Le Monde est Petit
Certain things are universal. I wouldn't go so far as to call them "truths," but there is an order to the cosmos on a scale somewhere between electromagnetism and gravity...let's say, oh, at the length of about a meter. That's right; the human scale. People are neither electrons nor rocks, but there are some incredible patterns to humanoid behavior in need of some explanation. To wit:
(1) Celine Dion. The woman is everywhere. Urban African restaurants, rural African radio, New York, the Mall of America (oh yes, I did), dentists' offices, airplanes, the Burney family backyard fireworks displays...she is loved by all, even those who claim otherwise. And she apparently mediates all human interaction, bringing the world closer together. Physicists have long been trying to reconcile forces at the atomic scale with forces at the cosmic scale. Perhaps we have found a missing piece?!? The gluon, the photon, the Dion, the graviton...
(2) Gendered Toilet Behavior. I thought it was a suburban American joke, those silly men who won't put the seat back down. Maybe they're macho; maybe they're just forgetful...but they certainly aren't the norm, right? Wrong. Even in the land of pit latrines, men are men, and women are left to clean up the mess. Recently in Kalale, we had an incredible opportunity...a BRAND NEW LATRINE uninfested by roaches. Yes, it was just a hole in the ground, but a *nice* one. The universal truth about roaches is that it's quite easy to keep them out, but almost impossible to get rid of them once they invade. The trick with a latrine? All you have to do is COVER THE HOLE. Now, is that really so difficult? Apparently it is. One month, and our nice new latrine is just as disgusting as any other, even though I lectured and begged and took to stalking in after the boys in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable. I'm trying to see this as a sign of higher order, but it hurts. Especially at night.
(3) Suicidal Insects. In the small slice of West Africa that we've seen, I routinely marvel at the speed with which an insect will die in whatever liquid you have recently left uncovered, be it a beer, a laundry basin, a bowl of soup. I thought this must be the Africa dummy at work, but, being a meticulous scientist, I realized that this merited an experiment in the States in September. So I took the paper and a glass of juice outside. BAM! Dead fly. Several iterations of this revealed that the average time of suicidal invasion is longer in the US than in Ghana, Benin, or Niger, but I believe this can be explained alone by the relative density of insects in these places. Perhaps you are thinking, "Hey wait, she was talking about human-scale behavior. What's with the bug business?" To this I have two answers: (a) I am a physicist and this is good enough for government work (especially in this administration); and (b) I AM talking about human behavior...why are we all idiots that keep leaving things uncovered??
(4) Enginerds. Future geeks/dorks/nerds (I am told they're different, but as I am all three, I cannot discern...) of the world are identifiable from a mile away. The air-sucking laughter (with perhaps a snort or two thrown in); the slightly awkward discomfort with looking people in the eye (even when it's not explainable by cultural norms); the outcast status...Oh yes, and of course, the inexplicable and impelling need to build things that roll, even if it is out of old bamboo stalks and melons.
Isn't the world a beautiful place?
(1) Celine Dion. The woman is everywhere. Urban African restaurants, rural African radio, New York, the Mall of America (oh yes, I did), dentists' offices, airplanes, the Burney family backyard fireworks displays...she is loved by all, even those who claim otherwise. And she apparently mediates all human interaction, bringing the world closer together. Physicists have long been trying to reconcile forces at the atomic scale with forces at the cosmic scale. Perhaps we have found a missing piece?!? The gluon, the photon, the Dion, the graviton...
(2) Gendered Toilet Behavior. I thought it was a suburban American joke, those silly men who won't put the seat back down. Maybe they're macho; maybe they're just forgetful...but they certainly aren't the norm, right? Wrong. Even in the land of pit latrines, men are men, and women are left to clean up the mess. Recently in Kalale, we had an incredible opportunity...a BRAND NEW LATRINE uninfested by roaches. Yes, it was just a hole in the ground, but a *nice* one. The universal truth about roaches is that it's quite easy to keep them out, but almost impossible to get rid of them once they invade. The trick with a latrine? All you have to do is COVER THE HOLE. Now, is that really so difficult? Apparently it is. One month, and our nice new latrine is just as disgusting as any other, even though I lectured and begged and took to stalking in after the boys in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable. I'm trying to see this as a sign of higher order, but it hurts. Especially at night.
(3) Suicidal Insects. In the small slice of West Africa that we've seen, I routinely marvel at the speed with which an insect will die in whatever liquid you have recently left uncovered, be it a beer, a laundry basin, a bowl of soup. I thought this must be the Africa dummy at work, but, being a meticulous scientist, I realized that this merited an experiment in the States in September. So I took the paper and a glass of juice outside. BAM! Dead fly. Several iterations of this revealed that the average time of suicidal invasion is longer in the US than in Ghana, Benin, or Niger, but I believe this can be explained alone by the relative density of insects in these places. Perhaps you are thinking, "Hey wait, she was talking about human-scale behavior. What's with the bug business?" To this I have two answers: (a) I am a physicist and this is good enough for government work (especially in this administration); and (b) I AM talking about human behavior...why are we all idiots that keep leaving things uncovered??
(4) Enginerds. Future geeks/dorks/nerds (I am told they're different, but as I am all three, I cannot discern...) of the world are identifiable from a mile away. The air-sucking laughter (with perhaps a snort or two thrown in); the slightly awkward discomfort with looking people in the eye (even when it's not explainable by cultural norms); the outcast status...Oh yes, and of course, the inexplicable and impelling need to build things that roll, even if it is out of old bamboo stalks and melons.
Isn't the world a beautiful place?
posted by Unknown at 2:10 AM
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