Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Most Dumb People..!


I do disagree..! It is variable rather than subjective..
What did others do with their high IQs? Parcticulary in 3rd world..?
None reached the moon, None free to express.. and None has the same life expectancy..!!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The Dairy Farmer's Guide..


The Cynical Dairy Farmer's Guide to the New Middle East


 
In the early years of the Cold War, in an effort to simplify -- and parody -- various political ideologies and philosophies, irreverent wits, in the spirit of George Orwell, went back to the farm. No one really knows how the two-cow joke known as "Parable of the Isms" came about, but most students of Political Science 101 have likely come across some variation of the following definitions:

Socialism:
You have two cows. The government takes one of them and gives it to your neighbor.

Communism:
You have two cows. The government takes them both and provides you with milk.

Nazism:
You have two cows. The government shoots you and takes the cows.

Capitalism:
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

Over the years, the parables gradually expanded, using the two-cow joke to explain everything from French unions (You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.) to the Republican Party (You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So what?). While in its original iteration the cows were a metaphor for currency, capital, and property, they later began to take on different meanings.

Today, the Middle East has replaced the Cold War as America's primary foreign-policy preoccupation. As opposed to the seemingly ideologically homogenous communist bloc, however, the 22 diverse countries that compose the modern Middle East are still confusing to most Americans. Why can't the Israeli and Palestinians stop fighting already? What's the difference between Libya and Lebanon again?

Herewith then is a satirical effort to simplify the essence of Middle Eastern governments so that, in the immortal words of George W. Bush, "the boys in Lubbock" can read it. And, rather than symbolizing property, the cows here symbolize people, which -- funny enough -- is how most Middle Eastern regimes have traditionally viewed their populations.

Saudi Arabia
You have two cows with endless reserves of milk. Gorge them with grass, prevent them from interacting with bulls, and import South Asians to milk them.

Iran
You have two cows. You interrogate them until they concede they are Zionist agents. You send their milk to southern Lebanon and Gaza, or render it into highly enriched cream. International sanctions prevent your milk from being bought on the open market.

Syria
You have five cows, one of whom is an Alawite. Feed the Alawite cow well; beat the non-Alawite cows. Use the milk to finance your wife's shopping sprees in London.

Lebanon
You have two cows. Syria claims ownership over them. You take them abroad and start successful cattle farms in Africa, Australia, and Latin America. You send the proceeds back home so your relatives can afford cosmetic surgery and Mercedes-Benzes.

Hezbollah
You have no cows. During breaks from milking on the teat of the Iranian cow you call for Israel's annihilation

Iraq
You have three cows: one Sunni, one Shiite, and one Kurd. The first is milked by Saudi Arabia, the second by Iran, and the third smuggles its milk abroad. The United States picks up the manure.

Bahrain
You have three cows: two Shiites and one Sunni. Invite Saudi Arabia to come kill a Shiite cow and import another Sunni cow.

Yemen
You have two cows. Feed them khat instead of grass and neglect to milk them. Watch them fight each other.

Hosni Mubarak's Egypt
You have 10 cows. Neglect to tend to them, but prevent them from fighting Israel in order to get milk from America.

Post-Mubarak Egypt
You have 10 cows who think they now own the farm. There's still no milk.

Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's Tunisia
You have two cows. Beat them regularly and use the milk money for your wife's shopping sprees in Paris. When the cows revolt, retire to Saudi Arabia.

Post-Ben Ali Tunisia
See post-Mubarak Egypt.

Libya
You have two cows. You wish they were camels. Feed them only your words of wisdom and kill them if they dare moo.

Turkey
You have two cows and one sheep. You claim that the sheep is really a "mountain cow."

Qatar
You have one cow that has hundreds of udders. You use the limitless milk money to set up a television channel that broadcasts the other cows in the region being milked (except Saudi Arabia's).

United Arab Emirates
You have two cows. You bring in Filipino nannies, South Asian laborers, and Russian prostitutes to make sure they're well taken care of. Sell the milk to build the world's biggest shopping mall.

Jordan
You have one cow, surrounded by wolves. Pretend that it's a magic cow that has the power to pacify wild animals, and then ask America for milk.

Palestine
You had two cows that were lost decades ago. Lament them.

Israel
You have two bulls. Pretend they are helpless calves.




Sunday, June 12, 2011

East vs. West



Draw a line between Beijing of China and Conakry of Guinea..
with variable width of 500-1000 miles..
Generally; this is the Underdeveloped axis..

Thanks to Kathleen & Adam, who had inspired that concept


The civilized difference between the sentimental Orient and underdeveloped, and the pragmatic West and developed; is the Code of Conduction..
This "CoC" has nothing to do with certificates, but with the practice of life in general.. It is a generation of a deep tribal culture, an unfriendly geography, a granted rich resources.. Adding to this; the scripts of holy books and rituals that extremely prioritize the blood ties..

This is the true barrier between our worlds.. This is the clash that Samuel Huntington had meant to address.. yet failed and irritated many intellectual against him..!

Even so, the way both worlds handle money, profits, greed, corruption, etc., is very different..

I was conducing intelligence on a project in Ethiopia; I told my colleague:
"Corruption is different in Africa.. it is not an immoral practice, but a very moral thing to award what you are authorized to, to your kinship and township.. Otherwise you will be named as an immoral..!!"

Therefore, all efforts to fight corruption in Africa are misguided and keep going to the drain.. An innovative correction concept is badly required..!!

Calling the Stars..

Monday, June 6, 2011

Slavery, Sudan and Others..!




Kathleen and Adam had invited me to a great challenging and energizing debate on Slavery in the Sudan. Kathleen had invited a controversial African American author, who is a Sudanese descendant, to contribute to her Radio Talk Show.
For the common good, I find it great to share with readers.

Firstly; I need to file my apology, as had unintentionally created confusion..! I had addressed the matter in four parallel streams: Slavery in the Sudan, Historical Slavery by Arabs, Slavery in Islam, and Slavery among non-Arabs.. I did not hi-light the demises.. I had dropped all allegations of Ms Boof, despite how she is a center-point for Kathleen’s interview..
Pls allow me to conclude it; so far:

a. Slavery in The Sudan:
1. Alike everywhere else Sudan had known slavery not only North/South, but also South/North and South/South; as an extended African traditions. Linguistic and anthropological hurdles make it uneasy job to discover, understand and report.

2. Sudan is a large country with more than 220 known tribes and ethnic groups, shallow administrative history and vast resources that had been crowned with crude oil. Ruling Sudan was always a British/Egyptian concern; not as Africa/Arab gate, but as North/South quest (Rich/Poor, Developed/Underdeveloped or Civilized/Indigenous Syndromes). http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2009/10/tribes-of-sudan.html )

3. Media had celebrated the particular North/South slavery, echoing international politics and trends; rather than the fair stand to address the global issue. Same applies elsewhere among all Sudanese and African tribes. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/12/nuba-what-does-it-mean-in-hieroglyphy.html )

4. There was no formal slavery in Sudan, as no paper had been historically issued to document a slave’s statuary. Slaves were either identified by their giving names, social rank or jobs. (My own grand grand father was named Abdelseed –Master’s Slave; which is a social affiliation to slavery, a religious affiliation to Sayed Al-Mirghani, a famous Sudanese Sufi or a typical folkloric affiliation to humility..!!)

5. Slavery in Sudan was usually unilateral, and never transferred to the children. This is usually is confused with the volunteer attachment to the Mastering families due to disorder syndromes, not as social or cultural stigmas.

6. Till date, particularly in Abyie area, nomadic Dinka and Messeriya are continuing their seasonal battles on water-rights; which is often resulted in enslavements, forced marriages and ethnically-mixed families. This will likely continue; despite the international efforts; which so-far failed to address the roots and solutions. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/search/label/Abyie )

7. In Abyie; thanks to global media; they had started to learn the terms of ethnic cleansing..! It is the only place where current forms of slavery are taking place. Both parties battle and enslave each other. This is where most anti-slavery in Sudan are referring.. Ironically, rapping is not included in their code.. so-far..!!

8. The complex geopolitics of Sudan had made it vulnerable to many as an attractive topic with challenging aggregates. Same applies to Prof. Mamdani; who had addressed many issues in wrong structure. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2009/12/prof-mamdani-on-darfur-sudan.html )

9. International officials had often showed great concerns for Darfur, rather than lost boys or slavery issues. This would tell how complex the issues are as well how sentimental the advocates. Despite all atrocities in Darfur, no slavery had been or currently practiced. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2009/09/cafe-darfur.html  )

10. The local intellectual debates on Sudan have no room for shallow contributions alike what Ms Boof has. Dr Deng is a fine scholar who had regretfully changed positions and views between 1970th and 2010th. He simply followed the in-house confusion, which expat professional Sudanese – like me, are free from. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2009/06/sudanese-passions.html  )

11. Dr Jok is a new name in the remote-Sudanese horizons, who would represent the new global trends of “Go-Getter” rather than the integral scientific foundations. Simply he mixes Historical theories with politics and common media trends. Should academics drive not be driven?

12. Bottom lines: Sudanese Slavery is not denied linguistically or historically yet need to be adequately addressed to establish a reliable progressive knowledge. It will continue to be a hot topic in the media with fear to turn into an intellectual entertainment (alike claims and counter claims on Palestine/Israel issues). Therefore, maybe your Radio-Show should host some voices from the other side as well. I had suggested to you some entrusted intellectuals who would add value.


b. Historical Slavery by Arabs:
1. Like all ancient communities, Arabs had known slavery as domestic supplement, as trading material and as political element. Till date, there is informal or indirect slavery which is no different from India, South East Asia or Central African countries. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/07/slavery-was-always-economic-practice.html  )

2. Slaves among Arabs were not color coded, as had come from all over the world. You may trace their DNA back to Caucus, Balkan, Persia, Iberia, Africa and very few from the Indian Subcontinent.

3. In Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and Levant slaves used to hold documents describing their IDs. This was an Ottoman administrative practice. Last formal slave was formally emancipated in the Arabian Gulf in 1972, as part of its political modernization.

4. Slavery for Arabs had no color code, unless related to the price tag. In many cases, color code would attribute the likelihood of how a slave is domestically entrusted or intimately preferred. The same had applied elsewhere since dawn of time.

5. Arabs had exceptionally allowed Slaves to marry, breed and partially earn in addition to the globally shared conditioned-emancipation. Slavery among Arabs was not widely transferable to children.

6. Wealthy Mamluk had encouraged slavery to build armies and work force, which was driven by prices rather than skills. The same was later exercised by Ottomans, and was widely reflected back in the dark-skin ghettos in most of Arab cities.

7. The silly allegations that Palestinians are currently buying slave is out of any context. The dark-skin Palestinians (descendents of Ottoman armies and/or slaves) have their own issues of integration to ethnically and culturally develop. Unity against Zionism consolidating the Palestinian society. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/08/african-palestinians.html  )

8. Today’s Arabs celebrate their cultural diversity; with growing trend to erase cultural and ethnic barriers among their peoples. It is an inevitable move to join global human rights landscape and mind-set. Generally, facts of geopolitics and socioeconomics would put Arabs at higher ranks than African, which would fuel the African sense of inequality. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/11/ethnic-seizure.html  )



c. Slavery in Islam:
1. Islam never encouraged nor condemned slavery. On the contrary, it encouraged emancipation of slaves, and been widely used in religious legislations and rulings. (http://adilsud.wordpress.com/slavery/  )

2. Slavery in Islam was never color-coded, as was addressed as typical and generic human status. Many of famous early Muslims were emancipated slaves from various ethnicities. http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2011/03/colorism.html )

3. Ottomans had used the non-condemnation of slavery to spread its trade and utilize the slaves for their expanded armies, economics and luxuries. Wherever Ottomans had their heavy boots, ghettos of slaves or ethnic disorders are formulated.

4. The controversy stills alive by the recent debates launched by Fundamentalists and Jihadists, who had stood still on some historical rulings that cannot be applied in Today’s world. No one is further enslaved if defeated in the battlefields..!

5. Most of religions are addressing a faithful utopia which is not there.. Therefore, many rulings, in most religions, are set as benchmarking rather than true conductions. Similarly, enslaving others or emancipating slaves is widely hypothetical.

6. There is no doubt that Islam suffers from its incompetent preachers. This is what had open the doors not only for its confrontation with the other, but also within.. Today, many calls are intensifying to establish a new Islamic code of Knowledge, which would enable correcting practices, contributing to development, and adding value to the globe. (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/07/league-of-islamic-knowledge.html  )



d. Slavery among non-Arabs:
1. The most horrific practice in today’s world is the traditional female-gifts to priests, particularly in the Western African villages. This practice is only supported by ancient traditions, deformed political systems and out-dated rulings. This is widely practiced despite of the religious affiliations.

2. Forced Marriages in Indian Subcontinent is the surviving form of hidden slavery, which is widely practiced in rural areas. The active NGOs in those countries are battling not only the traditional perceptions and concepts, but also syndromes and resulted disorders.

3. Sweat-Shops in Indochina are commonly known among the native of these countries; which mix criminal structure with economic one. It is usually protected by organized crime rather than social traditions. It is the backbone of Chinese and Asian Tiger’s mysterious economic boom. Regretfully, very few researches address these facts.

4. Recently, some Sudanese (1500 in total) had fled to Israel in their search to escape the deteriorated conditions back home. This had included Muslim, Christian, Darfureans and Dinks, yet mostly are unskilled labor. Many Eritrean and Ugandans had shared the same dangerous smuggling routes to Israel, who were all trapped by Israeli laws that do not recognize asylum seekers..! (http://adilsud.blogspot.com/2010/06/terrifying-way-to-die.html  )

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Arab Women 2011..


What in the hell happening to Arab women: Rapped by Gaddafi security in Libya, Forced for virginity test in post-Mubarak Egypt, Locked in detention for driving in Saudi Arabia, Shockingly grieve the like-no-other killings in Syria, Notoriously driven for sectarian-divide in Bahrain, while the Niqabis shunt for “freedom” in Yemen.. These are some of the common images for Arabian women in H1/2011.. Certainly the world is amazed on these hilarious experiences..

The Patriarchic Arabian society had lost the traditional veils; which had historically messed up religious codes with the masculine abusive ones.. Not only had the political and military leaderships been proven barren, but also the ones inside dwellings and houses.. Arabian societies had been broken apart when women became “bread earners” with no recognition or appreciation.. The hidden scarifies and unrecognized sweat of house wives and daughters become critical to maintain family survival and wellbeing.. The typical 15% of work force does not interpret the reality of today’s Arabian women, who still in better position than house maids, Bed-mates and/or Secretaries..!

I’m not such believer in the so-called: “Arabic Spring” or “Arabic Awaking”.. What had been experienced since the martyrdom of Bu-Azizi; was and still series of chaotic and irrational reactions after long political depressions, cultural abuses and diverse domestic torture.. This phenomenon had taken place across the Arab world, and traveled across the Mediterranean as well.. However, it is the legitimate delivery of all intellectual tsunamis that turn over all conventional theories of politics, sociology and media since the destruction of Berlin Wall..

When the international media had echoed the happenings among Arab countries; it was not amazed but surprised.. It was not applauding but assessing.. It was not sure, but examining..! All posting since January 2011 were reflecting political confusion and messy calculations.. All protests were breathes rather than agendas.. All scores were Tsunamis that will leave behind wreckages, debris and causalities.. Tsunami never stays; nor brings any goodness..!!

Will Arab Uprising proves to be more than just a great destructive Tsunami..?

Will Arabian women score any goodness by today’s happenings..?