Jets to India

It's that time of the year...IC in Agra. Last time I did something at that level was in a small town on the Romano-Bulgarian border where our hotel had to be quarantined from an epidemic that had spread through the Danube.

I'll have different perspectives this time around...Should be a riot.

Diplomatically: One's ability to say *f*** you* with a smile on one's face

This took place on a BA flight between Johannesburg
and London. A white woman, about 50 years old, was
seated next to a black man. Obviously disturbed by
this, she called the air Hostess. "Madam, what is the
matter," the hostess asked. "You obviously do not see
it then?" she responded. " You placed me next to a
black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from
such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."
Be calm please," the hostess replied. "Almost all
the places on this flight are taken. I will go to see
if another place is available." The Hostess went away
and then came back a few minutes later. "Madam, just
as I thought, there are no other available seats in
the economy class. I spoke to the captain and he
informed me that there is also no seats in the
business class either. All the same, we still have
one place in the first class." Before the woman could
say anything, the hostess continued: "It is not usual
for our compa! ny to permit someone from the economy
class to sit in the first class.. However, given the
circumstances, the captain feels that it would be
scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so
disgusting." She turned to the black guy, and said,
"Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect
your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in first class.
At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked
by what they had just witnessed stood up and
applauded.

Must see

"A day without a Mexican"

Satirical...yet strikes many truths that many of us choose to ignore.

Cheers!

Free-trade agreements (on behalf of the US)...who wins?

The U.S senate today puts in hearing the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). The gentlemen from OHIO (Rep) makes his case, using Heinz tomato ketchup (made in ohio)...I hope you see where this is going.

These agreemnts are conceived to stimulate economic activity, and healthy competition between the parties at stake. Yet ultimately what it creates is a specialization of markets; especially when you deal with lesser developed countries simply because within any particular sector within the parties there are no grounds for competition.

What drives these lesser developed nations to take part in these agreements? Well, it's the only door for them to come out on the stage. They see a window of opportunity for growth. True, it happens; but in the long run, when you consider the increase in the imports from their more developed counterpart, they face a trade deficit...and this ALWAYS happens.

Happy father's day (to me?...well...Technically)

I became a legal guardian today.

For the next 12 months, I will be the legal guardian of my 16 y.o brother. Things got hot back at home (kidnapping threats and stuff). Went to pick him up at O'Hare today, once I saw him from far away in the terminal, I said to myself:" Here we are today making the best of it"

Cheers to family, responsibility...and tax cuts!

Only in Hong Kong

Rally against a proposed law to introduce a smoking ban in all public places there.

NYC had it smooth so did Dublin, but they're mad and going crazy in Hong Kong by actually rallying and smoking at the same time!!!

Una palabra...

...no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo esconde todo
igual que el viento que esconde el agua
como las flores que esconde el lodo.

Una mirada no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo dice todo
como la lluvia sobre tu cara
o el viejo mapa de algún tesoro.

Una verdad no dice nada
y al mismo tiempo lo esconde todo
como una hoguera que no se apaga
como una piedra que nace polvo.

Si un día me faltas no seré nada
y al mismo tiempo lo seré todo
porque en tus ojos están mis alas
y está la orilla donde me ahogo,
porque en tus ojos están mis alas
y está la orilla donde me ahogo.

Rockin' the Kasbah...in reality

Inspiration often comes on Sunday mornings...

My mom just sent me a picture today, that took me back:



Last summer my mom dropped by in Morocco to visit me for a weekend, we took the train down south to Marrakesh, gates of the sahara. But instead of going further south...we headed east, to the high atlas...berber land.


Journal entry from that day:

"Friday morning we took the 2hour grand-taxi ride to the High Atlas
(not where I had gone the weekend prior: the Middle Atlas further
north). The drive was great, 2 hours of continuous elevation, the
temperature dropped down pretty fast. Imlil (where the road
discontinues) a small Berber village at the foot of the Toubkal
Massif (highest peak in north Africa) was our destination.
Marrakesh was exceptional, but being in Imlil felt like we were in
a further isolated world. We stayed at the Kasbah du Toubkal
(Kasbah, arab version of a fortified castle, monastery) 15 minutes
up the hills from Imlil. My mom had some difficulties hiking up
there, so I put her up with the mule that was carrying our bags
(there's a funny pic of her on the mule). The Kasbah is great, isolated in the
mountains, it offers a splendid view of both the valley below and
the Toubkal which is a 2 day trip ahead. It was the setting for
Martin Scorsese's film: "Kundun",about the life of the Dali Lama. It was used to portray a monastery in Tibet. They have all the records in a photo
album...quite an interesting place. Cost a grip to stay there of
course, but they offered everything: sumptuous dinners, a vast
library about Berber history, live traditional Berber music,
hammam (Turkish baths)...I came to believe that I was royalty"

Merci, maman.

Help me out here

Any one know of any specific advanced curriculum that mixes international affairs and consulting? Not strictly limited to any of the two, but something that offers a strong global political perspective in a management context or vice versa.

Checked all the major schools on the East, nothing really tailors to that. Maybe I'm too picky and just need to realize that I need to either do one of them and cash-in in a way that satisfies both.

There is a grey area between the State Department and a MNC, an ambassador and a CEO, my teachings and experiences (which some guy deemed to be "extensive", whatever that means) have not seemed to define that area as of yet...so after four years of this "prime" education, my only plan to figure this out is to...ask.

And you actually that thought that I knew this whole time.

*Please, I've already got the first part of the answer,so no need to rub it in my face. True, I got the first part: Aiesec. Compulsive rubbing actually helps sometimes though...I dunno...be my guest.

just e-mail me at claudec@aiesecus.org

On the A380

This is no airliners.net , but I'll do this anyways

Relax...don't let the hype get in your head. I've been following this aircraft since its first days (back then, it was called the A3XX). This airplane will be a hit or miss, as the future of the commercial airline industry lies between two lines: Capacity and Frequency.

Capacity: High pax, thus less frequency (A380)
Frequency: Relatively low pax (less capacity), more frequency (787)

The 787 is no rival to the A380 simply because they serve two distinct market strategies. But airlines are increasingly leaning towards one side. The A380 will be popular in "single-mega-hub" airlines such as in Europe (except British Airways), the Gulf Area (Emirates and Qatar) and China (not Japan, nor Korea).

It will also be very popular for eccentric airlines that can afford it and see a great marketing venture: Emirates, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Virgin.

My say on the overall success of this jumbo jet: Indeed, it is as monumental as the Concorde was, and it will be the same misinvesment, as they will miss the mid-market (the A350 won't cut it either)

Boeing studied that case with very close attention throughout the last decade, they had a very good reason when they decided to yield the high pax market to Airbus.

The last pillar of my undergrad career...groundwork on

Some critics question the nature of World Bank and IMF policy believing they fail to create economic growth and have only worsened poverty and dependence. There are many reasons for the failure of foreign aid.

First, foreign aid has a widespread record of waste, fraud, and abuse. U.S. aid programs have built tennis courts in Rwanda, sent sewing machines to areas without electricity, and constructed hospitals in cities where a dozen similar facilities already sat half empty.

Frequently, the aid is stolen by corrupt foreign leaders. The Agency for International Development admitted in 1993 that "much of the investment financed by AID between 1960 and 1980 has disappeared without a trace."

Instead of focusing on why foreign policy has not work in the past [corruption, abuse], I am more interested in investigating latent effects of foreign aid. My goal in this project is to dismiss the myth of foreign aid by pointing out clear and undisputable evidence, that foreign aid filtered through and administered by public, private, governmental and non-governmental entities does not improve the overall economic welfare of nations in need, and in fact, contributes to the underdevelopment issue by making nations “aid-dependent”, and by undermining the incentive for responsibility and self-sustainability.

Much about nothing...or just me?

Deep down in the jungle
I started bangin' my first bongo
Every monkey'd like to be
In my place instead of me
Cause I'm the king of bongo, baby
I'm the king of bongo bong
I went to the big town
Where there is a lot of sound
From the jungle to the city
Looking for a bigger crown
So I play my boogie
For the people of big city
But they don't go crazy
When I'm bangin' in my boogie
They say that I'm a clown
Making too much dirty sound
They say there is no place for little monkey in this town
Hear me when I come

Manu: you're a genious!

BTW: Foreign Service Exam is T-2 days...

Further random notes on poverty (new perspectives cont d)

Poverty kills, yet it should not be considered as a disease

No opportunity means infinite opportunity

Poverty is no coincidence, nor an injustice

Under the current systems provided by World Bank & IMF: foreign aid actually worsens the effects of poverty: dependence theory; the north always wins.

Help create instead of giving: You get off at the airport in Hanoi, Sao Paulo, Calcutta, Phnom Penh or Kinshasa; You hand candy to a child beggar, it is his/her first time receiving something from his/her begging, congratulations! You've just destroyed that child s life.

Once we start applying this thought process (deemed radical by some) when it comes to fighting poverty, we will ALL win, north and south.

New perspectives

IF WE stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognising them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up.

Have I always been alone?

Two years ago, when Fab Morvan proved that he could actually sing, I admitted much of my admiration of the former duo. You have to understand, that as I kid, I too was pretty ashamed to admit that I liked Milli Vanilli after that minor incident; and admitting how I preferred them over Michael and thought that they were actually the kings of pop, yes, not even the moonwalk could do it for me...I was one of these kids that actually dressed up like the group on carnival (there's no halooween in Haiti, we only dress up for carnival)...yet no one could figure it out, but of course they could even figure out my sister's poor Michaelness.

Can you hear me world? Is anyone with me here? I mean...the mere sight of them makes you jump and say...GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!

My haiti

Life of a Haitian man off to see the world
Many self-proclaimed nomads to meet on the way
Seems to be lost
But must go along, alone
There's so much world to see
"Look up!"-blue man touareg said

My new toy

I found this cool feature on google this morning...satellite imaging is pretty cool. I was able to pinpoint my high school...my house in miami...this place where I almost got arrested once (now I can see why)

cheers!

My mom can beat your mom

This pic was taken last week in Haiti. In the middle are my parents, surrounded by UN officials, when my mom was given an award for her public service. For the past year, there has been a UN peacekeeping force in Haiti, with 43 countries represented and 7,300 peacekeepers lead by Brazilian forces. The mission is on a 10-year mandate, and its goal is to "re-stabilize Haiti"...whatever that means...they failed 10 years ago with a smaller mission led by Pakistan. But this time, they've pledged to be effective, and from what we've seen...I must say that it will work this time, considering the relatively long mandate and the size of the mission which includes, blue helms, community/training police, doctors, sub-contracting engineers, the whole nine.

This is where my mom comes in: She runs an orphanage in Haiti called Don D'amour (gift of love). She has been working with French humanitarian donors in the delivery of medicines aimed at people that cannot afford them. That's how it started at least, until she became the single link between the UN's and other organizations' humanitarian operations.


Fier de toi maman

Parler sans rien dire

...speak without really saying anything...at least that's the trend...I dig that...so I'll roll with it.

Did you just land or did you just left? BTW...playing now is Cafe del Mar by Buddha Bar...that explains it then.

La vie en rose

In a confused wilderness within me I search myself for the answers to questions that plague me thoughts. Bitter confusion and discontent, mis-conceptions and mis-guidance...it seems that my former teachings in pieces my thoughts have rend. Yet again, every thing makes sense once she enters the room...and ihi rekolect meself.

je t'aimais...je t'aime...je t'aimerai