| The shambolic withdrawal does not reduce the obligation of America and its allies to ordinary Afghans, but increases it. They should use what leverage they still have to urge moderation on the Taliban, especially in their treatment of women. The displaced will need humanitarian aid. Western countries should also admit more Afghan refugees, the ranks of whom are likely to swell, and provide generous assistance to Afghanistan’s neighbours to look after those who remain in the region. The haste of European leaders to declare that they cannot take in many persecuted Afghans even as violent zealots seize control is almost as lamentable as America’s botched exit. It is too late to save Afghanistan, but there is still time to help its people. ■ |
From <https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/08/21/the-fiasco-in-afghanistan-is-a-grave-blow-to-americas-standing>
That was some months after the acquisition of my first PC: an Amstrad 1512!
'Amstrad': a contraction of 'Alan Michael Sugar TRADing'.
Here is an image found at a vintage computing site… (The above one is not really vintage!)
Some years later, alongside the Dnieper in a peaceful Kiev!
Nuclear danger lasts here and elsewhere. Never enough faraway.
Jean-François Champollion who made the first translation of the ancient hieroglyph (in 1822-1824, before ever going to Egypt) made his first (and last) journey to Egypt in 1828-1829. He spent 20 months and 20 days in this journey (of which the last 60 days in quarantine in Toulon when he was back homeJ).
An amazing book "Lettres écrites d'Égypte et de Nubie en 1828 et 1829 by Jean-François Champollion" (there should be an English translation… don't really know) contains a collection of letters - written to his friends, family and some officials- that recount this journey in a very smooth and pedagogic way. In an annex, the book contains a very dense description of the History of ancient Egypt and neighboring civilizations.
Champollion was evidently passionate about ancient Egypt. During this journey, he seems to be revisiting places and events that he knew quite well. And he recounts all of this in a fascinating way.
One thing that may seem a little strange for us, is the time spent in travelling. For instance: it took him several months to travel from Paris to Luxor (in the south of Egypt)… which really seems too long now (probably unacceptable!).
In the same time, he could compose (with his small team), in less than 2 months, more than 600 entire exact colorful drawing copies of all the monuments he visited (including endless hieroglyphic texts!). All in quite harsh travelling conditions between the Nile cataracts.
Near the end of his journey, he heard that Jerusalem's Archbishop decided to honor him with a distinguished prize (Croix de chevalier du saint-sépulcure). He recounts that getting hold of the prize was too expensive for him (200 Louis)!
The book is also available in an audio version (in French) on the great Free Litérature audio web site.
(Not sure you can write code while hearing such a bookJ)
Egypt’s January 25 revolution is a great hope for humanity.
Against a regime of criminals with 1.8 million of “well-equipped” and “well-trained” anti-riot forces… and some more thugs, opportunists and other hypocrites… young peaceful people with human values could win.
We are living a new dawn for human values.