity at their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, although it’s unpaid. Really seems to me like a legit cause.
