Lion Dancers at Chinese New Year Opening Ceremony

The Hague has its own Chinatown, and every year the city hosts a Chinese New Year celebration with a parade and fireworks. On Saturday, 13 February 2010, the opening ceremony welcoming the Year of the Tiger was held in the city hall atrium. I was able to take some pictures from the side of the stage.

The mayor of The Hague, Jozias Johannes van Aartsen, gave the opening remarks in Dutch and English (and translated into Chinese). Here he is exiting stage left after completing his address:

Mayor Jozias van Aartsen

The Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, Zhang Jun, also addressed the audience, speaking in English and Chinese (with a few words in Dutch):

Ambassador Zhang Jun

As an American, I found it remarkable how open the ceremony was. Anyone could just walk in (as I did), go right up to the stage, watch, and take pictures. There were no security checkpoints or metal detectors to pass through. The mayor of The Hague passed within three feet of me after leaving the stage. I can’t imagine such openness in a major American city today.

Dr. Krzysztof Skubiszewski, 1926-2010

On Monday, 8 February 2010, Dr. Krzysztof Skubiszewski, the president of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal (where I work) died in Warsaw at the age of 83. He had served as an arbitrator since 4 December 1993, and as president of the Tribunal since 16 February 1994.

Last year, I had the pleasure of showing him how to use a computer running Ubuntu Linux. I remember Judge Skubiszewski as having always been congenial and kind. I will miss him.

He is pictured here speaking at a farewell reception for a legal adviser at the Iran-US Claims Tribunal in The Hague on 17 December 2009.

The independent Doha, Qatar-based television news network, Al Jazeera, has been so castigated by Bush Administration officials that given a word association test, many Americans would probably say “Al Qaeda” upon hearing “Al Jazeera.” And yet Al Jazeera is hardly a mouthpiece for terrorists. Rather, it is a secular, serious, and highly professional news organization that offers some of the most informative televised reporting from the Middle East. In 2006, the network launched Al Jazeera English, a 24-hour international news program in English. Unfortunately, due no doubt to the smears it has endured, few U.S. cable television companies carry Al Jazeera English.

The Internet to the Rescue

Ayman Mohyeldin reporting live from Gaza for Al Jazeera English

Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, writing for the Huffington Post in an article titled, “Al Jazeera English Beats Israel’s Ban on Reporters in Gaza with Exclusive Coverage,” explains how to receive Al Jazeera English live via the Internet in high quality, freely and legally. To start watching now, download and install the free program Livestation, which is available in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux versions. Registration is required, but is free. Alternatively, you can watch selected reports on Al Jazeera’s YouTube channel.

1. $9.14 for regular unleaded
2. $9.81 for premium
3. $7.96 for diesel

My last trip to the gas station (in a Chrysler Voyager) cost about $150. The U.S. can (and inevitably will have to) adjust to higher fuel prices, just as Europe has long since done.