This is so cool!

Survival of the smartest

A few nights back I was watching a television debate on religion. The setting was somewhat unusual and the comments much wittier than we're used to hearing. At one point intelligence was raised on the table referring to claims that atheists have higher IQ than believers. "Huh? I didn't get that," was the funny reply by the visiting pastor. Later one mouth said that this is proven by the popularity of religions in developing countries. !!! No one blinked or raised their eyebrows and the talk continued.

I was surprised how such comment can be acceptable in the year 2013.

In his book Guns, Germs and Steel Jared Diamond is arguing against such a claim. What seems to us as less developed does not imply to less intelligent. An example would be a New Guinean who knows thousands of plants and their possible uses. Or an aboriginal in Australia, who can easily survive in hot desert where yours truly would dry out in few hours. And he's not the first or the last making this point. 

Apparently the whole book is there to explain why Europeans attacked and conquered other continents. Many have used the concept of IQ in justification of this history. Diamond's explanation is more or less due to things like chance, evolution, environment and climate. Somehow it's not enough. Though very understandable for a firm believer of evolution.

Biology does not explain greed, oppression, violence or hatred. Conquer of the New World was not about survival of the fittest it was about the dark nature of human being.

I believe that given the chance anyone of us could be the oppressor to some extent. This is where we need religion. Smart are those who realize it.

Whose point of view

Few days before our departure from the US we heard what had just happened in Boston. It felt like for the first few hours everyone was in a state of anticipation. I personally thought the bombs were a diversion for something much more horrid just like in Norway. Luckily they captured the bomber and whatever plans he had are now belied.

All major TV channels were all about Boston - naturally. But literally this one event excluded every other piece of news. After the first day one might have like to hear wether or not North-Korea is attacking anyone or say know if there still is a Europe with all its' financial problems. Did the senate pass new laws, was there any natural catastrophe going on, how were things with the army or the legal system?

What is shown on TV is always someone's point of view and those making the decision have their interests and motives. (OK I admit I've been watching The Newsroom lately.) With Boston there were hours when nothing new truly happened, they were just repeating the same news, showing one runner take a fall again and again and finding people who commented jus how terrible it was to set a bomb in Boston.

I don't think I was the only one hoping to see or hear something else. Or was I?

Refugees

How desperate is your situation when you end up seeking refuge in Malawi? I mean were talking about one of the poorest countries in the world. Value of Kwacha went down I don’t know how much in only three months I spent there, big percentage of the population suffers from starvation and let’s not even start the HIV.

A refugee in Malawi has to have good reasons to leave ones’ country. And there’s over 20 000 reasons.  I had the privilege to visit Dzaleka refugee camp – a privilege cause at the end of the day I could leave the place. Several others can’t.

Some of the inhabitants of the camp have lived there close to 20 years. They consider it as their home as shabby as it is. Just before you reach the camp coming from Lilongwe there's a small hill with some trees and bushes. It's a cemetery for the refugees. Cause in Africa people want to be buried close to their home.

What ever happened to Delia?

Months prior to Christmas were busy busy busy. I truly did try to keep up that positive attitude towards the upcoming winter and appreciate the little things. Days were passing at work and while I wasn’t there I tried to focus on things that make me happy. Oh, and spicy food. (Thanks Jamie Oliver!) Cold, snow, slippery streets and dark mornings were there every single day. But then I faced one surprising turn after another.

I got one of those offers you can’t refuse. As my day job was anyway coming to an end and I had no plans for the future the decision was kinda easy. To put it short I’m in Africa! More specifically in Malawi, a beautiful tiny country south of Tanzania.

So instead of skiing and hibernating through the winter I’m enjoying sun, warm and wonderful people.

Next updates and number of pictures are purely dependent on Internet access.

Fingers crossed!

Up in Smoke - no more

This is an inspiring series of short movies. So cool innovation!



Oxfam has couple more of these videos on this topic. You can find them in Youtube.

Here's the answer, but what was your question again?

Where there is Christian mission there are also medical doctors. For centuries these colleagues have packed their belongings and shipped themselves to the other end of the world to do a noble and most of the time not so easy a job. Along with other things they've taken with them their western medicine and social thinking. It can't be beaten for sure.

Medical aid promotes Christian faith and little by little locals want to know more. Motivation for this can be caused by a number of things. Churches are established and they grow by number. One day that congregation might be sending a missionary of their own to a far away land. This is the big picture.

I was surprised to discover how little research has been done of the role of medical work in the field of mission. These days our work and education is all about evidence based methods. But that does not seem to apply for the ones in the jungle.

I managed to get a hold of few articles criticizing western medicine and the inability for priests and medical doctors to work alongside. The publication used a particular African tribe as an example, but I think this can be applied to nearly anywhere.

As a representative of western medicine I listen and examine a patient usually with only one thought. What is the right diagnosis and then, how should I treat this. Sometimes I decide to see the patient later on again, but for most that one appointment is it. If I manage to answer those two questions in a way that pleases both the patient and myself, I'm usually content and forget the whole case. This is pretty much the method used by the doctors described in the article.

However for the locals, which this article describes, getting sick and cured was much more than that. They wanted to know the cause and understand it. They wanted to be cured in a holistic way and moreover the same should be prevented from happening later on. This way of approaching diseases was provided by the traditional healers and their methods pleased their customers. Needless to say the end results weren't always successful and the treatments sometimes cost a fortune.

With the arrival of foreign medical doctors the statistics got better. But a healthy patient was not always a pleased one. Western medicine felt so superb it kinda forgot there ever was any other sort. Or the possibility of learning from others.

I often find myself in a situation where the patient is somehow dissatisfied without either one of us being able to point a finger at a particular problem. It is likely that non-medical answers are expected from us and a wake up call could do good for the whole system of health care. Here the traditional method could be of aid. Maybe there's plenty to be found in the toolbox of the traditional healer as well as in his style of approach.

Never Sorry

The documentary starts with a story of a cat. One that is different from all the other numerous beasts living in the artist's home. This one can open doors. Just like the other cats it has seen humans do it many times. One day it decided to do the same.

What's the difference between a human and a cat? Only the former feels the need to close the door he has opened.

Easygoing Sunday

This one is fun to watch. Guest appearances from various animals were slendid. The whole story is on youtube for instance.

If these walls could talk

Think you’ve attended the best historical tour? Meet this guy and say that again.

My friends, who were obedient followers of Lonely Planet, told me we should attend a tour by Carlos Celdran. (Never heard of him before.) This was the thing to do in Manila. I agreed mainly because the history proportion was ridiculously small in that amazing city. Every time the locals wanted to do something with us we ended up hanging out in a mall slightly bigger than the previous one.

Every now and then when abroad I’d like to wear a t-shirt saying “I’m not American.” Silly I know, but history usually means events that took place within the past fifty to hundred years and the Americans have kept themselves (or their army) busy globally within that time frame. Emotions run high when visiting historical sites and you don’t want to share them with someone whose nation caused some of the pain.

What Carlos Celdran took us through was heart breaking, controversial, interesting and amazing. I didn’t have that t-shirt with me, but because of my appearance I didn’t feel the need of one saying “neither am I Japanese or Chinese.”

The Philippines is a wonderful country. Best part of it is the people. (Nature comes close second.) My Filipino friends were shocked during the tour just as I were. They hadn’t heard all the historical back rounds to some of the most bewildering events in their country. It was not all in what was said but rather how it was said. There was an artist at work.

In Vietnam and Cambodia I have felt numb, empty, sad and ridiculous after getting to know how cruel a human being can be to another. This is why I have to regulate my original venue history doses. However Mr. Celdran tried to avoid that. His tour had a message of hope and an idea of a better future. He did not cry for help from abroad, he believed in the country he loves. The wonderful Filipinos.

What I drank today

Doesn't really matter. If you've got a cup like this.

Cute 'eh. Reusable, sustainable and frankly nice to show-off. For more here's their website.

Well done Danny Boyle!

For once an opening ceremony that was fun, exciting and worth watching 'till the end. I knew that Brits would have it their way. But please, never again sportscasters commenting on such occasion.

As the athletes began marching in I couldn't help but thinking all the associations their countries are linked, at least in my head. Yes it is supposed to be a celebration of sport, determination, success, peace and so on. And yes the athletes themselves probably have nothing to do with these issues, but it is rather unbelievable that for example Afghanistan and USA were both there. Or imagine that these countries, in stead of healthy and fresh looking athletes, had brought the worst of their culture on that stadium. "Next we have Liberia led by Charles Taylor and his child soldiers. Here comes Cambodia with old Khmer Rouge leaders who managed to escape justice. This country you all know, they're the biggest human rights violators in the world."

I'm not a sports fan, but somehow you get sucked into these mega events. So most likely I'll be following London these upcoming days. Big emotions are what we're looking for, I think, and there's plenty to come. In the midst of it all I hope that the viewers could have their eyes open to more than that one amazing performance. After all it's the result of years of hard work in a certain culture, country, society and piece of history.

SCSL big judgement

Much expected by many. Here it is, the verdict.
Special Court for Sierra Leone was established in 2000. This I presume is because ICC was only a plan back then.
Albeit there are several other high class crooks, you've got to start somewhere. Hope this brings some atonement for he victims and their famlies.

By who?

Lisää kuvateksti

I spotted it from Facebook. My friend likes it. It's published on a personal page of someone who fancied it. If you google it you can find it from several blogs. And then Creative Commons, No rights reserved. Finally a name, Kai Krause.

It's big. I know. Perspective eh.