Global facts and 633 days in Azerbaijan

Today marks my 633rd day in Azerbaijan..well could be one or two more...I've lost count..
Global facts:
Climate change...saw a report yesterday...it is relatively cold in Moscow even during the summer...here's a little tidbit...in 2009 there were 0 days above 30 C (which is about 86 F)...get this..in 2010 there were 30 days of 30 or above. The toll on human life and forest fires was enormous....the Russian don't really know how to handle this heat...even the famous and amazing Moscow Metro does not have air conditioning.

Other fact...Nigeria has 150 million people..nearly 16 million in the city of Lagos alone. To put that in comparison...okay, what 305 million in the US--give or take a few million and in
Azerbaijan there is 9 million people...

Thanksgiving 2010

We all have much to be thankful for...the list for me is long and complicated but simply stated I'm thankful that for 631 days in Azerbaijan I have not been hit by a car or bus...

At work today, a lunch was organized for us Americans (three of us) including what I would call free-range baked turkeys, roasted pumpkin and mashed potatoes. I shared with the group a brief history of Thanksgiving, including how it is viewed by many as a turning point in the lives of Native Americans (and not in a positive way). Photos of turkeys, roasted pumpkin and me with the carver...

A tree unbowed....and I, humbled...

Still trying to capture the everyday scenes around me...if you look just above the word "me" you'll see a 2 x 4 holding up the trunk...and for me....First Lady Michelle Obama's expression of being "never prouder of her country"...I too, after being here for 630 days, have never felt prouder to call myself "an American".....

Globalization makes the world flatter than even Friedman proffered

If N. Korea has a modern uranium facility...the question is how did it get it? Well, the going theory in the part of the world...Pakistan helped...and if they did it means that transport likely occured through China which makes them likely complicit.
Largest heroin seizure ever in Nigeria nearly 300 lbs...was discovered in Lagos port in a shipment of machine parts from Iran....most of the drugs were probably destined for Europe or USA.
Finally, my last tidbit...it may seem counterintuitive...but appreciate items you'll find in the US that say Made in China. Here's why...think of three levels of factories in China turning out goods...one factory makes goods destined for the US and Western Europe, another factory makes products that is sold in places like Azerbaijan (yes, most of the items here are also made in China), then there are the factories that manufacture items that are actually sold to the citizens of China...now let me guess which factory's product you want on your back....

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