So, How Many 2009 Wishes Came True ?

Last year, exactly 365 days ago, I wrote a post which contained my "2009 Wishes for Golf". I could think of no more appropriate way to close out the year than to look back on a select few of these wishes and see how many came true..so without further adieu, I will turn this over to Bushwood's Magic Genie - aka "G-Money" (his replies follow in quotes):

(1) For the LPGA, I wished:

• Great performances by marquee players - " Sorry, maybe next time"
• Stability among the sponsors - - "No prob, among those who hung around" - Fail..
• A replacement for Carolyn Bivens - " SCORE !!! Wish granted..."

(2) For the PGA

• Sponsor stability - "Sorry, it's the economy stupid - and we gotta use the TARP funds to pay them bankers their bonuses".
• A quick recovery for Tiger - "Well he recovered all right...but a funny thing happened on the way out of the driveway"...
• Early wins for some of the players we wish were BCC members (Boo, AK,DLIII,Bubba,JB, IP,Shark, Rocco): "Complete strikeout"
• Solid performance at a major by Kenny Perry - "Almost,kimosabe...almost - #18 at August was just too cruel to KP"

(3) For Sergio, some humility and class: "How about a really crappy season and an injured claw at the very end ? Karma is a bitch, el nino...so get some manners or u will have a worse 2010"..

(4) For Michelle Wie, a focus on the LPGA, some solid results, and some space from the 'rents: "Well, you played better,won your first event, and did not seem to make references to the PGA tour - so thats a SCORE. It looked like you were getting some distance from the helicopter duo,but the moment you won,BJ practically ripped the trophy from your hands and did a lap around the 18th green. Two words of advice - patricide now"

(5) For the “twentysomething golf blogger” – a return trip to TGC Amateur Nationals- hope to see you there. "Wish granted - although we both played better, there's still room to get better"

(6)For Amber Prange : Early success in the Spring events - "Not so much early success came your way,but you played in an LPGA event AND got full playing privlieges on the Duramed Futures tour in 2010 - so I'd call that SCORE".

All in all, we should not be surprised or complain....because just like in golf, sometimes we got the break and our wish was granted, and other times we "lipped out". We have lots to be thankful for, and lots to look forward to in 2010. Happy New Year to all of the BCC members and readers !

Bom Ano 2010 !!!!!

Feliz Ano 2010 / Happy New Year 2010

4UDECOR deseja a todos um feliz ano 2010 cheio de saúde, prosperidade e muita saúde.

Happy New Year Sidney

Links

(Human breast milk soap on sale at Jingguo Boulevard in Taichung on Sunday)

• The future of body part replacement is going to be 'grow your own' or reconstructive structures placed around a wounded or damaged body part with fresh cells containing the bespoke DNA required to grow the necessary part in the space provided. Growing teeth is just a start.
• A comparison of the two Health Care Bills in congress - from the Senate and the House of Representatives.  My impression is that Obama's election promises are most nearly met by the version passed by the House of Representatives.
• The 30 day rule strikes again - the recent cross-strait agreements will not need Legislative review according to MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) because they do not necessitate a change in law.  One wonders if ECFA will be treated in the same way.
• Wang Dan comes up against Chinese Students in Taiwan.  Maddog has more detail including a claim that flyers promoting the Wang Dan speech were ripped down, implying that Chinese students may be responsible.  Here we perhaps can see one of the first documented instances of Chinese students coordinating action.  We also see a reference to 'professional students' or those who study abroad with a political agenda that is more like a series of directives than personal ideological bent.   
• DPP takes a different tack on criticising the Government - this time saying that the Government hasn't been able to bring in a sufficient Chinese investment ... 
• New EPA idea: solar-powered glasshouses on fallow land to grow valuable crops and provide power to communities. This is good.  There are so many ways we can all convert to energy self-sufficiency.  I believe the answer lies in the phrase 'take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves'.  The trick is to proceed quickly so that new energy friendly means of production and consumption can actually allow for a significant cut in emissions and pollutants.
• A translated 'tell-all' UDN editorial on Former President Chen Shui-bian.  The main charge is that Chen was corrupted as soon as he entered office. The main problem is that, even if true, the article provides no context to its claims as if Chen was a Marcos amongst saints.  The ugly truth of corruption not just endemic in politics but also economics is avoided.
• Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu wants the tax base to be broadened including " including revoking tax exempt treatment for military personnel and teachers, imposing higher taxes on expensive properties and luxury goods, and levying a carbon tax to secure "social justice and fairness" [sic]."   Sounds good in principle but the struggle over tax exemptions for military and teachers was unsuccessfully tackled by the DPP and with luxury condos being built left right and center the developers won't like higher taxes cutting into their speculative profit margins.  As for the carbon tax, I'd like to see one on the biggest producers of carbon rather than rises in the cost of everyday petrol and gas but pigs will fly before then (as an example, the biggest industries pay far less for electricity than household consumers yet produce much more carbon emissions - the damage the commons and do it cheaply).
• As was the case in the UK in the 1980's, but for vastly different reasons and to different ends, unions in Taiwan have been targeted. "The unions voiced their opposition against a proposal now under second reading at the Legislative Yuan which gives the government the right to disband unions and restricts their membership. Protesters from labor unions threw cow dung at the headquarters of the ruling Kuomintang Wednesday to protest against restrictive legislative proposals ... Because Ma had not delivered on any of his promises, union leaders said they might organize a series of protests in the run-up to his second anniversary in power next May 20. At a news conference Wednesday morning, Taiwan Labor Front Secretary-General Sun Yu-lien said laborers were not feeling anything of the economic revival touted by the government and the media. He also lashed out at Ma’s failure to realize his campaign promises of 6 percent economic growth, US$30,000 average income and 3 percent unemployment. Even though the jobless rate was now falling back from a summer peak of 6 percent, the number of long-term unemployed had risen faster than ever."
  
• I agree with the United Daily News - time for an economic revolution - Taiwan must be at the vanguard of environmentally friendly production, energy use and transportation.
• From the China Times: "what is more worrisome is that the public might simply not care about public affairs.  One should never overlook the issue. A society that lacks public discussion on politics and policy will find it difficult to upgrade its political culture, and this is not healthy." - I agree except that we've been trying to have a debate on a really important issues - ECFA - and the Government keeps trying to shield the details from examination.  Also, in Taiwan, public discussion of politics is highly partisan which I suspect has begun to have the effect of wearying the public in much the same way as voter participation levels have fallen in other 'advanced' democracies.
• Apple Daily (long a paragon of democratic and moral virtue (or rather not)) has a beef with the NCC including these interesting statements: 

It seems the National Communications Commission (NCC) has been so capivated by China that it is diligently learning from China's control of mass media and may soon become an incarnation of the now-defunct Taiwan Garrison Command in restricting freedom of speech.

Claiming that current TV news graphics are messy and untidy, the NCC says it will lay out ground rules to standardize the format of TV news graphics, including the direction and size of the Chinese characters used in the graphics. Violators may face fines ranging from NT$200,000 to NT$1 million.

Since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office, the sense and scope of government control has become more evident than during the previous A-bian administration. The NCC is a typical example.

Thirty-five media outlets ran a joint advertisement in local newspapers Tuesday reminding the NCC that it only has supervisory rights and should not try to expand its role in restricting electronic media operations.

We support such an appeal and suggest that they file a request for a constitutional interpretation by the Constitutional Court of Grand Justices to prevent the NCC from becoming an anachronistic "bizarre beast" with unauthorized power.

Referendums Vs Ambiguous Opinion Polls

Hualien County Council  has rejected a decision to hold a referendum on the proposed Suhua Highway and in comments related to the 'beef crisis', Premier Wu had some comments about referendums too:

On a proposal by consumer groups to hold a referendum on whether the government should start renegotiations with the US, Wu said this should be regarded as “a last resort,” to be used when other measures are exhausted.

“Referendums are not forbidden and no one has the right to obstruct a referendum. But we should avoid them unless it is absolutely necessary,” Wu said.

If lawmakers reach a consensus on the Act to incorporate articles to ensure the safety of US beef imports and relieve public concerns about the products, it would not be necessary to put the issue to a referendum, he said.

I would agree that a referendum on restarting negotiations with the US over the beef issue is not the best use of such an expensive democratic mechanism but I do not agree that "we should avoid them unless it is absolutely necessary".  In the case of the Suhua Highway for example I would argue that, like the successful Penghu referendum on casinos, this a good example of a situation where a referendum of Hualien residents would be a good way to determine the way forward.

In Wu's remarks I think lie the KMT's instinctive fear and contempt for direct votes and plebicites whose results are not as easy to predict or manage as election results.  Also, the practice of referendums has become popular in Taiwan since the 2003 law facilitating them (despite its huge obstacles to having them passed).  If Taiwanese get in the practice of deciding big issues by referendum, they will demand a referendum for those policies or international agreements that they perceive to have a potentially big impact upon their lives.  This means that they could demand a referendum for ECFA or a peace treaty, not a prospect either the KMT or CCP wish as the wind is against them in terms of public enthusiasm for more opening to China and all but official annexation through a peace treaty based on a one chine principle.  Hence the KMT demarcating the ECFA as economic and not political (what? we can't have referendums on economic issues?) and saying that an ECFA will pass when it has 60% approval as defined by a few MAC opinion polls.  The problem here is that whereas the KMT and MAC state ECFA support at around 50%, by literally ignoring the 'don't knows' and 'undecideds', they can claim a figure of support at high 50% and opposition at 20-30%.  Thus, the Government prefers polls that it can better manipulate to show the results they want rather than an all out open vote on the issue which might not pass given the deliberately high threshold requirements set by the 2003 Referendum Law.      

So watch out as the time for signing the ECFA nears for the Government claiming that more and more polls show the magical 60% public support Premier Wu set as a condition.  What won't happen is that the ECFA will be put to a referendum since if the DPP boycott the vote (as the KMT did for referendums in 2004 and 2008) it is highly unlikely that it will pass.

If the Government pulls the ECFA out of the 'black box' and fully informs the public about its content and allows a full debate they could convince enough people to pass the referendum but I suspect they do not wish such a  annexation flagship policy to be determined in this way.

Converta a sua sala num quarto

Esta é uma magnifica solução para quem tem pouco espaço em casa, este sistema converte a sua sala num relaxante quarto, o sofá dá lugar a uma cama confortável. Varias soluções possíveis, desde lacados a estofos personalizados para si.

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Pylon de Tom Dixon

Cadeira totalmente única de Tom Dixon, construída em fios de aço, disponível em alumínio natural, laranja, azul ou revestimento de gesso branco lacado.

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Poltrona Showtime Jaime Hayon

Showtime a poltrona faz sucesso de Jaime Hayon com diversos acabamentos disponíveis.

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Griffith Sides With Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is on your team Parker, enjoy.

Cama Cleópatra Auping

Esta é a edição de aniversário da cama Cleópatra de 1953, premiada pelo GIO. A Auping introduziu esta cama de modelo retro adaptada às novas tendências. As ligeiras alterações produzidas são apenas adaptações para o sistema AVS e pouco mais. Esta cama encontra-se disponível com diversos acabamentos, com AVS fixo ou ajustável, opções: com cabeceira, mesa de cabeceira, candeeiro de cabeceira, colção, fusion colcha especialmente concebida para Cleópatra.

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Iluminação na Medida certa

"DE NADA ADIANTA UMA GRANDE QUANTIDADE DE LUZ SE ELA NÃO ESTIVER BEM DISTRIBUÍDA E NÃO FOR DE QUALIDADE. PEQUENOS DETALHES NA ILUMINAÇÃO DA CASA FAZEM A DIFERENÇA E DEIXAM OS AMBIENTES MAIS AGRADÁVEIS. CONFIRA AS DICAS DE UM ESPECIALISTA.

O aconchego de uma casa pode ser sentido através de um bom projeto de iluminação, que deve considerar três fatores básicos: conforto visual, luminotécnica e economia de energia. Achar que qualquer lâmpada irá produzir o efeito desejável é um engano. É preciso saber onde e qual lâmpada colocar, assim como optar pela luminária certa. Uma luz bem escolhida confere funcionalidade, bem-estar e beleza ao lar.

Para criar um ambiente agradável, os profissionais especializados em projetos na área conseguem efeitos exclusivos para cada ambiente, de acordo com o uso do espaço no dia a dia e as exigências estéticas.
“A ideia de conforto é subjetiva, ou seja, cada pessoa tem suas próprias necessidades e conceitos sobre o que é ou não confortável. Porém, existem alguns critérios que se deve levar em conta para se sentir bem em um ambiente numa visão geral. E a iluminação bem planejada é uma delas. Elegante ou informal, com ela você pode conquistar uma atmosfera mais charmosa ou um ambiente mais relaxante, lançando mão de diversos recursos”, garante o lighting designer, Paulo Oliveira.

Ele lembra que a iluminação natural é um ponto de partida importante, mas não elimina a necessidade da luz artificial que, com pequenas regras melhora as condições de luminosidade em um ambiente que solicita lâmpadas acesas durante o dia.
“Já está bem difundido que as lâmpadas incandescentes consomem mais energia que as luorescentes. Mas, se você souber escolher o conjunto – lâmpada, luminária e acessórios – correto para cada tipo de aplicação, terá um resultado melhor, além de racionalizar o consumo e usufruir da qualidade da luz. Um projeto de iluminação pode mesclar focos de luz diretos, que incidem especificamente sobre algo, e focos indiretos, que é uma luz ‘rebatida’ como no caso dos abajures, arandelas, etc.

A luz indireta também é produzida pelas sancas (built-in) e embutidas em móveis, apenas como secundária e nunca como principal, assim como as luzes de efeito, aquelas mais decorativas. Arandelas e spots sempre conferem efeitos contrastantes. Lustres pendentes e o emprego de luzes em nichos também dão excelentes resultados. A luz indireta valoriza a decoração e pode ser uma solução simples para alguns ambientes, pois o resultado é uma luz de preenchimento, re letida de forma mais suave. É possível também eliminar a sensação monótona da iluminação homogênea, utilizando luminárias periféricas e variedades de lâmpadas que permitem combinações para o efeito desejado”, indica Oliveira.

O mercado oferece inúmeros produtos e a escolha, segundo o designer, depende muito das funções que serão cumpridas no ambiente. “Uma boa iluminação pode criar sensações. Cada detalhe dá um toque diferenciado com a incidência de luzes compatíveis para cada cômodo. Quanto mais amarelada for a tonalidade da luz, mais aconchegante e tranquilo será o clima, especialmente em alguns cômodos da residência como sala de estar, de jantar, copas, dormitórios, corredores, banheiros, etc. Já a luz mais branca é recomendada para ambientes mais ativos, onde se pretende estimular a produtividade, tais como cozinhas, áreas de serviço, de trabalho e de estudo na casa. E é possível misturar as duas num mesmo espaço”, orienta.

Compor a iluminação, utilizando as várias formas e equipamentos, garante cenografias diferentes para momentos diferentes. Efeito cênico, intensidade e temperatura, de acordo com Oliveira, são as ferramentas de um bom planejamento de lighting design. “Focos de luz em quadros, arranjos lorais, esculturas e objetos de decoração são usados para valorizar as peças. Porém é preciso salientar que cada tipo de material tem características e sensibilidades próprias, além de re lexões específicas, que devem ser consideradas no projeto para reproduzir cores, texturas e brilhos do objeto com fidelidade e não causar nele danos irrecuperáveis.

É bom lembrar que todas as lâmpadas têm emissão de raios ultravioletas e infravermelhos, em maior ou menor proporção, mas todas têm. E isto pode implicar em desbotamento, despigmentação, ressecamento e queima do objeto, sem falar do aumento da temperatura no ambiente pelo efeito do calor emitido por fontes artificiais de luz. Aconselho ter muito cuidado no uso de lâmpadas Dicróicas, AR 111 e PAR, pois elas têm especificidades técnicas para cada situação e oferecem grande emissão de calor. O ideal é que estas sejam usadas com seus acessórios, como filtros bloqueadores de radiação, por exemplo”, informa o designer.

Uma forma de evitar isto, diz Oliveira, é conferir as características da lâmpada na embalagem, como o IRC (Índice de Reprodução de Cor) e potência. Também é indicado verificar se a lâmpada já vem com filtro antirradiação e dissipação de calor.

A tecnologia ganha força no mercado da iluminação. Os diodos emissores de luz, chamados de LED, conquistam cada vez mais espaço nos ambientes residenciais. “Os Leds, assim como a fibra ótica, transmitem a sensação de contemporaneidade e leveza, pois permitem novas concepções de iluminação com sua variedade de cores e versatilidade. Por suas dimensões favorecem a criação de luminárias menores e mais discretas”, sugere.
O designer lembra ainda que a iluminação, especialmente na área externa da casa, também pode ser uma aliada da segurança, através da instalação de dispositivos como o relê fotoelétrico, acionado automaticamente na ausência de luz natural, e o sensor de presença, que acende a luz quando alguém se aproxima dele. “Outra dica de segurança importante: quando você liga várias lâmpadas ou aparelhos numa mesma fonte, sempre existe o risco de sobrecarga e eventual curto-circuito”, finaliza.

IRC
Quanto mais próximo de 100 é o IRC, menos distorção nas cores esta luz vai produzir. Onde a cor certa for fundamental, o índice deve ser no mínimo de 80." sic revista Viva Bem da Unimed Londrina

MSNBC: GOP Embraces Democratic Turncoat (Griffith)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hey The NRCC Got Something Right About Parker Griffith

I almost hate to admit it, and there premise is skewed, but the NRCC actually got something right:

The GOP Keeps At It

Candeeiro Air de Ray Power, LZF

Este candeeiro é a nova criação de Ray Power, disponível em varias cores.

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4UDECOR Deseja a todos um Excelente Natal

Private Army

This video is about the visit of ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin to a temple in Changhua Taichung County. The report focuses on the large number of young men in red and pink t-shirts who are present to provide added security for the temple. Remember that in Taiwan temple's are usually not politically impartial institutions. Many, including the temple Chen was visiting, are reputed to be run by, or defended by, criminal and gangster elements. Many also have close links to local politicians who in turn allegedly use the temples for a range of political and financial purposes. The young men in the video are almost certainly members of one of the many gangs in Taiwan. This is why the report mentions an 'autonomous' zone whereby the number of 'temple security' is large enough to present a co-ordinated force that could challenge the ability of police to maintain order. This might also reflect on the degree to which the rule of law is respected or, more importantly, trusted by different sections of the Taiwanese public.

Ivey On The Griffith Switch

Kay Ivey wasn't quite as accepting of Parker Griffith as her fellow GOPers:

"Political self-preservation isn't a virtue," Ivey said. "In fact, political expediency is an insult to every grassroots activist who commits untold hours in devotion to getting candidates elected."

According to party chair Joe Turnham, there may have been a little lifting of political information as Griffith departed:

A Huntsville firm that advises Griffith, Main Street Strategies, downloaded Democratic Party data from party computers even though he was going to the GOP, Democratic chairman Joe Turnham said in a statement."The Democratic Party has spent untold sums of money building good data for elections and we make that data available to our Democratic candidates and officeholders. Mr. Griffith's campaign benefited from this asset, and he wouldn't be a congressman today without it," said Turnham.

Literal Music Videos

Apparently hot this year, Literal music videos are video singles from famous songs with new vocals put on top (and often with subtitles) that attempt to describe what's literally going on in the video ... Here's some I found on youtube. Enjoy!. Hoping everyone has a good and festive long weekend. Cheers.









(please excuse the cheap shots at gays in the opening minute or so)

Tomorrow: Concert to bless the victims of High Tech Industries

Thanks to EVA for the heads up:

12/25 平安在哪裡？-高科技產業受難者祈福音樂會
時間：2009/12/25（晚上六點）
地點：彰化二林相思寮聚落（彰化縣二林鎮太平路5號）

Dec 25th. Where is the "Peace"? - Concert to bless the victims of High Tech Industries
Time: 6pm, Dec 25th, 2009
Location: Xiangsiliao village, Erlin, Chunghua (No.5, Taiping Rd. Erlin, Chunghua)

Organised by: 反中科熱血青年聯盟 (rough translation-->Anti CTSP Hot-blooded Youth Alliance ). See http://antictsp.wordpress.com/

Stupid Show Part 8 on Copenhagen

From a 10:10 email flyer ...

10:10 - Copenhagen and Beyond
Happy holidays 10:10ers,

The long-awaited international climate showdown in Copenhagen wrapped up over the weekend, and it’s fair to say that the politicians didn’t quite manage to save the world. Hands up who’s surprised...

But don’t flee to higher ground just yet. Franny has been out there with the magnificent Stupid Show, and sums up the final episode with some thoughts on where we go from here. (Warning: as you might expect from someone who hasn’t slept in five years, she gets a bit sweary in places.)

Who wrecked the Copenhagen Climate Agreement?

According to Guardian columnist Mark Lynas, the Chinese (read the comments below the article too for a variety of opinions on his piece):

How do I know China wrecked the Copenhagen deal? I was in the room

Here's the cartoon of the week, from Martin Rowson, on the UK's first televised debate for the 2010 General Election:

Indicative lines?

A couple of quotes from Chinese visitors and representatives accompanying ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin I think could be indicative of the mindsets the Taiwanese are afacing in their negotiations with China.  First up is ARATS Deputy Chairman Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) who had this to say about the prospect of the DPP be included in negotiations:

In response to media inquiry about President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) suggestion that the SEF find a way to include the opinions of opposition parties in the cross-strait negotiations, Zheng said ARATS would welcome any Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members to have a dialogue with China “as long as they do not engage in Taiwan independence activities.”

Perhaps one can better see why this statement is odd if we consider that Zheng's words are equivalent to a DPP administration negotiating a deal in China and stating that all Chinese groups can participate "as long as the do not engage in China expansionist activities".  At the moment, the DPP can safely engage in 'Taiwan independence activities' but with the signing of ECFA and proposed 'peace treaty', I suspect China will be looking to institutionalise legal constraints on any future Taiwan Government working outside or moving away from the One China Principle.  Another quote from Zheng:

Zheng stated that the ECFA would involve trade in goods, investment and services and aimed to achieve "more rational allocation of cross-strait resources" and would delineate "what we will do and what you can do."

I may be reading too much into those exact order of words and their multifarious meanings but to my simple mind Zheng is implying that an ECFA will allow China to do what they will do (self-determined) but it will limit what Taiwan can do (limited ability to self-determine).  This then could be taken as an indicator that China sees ECFA as a instrument to better control interaction between Taiwan and China rather than as an 'economics-only win win'.  And the final indicator?  The ubiquitous reference to blood:

The ARATS vice chairman also declared that "everyone on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all Chinese and if we do not care about the welfare of our own flesh and bones, who will?"

My advice to Zheng? Stop talking about blood and start respecting Taiwanese by recognising that they do not wish for unification whether their main language is the same or not.  PS: it could be that claiming ownership to Taiwanese flesh and bones might also come off as rather creepy rather than embracing ...  Also, those missiles pointing at Taiwan don't exactly send a message that China cares for Taiwanese as 'brothers and sisters' or 'compatriots'.

Griffith Turns Turncoat

Alabama Democrat Parker Griffith is officially announced that he has no principals and will become a Republican. We'll see how warm a welcome he gets:

Rep. Parker Griffith, an Alabama Democrat, announced today that he is switching parties and joining the ranks of the GOP. It is the latest in a string of bad electoral news for House Democrats following a series of recent retirement announcement by lawmakers in right-leaning districts. The departures have given Republicans greater opportunities to pick up seats in the mid-term elections next year.

See the link for a round-up of reactions.

Quote of the Week

Not quite from this week's news but Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) recently made a poignant comment to the President on a visit to the Jingmei military detention center in Taipei:

After the ceremony, Lu, who was among those who were detained at the center, walked with Ma around the park and showed him the cell where she was held.

“If you have heard people praise Taiwan as a nation that protects human rights, you should feel ashamed because the regime you served failed to do that,” she told Ma.

“You were working in the Presidential Office when I was in prison … Human rights is not about lip service but countless lives,” she said.

Ma acknowledged that the then government was “inhumane” for refusing to allow Lu to attend the funeral service of her mother, adding that his administration would work harder to protect human rights and restore historical truths.

(Bandung, 21/12) Menikmati Sang Pemimpi

Cihampelas Walk, Bandung

Bandung at the night serasa milik anak-anak muda Bandung. Gaul, modis dan trendi menjadi gaya hidup yang tidak bisa dipisahkan bagi sebagian diantara mereka. Aku kadang tidak percaya negeri ini miskin, setiap kali kulewati mereka, ratusan blackberry menjadi mainan asyik di tangan-tangan mereka. Ah, mereka kadang tidak tahu ada sekitar 7,2 % dari penduduk Jawa Barat yang sampai saat ini masih buta huruf.

(Depok, 16-20/12) Mukernas KAMMI

Yogyakarta, Juli 2009.

Satu semester lalu aku berdiri di sana. Tepat dihadapan kalian, para pemuda Indonesia. Tak ubahnya seperti dulu, aku pun kembali dibuat terpana. Heran, raut mukaku semrawut tak karuan. Ah, tak banyak yang harus aku katakan. Betul kawanku, kata-kata adalah hasil dari tindakan. Percuma saja menggerutu, itu aib bagi diriku. Katakan saja, maju adalah pilihan bagi seorang lelaki!

Just To Cool For School

Times To End Sunday Paper

For all the GOPer's who read it, the Washington Times will stop serving you on Sunday. Ironic, isn't it? The paper founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, won't be operating on Sunday:

The newspaper made the announcement Monday, saying it will produce Monday through Friday editions that focus on its "distinctive news and opinion content."

The new print edition will be sold for $1 at retail outlets and newspaper boxes in the Washington area. The current weekday edition is 50 cents and Sunday's paper costs $1.

Hackers Compete

Film of the Week

Not a new one but one that came out in 2006.  Who Killed the Electric Car is a damning expose of how vested interests literally pulled the plug on what could have been a revolution in electric vehicles.  There's no one guilty party but a range of them, many with a shared concern in preventing the first successful fully electric car from become widely popular.  IMDB has movie info for the cine buffs.  Here's a review from IMDB:

I just saw this at the festival. Wow. What an awesome film (and soundtrack)!! This isn't just a film about a car, it's film about us, but more than that, it's an uplifting film about us. Most documentaries make me want to jump off a bridge after I leave the theater, but this one gave me hope. In the pre-hybrid days, the EV1 fully electric car was released by GM in the 1990s with great fanfare and hubris from Roger Smith (yes, the same Roger Smith as "Roger & Me".) It caught on quickly with consumers and gave GM a 3 year technological head start over the other manufactures. GM, however, had inadvertently built a car that required no gas, no oil, and no replacement parts. If they'd stayed the course, GM would be where Toyota is today with the Prius, but with no gas required. But they, and a host of others, chose a different course. This films chronicles the struggle of the dedicated EV drivers (men and women, everyday folks) who decided to take a stand. A stand against who? A stand against auto manufacturers, big oil, the federal government, the state of California, and ultimately their fellow consumers. If one person can make a difference, wait until you see what a growing coalition of one-persons can do (and are doing)! Be afraid, Goliath, be very afraid. As one girl in the audience put it, "I can't believe I cried over a car...twice."

Snippets

Here's some items that caught my eye this last week but I didn't have time to cover in detail:

• CCP lines up tourism to the South (Zhejiang tourism teams to visit southern Taiwan in spring - CNA via Taiwan News)

The city government has since come under pressure to work out measures to respond to speculation that Chinese tourists are boycotting Kaohsiung over the issues.

As part of their efforts to save local tourism, Lai and Pingtung County and Kaohsiung County officials joined the industry alliance in traveling to Hangzhou and Ningbo, where they held two tourism promotion events to spark interest in southern Taiwan as a travel destination among Chinese tour operators, Lai said.

The use of the word 'save' implies that something is in danger but the only thing that has changed for the south is that dollars from Chinese tours that were expected have not come leaving those who banked on them coming out of pocket.  I find the suggestion that Chinese tourists are boycotting areas of Taiwan over issues a little incredulous.  More credulous would be pressure put on tour operators to avoid the south as punishment for their non-compliant nature (as opposed to the north where I predict selling PRC / Taiwan SAR flags will soon be a thriving business).  There's a saying that putting all your eggs in one basket ...

• Taiwanese fear dependence (Taiwanese wary of dependence on PRC - Taipei Times)

More than 60 percent of Taiwanese worry that Taiwan’s economy depends too much on China, while as many as 75 percent of young people in the country consider themselves Taiwanese, not Chinese, the results of a CommonWealth magazine poll showed. (English Results of Survey)

Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies chairman Chao Chun-shan (趙春山) was quoted by the magazine as saying that, in similar polls in the past, most people would choose the option “Taiwanese but also Chinese” because they identified with Chinese culture and Chinese ethnicity.

However, nowadays the term “China” tends to represent the People’s Republic of China, and thus Taiwanese people identify more with Taiwan.  (This is something that the KMT objects to as a contrived and misleading shift in the meaning of China as I covered in my post last week on polls)

• China is the obstacle (China is biggest roadblock: legislators - Taipei Times)
  

China remains the biggest impediment to Taiwan’s bid to join international organizations and this issue should be discussed in upcoming cross-strait talks, legislators across party lines said yesterday.

Both Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers criticized Beijing for continuing to obstruct Taiwan’s efforts to gain more international space despite the recent cross-strait diplomatic detente.

Speaking at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said China was still the biggest impediment to Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as its bid to become an observer at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

If Beijing were truly sincere in extending its goodwill, it should reciprocate the “diplomatic truce” by loosening its grip on Taiwan’s bid to join international bodies such as the UNFCCC, KMT Legislator Liu Sheng-liang (劉盛良) said.

• We're doomed without an ECFA, the tariffs will kill us (Taiwan must sign ECFA to avoid falling behind: Ma - Taipei Times). The President has said this many times now yet the numbers of those supporting an ECFA keep falling.  The logic of the argument is quite clear.  When China and ASEAN implement new free trade agreements, Taiwanese products to the region will be more expensive but if we sign ECFA then MAYBE China will keep Taiwan favourable tariffs too and MAYBE Taiwan can sign FTAs with other countries, except that China has not promised that it will allow either to happen.  Taiwan will I predict economically marginalised because it is banking on income from China whereas I suspect what China wants is control over the economy here and pulling wealth out of the country to increase that dependence.
  

• Government feigns annoyance with China to please a domestic audience that is suspicious of China's intentions? (Health minister berates ARATS - Taipei Times)
  

“I am disappointed and upset about ARATS’ response. The request will be filed during the meeting next week,” Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) told legislators at the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday morning.

He said that ARATS’ response to the Sanlu group’s bankruptcy came too late and that more than 12 companies in Taiwan had no means to request compensation for the estimated losses of NT$700 million (US$21 million) they suffered during the tainted milk incident.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said the incident took place more than a year ago, when milk powder products from Sanlu, a Chinese manufacturer, tested positive for melamine. The SEF forwarded the compensation request from Taiwanese companies to ARATS on Jan. 5, but ARATS did not respond until June 22. ARATS’ second response arrived last month, when the DOH was told that Sanlu was out of business and had gone bankrupt. (Perhaps herein lies a clue to China's attitude toward Taiwanese businesses?)

•  Transparency? (Taiwan cross-straits envoy refuses to address Legislature over China talks - Taiwan News).  

Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman P.K. Chiang on Thursday refused to present a report at the Legislative Yuan about next week’s talks with Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin.

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Chiang said he would not attend any legislative committee meetings because of his status as the head of a semi-official body.

“I am a private citizen, so I can only attend committee meetings after a decision by the full Legislature,” Chiang said.

The DPP members of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee wanted to hear Chiang Thursday morning but when only his deputy Kao Koong-lian showed up, the meeting was adjourned.


Protests were normal in a democratic society, the paper quoted Chiang as saying, but those protests should be rational and not leave a negative impression with international and Chinese media.

Just to confirm, a private citizen is chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official government body created to handle formal interaction with China via their ARATS body.  This position is of vital importance given the number and scope of official and semi-official interactions between the KMT and CCP yet Mr Chiang considers himself 'private' and by the sounds of it barely accountable.  The annexation will never be official - it will be 'private' and 'semi-official' or 'de facto' if you will.  Notice also the implying that the DPP is irrational and leaving a negative impression ahead of the entirely peaceful Sunday 12/20 protest march then notice how Chiang cares particularly about 'Chinese Media' (which he no doubt conflates Taiwanese media within) and finally you get the picture when you see how he divides the world in 'Chinese and International' media - no mention of Taiwanese media, the ones originally recording and propagating his statements.

•   Taiwanese not happy with Chen-Chiang talks (Taiwan DPP poll finds strong dissatisfaction with China talks - Taiwan News)
  

As many as 87.6 percent of Taiwanese polled for a DPP survey did not know what next week’s talks were about, the party said. A total of 92.2 percent opposed the agreement on agricultural standards if it led to Chinese farm products being imported without testing and sold freely in Taiwan because they conformed to Chinese standards.

Looking back at four agreements concluded during Chen’s first visit to Taiwan in November last year, 51.6 percent said the Taiwanese economy did not benefit from them. The accords introduced direct cargo aviation and shipping links, more direct postal links, and emphasized food safety. Only 23.6 percent of poll respondents said the measures did contribute to Taiwan’s economy, the DPP said.

Almost half, or 48.5 percent, approved of protests planned by the opposition party against the Chen visit. The DPP wants to rally 100,000 protesters in Taichung on December 20, the eve of the Chinese envoy’s arrival, and organize other events each day of his stay.

A survey carried out by the opposition party finding results in its favour is not unusual.  What made this article interesting was the spat that erupted between the DPP and the China Times over the figure of 48.5% of people approving the protest yesterday:

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu has time and again (implies the DPP are not listening or reasonable and possibly violent) asked the protesters to be rational and not cause harm to the city, recalling the protest at Yuanshan in Taipei City last year, which turned into a violent confrontation when similar talks were held last year.

According to an opinion poll conducted by the China Times, 53 percent of respondents did not agree with the DPP's plan to stage protests at this time. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said, however, that she would only accept the result of a DPP opinion poll, which found that 49 percent of respondents backed the DPP plan to take to the streets to voice their appeals.
We do not know how the DPP conducted its poll.

But we would like to remind Tsai that after the incident at Yuanshan, the Kuomintang's support rating did not go up, and support for the DPP and its chairwoman Tsai also remained low. Taiwan is not a country which will tolerate violence. No one in this country will ask for confrontation. This is the simplest truth. ( A heavy ladling of Confucian values here.  Taiwan won't tolerate violence except that that is exactly what they had to do during 38 years of Martial Law and tolerated when the police beat protesters and took away their civil liberties when Chen Yunlin last came) 

•  The Minister of Interior admits 'we were brutal last time' (No police brutality this time, Jiang says - Taipei Times). 
  

Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) vowed yesterday to maintain safety during next week’s cross-strait talks in Taichung, saying police brutality should not happen this time around. (So by implication it did happen last time.  Also, when he uses the word 'should' is that a speculative or notice of a command given to police forces)

Talking to reporters at the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday morning, Jiang said the Taichung City Government and Taichung City Police Bureau would take care of security for the meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

The central government will do its best to support them, Jiang said.

Normally about 200 police would be deployed, Jiang said. The number would be boosted to 1,000 for Chen’s trips outside the city, he said, adding that it would increase in accordance with the scale of protests if the situation escalates.

“We will do our best to prevent any bloody conflict,” he said. “Such regretful incidents as police attacks on civilians or reporters should not happen again.” (Another, this time clearer, admission that the Police acted brutally last time so the question remains, Why were the senior police officers not censured by the Government but promoted?)

National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) said he did not know whether Beijing would send a security detail to protect Chinese media covering the meeting. No matter who they send, security operations would be handled by Taiwanese authorities, he said.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said a Chinese security detail could come here as “professionals,” but they could not perform security duties. (I wouldn't bet on them caring too much about Taiwan's regulations should they even sniff a whiff of a threat to Chen)

• Some 'realisitic' thinking (PRC to press for concessions: report - Taipei Times)

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington says that it is “inevitable” that sooner rather than later China will press for concessions from Taiwan on the political front.

It adds: “They will want to get a return on the concessions the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made on the economic and diplomatic fronts. After all, Beijing’s ultimate goal is reunification, not the status quo.”

The report says that the longer the status quo is maintained, the more it reinforces Taiwan’s de facto independence and the right of the people of Taiwan to decide their political future.

“This is certainly not something most on the mainland are prepared to accept at this time,” the report says.

It adds that the pressure to move toward political talks — which will be equated to unification talks, since the PRC will insist on the “one China” premise — will build up soon.

Although Beijing may not yet be willing to publicly acknowledge it, the report says, the “simple fact” is that virtually no one in Taiwan today seeks unification with China.

It says: “No one looks forward to living under PRC rule, whether direct or indirect. It is doubtful that the PRC can offer enough economic incentives to change these sentiments under present circumstances, even among those supporting current cross-strait policies, much less among those opposed to them. And given the nature of Taiwan’s political balance at this time, the [Chinese Nationalist Party] KMT will find it very difficult to start political talks without risking its hold on power.”

“Hence, as some on the mainland correctly fear, the current strategy is not likely to move Taiwan much closer to reunification,” it said.

At some point, the report says, Beijing may perceive its military advantage to be so overwhelming that it cannot conceive of the US actually being willing to intervene militarily to prevent unification.

This will be the point when China “is likely to begin applying pressure on Taiwan to start political talks.”

“Beijing and Taiwan will both be watching closely for signs of whether the US commitment has weakened or not. They will be looking at actions, not words.” (For example a heavily neutered and long stalled arms purchase from the US that no longer contains much to aid Taiwan's defense including NO F16s)

• Painting a protest as a mob or how to incite fear and turn public opinion (Jason Hu vows to protect protesters - Taipei Times)

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) Hu described the upcoming protests as “typhoons,” while promising not to treat the protesters as a “mob.”

“It’d be best if typhoons never hit, but we should be prepared for the worst situation. However, we will not treat the protesters as a mob,” Hu said (But he essentially just did, just in a clever way)

In a meeting yesterday afternoon between Hu and DPP ­Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), the two agreed to work together to keep today’s demonstration peaceful.

Su visited Hu on behalf of Tsai because she was apparently upset after Hu made a remark on Friday asking demonstrators not to “vandalize stores” during their march. (If the public didn't have a mental image of DPP protests being violent and mindless then he sure is trying hard to help them develop one with comments like these)

“I’ve come to express our hope that the right of the public to freely express their opinion will be fully respected while the meeting between Chiang and Chen takes place,” Su told Hu, adding that the DPP hopes police will show some restraint and follow proper procedure when ­enforcing the law.

Su said that crowds mobilized by the DPP never vandalized stores.

“Such incidents were done by ­unknown people who had penetrated the crowd, and if it happens again, we hope that the police and other security personnel will deal with people who commit such offenses according to the law,” Su said.

“It’s the Chinese Nationalist Party’s [KMT] mentality that those who take part in a demonstration in which physical clashes occur are rioters, and rioters should not go on the streets — this is just wrong logic,” DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said. “Violence does happen in rallies from time to time, but random and isolated incidents of violence should never be used as a reason to restrict people’s freedom of expression.”

•  Taipei Mayor, Capitulationist par excellence (Hau refers to Taiwan as a ‘region’ - Taipei Times)
  

Hau’s comments came yesterday as he attended a ceremony at Dadaocheng commemorating late Taiwanese lyricist Lee Lin-chiu (李臨秋) that was organized by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

“I am glad to attend the launch ceremony of the statue for Mr Lee Lin-chiu, the pioneer lyricist in the region of Taiwan,” Hau said. (One wonders which audience Hau intended that downplaying of sovereignty and national identity for.)

Hau’s remarks sparked immediate protests from members of the Taiwan Society, who condemned the mayor for belittling Taiwan’s status.

“Taiwan is a nation, not a region! You have hurt our feelings by calling Taiwan a region,” Taiwan Society director Janice Chen (陳昭姿) and several members shouted at Hau as he left the ceremony. (Notice how Janet DID NOT say 'You have hurt the feelings of 23 million Taiwanese'? Now, which country is it that uses such a construction for protest to almost any country on almost any issue?)

Hau said he heard the protesters’ voices, but declined to make any further comment as he left the scene. (He can hear but he will never listen?)

•  More politics of smear (Talk of the Day - News digest of local media - Street protest - Taiwan News).  Lots to comment on but here are key points of interest:

Liberty Times: (focus = accountability of agreements and Ma's China policies) Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits is scheduled to arrive in Taichung Monday for a second visit.

Like the nine agreements that President Ma Ying-jeou's administration has signed with China in the past 18 months without popular consent, the soon-to-be-signed four agreements have also not been approved or screened by the Legislature.

With that in mind, the DPP and other civic groups are organizing street marches in Taichung to voice their opposition to the Ma administration's China-leaning policy. DPP officials said all those who are concerned about Taiwan's political future, economic well-being and their own job prospects and welfare rights are welcome to join the protests.

China Times: (focus = DPP's precarious decision to protest that could hurt the DPP at elections) As in the past, the DPP is welcoming the latest round of Chiang-Chen talks with a mass movement.

DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen is clearly aware that if the street protests get out of hand, the party will have to pay the price in the upcoming legislative by-elections and even in elections for mayors of five municipalities to be held late next year.

Sunday's street rally will just be a prelude. The real test to Tsai's leadership will come in the next five days with the presence of China's top envoy in Taiwan. Her political career will see a breakthrough only if the DPP can cut a balance between making its political stance heard and applying heat on Taiwanese and Chinese authorities with a mass movement.

  United Daily News:  (focus = security in Taichung and wishing for less democratic expression as a sign of the strengthening of democracy) Hu said he is confident of the DPP's sincerity to avoid violence in street rallies. Describing the planned protests as "typhoons, " Hu said it would be best if typhoons never hit. "Our democracy will take a stride forward if 'typhoons' become 'breezes,'" he added.

• Small steps forward (Defendant may refuse night interrogation - Taiwan News). 
  

A recently promulgated amendment to the Criminal Procedure Law, to take effect Jan. 1, will better protect the human rights of defendants or arrested suspects because it empowers them to refuse to attend detention hearings after 11 p.m.

The amendment to Article 93 of the Criminal Procedure Law stipulates that when the court begins deliberations late at night on a request to detain a suspect or defendant that is filed after 11 p.m., a party, lawyer or representative may ask the court to postpone the hearing until the next morning.

The court cannot deny the defendant's request without proper reasons and should provide the defendant a proper place to rest, it adds.

According to existing regulations, defendants must be interrogated immediately whenever the court decides to proceed with a detention request.

"Although most defendants will choose to get the interrogation over with as soon as possible, and the trial waiting rooms might not be used as often, we still have to ask all the courts to have such rooms based the need to protect human rights," said Hsieh Wen-ting, secretary-general of the Judicial Yuan.

DPP / TSU / NGOs Protest March December 20th 2009

The DPP led rally to protest Ma's China policies took place this weekend. Here's some of the images I took. The line from Mincuan Rd down Dadun Rd I estimated to contain about 20 to 30 thousand, far more than the police estimate of 30,000 total (and by the way it is illegal for the police to release their crowd estimate figures but they still do nevertheless).

There was lots of colour and creativity in signs and slogans ...


Some candidates took the opportunity to campaign for votes ...


Other signs made clear reference to the threat of Chinese missiles many Taiwanese worry about:

Here comes the largest part of the head of this part of the march.  Some trucks had three mega speakers at the front sonically blasting you into submission ...

Lots of party, faction and NGO flags and home made signs ...

A point often made but one also often given lip service to: the demand that Taiwanese determine their own future not the 1.3bn on China ....

International Debate Academy Partners Hold Iraq Debate Academy

Faculty at Iraq Debate Academy: IDA faculty Jason Jarvis of Georgia State University, IDA alumna Megan Harlow, IDA founders Alfred Snider & Bojana Skrt, Matt Stannard of University of Wyoming, Jonathan Borock, NYC Debate Society

The two major partners of the International Debate Academy Slovenia [Za in Proti national debate program of Slovenia; World Debate Institute, University of Vermont] have combined to host a five day debate workshop and tournament in Duhok, Kurdistan Autonomous Region, Iraq.

The tournament was held at Duhok Unioversity and was attended by 88 students from seven universities from all parts of Iraq.

For complete coverage, see posts at the World Debate Institute blog at:

Preparations

http://worlddebateinstitute.blogspot.com/2009/12/wdi-big-part-of-iraq-debate-academy.html

Day 1

http://worlddebateinstitute.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-1-at-wdi-sponsored-iraq-debate.html

Days 2 & 3

http://worlddebateinstitute.blogspot.com/2009/12/days-2-3-at-wdi-sponsored-iraq-debate.html

Days 4 & 5

http://worlddebateinstitute.blogspot.com/2009/12/wdi-sponsored-iraq-debate-academy-comes.html

Congratulations to all.

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WDI Sponsored Iraq Debate Academy Comes to Successful Close

Mesopotamia Debating Tournament Champions: Sara Mustafa, Mohammed Ali, Sayran Ibrahim, Read Ahmed

Second Place: Bayad Jamal Ali, Safa Fudhl, Arevan Kamaran, Enji Issa

Band of Adventuring Debate Trainers: Jason Jarvis, Megan Harlow, Alfred Snider, Bojana Skrt, Matt Stannard, Jonathan Borock

The World Debate Institute at the University of Vermont has been proud to partner with Za In Proti national debate program of Slovenia and Iraq Debate to make this wonderful program possible.

We did not have dinner with the governor of Duhok last night as it was rescheduled for tonight. Apparently a major political figure passed away, someone who had been a judge and a member of parliament and who had been an activist who had been imprisoned by the previous regime for fifteen years. I also learned that the dancing that was to accompany the dinner would not be appropriate but that it would happen this evening.

Each day it seems as if people arrive more and more on time. I am not sure that is whether they know we will be on time or whether they are more motivated, but it is a good development. We had the posting of the practice debate at 9:00 AM and the debate started at 9:30 and it all went off without a hitch. The debate this morning was about the abolition of the death penalty in Iraq and I saw a most interesting debate. I would say that 95% of speech time was filled and that the students were quite engaged. The arguments seemed to cover the usual gamut, but also had quite an Iraqi flair to them. Should Saddam have been left to live so that he could encourage ex-Baathists to stop their violence or should be have bee executed as a lesson to future dictators? If a murderer is not executed but incarcerated would the family of the victim take revenge on a family member of the perpetrator? I really enjoyed it and they seemed most attentive to my comments after the debate.

We immediately moved to round one of the Mesopotamia Debate Tournament. Each team was supposed to have turned in their new configurations for the tournament, and we had hopes that some would not debate so that we might be able to avoid flighting the rounds, which the schedule would not allow. It turned out, however, that only a few teams dropped. So, we had to drop from three preliminary debates to two so that each of 18 teams of four we had could debate twice, and that would be fair to all. However, when the pairings were posted two teams indicated they were not there but should be, and that was because they had not indicated that they would debate in the tournament. One simply did not understand the announcement about it, and the other tam had been reminded by me before the practice debate but simply forgot to turn in their intention form. It was too bad, but there was nothing I could do. Then, it became clear that two teams had turned in TWO intention forms with different team names, so we were able to put all teams who wanted to debate into the tournament.

The first tournament round took place before lunch but without a critique. We had our usual lunch and then the teams returned to their rooms to near a long critique and then also spend some time with the faculty talking about the motions for the next day.

We went back to the hotel for a short rest and then at 6:30 PM we were met by Muhammad and others to go to the guesthouse of the governor of the Duhok Province. His Excellency Governor Ramadhan. It was a large and modern building overlooking the lake created by the Duhok Dam. As we entered we were greeted by our good friend Mamoud who had helped us so much during the entire event. He was wonderfully dressed in a traditional Kurdish outfit and most of the men wanted one because it seemed so comfortable as well as being smart. We entered and were served drinks and appetizers, which were excellent. Others were also gathering, but it was clear that this event was mostly for us. The appetizers seemed huge and delicious and many of us thought that this was the meal. Then there was lamb and chicken on skewers and that was excellent. Then a huge display of plates of delicious food was set up. Wow.

We carried on some excellent discussions with the Governor, Mr. Ramadhan, who was very curious about the progress of the project. He then asked us for ideas of how we should move forward. We proposed to him a Middle East Debate Academy that had student training but also teacher training as an important component. As a very safe region Kurdistan would be an excellent location. He said that his government would be very interested in seeing such a proposal within two days and that he would formally endorse it so that we could begin seeking funding and support from other groups to go long with his substantial support.

It was a very exciting evening.

The next day was the lone and a busy one. We had three debates, with one of them being the grand final. Students arrived on time and obviously had spent a lot of time preparing for the motions. The debates were serious and showed the real progress that the students have been making.

During lunch I tallied the results and announced the two finalists – University of Kurdistan Hawler and American University International Sulemaneya. The finals was held in a beautiful chamber in the Social Center of the University of Duhok. The debate was judges by Matt Stannard of Wyoming, Megan Harlow of Bard College & the European Graduate School, along with Jonathan Borock of the NYC Debate Society. Jason Jarvis of Georgia State University was the chair. The motion was:

THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THE MIGRATION OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS FROM DEVELOPING NATIONS. AUI proposed and Kurdistan opposed.

Then it was time to crown the Mesopotamia Debating Tournament champion. By a 2-1 decision the winner was the University of Kurdistan: Sara Mustafa, Mohammed Ali, Sayran Ibrahim, Read Ahmed. Second place went to American University International: Bayad Jamal Ali, Safa Fudhl, Arevan Kamaran, Enji Issa.

The Top Eight Speakers were:

1. SARA MUSTAFA UKH (154)

2. SAYRAN IBRAHIM UKH 150.5

3. AREVAN KAMARAN AUI-S 150

4. HALA MAMDOH DUHOK AHANG 149

5. HAMZEN YOUSIF DUHOK 10 148

6. ARREBA ZOMAYA DUHOK 10 147

7. ZEEN SAEED TAHA DUHOK AHANG 146/504.5

8. NAZDAR ALI HUMAN RIGHTS 146/497

Each student who completed the program received a signed certificate of accomplishment along with a CD full of resource materials and instructional videos.

There was a surprise speech by the Deputy Governor of the Duhok province who announced publicly that there will me a Middle East Debate Academy held in Kurdistan. We were very surprised since the idea had just been floated the night before, and we took it as a sign of the strong support of the provincial government for what we have done.

There were countless photos, address exchanges, farewells and even a few tears.

And then it was over.

One thing is very clear, debate is here, the people of Iraq are ready for debate as an alternative to violence, and hopefully this will make a positive difference.

I know that I have learned a huge amount, that I have been honored and humbled by these students and the organizers and that I will certainly never be the same.

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