What I Think About What Other People Say (WITAWOPS)

I don’t think Michela Wrong was comparing me to the devil (or at least I hope not). But I was responsible for helping an accomplished author distribute a book, helping her to let go, and as a bonus, having her eat crow!  What Other People Said "[Galeeb] was already hard at work, pulling together a multi-pronged distribution operation to bypass a gagged retail industry… As a devout atheist and hardened aid sceptic, I’m aware of the acute irony of being thus beholden both to the churches of Kenya and a US development agency. But I’m happy to eat crow. My critics will no doubt mutter darkly about CIA plots, but I wouldn’t mind if the Devil himself wanted to distribute It’s Our Turn to Eat. I am rather more concerned about the agenda of those who were determined to ensure no Kenyan ever got to read a book on sale across the globe. But knowing that 5,200 copies of my book—for that is what it will be—have reached the wananchi will allow me to let go." Source: Michela Wrong, “Advent...

People have developed something quite amazing and somewhat scary. It answers questions, speaks in full paragraphs, generates drawings (like many of the ones I use for my posts), drives cars, writes code, analyzes traffic and adjusts signals in real-time, and can even imitate voices. It’s called Artificial Intelligence for a very important reason: it mimics thinking and appears, on the surface, as anthropogenic intelligence. But it is obviously not. It is artificial, created by non-human machines and code.  I have a science degree (systems engineering) and a religious studies degree (Islamic studies). So what happens when I put the A.I. system through a religious lens?  Old Testament / Hebrew Bible But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they wil...

Happy independence day America. Congress ratified the declaration of independence on July 4, 1776; therefore, today, we officially start our 250th year as a nation. Birthdays mark the end of a year lived, not the beginning. If you say you're 40, you've completed 40 years and are now living your 41st. Designed by Freepik So what will we be reflecting on a year from now? Considering all of this, how will we mark the end of 250?  We know what we have to deal with: Global geopolitical forces and unrest Economic turmoil Domestic polarized political perspectives (see November 2024 election post entitled It’s Over. Now can we really get to know each other ?);  Climate change  Worsening effects of natural disasters including heat, fire, and flooding All we know for sure is what Congress ratified in 1776, how America was born:  “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of ...

True peace is born through humanitarian services. My journey began with the United States Peace Corps (USPC)—the toughest job I ever loved.   This is my story.  As a student studying at Northeastern University, I worked at the Institute of International Studies as a work study. While working there, I made some amazing friends from all over the world, the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America.   My friends spoke about their amazing lives in their respective countries. I learned about their beautiful cultures, languages, histories, and families. The one continent that inspired me was Africa.   I majored in Management Information System/International Business and like a typical South Asian, I was supposed to work in an information technology company after graduation. But my heart wanted to do humanitarian work in Africa.   How could I do this? I decided to apply to the USPC. In the summer of 2002, after graduation I was accepted into the US Peace Corps in a small co...

I’ve met all three of primates: bonobos, baboons, and the blue-balled vervet monkeys. But that’s not the whole list. I’ve also had the chance to observe all members of the great ape family—Hominidae: humans, bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. How many have you encountered? Photo: Galeeb Kachra, 2010 Bonabos: Not Just About the Sex “Bonobos are the most empathetic and socially tolerant primates, which challenges our assumptions about aggression as a natural human trait.” -- Frans de Waal (primatologist). “If there is a lesson to be learned from bonobos, it’s that peace and empathy are just as natural as war and violence.” -- Vanessa Woods (author of Bonobo Handshake). Bonobos share over 98% of our DNA. More importantly, they share our behaviors: empathy, cooperation, and non-violent conflict resolution. They also happen to have a reputation for… frequent sex. Here's a detailed look: Scientific American – Bonobo Sex and Society . Bonobos are found only in the Congo Basin...

During my first visit to the USA in 1988, I had to stop for a hot dog in Manhattan. While the street vendor assembled our dogs, we got to chatting. Looking at the color of my skin, he asked if I was from India. “No,” I replied, “I’m from Kenya.” He paused, puzzled. “Kenya is in India, isn’t it?” “No. Kenya is in Africa.” And then came the line I’ll never forget: “Africa, India—same thing.” I wish I could tell you this was an isolated incident from a long-gone era, B.I. (Before Internet). But really, not much has changed. Still Not a Continent? People, companies, even the U.S. Government—many still lump “Africa” into a singular, vague idea. Want proof? Search for the phrase “He served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa” and you’ll find, scattered all over, a non-parallel construction mixing nations and a continent.  Let me be clear: Africa is not a country. Image ChatGTP, 2025 I’m big on word choices and the need for parallel constructions. If a soldier served at military bases in Afg...

I never parroted the obligatory land acknowledgments. Everyone opened with one: teachers, presenters, even meeting participants doing introductions. I didn’t get the point. I always wanted to ask, “That’s nice. So… are you giving the land back?” But I held my tongue. Instead, I’m unpacking these statements through the WITAWOPS lens: What I Think About What Other People Say. Let me know if this resonates — or just makes you uncomfortable. Image by Freepix My Disclaimer (or Bias, if you prefer) I grew up in Kenya — on land taken by white settlers and later sold to brown Indian-Kenyans like my family. Now, I live just outside Seattle — on land taken by white settlers and sold to brown Indian-Americans like... also my family. In both cases, the land wasn’t bought from the pre-colonial residents. So yes, I’m complicit. And no, I’m not pretending otherwise. Let’s get into it. What Do I Think: Let’s start in Indiana — my first U.S. home. From Indiana University Indianapolis : “IU Indianapolis...

On December 9, 2024, I published this post that was really focused on whether or not America would do the right thing and allow Syria to reboot. This week, I am excited and proud to acknowledge that America set off in the direction I was hoping for. We have begun the complex process of lifting four decades of sanctions and gulf states have offered to pay off some of Syria's debt. Image designed by freepik.com What I said in December: Title: Mistakes: Can we correct, repent, offer reparations, and remember? Today I explore whether we can and do forgive past leaders for their mistakes. “ The American administration made many mistakes against other peoples. Will every American citizen, every American soldier be asked: “Why were you with them? Why were you with them?” He will respond, saying that there was an administration, and there were inherent circumstances unique to this time and place that imposed on me to be here. Administrations are making bad decisions. The American people ca...

This post presents verbatim excerpts of a Department of State Office of Inspector General Inspection Report on Kenya in 2012. I did not make them up. Please visit the page https://www.stateoig.gov/reports , enter Kenya in the first field (Keyword of Phrase), select “inspection” in the Category drop down, and open the August 2012 ISP-I-12-38A report (not the 2018 report). Enjoy. The Ambassador has lost the respect and confidence of the staff to lead the mission. Of more than 80 chiefs of mission inspected in recent cycles, the Ambassador ranked last for interpersonal relations, next to last on both managerial skill and attention to morale, and third from last in his overall scores from surveys of mission members. The inspectors found no reason to question these assessments; the Ambassador’s leadership to date has been divisive and ineffective. The Ambassador has damaged the cohesion of Embassy Nairobi’s country team by underscoring differences between offices working directly with Kenya...