Aborted by non-abortionists

Lessons from the news

The last week became another week of interesting assertions as the news started with the tragedies of loss of life through accident and misadventure in Nigeria and climaxed with a resignation in the midst of the White House.

Not too much is known about the victims of the air crash but it warranted 3 days of national mourning in Nigeria, this compounded with more revelations about the fact that the President’s wife, now laid to rest did indeed die from the consequences of cosmetic surgery offered by the “exclusive” Molding Clinic in Marbella, Spain.

There are lots of lessons to be learnt from the need to establish better air craft maintenance regimes to the inordinate quest for youth through surgical augmentation – which some commentator ascribed to the cultural colonialism engulfing Africans of means.

Toupee or to shave

My own resolve was to shave my head completely the moment I noticed signs of emerging baldness, it was easier to manage, accept and handle, and not an iota of my confidence or esteem was affected by that decision.

We just have to accept some aspects of nature, or what I mean in the generally quoted prayer is the courage to know what to change, what we cannot change, knowing the difference and moving on.

Mired after conception

Back to the by-line, Harriet Miers the erstwhile nominee to the post of Associate Justice in the US Supreme Court withdrew her name from consideration by reason of the unrelenting opposition from conservatives who thought besides the issue of gravitas, she had not made clear her stand on the issue of abortion.

Law and politics in America has this strange litmus test of being judged or pre-judged on the issue of abortion, that apparent cornerstone of constitutional law of protecting the unborn over considerations of the already living and existing is almost bizarre to the extreme.

This is besides the fact that Ms Miers belongs to an evangelical communion which would most definitely be opposed to abortion.

A manager is a manager

However, the grating part of this nomination was exemplified in another nomination for the post of the chairman of the US Federal Reserve where some commentators had offered that Mr Bush’s bank manger could as well be in the running.

That had become the basis for levelling a charge of cronyism on a president who was supposed to clean out the Aegean stables of the office of the Presidency after the peccadilloes of the Clinton years.

However, if the bank manager were nominated, Mr Bush could easily have said he was a good bank manager and what needs to be managed is a bank, albeit the bank of the largest economy in the world and that quite convincingly in his almost dronish voice.

Scooter the Hobbler

We had not heard the last of the clean-out as we had run out of breath waiting for the indictments of the special prosecutor on the leaking of a covert agent’s name in order to discredit her husband.

By the time we heard that the Chief of Staff to the Vice-President had been indicted from perjury and obstruction amongst other charges – 5 in all – the only quote of the day that stuck was about such charges defiling the office of the president.

The President in his folksy almost smiling demeanour offered that there was work to be done and moved on to Camp David, but the special prosecutor has only shot the first salvo – a resignation from any staff of the White House is probably the rarest sight, but that scalp might just be the first on this matter.

There might be more heads bowed in shame, but Scooter which is the nickname of that functionary did not scoot out, rather he hobbled off on crutches.

The only hope for the next week might just require a confident walk that makes the last week the tipping point into new expectations. Even onlookers have to have to live to be spectators as live passes on around them.

Changing pictures of news

More analysis than fact

Developments from yesterday’s news stories about Nigeria have been myriad. When the last dispatch came through, the crash site was in another location with the possibility of over half of the passengers being survivors.

By which time, credit was being paid to the kind of pilot skill that allows for there to be survivors from a plane crash.

At the same time, on hearing the news of the death of the president’s wife in Spain from the complications of an undisclosed surgery, speculation became rife about why it was in Spain and for what ‘ailment’ in particular.

Crashing close seeking further

Looking at the facts of both events, if the plane was lost from radar 3 minutes after take-off and the Boeing 737 has a cruising speed that ranges from an economical 796km/h to a maximum cruising speed of 943km/h then the plane would have been between 39 to 47km away from Lagos as the crow flies, putting it some 100 km or more South of the initially suggested crash site.

Where the idea of survivors came from one cannot tell, but it appears that it was hope against adversity to help fill the gap between actual event and getting the real facts – a rather cynical ploy of rumour mongering for nobody’s benefit than the responsible agencies that should have shown more competence.

Now, it appears the plane crashed at speed creating a deep crater and leaving no survivors. We await evidence from the flight recorders if they are ever found to reveal the truth of those circumstances.

Heart Surgery is not a Marbellan speciality

On the case of the death of the “First Lady”, the puzzle with all deference to Spanish medicine and their health care system is why any rich Nigerian would go for surgery in the coastal resort of Marbella.

Germany, the United States or the United Kingdom seem to be the usual choices.

A simple search on Google with the words Marbella and Surgery can be rather revealing. If the death certificate reads, “Death by misadventure”, well, many things do carry the risk of death.

The speculation however gathers around augmentation rather than therapeutic – a new YOU in death really does not make good reading.

I suppose the reasons for surgery would remain undisclosed.

References

Airliners.net: Boeing 737-100/200

Giving news a picture

Errors from Nigeria

Being a Nigerian of convenience rather than purpose, I find that I usually have a passing interest in events happening in the country or affecting their people.

Today, however, news coming out of Nigeria has been quite sad on two counts.

As one is almost always sentenced to accessing news feeds off CNN when one is away from home, just about 04:00 this morning in Antwerp the breaking news announced that a passenger aircraft had gone missing having taken off well over 8 hours before for a 50 minute flight.

What was most interesting about that announcement was that the news anchor linked up with the local CNN correspondent in Nigeria and as they were talking about the take-off from Lagos – the commercial capital of Nigeria – to the right of the screen was the map of Laos a country in Asia.

News from Nigeria

It took the best part of 2 minutes for that error to be corrected, but that exudes the fallibility of man and his systems.

As the plot thickened, it was not clear if the aircraft had ended up in the Atlantic Ocean and by the time we knew it, there was a brief reference to the oceanographic currents in that area which might have dragged the plane to some unknown Davy Jones’ locker.

As they surmised about the weather, the weather girl was drawn in to give a idea of the weather conditions 7 hours before – I suppose at times one does not need a weather forecast and we plumb for weather forensics.

As fate would have it, the aircraft did crash on land and it is a commendation of pilot skill that it appears there were survivors of the crash and probably up to half did survive, but there is no confirmation of numbers at the moment.

Sadness from Nigeria

The other piece of saddening news is the announcement of death of wife of the president and position of megalomania in Nigeria accorded the title “First Lady” – that topic would be addressed in some consequent dispatch.

Sadly, due to complications of surgery in Spain which was first confused with Germany – by CNN again – she lost the battle for life and died.

What is more concerning about this event is that a few years ago, the Defence Minister took ill and part of his recuperation therapy was the recommendation that he spent at least two weeks in the French Riviera.

If paid for, a life of such untrammelled opulence can just be the tonic one needs, though these rich Nigerians have plumbed the depths of excess too legendary for mention albeit without prejudice.

Situation from Nigeria

For a country that offered so much promise, awash with oil wealth and prodigious talent, the convenience of going abroad for treatment comes readily to the privileged, signifying not much has been done to raise the quality of access and service in the health industry.

As we mourn the First Lady and those who perished in the plane crash of whom number a few dignitaries, we hope that any other news out of Nigeria change in tone and context for good things.

Globalisation of disaster relief

Weapons of Mass Relief

One could not help but wonder at the complete inadequacies of developed, developing and under-developed countries (used in the context of 3^rd-world dialogue) in dealing with the natural disasters that have hit their peoples in the last few months.

To surmise, one can see the sweeping global phenomena of globalisation, trade liberalisation, democracy and eradication of poverty through debt forgiveness and other do-gooder mechanisms have overlooked pertinent issues.

This is made ever so stark from the fact that “so-called” Nuclear powers with hefty defence budgets to defend the realm have forgotten that there would be no realm to defend if the citizenry of the realm have been wiped out and left destitute by natural disaster.

More so, these countries have their military forces pre-occupied with unnecessary wars and disputes that seem to foster more havoc than peace with their presence.

The political landscape is both littered and cluttered with intransigence and belligerence that make the Middle Ages seem rather tame.

What has happened to the civilisation of humanity that puts these quests for military aggrandisement over the welfare of its peoples?

We have come to cross-roads, is it weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the powerful or weapons of mass relief from the powerful to the weak?

I hear no leaders speaking up for this.

In the end, the global co-operation needed for attending to natural disasters should involve allocating part of the defence budgets to relief where Africa hosts relief materials for immediate despatch to Asia and Europe, Asia for America and Europe, Europe for America and Africa and so on.

This under the co-ordination of the UN or some other International body like NATO should despatch with immediate effect when disaster strikes at their support areas.

Military weaponry as drones, satellites, recognition and surveillance systems should come in to play to identify the worst affected places and assets brought to bear.

That would be global progress very much in the light of the establishment of the UN.

A World Cup of lost loyalties

The Tebbit Test

If there was ever one thing I would have recommended for next summer, it would be attending at least one game of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

In less than 10 years the World Cup visits Europe, first in France in 1998 and now next door in Germany.

A debate occupied the headlines about divided loyalties of British-born citizens of non-British parentage, called the Tebbit Test.

Which was, if Britain or particularly England were playing against the ones indigenous nation who would one be waving the flag for? Well, that is a dilemma of divided loyalties, especially when it applied to cricket with the Caribbean nations as opposed to football with the old colonial nations.

The dregs of history

The complexity of historical purpose where Britain left certain colonies with unresolved conflicts to keep them occupied rather than resolve them so that the countries can get on with nation-building is not lost on the Kashmir and Palestinian situation.

This has fed the continued animosity between India and Pakistan that after a major natural disaster they have been lough to accept help from each other. Soldiers who should be occupied in relief and emergency efforts are caught up in keeping the line of control un-breached.

As I have digressed, the point here is that any competition with England no matter how skilled the opposing team is casts that team as the underdog. It is an English trait to love the underdog and hence we all end up failing the Tebbit Test.

The 2006 however, one would not have to take the Tebbit Test because Nigeria would not be attending the World Cup.

Having once won the Under-17 World Cup in 1985 and the Olympic Gold medal in football against Argentina in 1996, it is a shame that Nigerian football has had such promise compromised by the attitude to national service of wealthy footballers based in Europe who are as a law unto themselves have become unanswerable to order, discipline, control and team participation.

The Nigerian problem

We have had more changes of coaches, both foreign and local than the weather in the hurricane season to no avail. Now, for a country of 130 million citizens, countries like Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast and Angola are going, three of which have had more recent turmoil and instability. All compared to the relative peace and stability of Nigeria.

One is rather piqued by the fact that the discipline problem which has hounded the Nigerian team for years still looms large.

Playing for one’s country should be a privilege and not a right, many of the European-based footballers are so rich they can afford to waive their fees, but end up being the ones calling on disruptions to the organisation.

Playing as one or as a team

We have always had very good players, getting them to work as a team for the glory of the nation rather than individual showmanship has always been an issue, though they dare not misbehave in the European club circuit. It is saddening.

Having shouted myself hoarse when we played Bulgaria in Paris and beat them 1-0 and the orderly way in which we dispersed from the stadium without much altercation but great camaraderie with everyone.

It is clear that I would rather live down that experience again than make myself an English fan, though word is things have improved.

It is however doubtful that even if I passed the Tebbit Test I would get a ticket to watch England play in Germany.

2010 - South Africa? If I could not get a ticket as a countryman, would I get one as a member of the black race?

A backside spread over six seats

Must get on first

Being a commuter, one is sometimes amused by the attitudes one encounters when it comes to public transport.

The first thing that hits you especially if you are English is the fact that the Dutch do not queue, probably, some sort of divine crowd control ensures that everyone gets on without a fuss.

The level of individuality to the exclusion of others is amazing in the fact that people hardly ever take notice of others when they walk up and bunch up at the entry points to vehicles and carriages.

Any space between a commuter and the entrance can so easily be taken up by someone who almost aggressive saunters by and inserts themselves in that gap.

This then creates another little problem; when a train arrives, it would seemingly be sensible to allow passengers to disembark before trying to get on.

However, because of the bunching up at the entry points, passengers literally have to fight their way off the train and the waiting crowd is struggling to gain the advantage of getting on first.

Walking with a cane then provides an easy way of getting off through the inadvertent but sudden collision of people with the cane; space does materialize for one to disembark with ones dignity intact. Bliss!

Chivalry in Dutch is indifference

Having gotten on any means of transport, it is interesting to see how 2-seater arrangements are fully occupied by one person without consideration of others. This happens on the trains, in the buses, on the trams and the metro transport services.

At one time the traffic police used to pull people off the metro who seemed to occupy more than their fair share of the seats; the legality of which one is a bit suspect of.

The most nuisances are either bags or feet on unoccupied spaces which only get offered after an aggressive challenge rather than a friendly entreaty.

Somehow, the occupants have a way of being complete oblivious the fact that the vehicle is filling up or some elderly or incapacitated person, if not heavily pregnant woman might need the seat.

Chivalry is probably not a Dutch word; well really, it seems to be utterly archaic to all languages nowadays.

You will be a mug to give up your seat for a lady; if one of the many of the female sex on the bus dares to look more like a lady than anything else. I apologise, contemporary and trendy fashion does not help many appear like ladies anymore.

So much flesh exposed in an unseemly need to be attractive but without the commensurate work to display the attractive.

In some cases, there is some much blubber exposed; the Michelin man of the Michelin [1] tyre adverts would look like a skinny stick insect.

Occupy for myself only

However, the best example of space abuse is found on the trains. The first class sections of the certain trains have compartments of 6-seats with a door. The rush to get on at that section is to be the first to occupy the compartment.

The first to occupy the compartment immediately closes the door and places as many of their effects on the seats such that it appears full of, well, one person.

In one instance, it was a like an obstacle course in a military camp to get one seat in the compartment because, the bag, computer carrying case, over-coat, jacket and files had taken up every space.

One would just be immediately discouraged from trying to gain entry, but when other places are filled up in the limited 1^st Class common area, then those compartments come into contention regardless of the occupant.

At least, a greeting gets exchanged at entry and nothing more, which is a lot different from International train travel where usually other foreigners are more engaging and chatty.

Speaking up for silence

Some 1^st Class common areas have a finger to the lips sign indicating a Silent area [2] and a red stroke through a mobile phone sign, signifying what it means. No mobile phones, no matter how quietly you want to talk.

Any decent mobile phone has a silent facility with the option to vibrate when called. Rarely, does that get activated. We can live with that.

However, one evening, they all got on and before the train doors closed, 4 people were on their mobile phones.

“Excuse me please, we cannot have all of you on the phone, this is a no mobile zone”, I remonstrated.

Peace!

References

Moderate is the ideal

This is in response to comments I posted on the nomination of Harriet Miers for the position of Associate Justice in the US Supreme Court, and comments and the response appear here.

Moderation is a standard

I would like to see it the way you have expressed your views, so succinctly without a hint of prejudice in terms of Justice O'Connor.

However, the standard of objectivity I am asking for is simple and summarised in the fundamental of letting everything be done in moderation - which is to lessen in intensity or extremeness according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. [1]

That virtue I cannot argue against, a judge should be level-headed, able to balance opinion and again objectively provide guidance and interpretation. You can call that both liberal and conservative depending on what angle you view that from.

If a judge then passes the test of Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." [2] They have excelled.

I see no ideology or slant of either conservativeness or liberality in those virtues, rather, it is more of moderation, truth being first, followed by being noble and then just.

This is looking more like a question of good character than anything else.

Hypothetical after the fact

On the issue of Bennett, his choice of words whatever preceded them would not pass test of the moderation I have inferred in any sense, the intensity and extremeness are off the scale. [3]

He only came up with the hypothetical defence after the uproar, [4] that did not occur in the talk-show.

The transcripts I have obtained suggest that it was hardly hypothetical when he started with "But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime", that set the context of what he said afterwards and everything else.

Just because he said it would be morally reprehensible does not absolve him from the fact that his poor use of expression left his comments ambiguous and subject to varied interpretation.

The simple reason why everyone can get a part to take away from his comments, from praise to outright condemnation. I think I covered that in my blog yesterday.

Basically, we do need to explore the facts ourselves regardless of what the media offers us. In this case, the facts speak for themselves in context and intent any other slant is disingenuous as best and plain dishonest at worst.

References

[1] Moderation

[2] Meditate on these

[3] Bill Bennett transcripts 1 | Bill Bennett transcripts 2

[4] The hypothetical rebuttal