My 'hood

My days remaining in my 'hood are growing closer to the end....so I've been trying to take in some sights and photos of just the everyday images...just up the corner from the apartment at this intersection...I love that fact that the Stop sign and the directional arrow signs are all attached to the gas pipes....so you can see why gas explosions...well, are just another day in the neighborhood....what would Mr. Rodgers think?

Emma....

So I hung out with Emma for a couple of hours...and watched and occassionally helped her feed her crew of cats. Except for a few opportunities when we were able to communicate I just watched as she tenderly hand fed her cat pack. People passing by weren't sure of what to make of us...she a hunched over elderly woman...me taller black woman in a baseball cap. But it was clear that many who passed by have an affection for her, her cats and what she's doing to care for them in this limited fashion. Others...Emma wagged her finger at them as those who had the look of disgust over her efforts....she was unbowed. I gave her copies of the photos that I have taken of her and her cats over the last year....she started crying....so did I.

Sheep, sheep at their last

Emma, China and no sheep sightings

To avoid the sheep slaughter thing....I hung out with Emma (see posting from few days ago) and helped her feed her band of cats. For two hours, she diligently and with care scrapped raw meat from bones (I think mutton) and feed various segments of internal organs to her band of 10 cats. In our non-verbal communication...she speaks Azerbaijani and Russian, she explained to me their names and a little about her life. I gather she's in her 70's and before Azerbaijan's independence...she was a heart specialist and her husband a university professor. And, she's been caring for the cats at this apartment complex (she doesn't live there) for several years.
I was quite touch and at times flooded with tears...her kindness and indeed, our collective helplessness with regard to these animals was at times overwhelming...

Oh, China...did you know that in 2009, China used more steel than the US, European Union and Japan...and in the same year, more cellphones were sold in China than the entire world combined....that's one way to temper my emotions about the lives of Baku's street cats....

It is time for the damn sheep on the street again!

Guran Bayram is here again. The holiday of the sacrifice....sacrifice a sheep and share the meat with family and friends. I get it. It is a positive event here..sharing, giving to others...all noble human endeavors. But starting tomorrow through Tuesday or Wednesday, little herds of sheep will be seen about town with one hanging upside down---dead, skinned and sliced. Last year I was lucky to flee to Istanbul..this year not so lucky....

Hang Homosexuals

This was the headlines in an Ugandian newspaper twice over the last few weeks. The Rolling Stone (no connection with the more famous pub in the US) listed the names of 100 gay and lesbian with a banner statement of 'hang them'. It was several months ago that the Ugandian Parliamentary considered a bill that would give gay people the death penalty in the country. There was international outcry, including the US government, and the elected officials backed down but I'm sure the issue to kill will be rekindled in the future. In the meantime, the editor of the paper (I saw an interview with him on BBC) is adament as were the average person on the street in Kamapala...there is no place for this abberation in Ugandian society so eliminate it/them.
My dilemna is that I have been providing assistance to our lone Ugandian student here at the academy and I'm struggling with it. I have not engaged him in any conversation regarding this issue and now with only three weeks remaining here. Is every moment an opportunity for a teachable moment?

Gonna miss news like this

Last week the American born Yemen cleric Anwar al-Awlaki (who is on the CIA kill list) issued this comment "Kill Americans without hesitation and with consultation".....he is viewed as the impetus for the Detroit underpants attempted bomber, and the most recent toner cartridge bombs found in the cargo planes....