Means and Deeds

Aljazeera network reported that a car license plate bearing the registration number “1″ was sold to a business man from the Emirates for the value of U.S.$14,200,000. At this point I am not sure whether I should carry on or just blow my head off…..anyhow I resorted to carry on …..this license plate was sold in an auction conducted under theauspices of the Traffic Department of Emirate, where about 100 businessmen were competing for the procurement of the same item. Aljazeera also reported that the auction returns were to be utilized to build a hospital in Emirate…..the preceding were the main contents of the report and I have to stop there and then ……

Surely jealousy is a sin, but it seems also that ” Love thy neighbor” has become also a sin…..imagine a Palestinian teenager, from Gaza strip, read or heard such article in the news, while he is trying to tighten belt further to his belly to restrain the hunger noises coming out of it……or an Iraqi girl that is laying in a dirty corner of her half ruined house crying from hunger and an open wound that may leave her dead in no time…..or a jobless man on the streets of Beirut pondering, how shall he pay school fees and cater for his family while all his fat cats politicians are debating which banquet should they honor first, the American ambassador’s own or that of the French……when turning these images in my head , I only came one conclusion which is “love thy stupid neighbor ” is a sin.

Emirate is only 2 countries away from Iraq, Lebanon and the Gaza strip….how can such people become so reckless and nonsensitive to such perplexing level…..I cannot find more words ….so I decided to put such image in front of your eyes and thank Heavens that I am not an Arab. SHAME ON THEM ALL, with no exception.

Angry mind of

Ned

IN THE EYE OF BEHOLDER……….

South Africa due to its geo-politics is an unequal state…at least it is the land of the last respectable standing man Mr. Mandela.

The legendary Mandela presence has bestowed on South Africa an enigma, a legend of perseverance and resistance. I personally count him as one of the greatest men that has ever lived on earth…..his presence convince me that the human history can be turned around and be reinvented at any point of time with enough will and dedication.

In the recent years South Africa has embarked on capital marketing campaign, it also portrayed itself as the defender of the destitute Africa and the leader of its states. This campaign has started in the late nineties of last century and still continuing …..It increased the number of tourist and also impacted positively on the trade to African countries.

I recently visited that country for a holiday, it is my second visit since my last visit of 1999, I stayed about a month and I have noted great differences during my discussions with some friends that I cherish….

I also noted that the solid ANC has become human, and started admitting its internal illnesses and the media was able to capture vehemently what is happening in the secret alleys of the ANC. I have also noted a vigorous official media campaign against Mr. Zuma which shows that the state media was used in favor of one campaigner to the disadvantage of the other….what amazed me is that the results of the ANC election contradicted the state media propaganda…..it shows that there is another routes for campaigning in South Africa and I had to bow in respect for the abilities of such underground network that can coordinate such directions. I have not seen it anywhere, that a state media is smearing a person with all sorts of accusations yet the people still select him….it is obvious that the network that once supported Mandela to power is working efficiently in isolation of the official state media and press…..

Of course as a visitor I am not in a position to judge whether Mr. Zuma is at fault or not, that is something to be decided by courts, but my fear is, can the state judiciary system be influenced by the position of the current president of the country like that of the state media? If this happens then South Africa has became African and somehow got infected with the same African diseases that most of the African countries are enduring, especially, when the state recourses are used in favor of one campaigner against the other.

Mr. Zuma might not be popular in the west due to his communist back ground, also I recall when the current president went to a G8 meeting reporting on how democracy is secured after he has fired his deputy or his deputy asked to be fired on the tail of corruption allegations…As an internal matter what does the G8 has to do with such report, and why did Mr. Country President did not report that the lack of access to justice as a major issue and that the alarming level of crime across South Africa, in both urban and rural areas, is an example of lack of protection of their human and civil rights. More so he denied such claims when presented during a NEPAD meeting. Does he deny it like the fact he denies that HIV can be a cause of death.

Some of my friends said that he is a president in denial, and that his administration in the past few months has suffered a lot of blows from a Health Minister scandal to corruptions allegations against his favored police commissioner…..

Anyhow, if the corruption allegations are increasing, it shows South Africa has really blended to its mother Africa, resulting in increased electric power cuts and high cost of living.

If South Africa need to get back on track, it is necessary to admit to the current problems, abide by its constitution and start self-cleansing process like the one headed by Mr. Tito in the mid Nineties.

I believe South Africa soul and spirit can resurrect, as long it house people like Mandela. I believe that if a president has failed in one aspect or several aspects it does not diminish him to admit it and pave the way for other vigorous leadership that can assist in correction. Mandela, when he decided to step down for the current country president, he showed disdain to power and he has proved to be beyond power, he is a legend.

I hope that the current president of South Africa has enough wisdom and vision for that young promising country, and disinfect it from the prevailing disease in Africa called “Power-neurosis”

The wondering mind of,

Ned

Has USA lost it….

During the past six months the Bush administration seemed to have gone slow and recognized that the world is too big to rule. This discovery came at the tail of a dwindling dollar price, high cost of energy and slowing down of US economy.

The last visit of Bush to the Middle East appeared also as the last call of a sinking president, trying to set arm-deals for his post-tenure….the funny thing, it coincided with a visit with the French president to the same area…. apparently there is a competition of rival salesmen, trying to sell the same goods within the same neighborhood, using the same concept, of a mutual virtual enemy, as means of convincing and induction of sales….

Both Salespersons have no credibility in that area, for instant Egypt seemed distancing itself from the actions of Bush and his administration, as the later is trying to strive contention between Egypt and Jordan through the US Aide….

The Bush administration lost it s creditability along with that of USA in the whole world. USA is no more seen as the utopia of the world, but rather the suppressor of its own people before those of apostate states…..the resistance in Iraq shall ultimately force US forces to cocoon in basis outside major cities, with the help of some weak Iraqi government, that shall behave worse than Saddam, using the “Awakening” or the Sahwa troops. These military basis shall be a focused target of several freedom fighters and the situation will prolong, leading ultimately to the full withdrawal of the American troops in some ten years or less…..the same situation happened with the British troops in Suez Canal during the period of 1940 to 1954 when the British withdraw from Egypt and it marked the obscuration of the British empire.

What amazes me is Arabs never read or learn. During the oil crisis in the mid seventies H. Kissinger vowed to make Arabs embezzle all their petro-gains through inflated arms deals and inflated urban development….and it happened, once again the history is repeating itself and Arabs are still doing the same mistake…instead of using such gains in research and development, creating a giant industrial areas, investing in their human capital and creating an independent internal national security program or least of all invest in Africa like Chine of USA is currently doing, they still use that capital for buying Yachts and military toys that they shall never use and cannot use, due to the lack of trust between rulers and their armies, as well as low human military capacity.

What also triggered my wondering mind is the recent attacks on Gaza, especially during the Bush visit to that area. Is the purpose to frighten those gulf buyers and project military terror in their minds, to ensure they invest more in military purchases, to reinforce the idea of a virtual enemy, and create a terror scenario by analogy of what can happen to them from Iran if they are not buying such arms….I am not sure but it may be working…

Coming to back to Iran and the imaginary enemy that has been always of existence, yet never attached the Arabs, except in defense against Iraq during the first gulf war. The recent incident early this month of the huge US carrier threatened by an Iranian boat, was quite stunning. Again why such incident happened only some days before Bush visit to the Middle East, is the purpose to conform that Iran is trying to dominate the Gulf Sea and that it is a threat….again to confirm to Arabs that Iran is a threat….

Recently I was astonished when the Egyptian government tried to get itself involved in such crisis and act as an agent by proxy for the US in vowed to protect the Gulf….I think the coming days may show more features of such initiative. I believe that Egypt has no existence in the gulf, neither economically or politically. Egyptians can claim that they are enforcing the Arabs League’s military truce but in reality they may be diverting their military forces to act like missionaries by proxy for US army who is completely tired, depressed and lost it.

The wondering mind of,

Ned

Freedom of E-Speech – “without prejudice”

I came across an article from Fox News about police brutality in Egypt. What amazed me is not the brutality of the police but the e-brutality towards the Mr Wael Abbas who published a video clip using You Tube platform, exposing police brutality….Mr. Abbas’s site was closed down and the video clips where removed, for showing such incidents, the question is, were Mr. Abbas and the people whom he repreent on the vidue clips oppressed twice?

Under Globalization, free of e-speech is a must, if we need to take the world to better place- as claimed- other wise the ordinary person shall turn to a subject living on a need to know basis. Another question that jumps to my mind by analogue is, if a person is reporting a crime and another entity obliterated such report, does that entity become a accomplice in the crime? Did You Tube and alike have become accessory to such brutality in an e-way? please advise…

The wondering mind of,

Ned

Can Arabs represent Islam?

I am not sure what I want to say here, but I wanted to test what Arabs do vis-à-vis what Islam is all about. For a foreign eye, that misses details, and focuses on output, it is quite difficult to correlate Arabs behavior with Islam teachings and core values as proclaimed since 9/11….as a matter of fact Arabs brought on a bad name to the glorious belief. More so demographically they cannot claim ownership of Islamic faith as they represent only less than 20% of the Muslims of the world.When USA adopted its capitalism ideology it sought the welfare of its people. When USSR sanctified communism, it was convinced that communism would bring a creating a better future for its people and the welfare of its future generations. When the message of Islam propagated it incited the welfare and dignity of human kind.Some of the Arab countries claim they are Muslim countries, yet none have adopted Islam as an ideology including Saudi Arabia from my point of view and as I explain hereinafter.

Islam when started, it propagated among the disadvantaged people of the community. Some where still subjects of slavery, some where poor and some where of delusional beliefs. Yet the Islamic belief system was able to transfer within a period of 50 to 100 years, its people and communities to a flourishing and respected nation. During the medieval era in Europe, it was a sign of culture to use some Arabic terminologies, during conversations to express thoughts and social status among the European elites.

What are the values and beliefs that helped in such transformation? among most important are: unity of destination, freedom of humankind and in speech without encroaching on others rights, constant erudition, material is not a purpose of life but a mean for humankind betterment, work hard for betterment of human kind and you shall be eternally judged by its outcome, life is short so make the best of it within the lore of Islam, and that individual behavior is a true reflection of what his belief is about.

Assuming a scoreboard to measure the success of any country against the application of such of measures we can hardly see any country that succeeded in application of Islam as ideology and a belief. Most of Arab countries, has low education rate, stopped contribution to science since the loud collapse of Andalusia in the fourteenth century and suffers of worst human rights records.

Why? did they embraces a different or a counter-Islam path? I cannot say why but what I can say is that Islam is beyond all what we are seeing in the Arab world.

In case the reader agrees with me on that the Islamic countries are not Islamic per se, but rather grotesque regimes that uses and manipulate masses sentiments and destinies in their favor, so ideology are they adopting.

The outcome of the system or ideologies adopted in the Arab world currently results in the following main characteristics;

1. Extended ruling periods for their leaders. (several cases can be quoted here)
2. Creation of privileged centers of powers, monopolizing investments and power brokerage.
3. Creation of RepungDoms (Republic countries ran in Kingdom like manner).
4. Delusional propaganda machinery directed towards the youth groups and women.
5. Low Industrial Index, high Population growth, extremely high political illiteracy, lack of national vision or goals, high rate of consumption, least contribution of public to the governance and erosion of Research and development role in life.
6. High purchase of military merchandise and diminishing military human capacities. Preferential treatment to military personnel and segregating armies and police from its public base as most of the military and police activities are directed within.
7. Disunion between rulers and those ruled to the extents that Arab countries may be suffering political apartheid between rulers and subjects.
8. Economic and political re-colinisation.
9. Dilapidated education system and contradicting in some instances.

I can carry on, as the list is in-exhaustive, but the question I that still rings in my mind is what Ideology Do the Arab Countries Adopt?. Whatever the answer may be, it should be an ideology that led them to bottom and the coming generations may have to bear the consequence of their stray.

The wondering mind of ,

NED

Democracy and The Poor

Prahalad in his masterpiece “The Fortune At The Bottom of The Pyramid” enumerated the poor of the world to be about 4.0 billion people out of the 6.5 Billion occupying our planet (excluding UFOs of course). He said that the poor represent a “latent Market” for goods and services. He saw the numbers in that market, the same way the politicians see the poor during election times. Prahalad mentions that the basic economics in the markets at the BOP is based on small packaging of units, low margin, high volume and high return on the capital employed. I may have misunderstood him but what he mainly says to the multi-nationals is package your products in small packages, yet with the same profit margin or higher and use the poor. The previous statement is reflected during a discussion group in the elegant study of Naryan and al “The Voice of The Poor -Crying Out For Change” The study stated that the people in poor areas sometimes have to pay more for what they do get or have to provide services for themselves.

The position of a politicians during a political campaign may not differ in context but may differ in content. The needs of the Poor are simple, as emphasized by Naryan’s study; a simple job, an effective public health service and usable infrastructure. Yet they are not getting it. So now a politician role is to package those demands in little packages and make promises.

In developing countries of Africa, usually the poor finds it quite entertaining and profitable to attend the election campaigns. In some places in Africa it was recently announced that the bidding cost for vote’s can go up $3000 each. While in the North Africa the situation did not differ much but the cost is far less. Usually the women are the prime customers or targets of those campaigns, where campaigners or their sponsors promise them a basket of food and some cash that varies between U.S.$2.0 to $20 per vote. The same voters are also warned not to renegade as they are watched closely even in the privacy of the cubicles of the election station. In other sub-Saharan Africa the election process is less costly; rigging of elections is the main theme of the day. Some people were talking about ghostly election and that the dead are so loyal to the system and keen on voting, to the extent that their papers voting papers fill the ballots before those of the living.

Of course it is quite cheaper to pay such immediate tributes - especially if it is coming from the state coffers - than trying to achieve the long term investments in the dreams of the poor and realizing it. The later process requires a lot of work, determination and energy. While politicians in the election aftermath are usually either busy recovering investment or expanding their investments portfolios.

The question is “can people under dire needs elect”, can a group that is suffering the eco-harshness and illiteracy elect or can people suffering from epidemics and contaminated water, plants and soil elect. Do they have really the freedom of thought? Can they compare and question a politician or those sponsoring him, asking them for change? What are their tools for enforcing their will in case he or she failed to deliver on the campaign promises?, rather to remain waiting for the next campaign that may be rigged or never come? Are they educated enough to know their rights?. Are they allowed the freedom of speech to negotiate and discuss their future without being harassed by military or police brutality? Does anyone listen to them? Of course the purpose of these questions is not recommending exclusion but devising a real mechanism for performance monitoring for politicians, especially in Africa, without the interference of any influence group, super-power or interest group. If any one claims that parliaments in Africa and alike can monitor, I fail to agree, as they need to be monitored. It is a mind probing question.

While International Organizations talk about reinforcing NGOs to monitor, they only finance those who can dance to their tunes. One of the most entertainment sessions is when you see an employee of an International Organizations or official talks about their work for the poor and how they care for them. The funny aspect is that the offices of such officials in the African countries are always located in the richest business areas (miles from poor) and after work they drive to the rich neighborhoods, to enjoy a full belly, good pints of Blue Label or parading from one nonsense reception to another.

How can they feel the needs of the poor and how can they really assist the poor when they failed to stop all the criminal military activities and the wars in Africa. Recently when I was listening to one of those officials talking about Darfoor, I wanted to ask him “what did you really do to assist?, send bags of food and bunch of armed soldiers that systematically abuse and rape girls in those declared peacefully kept areas!!!…that is all…

Getting the people in these devastated areas busy working, doing something useful, is better than the allocations to military arsenal and peace claimed operations. Proposing or building industrial areas and giving it to the people to manage or create some management team from your posh employees to generate income in the communities can be more worthy. Building roads and providing water, away from the antics of the World Bank, can be more effective than the state of indecisiveness which only the technocrats enjoy as excuse to extend their employment contracts.

The ora-politics (from oral) of International Organization or their lip services are impressive, when it comes to covering up the ill deeds. I think it is time for this world to seek better and honest endeavors than financing arms and members of secret societies. It is time to listen to demonstrations of human rights groups rather than using them only when need arises to destabilize impudent states.

I hope above can start a meaningful discussion in that regard.

Criticned

WATER

The most valued good in the future shall be water due to scarcity and increase demand. Do we then need a WPEC (Organization for Water Producing Economic Countries). The water available for consumption globally is about 38 cubic Meter per day per capita, out of which about two third is lost between evaporation or flows back to oceans. The amount of Blue Water (available for water is supply) is about 5.2 cubic Meter per day per capita, which is also oddly distributed over the world’s population. With the global warming and other environmental changes do you think that countries with rich sources of fresh water shall create an organization for water producing countries? and shall water prices tadable like oil? If this is the case, will there be a rush to control the North Pole and South Pole fresh sources of water? and what shall happen to the urban poor populations and Third World Countries that lies in water stress zones?.

Some of above issues needs a debate…I look forward to your comments

 

NED

The Middle EAST / NORTH AFRICA BY THE YEAR 2100

To a critic mind, the Middle East is an enigma. Its social structure commingles with its religious belief, resulted lack of control over its destiny.

Currently, the area has main political features such as :

1. Prolonged life span of political appointees ( in spite of minority participation in elections).
2. Non participation from the masses into the political processes.
3. Segregation; either horizontally within the social structure or vertically between governance and masses.
4. Despotism and manipulation of masses.
5. Ostensible freedom of speech.
6. Weak country’s institutions . They subjective to appointees personal will, dependence, and lacks vision.

The above is just a a brief run down of current ailments, which is not unique in nature but resembles in status some of the developing countries and underdeveloped countries.

Most of area’s are dependent in their economies on exploration and exploitation of its minerals and represent a high density markets for dumping of goods and services from other parts of the world. The impact of wars on its commodities cost, like oil prices, makes some of its areas beneficiaries and thus collaborates.

The unity of language, history and religion did not encourage a state of unity, but rather repulsiveness between countries in that area. this state was encouraged by multi-nationals, corporatism in order to disallow integrity of its markets, human resources and subsequently creation of one mature entity.

The same social segregation that exists within their social structures exits economically among various countries, where the countries of higher GDP behave in vain towards the less economic vibrant countries. Prior to Gulf War II, the GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL of 1981, was followed with ARAB CORPORATION COUNCIL of 1989 were active and constitute the separation between the plutocracy and the proletariat within the area. The later collapsed after GULF WAR II with sudden death.

In spite that most the inhabitants of the area are under constant belief in theory of conspiracy, the recent years shows no attempts to resists the weaknesses in their economic or political positions within the global system. however they have subjugated to the European and American blocks, preferring short term benefits to dealing with the pains of long term threats of extinction ultimately as a race, culture, countries and political systems.

During my discussions with some natives, as I cannot call them stakeholders due to their passive participation by choice, and presenting a question”how do you see the future of your area in 2100?” all of them came with one response 2100 is too far and they are concerned more is their daily bread.

I presented to them my black version of such nightmare, when I said: By the time the oil in that area shall be long depleted, water scarcity shall be prevailing and the only source of water shall be by desalination of sea water. the later requires a huge amounts of energy which shall not be in the areas possession by that time and the south shall be enslaved to the north (economically speaking) in a quest of a drop of water. In that case all the current petro-wealth, shall be of no value. With a non-accredited education system and the lack of local research and development,most of the valuable minds shall migrate to the north for survival.

I could not carry on with all what I saw in that nightmare, but with lack of long term strategy to survive, the constant increase in population, demand and consumption the aforementioned nightmare shall become a prevailing reality.

I look forward to your contribution before start talking about AFRICA.

 

NED,

Opening Statement

Welcome to World’s Future vision….the purpose is to share views on current affairs and retrospect into the future imagining how the world shall look like then. My focus is always on the current affairs , its impact on our daily lives, and how we can change or minimize negative impacts for future generations.

These pages should address future of developing countries, the poor, Africa, the Middle East, human wellbeing, vis-a-vis current impositions of current affairs and politics.

Once again welcome to this space and I look forward to fruitful contributions.

Yours

NED