Tony At 10: BLOG NUMBER 61; JAN 4, 2013: THE REAL WORLD

THE REAL WORLD

MY OPINION:

OUR world is spinning out of control with man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man the reality of the day. And yet we have people who are more concerned with the ecological situation and natural cycles; things mostly beyond man’s control. 'Carbon Footprint' indeed! What about a 'TNT or lead Footprint".

Is it because, in this country, we enjoy and take for granted the rule of law, the rewards of honest effort; an education; the freedom to come and go and to worship whatever or whomever we choose? Some turn to religion to find the answer. Others concentrate on accumulating wealth or power. Still others follow the path of indifference or ignorance and seldom reflect on the 'Phenomenon of Man'.

Today's initiatives are channeled through technological advancement, industry, politics and control. There is little time for reflection, patience, empathy or virtue.

THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU DON’T LIVE IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES?

SYRIA

Lakhdar Brahimi, the international envoy to Syria, has warned that as many as 100,000 could die in the country in the next year if the ongoing civil war does not end. Syria begins 2013 with shelling and clashes. In Damascus, residents entered the New Year to the sound of artillery hitting southern and eastern districts that form a rebel-held crescent on the outskirts of the capital, the centre of which is still firmly under government control. UN declares 60,000 deaths since the outbreak of hostility.

WHO WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CARNAGE HERE? WHAT MEN CAN CARE SO LITTLE? CHILDREN SUFFER AND MANY DIE. THEY ARE EXPOSED TO THINGS THAT THEY CAN NOT POSSIBLY COMPREHEND. FROM WHOM ARE THEY TO LEARN THEIR VALUES. WHERE ARE THEIR ROLE MODELS.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan has lost more than 3,000 soldiers in the fight against homegrown rebels but has resisted US pressure to do more to eliminate havens used by those fighting the Americans in Afghanistan. As elections approach, many basic issues, like food security and power cuts, are nowhere near to being solved.

The Great Enigma

IT'S A MATTER OF IGNORANCE AND CONTROL. MOST PAKISTANIS LONG FOR PEACE AND SECURITY

AFGHANISTAN

In the face of NATO and US withdrawal, The Afghan army, in June 2012, slightly ahead of schedule, reached its quota of 200,000 men. There is no doubt that this huge new army is plagued with problems, but the biggest by far is the sheer turnover of men. It is currently running at about 30 per cent a year. In other words, the ANA has to find replacements for around 60,000 men every year. There are many reasons for the attrition. The casualty rate is high, with more than 850 soldiers confirmed killed in 2012 alone, and a great many more wounded. As the ANA takes over the lead role in providing security throughout Afghanistan in 2013, both figures are expected to increase dramatically.

THIS LAND SEEMS DESTINED TO BE PLAGUED BY IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES, INTOLERANCE, STRATEGIC & POLITICAL RIVALRY, WELL-MEANING MISSIONARIES, TRIBAL VALUES, UNFAIR TREATMENT OF FEMALES AND INEVITABLE VIOLENCE AND WARS

EGYPT

Its first democratically elected president was sworn in, but soon caused anger and division among the people with his undemocratic declaration of power. I believe it was an honest effort to maintain order -he promised it was a short term measure-, but the public reaction forced Mohamed Mursi to rescind his decree which placed him above the law.   A highly controversial constitution has just been approved by some 64% of voters; the voter turnout was a mere 30%. The election has been plagued by allegations of fraud and irregularities. Egypt's political and economic woes are likely to continue well into 2013, and surely weaken the Mursi presidency. The situation has re-energized and strengthened his opponents and presents a sharp contrast from the optimism which followed the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's regime. Meanwhile the citizens of this country find themselves, once again, facing unrest and possible violence.

LIBYA

Libya has experienced tribal and regional tensions, culminating in lawlessness, open combat, and a movement for autonomy in the country's oil-rich east. Here is where the revolution against Gaddafi's long-time hold on the people began. People in this region grew tired of poverty, exploitation and marginalization.   As in many Mid-eastern States, the government is struggling to win over and incorporate myriad tribal militias into the national army, amid increasing public frustration. Living in a country with so many diverse needs and desires can only lead to suspicion, insecurity, unhappiness and eventual desperation.

YEMEN

The country is plagued by serious, long-term problems.   These include dire poverty (it is the poorest Arab country), shrinking oil reserves, severe water shortages (its capital is predicted to be the world's first to run out of water), high unemployment, widespread private gun ownership, popular use of the narcotic qat leaf, a strong Al-Qaeda presence, tribal conflict, a secessionist movement in the south, a Shia insurrection in the north, frequent US drone strikes, and a refugee influx from Somalia. Need more be said?

IRAQ

Recently, at least 23 people were killed and scores of others wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq. A total of 15 shootings and bombings struck 13 cities and towns in the north, central and south of Iraq. In southern Baghdad, seven people - three women, two children and two men - were killed when three houses were blown up in the town of Mussayib. Four others were wounded. The struggle for democracy, stability and religious freedom & tolerance continues. The struggle is plagued by religious conflict, bombings and other violence. How have two wars, the ouster of Saddam Hussein and foreign occupation made these people better off?

NIGERIA

Violence linked to the Boko Haram is believed to have left some 3,000 people dead in Nigeria since 2009, including killings by the security forces. More than 500 people, predominantly Christian villagers near the central city of Jos, were killed in an attack blamed on Muslim herders from nearby hills. Previously, hundreds of people, mainly Muslims, were killed in similar clashes in the region. More killing for the causes of religion and control.

COLUMBIA

At least nine people have been shot to death outside Medellin in Colombia's countryside in a massacre police suspect, is a settling of accounts between drug traffickers. Five men and four women were killed on a farm, apparently in the early morning hours of Monday and none were identified. The drug cartels rule because of the huge profits earned from drug dependancy in Western Societies.

MORE WORLD-WIDE EVIL NEWS:

MYANNMAR-- The army has used air strikes against northern ethnic rebels amid worsening fighting, AFP news agency has reported quoting sources on both sides.
MALI--Tuaregs have a sinking feeling: The fear that they are the ones who will suffer and be killed in any coming war, in the name of fighting al-Qaeda.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC-- The commander of the regional African force FOMAC has warned rebels against any attempt to take Damara, the last strategic town between them and the country's capital Bangui. Rebels say they have been betrayed by their government.
NEPAL-- People are rallying for the safety of women after nationwide protests in India.
There have been days of protests in the Nepalese capital, with demonstrators accusing the government of failing to act and protecting the guilty
PAKISTAN-- Measles cases in 2012 have surged by almost five times of that the previous year in Pakistan, leading to the deaths of hundreds of children, according to an international health body.
PHILIPPINES-- Communist Party of the Philippines cuts ceasfire with government short, raising concerns about future of peace talks.
ASIA PACIFIC-- A group of people, who say they are from Myanmar, were found in a boat off the coast of Thailand.

But they have been turned away.

In the last year, about 13,000 people are thought to have left the Bay of Bengal in search of a better life.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

April 20, 1999 --High school students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Kleebold, 17, opened fire at Columbine H.S. near Littleton, CO, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others.

April 16,2007 --32 people died when undergraduate Seung-Huyi Cho went on a rampage at Virginia Tech with a Walther P22 semi-automatic handgun and a 9 mm semi-automatic Glock 19 handgun. The mass shooting remains the nation's worst to date, even after the shootings in CT on Friday.

April 3,2009 --Jiverly Antares Wong, a 41-year old, naturalized U.S. citizen, murdered eight people inside the American Civic Association immigration center in Binghamton, NY using a 9mm Beretta 92 FS Vertex Inox semi-automatic pistol and Beretta Px4 Strom .45 cal. pistol.

April 02, 2012 --43-year old One L. Goh, armed with a semi-automatic handgun and 4 magazines of ammunition, killed 7 people and injured 3 at the Oikos University in Oakland, CA

July 20,2012 --James Eagan Holmes, a 24-year old graduate student, wearing body armor, entered the Century Theater in Aurora, CO, set off tear gas grenades before murdering 12 people and injuring 58 more using a variety of assault weapons, including two Glock 22 handguns, a tactical shotgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P rifle --- that manufacturer’s version of the AR-15. He also used a 100-round capacity drum magazine.

Dec 14, 2012 --20-year old Adam Lanza murdered 27 people, including 20 children, aged six and seven, inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT using a .223 Bushmaster AR-15 and two handguns, all said to have been legally purchased and registered by his mother, Nancy Lanza, whom he also murdered, before carrying out the carnage and taking his own life at the elementary school.

MORE OPINION:

People have questioned and MANIPULATED almost everything that ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ has bestowed on us. Societies have abandoned common sense values. A lack of morality promotes hate-filled, dream-happy, greed-filled, lawsuit-happy, game-playing, pleasure-seeking, esteem-lowering, gun-toting, almost desperate type of modern society. Since 1966 to the present there have been 72 incidents of mass murder, involving guns, across the USA. Following are several examples of the shootings:

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK: