Saturday, October 14, 2006
long time
welcome back, here is a snack bit!
Did you know that Bangladeshi Nobel winner Md Yunus' first wife was Russian and his daughter Monica Yusuf is a rising star of the American opera? I found this while browsing Bangladeshi blogs, I do that when any news intersting... look up local/relevant blogs. Interstingly, Monica's web site just says born in Chittagong of Bangladeshi and Russian parentage, but Md. Yunus was worth bragging about for a long time. They are not estranged. video interview here
By the way the islamic blogs have pretty much ignored the news...I am interested in Islamic stuff because I lived in Cairo for a few years and really loved it. I love Arab culture and have many Arab/ N African friends, but I am not blind to the "issues" Interestingly, Arabs mostly do not get along with each other, and an average Arab definitely feels superior to a Bangladeshi. plus Islamists are navelgazing, negative, self destructive and of course bent on destroying the world as we know it.George Bush will do for Osama's ummah what Hitler did for Israel, create a Muslim Bloc where none ever existed, because they bicker too much. Of course once the ummah is actually created they will self destruct through infightling. A very interesting Arab proverb" me against my brother, me and my brother against my cousin, me my cousin and brother against our neighbours and all of us together against those from the next village ad infinitum"! Nice huh!
I guess no one ever visits this anymore...but I am back. THis year was insane, crazy personal and professional stuff...but silver lining, had a major promotion and worklife is way more calm than it was...the husbandman is away in the UK and I am enjoying a quiet, cool grey weekend.
take care people!
Did you know that Bangladeshi Nobel winner Md Yunus' first wife was Russian and his daughter Monica Yusuf is a rising star of the American opera? I found this while browsing Bangladeshi blogs, I do that when any news intersting... look up local/relevant blogs. Interstingly, Monica's web site just says born in Chittagong of Bangladeshi and Russian parentage, but Md. Yunus was worth bragging about for a long time. They are not estranged. video interview here
By the way the islamic blogs have pretty much ignored the news...I am interested in Islamic stuff because I lived in Cairo for a few years and really loved it. I love Arab culture and have many Arab/ N African friends, but I am not blind to the "issues" Interestingly, Arabs mostly do not get along with each other, and an average Arab definitely feels superior to a Bangladeshi. plus Islamists are navelgazing, negative, self destructive and of course bent on destroying the world as we know it.George Bush will do for Osama's ummah what Hitler did for Israel, create a Muslim Bloc where none ever existed, because they bicker too much. Of course once the ummah is actually created they will self destruct through infightling. A very interesting Arab proverb" me against my brother, me and my brother against my cousin, me my cousin and brother against our neighbours and all of us together against those from the next village ad infinitum"! Nice huh!
I guess no one ever visits this anymore...but I am back. THis year was insane, crazy personal and professional stuff...but silver lining, had a major promotion and worklife is way more calm than it was...the husbandman is away in the UK and I am enjoying a quiet, cool grey weekend.
take care people!
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welcome back!
interesting anecdote about arab factionalism. i lived in oman for a long time. i've heard saudis are the worst. their pecking order is: saudis first, other arab muslims, other muslims and finally the "infidels". another brahminical order of supposed elitism handed down from god.
interesting tidbits about the Md Yunus family...where do you dig up the stuff!!!
feed readers (mine:google.com/reader) help keep tabs on lazy bloggers like you so dontcha think you wont be heard...the moment you post my you will float up to the top :-)
interesting anecdote about arab factionalism. i lived in oman for a long time. i've heard saudis are the worst. their pecking order is: saudis first, other arab muslims, other muslims and finally the "infidels". another brahminical order of supposed elitism handed down from god.
interesting tidbits about the Md Yunus family...where do you dig up the stuff!!!
feed readers (mine:google.com/reader) help keep tabs on lazy bloggers like you so dontcha think you wont be heard...the moment you post my you will float up to the top :-)
Nice observations on Dr. Yunus's prize. Its strange that the level of interest that should have been generated by the ward in the 'Muslim' world is not there. In fact two v ery telling things that I have come across recently from quite a few people in Dhaka itself are:
1) Its strange that you can get a Nobel for shafting your own people. With all due respect there are aspects of Dr. Yunus's micro credit policy and the host of me-too NGO's that it has spaned that I believe has done much more harm by driving people deeper into debt. And his Greameen Phone phone company which has been touted as an instrument of social change is an out and out commercial entity. Whatever.
2) Isn't it just possible that in the global scope of things that Dr. yunus is just the right poster boy for a Nobel. He is Muslim, brown skinned, is suave enough to be put on an international stage, comes from a country which is poverty stricken but with more BMW's and Prado's than most probably the UK, and a convenient cause-celebre' to highlight as what enlightend Islam can achieve.
Still, it feels great when Bangladesh finally gets its first Nobel, and the fact that the cricket team just beat Zimbawee has put the whole country in holiday fever.
1) Its strange that you can get a Nobel for shafting your own people. With all due respect there are aspects of Dr. Yunus's micro credit policy and the host of me-too NGO's that it has spaned that I believe has done much more harm by driving people deeper into debt. And his Greameen Phone phone company which has been touted as an instrument of social change is an out and out commercial entity. Whatever.
2) Isn't it just possible that in the global scope of things that Dr. yunus is just the right poster boy for a Nobel. He is Muslim, brown skinned, is suave enough to be put on an international stage, comes from a country which is poverty stricken but with more BMW's and Prado's than most probably the UK, and a convenient cause-celebre' to highlight as what enlightend Islam can achieve.
Still, it feels great when Bangladesh finally gets its first Nobel, and the fact that the cricket team just beat Zimbawee has put the whole country in holiday fever.
hi all
inks - will write , promise.
Sunfever - judging from your excellent taste in blogs, I am sure you would be a great blogger - start writing! :)by the way - do I know you?
Shubho bijoya to you too Aparna! love your rhymes and your dedication. :)
Prometheus: welcome. I am OK with the profit motive - selfishness is a virtue according to me, self interest drives economines and achievements. So I know that Dr. Yunus is a very rich man today. But I admire the fact that he is making money and doing good. when he started 30 years , it could not have been easy. Building this network (grameen as well as his international support network ) must have taken years of thankless toil. I don't believe he could have foreseen what this could be when he started out.
today in Nort america there is a lot of debate on how much profit. last week there was a barrage of mail in the local newspaper, about a garment manufacturer that posted 45million dollars profit last year, outsourcing manufacturing to South America- and the question was how much profit is enough? does community involvement stand for nothing?
Professor Yunus shows us that you can combine personal good with greater good. As for getting people into debt - 96% repayment rates do not indicate a debt burden to me. these people would have gone to extortionate money lenders - plus 90+% of borrowers re women - in rural South Asia that is a revolutionary approach. Just giving women that respect, is a seed for change.
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inks - will write , promise.
Sunfever - judging from your excellent taste in blogs, I am sure you would be a great blogger - start writing! :)by the way - do I know you?
Shubho bijoya to you too Aparna! love your rhymes and your dedication. :)
Prometheus: welcome. I am OK with the profit motive - selfishness is a virtue according to me, self interest drives economines and achievements. So I know that Dr. Yunus is a very rich man today. But I admire the fact that he is making money and doing good. when he started 30 years , it could not have been easy. Building this network (grameen as well as his international support network ) must have taken years of thankless toil. I don't believe he could have foreseen what this could be when he started out.
today in Nort america there is a lot of debate on how much profit. last week there was a barrage of mail in the local newspaper, about a garment manufacturer that posted 45million dollars profit last year, outsourcing manufacturing to South America- and the question was how much profit is enough? does community involvement stand for nothing?
Professor Yunus shows us that you can combine personal good with greater good. As for getting people into debt - 96% repayment rates do not indicate a debt burden to me. these people would have gone to extortionate money lenders - plus 90+% of borrowers re women - in rural South Asia that is a revolutionary approach. Just giving women that respect, is a seed for change.
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