Friday, December 29, 2006

Things I wish would happen in 2007...but won't (Pt. 1)

Sex workers get respect
Sure, maybe it's in the papers, but frankly that happens once a year or so. When will Canada stop being so schizophrenic about what could be a victimless "crime" (not to mention increasing the safety and accountability of workers and their patrons), and accept that the oldest profession is also likely to be the longest-lived profession. Prostitution is not going away. Maybe it shouldn't.

Somalia stops being a synonym for ninth ring of Hell
The fanatic-but-effective Islamic courts are out and the legal-but-useless transitional government is back in: at least as of this morning. Well...that's um...good? The Guardian gives three possible outcomes, and only one is positive. It's entirely possible that, on top of the pre-existing clan warfare, Somalia will become a staging ground for external Arab/Muslim and Christian nations to pursue their conflicts. Then it will get conflated into a religious war, like so many wars are (Balkans, anyone?).

...On the upside, if Africa becomes the new "clash of civilizations"* battleground, perhaps people will start paying attention to Africa?

People will star paying attention to Africa
'Nuff said.


*Personally I think the whole "clash of civlizations" thing is sheer bunk...but its invoked so often that it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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