A Woman For Freedom

I believe that in every country freedom and democracy is worth fighting for.  Aung San Suu Kyi has been fighting for her own country's freedom since 1988 when she began a "non violent struggle for democracy and human rights".  She dedicated her life to all Burmese people in the hope for a brighter future and of a magnificent word that the people in Burmese people are still waiting to get: FREEDOM. Aung San Suu Kyi spent 15 of the past 21 years in house arrest. Even though the military regime offered her to leave Burma. She did not want to leave until the country returned to a civilian government and political prisoners were freed. On November the 13th in 2010, after 15 years of perseverance, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest. It seems like Aung San Suu Kyi will be her party's leader in the future elections. As a Burmese official said: "Aung San Suu Kyi's party could rule Myanmar one day." Freedom is worth fighting for because thanks to her perseverance and the sacrifice of many millitants and monks things will hopefully change for the good in Myanmar. If Aung San Suu Kyi's party wins the elections, they will implement the reforms towards more freedom. This will change a lot of things, for the benefit of Burmese people, Burma will enable to open to countries worldwide and serve as an example for the countries still under dictatorships.

Aung San Suu Kyi, is the voice of all Burmese people. The elder people in Myanmar have come to think there was no hope left for Burma because they spent most of their lives under the military regime. However, with internet and other media more and more groups of youth are realizing what kind of regime Myanmar is under the control of. Younger people are raising awareness and letting people understand what the situation is and how things could be better. Now that Aung San Suu Kyi might win the future elections, hope has come back in people’s hearts. Freedom, Freedom of speech, higher living standards are things that the citizens might now hope for. Freedom is worth fighting for, Myanmar's great hero ,Aung San Suu Kyi, believed it, citizens in Myanmar are now glad she has decided to fight for it.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory would enable Myanmar to open more to the outside world. For instance, the French minister of foreign affairs, Alain Juppe and Hillary Clinton, USA’s secretary of state have individually met with Aung San Suu Kyi. This is symbolic because Aung San Suu Kyi had been forbidden of any interaction with foreign people for more than 15 years. Burma being more open will make Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers understand that they are being supported by other countries. Furthermore, Myanmar would like to become a full member of the ASEAN. This way the country will benefit economically and diplomatically. Myanmar would also benefit from other countries’ assistance and exchange and would grow economically and develop socially for the benefit of the people. The next ASEAN meeting would take place in Myanmar in 2014. 

Aung San Suu Kyi' release from house arrest was a worldwide event. All TVs around the world relayed the event. Still today the most famous TV channels as BBC and Aljazeera continue to transmit new information on the situation in Myanmar every day. After the Arabic Spring and Aung San Suu Kyi’s fight Myanmar's dictatorship anticipated any other demonstration by giving more freedom of speech to Aung San Suu Kyi's party. This can be a catalyst for other Asian countries such as, North Korea, Tibet or Mongolia. Remember, in South Africa, when Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and became the 1^st black president of the country, it gave hope to many other African countries still under dictatorships. Aung San Suu Kyi not only sparked hope in Burmese people, she brings hope in other countries.

I believe freedom is worth fighting for. Three weeks ago I was walking around Yangoon, in Myanmar seeing all the paintings and posters of Aung San Suu Kyi, who the people call "Yangoon's lady". Talking with the people there, was impressive and quite emotional, realizing how immense were their expectations. Thanks to Aung San Suu Kyi's victorious fight against the dictatorship, Burmese people can now dream about freedom and better days. Who would have imagined such a change a year ago! Freedom is now giving Myanmar and Burmese people opportunities. The opportunity to dream bigger, dream of a brighter future for the people who have been forgotten about. The opportunity to open Myanmar's door to other countries and vice-versa. The opprtunity to let other countries realize that it is possible. Freedom brought all these opportunities to Myanmar and its people, it is worth fighting for.

Rabbits and Foxes

Is being superior ever better?
Do you feel more accomplished when higher in rank or more important?
The British felt superior to the First Australians
Like a group of foxes preying on defenseless bunnies
Superiority was rigidly sitting
between the two races in Australia.
It stops the smiling.
It creates suffering faces.
The settlers had settled in.
The natives had their crops taken and their families destroyed,
They could not comprehend why the other race felt so superior.
Superiority stopped the whites and the natives from peacefully living together.
Is superiority ever better?

Modern technology, Owes ecology, An apology. ~Alan M. Eddison

As Lester R. Brown once said: "The world today is economically richer and environmentally poorer than ever,". We, human beings, have built and destroyed many things. We have destroyed our environment, leaving no chance for nature to retain a healthy state. We have exploited, polluted and over populated land. Now is the time to step up, and put an end to this struggle we have caused. Whether it is, a group of university students, a national charity, or the government, everyone has the power to step forward for the environment. In countries such as China, the United Kingdom, and France people have made a decision to do something and make a difference.

In China, one of the world's most polluted country, people are taking responsibility for the damage the country is causing the planet. A group of university students have started a project to prevent Global Warming. The group of youth is trying to warn people about the consequences of not using our resources responsibly. As Fan Jie, a member of the club says:  “Our parents, their generation, are not aware of these issues. So it is our generation who should take action.” "The China Youth Climate Action Network" was formed in Beijing. Their goal is to reduce China’s greenhouse gases emission by 20% of by 2012. Greenhouse gases are the gases that keep our planet at a suitable temperature for living things. Pollution has caused an increase of the green house gases in the air. This increases global warming. One way in which the China Youth Climate Action Network is taking action to reduce greenhouse gases is by encouraging people to give up the use of coal stoves, which are highly pollutant. This group of students might not seem to make a big difference for the environment, but tiny acts can make a big difference.

France has also been experiencing the effects of global warming, and the French government is ready to put a stop to their ‘let-it-happen’ policy. The French government now encourages people to build wood houses and buildings. These houses have the same building cost as traditional houses but their maintenance cost is lower and they also are more environment friendly.The government also gives subsidies to people who buy electric cars. The government’s goal is to reduce green house gases emission hopefully by a factor of four, four times less emissions. Towards this aim the French government joined with the United Kingdom's government to put together a team of 31 experts to advise on the subject. The team is hoping finding solutions to resolve this issue in the near future.

In the United Kingdom the air is polluted, and there are waste management problems. As Robert Orben well defined, "There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there would be no place to put it all."  The United Kingdom's pollution's main factor is transportation. The gases produced by driven cars are harmful to our health. Transportation is responsible for a quarter of the carbon dioxide in the air, which is a major contributor to climate change. However, people need cars, buses and motorbikes to move around... So what is the solution? Well, it has been discovered that using biomethane as a transport fuel, instead of gasoline, could highly contribute to solving air pollution and waste management issues. It is important to recognize that even big issues like this one often come with easy solutions, however they also require wise and astute reasoning.

We will never get back to a time when our planet did show the effects of pollution, such as animal extinction or habitat destruction. However, we can still attempt to fix what we can. The world is starting to realize what we have done, and we need to restore it now before worse happens. Nature was here long before us, we disturbed it, destroyed it, but now we have to help it. We all need to realize that we have one planet to live on, and we can't kill this one and just go on to a new one. We need to take care of it. Like in France,China and the United Kingdom countries and individuals have already started doing something. We need everyone to get involved. Including You.

Get involved today at:  http://www.wildernessproject.org/members_benefits.php?gclid=CNW2kpGdwqwCFYUc6wod2WbiqQ

Maloto The Cow Of hope

Mchinji District  is an impoverished district in the East of the Republic of Malawi. The people there were suffering of hunger and severe poverty. Heifer's international helped them fight against their poor living situation. The behavior of the people towards their living conditions is heroic. These people encourage us to follow our dreams and to keep our hopes high. Hopes and Dreams are worth being fought for.

Heifer's association traveled to the Republic of Malawi to help families fighting against anger and severe poverty. People in Malawi were quoted saying: "We have no doubt that very soon poverty will be a thing of the past," They had hope that things were going to get better. Hope is worth fighting for because it is the only weapon you will have against sorrow. Even when it felt like there was nowhere to hold on to anymore the families in need in Malawi kept hoping because they knew better conditions were possible.
Additionally, it is important to fight for your dreams because when you do get near the end of that black hallway it is a beautiful feeling to know that you never doubted this to happen. Heifer's association wasn't only planning on giving people a food storage they were planning on giving each family a cow and teach them how they could use the cow as a regular food input.When one of the first men to enjoy these new benefits got his cow he named it Maloto. Maloto means dream, and he said: " My dream is revived". He had a dream and it came true. One of the largest joys in life is to know that you haven't been hoping for nothing, that there is something at the end of the road.
 Without dreams and hope, the world would not make sense. The people in Malawi had hopes and dreams, their stories are inspirational because they help us comprehend that with dreams and hope anything can be done and on dark days we will soon realize they are our most reliable allies.

They need help, your help. Find ways to get involved

Friendship

The biggest ship you can imagine, it is.
It all one day sinks,
You know, life ain’t always pink.
But don’t take it personaly,
Life always gives you the chance to keep sailing.

You might want to disguise it,
but it’s there, don’t hide it.

It helps you grow,
It makes you who you are.

Don’t believe it’s about wisdom or determination,
Don’t even believe it’s about generations.
It’s not about being cool or uncool.
It’s just about being you.
It’s about being true.

Today I declare,
When you love without counting,

It is a friend who you are loving.

Make a connection.
That girl who invited you to share her snack in kindergarten,
That other girl who accepted you just the way you were couple years later.
Finally... This “Best Friend Forever” you have,
To whom you don’t say anything,
but she always just knows.
A 10 letter word, a never ending meaning, and an unconditional love that goes with it.
Friendship.

I believe that friendship is worth fighting for because no matter who you are or where you are you always need a friend. Friendship is so important, your friends are the ones who will make you feel better when your are down. They are the ones who will support you no matter what. I don't think anyone should have to go through the downs and ups of life alone. A friend is a useful weapon to have against lifes unfairness. A 10 letter word, a never ending meaning, and an unconditional love that goes with it. I would fight for friendship.

The Arab Spring

4th January 2011- A man immolated himself by fire in Tunisia.

25th January 2011- The Egyptian citizens stand up against the goverment.

26th January 2011 -Protests start in Daraa, a city in Syria.

15th February 2011- Protests expand into an uprising and spreads across Libya.

20th February 2011- Thousands of Morrocan cityzens take the streets in peacefull protests.

I choose writing my blog about this issue because it is happening in the present day. Also I am Morrocan, therefore, Arabic and I find it great that people decide to take a stand for their rights. Finally, I lived in Egypt for a couple of years and travelled to Syria, so it is important to me to follow what's going on in these countries. Today in the Arabic Spring people are asking themselves what they think is worth fighting for.

Tunisia:

His name was Moha

med Bouazizi, he was a 26 year old ambulant vendor in the streets of Sidi Bouzzid. On the 17th of December 2010, The police confiscated Bouazizi's merchandise. He had already been arrested and mistreated by the police several times. Though the young Tunisian seller, kept going, knowing that was the only thing he could do to feed his family. He never gave up. This time Bouazizi did not have the money required to allow his street vending to continue. After having been publicly humiliated. The yound man ran to the governor's office to complain and get his scales back. He was rejected and quoted as saying: "If you don't see me, I'll burn myself." . So he did, Bouazizi, immolated himself by fire on the 17th of December 2010. He died in hospital on the 4th of January. Even though it was sad death, it was not a vain one. After his death, people started protesting against the unfair government in Tunisia. Mohamed Bouazizi was the impetus of the Tunisian revolution. He was the spark that light the fire. On the 14th January, Twenty-eight days after Bouazizi's immolation, the President, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in power for the last 24 years, was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Egypt:

Following the move Tunisia started, on the 25th of January, Egyptian cityzens decide to stand up for there rights in "the Square of Liberation".

They want to replace the current president, Mubarak, by a new president that will be elected by the people. The people want the votes to be fair. Mubarak had been ruling for 30 year, he ran for president four times in a row and mysteriously got elected 4 years in a row. Due to the violent protests, approximately 300 deaths by the police, on the 10th of January, Mubarak was forced to resign from the presidential seat. He is now in jail waiting for his sentence. A Military Council are now ruling Egypt and are expected to manage the transition toward a new constitution and free elections. Egyptian citizens are now hoping for change but are worried their revolution is stolen from them by the Military Council. So they still keep protesting on regular basis on the "square of liberation".

Syria:

In most countries of the Arab Spring now, the prostests are over. Though in some countries it is harder to change things than in others. For instance in Syria, people are still protesting, fighting for their rights and seeking change. The syrian ciitizens are protesting in hope the current president, Bashar El- Assad , t

o step down. Bashar el Assad has only been ruling for 10 years but he, illogically as Syria is supposed to be a democracy, replaced his father who had been ruling for 40 years.

The president doesn't seem like he is willing to step down a lot of people die everyday in Syria.The military forces kill the people they call, dissidents everyday (estimated 2000 deaths to date). No one is spared.We do not have a lot of information about the current situation. No journalists are allowed in the country, the few videos we get are the ones filmed by people there. The Syrian citizens and the president are in an on-going fight, and neither of them is looking like they are giving up.

Lybia:

Muammar Gaddafi has been ruling over Lybia since he led a military coup to overtrow Lybia's last ruler fourty two years ago. He has abolished the Lybian constitution, "adopted laws based on his own ideology" and corrupted his own country. Eight months ago, in Benghazi, second biggest city after Tripoli, people decided they had had enough. They decided to free themselves from Gaddafi's authorities. But the authorities used military aviation to attack the protestors in Benghazi causing many civilian deaths. To protect those civilians a coalition led by France and UK, under UN resolution number 1973, decided to intervene and help the rebels in Lybia. They also cut Gaddafi and his allies from selling oil and prevented them from using heavy weapons.

The rebels created the NTC the National Transition Council that is commited to lead the country toward democracy and economic develppement. On the 22th of August, the rebels took over Tripoli but Gaddafi and his family flew away. They are under internationnal arrest mandate and should be trialed before the ICT of the Hague. On the 15th of September, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President and David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom, visited Tripoli and Benghazi to demonstrate their support to the people in Libya.

Morocco:

It was planned on facebook, the February 20th Movement for Change

(M20), that day, thousands of Morrocan cityzens took the streets in Rabat and main Morrocan cities to demand the king Mohammed VI change in their society. The people were walking

around the streets in peacefull protests requesting for constitutional change, freedom of expresion, justice, dignity and jobs. In the light of what happened in Tunisia and Egypt, the King Mohammed VI and his advisers were wise enough to take the initiative of change. Morrocan people voted for a new constitution on the 1st of July. New parliamentary elections will take place on the 11th Of November. The M20 is not satisfied with this level of change and continues protesting peacefully on regualer basis claiming for a true Constitutional Monarchy, where the King would have no political power. Morrocan people and their ruler hae choosen the peacefull change path. They will be prooven succesfull only if King Mohammed VI keeps his word and people's expectations are fullfiled.

I hope the blood will stop flowing as soon as possible in Syria. At the moment none of the countries of the Arab Spring have completely succeded in getting what they want. This is a good start. People have high expectations on the following events but most importantly they have hope and persistence. This is a long and hard way but as Elbert Hubbard once said: "A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success." I hope the Arab Spring will proove Elbert Hubbard right. Freedom is worth fighting for.