Too horrific for headlines

by Marshall on April 5, 2011

Question: What country does this describe? (I’ve blanked out the name)

The fighting has left tens or even hundreds of thousands of women gang-raped and led to what may be millions of war-­related deaths; at its peak, some 3.4 million [citizens of ______] (the only one of these tolls we can be remotely sure of) were forced to flee their homes for months or years. But it draws little attention in the United States. As Jason K. Stearns, who has worked for the United Nations in _____, points out, a study showed that in 2006 even this newspaper gave four times as much coverage to Darfur, although [citizens of ______] have died in far greater numbers.

One reason we shy away is the conflict’s stunning complexity. “How,” Stearns asks, “do you cover a war that involves at least 20 different rebel groups and the armies of nine countries, yet does not seem to have a clear cause or objective?”

Answer:  Congo, officially known as Democratic Republic of Congo. Or DRC for short. (Formerly Zaire, not to be confused with Republic of the Congo.) One of the hardest places on Earth to live.

The excerpt above is from a recent NY Times review of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters:  The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa by Jason K. Stearns.

The article was forwarded to me by my friend and colleague Katie Nienow. Katie spent 2.5 years working for HOPE International in the DRC. The piece is neither for the faint nor hard of heart. But it describes a reality that deserves to be noticed.

Now we know.

Question:  What will we do?

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Monday Funday

by Marshall on April 4, 2011

I usually don’t like Marxism, but when I do, I like it fragrant and hot (check out those flames!).

How do you like your Marxism?

Photo from FunnySigns.net

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April Fool’s Day delayed 24 hours

by Marshall on April 1, 2011

An all-time low.

AP

In one of the largest April Fool’s Day pranks ever, US Department of Labor Secretary Linda Solis has managed to delay April Fool’s Day an entire day.

“April Fool’s Day is an important day in the lives of American workers and their families,” explained Solis. “By participating in the light-hearted nature of the day, we are showing our solidarity with Americans and the traditions that have made this nation great.”

As a result of the public practical joke, the holiday will now be celebrated officially on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Pranksters across the nation will be forced to delay their shenanigans for 24-hours. The change is effective for 2011 only, though Solis hinted it may become permanent if successful.

“We considered changing today’s date to March 32nd, but I was informed that our department doesn’t have that authority. That clearly needs to change, but that’s another issue.”

April Fool’s Day historian Dr. Edward Crowe, of the University of Canterbury department of history, says that this feat is “among the top ten largest April Fool’s Day pranks in recorded history, perhaps even in the top five.”

Other historic hoaxes include Taco Bell’s alleged purchase and renaming of the Taco Liberty Bell in 1996, and the British astronomer Patrick Moore’s 1976 announcement on BBC Radio 2 that the Earth would experience a temporary decrease in the force of gravity due to the planetary alignment of Jupiter and Pluto.

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A world of economic winners

by Marshall on March 24, 2011

Economic growth is not an elimination tournament like the current NCAA basketball madness, where one team wins and the other goes home. When a previously poor part of the world gets richer, everybody wins.

That’s Bill Easterly’s take on the rise of Eastern economies. Full Aidwatch post here.

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Baseball City

by Marshall on March 7, 2011

These days I’m working in San Pedro de Macoris, a city of 200,000 about an hour west of Santo Domingo. Compared to the capital, its pretty quiet. Not a big tourist town. Not too much to call attention, just the constant hum of motorcycles zipping around the streets.

You’d never guess it was the baseball capital of the world.

That’s right. San Pedro produces more Major League Baseball players per capita than any other city in the world. That number is exactly 76, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Sammy Sosa. Alfonso Soriano. George Bell. José Offerman. Robinson Cano. Guillermo Mota…

MLB.com documents the San Pedro baseball phenomenon with a great video. Unfortunately I can’t embed it here, so click here to watch it.

And, just for fun, have a listen to 12-time Latin Grammy winner Juan Luis Guerra singing a merengue tribute to his San Pedro roots:

 

¡Oh!, san pedro de macorís, ey
I’d like to live in the streets
Of san pedro de macorís
I’d like to live in the streets
Of san pedro de macorís
I’d like to sing my song
In the middle of malecón
I’d like to sing my song
In the middle of malecón
Drinking my guavaberry
Watching the sun go down, oh
Woman that’s all i need
In san pedro de macorís, oh!

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You might be Dominican if…

by Marshall on March 4, 2011

…You know the key to winning in dominoes is shouting loudly while you violently smash your ficha (domino piece) on the table. (FYI it’s a different version of dominoes, played 2 v 2. No Mexican train here).

A moment of calm in between violent smashes.

…Your baseball helmet doubles as your motorcycle helmet.

…Your standard of “cold” is not having to have the fan on.

…You refer to all breakfast cereal as “conflé” (comes from “cornflakes”…sounds like “kone-FLAY”)

Look mom! Look at all the different kinds of conflé!

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My Dominican names

by Marshall on February 27, 2011

Many Dominicans have no problem calling me “Marshall.” But for every correct pronunciation, there are hundreds of variations and funny nicknames. And I’ve decided to chronicle them for the annals of history.

Variations on Marshall:   Marchal, Marichal, Mariscal, Marcial, Malchal, Maishai, Maxwell, Marshall Burger, Marzo, Masho, Mash (now we’re starting to get lazy), Mas, Ma (new this week…thanks to Isidro). Still waiting for just the “m” sound…

Variations on Birkey:  Bilki, Burger

Random:  Yuderko, Shawn (reference to Esperanza the Musical)

References to being from the US (Canada gets lumped in):  Gringo, Americano, Pa-panamericano, Nueva York, Toronto, Omaha, Alberta, Ontario, Tallahassee, Montana…pretty much anywhere in North America.

Will any of these stick? Only time will tell.

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You might be Dominican if…US relatives

by Marshall on February 25, 2011

You might be Dominican if…you have an uncle/cousin/brother/son/daughter/sister/aunt who lives in New York/New Jersey/Miami.

NY: 59%. NJ: 13%. FL: 9%. Source: dominicanaonline.org

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Photo: Carmen’s classic Singer sewing machine

by Marshall on February 24, 2011

Carmen, a HOPE / Esperanza loan associate, sews some pretty amazing blanket, sheet, and pillow sets with this bad boy from Singer. I met Carmen this past Saturday on a HOPE Vision Trip in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

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In the craftsman’s hands

by Marshall on February 23, 2011

I woke up yesterday morning with a knot in my stomach.

To be honest, I wasn’t excited about the day. It was my second day working in San Pedro de Macoris, and my first waking up in my new home here. Normally I’m excited about new things, new adventures, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I was tired of moving to places where I don’t know anyone. The challenges of working in a different culture had worn on me. I felt ineffective and unmotivated. I had forgotten my mission.

I passed the early morning catching up on emails as I waited to head out to the field with Isidro. Isidro is a loan officer who roves the  dusty streets of San Pedro communities, his silver-speckled hair buried beneath his helmet. He’s been doing this for nearly 10 years. A quick “Vamos!” and we headed out into the radiant mid-morning Dominican sun, accompanied by the rattle of his Dominican motorcycle.

As we rode along, Isidro explained his job to me. He specializes in individual loans – larger loans to clients who have built up their credit and business over the years with Esperanza, or newer clients that already have successful small businesses. Even though individual loan clients mail their loan payments in each month, Isidro spends a lot of time visiting his clients. Just stopping by to see how the business is doing, talk about family or church. Not just a loan. A relationship. Isidro was clear on his mission – to be a partner and friend to these entrepreneurs.

We pulled over at José Lugo’s one-room mechanic workshop located in northern San Pedro. His hands greasy from working, José greeted me with a wrist-bump. You could tell he meant business, staring out at me from behind is protective glasses – but he quickly broke into a smile as he told me some of his story.

José specializes in making and repairing metal machine parts:  gears, bearings, and other things with technical names I’m not sure of. He showed me a transmission gear he was repairing, while next to me his employee slowly drilled a hole in a part using a metal bore. José is relatively new to HOPE and Esperanza – this is his first loan, which he took out about a year ago. He talks about his clients – they come from all over San Pedro. He does a lot of work for manufacturers in the Zona Franca, or industrial free zone.

José pointed around his shop to the various tools he bought with his loan: a black power hand drill, a red gas tank, a pneumatic nozzle, and his pride and joy, the impressive green drill press that stands 6 feet tall at the back of his shop. None of it was brand new, top-of-the-line technology. He probably picked them up at various places – a hardware store, a friend’s shop, a factory looking to update equipment. But now in his hands, these tools are instruments of precision, creativity, and value. They honored him.

…

Yesterday, I woke up thinking of my own purposes. José reminded me that I am to be an instrument of the Master Craftsman, bringing honor to him. This morning I got out of bed on a mission, much greater than my own.

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