on the Nobels

I'm taking a brief break from my little life (not much of interest is happening right now, excepting the slow decline of my computer & a cold, but enjoyable celebration of Sukkot last night).

I would rather write about the Nobel Prizes. The two that matter to me (literature & peace) were just awarded. I'm rather pleased with the selections. I've read Pamuk; while he isn't my favorite author he is really skills. He writes novels that one knows are full of symbols and deeper meanings, but that are also enjoyable on the surface without delving into all that. I really enjoyed Snow, the story of a Turkish political exile who returns to Turkey to report about the 'headscarf girls' killing themselves in a small town...

My mom told me that when she visited our Norwegian relatives summers ago, discussing who might win the Nobel Peace Prize that year was talked about the way Americans discuss sports. I think it would be amazing to have peace-making takeover sports' role in the culture (peacemakers trading cards, etc.), although I would miss listening to baseball games on summer evenings.

I'm quite pleased with this year's Peace Prize winner. The Grameen Bank does such good work & think it's important that poverty hinders peace just as much as war does. It's nice to have someone who isn't a UN official or head of state win it periodically. I heard that the odds favored Martti Ahtisaari, who still has to sort out Kosovo before he's Peace Prize-eligible in my book.