Monday
Shocking story about a Cuban man who emerged from under an aircraft in Montreal, Canada. He had hung onto the landing gear of the aircraft that took off from Havana for the four-hour flight. This poor soul was treated for hypothermia and has filed for refugee status. He said he could scarcely breathe through the flight but got some warm air everytime the aircraft dropped in altitude. The news report says: "Once he stumbled on to the runway, unable to speak due to his hypothermic condition, the man was apprehended by shocked airport employees who turned him over to immigration officials.The man, who said he worked at the Havana airport, would like to work in Canada in order to bring his wife, daughter and parents from Cuba."
Sunday
Fantastic essay by Tariq Ali in The Guardian on the Nobel Peace Prize and some of its less-than-deserving recipients. Ali tracks it from 1906--the year Roosevelt got the Nobel Peace Prize. He quotes from Roosevelt's enthusiastic descriptions of the Spanish-American war, which illustrate Roosevelt's view of war as a brave and even fun, adventurous pastime. In 1938, Hitler and Gandhi were shortlisted for the prize. Gertrude Stein apparently wrote in The New York Times, advocating that Hitler be given the prize. Hitler was Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1938?! I know the world did not still know how evil he was then, but how does one know? Especially in today's media circus...having read all the congratulatory articles on Jimmy Carter -- I actually believed that this was one US president who had fought no wars and worked his whole life for peace. But Ali demolishes these myths by revealing Carter's role in orchestrating mayhem in Nicaragua, Korea and East Timor. We have prizes and awards to uphold peace and humanity which then go to rich, ruthless politicians with a sharp image-management team.
To break off on a tangent, I guess we were never meant to idolise each other. But we are constantly being told to idolise this man's courage, or that woman's beauty or uncommon intelligence. We are then supposed to feel elevated when we so much as make superificial contact with one of these ethereal beings. I mean the very essence of the social spirit of Bombay these days is embodied by raconteurs of celebrity encounters. As Joseph Epstein writes, "The whole idea of name-dropping is to bring up a personal encounter with someone whose name generates awe, curiosity, or a pang of envy." If you are interested in snobbery and its machinations, then read this essay. I really enjoyed it.
Sunday, December 08, 2002
