In Dubai they were building an air-conditioned beach, with cooling pipes running below the sand, so the super-rich didn't singe their toes on their way from towel to sea. A resident of Dubai has the biggest average carbon footprint of any human being – more than double that of a US citizen.
On the other hand a Human Rights Watch study found there is a "cover-up of the true extent" of deaths from heat exhaustion, overwork and suicide," among the construction slaves.
The Indian consulate registered 971 deaths of their nationals in 2005 alone. After this figure was leaked, the consulates were told to stop counting.
This is how extreme it can get in this disneyworld build by the slaves for the super-rich; a neo liberal paradise where the despotic rulers rule the country as CEOs.
Dubai owes 107 percent of its entire GDP. It would be bust already, if the neighbouring oil-soaked state of Abu Dhabi hadn't bailed it out.
I cannot but rejoice that the recession is finally taking its toll on this oasis of illusions which defies the ecology of the desert. My only regret is that if Dubai falls, Malta will also be effected.
Pity that we have sold them our land at a pittance. What will happen to Smart City and Go if this unsustainable and despicable state really goes bust?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Burn that witch
Gift of Life have striked again. They have singled out Sharon Ellul Bonici for posting a comment on facebook which reflects mainstream opinion in European democracies namely that: "the state should not constrain a woman from terminating her pregnancy, let alone entrench it in our constitution".
She has also made it clear that this was her personal opinion and that if elected her position on abortion would be in accordance to Labour Party policy i.e. against abortion.
But this was not enough to appease the new age inquisitors who want Sharon to recant. They went on to name and shame Sharon simply for having the guts of expressing a personal opinion.
I express my full solidarity with Sharon Ellul Bonici.
She has also made it clear that this was her personal opinion and that if elected her position on abortion would be in accordance to Labour Party policy i.e. against abortion.
But this was not enough to appease the new age inquisitors who want Sharon to recant. They went on to name and shame Sharon simply for having the guts of expressing a personal opinion.
I express my full solidarity with Sharon Ellul Bonici.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Do they owe us a living?
Life is short. Throughout history normal people wasted their lives in a meaningless existence as they toiled hard to earn a living. The average life expectancy till the modern age in Europe was 30-35. For most life was a very brutal affair. And in large parts of Europe this state of affairs persisted till the post war period. It still persists in most of the world.
Social democracy restored dignity to human life by creating mechanisms which made a basic decent living a conditional right. This right remained conditional because the mechanisms of the welfare state remained tied to the logic and fluctuations of capitalist economies.
Surely capitalism created prosperity and wealth which made life more worth living. Apart from many useless gadgets, the productive forces unleashed by capitalism have created the net, mobile telephony and so many other inventions which improve our quality of life.
We have to admit that despite the current crisis we have no viable alternative to a capitalist economy. But now that bankers' risks are being socialised, it is also the time to socialise the risks faced by everyone of us living in this dangerous world.
The current crisis has exposed the fragility of our existence. For the plans and dreams of many can be shattered in a single stroke.
The left still has the historic mission of making social rights unconditional... as entrenched as all other freedoms we value.
Social democracy restored dignity to human life by creating mechanisms which made a basic decent living a conditional right. This right remained conditional because the mechanisms of the welfare state remained tied to the logic and fluctuations of capitalist economies.
Surely capitalism created prosperity and wealth which made life more worth living. Apart from many useless gadgets, the productive forces unleashed by capitalism have created the net, mobile telephony and so many other inventions which improve our quality of life.
We have to admit that despite the current crisis we have no viable alternative to a capitalist economy. But now that bankers' risks are being socialised, it is also the time to socialise the risks faced by everyone of us living in this dangerous world.
The current crisis has exposed the fragility of our existence. For the plans and dreams of many can be shattered in a single stroke.
The left still has the historic mission of making social rights unconditional... as entrenched as all other freedoms we value.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The sanctity of cellular life
Why should Malta's secular parliament seek moral guidance from a priest on the theme of assisted procreation?
Am not saying that politicians guided by Catholic principles should not vote according to their beliefs.
But they should take responsibility of their actions without seeking legitimacy by inviting theologians to address parliament. If they want to check what the church's position they should do their own homework. If they do not want IVF they should tell childless couples that they do not want them to have children because of the sanctity of the egg.
On the other hand the concern of secular legislators should be that of protecting womens' health and giving childless couples some hope. Nobody is doing that job, neither inside nor outside parliament.
Instead it seems that the only ethical concerns of all political parties revolve around the rights of cellular life. They know that the more eggs you implant, the greater the risk of multiple pregnancies. They all know that IVF can only be safe for women if freezing of eggs is allowed. But who cares?
The more I hear these things the more am disappointed by the dismal state of Maltese politics where everyone pontificates on the rights of eggs while neglecting the rights of adult human beings.
This is the same country which jails illegal immigrants for 18 months in conditions which have caused international outrage and where some politicians have no qualms on sending migrants back to Somalia or Darfur.
Am not saying that politicians guided by Catholic principles should not vote according to their beliefs.
But they should take responsibility of their actions without seeking legitimacy by inviting theologians to address parliament. If they want to check what the church's position they should do their own homework. If they do not want IVF they should tell childless couples that they do not want them to have children because of the sanctity of the egg.
On the other hand the concern of secular legislators should be that of protecting womens' health and giving childless couples some hope. Nobody is doing that job, neither inside nor outside parliament.
Instead it seems that the only ethical concerns of all political parties revolve around the rights of cellular life. They know that the more eggs you implant, the greater the risk of multiple pregnancies. They all know that IVF can only be safe for women if freezing of eggs is allowed. But who cares?
The more I hear these things the more am disappointed by the dismal state of Maltese politics where everyone pontificates on the rights of eggs while neglecting the rights of adult human beings.
This is the same country which jails illegal immigrants for 18 months in conditions which have caused international outrage and where some politicians have no qualms on sending migrants back to Somalia or Darfur.
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