That guy in the office...

Today there was a meeting of all local-area school staff, and I was seated next to a guy whose name I didn't know. He's been an office worker in an elementary school for some ten months, and I've never heard him speak a word. I've been going to that school once a week all this time, and I'd never even met him.

"Nice watch," I said. "It's all sparkly."

He reacted with surprise, then awkwardly replied, "Ah... um... yes. Thanks."

Then he searched for something to say in kind. "Um... I saw you at the grocery store, didn't I?"

I laughed and nodded. Actually, that was six months ago, but who cares? We actually had a conversation.

ONE GOOD DEED: Strike up a conversation with a co-worker I'd never talked to before.

Convenience store yenny jar

For almost five years I've been putting yennies into a jar at convenience stores ("yenny" is my name for a one-yen coin, roughly equal to a U.S. penny). All this time I had no idea what it was for. I probably asked when I first arrived here, but my Japanese was too poor to understand the response. Since then I've just been tossing my annoying small change into the yenny jar. So finally I asked about it today, and found out it is a charity for the deaf and hard of hearing. After that, I tossed in substantially more than a penny's worth.

ONE GOOD DEED: Donate to a convenience store charity for the head of hearing.

Minnesota wild rice for Kyoto-sensei

For all the rice they eat, few Japanese have ever seen black rice. You might as well be showing them a blue cow. That's why I love bringing back the stuff from my home state.

The vice-principal (kyoto-sensei) of an elementary is going to be transferring come March, and today was my last day to see her. She's been a huge supporter of me and my teaching efforts, and I couldn't thank her enough. So what did I give her?

ONE GOOD DEED: Give Minnesota wild rice to a vice-principal who will transfer.

Global Grassroots

After watching The Devil Came on Horseback, a film on the ongoing atrocities in Darfur, I became interested in Global Grassroots. This program, founded by Gretchen Steidle of the movie, helps women survivors in eastern Chad (Darfuri refugees) and Rwanda. These women have often suffered rape or worse. Global Grassroots helps them reclaim their sense of dignity, and trains them in starting projects to help others in their local area. A list of current projects is on their web site. Please consider joining their cause on Facebook, and donating if you are able.

Watch The Devil Came on Horseback today.



Get it through this site and all affiliate proceeds will go to Global Grassroots. Click on one of the links below.

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ONE GOOD DEED: Donate to Global Grassroots.

Learning patience

On Darwin Day I posted an essay to several email lists. It posed a problem that I don't currently understand about evolution. The responses were all over the place. Several accused me of being a creationist. One person said we don't need Darwin because he was just a white guy, and indigenous peoples already knew everything we need to know about evolution. Another person attacked me in an all-out flame. A few people addressed the topic with calm and good will, but skipped over what I wrote and replied instead with stereotyped arguments used to counter creationists. A very small minority understood what I was getting at and offered helpful nuggets of information.

Considering the extremity of some of the comments, and the accusations against my person, I noticed myself reacting with calm and candor. Some even made me laugh. To those that were flame-bait I declined reply, and to those that offered reasonable perspectives I responded in kind. I realized I must be learning patience.

Still, it was rather disappointing. Most disappointing of all were the accusations of creationism, especially when they were not accompanied by anything else to educate me about evolution. What kind of scientific climate are we living in when we can't ask questions to clarify our understanding, without being dismissed as creationists? How else does one learn? Part of the problem is that creationists have become so crafty at posing their arguments that they've pushed evolutionists to such paranoia. The other part of the problem is that evolutionists need to be more patient and willing to educate when someone raises their hand and says "I don't understand."

ONE GOOD DEED: Exercise patience in dealing with inflammatory replies to an email post.

UPDATE: Sudan president arrest warrant misreported

It appears the New York Times was mistaken in reporting that the ICC had issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese president Omar Bashir. The ICC says no such decision has been made yet.

Apparently some UN diplomats and officials said the decision had been made, when it had not.

Of course the situation remains a hot spot, all the more so for the disinformation chaos. The atrocities remain what they are, and a U.S. response is still necessary.

Sorry for the misreport in the last post.

Essay: Sudan president to be arrested - please urge Obama to send an envoy

Here is a link to send a message urging Obama to send an official envoy to Darfur. Details follow.

Yesterday was momentous in the struggle for justice in Darfur. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Bashir. This follows on Bashir's 2008 indictment by the ICC on multiple counts of genocide and atrocities. While the warrant for arrest may be a ray of hope, it could also precipitate escalation of violence. The African Union requested a 12-month postponement of arrest efforts over fears of violence between Bashir supporters and opponents.

In the wake of this situation, the Save Darfur Coalition is calling for Americans to urge President Obama to send an official envoy to Sudan. The fears of increased violence require firm action to show that pro-Bashir violence will not be tolerated.

It took me less than one minute to complete and send the email to Obama's office. Please considering doing the same. A hand-written letter may be even better, although in this case time is of the essence.

What we're seeing today is the result of years of careful effort by the ICC and many other dedicated voices, a struggle depicted in the movies Darfur Now and The Devil Came on Horseback. Yet despite these efforts, there has been very little effect on the ground in Darfur. The Janjaweed militia have been burning villages, killing men, and raping women on a systematic basis since 2003. For six years Darfur's people have lived in under these conditions. The daily need to go out and collect firewood, as mentioned in The Devil Came on Horseback, illustrates the situation: if men do it, they face castration or death; if women, rape. So most have made the communal decision that women, who at least may live through it, should collect the firewood. No one should have to make this kind of decision.

Please consider doing all you can to end this situation. Although there is the potential that any action could lead to more violence, we have effectively been doing nothing for six years, and the situation shows no sign of resolving itself.

Sending a letter to President Obama is one small step that takes less than a minute to complete. The goal is that the president "should immediately appoint a high-level official with the stature, mandate and authority to be the U.S. point person on Sudan—and bring an end to the genocide." Please weigh the potential outcomes and act according to your conscience.

Here is the link:
http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign/iccowner/3ksxgni40765mx3k?

After sending the email, please urge your friends to do the same. Feel free to pass on the current email from me if that should strike your fancy.

images: above - burning villages in Darfur, photo by Brian Steidle; left - map of Sudan showing Darfur in the west