Writer in exile: 101st blog post

Writer in exile: 101st blog post

“‘A writer is always in exile,’ she said, this is what pushes him or her to write. ‘It doesn’t have to be geographical.’” From Journalist Olivia Snaije’s interview with three Syrian and Iraqi women writers living in exile: Samar Yazbek, Inaam Kachachi, and Rosa Yassin...
Marshmallows and other metaphors

Marshmallows and other metaphors

I’m swimming in work but treading water as best I can. I can’t wait to leave for Madrid but in the meantime I’m going to pump out seven reports and annexes, probably 1500 pages of hard-hitting sociological analysis! BOOM! But I’m telling the...
Virginia Woolf, Downton Abbey, and damned statistics

Virginia Woolf, Downton Abbey, and damned statistics

I’m a bit late getting to this piece of news, but I just read a story about Virginia Woolf’s suicide. I’ve never read any of her work. I need to catch up. (Pics from Getty, via the BBC article link.) Woolf and her husband criticized Victorian rules....

The Piper Plays the Tune

International development is driven by donors. Whoever has the money gets to pick what kinds of interventions are paid for and undertaken. This is a mixed bag. Pros Cons $ and mandate to buy public goods not being provided by recipient countries. Political...
Why are we still fighting these battles?

Why are we still fighting these battles?

I promised to write about the peace talks this week, and I will. But not yet. There’s some seriously unfinished business on my mind. Can someone tell me how we’re still fighting these battles? Didn’t the country just (more or less) finally admit...
The Great Divide

The Great Divide

Bogota has its share of problems. It’s a big, noisy, gritty city with more inhabitants than it can reasonably handle. Unlike back home, demand for public transportation is enviably high: bus it and they will come. Supply is another story. Foto: Carlos Julio...