NGO meetings / 1.2 trillion dollars / Becoming ordinary

With nuclear weapons, everything has changed, save our way of thinking. Albert Einstein

NGO meetings

Many NGOs are rather active. They organize meetings, discussions, and other interesting social gatherings. Most of the gatherings begin at 4pm or even earlier. I wonder, whether they do that knowingly. For having meetings at 4pm or earlier makes it almost impossible for normal office workers to participate. If I should be in a meeting at 4pm, I would have to leave office at 3.20pm, for which I would have to go to the office at 7.20am. That is absolutely impossible.

1.2 trillion dollars

Some accountants say that the war in Iraq (against terrorism or something evil) will cost some 1.2 trillion dollars (1200 billion dollars). NY Times has estimated what else would 1.2 trillion buy. For example, universal heath care would not be that hard to finance.

Becoming ordinary

I am afraid of ordinary days. Whenever even a single day feels ordinary, I almost panic. Today was quite an ordinary, on the surface at least: walking to the office, hacking something, having lunch with colleagues, having a walk in the nearby forest, taking bus back home — I do not like to walk after sunset as I cannot read my book then, I need to find my head-mounted flashlight — reading.
But under surface, something not so ordinary took place. The books I am reading (by Pirjo Hassinen) is lousy. It made me think about literature and the role of narrators in novels. I got some new ideas, new at least for myself. Finding new theories is always fascinating and raises any day out of ordinariness.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs January 2007".