TED.com: Hans Rosling on global population growth

-- The Kettle

NY Times: Rebuilding Lags in Pakistan Area After Offensive

By ADAM B. ELLICK

Published: November 12, 2010

A lack of progress after the military’s campaign against the Taliban has raised fears of renewed militancy. [More]

-- The Kettle

NY Times: Pakistan (Intelligence Service) Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan, Reports Assert

Pakistan (Intelligence Service) Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan, Reports Assert

By MARK MAZZETTI, JANE PERLEZ, ERIC SCHMITT and ANDREW W. LEHREN

Published: July 25, 2010

Military documents reflect deep suspicions among U.S. officials that Pakistan’s spy service has for years guided the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26isi.html

-- The Kettle Rumbles

Thoughts on Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson

I just finished reading "Stones into Schools," the follow up book to "Three Cups of Tea," and I highly recommend it to anyone who has read "The Cups of Tea" by David Orlin and Greg Mortenson. Relative to "Three Cups of Tea," "Stones into Schools" takes on a more personal and gripping tone, as Greg Mortenson himself picks up the pen and continues the story from where "Three Cups of Tea" ended. In "Stones into Schools," the reader gets a glimpse of the many, at times ridiculous, challenges faced by the CAI and Greg Mortenson in growing their operations in Afghanistan while fundraising in the United States (and elsewhere) and continuing their mission in Pakistan. The stories recounted in the book really show how the Central Asia Institute is not your run of the mill NGO. Rather, the CAI shines in providing a vital service to the people at "the end of the road," where not even the local federal governments venture, let alone foreign NGO's.

That said, the book is only partly about the CAI and Greg Mortenson. Always inclined to focus the attention on others, rather than himself, Greg Mortenson spends much of the book detailing stories of admirable determination and sacrifice demonstrated by his motley staff of local Pakistanis and Afghans. There were several moments when reading this book that I found myself truly touched and inspired by the valor and nobility of these men, who Greg Mortenson affectionately refers to as the "Dirty Dozen." At the very least, anyone who reads the book, should gain some perspective and inspiration for dealing with the challenges in his or her life.

A big criticism of the CAI, which was explicitly highlighted in "Three Cups of Tea," was that without Greg Mortenson, everything the CAI has done would unravel. However, after reading "Stones into School," one is left with the distinct impression that it is now the local Afghan and Pakistani administrators and directors of CAI who are making the greatest contributions to the mission of female literacy. Despite Mr. Mortenson having to spend the majority of his time these days raising money and awareness in the United States for CAI's mission, the CAI has managed to push forward. The CAI has built and currently support over 130 schools in the region. They achieved this success despite unforgiving climates and terrain, limited resources and infrastructure, a complicated political landscape, natural disasters, federal corruption and bureaucracy, Taliban reprisals, pervasive drug trafficking, and widely publicized civilian deaths from U.S./NATO military attacks.

Perhaps the greatest personal appeal of Greg Mortenson, and why I think "Three Cups of Tea" has been so successful, is his fundamentally human imperfection. Far from trying to justify everything he is doing, Mr. Mortenson candidly expresses his doubts, guilt, and physical inabilities. He spends some time questioning whether he has lost some level of commitment to the communities he has helped by now spending most of his time in the West. Then again, who is perfect? Who doesn't have doubts? This is reality. This magnetic appeal extends to many characters in the book. The title of the book, "Stones into Schools," is coined from a speech made by a former mujahideen commander who has spent the majority of his life in vicious combat, and who has probably had to be complicit in opium trafficking in order to provide and protect his community. The story of the CAI and the people of the region is not a fictional novel or fairy tale about uncompromising superhumans moving mountains with sheer force of will. Rather, it is about ordinary, flawed people who have to pick up each stone one by one in order to build a better future. It is fitting that Mr. Mortenson describes the "Dirty Dozen" as "underqualified overachievers," because to me, that description would fit him as well. It only seems natural that he would find some kindred spirits during his noble campaign in Central Asia.

Finally, as someone in America who will probably never have the courage and stamina to do the good work that the CAI does in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I feel that the least I can do is give some financial support for a mission that ultimately benefits us all. Despite all the problems in this world, I become hopeful and thankful when I see people like Greg Mortenson and his staff and organizations like the CAI. In summary, I highly recommend this book. It is essentially a story of regular people doing what they can, which in combination amounts to a great sea of change in the middle of what had been a barren dessert.

-- The Kettle Rumbles
PS. You can buy the book here: http://www.stonesintoschools.com/ and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to supporting the CAI's work.

Book Project: Reader Thoughts

Tamreez from Wembley, UK took the time to write some very thoughtful things about the book. Tamreez read Book 27, and wrote the following:

Towards the beginning of the book, I was really impressed by Mortenson’s perseverance. When he started fundraising, he sent innumerable letters to every celebrity he could think of…including Susan Sarandan…because well she looked like a nice person! Only to be met with no response whatsoever. Anyone else would’ve given up but he kept on writing, day in day out, on a TYPEWRITER of all things and then later progressed on to a computer. But then one fine day, just ONE of those people responded and gave him all the funds he required to build a school! Having only sent out about 2 dozen job applications in the last couple of months, I have absolutely no excuse to complain about rejections…

Towards the end of the book, what really struck me was Mortenson’s bravery and courage. After 9/11 the US Embassy gave orders to every American in Pakistan to leave the country, Mortenson was already in Pakistan at the time on business and refused to leave despite his Embassy getting very fidgety and nervous by his presence there. He stayed on to finish the work he had come for and made some important contacts with the media people who had swarmed into Pakistan hoping to report on Afghanistan’s imminent bombardment by the Americans. As a result, Mortenson was able to form important contacts and put out an alternative opinion out there: Terrorism and extremism were not going to be fought with military might alone, we needed to look at the root causes and EDUCATION was the most important. I wish the Pakistani and US governments would take note of that message.

When those of us who are from Pakistan but living abroad feel insecure or unsafe going back home, I hope we can remember Mortenson’s bravery. If an outsider could feel so strongly about his responsibility to Pakistanis that he doesn’t shy away from putting his life in danger, I wish we can also put aside our fears and concerns and do what’s right.

One aspect of Mortenson’s personality that really shone throughout the book was his humility and humanity. Going to far flung northern areas, he would be invited to stay in people’s homes and share their food, clothes etc. These areas are extremely poor and with extreme weather conditions and little facilities and amenities, except for brief periods in the summer, most people aren’t able to properly shower and/or wash their clothes etc during the harsh winter months. So many narrators in the book have commented on how easily Mortenson adapted to these conditions and never looked down upon the people or feel ill-at-ease whether the bedding was stinky or whether a child was the filthiest thing he had ever seen. He drank their tea made with fermented goat’s milk and being a trained nurse treated their pus-filled wounds and infections. Whether he was hanging out with Pakistani tailors and taxi drivers Rawalpindi or Peshawar, or whether he was living as a guest in the Northern areas or traveling across war-torn Afghanistan, Mortenson didn’t bring any airs or pretenses with him and just became “one of the people” which endeared him to all the locals he worked with.

Finally, if I could give him some advice it would be to take out more time for his family and his own health. It’s amazing what he’s doing and I wonder if he’d been able to achieve all this had it not been for the personal sacrifices and long absences from his family, but at the end of the day I think our family should come first and with bad health, he would hardly be able to carry on his work. With CAI’s finances now improved and a better organizational structure, I hope that is the case and I hope Greg can maintain a better work-life balance. The children of Pakistan need him, but so do his own children :)

I am always delighted to see how this book resonates with some people. That doesn't happen with everyone, but it sure serves as an inspiration for me when I see it happen. Thank you for taking the time to write, Tamreez!

-- The Kettle Rumbles

TED.com: Loretta Napoleoni: The Intricate Economics of Terrorism

-- The Kettle Rumbles

CAI 2009 Achievementts

Some of CAI's achievements in 2009, made possible by private contributors, like many of you!

CAI schools total 131,
CAI built 29 new schools Afghanistan and in Pakistan,
CAI Students total enrollment is 58,000,
CAI now has 36,000 female enrollment,
CAI has a total of 17 vocational centers,
CAI educated 19 higher education scholarship students,
CAI had teacher training & midwife training workshops,
CAI's Greg Mortenson published 3 new bestseller books,
CAI's Greg Mortenson spoke at 214 events nationally,
CAI's program Pennies for Peace raised 150,000,000 cents,
CAI's Pennies for Peace expanded from 280 to 4500 programs in schools, groups & libraries in 20 countries   

-- The Kettle Rumbles

Book Project Update: 8 Countries and Counting!

Thanks to Qing from New York and Asim from the UK, we now have 8 countries participating in the Book project. The present tally is: United States, UK, Canada, Japan, China, India, Australia, and the Netherlands.

After reading the book, Asim made a nice comment about the book, and I wanted to share that here. She wrote:

The Cups of Tea is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. The story of Greg Mortenson is a story of hope, perseverance and courage. He is a true hero, who has made everlasting difference to the lives of many remote villagers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I would highly recommend reading this book and supporting Greg’s cause in any way possible.

I look forward to mapping the books' progress through the Netherlands, Australia, and wherever else we may find people willing to learn about Greg Mortenson's efforts in Central Asia.

-- The Kettle Rumbles

NYTimes: More Schools, Not Troops

More Schools, Not Troops

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: October 29, 2009

A compelling argument against more troops in Afghanistan rests on this trade-off: For the cost of an additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for a year, nearly 20 schools could be built. [More]

Excerpt: 

Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea,” has now built 39 schools in Afghanistan and 92 in Pakistan — and not one has been burned down or closed. The aid organization CARE has 295 schools educating 50,000 girls in Afghanistan, and not a single one has been closed or burned by the Taliban. The Afghan Institute of Learning, another aid group, has 32 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with none closed by the Taliban (although local communities have temporarily suspended three for security reasons).

-- The Kettle Rumbles

FEER: The Art of Afghan Alliance Building | Foreign Affairs

The Art of Afghan Alliance Building | Foreign Affairs

Summary --

As the United States and its NATO allies slog on in Afghanistan, it is Washington's mismanagement of local alliances that has proved to be the undoing of its strategy in the country. [MORE]

-- The Kettle Rumbles

NY Times: Remembering Afghanistan’s Golden Age

Remembering Afghanistan’s Golden Age

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

Published: October 18, 2009

From the 1930s to the 1970s, Afghanistan had a semblance of a national government and Kabul was known as “the Paris of Central Asia.” [MORE]

-- The Kettle Rumbles

NY Times: Racing Time and Taliban to Rebuild in Pakistan

Racing Time and Taliban to Rebuild in Pakistan

 By SABRINA TAVERNISE and IRFAN ASHRAF

Published: October 11, 2009

 

Reconstruction of battered villages has yet to begin in the upper Swat Valley, making the area ripe for another Taliban takeover. [MORE]

-- The Kettle Rumbles

WSJ: Five Technologies That Could Change Everything

Five Technologies That Could Change Everything

It's a tall order: Over the next few decades, the world will need to wean itself from dependence on fossil fuels and drastically reduce greenhouse gases. Current technology will take us only so far; major breakthroughs are required.

What might those breakthroughs be? Here's a look at five technologies that, if successful, could radically change the world energy picture. [MORE]
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Reading stuff likes this makes me wish I was an engineer working on this stuff!

-- The Kettle Rumbles

BBC: Kyrgyzstan's government resigns

Kyrgyzstan's government resigns

Kyrgyzstan's government has announced its resignation, as a result of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's call for sweeping reforms. [MORE]

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An Alarming turn of events!

-- The Kettle Rumbles

BBC: Fleeing from South Waziristan dangers

Fleeing from South Waziristan dangers

Up to 100,000 civilians have left their homes in South Waziristan, where the Pakistani army is fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda. [More]





-- The Kettle Rumbles