January 28, 2007
Scattered
Highly scattered.
Spent yesterday getting my ducks in a row because, when I tried to apply for a visa, I discovered that I had only three months left before my passport expires. China requires six. As a consequence, I need an expedited passport, as well as a visa. You know how much I love having my picture taken ---slightly more than I like filling out forms and paying late fees.
Have I neglected to mention that I'm going to China for a couple of weeks at the end of the month? Since others in my party have spent time in the big Chinese cities, and I am loathe to vacation in pollution and chill, we are headed southwest to Dali and Lijaing.
I will, of course, take my camera. I have recently been saturated with breathtaking photos of China from Fodor's -- Let's face it, the entire country has already been shot, and beautifully. I have, nonetheless, ordered two 2GB cards for my trusty digital. I will try to learn how to do a panorama before I leave, but don't count on it. Upon my return, I will undoubtedly toss my collection into cyberspace, with 60 million others.
The saddest thing --- Fodor's, or Baedaker's or one of those guide books reports that there is very little wildlife left in China. The Chinese people have paid a huge environmental price for rapid economic expansion.
Speaking of which, I woke this morning to the excellent but strangely placed (Sunday at 6 AM !?!) NPR program "LIving on Earth". Steve Curwood's long running, award winning environmental news should be on in prime time. I tuned in just in time to hear that tuna is in trouble. Are we surprised?
I then roused myself sufficiently to see what the world wide web had to say about Paul Farmer, physician and medical anthropologist, hero of Tracy Kidder's book about Farmer's work in Haiti, "Mountains Beyond Mountains", in which I am currently immersed. While web browsing for him, I became hopelessly entangled in the website, "Americans Who Tell the Truth" where Dr. Farmer is quoted as saying, “If access to health care is considered a human right, who is considered human enough to have that right?”
Not one of the blogging truthtellers show up on this site , yet-- Atrios, Digby, Arianna Huffington, Kos, Jane Hamsher to name a few. It must take awhile to paint a portrait.
And then I followed the slippery cybertrail to Paul Farmer's partner of many years Ophelia Dahl. She is the daughter of author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Ophelia's niece Sophie Dahl modeled for the beautiful Opium ads. And what does that have to do with anything?
After all, there are important antiwar protests happening today. The Washington Post headline reads "Thousands Protest Bush Policy", while the Huffington Post headline reads "Tens of Thousands Rally for Troop Withdrawal." Well, which is is? Are we underreporting again? I thought we had learned our lesson, and taken upon us the weighty responsibilities that come with being members the Fourth Estate.
JUST STOP -- Right here -- shut up and push the publish button, Dakota.
Photo note: Ducks (avians, you will note, the kind that have the flu in Asia) in a row on top of a toaster, along with other unrelated items in the window of the hardware store. You can almost smell the plastic vaporizing.
Posted by Dakota at January 28, 2007 05:55 PM