News & Commentary

 

Today is the autumnal equinox. Technically I’m in the southern hemisphere so that would mean that our days will now be getting longer. Except that we’re more or less on the equator so in reality nothing much changes. We have roughly 12-hour days and 12-hour nights all year long.

On Sunday a new winner of the Tour de France was crowned. I was able to watch a few of the stages. It was carried by a French channel that we get here. I used to be a huge fan of cycling but my attention has waned over the past few years. I suppose doping scandal fatigue had something to do with it though I still believe such scandals were more prevalent because few sports have the testing regime that cycling has. I think my fading attention might have more to do with the fact that I don’t cycle anymore, at least not road cycling. I used to ride about ten hours a week until I moved to Africa and then it came to a halt. I have been doing some mountain biking here but it’s very much a different activity. I have seen an increasing number of road cyclist around Nairobi, complete with all the gear, so it is done here. It’s a challenging place to do it though. I see these guys out on often narrow, bumpy roads with trucks blowing black smoke in their faces and it doesn’t look that pleasant. It’s also probably considerably dangerous. Nairobi is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a pedestrian and that doesn’t bode well for cyclists. There are, however, some decent places to take a mountain bike. They’re not great but still quite enjoyable.

Then US Supreme Court judge Ruth Ginsberg passed away this week. Sad news. Incredible woman. About as much wisdom and power as you and fit into a meter and a half (5’ 1) frame. Alas, she wasn’t in the ground before the political fallout ignited. It’s inevitable but still disrespectful. It seems that the judiciary, designed to be a third pillar of an accountable government, is essentially an extension of the other two. Probably would be better to have them appointed by a different process than the current one (ex. judges appointing judges?). The Supreme Court should be more like an all-star team rather than reliable partisans of those in power. And then there’s the appointment-for-life thing which needs to be reviewed. I heard that one of the women being considered was in her early thirties with less than ten years as a judge (to cement the political leaning into the Court for as many years as possible). A ten- or fifteen-year term limit might allow these folks the freedom to nominate someone with a few more years between them and puberty.

Fires in the Western US and Brazil. The pandemic rolls on, even worsening in Europe. 200,000 deaths in the US! (Deserves a rare, but well-earned, exclamation point from me.) The polar ice caps are disappearing. The fact that there are so many serious things happening right now makes it difficult to respect the importance of each one. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to make an effort to do so rather than continuing to avert our eyes. It won’t make them go away.

Speaking of, we watched a movie/documentary last night called The Social Dilemma. Required viewing I think (particularly for someone who has two preteen daughters). You’ll understand why after you’ve seen it. Glad I'm not on Facebook.

Kenya has announced that they might be starting schools again in a few weeks. Might be a good idea depending on how it's done. Our kids are not in the Kenyan system but there is discussion that their school may follow suit. We were just talking this morning about how well they and their teachers have adjusted to online schooling. It's not ideal and there are complaints from some parents, but were simply thankful that they are able to continue their education and in a manner that seems to be relatively effective, all things considered. But yes, if we can get them back in a classroom, with something like the safety that we've seen in Germany and other places, it would be good for everyone.