Lottery to decide my life

nimh's job is top secret. he works for a very big organization, in fact the biggest, but his work has to do with the smallest groups. and media. and computers. and lovely hungarian girls. perhap i better let nimh say whatever he feels comfortable to say.

i work for the International Institute for Mediation and Historical Conciliation, recently shortened to International Center for Conciliation. We do conflict resolution with a twist... focusing on identity based conflicts (ethnic, religious, cultural, communal) and we approach it through dealing with historical memory of the groups in conflict. that doesn't apply to every conflict, certainly not during or immediately after the war. We choose societies that are 'ready' to come to terms with their past.
I do mostly workshops, being a trained mediator and having way too much theoretical background (24 years of schooling so far) in the subject. we also do consultations every now and then, or sort of a shuttle diplomacy when need be.
My dissertation is on the use of historical memory in politics; perpertuating ethnic conflicts for furthering political agendas of individuals... and that's how i found this Institute. I couldn't have designed a better job for myself if I tried, it's a perfect match.

Nimh works on a lot of related issues. He has vast knowledge of the situation of minorities in europe, and we do work together every now and then. Right now I'm preparing two workshops in Amsterdam, so who else would I turn to for help? We also wrote an introduction to a book together once . Bet many of youse didn't know that, ay?
we are the shadowy NGO people, the fools that work for beliefs and not money, that are bad patriots and hence have no roots and are doomed to existence on the edge of any society. Yay.

Emailed Obama... That felt gooood.

Do you think anyone will read any of these emails and letters?

I sent a mass email to friends, some are writing letters as well. I still think my best bet might be congressman capuano's district office...

Go with that feeling!

Here's an article on that Durbin's Reform Bill.
None of what they propose would harm me, in fact, it would help people like me tremendously. I do have to go through all this shite due to cheap labor-seekers and cheaters and such. If there was better scrutiny, I' happily jump through a few more hoops. What's a 60 hoops when I've already jumped through 50 anyway?


source
H-1B Visa Process: Something Has to Give, but What?
Posted by Ann All on April 5, 2007 at 3:56 pm

... gonna email Durbin, too.

i flatter each of them disgustingly. Feels as if I was tickling their bare bellies pink with my own nekkid hands. Not a pretty picture. But civic activism does require a large dose of sluttery.

You're coming into your potential, dag.

practice makes perfect, CJ. My last letter (to Durbin) was totally shameless.

Post it!

gah, it's in the belly of the internet.
...plus i hate posting the shameless flaunting of self. it's ok to send it to them but i'd be embarassed to strutt it here.

I getcha.

I wish I knew someone who could exercise some powerful influence, dag.

But hey, fingers crossed & hang in there & keep fighting!


... nimh, I'm really sorry to hear of your situation, too.

Sigh.

You#re all working fine!

Sorry to hear that news, nimh!

It's rather unsufficient to only keep my fingers crossed as help ...

Hmm, so my boss is related to Kennedy's assistant for foreign affairs. He's having dinner with her in-laws this evening. He asked me for talking points
We'll see if one of these pink sleazeballs will pick me up as a living example of the immigration system's screwups and pimp me in public to get some mileage for his own agenda. joy.

Oh, that's GOOD! That's how stuff actually happens. Connections are all.

Oh! He's in porn, then....

for folks who know where/what Nimh's doing, perhaps a note to the larger organization about the importance of the specific project?

(I'm going to drop a note to a former colleague whose wife works in the New York office - try to get an idea or two)

bethie, hold yer horses. i think the deal is that this is not official decision yet. Only nimh and his boss know about this, so it might not be wise yet to write to anyone. We'll wait for news from nimh, and if the rumours become at least semi-official, then we can right. Otherwise we'd harm him.

Hahaha...... of course he's related to her! You've got some great talking points in the visa crap. What else have you got?

Thanks Dag, but I'm getting in touch in any case. Don't want it looking too obvious if I suddenly make contact with my former colleague when I want something in particular from his wife.