Miss Adventures

It’s an hour later and I’m still bawling over a piece that I saw on BBC News regarding the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. A situation this grave is enough to make an inactive person like me want to do something to help. While I may consider a letter-writing campaign at some point, I’m moved right now to assist the Veterans for Peace organization get the word out about the lawsuit Agent Orange victims (American, Vietnamese, and Korean) are bringing against the manufacturers of the chemical which is still causing gross deformations in children. The appeals hearing for the lawsuit takes place on Monday, June 18. In the meantime, the VFP is trying to get 1 million signatures for its petition to President Bush as well as raise contributions for the AO Victims Tour.

Of course, the Veterans for Peace do more than just advocate for compensation for AO victims. They currently are involved in educating the public about the human cost of war, and have campaigns concerning Iraq, Vieques and the School of the Americas, to name just a few. Humanitarians may also be interested in a new report about the vast number of children among Iraqi refugees or the ongoing efforts in Darfur by the UN Refugee Agency.

Okay…now I’ve done my part (at least a little bit). Now go do yours.

Earthquakes. Forest fires. New Orleans. Iraq. So many natural and man-made disasters are in the news lately that I keep hearing about “evacuation plans.” As serious as such things may be, I couldn’t help thinking about using the phrase in a humorous way on a baby onesie. Click on the photo above to see the finished product. Forgive me for going off on a tangent, but sometimes laughter is the best medicine.

The first thing I thought of when reading this front-page story in the Times of India today was, “Couldn’t they have let the poor thing live somewhere in the country?”

As I’ve said before, animal rights have a long way to go in this country. Full text of the “hobra,” an animal oddity similar to a liger, continues…
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If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m a sucker for anthropomorphic humor. That kind of stuff is easy to find in the New Yorker, and luckily the mag in online.

I’m a little late posting this, but I only read this article over the long weekend, as I was tucking into back issues of all of my magazines while I enjoyed a vacation in Goa…more on that later.

Hope everyone in the U.S. and all you Ami-expats had a happy 4th.

I don’t think I was the only non-Catholic to shed a tear this morning when I heard the news that John Paul II had died. I definitely didn’t agree with many of the stands that the Catholic church had taken over the last few years - though I did appreciate its stand against the death penalty in the U.S. and other countries. But, John Paul II was a very humane, likeable figure. He was like a distant grandfather for many people, so it was sad when he finally succumbed to his illnesses on Saturday.

Now, more than ever, I wish I could be in Rome. I thirst for being in the middle of history. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would choose to hang out in Berlin when they chipped away at the Wall; I would go back to the early 90s and register every URL domain name I know possible; and I would book a flight for last week so I could be in the thick of the papal transition.

After a few days, of course, talk will begin about who will be the next Pope. My bet is that the next leader of the Catholic church will be from Italy. But, it could be interesting if the cardinals choose a man from the Developing World, particularly India.
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My friend Rohit and some others have set up a blog to help consolidate information on the earthquake, tsunamis, and resulting relief efforts. Great great idea. I hope to put in a little time on the blog providing links to aid organizations and the like in the next few days. Though, if you check out the site, you’ll see it’s already quite comprehensive. There are also links to donate money online.

The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog

This was my reaction to the sad, sad re-election of W. (So, it’s not spelled just so, but you get it, right?) By the way, this shot is from Bombay’s Hanging Gardens, one of the few, grassy tranquil places in the city. More on these later when I get over my depression hangover…

Come on…don’t embarrass me over here. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but just thought I’d throw out this little nugget in case you missed it:

“The Bushies’ campaign pitch follows their usual backward logic: Because we have failed to make you safe, you should re-elect us to make you safer. Because we haven’t caught Osama in three years, you need us to catch Osama in the next four years. Because we didn’t bother to secure explosives in Iraq, you can count on us to make sure those explosives aren’t used against you.” [NYT.com]

The people in India are on pins and needles about the election, so I can just imagine how anxious you must feel over there. The world is freaking out. I am freaking out. I’ve been grinding my teeth so hard at night over this that I’ve got something close to lockjaw right now.

Anyhow, it’s not up to me anymore. I’ve already sent in my absentee vote. As for the rest of you, for the love of god, please get out there and vote for Kerry.

The huge news over here today is the demise of Veerappan, one of India’s most-wanted bandits. His stock-in-trade was endangered animal byproducts and sandalwood. (Only in India would someone make a name for himself smuggling sandalwood–does anyone born after 1960 actually like the smell of that stuff?) And, though he murdered dozens of people over several decades, many of South India’s poor considered him a quasi Robin Hood.

I’d heard of him — and found his handlebar moustache laughable — but never knew too much about him. So, I’ll let the experts tell the story:

Bio and photo gallery of the ‘Tiger’s Footprints’ [Times of India]
“After Decades On the Run, Indian ‘Demon’ Killed” [Toronto Star]
“How Veerappan Walked Into the STF’s Trap” [ToI]
This article includes a photo of the dead Veerappan (world media is so much more graphic than in the U.S.) [NDTV.com]

If you really wanna know more, check out Veerappan: India’s Most Wanted Man.

Maybe Kerry or Bush could learn a few things from the Gandhis. Humility and pacifism, sure. (And wouldn’t you pay money to see either of them in full lotus position?) But I’m just curious about how Rahul Gandhi, son of Sonia, is going about campaigning for his mother’s Congress party in India.

Today, according to Mid-Day, Rahul said that he will not campaign here in Maharashtra because his party’s “victory was not certain.” Hmmm…goes against the logic I’m used to. But I suppose when your father and grandmother have been assassinated, you are a bit more choosy of your public appearances.

At any rate, those state fairs in deep Midwest USA don’t seem half bad in comparison.

Hello. Mumbai really can be too much fun. We managed to find some clubs that the cops didn’t shut down at 1:30. Needless to say, I have a raging headache this morning.

But, I’m not too tired to read the news! First, a couple of very interesting India-related articles I read this week:

S. Asia struts on UN catwalk
Hitler’s Secret Indian Army

Good baseball news this week, too! Looks like DC might be getting a team (woohoo - deal with it, Angelos!) and the Yankees are doing their post-season thang again. Yay. I’m happy even though I haven’t seen a single baseball game in over a month.

Oh…and another baseball article I really enjoyed from George Vecsey:

A Myth That Should Not Be Perpetuated

I’ll write more about Mumbai later when my head stops aching - maybe between overs of today’s match-up between England and the West Indies in the ICC. Gotta love the cricket.

Living in USA/Europe-cable-free zone can really change one’s priorities concerning television. Do I watch the Man U.-Liverpool match or Dubya addressing the UN? As it’s a case of my future safety, I end up watching W on the BBC. He looks dapper, I’ll admit, wearing a royal blue tie. He’s not at all in his “bring it on” mode. In fact, I think he’s addressing AIDS and “human dignity.” Kudos.

But, forgive me if I go on a little political tirade for a moment.

Homeland Security is one thing. In fact, I was more than ready to leave the States, thanks to daily Orange alerts and whatnot. Historically speaking, Washington and New York are the center of the bullseye in many ways. But, when you’re living abroad and the only news that’s filtering through is from Christiane Amanpour, you start to worry about your safety as an American, no matter if you’re in Istanbul or Ile de France.

Certainly, there are more Americans in America than are living abroad. But I can’t help but think that the Americans that are most at risk are those who are living abroad. I’m working on my absentee ballot right now and I hope it goes through - in favor of Kerry (why mince words, you know?) - because I feel that a Bush win could put Americans abroad at peril. Just an opinion. Still, I think that more countries will be apt to strike at the U.S. because of a “perceived threat” (i.e., lots of fingers on the button), than willl be towards an America that works through its fears and problems diplomatically. Hey…Americans aren’t the first to think up the “preemptive strike.”

So, when you vote, why not think of lil ol’ me out here - a sore thumb amongst many unsore ones, who’d like to remain friends with people who haven’t the same background as me but have the same values.

Can’t we all just get along and take out our grudges in soccer/cricket matches?

Oooh..oooh! One more political thing before I go. Please read the Ny Times article on genetically modified grass! This is the kind of crap that people in Chapel Hill, NC have been screaming about for years, and it’s just now in the Times. People…this has enormous environmental and political implications.

My two cents….

Sorry, folks, but it’s hard to live in DC and not be lil’ bit political. So here’s a move I applaud.

Pretty smart if you think about it…I know I’d much rather have a bunch of mayors mad at me than an entire police union.