Africa Re-colonised….

Along the years of my traveling in Africa I was always observant to demographic variations among air travelers and passengers, from empty seats, to Franco-phone African talking about “L’Afrique”, to the Europeans who think they shall get the elephants to mount them, to Americans who just came out of World Bank pockets as the solution, to the missionaries talking about the despair, yet collect more donations from the needy, to the Chinese who do not speak anyone except the Chinese!!!!. The problem this time, they were almost 35% of the passengers on the flight.

I always judge people with their belief system, and none I awe more than those who adopt the following proverbs saying:

• If you are patient enough you shall see the corps of your enemy floating down the river.
• Don’t give me a fish, but teach me how to fish a fish.

I believe that the above two proverbs are the inherent rules in the Chinese belief system and the main strategies that they use to conquer the world. China has adopted same strategy against USA and now it is watching the American Corp struggling to survive down the financial turbulent and turbid river.

The Chinese danger is that they are looking at “the bottom of the pyramid”, and they are uprooting the grass-roots’ opportunities in Africa. Those who have some small trading jobs here and there…..I am not saying the Chinese are wrong in their strategy to invade and colonies Africa peacefully. It the solution to their problems, where a low productivity, corruption coupled with low population density. It seems African to be the solution to all Chinese current social and demographic problems; but it seems that the African countries their and governments have lost contact with and vision of their grass-roots and they cannot hear anymore their hunger roaring

The reader may agree that those governments need the blessing of the new up coming master, but the problem that this master is not coming with new technology or development techniques, the Chinese are coming with ethnic replacement… they are creating closed communities competing with small traders, and they are financially supported by the their government, through subsidiaries schemes and incentives,

How can the poor and the helpless grass-root Africans compete with that?….at least when they used to import from china and sell in their mother land and continent, they had a job then, but now with the demographic replacement of the Africans by Chinese is dangerous, especially when they are up-rooting the citizens from their jobs, then they will create a monopoly of production, supply and afterwards ….politics

Wake up Africa and “don’t inhale”…

A TALE OF TWO LADIES

Mrs. Bush and Ms Rice are trying to convince the world and the US how brilliant and advanced is Mr. Bush Jr. ….to the extent that we cannot understand his actions now but in generations to come and people of USA shall be so grateful…..what a paradox!!!!!

The Enigma Mr. Bush Jr. is leaving the white house and everything is in shambles and yet we shall not understand now, but in years to come…

Just sitting and throwing my shoulders to the back and think of the world, I cannot disagree on more in life than those statements of the Mrs(s)……

If the actions of Mr. Bush Jr. are so brilliant why does he need people to defend…acts and successes talk for themselves… To make it short and sweet just READ THIS—>….

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG THAT IS THE QUESTION….

I went through my articles on the blog….I have to admit the blogging has enabled a huge community to be able to express they their hobby and pronounce their opinions. I am thankful to the blogging technology for that and thankful for the people whom I criticized for their ability to accept criticism.

It is one thing to be a critic and another to be engaged in the action. Criticism sometimes is a leisure that the criticized does not have …..He is too busy doing what he is doing, whether right or wrong….

Yet we go on bragging about his actions and doings, while he is never concerned or even read….

I always think what is it that we need to do to make blogging more engaging and effective in global opinions…the problem is the majority of the internet population are using the net in matters that either are directed by main stream media, or emails or for nefarious activities that mainly consume time.

Also the dilution of the blogging sites on the net does not allow the focusing or the effectiveness of the blog voice. We have also to remember the main stream media is more powerful especially outside the States than inside it.

This also bring on the discussion the question: is the net advocating freedom of speech?…..is it part of the globalization?….most of the autocratic governments have adjusted its operations and laws to inflict oppression on the net users, in a similar manner like that they apply in their every day life. Some of the countries follow daily activities on the net to uproot any demonstrations, gatherings, oppositions opinions….etc….they have adjusted so well and thanks to uncle Bush who was the first one that used security as a reason to invade privacy and freedom of speech…..most of the 3^rd world leaders used his excuses so brilliantly to the extent that half of the bloggers and e-activists are in jails or held pending judgment. I shall abstain from giving examples that most of the readers know otherwise I shall become and e-parrot.

The wondering mind of

NED

Nationalization road map…

Usually when the World Bank officials visit any developing country the first thing they request is elimination of any subsidizing scheme to any good, starting for bread ending with fuel. They claim that all activities should be privatized even sun-rays (if they can)….I wonder whether they shall say it again ….the Capitalism has collapsed and announced dead  the minutes the bail out scheme was approved. It is a literally nationalization scheme of the private sector.

It is not first time that the private investment has to be taken over by the governments; for example it happened before in 17^th century during the railway investment fever.  A lot pyramid schemes and the private investments proved fraud and lot of small investors lost huge money to fraud schemes, thus publicized.

When the Communism failed, the west went into a hot rampage pushing all the developing countries to abide by the rules of capitalism and sell all their national assets to private sector and a new wave of privatization fever….that was mainly in the early nineties and specific after the collapse of then USSR….what shall be the case now, shall officials of the world bank run around again with a new theory of nationalizing assets is the way forward to revive economy….I believe in this crisis the world bank as the capitalism castle has lost face and cannot be redeemed…I wonder what his officials shall say to all those countries that they once told that the only way to revive economy is privatization???!!

The wondering mind of…

Ned

Politicians as economic good….

Tomorrow the world celebrates the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17^th) by turning a lot of middle class people into poor. This sacrifice to the blood sucking poverty is a pledge to let major financiers and board directors survive the markets crash and maintain their mansions in the Riviera and alike.

The same head of states and leaders who rushed and instantly committed a lot of money and made budgets available to support and save their friends and golf-mates in the financial institutions, dodged committing same amounts for social needs, medical and education security for urban poor communities, in the name of market dynamics and finance mechanisms. Suddenly all the cash is made available to bail their financiers from their crisis.

From the preceding and by logical deduction, it is obvious that financing political campaigns is the best investment in the market and politicians are the best economic good that money can buy.

I would call on all governments to make available a list of the major share-holders and the annual accruals and benefits of all persons sitting on the boards of directors of those stumbling financial institution, for the tax payers to know which fat cows they salvaged.

Tax payers should be proud that they saved such miserably rich people; who embezzled millions of dollars on golf tournaments, cocktail parties and bribing their venal politicians all over the world. They should take pride at every roadside and celebrate the poverty day by embracing poverty themselves and their siblings for years to come.

The politically deprived mind of ,

Ned

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mandela….

The last respectable standing man Madiba, or Mr. Mandela is celebrating his 90th birthday this week. I wish him a happy many returns.

Mandela has announced 2 years ago his official retirement from politics, yet he is and shall always continue to be the father of the African Continent and South Africa…..he is the lasting symbol of the old good days of morals, ideology, and African dreams……

Africa may have let you down but your birthday may inspire the hopeless African youth that there could be a better tomorrow if the believed in Africa, their continent and in their identity…..the younger African leaders may always looked around for easy allies to global recognition, but Madiba proved that to change people beliefs and nations destinies can only happen if one start by believing in oneself and ones dreams…..recognition starts from within.

Mr. Madiba on your birthday I salute you as a leader of all the past and future leaders…..

Happy Birthday!!!

Ned

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

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

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,