Turning A Blind Eye

Today I write not about Egypt the Uprising, or the Battle for Maat.  Although I am pretty sure that Ma'at, had she been truly here, would not have left this disastrous situation go unchecked.

Today I write to you about the spreading famine in Somalia.

Somalis  are dying--dying of hunger and thirst. While we, the whole world, sit there watching.

What wretched nations have we become that we do not even care enough about the plight of our fellow human beings? Where is Somalia on the news I ask? Where is the media?

Are only the latest of entertainment news or flamboyant rock stars worthy of our Television hours? What about  malnourished children with bellies swollen and lost dreams?

The World Food Programme (WFP), the largest humanitarian agency operating in Somalia, reports "serious shortage of food" due to "severe funding shortage." And this is a UN organization speaking. They were forced to stretch the dwindling food supplies and are urging nations and individuals alike to donate to save the lives of those struck by hunger.

Now what pains me the most is that the reaction of the so-called 'Muslim' nations.

Somalia is a muslim country. Why on earth aren't the Gulf countries chipping in big time with their Oil money? Why is Saudi Arabia paying no attention whatsoever to the Somali crisis?  What is their excuse? The king is too busy squandering his money on Ramadan feasts and beautiful maidens ?

Update: Ok, so the great King donated a measly $60 million and launched a "National Fundraising Campaign." Who is he raising the funds from..beats me! He sure is rich enough to support ALL Somalians for the next 10 years if he wanted to. 

Muslims everywhere are now observing the month of Ramadan, a month of austerity and piety according to Islamic tradition.

A month where muslims are instructed to refrain from food and drink from sunrise till sunset, to instill in them compassion and sympathy for the pains of the hungry and poor everywhere. Ignoring the draught and famine in Somalia beats the Ramadan spirit people.

Update: Awareness raised and everybody is donating in Egypt. Most local Mosques are holding donation campaigns... even the poor are donating! Aren't they just awesome. 

I would like to take this opportunity to remind fasting muslims everywhere of Surat Al Balad (the City)  where it states unequivocally that one of the surest ways to heaven is through "feeding the hungry in a day of famine."

Donate NOW!

"But what can we do?" Some people ask.

For starters, you can donate money to your favorite humanitarian organization offering help to Somalians.

I am including a few links at the end of this post but they are by no means an exhaustive list.

And before you dismiss this issue as something which does not concern you, please remember that what goes around most certainly comes around... global weather patterns change and before the new ice age sets on you have no idea who might get all their waters dried up.

UNICEF donations

Doctors Without Borders donations

Islamic Relief Organization  donations

Oxfam America    donations

And, if, for whatever reason, you cannot donate. Please do not forget them in prayers. Do not turn a blind eye to the misery in the world... remember them, at least in your heart. 

Egypt Shark Attacks: So long Diversity!

Shark attacks tourist in Sharm El Sheikh. Egypt attacks shark.
First the pig slaughter in the name of swine flu, and now the shark crackdown for the sake of catching “the killers.”

I should note that I am not at all suggesting that being environmentally friendly is letting your local sharks feed on humans. I am merely pointing out the ludicrous manner in which the Egyptian authorities deal with any animal-related threat whether real or exaggerated, as in the case of the swine flu. If a species is suspected of causing any trouble, they are just simply wiped out of the country by whatever ministry that fancies getting the credit of making people feel safe.

Actually, somehow I suspect that the officials in Egypt would just love to do the same to a certain subset of the Egyptian population *wink wink.* The motto in Egypt is --if it bothers you, finish it off!

Now that the investigation is being held in Sharm el sheikh, many of theories proposed suggest that humans messing up the environment was most likely the underlying cause of this aberrant shark attacks.
Someone was either drawing them to shore with churned-up fish. Or, as pointed out by dailymail, a cargo ship dumped a load of animal carcasses in the sea instigating the hungry sharks to gather. This brings us to another point--hungry sharks. Guess who made them hungry? Humans you say? Yep, absolutely! The depletion of the marine life ecosystem leaves larger predators starving.

But while we are kissing biodiversity goodbye, we should keep in mind that some of these species could hold the key to curing our ailments.  

Egypt The Land of Oil Spills

YAY!!! We got our very own oil spill-- aren't we lucky!

But oh wait-- didn't  we just HAVE an oil spill off the coast of hurghada last June? Yeah, but this oil spill is just way cooler.
It is 110 tons of Diesel spilled right in our drinking water supply-- THE Nile. Call me pessimistic but TWO oil spills in the span pf two months is just down right outrageous.
What exactly are we waiting for? Where is our "ministry" of environment?

While authorities have graciously announced that most of the Diesel has 'evaporated', they failed to tell us anything about the long term implications of this ecological disaster. The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency stated that the Nile is 'free' from contamination --because the diesel was ' immediately sucked by hoses.'

The no-contamination article preceded the closing of five water treatment plants , this does not give the authorities much credibility does it? First you say that there is no spill, then you say that it has been sucked away, later you announce the closure of water treatment facilities and that the Diesel has evaporated away
!!
Well, here's a bit of Environmental Science 101 for ya:
There is such as thing as fate and transport of contaminants. When contamination occurs, the contaminant does not just vanish in thin air. Evaporation is not ,by any means, nature's way of cleaning up the water. Evaporation , correctly termed volatilization in this instance, means that part of the compound has switched compartments, from water to air. The   Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency assures us that Diesel is not very water soluble. While that is, at least to a certain extent, is true, it presents a problem of that not many people are aware of . Contaminants that are not very water soluble tend to stick more to particles and deposit  in sediment. This simply translates to polluting the Nile, and the Red Sea before it.

But why am I elaborating so much on this topic? Well, the first time an oil spill occurred I thought to myself :"let it go accidents happen!" But now I am just worried that there may be a pattern about to develop here.. you know, much like the electricity blackouts, water shortages, and soaring meat prices!

Water Politics and What Citizens Should do

I like what Helmy Sharawy wrote in Shorouk newspaper about the water geopolitics being far from a 'football match' where Egytians will just go about the streets ranting and raving and the government will let steam blow over. This is a serious matter that needs serious interventions; nothing is more ridiculous, in my opinion, than the whole israel-is-behind-this-all sharade.

Conspiracy theories aside--although I myself am a HUGE fan-- our fellow African neighbours are pissed! And if we were in their shoes, we would be pissed too. They think the Nile is theirs, and they want to capitalize on it. We think the Nile is our God-given right; hey, just because Herodotus thinks so doesn't mean the whole world has to agree!!
Compromise is in order here, and real negotiations on our part.
It is imperative to re-educate citizens on the vital importance of reducing wasted water ; there were many campaigns in the past, which I vaguely remember from my childhood,  that unfortunately stopped, for some unknown reason. We tend to view the Nile as infinite, well, it is not!
Stop taking the Nile for granted!

Chinese Geely Buys Volvo: or how China will rule the world

In Egypt, our story with Chinese products goes back a long way.


It all started back in the late eighties and early nineties. Egyptians, who happened to work in the Gulf or go there for pilgrimage purposes, used to scout the markets for gifts to bring back home. People used to search far and wide for products 'made in the U.S.', or U.K, or France, or even India for that matter.

What did they avoid like the plague?? Yep, you guessed it! Made in China. Now that was just THE ultimate insult: getting your in-laws made in China gifts was just another way of telling them that you think they are worthless and deserve no better than cheap, tasteless, scraps of merchandise.

As time went by, it was getting more and more difficult to find these no-made-in-China items. In fact, now it is next to impossible. Want to know why? It is because of YOU. Yes, you! If we had cared about quality as much as we do about price, or about the condition of the workers that make all our little gadgets, or even the environment, none of this would have happened.

China will rule the world through a very simple premise: sell cheap, you sell a lot. When you sell a lot, you make money. And when you make enough money, you can drive your competitors out of the market—and then you will be free to do whatever pleases you. It will be all you, and no one to answer to.

Let's take a look at the case at hand: Geely vs. Volvo. Geely, originally a refrigerators parts supplier, was literally born yesterday. It started making cars back in 1997. Yet, in 2010, it sealed a deal to take over the Swedish giant trade name: Volvo.
 What started as operation building bon-bon colored flimsy cars, now has its eyes on Opel.
 

 
 
Some people might just disregard this as a David and Goliath story, but it is far from it. The implications are quite dim.


What do you think will happen if a country with an atrocious human rights record , and isn't too keen on the environment , continues to replace the more regulated manufacturers?

Well, so much for green living! We will have to welcome living a la Chinese instead!
 

Not so pretty huh?

Avatar: an uplink into nature

Article first published as Avatar: an uplink into nature on Blogcritics.org

In this age of technology, we are increasingly isolated from nature. As we sit here, behind our flat screens and laptops, we use Avatars to represent us in our 'virtual' lives. We uplink ourselves into the World Wide Web to lead a parallel life. A cold, barren, life. We have abandoned our physical selves to lead a parallel 'dream' life.
"They have killed their mother," said Neytiri. And she is right. As the human 'invaders' were leaving Pandora, they were hailed off as "returning to their dying world."
This narration in the final scene has sent shivers down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. Indeed, the whole movie has created insatiable yearning to reconnect with nature, a desire to weep over the lost rain forests and the extinct species everywhere.
This is really what sets Avatar apart from all other 'epic' movies set in parallel worlds. It is that poetic sweetness and romantic connection back to the 'roots'.
I could write an essay analyzing all the quest elements in the movie that could make my grade 12 English teacher proud! Avatar has definitely got something for everyone: the graphic lovers, the romance seekers, and even action fans. You can even view it as a literary masterpiece emblazoned with clever allegories and vivid symbols.
Bottom line: Don't miss it !!