Life, Dreams and Reality -- Sohel's Blog

Two articles recently published in The Washington Post and AlterNet provide a good overview of current status on "war on cancer", a trendy catchy term of our time, but what a let down for the global populace is observed when in depth scrutinizing is in place, deciphering murky details from colorful advertising billboards. Significant progresses against cancer indeed have been made through more concerted efforts by governments, increased public awareness and tremendous achievements in scientific world. However, trends point to uncharted territory that haven't been taken into account due to preserving commercial interests. Modernity has given us technological wonders, practical usefulness of cellphones, computers, ease of traveling to distant places by abundant automobiles and planes, comfort feeling at home, seating in a velvety couch, our feet rested on thick soothing carpet. For many, food is plenty, anything can be bought from super, giant grocery stores, flashy cloth...

Olbermann's comment in this latest news video is sharp, to the point, and courageous, showing what other "mainstream" journalists should be doing to keep intact their integrity. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arWJ358tZgU

"Harper stands up and waffles on about trying to call for 50 per cent emissions reductions. Where on earth is he getting those numbers from?" Weaver asked. "They're certainly not coming from Canadian scientists. Maybe it's coming from a Ouija board or something. But nobody knows where it's coming from. The above quotation came from Dr. Andrew Weaver who is a part of a team of international experts in climate that won Nobel Prize in Peace this year. Most reputable scientists from around the world have been warning the world and its "energetic" leaders about the hastening pace of global warning which is beyond the scientific expectations of the past, and urged more urgent research to be immediately undertaken so that more practical recommendations could be turned into universal policies in the global arena, but all they are getting is stupefying avoidance, and even cutting down of their essential research is getting less attention from "in-bedde...

Some calls him Mush, as if to rhyme his name with Bush. Pakistan's military dictator Musharraf have other similarities with his rhymed name sake. He is also "waging war on terror", by incarcerating progressives, human rights activists and the lawyers and justices from the low to highest levels of courts. Human rights activist Asma Jahangir writes, "Ironically the President (who has lost his marbles) said that he had to clamp down on the press and the judiciary to curb terrorism. Those he has arrested are progressive, secular- minded people while the terrorists are offered negotiations and ceasefires." His paid goons slapping the front and back sides of head of "prisoners" being taken away in long blue police vans. But unlike Bush who has at least so far kept the public demonstration of adherence to democracy, however flimsy that may be in reality, Mush has brazenly abandoned his long fusing facade of respecting democracy or the constitution of his lan...

Goldman Sachs is predicting $80 a barrel by April 2008 , forecasting a better supply and lesser demand for oil. Like them, some in the financial sector thinks that the current high price of oil is already taking a toll on motorists' "thirst" for more oil, further predicting that if the price of oil goes higher before April 2008 in this coming winter, the demand for "spiked" oil will be lower. Isn't it like wishful thinking? The rise of demand from China, India and other economically energetic nations will surely put more pressure on world's current oil supply, though however "optimistic" OPEC may seem in the front page of global news. Yes, there will be new oil field discoveries, that will surely help, but increasing demand is out-stripping supply, and will do so in foreseeable years, unless, demands can be cut down by supplying alternative energy in the market, and also putting more energy efficient vehicles on the road. It may seem "supe...

Margo Thorning's article in The Baltimore Sun provides some grim statistics on the lack of modern energy accessibilities for a vast segment of our world population. Today, 2.5 billion people use wood, charcoal, agricultural waste and animal dung to meet most of their daily energy needs for cooking and heating. In many countries, these resources account for more than 90 percent of total household energy consumption. About 1.3 million people - mostly women and children - die prematurely every year because of exposure to indoor air pollution from burning biomass for fuel. The writer correctly observes that "Reducing the extreme energy poverty of the world's poor will take a combination of technology transfer and public-private partnerships between wealthy and less-developed nations." Read the full article from the following link: Ending energy poverty http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.energypoor01nov01,0,2478123.story