This time next week I’ll be in Southern India. I’ve been asked to go out there with a charity called Salt of the Earth to take photographs of the work being done there. I’m actually going for a corporate customer of mine who has donated a large sum of money to that charity and wants to get the positive PR from that.
I’m flying to London on Thursday night because it’s just easier to do that than drive to London. Then on Friday morning we catch a GulfAir flight to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It’ll just be a short stop there before we fly the remainder of the way to Trivandrum on the South West coast of India.
I’ll be out there for just seven days working in the poor area of Tamil Nadu where two thirds of the Children suffer from malnutrition that could be cured with just two locally made cookies that would cost about a penny a day to produce. Clean water is scarce, collected by women who carry huge containers of water on their heads for several miles to get water back to their homes. Most of the people in this impoverished region live under the national poverty line of $500 a year!
The gap between rich and poor in India is, according to the DVD that I got from Salt of the Earth today, “unimaginable to most.”
I think it could be an amazing week and a hard week. I’ll have my laptop with me and will hopefully get some time to write stuff for Meanwhile. All I have to do now is figure out what power plug India uses and to remember that I have to take these Malaria tablets now every day for the next 8 weeks!
If this trip goes well then there are plans to go out to Africa and South America next year too.
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Salt of the Earth
SCAD
Facts about the region
A map of the area
Wrote the following comment on Oct 29, 2004 at 7:10 pm
Hi LittleBit106. Well I am not surprised the site works in Canada, it probably works in Mexico too. That may be because Canada and Mexico are the only two countries Bush is prepared to call ‘friends.’
The American media machine didn’t give any coverage to the scandelous story earlier this year that Bush recinded title of ‘friend’ in relation to border crossing held by some 17 countries around the world.In of itself this probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, and for Americans sitting at home watching CNN and Fox newsertainment it won’t have been a big deal at all. But to Americas former friends, like for example the UK, this was a major slap in the face.
What Bush wanted to do was end the visa waiver program that allows ‘friends’ (like me) to enter the United States for a period of up to three months without the need for a Visa. Instead he wanted to impose a draconian set of rules that would force former friends to undergo finger printing, and photographing when we entered the United States.
Quite apart from the insult of this to countries who have sent soilders to fight Americas oil war, the actual benefit to security was neglagable. Those who carried out the attacks on 9/11 were never concerned with border checks, and today like minded terrorists would still not be. However, despite this America decided to simply take appaling liberties with anyone visiting it’s country. They would take and collect data that not even the authorities here are allowed to take without probable cause! And the question of what happens to this data remains unanswered.
In the end Bush backed away from the proposal, delaying it till October 2006. Pressure from his former friends, who he still calls on for help, forced him to reconsider the wisdom of his action. The sheer cost of such rediculous new security was staggering in itself, and probably unaffordable. But add that to the billions America faced losing in lost tourist revenue, then it’s not hard to see why Bush backed away.
Personally I think the Japanese had the best idea. When they saw Bush’s very public announcement of the new rules they impossed a special U.S only rule in their immigration fee. From that moment holders of a U.S passport had to pay ten times the immigration fee amount of anyone else entering Japan.
The French sent back two planes that afternoon too. Allowing non Americans to leave the plane they ordered the Americans on the plane to stay on board, the plane was then refuelled, serviced and sent back to the United States complete with it’s American passengers.
None of this worlwide outrage made the American news though. Instead they saw only the start of the story which had Bush proclaiming how he was looking after everyone in America with tighter border controls.
If Americans are in any doubt as to who the world feel they should have as their leader, then they should check sites like the BBC, the German press, the Australian press etc.Personally I think Bush will get back in having rattled on and on about terrorism and God some more. The fear is that once he gets another four years he might decide to go after Irans oil too.
Wrote the following comment on Oct 29, 2004 at 5:36 pm
Hi there… just randomly popping in… wanted to let you know that Bush’s site is not banned in Canada. Apparently we’re not a big enough security risk!
Good luck in India!
Wrote the following comment on Oct 29, 2004 at 9:35 pm
thank you much