Monthly Archives: September 2008

NY random missive 01

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Miguel d’Escoto’s Inclusionasry Logic of Love:
As world leaders continue to dish it out on hot global affairs during the 63rd session of the General Assembly, I found myself re-reading Miguel d’Escoto’s statement upon assuming the Presidency of said session on September 16th. Strong words. The world would be a much cooler place if just 10% of what he’s calling for ever materializes anytime soon. Not that I am cynical or anything, but…heck, I am cynical.

Excerpts:

This is the suicidal madness in which we find ourselves. Wake-up calls, whatever their form and no matter how brotherly their spirit, always make some people uncomfortable. However, in view of the dangerous excesses of human behaviour, these wake-up calls are imperative. Our basic problem is an ethical problem. Simply stated, we are not treating each other or the natural world as we should.

.....

In addition to the capacity to forgive, we must all rediscover our role as stewards of planet Earth. Little by little, we humans, especially those of us in the West, have rebelled against our vocation of stewardship, our reason for being. We have increasingly turned into arrogant landlords, believing that we have absolute rights over what has been entrusted to our care and management for the good of all

......


At the United Nations, the word “democracy” is becoming increasingly empty, with no real meaning or substance. Take for instance, the 45-year-old United States embargo against Cuba. Even with a majority as overwhelming as 184 votes to 4, this patently unjust and universally repudiated embargo remains firmly in place. If the opinion of more than 95 per cent of the membership of the United Nations can be so casually ignored, of what use is this General Assembly? This is a question that deserves some thought. How can we be content to say that we have democracy simply because we have the “one nation, one vote” rule? What good are votes if they can be ignored or have no real consequence?

.......

It is all well and good to preach democracy, but it would be better still for us to put it into practice, right here, at the United Nations. It makes no sense to wage wars of aggression that kill hundreds of thousands of people with the purported aim of supporting democracy, while at the same time using every imaginable means and pretext to prevent a process to democratize the United Nations itself.

.....

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Weird subway story:

A couple days go on my 80-minute commute back home, the train was somewhat crowded (not rush hour crowded). I was seated (unusually), had the headphones on and was consumed in reading something. You know how narrow subway seats are, and there is barely any space between your seat and the next, so you’re basically squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder with whoever is seated on either side? It was like that with a guy who was really into his music to my left, closed eyes lip-syncing and all, and a girl in gym cloths to my right. But then half the number of people on the train disembarked at some station, including Mr. Music Fan, and I moved to the now empty seat to my left in order to, you know, make some space. That’s when the girl to my right turned to me and said:

Subway gym girl: Are you mad at me?

Me (looking at her, then behind me, than back at her): Excuse me?

Subway gym girl: Are you mad at me or something?

Me: Ahh..umm. No. Why would I be?

Subway Gym girl: You moved away.

Me: Umm, just making space, you know.

Subway gym girl: Okay.

Me (stupidly grinning now): Okay.


I love NYC subway.
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Am I that generic?

So three people who do not know each other told me that I look “exactly” like one of their friends (in one week). Two showed me pictures of my look-alikes. Scary thing is: these guys did look like me (well, the two I saw pictures of at least). Hmm. Bummer. So I am not a unique snow flake. And neither are you.
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You shower using a sponge? That’s weak. Real men use Axe’s “shower tool!

So I was buying toothpaste or something at some supermarket, when something on the shelf caught my eye. Something dark and ominous in a sea of pastel-colored, perfumed liquid soap containers. Upon closer inspection, the object in question was identified to be Axe’s Detailer Shower Tool. It’s black and red, with what appears to resemble propeller blades on the edges. Because real men use nothing less than a tool to clean up. Not a sponge, not a loofah, but a friggin’ tool.
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P.S. Fellow UN intern Rebeccah has a blog which you should check out.

Twitt

New York, New York

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From Blog stuff


Day three of my second week in New York city where I am interning at the United Nations headquarters. I arrived here on September 12th (direct business class flight..those frequent flier miles are actually useful!) to a rainy, windy NY, which is a good break from the stifling heat of the Cairene September.


I applied to this internship last July. I figured it would cool to intern at the UN and see New York again, this time for a little longer. Initially, I thought that even if I get an acceptance I would have had to do some intense expense management since the internship is unpaid and I have to take an unpaid leave from work, in addition to a leave of absence from school, which means one more semester plus a summer session of juggling a full credit load and frequent work-related travel to finish my MA. I got the offer letter in early August and thought “screw all that, I am going to New York!”. At least it looks good on a resume, and I did need the “break”.


So, internship schmenternship. I didn’t really know what to expect and honestly,  didn’t want to expect anything. I share the “interns office” in a quiet, windowless room (see above picture) on the 37th floor of the Secretariat building with two other interns, both Rebbechas (what are the chances, huh?) from Sweden and the U.S. This fall, there is 200+ interns assigned to various UN departments and offices, an during the orientation session, we were told that we are very lucky because this is going to be the last significantly large class of interns to be taken for a long time, the reason being  that the Secretariat building will be torn down from the inside and completely renovated; a plan that is going to take about 7 years.


Things started a little slow (maybe too slow) but are starting to gradually pick up in a very unexciting way. Although just familiarizing oneself with the one billion and one acronyms people here use took up most of the first week. My computer induces bouts of “tech rage” that I try to keep under control for the sake of sparing my fellow interns a slew of expletives that I would otherwise direct at the stupid heap of scrap; it crashes if I do as much as type too fast. You’d think the U.N. would have decent machines! Ahh, amid all the excitement I must remember that this is the interns office. No expectations, only experiences. Besides, I signed a confidentiality statement or something like that and I don’t think Ban Ki Moon would be happy if he read my blog and found me badmouthing UN computers. That would be bad.


I am staying in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Manhattan is right across the George Washington bridge. The morning commute is about 75 minutes: two subway trains, a short bus ride and a 15 minute walk. Don’t mind it as long as the iPod is juiced up and piping the tunes and I’ve got something to read. I did some unintentional sightseeing though getting off at the wrong stops then wandering about thinking “this does look familiar”on the first few days. Loving New York in all its crowded, dynamic, refreshingly cosmopolitan and overcaffeinated glory.


Highlights of the week:


The General Assembly: It just started this week. Security is  as tight as an iron vise ( and that’s probably an understatement) in and around all streets leading to the UN headquarters building. There are multiple I.D. inspections starting 3 blocks away from the entrance to the Secretariat building, metal detectors, dogs, cordons, road blocks, route detours, intense-looking secret service agents and cops…the whole nine.


A morning with Mahmoud Ahmedinejad: Today I attended a “briefing session” with none other but President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of The Islamic Republic of Iran at the Grand Hyatt New York. The ballroom was packed with at least 500 interns and students.


From Blog stuff


The Iranian ambassador to the U.S. gave a short speech, and so did a couple university professors, then the man himself spoke. This was followed by a Q&A session in which he skillfully demonstrated the fine art of “political answers”, with a few gems of wisdom here and there. The session concluded with a photo op frenzy and Ahmedinejad inviting all attendees to go out and have lunch in any NY restaurant of their choice, and the Iranian Embassy is treatin’ (at which the ambassador joked “..but nothing too expensive!”).


The guy blogs too. He seems to suck almost as much as I do when it comes to updating his blog though; his last post is dated December 2007. C’mon, dude.


Celebrity spotting: Who needs to go to Hollywood? The U.N. headquartes is apparently celebrity-infested these days. Saw Micheal Douglas and a couple others during a cermemony on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, and today a fellow intern saw Jude Law walking around the Secretariat building.


From Blog stuff


That’s about it for now. Over n’out.

Twitt