City by the Lake

Mea Culpa for not posting recently. I have been very busy at, well, work. I have carved out a nice little cubicle space in one of the UN press offices. I now have my little name badge, Swiss transit pass, and a place to sleep at night. My host in Geneva has been most gracious in showing me around the city and getting me started on a couple of stories.

Geneva is a beautiful city. The first night, upon my arrival, my host took me down to the lake front. Taking in a deep breath and closing my eyes, I thought for just a second or so that I was on the shores of Lake Harriet. The people are very nice and quite patient with my broken French. And the coffee is great too.

Being at the UN is another story, but not bad altogether. It goes without saying that the United States is not looked upon very fondly in any of these rooms. The Human Rights Council reconvened shortly before my arrival and after their diligent efforts to inspect prisoner conditions in Guantanamo Bay, repeatedly were blocked out by the United States. Our country's operations there have now given rise for great concern on a human rights level. We now appear among nations such as China and Nepal as being areas of concern.

I will be Attending a press conference outlining the efforts of UN officials trying to evaluate the state of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay today and hope it generates a story. Indeed, I have little doubt it will. The United States carries a very big stick in the UN, and many of the administrators, secretaries, and officials otherwise must constantly fight with United States interests and bureaucrats when conducting their charges within the UN.

It's frustrating really, being an American and dealing with the scowls, which are soon removed at mention of my presence as a journalist. Nonetheless, I can say without question that we're much less welcome in Geneva than in Warsaw.

Hoping to write more later and include pictures of the neighborhood. Hope all is well back home.