The Name Changers

ricodebuco.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/two-faced/

No no no. This picture, designed by Rico de Buco, does not at all represent my view of people who have changed their names, say from an ancestral "Cohn" to a less incriminating "Collins." The sentiment suggested by the picture is an exaggeration of my views, at best. But, for what it's worth, here is my article on the subject, now more than twenty-five years old.

Child slaves in Haiti: The Restaveks

The institution of "restavek" (from the French "reste avec," 'stay with') in Haiti, in which hundreds of thousands of poor children are given into a form of slavery, is no secret whatsoever. Every Haitian is well acquainted with it, books have been written about it ... and yet, there seems to be no international concern.

For those who would like to learn more, there is the book by Jean-Robert Cadet, himself a former restavek, and the Restavek Foundation he has founded.

Take a look at the CNN video:

Are some people good, others bad ?

People aren't either good or bad. It's circumstances that differ: some are more fortunate, more educated, richer or healthier, etc. etc., than others. Do not make value judgement. Do not be moralistic.

That is the doctrine of the college-educated. But in real life all people speak of "nice guys," of "absolute jerks," etc.

What to make of it ? Here are my answers, or at least my reflections:

Bad Character, Good character