Archive for
November 11th, 2008
Stories
Brazil: National Park Under Threat from Illegal Fires
For over a month, the Chapada Diamantina National Park, in Bahia, has been burning relentlessly. According to Brazil's environmental agency, 50 percent of the national park's 1,520 km² have burned, which represents 75,000 hectares of forest (roughly the size of New York City). Nearly 500 people - firefighters and volunteers - are battling the blazes, caused by illegal fires supposedly started by ranchers clearing land for pasture. Only heavy rains will stop the flames, but these are not expected until the end of the month.
If the causes are known, and it is not the first time, Paulo Bicarato [pt] wonders why the criminals have never been caught:
Como se ninguém soubesse disso. Se as causas são conhecidas, só se pode deduzir que há conivência por parte de alguém. Triste, muito triste ver que todo ano é a mesma coisa.
Marilia Miller [pt] points out that besides the problem of deliberate fire starting, the authorities have taken too long to act:
O que mais nos incomoda, portanto, sem dúvida, é a morosidade das autoridades competentes em viabilizar os recursos às brigadas voluntárias, que estão deixando de apagar fogo por falta de equipamentos (EPIS e Material de Combate) e de apoio logístico, tais como deslocamento e alimentação. O Governo do Estado, como sempre, está ausente, desconsiderando completamente o fato de que a Chapada Diamantina é a provedora de água dos baianos (80% das águas do estado nascem nessa região).
Blog SuburbioEmFoco shouts:
- PORQUE O SILÊNCIO? PORQUÊ A FALTA DE DIVULGAÇÃO DA GRANDE MÍDIA?????
Zé Luiz Soares [pt] asks if this is the end of a paradise:
É possível uma coisa dessas? No Brasil, é.
Não conheço a Chapada. Na verdade, sonho com ela há anos, como um paraíso distante a ser explorado; destino daquela que seria a minha maior viagem pelo Brasil; roteiro que planejo intimamente, a ser percorrido de mochila nas costas - sem planos e sem destino. Um sonho que, parece, vai se perdendo em meio à ganância, incompetência e irresponsabilidade.
Só resta contar com a interferência Divina, mais uma vez.
I haven't been to Chapada. Indeed, I have dreamed about it for years, as a distant paradise to be explored; this is the fate of the place that would be my biggest trip in Brazil; a journey that I plan, intimately, to make backpacking - with no plans or destination. A dream that, it seems, will be lost amid greed, incompetence and irresponsibility.
We are left to rely on the interference of the Divine, again.
Photos taken in July 2005 by William Kitzinger and used under a Creative Commons license. See his Chapada Diamantina set.
Chapada Diamantina was once a rich source of diamonds and gold but now thrives on ecotourism. Due to the dry season and strong heat, small fires are common in the region and usually the forest heals itself. There were big fires in 1998 and 2003, but the situation is out of control this year, and if not reforested, Chapada may lose its exuberance for ever.
Syria: New Dawn for Humanity
Blogger Anas, shows an excerpt from the top of the front page of Al Watan Daily Syrian Newspaper, with a text saying:
“A New Dawn For Humanity, 70 Days Till Bush Leaves the White House”
MENA: Blogs and a social revolution
Saudi blogger, Esam Mudeer, clipped from CNN Arabic, an article asking -in light of last week's major events in the Arab world- if Arab blogs might lead a social revolution in the region.
وتميّز نشاط الكثير من المدونات السعودية خلال الأسبوع بالدعوة إلى إضراب جوع تضامنا مع نشطين معتقلين.
وفي الوقت الذي لم تتوفر معلومات بعد عن حجم الإضراب الذي وقع في السادس والسابع من نوفمبر/ تشرين الأول، تميّز نشاط المدونين السعوديين بجرأة، “وذلك احتجاجاً على انتهاك حقوق المعتقلين، وعموم السجناء في المملكة العربية السعودية، الذين حرموا من ما أوجبه نظام الإجراءات الجزائية.”
والسجناء الذين تضامن معهم المدونون هم من “تيار العدل�والشورى وحقوق الإنسان، ومن ضمنهم متروك الفالح.
Saudi blogs have been distinguished this week for their hunger strike call, in solidarity with the detained activists.While no information is available yet about the size of the strike, which occurred on the sixth and seventh of November; this daring activity by Saudi bloggers in protest again the violation of the detained rights, and who have been deprived what the punishment procedure system has mandated, was noticed.
None the less, the bloggers were in solidarity with the prisoners from the movement “Justice, Shura and human rights”, whom Matruk Al Faleh was amongst them.
Bhutan Crowns New King: Refugees Barely Remembered
On November 6th, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan officially crowned a new King, who was appointed almost two years ago. The fifth Dragon King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is an Oxford educated 28 year old and the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. His coronation ceremony was attended by political heavy weights from neighboring India-including President Ms. Pratibha Patil and entertainers from Bollywood.
His Majesty, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck: Image by grassvalleybrent, used under a Creative Commons License
While Bhutan celebrated the coronation, the country and King Wangchuck barely remembered 100,000 ethnic Nepalese Bhutanese driven out by his father during 1990s and now living as refugees in Nepal. In his message to the nation after assuming the throne, the new King promised to shield the country from “outside influence” but did not mention the refugees.
The region’s media was quick to pick up on the glaring omission. Taipei Times, India’s The Statesmen along with many others mentioned the refugee issue in their report on the coronation. Bloggers are also busy discussing about the Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal.
Bhutan News, a non-partisan blog, informed just days before the coronation that the “refugees are in a state of flux”. Blogger Narayan Sharma expresses frustration over the long overdue process of creating an environment where refugees can safely return to their homeland and blames Bhutan’s regime for the delay.
“Refugees’ hope of return has been lessened presently as the Druk regime has now the possibility to further procrastinate the issue with the new-found alibi of people’s representatives needing to decide the issue.”
Bibek Bhandari, a journalism student, wrote about the coronation and the refugee question for SAJAforum, mentioning the long history of ethnic Nepalese in Bhutan and that they were not exactly recent migrants.
“Approximately 103,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas–descendants of Nepalese who moved to the southern lowlands of Bhutan in the nineteenth century–have been confined to several refugee camps in south-eastern Nepal since 1990. They have been forced to leave the country by the former monarch in the early 1990s during a campaign to impose compulsory national dress and ban the Nepalese language.”
Some bloggers are also discussing whether the recent decision to resettle the refugees in a third country will do any good and how moving to yet another foreign country might affect them.
At 510Report Adelaide Chen writes about the Bhutanese refuges resettled in Oakland, California who are trying to adjust into their new life in America by getting an education and learning English.
“Kharel and her sister are among the seven students from Bhutan attending the GED class several nights a week. She knows some of the other refugees, because they lived in the same camp for 17 years. Among the refugees from Bhutan that have accepted an offer to come to the U.S., few have expectations they will return to their homeland again.”
Maureen Sieh also writes about the refugees’ struggle to adjust in a new land. This time it is about those Bhutanese who have been resettling in Syracuse, New York.
“Hari Adhikari was a leader in one of the refugee camps. Now, he's helping Catholic Charities resettle some of the people he worked with in the refugee camps……He asks people if they have any problems with their apartments, budgeting and any other concerns they might have. He tells them that there are agencies here to help them, but they also have to be able to help themselves find jobs.”
Jordan: Poor and Backward
Being poor and backward go hand in hand, according to Jordanian blogger Muoffaq Qabbani, who brings us this story about how poor people insist on having more and more children.
Muoffaq writes:
من فترة بسيطة حصل حوار بيني و بين والدتي و هي حاليا مسؤولة عن احد مراكز التنمية الإجتماعية و الثقافية في عمان
He continues:
الفكرة الأساسية انه سبحان الله الفقر و الجهل اكتير من الأحيان بيلتصقو ببعض,
يعني فقير و بدك تتزوج 2 و تجيب 10 أولاد!!! يعني بعرف انه الرزقة على الله و المولود بيجي و بتجي رزقو معو , بس شي و منو !!
و اغلب الرجال برد عليك ,انه من عند الله , و انه مابقدر يخفف , والواحد ليش بتزوج , … إلخ
The idea is that it is bewildering how poverty and ignorance are interrelated at times. Why is it when you are poor, you want to get married to two women and have 10 children? I fully understand that God gives His blessings and that newborns come with their blessings.
And most men would reply to you and say that it is from God, and that he cannot do anything about it, and why does one get married, etc.
Muoffaq shares the following conversation he has had with an Abu Mohammed:
ابو محمد : الرزقة على الله
موفق: بعرف هاد الحكي ونعمه بالله , بس كمان انته لازم يكون عندك شوية عقل عندك 5 ولاد و اصغر واحد عمره سنة ونص إرحم إرحم مرتك مش ماكينة ,
ابو محمد : طيب شو اعمل هيك صار مش بإيدي
موفق: شو تعمل؟؟؟؟؟ زبط امورك , هدي اللعب , احسب , روح على مركز تنظيم الإسرة يعني عشان صحتك و صحتها , يا زلمة استنى شوي بس يصير إبنك عمره 3 سنين على الأقل مش ورا بعض ..
ابو محمد : احسب شو ؟ يعني حتى على هالشغلة الواحد بدو ينقص على حالو ,
موفق: ابو محمد, مش تنقص على حالك روح على مركز تنظيم الإسرة بس إقرأ المنشورات أو اعطيهم لمرتك ولا احكيلك , انا بجبلك ياهم !
ابو محمد : شو رح استفيد يعني؟؟
موفق: بس اجيبهم بشرحلك
Abu Mohammed: Their blessings are on God
Muoffaq: I know all this and I know that blessings come from God, but you also have to use your brain. You already have five children and the youngest is a year and a half old and you need to have mercy on your wife as she isn't a machine.
Abu Mohammed: Fine, but what can I do. It just happened and there isn't anything in my hands.
Muoffaq: What can you do??? Get your act together; play it safe; count; visit a family planning centre; do it for your health and your wife's well being; and at least wait until your child is three years old before having another one… you can't have them like this, one after the other.
Abu Mohammed: Count what? Do I even have to be responsible for this.. how many more burdens should a person shoulder?
Muoffaq: Abu Mohammed, I don't mean that you have to put more burdens on your shoulders. Just visit a family planning centre and pick up the brochures and give them to your wife to read .. or you know what, I can bring them for you!
Abu Mohammed: And how would that benefit me?
Muoffaq: When I get them to you, I will explain.
He adds:
India: Prince of Kolkata retires
November 9th will be remembered in many Indian hearts. The day when Ganguly, ‘the god of the offside’ bid adieu to the world of International Cricket. Sourav Ganguly was India's most successful Test Cricket captain who is credited for having nurtured the careers of many young players who played under him.
Sourav Ganguly: Image by Flickr user hashmil, used under a Creative Commons License
Ganguly, also known as ‘Dada’ and ‘the Prince of Kolkata’ is still the idol millions associate their childhood with. This is more than just a simple sporting affair.
Sandman writes on what it means to be Dada’s fan, at his blog, ‘C’est la vie’:
I have always been a fierce fan of Dada. Fierce is indeed the word, for readers who might be smirking at my choice of the word. For ask anyone in class 12 B, batch of 04, Seth Anand Ram Jaipuria School, Kanpur, I once fought off an entire class of 50 in a heated debate over him on one of those not so infrequent occasions when our English teacher decided that English is better taught by letting people speak, rather than making them read. Over the years, the evolution of my own personality has mirrored that of Dada. That is probably why I am surprised that I actually feel this urge to write, on his last day in international cricket, to give an account of sorts, of what it meant to be his fan.
Vmminerva gets personal. In her post ‘Sourav Ganguly: What he’s meant to me’:
With Ganguly’s retirement today, I feel a sense of void, for apart from other reasons, his moving also takes away a bit of the childhood that I’ve continued to live to this day, for Ganguly’s India brings to me many cherished memories: the sneaking from school to find out the score, the discussion over whether Rani Mukherjee or Sourav Ganguly represented Bengal better, the yearning for rain in May just to reminisce the World Cup ’99, watching cricket at night from different time zones with red eyes and having to go to a ghostly early class the next morning, that fateful March ’03 night of the World Cup final, the stupid match day superstitions, and many more.
Praveen at Crusadertvm, recollects Ganguly’s involvement in the paving the way to the younger generation in his post, ‘Ganguly: Our own Dada’:
He brought in several youngsters like Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Sehwag etc and started building a team for the future. He guided them in such a way that he instilled in them some of his own qualities. This change was evident in that epochal series against Australia when India, playing in Ganguly's home ground, made an improbable comeback and went on to win the series. That was when the legend of Dada was born. He really became the big brother to his team mates as well as to millions of young Indian cricket fans.
At ‘Silly Point', ©hinaman writes a post to Ganguly titled, ‘where the mind is without fear – the head is held high’:
There are only a few, who really understands ‘Indian cricket’, will today disagree with you. It is also certain many of them will never acknowledge it in words. They either did not want you to be the captain or they placed you there to see you fail. Because of you we, as a team, are no longer a soft option - at home or on tour. Your team mates and players from the world over have acknowledged what you have done for us, for Team India.
You did it your way. You do not have to prove yourself to anyone anymore. Fare thee well.
Links for Tue, 2008-11
Ex diplomat Sirajul Islam comments in his blog on the impending general election in Bangladesh: “If at the end of it, a major political party feels that there is no level playing ground for its participation in the polls, then for all practical purposes, the efforts of this Government has not been successful.”
Words From The Solitude discusses the background of the recent politics and violence in the Indian state of Assam: “For several decades, Assam is passing through too much of tears and blood. This stunningly beautiful state and its people are struggling hard to come out from the curse of their own history.”
Paulo Bicarato [pt] echoes the news that fires that have destroyed 50% of the Brazilian Chapada Diamantina National Park, roughly the size of New York City, were likely started by ranchers clearing land for pasture. “For those who had the pleasure to have been to that piece of paradise, it hurts immensely”, says the blogger.
Hazel Feigenblatt writes in her blog about the difference in attention that local tourists from Costa Rica receive, when compared to the customer service received by foreign tourists [es] , and how it seems that locals are treated like second-class citizens. Many commenters share their own bad experiences.
From the Kabissa Newletter, a project is profiled: The organization aims to plant trees in thirteen Village communities of Ngoketunjia Division, as a means to fight climate change in Cameroon and the world at large.
Blogger LM, from Lebanon, tells us about Patchi, the famous Lebanese luxury chocolate-makers, who have launched the world’s most prestigious and expensive box of chocolate.
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