Pakistan vs. Haiti

17 Tuesday Aug 2010

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A week or so ago I was wondering to myself why the Pakistani floods where not having the sort of attention and international response as the earthquake in Haiti. It was more of a rhetorical question in reality. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out that the lack of response has a lot to do with politics and religion. I did a quick google search to see if I could find any articles on this exact topic, and came across an article entitled “Why are we less generous towards Pakistan than we were towards Haiti?” I really had high hopes that the article would touch on the root causes of the differences in response, but the only truly relative point was: “But I suspect it runs deeper than Zardari’s spectacular stupidity. The image of Pakistan in this country has never been lower. The 7/7 bomb attacks of 2005 and the foiling of numerous subsequent plots has inextricably linked Pakistan with terrrorism. Could this have led people to turn a deaf ear to appeals for help?” And that’s where the analysis ended. The author never touched on religion, politics, or anything else really.


Then I read the comments. HOLY HECK! I truly don’t understand how there are human beings who write shit like this:

  • “To hear we (UK) have donated only 5 million pounds is a disgrace. Indeed it is, no one asked me if my hard earnt taxes should be squandered in this fashion. Truly appalling!”
  • “Why are we less generous towards Pakistan than we were to Haiti? Because Haitian people have not organized themselves to try and kills us, that’s why. Because Haitian people do not put their women in bin liners, that’s why. Whatever may be the problems that Haitian people have inflicted upon themselves over the last two centuries, they have kept themselves to themselves and not tried to export them. That’s why.”
  • “It’s madness to expect infidels, us Brits, to give money to a country with a nuclear programme that’s headed up by a corrupt president.?
  • “Because since 1947 their medieval male dominated culture has irresponsibly increased the population from 31 million to an unsustainable 117 million ensuring continued poverty. It’s because normal Pakistanis refuse to join the 21st century, preferring to give their corrupt dynastic leaders a free ride on a flying carpet of corruption, intolerance and ignorance rather than the boot. I could go on, but that would be ungracious.”
  • “Pakistan is much richer than Haiti and has the resources.”
  • “Seriously, if you are able to make a nuclear bomb, you should be able to help your people in a time of a natural disaster.”
I agree that providing financial support in Pakistan provides more challenges than other countries such as Haiti, but I don’t think it qualifies as turning a blind eye to the millions of people who will be suffering the consequences of these floods for years and possibly decades.

As to Pakistan being a richer country than Haiti–what matters is whether it is helping their people or not, regardless of what resources they have available. Ideally, yes, every country that has the resources to take care of themselves should, but if they chose not to, are other countries relieved from their moral responsibility to help? I’m sure you can argue both ways, but I think it’s no excuse. I’m sure people hate 70-90% of what their taxes are spent on. I would be stoked if my taxes were going to save lives rather than to pay for half the things it actually goes to.

As for religion, terrorism, and politics, I don’t think this is the time to use politics and religion as an argument. People are people, regardless of their faiths. And how can you tell who is a terrorist and who isn’t? Are you going to let all people die from starvation because you think some of them may be terrorists? Humanity at its best.

And as far as making sure contributions go to aiding victims and not militants, it’s the challenge of every disaster stricken country: corruption. Haiti has been dealing with corruption way before the earthquake, but it didn’t keep people from contributing. Maybe it’s because Christian missionaries have been in Haiti for decades, whereas Christian missionaries might not have a place in Pakistan, who knows. Again, not an excuse: find a solution, create a way to track donations, a way to ensure that donations reach those in need. Easier said than done, I know, but I don’t understand why it’s impossible.

As for the magnitude of the event, there may not be as many dead as other disasters, but I think it’s actually worse that there are so many more people who are or will be affected in the long run by these floods. Fields have been lost, not to mention cattle. People in Haiti were already reliant on food aid, people in Pakistan have lost their source of livelihood and will likely be affected for years to come.

Another ridiculous argument against providing aid to Pakistan is that it’s their own fault for being over populated because of their birth rates. Umm…really?! So yeah, maybe they should keep the household numbers down, but again, you’re going to let millions suffer because what? they brought it upon themselves by having too many babies?

Ugh I dunno, this entry isn’t nearly as organized or as well thought out as I wanted, so I’m sure my “arguments” have plenty of holes, but I wanted to at least put something out there for thought.

Copies and Inspirations

16 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in events, thoughts

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I was at Fed Ex Office earlier this week (I kinda miss that it’s not Kinko’s anymore, kind of like Costco always really being Price Club) printing out some donation letters I was working on, and I noticed an older gentleman trying to make some copies at the copier next to mine. He seemed thoroughly aggravated with the lack of success he was having at making his copies. I would be too, if my copies were coming out as blank pages. Part of me wanted to help him figure out what was going on, another part of me was saying: the Fed Ex guy can see just as clearly what’s going on, and this guy was trying to get the copier to work before I got there…so Lord only knows what’s been going or for how long. I think my reluctance, sadly, also had to do with the fact that I was getting charged by the minute to print out my stuff…and those minutes rack up pretty quickly when you have to wait for each document to open. Needless to say, I decided not to play good samaritan, shame on me.

I felt even more shameful after what happened next. As I was gathering my flash drive, papers, folders, bag, etcetera, the man walked past me…apparently he had been walking past me a few times to a set up he had at a table on the other side of me, which I had barely noticed. As I was starting to walk away, his demeanor changed completely, from completely frustrated to way happy! Then he said to me something to the effect of: “you’ve got a lot of money around you!” or something like that. I laughed and said “I wish.” Then he mentioned how every time he walked by me, he got a very good feeling about me. Now, I know what you’re thinking: CREEPER. But actually, there was something so genuine about this guy, like he was honestly just happy for ME and for the happiness he sensed for me. He said he had a good feeling, and that good things were coming my way, I just had to keep doing what I was doing, “believe me, I’m always right about these things.”
I’m not sure what he meant by “keep doing what your doing,” unless he means to just keep trying to figure out what I’m doing with my career. In that case, I will keep trying to figure it out, instead of throwing my hands up in defeat and frustration, as I’ve felt like doing multiple times in the past few months.
Whether he is an escaped lunatic, a fortune teller, or a divinely inspired being, alls I know is that I walked out of “Kinko’s” with a huge smile that was not on my face before, and a sense that indeed, good things could be coming my way. So thank you for that.

Some Armstrong Updates

16 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in life, updates, work

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We have had and have coming up some pretty exciting things this Summer. My coworker Rama got married, followed by our good friend Abby, and coming up in a couple weeks, Julian and Erika will tie the knot! Jeff and I also got to meet up with Aaron and Dana, who we hadn’t seen in forever. Dana and I met in college, and I’m glad that we’ve kept our friendship going through the years. I think the best part of meeting up was noticing how well Jeff and Aaron got along. I just wish they lived closer!

In other exciting news, Jeff started working! He was able to get in touch with an old manager from Diedrich’s, and is now working at a different coffee shop with that same manager. It’s not a dream job, but it’s definitely going to help us out a lot. Direct Loans is going to be happy, at least (sigh). What sucks, though, is that he’s going to be working closing shifts. This means that when I’m leaving work at 5pm, he’s leaving the house to go to work. When I’m getting ready to go to bed at 10pm, he’s closing up the store, when I’m getting ready to leave to work at 7:30am (ok, let’s be realistic, 7:40-ish), he’s sleeping. Our real challenge will be this week, his first week working nights: he’ll be closing Monday through Thursday.
Looking at the positive: I’m excited to come visit him at work (much like he used to do for me when I was working at Starbucks when we were first dating), and maybe work on some side projects I have going on. I honestly miss taking my lap top to a coffee shop and accomplishing work, both of which I don’t do very much anymore. I usually come home to Jeff and am content to just sit on the couch, go for a walk, figure out dinner, and lounge together. Going to visit him and maybe take him dinner will get me more motivated to get back on my lap top and work on fundraising and research ideas I’ve had for the past several months.
Here’s to a new and challenging time of our lives.

Week nights and Friends!

09 Monday Aug 2010

Posted by in ideas, thoughts

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So you know when you’re having a shitty week, and it’s barely Tuesday? You know what keeps me going on weeks like those? Knowing that tomorrow is Wednesday. Known to most as “hump day,” to myself and a small group of very special people, Wednesday nights are TV Nights (“TVN” for short)(disclaimer: the actual night may vary depending on everyone’s schedules).

It all started four years ago. We were all talking about Family Guy and decided we should all get together to watch it, and it just so happened to be on a week night. We had such a good time that we decided we should do it the next week, and the week after that….and here we are, four years later, still getting together in the middle of the week for a few good laughs.
So let’s see, we started with Family Guy, and then graduated to Arrested Development (during which TVN was actually ADN). Best. Show. Ever. It may be only three seasons…but that’s why everyone should watch each season at least three times. At least. We’ve dabbled in a few other shows, most notably Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 30 Rock…and currently, Modern Family. Since the show’s been on hiatus, we haven’t really decided on what to watch for the Summer, so the last few weeks we’ve just been hanging out, which has been A-MA-ZING. TV nights become much more social when you’re not trying to pay attention to the telly!
Anyhow, the purpose of this post is to encourage you all to have TVN’s of your own. You won’t regret it. Gathering some of your closest to drink a glass of wine or beer (or two), and share in some good laughs and conversation in the middle of the week, is the best way to make it through the mundane realities of the work week.
Of interest, Jeff and I had dinner with our friends Dana and Aaron last night, and they have their own twist of TVN: bad movie nights! Dana is even working on a website to…wait for it, wait for it…encourage people to have their own BMV! haha, sadly for TVN’s around the world, this post is as far as my encouragement goes, and although Dana is still working on the site, you should check out The Rules to get some general ideas.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, go off into the world, gather your friends, gather some drinks, and help the week go by!

Rebellion…or defeat?

28 Wednesday Jul 2010

Posted by in life, thoughts, work

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I’ve never been one for formal. Or suits. I’m still not quite sure what fork to use at fancy events. I detest having to wear heels. I feel a bit awkward around a bunch of strangers who think (and probably are right) they are smarter than me. That being said, the legal field was probably not the best place for me! My first suit was purchased my senior year in college. From Pinky’s (think, Forever 21). My suits since there were from the same kind of discount stores or Target. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, but they’re not quite “power” suits. I didn’t get one of those until my second year in law school, when Katie and I had one of our ADR competitions. I was surprised at how much of a difference it made, even if it was just to me personally. I felt more comfortable, like my fellow law students and attorneys weren’t judging me for wearing a $40 suit.

I remember working with a non profit attorney for one of my volunteer opportunities, and going to her office for a meeting to review the work I had been doing. She was wearing a super cute skirt, flats, and a cardigan sweater over her shirt. Cue the chimes and angels coming out of heavenly clouds. (Sidenote: it just took me two minutes to remember what those white things in the sky are called. Clouds. They’re called clouds. Go me.) That’s the kind of attorney I want to be. The one that’s comfortable with whatever she wears, and who doesn’t let a power suit define her intelligence or her comfort. And who works in a field where it’s ok.
I’ve been testing these boundaries at work lately. I don’t have to go to court much anymore, so there’s no need for a full suit, but definitely business casual attire. I’ve been wearing my flats and skirts every now and then, and I cherish those days. I should be clear: what I love about these outfits is that you accessorize them, and they become quite fancy, not totally casual. AND, I would never dream of wearing this to court. I would not want to appear before a judge in anything less than full attorney-combat attire. Anyhow, a couple weeks ago I had to attend a continuing legal education course for attorneys. I woke up that morning knowing exactly where I had to go in the evening. Knowing that I would be surrounding by individuals in their power suits, briefcases and high heels. I went to my closet…and decided it was going to be one of my cherished days. I went for the skirt and flats, black cardigan. This was my moment of rebellion. No power suit for me. Not gonna lie…I was proud of myself the whole day at work for making whatever assertion I thought I was making. Even parking my car outside the venue. Even walking through registration. At this point, I could already feel everyone looking at me like I was crazy. It didn’t help that my co-worker had saved me a seat…at the very front…right next to the beloved panel speakers…including a judge. I think the worst was having to make the small talk as five of us waited for the waiters to refill the coffee. I was waiting for them to ask: “So….did you forget you were coming here tonight?” Rebellion. Failure.
I’m still confused. I know I don’t need clothing to tell me who I am, but what if it’s just part of the gig? Was I disrespecting all attorneys present by wearing what I wanted? Am I a disgrace to attorneys everywhere? haha, I gotta laugh at that one, mostly because I don’t know that I would care much if I was. I would be embarrassed, but that’s about it. I think it’s easier to get away with more comfortable clothing in a non profit sector then say…bankruptcy law…but at least I tried. For one day…I stood my ground.

Charity of the Month: Common Hope

24 Saturday Jul 2010

Posted by in charity, Guatemala

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Some of you may remember the storm Agatha and the volcano eruptions that affected Guatemala a few months back. It was because of this that I heard about Common Hope. They rose to the occasion to help with relief efforts after the storm, but they’ve actually been involved in and around Antigua for years now. The beginnings of Common Hope are actually pretty interesting: husband and wife go to Guatemala to help out, come back to the US due to safety concerns at the time, husband and wife plan to go back, wife dies, husband and son go back to continue work they started, husband joins seminary to become priest, son continues and expands organization. Not bad, huh?!
Anyhow, Common Hope works primarily with sponsorships for children, but they take a wholistic approach to things: you don’t just educate the child, but you help the entire family. The parents must take responsibility for the child’s education, and the whole family works together with a social worker to see how the families situation can be improved.
In their own words:

The work of Common Hope is based on personal relationships with people. We work with sponsored children, their families, and the communities in which they live. We believe it is especially important to work with the entire family, because a child cannot be healthy unless his or her family is healthy.

Our work is comprehensive and holistic. In everything we do, we strive to support families in their struggle for independence and dignity.

Our programs are carefully and thoughtfully developed in response to the expressed needs of the financially poor. We try to do only that which people cannot do for themselves.

Each program falls under one of these four areas: Education, Family Development, Health Care, or Housing.

I know not all of us are in a financial position to sponsor a child every month, but there are other ways you can help:

  • Make a one time donation
  • Visit Guatemala
  • Volunteer
  • Collect supplies
  • Host a party to spread the word

Please check out their website, see what they’re about, see what they do and how they do it. Then see how you can help.

Music Video: Shakira

24 Saturday Jul 2010

Posted by in entertainment, music, video

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Many of you have probably already seen the link through my Facebook, but I couldn’t help but share it through here.

It all started with a challenge from Shakira: to come up with your own Waka Waka dance in support of 1Goal. 1Goal’s purpose is to support universal education.
Hands on Disaster Response, through Lenka, rose to the occasion and organized a dance off in the middle of Leogane. I get teary eyed every time I watch this video. Enjoy!

Really, dude?!

18 Sunday Jul 2010

Posted by in thoughts, vents

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So there I am, driving in the far right lane, minding my own business, driving at a reasonable speed (obviously). I get closer to an intersection, green light, keep my foot on the peddle, and notice there’s NO ONE AROUND ME. As I’m about to cross into the intersection, I see a car inching towards the intersection, it’s about to make a right hand turn into my direction of traffic. And here’s the thing, if you can make that turn before I get to you, by all means. Especially considering the two lanes to my left are COMPLETELY EMPTY. So yeah, make your right turn, just make sure you go over a couple lanes. If out of three lanes you can turn into, two of them are void of oncoming traffic, why on EARTH would you turn into THE ONE lane that has oncoming traffic?? Why?!

So now I’m either slamming on my brakes to give you a chance to speed up, or changing lanes to avoid hitting you. While I’m doing either of these, I’m probably telling you you’re an idiot, to myself of course. I understand I’m driving in the “slow” lane, but that doesn’t excuse you from being a dorkus major. The only reason I write this is because it’s been happening to me quite a bit lately, and I just don’t understand why. It seems like common sense to me, if I’m at a red light, about to make a right hand turn, and I see a car on the “slow” lane, and the other two open, yeah, I’ll turn, but make sure I move out of your way. Why would I turn into the one lane where I run the risk of being rear ended, or dying from someone’s road rage because I just so happened to drive them over the edge by making them slam on their brakes?
Maybe we’re losing some common sense?

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!

13 Tuesday Jul 2010

Posted by in ice cream, thoughts

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I was having a conversation with a good friend the other day. A quite important conversation, actually. A conversation about ice cream. Do you guys remember when ice cream trucks came around regularly to neighborhoods? When kids actually played outside, so it was profitable to have an ice cream truck? When you would get all giddy and excited when you heard the music, would run inside the house and beeeeeeeeeeg your mom for a couple bucks (price depends on how old you are…) for an ice cream?


And then…the choices, the decision you had to make was monumental! I wasn’t often able to buy ice cream, so when I did, I had to make sure I picked the right one. You could stand in front of that ice cream truck for hours, if you didn’t feel that he would drive away in two seconds if you didn’t make up your mind. Ninja turtles, red, white and bluc space shuttles, Flintstone pops, big pops, chocolate covered vanilla ice cream cones. These were the decisions that mattered in life. Personally, I knew I could always count on Mr. Pink Panther and his gum ball eyes.


It’s funny that back then, those decisions seemed as monumental to us as our critical decisions now, at least in the eyes of a seven year old. I just wish all my choices were laid out before me, and all I have to do is point and pick!



Research Project!

13 Tuesday Jul 2010

Posted by in development, discussion, ideas, soccer, thoughts

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*Nerd Alert* *Nerd Alert* *Nerd Alert* *Nerd Alert*

When the World Cup began last month, the usual jokes about Guatemala’s failure to qualify began. As most of my friends know, I’m the first to admit that our soccer team is terrible. There’s a phrase we say over there: “jugaron como nunca, perdieron como siempre.” They played like they never have, they lost like they always do. Case in point: a couple years ago we went to watch an Argentina vs. Guatemala match at the LA Coliseum. I knew we would get slaughtered, that was a given. I admitted defeat to my Argentine friends before we even got in the car. That’s not to say I didn’t support the team, I did, but I was aware of the outcome. (I’ll also go on a tangent here and say that the behavior of some of the Guatemalan fans was quite embarrassing. Again, I wasn’t shocked. The Argentine’s were surprisingly quiet, especially given the 7-0 deficit, but I think they knew the odds they were up against.) Anyhow, there was a Guatemalan father and son sitting behind us. As people started emptying out, the father turned to his son and said, “I’m sorry we lost son.” To which the four year old (or so), replied: “we always lose, dad!” There was such innocence casualness in the way he said it, like “duh dad, what did you expect?”

Anyhow, I started thinking about the reasons why some teams always make it past the qualifiers, and why others never seem to make the cut. Obviously talent and leadership are two of the largest factors in determining a teams success. But there are also obvious economic factors: can you pay talented players enough to attract them? Can you attract the right trainers? Can you afford the infrastructure for training? How much money can you invest in soccer, when half of your population is starving? I’m sure it’s an obvious conclusion, and I’m not the first to make it. But my curiosity has gotten the best of me, and now I want to see the numbers! This has led me to a research quest: I want to compare advancement in the last 3 or 4 world cups to a countries GDP per capita, see if/what the correlation is between the two.

As Jeff mentioned last night when I was starting my research, I’m sure I could goggle this and find what I’m looking for; I did a quick search and found similar stuff, but nothing like what I really want. I didn’t look too deep though. Honestly, I think I want to find out for myself. I’m excited to pretend I’m still in school, gather numbers, make charts and comparisons, and make my own conclusions. So, if you know of similar research, don’t tell me until I’m done with mine :) If you have specific suggestions on what correlations I should try to find, please do. As for me, I’m gonna add some more statistical numbers to my excel spreadsheet, yesssssss.
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