Words, Words, Words

Saturday, November 17, 2001

I'm at a bar with a computer waiting to order a second drink just to see if I'll be able to walk home later.
posted by Alison A. 11/17/2001 11:38:07 PM| splink!

Thank you to everyone who has been sending me emails lately. I try to answer each email personally, but I'm slightly behind the queue right now. Sorry if I'm pissing anyone off with my slow replies. I actually have some pretty good excuses. On Thursday, the graphical user interface for my Artificial Learning System was accidentally erased in a UNIX snafu that left me almost in tears. I've managed to restore most of my work, but after integrating with the rest of my team, it seems all our learning entities can do right now is run around and bump into each other. Well, not literally, but that would be a lot cooler than our current on screen confusion. I already know that most of my Sunday will be spent cheerfully in front of a computer terminal, which is where most computer science people spend their weekends.

If it makes you feel any better, answering emails has actually gotten a higher priority than my grading. Most of my students have made it clear that they don't want to see their grades for the latest programming project.
posted by Alison A. 11/17/2001 07:51:52 PM| splink!


Thursday, November 15, 2001


My roommate doesn't think I've been quoting her very accurately (she's probably right). So when I told her today that meat cures most headaches, I made sure to keep an accurate record:

"Stop with the meat. And you can quote me on that."
posted by Alison A. 11/15/2001 12:28:52 AM| splink!

From reader Brian Hoffman:

I think your friend isn't giving you the right advice on the protest. We're not trying to convert Saudis here, we're trying to enlighten Americans. If there were nauseatingly frequent protests in front of the Embassy in DC, the UN Embassy in NYC, etc...well, it might at least be able to counteract what's going on with Burton Marsteller and Qorvis...

First of all, to clarify, my list was about the reasons why there haven't been protests in the past. It was not about why there shouldn't be future protests. I've even decided what I'm going to write on my sign should I get the chance; it will say something like "look at my hair" and have an arrow pointing at my head. Okay, maybe my idea needs some work, but I'm sure other people will have much more relevant placards. Really, I'm just clinging to the idea of having an arrow pointing at my head. I'm also considering a reprise of the Simpson's 'honk if you love cookies' sign. As you can probably tell, I would not make a very effective protester.

Anyway, Brian is definitely right about the idea of enlightening Americans. It's a step in the right direction if the average American knows how the Saudi Arabian legal system actually works or about the status of women and foreign workers. However, despite appearances the activist system is surprisingly results oriented. And thus informing Americans is all part of a larger goal: winning change in the targeted system. Though I am speaking as an outsider rather than a member of the DC activist community, this is what I've noticed.
posted by Alison A. 11/15/2001 12:19:11 AM| splink!


Tuesday, November 13, 2001

So I mentioned my thoughts about a Saudi Arabian protest (graciously picked up by Glenn Reynolds, a.k.a. instapundit). I had a nice conversation about this topic with my roommate. She's a local activist, which can be pretty tough in an town where most of the best internships require very thorough background checks. Though we disagree sometimes, she's a great source of information about the local protest scene. She made some very good points and got me thinking about a few things:

• Eyewitnesses: "The authorities do not countenance criticism of Islam, the ruling family, or the Government." In Saudi Arabia, the penalties for speaking out against the government in are much more severe than in nations like Mexico. This being the case, it's much harder to find victims that are willing to talk. A cause is much stronger if you have someone who's actually willing to say that they've been wronged.
• A government willing to listen: "Saudi Arabia is a monarchy without elected representative institutions or political parties." This means that they don't even have to pretend to listen to dissent. If the chance that your message will be heard is slim to none, most activists would rather put their resources where they think they will make a difference.
• A grass roots movement: "Persons whose criticisms align them with an organized political opposition are subject to arrest and detention until they confess to a crime or sign a statement promising not to resume such criticisms, which is tantamount to a confession." With such harsh measures against organized opposition, there is little way for American organizers to interface with any sort of homegrown movement. Nations like Mexico have plenty of opposition organizations that are more than happy to coordinate with protesters in the United States.
• Geographical location: "The Government tightly restricts the entry of foreign journalists into the Kingdom." Sometimes around campus you'll hear things like "So and so spent the summer with the Zapatistas. He got to meet Marcos!" It's important for at least some of the people involved with a particular movement to be able to see what they're protesting for. Mexico is pretty easy to get to, and not too expensive for an average college student. Saudi Arabia is much harder to get to, more costly and probably daunting for the non-Arabic speaking college student. Journalists might also have their access limited.

The above quotes came from the 1999 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The bureau is a part of the U.S. Department of State.

I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons why I've never seen a protest at the Saudi Arabian embassy, but that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be protests in the future. Midterms are over. I'd be glad to take those hours that I've been spending with index cards and put them into something constructive. I've never actually participated in a demonstration before, unless gawking at the 2000 World Bank/IMF protests counts. I wonder if any of the activist groups in the area would be willing to pick this one up.
posted by Alison A. 11/13/2001 12:33:13 AM| splink!


Sunday, November 11, 2001

Some pictures that are starting to get outdated:

Squash, pumpkins and turnips at Eastern Market--







posted by Alison A. 11/11/2001 12:12:31 AM| splink!

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