Arab Nations are about to Sink

The Arab Spring is a revolutionary act of protest and wars against Arab governments. A lot of protests happened in countries like Sudan, Iraq and Algeria. A lot of things caused these protests including, government corruptions, poverty, unemployment, a bad economy and human violations. Citizens didn't have another choice besides fighting for their freedom. They were deprived of freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of communicating to each other and freedom of fighting for what they believe. The government blocked many websites including Twitter and Facebook so that people won’t be able to communicate to each other and so that the protests can be stopped easily.

In general, when we are talking about a government against its people, technology played a negative role in the uprising of the Arab Spring because many citizens used it to plan wars against their OWN government. They also used technology to set up meetings and organize themselves for massive strikes. Also, the government did a bad job in censoring these websites because it triggered people to believe that the government is even planning to take away more of their freedoms. This caused people to have more eager to protest and overthrow the government. The government responded to these protest with violence and killings. It ordered the police to kill everyone who tries to protest and stops the police from doing their job.

On the other hand, if we are talking about a totalitarian or dictatorship government that abridges the freedom of its people, technology played a positive role in the uprising of the Arab Spring. The technology played a positive role for the benefit of the citizens because they got the chance to spread what was happening in their country to other countries. This act of using technology was a great idea because when other countries see what is happening in their country, they will start doing something about it or at least call for help.

To be realistic, I don’t think these governments did effective jobs in monitoring these citizens because if they done a great job, their citizens wouldn't have even protested. I think these governments did a bad job in monitoring their citizens to keep stability and they made the stability to lean towards destruction. For example, the president of Egypt, Mubarak didn't do a great job in the development of the country. He didn't boost the economy but instead made it even worst due to the massive number of unemployed workers in the country. “Egypt has had a massive income gap throughout Mubarak’s control, which is clearly the root cause of the original uprising. One half of Egyptians live on $2/day or less.”


Bibliography
Jamoul, Hamze Abbas. The Arab Spring: The Root Causes. 2 20, 2012. http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=31&frid=31&eid=45439 (accessed 12 16, 2012).

A World Full of Trials

To Whom It May Concern

Dear Hater,

I am writing to you about the current situation at Abaarso Tech (AT) High School and its difficulties. First, let me clarify to you about what AT is and how it functions. Abaarso Tech high school is run by Mr. Jonathan Starr. Mr. Starr is also the headmaster and the co-founder of the school. Jonathan set strict rules for the progression and the safety of the school and everyone who breaks those rules faces severe consequences. Some of those rules are: teachers sign documents that say they should not interfere or do anything that goes against our religion, Islam. No teacher who doesn't sign these documents is allowed to take the job or even enter the country. Female students are required to wear headscarves in school or in public. Any female student who doesn't wear headscarf faces severe punishments such as suspension and expulsion. Female teachers are also obligated to wear headscarves in school or even in public. Again, any female teacher who doesn't wear headscarf loses her job immediately. In addition, there are strict rules that abridge the communication between male and female students. Male students are not allowed to enter the school building from 3:00 pm until 6:00 am in the next morning. There is no way that the opposite genders can see each other or even exchange a single word. Also, teachers walk around at nights just so they can prevent students from seeing each other. For the third time, any student who violates these rules gets an immediate expulsion.

 

Knowing that AT has all of those rules listed above; there should be no excuse to say that AT community does something that goes against Islam. On December 12, 2012, a person who hates AT and wants to get some kind of benefit announced on Halbeeg News that one of the talented and beloved teachers at Abaarso Tech discouraged a female student to not wear Hijab. This anonymous, selfish animal declared that he/she “translated” the dialogue between the female student and the teacher. This baseless evidence says that the name of the student is Asma Mooge who is not in AT student’s list. AT community faces harsh treatments from Hargeisa. The Prime Minister of education ordered to send Mr. Jonathan, the headmaster of AT, back to the US. This action was done in a sneaky way so that no one should notice what happens. However, the truth always comes up and fortunately Mr. Jonathan was released. This action shows that part of the government is willing to do whatever it takes to shut down OUR school which is OUR future. My point is, don’t destroy our lives just because you can’t get the better education we have at Abaarso Tech. Don’t make things up and leave us alone so we can get the education to educate ignorant people like you. We as AT community will never ever give up or surrender for people like you to destroy the life we were building for the last three years. We are going to stand up for what we believe until our last breath leaves our souls.

AT school is a Muslim school and everyone who goes there knows a lot about Islam. We know what is right and what is wrong. We don’t need a person to tell us what to do and how to behave to be better Muslims and AT teachers respect us no matter who we are from the bottom of their hearts. Finally, what I am saying to you is, don’t waste your time posting nonsense stuff about our school because no matter what you do or how hard you work to destroy us, you will never be able to pull us apart because of the strong bond that is linked between AT people.

Sincerely,

Nasri

Abaarso Tech Student

Somaliland Elections Ordeal

Somaliland elections were cruel and severe this year. Somaliland elections supposed to be democratic but it turned out to be autocratic. In order Somaliland elections to be democratic, people should have the freedom to vote, freedom to vote for whoever they prefer, freedom to vote from any city they want, freedom to vote without facing any harsh treatments from the police and the freedom to not sell their votes to corrupted members of the government. In this election, all of those freedoms were vanished. This year the elections enter another whole level where people can sell their votes multiple times. This is destroying the development of this country but people are so blind that they can't notice it's harming their country in the long term. Somaliland election were not democratic because the government offered people money so people can sell their votes not for the sake of a better country with a better government but just for money. 

The voting process in Somaliland is simple but it takes long hours to complete it. First, you have to be above the age of 15 in order to vote. Second, you have to know the language in order to be considered a Somalilander and also so you can answer the questions that the election commission is going to ask you without facing any difficulties. Third, you have to form a line and wait till your turn. A friend of mine’s father faced lot of hardships just so his vote can be heard. He went to Ethiopia for a business so he stayed there for a long time that he forgot his language, Somali. “They asked him the same questions couple of times but it was hard for him to take in what they were asking him. They thought he wasn't Somalilander so it took him eight hours to vote.”[1]

I woke up at three am in the morning to vote. It took me more than I expected.  It took me five hours to vote because people were pushing each other around and the police were firing gun to scare people off. I finally vote for Deeq Ducaale because I think he can take a big role in the improvement of this country. He likes serving and helping people every time he gets a chance. 

The government announced the elections results on Thursday, 7 December 2012 at 6 pm. After the results have been released, people started killing each other one by one. They started killing the police and throwing rocks at them. When the police feel the pain they started shooting people. So far, more than 16 people both civilians and police are injured and dragged down into hospitals. “My brother has been shot in the leg and he is in the hospital. A lot of injured people are coming to the hospital every hour.”[2] The number of injure people is increasing dramatically and the government is not taking a move yet. People are fighting against the government and demanding justice and fairness but their respond is ammunitions.

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[1] Sami Yusuf: a friend of mine who his father went through a lot of difficulties in voting.

[2] Faysa Abdi: one of my brother's friends who her brother has been shot in the leg last night

BullsNation

To know more about Derick Rose check it out:  http://www.drosehoops.com/rose/about

Samir Nasri

" Samir Nasri was a fan favourite at Arsenal until he left for Manchester City in the summer of 2011.

Arguably Arsenal's finest dribbler at the time, Nasri was a cultured, creative midfielder with an eye for a pass. He was equally effective in a central role or cutting inside from the left.

Arsène Wenger made his move for the attacking midfielder after Euro 2008 having watched Nasri impress in Ligue 1 with hometown club Marseille and, even earlier, at the 2004 Under-17 European Championship. 

Nasri was a regular in his first season at Arsenal and he settled quickly, scoring the winner against West Brom on the opening day of the 2008/09 season. 

That was the first of seven goals that season, but two in particular stood out - Nasri's excellent brace in November of that year put Manchester United to the sword.

The midfielder missed the start of the following campaign with a broken leg he suffered in pre-season but returned strongly. He scored three times in the Champions League en route to the quarter-finals where the Gunners were knocked out by eventual champions Barcelona.

Nasri was left out of France's squad for the 2010 World Cup but no Arsenal player impressed more during the first half of the 2010/11 season.

At his best he bewildered defenders, and by January had scored 14 goals. Fulham were the victims of a stunning solo double in December and consecutive braces against Tottenham and West Brom followed. 

Although he was not able to match those displays in the second half of the campaign, Nasri remained a vital cog in Arsenal’s midfield alongside Cesc Fabregas and Jack Wilshere.

But Nasri decided to cut short his Arsenal career and he left in August 2011 - just days after Fabregas." 

source: http://www.arsenal.com/arsenal-history/arsenal-player-database/samir-nasri

Internet Censorship Abolishes Freedom

Many governments from all over the world believe in internet censorship therefore block many websites they think will offend the way they rule their countries. In my opinion, internet censorship is a good thing for certain countries but a bad thing for other countries. However, Internet censorship should not be too serious. For example, it should not be that serious to arrest or kill people who break the rules. It should give people a little freedom where they can share their perspectives about the government and how it is governing the country. But a government that has an internet censorship where they kill and arrest everyone who violates it, is not a censorship but is a dictatorship.

Ethiopia is an example of a country where journalists die or get arrested if they say inappropriate things about the government. “In 1992, Ethiopia issued a Press Proclamation that, in addition to other restrictions on free expression, gave the government the ability to shut down publications that printed “false” information. Ethiopia became one of the leading countries in imprisoning journalists during the 1990s, trailing only Cuba and China.”[1] This triggered many journalists to run away for their lives. Some of them even gave up on their jobs just so they cannot be arrested or killed.

In addition, Ethiopia even increased internet censorship at the level where people cannot get access to internet. People have to wait long hours to get internet because internet is only available in internet coffees where the government controls its speed. It is even hard to sing in or out emails and you have to wait long time which will cause you a lot of money. “It is hard to sign in and out of a simple email window.” [2]

Eskinder Nega is journalist who was arrested for speaking up against the government. He was a journalist who never wanted to give up on his beliefs. He wasn't afraid of the police even if they treat him that he will be killed or arrested. “At some point, they told him that, you know, they are tired of arresting him. And they said, this time around, we are not going to arrest you, we are going to kill you. Better stop it. But he can’t, you know. He can’t stop. That’s him.”[3] In my opinion, arresting Nega was not fair to him because he was deprived of freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to speak and share his/her beliefs and the government doesn't have the right to take it away from people.

Finally, governments have the rights to make internet laws. However, organizations like ITU take the freedom to rule their countries away from governments. These organizations make internet rules for certain countries and block websites they think is inappropriate. The ITU doesn't have the rights to police internet but governments have those rights because they know what is best and what is not for their countries. However, governments should not make internet laws that can trigger freedom to vanish. They should make laws where everyone especially journalists can speak out and share their diversities.

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[1] RAINEY REITMAN:  https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/journalism-not-terrorism-calling-ethiopia-freeeskinder-nega

[2] Eskinder Nega noted in 2011, RAINEY REITMAN: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/11/journalism-not-terrorism-calling-ethiopia-freeeskinder-nega

[3] Birtukan Midekssa, a former federal judge in Ethiopia

Hopes are about to Sink

Somaliland is facing many major issues as unrecognized country. It is quite hard to get everything done on time when you are not strong enough to complete them. Somaliland is changing its people’s way of living gradually because it’s not strong enough to keep it constant. Somaliland is struggling in terms of its economy and its way of living. I’ll argue that Somaliland will not become a great country unless it stops using charcoal, improve its water and changes how its government deals with those issues. These issues are destroying our environment and our lives dramatically.

First, Somaliland should stop using charcoal as a source of energy. Most of the people derived energy from charcoal. This shows us that the more they get their energy from charcoal, the more trees got torn down. Every time someone cuts a tree, other species like goats and camels will lose opportunities to get food. This will harm us, humans indirectly because the more of these species die, the less opportunities for us to get the essential food we need. Cutting trees and using them as a source of energy will help us the short term but will damage us the long term. If we continue cutting trees, we will not be able to find food and then human existence will reach its final destination.

Also, "The first markets started to develop in Europe around the beginning of this century." Many other countries like the US, Japan, West and East Europe started using charcoal in around 1979. These countries suffered a lot. Their trees and fruits got torn down which means less oxygen for humans and animals that eat trees started dying too However. Somaliland should use these countries an example of how using charcoal might trigger the end of their lives.

Second, Somaliland government is struggling in providing clean water for its people. Water is scarcity in Somaliland and it’s hard for a lot of people to get water easily. Some of them walk tens of miles just to get water. Water is essential for our survival which means everyone should get water every day. The government doesn't contribute any effort in improving the quality of water. The government has people but it lucks resources. If water continues to be scarcity, a lot of people will lose their lives just because their government is not strong enough to provide them pure water.

On the other hand, there are many other ways of getting energy beside charcoal. Somaliland has essential resources, like the sun. If they use solar power, they can generate energy from the sun to cook their food. The sun will last forever which means they will always be able to find energy to cook their food instead of cutting trees and killing many species including them.
In addition, if the government stops building roads and buildings just so they can improve the quality of water and gives its people easy access to water, it will save a lot of people’s lives. If the government builds Barkad, a close container where they can keep clean water, a lot of people won’t have to walk miles to get water.

Finally, if I become the future leader of Somaliland, a lot of changes will happen. I’ll build a strong government that helps its people persistently. The only way to help people is to ask what they need first. Therefore, I will establish an organization that walks around the country to get information about what people need and what they need me to fix, like building roads, building schools, improving water, and getting energy from the sun instead of charcoal. The current government barely asks for help from the neighboring countries. In contrast, I will ask many dynamic countries like the US and China to give us the materials we need, like solar powers and wind-turbines anytime we need help because that will only help  us develop our country.

Second, Somaliland government is struggling in providing clean water for its people. Water is scarcity in Somaliland and it’s hard for a lot of people to get water easily. Some of them walk tens of miles just to get water. Water is essential for our survival which means everyone should get water every day. The government doesn't contribute any effort in improving the quality of water. The government has people but it lucks resources. If water continues to be scarcity, a lot of people will lose their lives just because their government is not strong enough to provide them pure water.

On the other hand, there are many other ways of getting energy beside charcoal. Somaliland has essential resources, like the sun. If they use solar power, they can generate energy from the sun to cook their food. The sun will last forever which means they will always be able to find energy to cook their food instead of cutting trees and killing many species including them.

In addition, if the government stops building roads and buildings just so they can improve the quality of water and gives its people easy access to water, it will save a lot of people’s lives. If the government builds Barkad, a close container where they can keep clean water, a lot of people won’t have to walk miles to get water.

Finally, if I become the future leader of Somaliland, a lot of changes will happen. I’ll build a strong government that helps its people persistently. The only way to help people is to ask what they need first. Therefore, I will establish an organization that walks around the country to get information about what people need and what they need me to fix, like building roads, building schools, improving water, and getting energy from the sun instead of charcoal. The current government barely asks for help from the neighboring countries. In contrast, I will ask many dynamic countries like the US and China to give us the materials we need, like solar powers and wind-turbines anytime we need help because that will only help  us develop our country.


I was able to find the following article to guide me with posting by searching in the following methods, OR and “”. Also, I used the search query: Somaliland OR Problems, "Somaliland" OR "Problems" developing countries OR usage charcoal and Somaliland major problems.

Bibliography

FAO Forestry Paper. (1985). Retrieved November Sunday, 2012, from Chapter 6. Charcoal utilisation and marketing: http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5555E/x5555e07.htm#6.2 charcoal as fuel for industry

Herzog, M. (n.d.). 1 Problems. Retrieved November Thursday, 2012, from http://www.brainworker.ch/reports/Somaliland/Problems.htm  

Looking for a Thief in a Perilous, Massive City

        On October 13th,  Abaarso Tech Form four students started their long and exhausting journey to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to take the SAT exam. Everyone was enthusiastic about it but that feeling vanished when everyone got tired. Everyone was indolent and wasn't able to move a bone. After eight hours of travelling on a bus, we finally arrived at Diri-Daba unharmed. After everyone settled down, we had a delectable dinner at RAS 2 Hotel. The manager of the hotel was really kind and affable: I remember the long conversations we had about her beloved, gorgeous daughter and the bizarre ways she described her beauty.

        I hate sleeping in hotels. I slept on the floor without a blanket or a bed. I woke up many times in the middle of the night just looking for something to protect my body from the cold. I had nothing except my macawis and sweater. That night was the worst night in my life. My only yearning was to get a better room in the next hotel.

        
        Fun time was over. We had to pack our things and get ready for another 12 hour trip to Addis Ababa. I wasn't looking forward to it because I knew how exhausting it was going to be. We left the hotel at 4 am without even eating breakfast first. The bus ride was incredibly awesome. Choosing one of the sky buses was a great idea. We watched different movies and comedians like Mr. Bean. We finally arrived at Addis Ababa at 4 pm. Our supervisor, Mike divided us into three groups with 12 people in each group. Our group settled in Baro Hotel with the supervision of Mike. We took a long nap because of the long trip. At night, our group went to an amazing hotel with different kinds of food. I chose double-burger with double cheese and a plate full of chips. It was awesome and couldn't leave the table without getting another dish. On my way back to the hotel, the most outrageous thing happened to me. “Nasri, can I borrow your camera for awhile please?” said AC, a friend of mine. I said, “Sure, but be careful with it please!” I turned to the friend I was talking to before AC asked for the camera. We started finishing our conversation. Suddenly, I heard Yusuf saying, “where is the camera? I put it in my pocket but I can’t find it.” I knew it was stolen. I couldn't say a word so I just turned around pretending that nothing happened. My mother told me to not take the camera because she knew I was careless and can’t keep anything for two days.  “Do not take the camera if you are going to lose it.” said my mother with an angry voice.

        

        We came up with the most hazardous idea that we could have come up with. We decided to walk around the city and look for a thief that we haven’t seen his face. It was insane to do that but it was worth trying.  We started walking around in a city that was full of thieves and criminals. The thief wasn't dumb enough to stick around so he might have changed the area he was. We couldn't find anything so I came back full of anger and regret. From that night until the rest of the trip, I couldn't  have fun with my fellows because of the flashbacks i had about my mother's angry words. i couldn't predict what she will say when she hears about her stolen camera. 

        The rest of the trip was mundane because we did exactly what we did before. We took the same buses again at the same times. The only good part of that trip was the food and how delicious it was. I couldn't believe that the daily white- beans was waiting for me.