The Triumph of Evil

For those of you who read yesterday’spost about the 1994 Rwanda genocide, and want to know more, I’ve found a valuableresource.  It’s called thetriumph of evil and it was created by PBS. This gives some insight into why the West turned it’s back as 800,000 people werekilled in just 100 days.  See how the debacle in Somalia (remember BlackHawk Down) influenced the West’s policy in Rwanda.The site has a special section just foreducators.  Teachers, use this as a resource to inform your students. They should understand how policies in the US affect the lives of millions of peopleworldwide.Clickhere to go the the triumph of evil website.

Posted by admin Posted in: Charity, History, Politics No Comments » November 2004

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families

The letter begins, “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families.”  It was a written plea for help from 2,000 Tutsis in the African country of Rwanda.  The next day those 2,000 people were slaughtered with machetes, clubs with nails, hand grenades, and bullets. 

These are only a fraction of the 800,000+Tutsis that died in 1994 in Rwanda.  The Hutu people of Rwanda systematically clubbed, raped, and chopped these people to death, and they did it a twice the rate that the Nazis killed the Jews in World War II.  I’m ashamed to say I don’t know much about the genocide in Rwanda, or much of Africa’s history. 

While on vacation last week I read the book The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans.  One of the characters in the book, Connor Ford, spends years in Africa and the books climax is set in 1994 Rwanda during the genocide.  After reading Evans’ fictional account of the war I decided I should educate myself. I bought the book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch.  He visited Rwanda just a short time after the genocide and interviewed survivors and killers alike.  He recounts the horrors and attempts to give a historical framework for the genocide.  But even he admits that there is no way to understand what happened.

I was surprised to find a total lack of information about African history in my local Borders bookstore.  There were about 20 books total.  Only one that had anything to do with the Rwanda Genocide.  Let me put this in perspective. In Vietnam 59,000 US soldiers died over a 10 year period.  In Rwanda over 800,000 Tutsis died in just 100 days.  The majority of US soldiers were killed by bombs, bullets, and grenades.  The overwhelming majority of Tutsis died by machete. They were killed close up, by hand.

I’m ashamed to say I knew very little of this history. Why is it that we don’t study African history in the US?  Why do we not intervene in the wars in The Dark Continent?  What’s different about these people? Are we to believe that the suffering of Africa doesn’t impact our lives, that we have no duty to respond to it? I challenge myself, and you, to learn more about Africa.  To study Her history, to find ways to involve yourself in making a change there.

Diane has already been making a change.  She sponsors a Rwandan child through Compassion International.  I’m sure there are many others who are reading this who have done similar things. Please share them with us by adding a comment to this entry.  Just click “Comments”below and enter your thoughts.

Posted by Mark Wallace Posted in: Books, Charity, History No Comments » November 2004

The great adventure

Diane and I are driving 3,000 miles in just over a week.  We’ve already crossedArizona, Utah, Idaho, and a corner of Wyoming.  Now we’re in Montana hangingout close to a place called Big Sky.

Last night we were in Idaho Falls and decided to try some of the local cuisine. We ate at a local place called Jakers.  We ate our pot roast and then drove about1/4 mile to our hotel.  When we got out of the car we heard a horrible soundcoming from inside my Jeep.

Did I mention it’s 18 degrees up here.  Yep, very cold.  The sound was froma stray cat who had climbed under the hood of my Jeep to stay warm.  Evidentlythe cat had ridden the 1/4 mile from the restaurant to the hotel while hanging onfor dear life.

When we finally figured out that the sound was from a cat under my hood we were bothafraid of what we’d find when we opened it.  After calming down the cat we foundthat he fine.  Some people from a room down the hall helped us get the very scaredkitty out of the engine and back to Jakers.  Excitement over.

This morning my battery died.  Evidently the cold killed it.  We got a jumpstart and then found the only Wal-Mart within 100 miles.  Luckily they fixedthe car and we were on the road.

The rest of the day was spent at the Grand Tetons and looking at the gates to Yellowstone.  Thebig park is closed, but that’s a story for my next blog entry.  The adventurecontinues! 

Posted by admin Posted in: Photography No Comments » November 2004

Little Lambs

There are hundreds of little lambs running around in a field not far from my house. Every year around November this field fills up with newborn lambs.  Kids andfamilies come to watch them jump and play.  I stopped for a few minutes afterwork to take some pictures of them.  I only got a few before the sun was toolow to take pictures.  I’ll try to stop and get some more in the days to come. You can view the pictures in my Sheepphoto album.

Click here to see morepictures.

Posted by admin Posted in: Photography No Comments » November 2004

Light, Buddha, Flower, Bottle, Plate…

Diane and I were driving around Phoenix today, just sort of exploring, when we cameupon the Lee Home Rock Garden. In the middle of some very nice homes stands a”garden” built out of plants, rocks, plates, flowers, bottles, buddhas, and lights. They also threw in an extra helping of “stuff from the flea market”.  This homegarden has been around since 1958, I guess it took awhile to put it all together.You have to admire the Lee family.  At least they built something.  It’snot what I would have built, but it’s something nonetheless.  I’d like to buildsomething myself.  Not a rock garden, but something else really cool.  WhenI think of it I’ll let you know.  Any ideas?Other than roaming around Phoenix looking for weird things my life has been prettybusy.  I’ve been doing a lot of studio work lately.  Diane and I are actuallylooking at starting our own company.  We’d be doing advertising, photography,video, and public relations.  A media company.I’m leaving for Montana in a few weeks.  Yep, I’m going on vacation.  Myjob is beginning to feel like jail without bars.  It’s very tiring to sit ina cube all day long.  It will be good to see the Rockies again.  

Posted by admin Posted in: Photography, Random Stuff No Comments » November 2004