Snowmageddon II and Bantanamo

Today it is President's Day. The day that all people working for federal offices enjoy a national holiday on the third Monday of February. This holiday is to honor the birthdays of both former Presidents Washington (February 22) and Lincoln (February 12). GPF ofcourse is an independent non-governmental organization. Nevertheless, our boss decided to give us the day off. It was also his way of thanking us for showing up at work last wednesday. This was the day the heavy snow storm reached New York. The day before, weather analysts warned us to brace ourselves for the coming snow blizzard and the NY authorities decided to close all schools and to deploy a full armour of snow plow operators on the streets. On the internet jokes were being made about ´Snowmagaddon II´. Actually not a strange thought as New York, especially the Statue of Liberty, is always the first city to go in natural disaster movies. Think of: The Day After Tommorrow, Armageddon and War of the Worlds. Well at least I had the honour of being in New York as the world was coming to its end. 

As we all know by now New York held its ground and I managed to get to work the next day. It did feel, however, as if I was walking through a ghost town. Everyting was covered in snow and there were hardly any cars and people on the streets. I could actually sit in the train which is a rare novelty during NY rush hours and I arrived at work earlier than usual. I believe 60% of the NY people stayed home that day including all UN staff. I was impressed, however, by the effective and efficient way the New Yorkers dealt with the snow. It reminded me of our own efforts in dealing with the snow back home. 

Finally, I would like to get back to the UN staff. Last week Aleks send me this interesting article about the new temporary headquarters of the UN. The UN headquarters tower and the General Assembly hall are currently undergoing a $1.87 billion renovation. Therefore, a three story steel building has been erupted on the UN north lawn. According to the article the building looks like ``a cross between a suburban big-box store and a high-security lockup facility`` that ``bears a resemblance to Wal-Mart or Ikea``. I have seen the building with my own eyes and these comparisons seem justified. Many UN staff argue that the UN has lost much of its grandeur and have nicknamed the new building `Bantanamo´. Last Tuesday I finally got my UN pass and on Friday I entered the ´old´ UN building for the first time together with Joel. We went up the 37th floor which, like all other floors, was completely deserted and a huge mess. It was a sobering experience. There I was, in the epicentre of global decision making which looked like a hurricane struck desert. The only positive thing was the magnificent view of midtown Manhattan.