Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Saturday, September 22, 2012

FIFA, JLo, Shakira and Rhianna in Baku!

Yesterday was the opening ceremony for the U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan, featuring JLo and Cirque de Soleil. First, Eurovision, now this! 

We have tickets for the US- North Korea game next week, and K will also be going to the Shakira concert :-)


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The class and no class

The class I'm working in this school year has a wonderful assortment of kids: 5 Azeri, 3 Turkish, 2 American, 1 Afghan, 1 Indian, 1 German/Peruvian and 1 Brit.  Fun!

*******

Well, the good thing about living in an authoritarian country is that the relatively small anti-American protest that was held in front of the US embassy was quickly squelched, and the protesters bussed away. [One does wonder: never to be heard from again??]

Curious thing, freedom of speech. Those of us who have it not only take it for granted but know that when words make us furious that we can react with words hopefully heard just as loudly, and also that society would condemn us for acting in outrage; laws protect both the speaker and the unhappy listener.  Those who have no experience with freedom of expression perhaps act as they would expect their familiar authorities to do. Squelch, crush, damn, the fater and more vehemently the better.

I just don't understand how can religion, moral guide, become the impetus for so much violence, century after century.  Will we ever get it.

[It is also hard to see how so many people can take seriously a cheaply made, poorly acted peice of trash.  Sigh and double sigh]

Of course it is not as simple as religion.  US drones are killing--will we ever know how many?--something on the order of dozens of people a week.