First Votes in New Hampshire

IN DIXVILLE NOTCH, the small town with the distinction of being the first in New Hampshire to hold primary elections, the 17 registered voters out of the 74 residents cast their votes at midnight Tuesday. Reuters reported the results: Obama took seven of the ten votes cast for Democrats, with Edwards taking two and Richardson one; McCain led the Republicans with four votes, Romney received two, and Giuliani one.

While I don't miss national news coverage in the States,...

...I do miss the sports coverage somewhat. Football (soccer for the non-expats) and cricket highlights don't interest me quite as much as basketball and American football, which do get occasional coverage on CNN International. But I find myself turning to Boston.com more often than not, as the coverage that I'm only really interested in is that of the phenomenal success Boston teams now enjoy. With a 2007 World Series win for the (Red) Sox, a perfect regular season for the Pat(iot)s, and a league-high win-loss record for the C(eltic)s (most recently extended by a 92-85 win over the Pistons, who handed Boston their last loss in mid-December), it's a wonderful time to have even the slightest interest in Boston teams. We'll see in the coming weeks how the the C's fare and if the Pats can pull off an undefeated postseason.

A "Hundred Years' War" (or longer) for the 21st Century

Center for American Progress devoted today's Progress Report to John McCain's comments to MoJo that it would be fine for U.S. troops to spend the next 100, 1,000, or 1,000,000 years in Iraq, suggesting that the problem in the current conflict is not U.S. presence per se, but the number of U.S. casualties. (I'm trying to imagine an Iraqi SOFA for the next 1,000,000 years.)
Such a stance neatly avoids the criticism of plans for withdrawal from Iraq that such a strategy will allow insurgents to wait for the departure of U.S. troops before unleashing more violence in the war-torn country, but it also presumes that the U.S. can eventually effect a reduction in troop casualties. With 901 U.S. troop casualties in 2007, the highest of any calendar year in the occupation so far, I cannot imagine a situational change in Iraq sufficiently dramatic and soon that would reduce troop casualties and sway public opinion, which currently supports the withdrawal of troops from Iraq within the next two years. This is to say nothing of Iraqi civilian casualties: Iraq Body Count (IBC) estimates that 22,586 to 24,159 were killed in the conflict in 2007. Perhaps McCain doesn't value Iraqis quite as much as U.S. troops; maybe he would support a revival of the Three-fifths Rule for body counts. That way, he could report that only 48,704 civilians have died since the beginning of the occupation. (For those of you with out a calculator handy, IBC estimates the actual number to be somewhere between 81,174 and 88,585.)

From Iowa to New Hampshire, Big Mo for Obama

A CNN/WMUR/UNH poll shows Barack Obama with a commanding 10-point lead over Hilary Clinton among New Hampshire voters in the day before the primary in the New England state, a significant development as the two have been locked in a dead heat for the days following the Iowa caucuses.

Another War to Wage

"Progress slow in war on cancer," declares a headline in this morning's Boston Globe online. Adding that to the list of endless war, we're now waging:

The War on Terror
The War on Drugs
The War on Poverty
The War on Want
The War on Cancer

Some sects are also waging:

A War on Guns
A War on Christmas
A War on Journalism
A War on Democracy
A War on English

Et cetera, ad nauseam...

Can't people find a better a metaphor than war? While I could advance arguments against the metaphor on moral grounds, I prefer to say that further "wars" should not be declared simply because doing so is too damn clichéd.

Hot Zone: Uganda

WHO reported an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Uganda November 30. The outbreak, in the Bundibugyo District, features a new species of the virus, which has a 31.4% mortality rate thus far, with 16 fatal cases of 51 reported.

Hot Zone: Sudan

The UN reported concerns surrounding a possible epidemic of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in central Sudan. CDC data shows that RVF, a zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fever, has a mortality rate of 1% among humans, with considerably higher rates among animals. However, according to WHO reporting on the current epidemic, of the 436 human cases reported in the states of White Nile, Sennar, and Gazeera, 161 have been fatal, a mortality rate of 36.9%.

Apricots in the White House

The Hungarian word denoting "apricot" is "barack."

A colleague sent along Andrew Sullivan's thoughtful article from the Atlantic on Senator Obama. My response, as written to my colleague, appears below:

I haven’t read anything of Andrew Sullivan’s in a while (despite having his blog bookmarked), so it was a pleasure for me to read this. His ability to approach issues of great contention in a rational manner that defies the traditional ideologies in American politics has always impressed me. (He is, if you didn’t know, a self-declared conservative libertarian.)

Overall, I found the whole piece enlightening, early references to “Islamist terrorism” notwithstanding. I was particularly taken with Sullivan’s recapitulation of Obama’s his view of faith as both a spiritual and intellectual exercise; his view of his religion not as a source of values but as an institution that reinforces values already instilled. With all the other points Sullivan raises, Obama himself rises above the traditional ideologies in American politics, ones, as Sullivan pointed out, have been intensified with the perceived polarization of the US over the past 50 years.

Sadly, an index of polls that examine public opinion of candidates for the Party nominations puts Obama a little over 22 points behind Clinton at 22.9%. And while trial heats show Obama currently leading all viable Republican opponents, Clinton leads in such heats as well with greater margins.

Regardless of this, Sullivan has me solidly in Obama’s camp. (I hereby withdraw all my previous calls to draft Al Gore.)

For your consideration...

...a few new photos on Flickr, hopefully with more to come over the weekend.

Mr. Hill Goes to Pyongyang; U.S. vs. the World on Cuba; Mr. Roh Goes to Pyongyang; Pirates!!; Eight Years Left for MDGs; "The path to hell..."

Some interesting stories in the news over the past few days:

First is the story of Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill's visit to Pyongyang, working with his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Removal from the list was one of the major demands of North Korea during negotiations surrounding the disabling of a nuclear reactor used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. North Korea was placed on the list after its involvement in a terrorist attack on a South Korean airliner in 1987, which resulted in 115 deaths. The only subsequent act of terrorism registered by the U.S. State Department is the abduction of 13 Japanese nationals between 1977 and 1983, five of whom were repatriated in 2004. The status of the remaining eight is a point of contention between North Korea and Japan, with the former claiming that they are dead and the latter demanding proof of the deaths. Japan also maintains that there are at least an additional three abductees held by North Korea, while a 2002 report by a North Korean defector maintains that, overall, 70 to 80 Japanese nationals had been abducted. Additionally, South Korea maintains that over 400 of its nationals have been abducted by North Korea.

An interesting note: Also on the State Department's List of State Sponsors of Terrorism is Cuba, due to its providing safe harbor to fugitives and maintaining relations with other State Sponsors of Terrorism. However, some in the international community feel that this case is overstated: on Tuesday, an overwhelming majority of UN members adopted a General Assembly resolution calling for the U.S. to end "commercial, economic, and financial embargoes" against Cuba.

Hill's visit is the latest in a series of stories over the past week involving North Korea. The Christian Science Monitor aggregated analysis of a Pyonyang summit on Tuesday between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea.

North Koreans were in the news on Wednesday as well, with the crew of the North Korean Dai Hong-Dan regaining control of their vessel after an attack by pirates of the Somali coast. U.S. warships in the area responded to the crew's distress calls and treated members of the crew for gunshot wounds sustained during the altercation with the pirates. U.S. Naval forces are continuing to monitor the situation of the Japanese-owned tanker Golden Nori that was commandeered by pirates on Monday.

***

Always having trouble keeping track of those pesky intergovernmental development objectives? Wish you could see how the international community is progressing towards its stated goals on reducing poverty, reforming education and health care, and promoting equality? Google and Cisco have a solution for you!

The UN teamed up with Google and Cisco to develop an online tool to track progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set out in the Millennium Declaration in 2000. (N.B., a timer in the upper-right corner serves as a sobering reminder to visitors that there are less than eight years before the target for achieving the MDGs.)

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Finally, a story that reminds me that "with mere good intentions, hell is proverbially paid." Members of the French NGO Zoe's Ark are currently held by the Chadian government after they attempted to abduct over 100 children and resettle them in France. While the stated goal of the organization's mission in Chad was to averting starvation among many child refugees from Sudan, upon arriving, representatives of Zoe's Ark started addressing the needs of orphans, and then providing medical attention to wounded children, and finally collecting children for resettlement in France. However, a closer examination of the "good intentions" of the French "humanitarians" raises doubts about the mission of the organization and has given rise to charges of human trafficking. Indeed, the French families who offered to host the African children had paid over 4,000 USD in cash to Zoe's Ark. Furthermore, the group of children comprised many children who were Chadian, not Sudanese, and who were not even orphans. Several international groups active in Chad and Sudan have decried the actions of the French organization, citing concerns that the incident detracts from the legitimacy of humanitarian efforts of well-established international non-governmental organizations.

A new set...

...of photographs, taken in Slovenia, are now on Flickr.

50 Years of Doctrine and Practice on Displaced Persons Compressed into Three Pages i.e., ...

...a fact sheet on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, prepared for my course on International Policy Practice.

Maybe they just like Mariah Carey...

Sitting this afternoon in the CEU cafeteria, I turned and glared at the speakers blaring the broadcast from a local radio station. So jarring was the music that I continued to stare for a few seconds before resigning myself to eating my lunch. But even as I sat, slowly digesting my greasy midday meal, the thought remained in my head: it is far too early in the year for "Santa Claus is Coming to Town..."

What good are all those pixels if nobody can appreciate them?

I've been posting photographs from Budapest on my Facebook profile, but have been frustrated with the site's limited storage capacity and functionality. Enter Flickr, an online community where photographers of every ilk can share their work. (O, would that it were owned by Google and not Yahoo!...integration with Blogger would be a breeze!)

Issues of ownership aside, I've posted my first set of photos on Flickr, in glorious, full-resolution black and white. (There is a single color shot in the set which I'm quite fond of, actually, though I find my favorite is the dark, brooding image of István Bibó.)

Saturday Morning Coming Down

For any and all interested: an album of photos taken yesterday, October 13, 2007. I'm considering moving these to Flickr...perhaps, perhaps not...

Can't We All Just Get Along and Use the Same Damn Measurement System?

As in any scientific endeavor, it is difficult to manage a complete failure in baking, as even recipes that have gone far awry still hold some value: one can usually enjoy at least a modicum of success, if not the knowledge that, most likely, there was much done correctly in the process, with all of it being thrown off by possibly one small error, one minute miscalculation.

Of course, if dealing with a new recipe, it can be difficult to discern where such an error lies. However, when using a recipe one has previously made, it is considerably easier to track down the source of error in a recipe that resulted in a less-than-ideal product.

Thus, when the blueberry scones I baked this morning turned out soft and lacking the ideal flakiness, I compared my process to that I used when I last made the recipe, which resulted in firm, flaky scones, well-risen.

The most obvious difference is that I'm baked this most recent batch in Hungary and not in the U.S. This, of course, means that I am required to use the metric system when purchasing items and when measuring temperature. (I thankfully have a set of U.S. measuring cups and spoons graciously sent from home!) I did not, however, measure the amount of butter correctly: I grated about 24 tablespoons, despite only needing a third of that amount.

Another difference was the size of the recipe. Wanting a higher yield from this batch than my last, I multiplied the recipe by one-and-a-half.

Third, I made a significant substitution. The grocer's I visited Saturday to collect ingredients didn't stock baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). I did, however, find powdered baking ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate), which is similar in composition to baking soda and, supposedly, can be substituted for baking soda.

Fourth, there was a serious dearth of equipment in the kitchen. Most significantly, a lack of mixing bowls or stockpots left me using small saucepans to combine ingredients.

Finally, while I prepared the dough last night, I froze it overnight, baking it this morning.

In one of these above differences, in a combination thereof, or in some factor I have yet to consider (Sarah Lippek has suggested that perhaps a Hungarian effluvia of sorts effects the baking process here), lies the difference between the soft, flat, dense scones I have and the full, firm, flaky ones I once made.

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Academics II - Initial Classes

Classes at CEU officially started this week, though the undergraduate students in the Bard/CEU program were treated to the inaugural session of a mandatory course on Central European History last Friday. The second session of that class was held yesterday evening (it's currently scheduled to run Mondays and Thursdays, 19.30-21.10), and the initial sessions of the Policy Process, Policy Analysis, and Public Sector Management and Public International Law were held this afternoon (Policy Process is generally held Tuesdays and Thursdays, 13.30-15.10; Public International Law is scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, 15.30-17.10).


Policy Process was straightforward enough, with a presentation of the basic outline of the course, including topics to be covered and expectations of the cohort; personal introductions from the professor, the teaching assistant, and all of the students; an examination of some basic definitions of public policy, polity, politics, and the interaction of the three; and a review of the syllabus.

The expectations of the course are quite simple: (1) one in-class presentation on one of the required readings for the class; (2) acting as discussant during another student's presentation, analyzing the quality of the presentation with respect to both structure and content; (3) a short written exam covering major principles examined throughout the course; (4) a short, six-to-eight-page policy brief; and, naturally (5) class participation. Readings for presentations will be selected on Tuesday (I hope to present either a reading on the structure of decision-making in the policy process and the importance of veto players in that process as they pertain to health policy in three European countries, or a reading on direct democracy). A topic for the policy brief must be selected by October 14.

The presentation of all the above did unfortunately suffer from the Professor Alex Fischer's lecturing style, which consisted of him reading from detailed PowerPoint slides he had prepared. There was an consequent lack of discussion and a feeling, for me at least, that I wasn't engaging with the material as fully as I could.

In Public International Law, however, Professor Boldiszar Nagy engaged students from the start, interjecting into introductions information about Budapest and Hungary that each student might find relevant: given my interest in public health, he directed me to several Hungarian journals that have recently examined national health care reform; for students who mentioned an extracurricular interest in music, he suggested a few concert halls with especially good programs; to the cinéastes in the group he provided the names of a number of small art houses throughout the city. After introductions, he moved directly into the assigned reading for the day, leading a discussion that covered definitions of law and international law and the distinctions between municipal and international law. The course requirements, a short mid-term exam, a short presentation on an issue of international law relevant to current affairs, and a take-home final exam, were covered in the class introduction last week.

On Friday, the first session of my class on Freedom of Information will be held. Next Friday, the first session of International Policy Practice will be held. Also, my course in basic Hungarian begins next Tuesday.

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Dispatch from Budapest: First Impressions - Public Transportation; Academics I

Hopefully I'll be able to average more than one of these postings per week, especially now that I have a small but indubitably faithful readership to serve.

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Public Transportation

I've made considerable use of public transportation systems in only two major U.S. cities: Boston and New York. Boston's system, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), is comfortable, reliable and fairly expansive, though not nearly as expansive as New York's system, maintained by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Of course, with its greater scope, the MTA is plagued with delays and lacks the comfort the MBTA's smaller system.

The Budapesti Metro (Budapest Metro), operated by BKV, offers both expansive coverage of the city and comfort for passengers, comprising a system of three rapid transit lines, a large array of light rail lines (both quite reliable), bus service (not quite so reliable), and heavy rail service to surrounding suburbs.

Comfort in the system is engendered by padded seats throughout the system as well as the considerate habit of rail engineers of gradual acceleration and deceleration, which is far nicer than the jarring starts and halts of both the MBTA and the MTA.

As for cost, a single ticket, which grants access to a single route of a single mode of transportation for a single use (i.e. without the ability to transfer to another line or mode of transportation), costs HUF 230 (Hungarian Forints) or USD 1.25. Books of ten tickets cost HUF 2,050, approximately USD 11.13. Monthly passes, which provide unlimited access to all modes of transportation with the exception of the heavy rail lines, cost HUF 7,350 or USD 39.90.

When using tickets, they are marked upon entry to a particular line with the line number as well as the date and time of entry. However, there is no physical barrier to prevent riders from getting on a particular line without validating their ticket. Thus, the Budapest Metro relies on conductors to check tickets on all lines, as opposed to the token- or card-based systems in Boston and New York, which prevent physical access to the mode of transportation if one hasn't purchased a card or token granting such access. However, the Budapest Metro does enforce a strict fine for those riding without validating a ticket: HUF 5000 or USD 27.21!

Academics I

Central European University has the interesting and, frankly, quite useful policy of conducting what is called "zero week" at the beginning of the semester. After last week's plethora of orientations to everything from the Student Records Office to fire are safety procedures to departmental organization and regulations, this week, "zero week," comprises lectures on courses scheduled for the coming semester by the responsible professors.

Even only having attended two sessions, one held during the orientation week and one held today, I have a fairly good sense of the courses for which I would like to register:


Public International Law

This course addresses treaty law, law regarding territorial claims, including those made on continental shelves as well as in outer space, law regarding refugees, law regarding statehood and international recognition of statehood, law regarding international conflict, and diplomatic and consular law.


The Policy Process and Policy Analysis

A requirement for students in the Department of Public Policy, this course, taught by Alex Fischer, examines policy processes in detail, addressing the place of policy in political processes, the principle actors in policymaking, and the challenges that result not only in policymaking, but in policy implementation.


Freedom of Information from a Comparative Perspective

Taught by Péter Molnár, a former Hungarian Parliamentarian, this class examines the differing policies that various nations have on freedom of information. Such exploration is achieved by having students request sensitive information from their home governments and, in the event of a refusal, having them find an NGO with which they can coordinate legal action in order to obtain the requested information


International Policy Process (Audit)

Also conducted by Alex Fischer, this course is run as a colloquium series, with representatives of eight major international organizations speaking about their work and fielding questions from students. In addition, students are required to research a particular institution and present a the relevant history and facts as well as an analysis of the work of the organization in the context of theoretical questions about international policymaking raised during the course.


Additionally, I intend on taking a basic, two-credit course in Hungarian along with the course in Central European history required of all undergraduate students in the Bard/CEU program.

***

Next:

• life outside the Residence Hall;
• a trip to Szentendre; and
  
• photographs.
  

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Dispatch from Budapest: First Impressions - Arrival; the CEU Residence Hall

Alas, I wasn't able to muster the will to write a detailed account of my first days in Budapest as soon as promised, but, being reasonably well settled at this point, I can report to the few who read this the first tales of my foray into Central Europe.

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Arrival

Upon arrival at Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport, I walked off the jetway, turning to see a fairly clear, sunny day over the tarmac. Having cleared passport control, I collected my checked baggage and, not having anything to declare, cleared customs, meeting Karl Hall, director of the Bard/CEU undergraduate program, in the terminal's arrival area. After introducing himself and providing me with some basic documents from the program, Karl arranged for a taxi to take us to the CEU Residence Hall, which serves both as a dormitory for University students and as a conference center. Arriving at the Residence Hall, I met the undergraduate program coordinator, Monica Jitareanu who provided some additional documents and helped me settle myself in my assigned room.

The Residence Hall

There are a few irritating things worth noting about the Residence Hall. First, and perhaps most frustrating, is its distance from downtown Budapest: getting to the heart of the city requires a 30-minute ride on Budapest's public transportation system. Second, there are few amenities nearby, save two large shopping complexes about a mile from the Hall, as well as a grocery store and a McDonald's which are a short, 10-minute walk away. Third, the rooms in the Hall are of variable quality, some sporting a television and a small kitchen, while others, like mine, only contain a bed, a desk, a few shelves, and a full bathroom. Finally, the food at the Hall's cafeteria, while inexpensive, consisted mostly of heavy, fried dishes along with a salad bar that comprised vegetables which were, almost without exception, pickled. Such a menu seems hardly typical, as most restaurants sampled so far have offered a much wider variety of dishes.

***

Next:

• the public transportation system; and
  
• life outside of the Residence Hall.

Dispatch from Budapest: Abbreviated First Impressions

I arrived in Budapest on Saturday at noon, some 11 hours earlier than my anticipated time of arrival thanks to some fast and greatly-appreciated footwork on the part of my parents, who were able to change my BA flight from 20.00 to 07.50. Kudos to them!

Tomorrow, details on my first 84 hours in the Pearl of the Danube and the Heart of Europe, including:

• general impression of the city;
  
• the Central European University Dormitories;
  
• the public transportation system;
• the University campus;
• academic plans;
  
• seeking and viewing flats;
• weather; and
  
• a gustatory diary.