Thoughts

I was thinking lately about whether I will be amazed by the development of a nation or a country – Sudan for example if I was away for a long period without a window-press, internet forums- to its internal daily life?

As far as I know, nations do not progress haphazardly or unexpectedly if we are speaking about genuine development in all aspects of life. Progress meant here is positive one as: Improvement of most people quality of life, improvement of indications accepted by today humanity as clues to prosperity.

Nations do change. But they change gradually, slowly but continuously upwards or downwards going. It is not about changing politics or discovering a new rich source of economy, although it might looks in the short term as evolutional changes. Yet, from a future prospect which takes into consideration the life of multiple generations, these changes can result in spikes which may even distort the steady curve of progression.

I will argue that one of the most indicative of nation’s development is the society normal/ common values. The values of a society, regardless of its reference can be explored through interaction with its individuals from different social /economical classes.

When the norms of a society includes bribes, “white” lies, racism or to lesser degree tribalism or when a qualification of competence gives way to qualifications of loyalty whether its political party , tribal , family or friends loyalty; then we can be sure that this particular country or nation – Sudan – is losing its view and way. And in contrast to the short time these values widespread, long time will be needed to reverse this process.

These norms are not related to the right and wrong but related to the accepted daily practise of a society. Abnormal societies can be distinguished from normal one as abnormal people from normal, in which case these societies’ values are norms though still morally wrong. They can be totally immoral even with its own undisputable reference. These values are created by individuals in the first place then adopted by the collective mind as norms then practised by the same individuals without conscious strict moral supervision.

The feeling of guilt is diminished by the psychological subconscious mechanisms aimed to decrease the anxiety to levels compatible with healthy life i.e calling choosing a family member in a job position regardless of professional qualification: Help instead of corruption.

Individuals practise these norms imperceptibly denying that what they claim as corruption in public life is in fact their own corruption. This fact does not automatically mean that once people consciously stop practising these values then life will change in society level. Life is not simple as that. But by doing that we can put the curve of development in its positive x axis.


En bref, the norms of a society will dedicate its progression not its references and in more deep analysis regardless of this reference.

Failure of Sudan state

I just finished a well written paper of Alex De Waal about failure of Sudan state and I think it touched most of the recent sudanese polticial life events lightly , yet In a clever, poweful way that worth reading . Enjoying reading this bright work .

http://www.justiceafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/DeWaal_Crisis_States_2.pdf

HIV/AIDS

The following opinions and reflection are motivated by my recent conscience of the scary numbers and consequences of HIV/AIDS, and that a societal movement to combat the disease is needed. No specialization or academic authority is asserted hereby.

Preliminary Questions:

HIV/AIDS has been out there for more than two decades, so why raising the issue in this particular time?

What is the Basic information about HIV/AIDS?

What are the facets of the problem?
Existential:
Economical:
Political:

What are the Challenges of a HIV/AIDS-unfriendly community?

Why it should be priority in Sudan ?
The complexity of the Denial Process

What are the possible approaches to combat HIV/AIDS?
Government:
Community:

The Politics of HIV/AIDS:
Provision of treatments
Provision of Testing
Medicine commercial complexities and monopoly

Disease, State and Class?

How the issue relates to the Democratic parties agenda?

and this also ISLAM

http://www.kifaharabi.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleId=10866&ChannelId=62&EditionId=191

Cholera joins with meningitis In South Sudan

http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=9D96E169-15C5-F00A-25CC6C9021B62452&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html

Racism In Sudan

I am deeply concerned by what is happening in Sudan in the recent years. One of the issues that deepened this concern was the gradual, ubiquitous increase of the daily encountered feeling of racial discrimination between Sudanese people.

Racism in Merriam-Webster dictionary is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. And if we note that one definition of race in the same dictionary: a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock, then the following “sensitive “ question can be formulated:

Is what is going in Sudan is Racism?

The question is sensitive from the prospect of the alleged superior race or tribes, not from the view of those who have been oppressed and enslaved in both the ancient and recent history.

Sensitive as it touch again one of the taboo subjects in the northern Sudan culture which used to be dealt with in the locked rooms and I do think its time to be discussed in the open air with loud voice in the hope that the illusions and mal conceived ideas that what is going on is not racism will vanish.

It might be also sensitive because of the strong link between the denied histories of salivary in Sudan and what is going today.

The Witch of Portobello

it is just that i feel excited that the new novel by Paulo Coelho, with the above title, has been published last month (Feb 2007). the first translation will come out by mid May. marvellous!

http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Portobello-Paulo-Coelho/dp/006133880X/ref=sr_1_4/104-5400249-4144751?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174981560&sr=1-4


for free downloads of some of Coelho's work follow the link: http://www.paulocoelho.com/engl/dow.shtml#ingles