Reporters on the Job
YOUNG TURKS: The Monitor's Ilene Prusher found that the Democratic People's Party rally (page 7) was a lesson in Kurdish culture and costumes. "Their traditional dress is full of sequins and bright stitching," marvels Ilene. And it was an easy venue to do interviews. "People were very open. But there was a generational divide. Most Kurds in their 20s spoke fluent Turkish, but many of the older people didn't," says Ilene, who was working with an interpreter who spoke Turkish.
"At one point, we were interviewing this young woman and her mother came over to find out what was going on. I know enough Turkish to understand that she kept interrupting by saying, 'I don't speak Turkish.' Finally, I told her, 'I don't either,' and we laughed. It was one of those moments where a New Yorker and a village woman in a long dress and head scarf shared a common frustration."
TRICK OR TREAT EDITING: While fielding questions on today's story about Russia's handling of Chechnya (this page) the Monitor's Scott Peterson was also dealing with pirates, witches, bunnies and the odd fairy. The children of the foreign correspondents who live and work in the Moscow building where the Monitor office is located were celebrating Halloween. Scott, getting into the spirit at the last minute, made a turban out of a scarf from the western Sahara, put on a flak jacket and a dark raincoat, and borrowed a plastic hook from his son. "I gave out Mars bars and Skittles. But I think I may have scared a few of the younger ones," he sheepishly admits.
David Clark Scott
World editor
CONVERSION: The Oct. 29 story "Religious rights take a hit in India" incorrectly described a conversion campaign by the Seventh day Adventist Church. "Goal One Million," says a church official, refers to the number of parishioners worldwide sharing their faith with others, and is not restricted to India or the Dalit community.
Cultural snapshot
