
Apr 4, 2011

Humanitarian Intervention or Strategic Intervention?
Mar 1, 2011

The Crisis in Libya Could Spell Disaster for the Rest of Africa
Feb 26, 2011
“We are dying. …. I'm talking to you and you are listening to me and you are seeing the videos and people are talking to you from inside, outside of Libya. But the action -- there needs to be action. How much more waiting, how much more watching, how much more people dying?”
A heart wrenching appeal by an unidentified Libyan woman to the world to do something urgently about Gadhafi’s massacre of his people. This is genocide unfolding again before our very eyes.
I watched this on TV and my heart just sank. Are world leaders listening? How can anyone not be moved by the plight of this brave woman and the Libyan people?
When it happened in Auschwitz, we said we didn't know it was happening.
When it happened in Cambodia we said we were shut out by the Khmer Rouge.
When it happened in Rwanda we said we underestimated the killings.
When it happened in Darfur, we said he weren't sure the killings merited the label.
Now, a voice cries out from Libya that is happening again before our very eyes.
What will be our excuse this time?
The Massacre in Libya: What will be our excuse this time?
Feb 22, 2011


The revolutions sweeping across the Arab world have shone a spotlight on the Gene Sharp, described as the author of the rule book on non-violent revolution. His book “From Dictatorship to Democracy” has been widely credited with guiding and inspiring the uprisings in Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Although the rest of the world is just discovering the influential work of this America academic and political theorist, many of those interested in matters of social justice and peace have long been familiar with his name and his work.
In the past couple of weeks both the New York Times and the BBC have done lengthy exposés on the life and work of Gene Sharp and how his 198 methods of non-violent revolution have shaped non-violent uprisings against autocratic rulers from Eastern Europe to South America to Middle East.
As one long familiar with the work of Gene Sharp, I would be the first to agree that Sharp’s theoretical and practical approach to non-violence indeed directly influenced the recent events we are witnessing.
But here is my problem with the way much of this has been reported. Sharp is being made out as the “inventor” of the principles and strategies of non-violent revolution. It is a disservice to the work of this great intellectual. Even Sharp himself, I am sure, would object to such patronizing and aggrandizing representations of him and his work.
Long before Sharp, there was Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha and of course, MLK's civil rights movement. Both men in their writing and actions outline concrete strategies for non-violent struggle. Mahatma Gandhi himself was influenced by ancient Hindu and Confucian principles of non-violence. Hindu traditions of passive constrains on recourse to violence shaped his strategies of dealing with British imperialism in India – from the idea of Ahmisa "non injury” to the defiant Salt Marches of the 1930s.
Satyagraha encapsulated non - violence in both theory and action. MLK, by his own admission, was influenced by Gandhi's Satyagraha. Sharp too, was no doubt influenced by these earlier ideas and
Nonviolence as a principle and political strategy has a long history. We must not be blinded to this rich history by our quest for heroes and supermen to explain the current wave of non-violent uprisings.
The young Egyptians who stood their grounds in Tahrir square to topple a dictator are justified in their resentment of the suggestion that their revolution can be credited to one Western intellectual (as reported in the BBC story). They are rightly offended. Their non-violent struggle against tyranny and injustice follows a long tradition of human struggles for change through non-violence. It is tradition that no single man can be credited with.
Before Gene Sharp there was Gandhi's Satyagraha
Feb 13, 2011
My congratulations to the vibrant and freedom-loving people of Egypt for their resilience and determination in ousting tyranny and dictatorship.As I predicted in this blog a few days ago, it was only going to be a question of time and the extent of the people's resolve.
Tyrannical dictatorships not only in the Arab world but elsewhere have been put on notice from Libya to Myanmar; from North Korea to Zimbabwe.
The internet generation has shown that they will not be browbeaten and intimidated by the arrogance and brutality of power. They know they have a new and unprecedented power of knowledge and mobilization. The genie is already out of the bottle and although there are bound to be difficulties along the way, things are never going to return to the way they were in Egypt. The people of Egypt have ensured that.
As Egyptians celebrate their freedom, let them not forget the many that died during and before the uprising for the course of freedom. They are the true heroes of this struggle.
Egypt: Free at Last
Feb 11, 2011


There are many insights that Eşref’s exceptional abilities provide us. Physiologists say that it demonstrates for the first time that a blind person can develop on his or her own pictorial skills the equal of most depiction by the sighted. For me, Eşref vindicates my belief in the power of questioning. As a former teacher once told me, there are only two kinds of people that are incapable of learning – the arrogant and the shy- those who either will not or cannot ask questions.
Eşref Armağan’s story is a reminder that we must never cease to question – our beliefs, our convictions, our prejudices, our fears, our teachers, our leaders and our world. For those of us privileged to be teachers and educators, it is a reminder that we must never tire of providing answers and guidiance to those who question in the search for knowledge.
Below is a tribute to the artist and a link to Eşref Armağan's Website.
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Making the impossible possible
A painter blind from birth shows us there’s many ways to learn, but are you asking enough questions?
There are many different ways to learn and make sense of the world around us, says Jorrit van der Togt, VP Learning and Organisational Effectiveness in Projects & Technology (Shell). The trick is to keep asking questions and not to stop until you’ve found all the answers.
I recently went to a presentation by Eşref Armağan, a Turkish painter who’s been blind from birth.
Blind? Painter? Surely, that’s some kind of trick? Not a bit of it. My initial scepticism turned to awe in just under five minutes when I saw him at work in front of 500 people.
You see, Eşref has a special gift. Through stubborn persistence and a unique genius, he’s learned to trace lines with one hand and paint with the other – both at the same time.
This ability – crafted through endless questioning and feedback – has won him widespread recognition and exhibitions in Turkey, New York, Shanghai, Italy, Rotterdam and the Czech Republic.
What struck me most was that Eşref started, like you and me, with an intriguing question and an insatiable curiosity to make sense of the world around him.
We all embark on learning and development programmes to ensure we have the right skills for the business to deliver on its plan and benefit our customer base. This model differs from individual to individual. As Eşref’s story proves, there are many ways to learn and - even if we are weak in one particular area - there are plenty of other ways to make a connection....
Learning should be innovative and fun. We use many modern learning techniques. Classroom work is about putting knowledge into practice, not just listening to presentations.
We aim to get our people skilled up as fast as we can. Still, it’s their engagement, their questions and their curiosity that will truly bring each class to life and help create that value.
In fact, together we can make things happen tomorrow which everyone thinks are impossible today!
Eşref Armağan: Blind Painter Exemplifies the Power of Questioning
Feb 7, 2011

It is humbling and gratifying to be found deserving of an honor as prestigious as the Rev. John Holland Award. The intriguing and inspiring life of Rev. John Holland makes the award even more meaningful. Awarded "Distinguished Citizen" for the year in 1953 (the first person of African heritage to be so named in Canada), John Holland rose from a lowly newspaper boy to become one of the most prominent citizens of Canada. It is an honor to be associated with this award and the other 2011 recipients which included the great baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins.
Recognizing success at John C. Holland awards
Feb 4, 2011
Feb 3, 2011

The developments in Egypt following the clash between anti and pro Mubarak supporters in Cairo’s Tahrir square have been gripping. What had been a largely peaceful protest against the dictator quickly deteriorated into an urban free-for-all brawl allegedly instigated by government forces. Innocent lives have been lost and hundreds wounded. As one earnestly hoping that this uprising eventually succeeds in bringing true democracy to Egypt and the Arab world, I am saddened but not surprised by this turn of events.After thirty years in power, Mubarak and his cohorts are growing desperate. His pledge to leave power is September has not dampened the resolve of the protesters. The people have lost their fear of the instruments of state terror that have held them captive for so long. The dictator’s options are narrowing. What I see in the apparently coordinated attempt to derail the uprising is the proverbial last kick of a dying horse.
The battle of Tahrir Square would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic and if the stakes weren’t so high. Some of the news reporting read like comedy scripts. If one can put a positive spin on this event, it would be that the battle of Tahrir Square has so far been fought with “crude” medieval weapons -- pavement stones, whips, horses and camels. This must explain why after two days of fierce clashes, the reported fatalities are in the single digits. The lesson: A people committed and desperate enough will use whatever they have to defend their revolution. One AP report best captures the scene:
“... In one almost medieval scene, a small contingent of pro-Mubarak forces on horseback and camels rushed into the anti-government crowds, trampling several people and swinging whips and sticks. Protesters dragged some riders from their mounts, throwing them to the ground and beating their faces bloody.
