A Tale of 2 Empires. Or is it 3?

We are witnessing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Many people are saying – Why is this happening now? This is part of a pattern. Empire states tend to control smaller ones at their borders.

On the power of swearing

First, watch the video of a mother bear trying to guide her four cubs as they cross a busy road. One thing that adds to the merriment is the commentary of the woman describing the scene. As you watch the video, perhaps you will not only be amused, but also shocked by the women’s language, especially since it was spiced up by the words “Jesus Christ”.

<Mother bear guiding cubs across the wrote with Scottish commentary>

This reminded me of the power of swearing. The most powerful and commonly used swear words are those that challenge the most cherished beliefs of a community. Therefore, in highly religious societies, religious swear words are the most frequently used. In the video “Jesus Christ” is a powerful swear word, apparently used frequently in Catholic Ireland. In Quebec, under the dominance of the Roman Catholic church, the preferred swear words were “sacristan” and “hostie”. These words targeted the sacred Mass ritual of the church.

Why is this so? Because the whole point of a swear word is to express one’s frustration, to shock and to get attention. Therefore, the more holy and revered is the source of the swear word, then the more likely it is to achieve the swearer’s purpose.

Reflections on International Development

I have recently been to the Congo for the fourth time and have seen human development at its worst. As a result I have been reflecting on the whole development process. In the following I would like to explain (1) where I am coming from as a result of my personal experience with about 40 years of development work ( in water supply and sanitation) and human rights work, (2) review what other analysts are saying about the development  process and (3) give my concluding reflections on global human development.