The Blue Marble!

[fahim mohammed]

I shall play the devil's advocate (no snide remarks please!! ).

Does anyone need the above sentence translated.?

That was my first sentence in the post referred to.

Humor and sarcasm are often intertwined. But I do feel much relieved after your reassurance.

If I mention that the ocean liner 'Titanic ' sank and lives were lost; I am stating a fact. Not

aportioning blame.

To the best of my knowledge, I do not know of anyone dropping ' poo ' from the air.

Please read my first post in this thread. Complex subjects. No simple answers. Nature abhors

a vaccum. Similarly the issues you raise cannot be discuused in isolation. To pretend otherwise

is naive, to say the least.

The message and the messenger has to have, and be believed to have, credibility for any chance

of success.

In this instance, unfortunately an sad to say , it has neither; specially with the people for whom it

should matter the most. And please let's keep the subject of pollution free of politics.

p.s I know of MR's picture and know of the country. My country continues to provide employment

to hundreds of thousands of people from Bangladesh. So not only have I visited the country, I

know the people on a daily basis. I know of their aspirations and their longing for a better

standard of living. Saudi Arabia is doing its part to address these needs in a manner beneficial to

both. Helping the poor is more than taking photographs of them.

 

[Asher Kelman]

.

If I mention that the ocean liner 'Titanic ' sank and lives were lost; I am stating a fact. Not

aportioning blame.

Fahim,

Your facts are accurate. The West has led in pollution and suddenly leads a charge that everyone take them seriously in being environmentally protective.

.To the best of my knowledge, I do not know of anyone dropping ' poo ' from the air.

But that was from the quip in your sketch, LOL!

.

.......... the issues you raise cannot be discuused in isolation. To pretend otherwise

is naive, to say the least.

Exactly, Fahim. We have to look at all the causes of our current mess and hold people accountable. Still, everyone has to participate in future changes that are needed.

.The message and the messenger has to have, and be believed to have, credibility for any chance of success.

And he is! No one suggested that what you indicated wasn't true. Unfortunately it's pretty well the truth, but there's obviously much more to the story, as I pointed out by examples from China. You could find many more where the West is not entirely to blame!

should matter the most. And please let's keep the subject of pollution free of politics.

Well Fahim, politics also includes acts of outreaching and generosity, belief in the common man and woman in their worth and aspirations. Politics does not have to be bad. So Saudi largesse towards Banglasdesh must be included as political. It just happens to be politics that are conscionable.

Let's look at our own situation here in the USA. I was working on the roof of my home, when some well-to-do couple passed by and were interested in the steel ribbon I was building into my roof! When they heard I was a cancer physician, they shared the dilemma of their son who had some mysterious mass in his brain. In the coming days I reviewed the records and gave some advice. As thanks, they invited us out to dinner.

At cocktails beforehand, they pounced on the foolish Democrats for arsenic limits in rivers, "What harm does a little arsenic do to a child!!" They were not joking. When I was unpersuaded they boasted of the great achievements of industrialists in handling the environment responsibly, "Look at the wonder we achieved in Lake Michigan. We cleaned it up and introduced fish again."

I protested. "Just 2-3 species, there were hundreds!. We've caused total loss of some species!"

Great Lakes From Space:Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE​

The Great Lakes, the largest system of fresh water lakes in the world, are shared by the United States and Canada. They make up 95% of the surface freshwater in the contiguous United States and have 10,000 miles of coastline (including connecting channels, mainland and islands)—more than the contiguous United States' Pacific and Atlantic coastlines combined. The lakes are a system of transport and shipping, as well as a place of recreation. Traffic on and around the lakes is currently threatening the lakes' ecological stability. Source

When he sincerely asked, "In this modern industrial world, what on earth do we need so many species for?" I felt defeated.

So, one cannot automatically exclude politics or any other dogma from discussion of our planet's health. Whenever a group refuses to accept rational argument because of dogma, that's an issue. Often we can bypass the block by alternative remedies, but not always. It's unfair and wrong to simply impose new cultural standards, but sometimes there are no resources to support unfettered growth. That's why societies need to work together to find solutions that work right now within acceptable frameworks we can manage. However, for the long term, we may need to develop a new set of dogmas to protect the generations to come.

I know one thing, going to Nigerian villages with a medley of missionaries and medical care, so infants survive, (and then as children get educated enough to flee the villages to the towns), is hardly helpful. They need employment. Making extra millions of conversions, without also adding the means to flourish is a cruel kindness we have to do some soul searching about. I used to feel so good for all the countless babies I resuscitated in Nigeria, but now, almost 50 years later, I feel that I fed my own ego, not their needs. The individual is rescued but the community is torn apart from it's culture and values and for what gain?

So politics, religion and our own motivations are all connected. As you point out it's complicated. Everything then, must be on the table, but with respect and wisdom. Different areas will need remedies taking into account local issues. That's where religion and politics come in! What we need to do, is not only understand global warming, the carbon cycle, the health of the water systems and the like, but also the nature of humanity and cultural boundaries, so that remedies are in fact achievable.

Asher

 

[fahim mohammed]

I intend to make this my last post in this thread. But no promises. I want to make it very clear that I do not ' blame the West '. That is an outrageously blanket and incorrect statement. Yes, I might object to some of their policies. But that is a point of disagreement, on some specific issues. Nothing more and nothing less. And more than likely, based on history.

I was educated in the West. I lived in the West. I have long lasting and continuing friendships in the West. I visit the West as often as I can. I owe them, and let me be very specific here..I owe The United Kingdom an everlasting debt of gratitude. They just do not have mountain peaks high enough to challenge my girl from the East!! If anything, I am a vehement supporter of the West..well of Britain anyway. They more than most have left a lasting legacy of law, education, transport, public service and the like that the countries they once colonized have had to build on. Yes, history also shows the unfortunate mistakes that were made. It is history. I read about it in the British Library. I learnt a lot in Britain. But most of all I learnt about a system, not without its faults, but bloody good.

And I learnt to communicate in the English Language. Even with the Americans. Them ( ! ) that call their language ' English '; but speak in a funny way, don't know proper spelling or grammar and definitely know nothing about history. Want proof. Look around you. Facts, opinions and judgements are different issues. I do not want them confused or that conclusions reached as a result of this confusion in someone else's mind be ascribed to me negatively.

I like to see and share photographs. Not be forced into verbose ( this is brief !! ) discussions.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I intend to make this my last post in this thread. But no promises. I want to make it very clear that I do not ' blame the West '. That is an outrageously blanket and incorrect statement. Yes, I might object to some of their policies. But that is a point of disagreement, on some specific issues. Nothing more and nothing less. And more than likely, based on history.

I was educated in the West. I lived in the West. I have long lasting and continuing friendships in the West. I visit the West as often as I can. I owe them, and let me be very specific here..I owe The United Kingdom an everlasting debt of gratitude. They just do not have mountain peaks high enough to challenge my girl from the East!! If anything, I am a vehement supporter of the West..well of Britain anyway. They more than most have left a lasting legacy of law, education, transport, public service and the like that the countries they once colonized have had to build on. Yes, history also shows the unfortunate mistakes that were made. It is history. I read about it in the British Library. I learnt a lot in Britain. But most of all I learnt about a system, not without its faults, but bloody good.

And I learnt to communicate in the English Language. Even with the Americans. Them ( ! ) that call their language ' English '; but speak in a funny way, don't know proper spelling or grammar and definitely know nothing about history. Want proof. Look around you. Facts, opinions and judgements are different issues. I do not want them confused or that conclusions reached as a result of this confusion in someone else's mind be ascribed to me negatively.

I like to see and share photographs. Not be forced into verbose ( this is brief !! ) discussions.

Fahim,

I have the same gratitude for my own English education and upbringing. Also parallel reservations. For pictures, if one just glanced down the column from top to bottom, the few pictures brilliantly tell the story well enough. I am moved and changed by them. The text? That's just commentary.

Asher