Sunday, October 23, 2011
Homage to Catalonia
Title: Homage to Catalonia (1938)
Author: George Orwell
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Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
--Proverbs XXVI. 5-6
*
Author: George Orwell
*
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
--Proverbs XXVI. 5-6
*
Saturday, October 22, 2011
B Movie plot, what's the sequel?; Analysts question that the Quds force would behave as the US government claims
Given the power struggle pitting Khamenei and his supporters against Ahmadinejad and his camp, and given the extreme hostility that some former Ahmadinejad supporters have toward him and their fear that he might be able to establish some form of diplomatic relations with the United States, the possibility of such a rogue operation cannot be discarded. But the indictment against Arbabsiar and Shakuri claims that they are members of the Quds force, and given the discipline that the Quds force has demonstrated in its operations throughout the Middle East, I still find it difficult to believe that they would embark on what seems to be a useless, dangerous, and relatively easy-to-discover operation.
Thus, at this point, I find the claim that the IRI was involved in the plot highly unlikely. The more information that becomes available, the more it appears like a frame-up of Manssor Arbabsiar, a classic case of entrapment. But, once again, there is nothing the IRI might do that would surprise me.
Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/10/post-6.html#ixzz1aiKULJZg
We need to worry. What is this a pretext for?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/10/post-6.html
There is a small chance that some rogue elements in the Revolutionary Guards decided to carry out such a plot. There is precedence for such an operation. During Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's second term as president, rogue elements of the Ministry of Intelligence led by Saeed Emami -- leader of the gang that assassinated numerous dissidents in what is now known as the infamous Chain Murders -- tried to smuggle missiles out of Iran to Brussels to attack the NATO headquarters. The plot was discovered, and Rafsanjani later acknowledged it. Its discovery set back relations between Iran and the European Union for several years.
Thus, at this point, I find the claim that the IRI was involved in the plot highly unlikely. The more information that becomes available, the more it appears like a frame-up of Manssor Arbabsiar, a classic case of entrapment. But, once again, there is nothing the IRI might do that would surprise me.
Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/10/post-6.html#ixzz1aiKULJZg
We need to worry. What is this a pretext for?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2011/10/post-6.html
There is a small chance that some rogue elements in the Revolutionary Guards decided to carry out such a plot. There is precedence for such an operation. During Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's second term as president, rogue elements of the Ministry of Intelligence led by Saeed Emami -- leader of the gang that assassinated numerous dissidents in what is now known as the infamous Chain Murders -- tried to smuggle missiles out of Iran to Brussels to attack the NATO headquarters. The plot was discovered, and Rafsanjani later acknowledged it. Its discovery set back relations between Iran and the European Union for several years.
fish production in Iraq
By Mohammad Raafi, FAO - Iraq
Soaring food prices, coupled with years of conflict and economic sanctions, have had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of Iraq’s people. To help mitigate the effects accompanying the outbreak of the avian flu, along with the rising prices of poultry, FAO sought to introduce an alternative source of protein to Iraqi household diets by helping increase fish production.
The fishing sector is among the weakest in Iraq’s economy. The country has a small coastline of less than 60 km. The rivers Tigris and Euphrates as well as the country’s marshes, dams and reservoirs, make up Iraq’s main water source for inland fishing.
The per capita fish consumption in Iraq is the lowest in the region compared to 12 kg in the Gulf Cooperation Countries, 10 kg in Iran, 4.5 kg in Syria and 3.7 kg in Jordan. The per capita fish consumption in Iraq saw a decline from 2.5 kg in 1990 to 0.8 kg in 2005. This was not only due to a decrease in purchasing power, but also to a gap between current supply and demand USAID, Business Models for Aquaculture in Iraq, May 2006.
In Iraq, this industry relies mostly on inland fishing which faces several constraints such as the lack of quality fish seed reaching the areas where there is potential for inland fish production. Poor communication and transportation facilities further aggravate the problem.
Since 2004, FAO, in partnership with Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture, has implemented a number of projects to restore and develop fish production in the country. Through the United Nations Development Group Iraq Trust Fund, FAO has contributed US $10 million towards the fisheries sector. These projects have sought to develop the current state of aquaculture by training and transferring the most recent technology in cage fish culture and by encouraging sustainable aquaculture activities using both local and foreign species.
The Organization has helped increase inland fish production through management, stocking and enhancement of the diversity of species with an effective regulatory framework. The project includes a range of interventions, such as the establishment of brood stock development centres and a brood fish supply network, the diversification of species in inland fish production and the establishment of a decentralized fish seed supply network.
The ultimate beneficiaries of this project are the inland fisheries and farming communities, particularly the rural poor and marginalized segments of society. It is estimated that to date more than 9,000 Iraqis benefited from the results of these projects. FAO, 2011 Project Summary, July 2011
With FAO installing cages for fish harvesting in twelve different locations in the Euphrates and Tigris, locally harvested fish prices have dropped by 40 per cent according to an evaluation conducted jointly by FAO and local universities. Basra University, Mosul University 2010 The growth period of fish also dropped from eight months to four.
These results have encouraged the private sector in Iraq to adopt the same technology as it has the potential to increase the pace of the rehabilitation of the fisheries sector. It equally enhanced the role of the Ministry of Agriculture to boost the private sector’s investments in this field, while leading to the establishment of 12 fishery associations.
Soaring food prices, coupled with years of conflict and economic sanctions, have had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of Iraq’s people. To help mitigate the effects accompanying the outbreak of the avian flu, along with the rising prices of poultry, FAO sought to introduce an alternative source of protein to Iraqi household diets by helping increase fish production.
The fishing sector is among the weakest in Iraq’s economy. The country has a small coastline of less than 60 km. The rivers Tigris and Euphrates as well as the country’s marshes, dams and reservoirs, make up Iraq’s main water source for inland fishing.
The per capita fish consumption in Iraq is the lowest in the region compared to 12 kg in the Gulf Cooperation Countries, 10 kg in Iran, 4.5 kg in Syria and 3.7 kg in Jordan. The per capita fish consumption in Iraq saw a decline from 2.5 kg in 1990 to 0.8 kg in 2005. This was not only due to a decrease in purchasing power, but also to a gap between current supply and demand USAID, Business Models for Aquaculture in Iraq, May 2006.
In Iraq, this industry relies mostly on inland fishing which faces several constraints such as the lack of quality fish seed reaching the areas where there is potential for inland fish production. Poor communication and transportation facilities further aggravate the problem.
Since 2004, FAO, in partnership with Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture, has implemented a number of projects to restore and develop fish production in the country. Through the United Nations Development Group Iraq Trust Fund, FAO has contributed US $10 million towards the fisheries sector. These projects have sought to develop the current state of aquaculture by training and transferring the most recent technology in cage fish culture and by encouraging sustainable aquaculture activities using both local and foreign species.
The Organization has helped increase inland fish production through management, stocking and enhancement of the diversity of species with an effective regulatory framework. The project includes a range of interventions, such as the establishment of brood stock development centres and a brood fish supply network, the diversification of species in inland fish production and the establishment of a decentralized fish seed supply network.
The ultimate beneficiaries of this project are the inland fisheries and farming communities, particularly the rural poor and marginalized segments of society. It is estimated that to date more than 9,000 Iraqis benefited from the results of these projects. FAO, 2011 Project Summary, July 2011
With FAO installing cages for fish harvesting in twelve different locations in the Euphrates and Tigris, locally harvested fish prices have dropped by 40 per cent according to an evaluation conducted jointly by FAO and local universities. Basra University, Mosul University 2010 The growth period of fish also dropped from eight months to four.
These results have encouraged the private sector in Iraq to adopt the same technology as it has the potential to increase the pace of the rehabilitation of the fisheries sector. It equally enhanced the role of the Ministry of Agriculture to boost the private sector’s investments in this field, while leading to the establishment of 12 fishery associations.
child survival crisis in the Horn of Africa
UNICEF report: Crisis in the Horn of Africa far from over
NAIROBI, Kenya, 20 October 2011 – The massive international response to the child survival crisis in the Horn of Africa has already shown some positive results, but much more needs to be done to save hundreds of thousands of children at risk of dying from malnutrition and disease, UNICEF said today according to a progress report three months after famine was declared in parts of Somalia.
See the full report here [PDF]
”We have saved many children, in Somalia, in the refugee camps in neighbouring countries as well as in the other regions in Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti hit by prolonged drought, escalating food prices and conflict,” said Elhadj As Sy, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, releasing the report: Response to the Horn of Africa Emergency.
See the full report here [PDF]
”We have saved many children, in Somalia, in the refugee camps in neighbouring countries as well as in the other regions in Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti hit by prolonged drought, escalating food prices and conflict,” said Elhadj As Sy, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, releasing the report: Response to the Horn of Africa Emergency.
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