OK, did this one-hour
interview on Dec. 2, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-jeanette-gallagher/2013/12/02/helping-others-through-the-peace-corps-at-the-age-of-62-after-loss-of-loved-ones
The DC metropolitan area fell to
second place in 2013 in its per capita rate of sending volunteers to the Peace
Corps. DC produced
7.6 Peace Corps volunteers per 100,000 residents this year, compared to 8.1
volunteers per 100,000 residents in 2012, when the district placed first in the nation. Vermont ranked first with 7.8 volunteers
per 100,000 residents.
If my readers are following the news from Honduras, they know that there is much upheaval over the recent
results of the hotly
contested presidential elections in which 8 candidates were running, so
whoever ran was sure to have garnered a minority of votes as the highest vote getter, not of a majority of votes, wins. As in
neighboring Nicaragua, where Daniel Ortega has perpetuated an initial minority
win into perpetuity by jettisoning a previous rule prohibiting consecutive
terms, a minority win is not a good recipe for maintaining political stability.
In both Honduras and Nicaragua, it would be better, in my opinion, to have the
2 top candidates face a run-off election, such as happens in Chile. Frankly,
unlike my fellow would-be liberals, I was never an admirer of Zelaya, considering
him inept, a fraud, an opportunist, and a demagogue, so would hardly have supported
his wife Xiomara. But I realize that she has many ardent advocates, including
the family of the young doctor called “Loni” in my book, who are her immediate relatives.
Many Hondurans rightly feel the economic and political system is stacked
against them—certainly there are obscene extremes of wealth and poverty, with
those in poverty far outnumbering the wealthy (as in the US also). However,
whether Zelaya and his wife would actually help the majority of the poor while
feathering their own nest is
questionable in my view and I never considered Zelaya’s ouster a “coup,” though
the action was highly irregular and the situation murky because of the lack of
impeachment powers in the Honduran constitution. During his presidency, Zelaya
did raise the minimum wage to something equivalent to $280 a month, which was
never enforced, except among Peace Corps volunteers who argued to be included.
He also got cheap oil from Venezuela, which helped everyone. However, now
Venezuela is in fairly dire financial straits and unlikely to keep expanding
its oil largesse. If, indeed, the US did favor or assist the winning candidate,
Juan Orlando Hernandez, that was not obvious and there is no such evidence, and,
nonetheless, EU observers have certified the election results, despite
irregularities. As indicated, Hernandez had a substantial lead, though not a
majority of all votes cast. Ortega already has called from neighboring
Nicaragua to congratulate Hernandez. Doubtles Zelaya’s wife’s supporters still believe
there was fraud, with Zelaya loudly denouncing the results, and the article
below in the Guardian disputes the
outcome—however, with much opinion and little proof, I would say. Very
belatedly, am regretting not volunteering to be an election observer for this
contest. I do have election observer experience (Chile, Nicaragua, Haiti, and
DR) and an abiding interest about and concern for Honduras, but I was
distracted by other responsibilities and just didn’t present myself beforehand.
Who knows for the next presidential election in Honduras? I might be considered
too old then and fear much turmoil in the meantime.
Of course, we all
saw the photo of Barack Obama shaking
the hand of Raul Castro at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service, apparently as
he was going down a line of heads-of-state. In his later remarks, he mentioned
that some in attendance at the service praised Mandela for his support of
democracy and reconciliation while not observing it in governing their own
people, an oblique reference to leaders such a Castro.
With Mandela’s death, the new film Nelson Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom
is likely to do well. South Africa is one of the country’s I hope to visit,
just waiting for the opportunity to arise. I rarely travel for just a vacation,
usually only when I’m invited and have a specific task. I would recommend that
my readers do the same; it makes your visit so much more meaningful and
memorable.
My nostalgia for
Africa was re-awakened the evening of Dec. 4 when I was invited to the opening
of an archival exhibit of the Africa
photos, taken over decades all over the continent, by the late photographer
Eloit Elisophon, many of which appeared in National
Geographic and LIFE. The exhibit
appears in the Museum of African Art, but I note that the accompanying
literature says that a larger archive is accessible only by appointment. The
main exhibit, mounted right next to the museum shop, appears fully accessible
and inviting and will keep visitors busy for quite a while. I was invited to
the opening because of my hosting of fellows at the museum. Not only were
African hors d’oeuvres served but we were serenaded by a hefty African wearing a
cute top hat, singing and playing a large unfamiliar instrument that combined
strings with a drum and bells. Two of the photographer’s daughters came from
Arizona for the opening. I have only visited 3 African countries: Kenya,
Morocco, and what is now South Sudan. But I have always been enthralled,
perhaps because those countries were so exotic and different from what I
already knew. Also, I have had visitors from Africa attending other programs
and those people have always been delightful guests. Someone of Latin American
heritage once told me that he had no desire to visit Africa, considering it
dangerous, backward, and ruled by demagogues. All that is true to some extent,
but shouldn’t keep someone from experiencing the richness and variety of that
continent, which is experiencing explosive development, growth, and
opportunity. And, I would say, the Peace Corps is having role in all that.
Predictions are that
worldwide dementia numbers are likely to
triple by mid-century, not due primarily to overall population growth, but,
rather, because of the increase in the elder population, an unfortunate side
effect of extending life spans and treating formerly terminal maladies. Likewise,
I suspect, the number of people living with disabilities of all types will
increase, creating an extra burden for the well population, as is already
happening in China, Japan, and Europe, where birthrates are below replacement.
They are still at replacement in this country only because of immigration,
something Republicans, especially the Tea Party wing, fail to acknowledge.
Had a fairly young
patient the other day with aplastic
anemia, an uncommon but serious disease of the bone marrow and blood cells.
It has multiple causes, though in many cases, the cause is unknown. My patient
and his wife left their children with relatives in another state to travel to
this area for the most advanced (free) treatment at the National Institutes of
Health. So far, he has experienced some relief, but is not “cured.”
Here’s an article about a member of my small Catholic
community, Bill D’Antonio:
http://ncronline.org/news/people/sociologist-has-kept-his-eye-catho
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