That was a long day. I got up at 5:30 to catch a flight to Montreal, and I’m just now in a cab on the Gardiner. Next time I’m flying Porter off of the island. Anyway, it was a good day. Got to meet some new people and experience some new things. Right now, though, I mainly just want to go to sleep.
[tags]montreal, porter air[/tags]
Colin sent me a link to this New Yorker article today about Iraqis who joined up with the invading American forces to become translators and civil servants. It’s long, but very interesting.
The Arabic for “collaborator” is aameel—literally, “agent.” Early in the occupation, the Baathists in Ali’s neighborhood, who at first had been cowed by the Americans’ arrival, began a shrewd whispering campaign. They told their neighbors that the Iraqi interpreters who went along on raids were feeding the Americans false information, urging the abuse of Iraqis, stealing houses, and raping women. In the market, a Baathist would point at an Iraqi riding in the back of a Humvee and say, “He’s a traitor, a thug.” Such rumors were repeated often enough that people began to believe them, especially as the promised benefits of the American occupation failed to materialize. Before long, Ali told me, the Baathists “made the reputation of the interpreter very, very low—worse than the Americans’.”
The article laments the American administration’s treatment of these Iraqis, and rightly so, but I thought it ignored the historical parallel of how such people have been viewed by the occupied citizenry in past conflicts. For example, while officials in the Vichy French government may have felt they were doing the best thing for their country by siding with the Nazis, that didn’t stop the French resistance from hating them. Obviously American foreign policy in Iraq is markedly different than Germany’s in 1940, though the average Iraqi might not appreciate the nuance. I just think the article should have gotten some reaction directly from Iraqis opposed to the occupation, to get a balance.
.:.
Ever since Flickr’s map view of images was launched I’ve had fun playing around with it, but it comes in really handy when you’re looking at travel options. Is that town pretty? Let’s see…yup. Very. I think I’ll go there.
[tags]iraqi translators, vichy, flickr[/tags]
Travel plans for the fall* are coming together. We’re very excited.
.:.
Our schedule for the next little while is becoming very clear. I actually don’t like having this many plans; I prefer to stumble into each day and do whatever, but that’s not in the cards right now. This weekend I have a paper to write for my course. Next week we have a busy social calendar and then I’ll finish off as much of my course as I can before we take possession of our condo on the 9th. Around this time the NHL & NBA playoffs begin. We’ll be cleaning, painting, etc. for the next two weeks (and ignoring most of the Hot Docs festival) until our actual move-in; a few days after the move I go away on course for a week. No sooner do I return than the social activities of May (the Santé wine festival, a reunion in Niagara-on-the-Lake with some Dal alumni friends, Victoria day, GB’s birthday) begin. June is fairly light, though I disappear for another course toward the end, and nothing’s really planned for July or August. I suppose I should be using that time to do the giant integrative paper that’s due in the fall, since September (between an abbreviated film festival, another week away on course and two weeks of vacation) is a write-off.
*Yes, we plan this far in advance. Make fun of us all you want; it was taking our time with planning and research that made the Rockies trip our best vacation ever.
[tags]vacation, sante festival, dalhousie university[/tags]
It seemed like we were gone longer than nine days. Some parting notes & elaborations:
And that’s it. I’m glad to be back home after nine days away, but already I’m trying to figure out how to see my family next year.
Here’s the flickr picture set.
[tags]westjet, family, halifax, da maurizio, surly[/tags]
We’re back. No major hitches in the trip back…flight left roughly on time, luggage arrived intact, cab ride was fast. I’m really starting to like WestJet.
And now…a long weekend.
[tags]westjet[/tags]
Just about to board our flight. The battery’s low, on my blackberry as well as on us.
[tags]westjet, toronto, halifax[/tags]
After last night’s eating extravaganza we slept like babies. I woke up around 9 AM, called mls to schedule brunch and got cleaned up. We met her and baby Kennedy at Cora’s where I had the biggest banana & chocolate crepe I’ve ever seen. It was nice to see her (and meet Kennedy, obviously) if only for a few hours. Full once again, we picked up another DVD on the way home and retreated from the cold wind into our hotel room. I’m just charging up the blackberry while I type this and Nellie packs. Can’t wait to get back to Toronto!
[tags]halifax, toronto, cora’s[/tags]
We just got back from dinner at Da Maurizio — and after-dinner drinks at Mosaic* (sp?) — with my brothers and the ladies who love them. Dinner was, as always, impeccable. Sweet saucy shrimp, pumpkin-filled ravioli and duck breast in a citrus sauce, and a stuffed chicken breast.
It was great to spend time like this with my brothers et al. We do it too rarely, so I’m happy when we do it at all.
* Mosaic is apparently a joint effort between Da Maurizio and Seven wine bar.
[tags]halifax, da maurizio, mosaic wine bar[/tags]
There’s a store here called “The Store.” They have a sign out front that reads “2 bags of chip $.99” That is awesomely awesome; there’s just no other way to put that.
[tags]the store[/tags]
We arrived in Pictou Landing about 48 hours ago to visit with Nellie’s mom and her fella. It’s been a relaxing visit so far; the weather has helped limit our activities to sitting, eating and drinking. We even did a bit of boxing day shopping, picking up some new DVDs.
A few notes from the last few days:
1. The people from this small town are about as racist as people from most other small towns. So far we’ve heard slurs against “pakis” and natives from the nearby reserve. Apparently there are also conceited jackasses here; I’ve seen at least one Hummer.
2. The pulp mill nearby covers the entire area with a stench not unlike rotting vegetables. It’s not faint either; about 50% of the times we’ve stepped outside it’s smelled like a recent fart.
3. The towns of Stellarton/New Glasgow/Trenton/whatever are about as pretty as Sydney…which is to say they’re not. At all.
4. The mall nearby (where we picked up the DVDs) has an arcade. No foolin’…a freaking video game arcade.
5. They drive everywhere here, even to the end of the driveway. I don’t get it.
We’re going out for dinner tonight and leaving for Halifax tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to a hotel bed and dinner at Da Maurizio with my brothers et al.
Finally, and most importantly, happy 3rd anniversary to Nellie and I!!
[tags]new glasgow, pictou, stellarton, trenton[/tags]
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 