That Nerd at Miss Universe goes to Miss Earth

Jack Layton's and Abdulaziz Abdulghani's deaths

2011-08-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

As Libya sees a new dawn, our joy is mixed with sadness, two tears mixed with melancholy and bliss.

The very kind Abdulaziz Abdulghani died of his wounds in Yemen as he was next to the president when the bomb hit. Jack Layton, leader of the NDP party in Canada, also a kind man died of cancer within the same hour.

A columnist wrote a disgusting disrespectful inappropriate column on Jack Layton whose body has yet to be buried. Seriously, is she too childish to have the patience to wait a week until the body is in the ground to speak ill of the dead?
In my fury and grief, though I do not belong to this party, I respect this man, so I must write something. It was too thoroughly tasteless and too premature - so I wondered would the words be just as tasteless if written about another life prematurely ended due to poor health and too full of life and too young to die? It was so tacky that no plastic pink flamingo would want to be seen within 10 feet of that article this week.

My parody of Christie Blatchford's throughly tasteless article: (for the real one click here http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/08/22/christie-blatchford-laytons-death-turns-into-a-thoroughly-public-spectacle/

-- Amy Winehouse died today. How fitting that her death should have been turned into such a thoroughly public spectacle, where from early morn Monday, television anchors donned their most funereal faces, producers dug out the heavy organ music, reporters who would never dream of addressing any other politician by first name only were proudly calling her “Amy” and even serious journalists like Alan Solomon of the BBC repeatedly spoke of the difficulty “as we all try to cope” with the news of Ms. Winehouse’s death.

By mid-day, after Prime Minister David Cameron had offered a few warm words about Ms. Winehouse’s death and rued that their oft-talked-about jam session had never happened, Mr. Solomon even expressed sniping surprise that “Amy Winehouse wasn’t the sole focus” of the Prime Minister’s remarks.

Mr. Cameron, who clearly had not spent the day watching the national broadcaster and thus was unaware that the jazz singer’s death was the only story of note, had gone on to mention the families of the 12 people (including six-year-old Cheyenne Eckalook; now there’s someone who died far too young) who perished in the Arctic plane crash on Saturday and the tumultuous events in Libya.

The PM in fact was one of a very few voices of reason to be found on the airwaves — he remembered Ms. Winehouse kindly and with evident regard, but he had perspective and did not fawn.

And what to make of that astonishing letter, widely hailed as Ms. Winehouse magnificent from-the-grave cri de coeur?

It was extraordinary, though it is not Mr. Solomon’s repeated use of that word that makes it so.

Rather, it’s remarkable because it shows what a canny, relentless, thoroughly ambitious fellow Ms. Winehouse was. Even on Saturday, two days befores he died, she managed to keep a gimlet eye on all the album releases to come.

--------------

In contrast, a man who left us too soon leaves us with his last and very beautiful words:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. -All my very best, Jack Layton." May he rest in peace.

I am Adam with Two Edens Lost to me

2011-08-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

“I’m the Adam of two Edens lost to me twice
expel me slowly, kill me slowly

with Garcia Lorca
under my olive tree.” - Mahmoud Darwish

My feet are torn,

And homelessness has worn me out.

Park seats have left their marks

on my ribs.

Policemen have followed me

With their suspicious looks.

I drag myself from place to place,

Destitute except for

Day-long memories of a home

That yesterday, only yesterday,

Was mine,

And except for evening dreams

Of my dwelling there again. - Iraqi poet Badr Sahakir Sayyab

" In The Summer

by Nizar Qabbani

In the summer
I stretch out on the shore
And think of you
Had I told the sea
What I felt for you,
It would have left its shores,
Its shells,
Its fish,
And followed me.

Translated by B. Frangieh And C. Brown

Mahmoud Darwish -
” So we are who we are, as the Mississippi flows,
and what remains from yesterday is still ours –
but the color of the sky has changed.
oh white master,
lord of the horses,
what do you want from those making their way
to the night woods?”
...
“Tamer of horses, teach your horse
to ask forgiveness of nature’s soul
for the way you’ve treated our trees”

Oil sands excluded from UN report gets no mention?

2011-08-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Tories+left+oilsands+data+climate+report/4860520/story.html#ixzz1O3nx13iL

By: Mike De Souza, Postmedia News

The federal government has acknowledged that it deliberately excluded data indicating a 20 per cent increase in annual pollution from Canada’s oilsands industry in 2009 from a recent 567-page report on climate change that it was required to submit to the United Nations.

The numbers, uncovered by Postmedia News, were left out of the report, a national inventory on Canada’s greenhouse gas pollution.

It revealed a six per cent drop in annual emissions for the entire economy from 2008 to 2009, but does not directly show the extent of pollution from the oilsands production, which is greater than the greenhouse gas emissions of all the cars driven on Canadian roads.

The data also indicated that emissions per barrel of oil produced by the sector is increasing, despite claims made by the industry in an advertising campaign.

----other articles

Great article. Former Minister Jim Prentice supports Cap and Trade System in Alberta http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110814/prentice-pushed-cap-and-trade-on-alberta-110814/20110814/?hub=EdmontonHome

He is known as a very ethical man. Also from an Alberta ethics specialist, Donna Kennedy Glans -

Btw- Ezra Levant is a former tobacco lobbyist. I take what he says with a grain of salt.

She is a Conservative candidate, not Liberal, not NDP. So this is posts from a reasonable conservative who supports their agenda in many areas, but thinks critically like all intellectuals. Liberal and NDP oriented intellectuals also critique their party in the benefit of tweaking it.
From her blog: Wind Farms Kill Whales and

Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100080019/wind-farms-kill-whales-blubber-on-the-green-movements-hands/

And this is crucial - we are emitting more green house gases per capita than many countries - we rank 8th in the world on some indexes.

Rankin 2000 with Rank in 2000 w/out Rank in 2005 w/out Country
land-use change↓ land-use change↓ land-use change
12 9 8 Canada
Year 2000 Tonnes of CO2e Year 2000 Tonnes of CO2e Year 2005 Tonnes of CO2e
with land-use change without land use change with land use change 24.3 22.2 22.6

Internationally, Qatar is often #1. According to this Saudi Arabia has a better emmisions record than Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_greenhouse_gas_emissions_per_capita Ezra Levant, former tobacco lobbyist writes about ethical oil. I think looking at this chart puts a few questions in that argument. NEWSFLASH -Saudi Arabia is more eco-friendly than Canada. When that happens, you know there is work that needs to be done here.

So here is another article she recommends oil sands expected to outdo carbon cuts

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/oil-sands-expected-to-undo-carbon-cuts/article2122227/

Miss Earth competition next week!

2011-08-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

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Hi I am back, and preparing for the Miss Earth pageant. I am studying up on UN reports, staying away from red meat farther (it contributes to green house gases), taking the bus and recycling more. However, I do hope that I get attention that recycling is not enough. For change to happen across Canada, we need to change our voting system from first past the post to something fairer that reflects the population so that environmentally conscious voices are not crushed.

Soon we may have 300-700 jobs gone forever from Environment Canada due to job cuts instead of raising corporate taxes to levels similar in the rest to the G8 which are needed to sustain developed economies. Is lower taxes making Canada more competitive.

No, with our foreign policy we wouldn't even be competitive with Dubai's zero per cent taxes. We have the highest visa rates for U.A.E and Turkey. To create a conference for Canadian energy companies as it included Russian partners, the conference was held in Europe due to fact they feared that the Canadian government wouldn't give participants visas. Even Russian ministers, businessmen do not receive visas. My Yemeni cousin living in Sweden for many years while running a company and finishing a doctorate tried to get a visa for a trade show in Toronto for weeks, major problem. He got his passport back and in three days received the visa to the U.S. which has extremely high security standards. We have to get real, and get a business-friendly foreign policy. Of course we should still have principles, but getting our point across more diplomatically and tactfully will prevent business unfriendly rifts.

Due sinking in capital, changing our corporate tax rates by a couple per cent won't change anything but by slashing 300-700 jobs from Environment Canada, you'll overwork the existing staff. As a result of an over-worked staff, environmental regulation will slip. U.S. Vice President Cheney's corporation, Haliburton, was responsible for the part of the oil rig that failed in BP's Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill disaster, which to the best of my knowledge was deregulated. It showed that self-policing doesn't help.

If this is not your priority - well, only around 22% of Canada's population voted for it's "majority government. 40% can vote for but the 60% against have no voice. Also, coalitions exist in England and most stable governments. This must be de-stigmatized and seen as a norm. If the environment is not seen as a priority for one ruling party, if coalition was required to govern, it would see it as important. The current system we have has the highest distortion, as documented by the Gregory Scale, and on that scale where each individual vote counts the least in our system. If there was a coalition government, the slash and burn cuts to environment Canada would never happen. If the staff are over worked, they can be lax, not as vigilant and let disaster occur unintentionally.

Recycling, composting, taking the bus are all important, but if we change our political system were 60% or more of the votes count, we can have government being proactive. Meanwhile corporations such as Telus and Scotia Bank are supporting environmental causes. There are many environmentally friendly cleaners in the grocery and that is what my family buys now. They sell like hot cakes.

What can we do aside from joining Fair Vote Canada? ... and I'll stop sounding like a Green Party politicians. for a moment. :-) What can you do if you think big but work to implement your vision in small practical steps? Aside from recycling, using the bus, not eating red meat?

Its important to connect the environment and business to create something lasting. Blue-Green Canada's 2011 report states

"Canadians have missed out on approximately 66,000 jobs because the federal government has failed to match the U.S. in renewable energy investments." Their report states that the EU will create 2.8 million jobs from environmentally friendly energy. While green jobs have shown growth, traditional manufacturing jobs such as the automotive industry have slowed, or even decreased. The economy is changing and unlike the US, China ant the EU, we are not investing where the economy is headed.

If government doesn't step in, what can one do? Replace it. You can bring your own community together to fix local and sometimes even global environmental problems. For more details, you'll hear me at the pageant, where I unveil my platform.

I my home city of Taiz, youth are planting trees and picking up trash after everyone as a form of protest against the anarchy and to create hope, while seizing the moment and not waiting for government to change the environment. The future starts now and is in your hands, so let's not wait for others and start making the world a better place today! Start recycling, join fair vote Canada or do an ambitious project with local businesses and get them to be coordinated on Green issues or more eco-friendly.

Miss Earth competition coming up

2011-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

I finished a lovely shoot on the memories of a refugee with Richard Brecker. Beautiful art. Here is a one of the stills, where i am reading the poetry of Nizar Qabbani. On the side, in the corner is a book from his contemporary, Neruda.

"When you grow up, my son,
and read the diwan of Arabic poetry
you'll discover that the word and the tear are twins
and the Arabic poem
is no more than a tear wept by writing fingers."

Syrian Poet, Nizar Qabbani ironically wrote this verse:

A Lesson In Drawing

My son places his paint box in front of me
and asks me to draw a bird for him.
Into the color gray I dip the brush
and draw a square with locks and bars.
Astonishment fills his eyes:
"... But this is a prision, Father,
Don't you know, how to draw a bird?"
And I tell him: "Son, forgive me.
I've forgotten the shapes of birds."

My son puts the drawing book in front of me
and asks me to draw a wheatstalk.
I hold the pen
and draw a gun.
My son mocks my ignorance,
demanding,
"Don't you know, Father, the difference between a
wheatstalk and a gun?"
I tell him, "Son,
once I used to know the shapes of wheatstalks
the shape of the loaf
the shape of the rose
But in this hardened time
the trees of the forest have joined
the militia men
and the rose wears dull fatigues
In this time of armed wheatstalks
armed birds
armed culture
and armed religion
you can't buy a loaf
without finding a gun inside
you can't pluck a rose in the field
without its raising its thorns in your face
you can't buy a book
that doesn't explode between your fingers."

My son sits at the edge of my bed
and asks me to recite a poem,
A tear falls from my eyes onto the pillow.
My son licks it up, astonished, saying:
"But this is a tear, father, not a poem!"
And I tell him:
"When you grow up, my son,
and read the diwan of Arabic poetry
you'll discover that the word and the tear are twins
and the Arabic poem
is no more than a tear wept by writing fingers."

My son lays down his pens, his crayon box in
front of me
and asks me to draw a homeland for him.
The brush trembles in my hands
and I sink, weeping.

Why am I doing this? The Pageant Manifesto

2011-08-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Why am I in Miss Earth Canada? People ask me, isn't one pageant enough, all that hard work preparing? Why a second time. I wish I could say vanity, lol, but that is rarely the reason anyone I know ever spent that much effort at a pageant.

I tried modeling out of curiosity after I was in Miss Universe. I met many ethical photographers, a couple ethical agencies, there are good people out there... but the problem is that the bad are just allowed to do bad and flourish being horrible. I saw many terrible things. It is the industry of young women's dreams but also asymmetric power and no regulation. Average age and gender of models are female, 14-19, photographers male 45-68. Zero regulation and people get mad when you even bring up safety in the industry. I saw photographers with criminal records work with 14 year old models. I saw a photographer I shot with being violent, nothing being done about it, and he rapes a model the next year.

Kathy Ireland spoke out on CNN that when she was a teen model, she had an assignment in Europe, and saw a pimp in her hotel room, and to her shock he was sent by her agency. She left modeling for success in business. On my modeling profile I state that I do not shoot nude very clearly not even bikini, but I still have photographers try to pressure me to shoot nude even though they know I'll lose my livelihood, my reputation and will be kicked out of the pageant if I do so. I have received a lot of bullying on model mayhem when I say that when a model shoots alone with a photographer she doesn't know, she should bring an escort. Many university now have policies against student and professor intimate relations, which prevents unwanted sex as means of advancement instead of one's merit. The same with pageants.

For not shooting nude, one photographer who was an administrator a modeling pool I was a part of that directs models to castings angrily said I was a "restrictive model" and I wasn't ready for the fashion world because I wasn't ready to take clothes off, and is why he wouldn't even do a fashion shoot with me. I said, "Despite my race and ethnicity and values I did have a job selling evening gowns, I managed to sell them and there were many successful sales women of women's gowns of my ethnicity and religious values too. I don't need to be nude to sell a dress to women!"

In contrast, the problems at pageants seem trivial. We have escorts/chaperones when we go as a group because yes, a group of healthy looking young women can cause problems. Playgrounds can attract children, but also those who want to hurt them, which is one reason playgrounds are chaperoned. Last year, when I was at Miss Universe Canada, we heard that at a different pageant either drivers or a sponsor gave unwanted gestures to young women. Andrew Lopez, the PR director gave us a lecture before we headed to events, "If you feel uncomfortable for any reason at an event like you will be attending this evening for any reason whatsoever, we urge you to go to the bouncer and ask him to kick the guy out." They didn't tolerate anyone making the young women uncomfortable, had a policy of zero tolerance against unwanted advances and took all precautions.

I see the same with Miss Earth Canada, and most pageants have a policy to deal with unwanted advances and protect the young women from harm. There is NO ONE with a criminal record. There is a Miss Congeniality award to prevent infighting between the girls, and young women are selected based on their ability to compete with dignity and good-sportsmanship (i.e. the initial interview process works to remove catty young women).

Recently, regarding acting, there was an article that a former Canadian beauty contestant was suing a Los Angelos acting agency for harassment and for grooming women not for acting jobs but for unwanted advances. In pageants, like universities, there is a policy against such behavior. Why?

Two reasons - one that the big four pageants have been there since 1951- 1999. They depend on a good reputation and the organizations are easy targets if there are lawsuits, while their reputation can be destroyed and the visibility of their brand is very high. The other reason is economics: pageants, you are a paying customer, so they will ensure you are treated with professionalism, dignity and respect. The pageant organizers treat the young women with the same dignity and professionalism

Swimsuits - if feminists criticize that - well they are voluntary and I was offered to completely cover mine up, and I partially cover it up in respect of my colleagues competing, and the purpose is to make you go to the gym and it works! When they pick up a fashion magazine, behind the slick images, are young girls constantly pressured to pose nude. In Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump's daughter's biography, she writes reasons why she left the modeling agency her father created. Despite who she was, at events in the evening, models were expected to socialize with the firm's clients many of whom were in the firms client's bedrooms in the morning. She didn't want to be in an industry where one had to do that to get ahead, and is successful in real-estate. There is no regulation in the fashion industry.

Also, in many fashion agencies I witnessed size 00 girls told they are fat, backstage by the modeling agencies and that they won't get jobs because they are too fat and I see the ribs sticking out on these famine victims. I asked organizers why do they pick these children to the shows, who have to bring their parents who are told they are too thin. The organizer, a friend, said, "When you have a fashion show the light that highlights the fabric makes everyone look much heavier, so you need very thin girls." I have a genius solution that the fashion industry is unlikely to take up on : theatre lighting. On stage, in theatre, ballet, there are several points of light to correct for the weight imbalance shining too much light on a person in one direction. This is especially important in Opera, lol, and done at pageants. However, models are not taken into consideration. If they just want hangers, don't use living and breathing human beings and try to dehumanize them.

I really enjoyed a Lady Gaga-esque artistic effect done beautifully on a model and mentioned to a fashion industry member how it would be interesting to try that look. They recommended against for a shocking reason. "Your portfolio is to highlight you as a person, a human being people want to work with. When you go on runway, the reason why we sculpt these crazy looks is to dehumanize the model, so that she loses any identity and you see not the model but the clothes." When I asked, why are model so thin "they are human clothes hangers."

I doubt that the demographic of high fashion buyers, moms 40-60, enjoy being sold dresses by dehumanized children aged 14-19 the age of their children. They would prefer a happy, healthy, wholesome beautiful young woman, which is why vintage advertising is back with a vengeance.

My experience with pageants has been very positive. I have been treated like gold by Miss Universe Canada, and Miss Earth Canada, while they accepted me and I was candidate. Yes, it wasn't Disney, there were some minor inconveniences I saw like one girl making life more difficult her fellow contestants to get ahead at any cost(it was nipped in the bud, stopped immediately when the organizers discovered it). Pageants try their best to create an artificially positive environment where good collegial girls are selected together doing a fun positive activity that builds their self confidence, gives them opportunity, is good for the community and allows them to be a role model.

I think feminists barked very loudly, but up the wrong tree. I am a HUGE supporter of specifically the swimsuit portion of pageants because they forced me to get my lazy butt to the gym. I'll pay what it costs to join a programme that managed to make even me go to the gym! Now I'm addicted. They allow girls to cover. Last year, a Muslim Canadian, Pauline Ranjbar, covered her bikini at Miss Earth Canada and was one of the finalists, won best evening gown, and has been sent to pageants by the organization internationally. I am glad they allow everyone to participate and you meet women of all ethnicities and backgrounds across Canada.

I support pageants because they changed my self-esteem and I feel more confident in myself, where my qualities as a human being are highlighted in everything from my dress to the questions at the interviews, and my health is highly valued by organizers who give low grades to unhealthy contestants who are too skinny or avoid the gym. If one has a teenage daughter who is finding her way and lacks self-esteem, pageants are a great way to develop it and make positive friends.

Modeling is a private business, there are no rules, no regulation, but with the power asymmetry that exists combined with lack of regulation - its ripe for exploitation. The widespread dehumanization of young women is shocking to me in that industry, because my grandfather, who fought the Nazis all the way to Berlin in World War II said, "When you are in the trenches and can see the eyes of a human being, and see they are human, it's impossible to shoot. Even if you try, your instincts will make you flinch and your bullet will not hit the human being that is your enemy on the other side. In order to kill, dehumanization is necessary, which is why propaganda plays a central role in war. You need to dehumanize first before you kill."

Valentino said he knew what women want, "They want to be beautiful." This is true because there is a strong link between beautiful and loved for women, biologically. It builds up self confidence significantly. Just because young women need confidence and have dreams of being beautiful as a way of somehow attaining that confidence doesn't mean mean we have a right to exploit the dreams of teenagers and vulnerable youth for dehumanization, which is the first step to killing and violence. One of my favorite books, "War, a force that gives us meaning" talks at length on dehumanization, and images hyper-sexualization in society and how these two were a pre-requisite for Milosovich to start the horrible war in Yugoslavia where hundreds were killed brutally.

After reading Chris Hedge's War a Force that Gives us Meaning,I feel ambivalence when picking up a women's magazine. Picking up almost any mainstream fashion magazine makes me think of Milosovich - the connection is obvious. But the images seduce me into wanting to be attractive like the dehumanized "woman" in the picture. I admit it, as sad as it is. I am adult enough to understand it is unhealthy and I use art and cinema as inspiration for my shoots far more than fashion, because there women are a subject an not an object.

Was just accepted into Miss Earth Canada!

2011-03-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was just accepted as first contestant of Yemeni origin in Miss Earth Canada!

Corruption allegations Yemen, including Aden refinery by Yemen Journalists Against Corruption

2011-03-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

The second report of Journalists Against Corruption (Yemen Jack) and WJWC about corruption in Yemen in 2008

Table (1), depending on the extent of corruption.

Table (1 - a) the extent of corruption in the Aden refinery:

The amount of the type of offense

Aden Refinery 70200000000 takeover of public money

47464935711 exchange unduly

684944974, bid rigging

1360896912 overrun in expenses

440883645530 manipulation in the collection of taxes and public entitlements

6200000000 aside special funds and accounts

90000000000 disbursements is justified

68600000000 spare accounts

Total 725,394,423,127.00

Table 1 - b, corruption in the Ministry of Health.

The amount of the type of offense

Health 359 310 480 exchange unlawfully

12,617,816,544.0 circumvent auctions and public tenders

316,375,846.0 takeover of public money

340,000,000.0 not rationalize spending

Total 13,633,502,870.00

Table 1 - c, the extent of corruption in the General Organization for Water and Sanitation

The amount of the type of offense

General Establishment for Water and Sanitation 4,084,380,000 exchange unduly

2,445,085,000 Tenders

950 million collection of receivables

Total 7,479,465,000

Table 1 - d: the extent of corruption in agriculture

The amount of the type of offense

Agriculture 1,800,000,000 acquisition and appropriation of public funds

5 million project stalled because of neglect and mismanagement

5 million acquisition of money

Total 1,810,000,000

Table 1 - e / extent of corruption in tax

The amount of the type of offense

150,000,000,000 avoid tax accounts

432,000,000,000 manipulation in the collection of receivables

240 million acquisition of public money

Total 582,240,000,000

Table 1 - and: the extent of corruption in electricity:

The amount of the type of offense

15806000000 manipulation of electricity in the collection of receivables

140,000,000,000 extravagance and not rationalize spending

70.7 million in the manipulation of tenders and auctions

45,988,500 acquisition of public money

Total 155,922,688,500

Table 1 - g: the extent of corruption in technical education

The amount of the type of offense

Technical education projects find 2,977,245,485

3,706,760,602 manipulation of tenders

Total 6,684,006,087

Table 1 - h: the extent of corruption in higher education:

The amount of the type of offense

Higher Education set aside 21 million accounts

Total 21,000,000

Table 1 - i: the extent of corruption in education and education:

The amount of the type of offense

Education 1,700,000,000 extravagance and not rationalize spending

740.962 spare accounts

Total 1,700,000,000

Table 1 - j: the extent of corruption in the media:

The amount of the type of offense

Information 480 million luxury and non-rationalization of spending

Total 480 000 000

Table 1 - as: the extent of corruption in the sport:

The amount of the type of offense

Sport 1 million acquisition of public money

Total 1,000,000

Table 1 - for: the extent of corruption in the industry:

The amount of the type of offense

Industry 8.8 million acquisition of public money

Total 8.8 million

Table 1 - M: the size of corruption in the judiciary:

The amount of the type of offense

Elimination 5,080,000,000 grab of public money

Total 5,080,000,000

Table 1 - n: the size of corruption in the election:

The amount of the type of offense

751.810 elections exchange unlawfully

17 million acquisition of public money

Total 17,751,810

Table 1 - P: the extent of corruption in endowments:

The amount of the type of offense

Endowments 750 million acquisition of public money

Total 750 000 000

Table 1: - the extent of corruption in Clean:

The amount of the type of offense

Cleaning Fund 302 264 000 manipulation of tenders

Total 302 264 000

Table 1 - S: the extent of corruption in the localities:

The amount of the type of offense

Sweeteners 11,168,000,000 seizure of public money

4 million disbursements is justified

Manipulated 28 million in the collection of receivables

30 million to circumvent the bidding

9.909 million non-performing projects

3,967,892 neglect and the failure of projects

Total 11,243,876,892

Table 1 - GS: Corruption in others:

The amount of the type of offense

Another 327 million to circumvent the bidding

42,228,867,000 projects stalled because of neglect and mismanagement

4,984,169,000 acquisition of aid and loans

46 million exchange unduly

Total 47,586,036,000

Total corruption published in the Yemeni press, as the perpetrators of corruption:

The proportion of the total corruption overtaking

Aden refinery 725,394,423,127 0.48 48%

Health 13,633,502,870 0.009 1%

General Establishment for Water and Sanitation 7,479,465,000 0.002 0%

Agriculture .0012 1,810,000,000 0%

Tax 582,240,000,000 0.34 34%

Electricity 155,922,688,500 0.104 10%

Technical Education .0044 6,684,006,087 0%

Higher Education 21,000,000 -1.4 -1.4

Education .0011 1,700,000,000 0%

Media 480 000 000 -3.899 -3.899

Sport 1 million -6.7 -6.7

Industry -5.91 -5.91 8.8 million *

Elimination 5,080,000,000 -2.03 -2.03

Election 17,751,810 -1.19 -1.19

Endowments 750 000 000 -5.04 -5.04

Cleaning Fund 302 264 000 -3.22 -3.22

Sweeteners 11,243,876,892 0.008 1%

Other 3% 47,584,124,000 0.03

Total 1,512,768,778,286

1,512,768,778,286

Table corruption by type

2 - a ((seizure of public money)).

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Takeover of public money Aden refinery 70,200,000,000

Health 316 375 846

General Establishment for Water and Sanitation 7,479,465,000

Agriculture 1,805,000,000

Taxes 240 000 000

Electricity 45,988,500

Sport 1 million

Industry, 8.8 million

Elimination 5,080,000,000

Elections, 17 million

Endowments 750 000 000

Sweeteners 11,168,000,000

Total 97,111,629,346

Table 2 - b: Corruption by cases of corruption relating to interference with the collection of receivables

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Cases of corruption relating to interference with the collection of receivables Aden refinery 440,883,645,530

Tax 432,000,000,000

Electricity 15,806,000,000

Sweeteners 28 million

Total 888,717,645,530

Table (2 - c): the exchange without the right

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Exchange without the right

Aden refinery 47,464,935,711

Health 359 310 480

General Establishment for Water and Sanitation 4,084,380,000

Elections, 751.810

Another 46 million

Total 51,955,378,001

Tenders

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Tenders Aden Refinery 684 944 974

Health 12,617,816,544

Water 2,445,085,000

Electricity, 70.7 million

Technical Education 3,706,760,602

Cleaning Fund 302 264 000

Sweeteners 30 million

Other 327000000

Total 20,184,571,120

Table 4 - d): Corruption as the excess expenditure

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Expenses in excess of Aden refinery 1,360,896,912

Total 1,360,896,912

Table 2 - e: Corruption as special funds and accounts to spare

Violation Type the amount of Notes

By special funds and accounts to spare Aden refinery 74,800,000,000

Tax 150,000,000,000

Higher Education 21,000,000

Total 224,821,000,000

Disbursements is justified

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Disbursements is justified Aden refinery 90,000,000,000

Sweeteners 4 million

Total 90,004,000,000

Table 2 - f) corruption, the lack of rationalization of expenditure

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Extravagance and lack of rationalization of health spending 340 million

Electricity 140,000,000,000

Education 1,700,000,000

Media 480 000 000

Total 142,520,000,000

Find projects

Violation Type the amount of Notes

Find agriculture projects 5 million

Technical Education 2,977,245,485

Sweeteners 13,876,892

Other 42,228,867,000

Total 45,224,989,377

Loans and tax

Violation Type the amount of Notes

The acquisition of loans and other taxes 4,984,169,000

Total 4,984,169,000

Total corruption by type

Violation Type Amount Percentage Notes

Takeover 97,111,629,346

Collection of receivables 888,717,645,530

Exchange unduly 51,955,378,001

Tenders 20,184,571,120

Overrun in expenses 1,360,896,912

Spare accounts 224,821,000,000

Disbursements is justified 90,004,000,000

Rationalization of expenditure 142,520,000,000

Find projects 45,224,989,377

Loans and aid 4,984,169,000

Aden footage- discretion advised

2011-03-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Feb 25 Aden, more videos from Qutaiba Shihab.

Doctors attempt to save life of shot civilian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hx-MFcyck4&feature=related

The father of the unarmed civilian youth shot in the head, Mohammed Mouneer, saying his good byes to his son in the hospital before his son is buried,

I try not to get emotional about this work, try to save lives ... but that video above was the first picture that made me cry. Mohammed Mouneer's father will never see grandchildren or whether Mohammed becomes an engineer, finish his studies. There is nothing that can justify a life so young cut so senselessly and poignantly short.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk2TIuDPF3I&oref=http://www.facebook.com/l.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DGk2TIuDPF3I%26h%3Da913d& Footage of causality, man in 30s shot in the head, hole in scull, possibly the deputy director of the electric company in Aden, died

Doctors trying to save another civilian shot in the head with bullet, scull damage, died Aden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuizRemPNi4&feature=related

Repost of Aden video of citizens trying to get an injured man bleeding on the street care and being shot at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=167530036629551&comments

More footage on Page 2 of blog

Aden situation- ambulances blocked, Amnesty Intl

2011-02-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ambulances are blocked and the humanitarian aid convoy from Taiz is blocked.

Yemen Times on the latest, plus one of our videos featured on Yemen Rights Monitor was used for photo on Yemen Times. According to Yemen Times, two people whose names are on the Feb25 death toll on this blog were shot in the head in their own homes.
"
Amnesty International said yesterday it had received reports that security forces in Aden refused to allow residents to take the injured to hospital after Central Security forces fired on anti-government protesters on Friday." -Yemen Times

Aden videos of Feb25 massacre: caution, graphic

2011-02-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the videos: It must be recorded to stop the violence and take those who caused this to court.

Ayman Al-Nageeb, one of those who were hit in Aden by the security forces. You see here medics trying to save his life .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoXpdCerFxM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjQGcQ8Xn4o&feature=player_embedded from Maala casualty

Aden protest turns deadly- march and killing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_juLDAWKA

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_135382336529456¬if_t=group_activity#!/video/video.php?v=167530036629551&comments protest turns deadly

Kid younger than 10 shot, paramedics trying to save lives 25 feb aden http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k43OejVFx3M

Protests continue as protestors being shot at 3 am
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150097788033090&oid=194257513935107

People trying to pick up dying person off street as they are being shot at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=167530036629551&comments

Trying to save a life of protestor -dead today Feb 26- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xypo2dSNBxU

Madbakh, the Queen, at the Hague

2010-10-15T13:00:00.001-07:00

Halima with the mayor of the Hague, and a delegate from Madbakh of Toronto, in the Hague, Netherlands!!!! (Below, Michael Ignatieff at a Madbakh Women International event).

Halima with Her Excellency Queen Elizabeth II of England (far bottom).

So Halima Saad, our executive director, and a colleague of ours went as delegate to the metropolis conference in the Netherlands. They gave a presentation on Madbakh Women, both the local initiative empowering visible minority immigrants in Toronto, and the hospital in Borama.

On the Metropolis Project:

http://www.metropolis2010.org/?pid=215

The International Metropolis Project

The International Metropolis Project is an international network of researchers, policy officials and NGOs sharing a common vision of enhancing migration and diversity policy by applying empirical social science research. It will help us to better understand the implication for immigrants and societies overall of processes of migration and integration.

Annual Conferences
Our international conferences represent the largest annual gathering of experts in the fields of migration and diversity. In addition to a comprehensive study tour program, and just under 100 workshops, our plenary programme offers access to the thoughts, challenges, and prescriptions of some of the world’s key experts.

madbakh women's intiative

2010-09-29T14:55:00.001-07:00

Madbakh women's initiative is have a conference soon! Excited! Hague.

Madbakh

Photos by Richard

2010-09-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Maria Al-Masani

Madbakh women's initiative something I am excited to work on next, after done photoshoots.

Photographer: Richard Gibbs

I love working with these photographers, make-up artists, etc. It is exhilarating to be part of a creative team, and watch the result of a group effort.

Richard is amazing. He has a refined taste, we bounce off ideas, and he picks great angles. A true artist. Of course, and Ottawa Fashion Week photographer, sommelier par-excellence, what does one expect. He is also fun and great to work with.

More Photos by Carole!!!!

2010-09-06T13:56:00.001-07:00

Here they are.

Maria Al-Masani

Maria Al-Masanii

Carole's amazing photo

2010-09-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

Maria Al-Masani

Carole took this photo of me, made it her profile photo. So far, it is the best photo of me I have had. More are too come!

Death and Medschool

2010-09-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

I was with a friend at a restaurant, full of colour, spice and music, listening to the fascinating thing my friend was saying... and then I overheard something interesting from two people nearby.

The story that distracted me, briefly: One of the friends of the two girls died of a heart attack in med-school right before her final assessment to become a doctor! They said, how sad, you don't have a life all your life studying to get perfect grades... and then .... just before you have a life, you die. Just before you touch your dreams and start living, you are no more.

An intriguing thought... "And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!" -Shakespeare. But whether life is a tale of sound and fury, signifying nothing, I would have issues with. It is funny, just turning 26 a couple weeks ago, and it made me realize that I am beginning to age, and my time on this earth is limited I certainly do not want to end up like the med-school student. I want to live, fully and vibrantly, with colour, music, dance and delight. We live once and we do not know of the life after.

I have survived many things, and now have overcome PTSD, am happy and perfectly healthy, changing my perspective on life. Laughter is more important than any "A" in university. Before, with PTSD, death was a merciful relief. Now it is a sad ending for a life not yet fully lived. I want to see Thailand. I want to go to the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence, http://www.uffizi.com/, t I want to start microfinance programmes for women, programmes to train nurses, support bush hospitals. I want to change the average marriage age in Yemeni villages from 12 to 21.

I want to dance, I want to paint, and I want to laugh, I want to live! I want to enjoy every day of my life as I enjoy this day, listening to classical music before my workday begins in this lovely cool sunny September morning breeze.

I want to preserve the last vestiges of my youth before I vanish into the unknown through the frames of a lens of an ISO 1600. I feel every time when a camera takes my image, I cheat eternity for a day. One day, even Mozart will be forgotten as the sun will eat the earth. In creating art, one is briefly breaking the invisible walls of time, and perhaps in Marcel Eliade's symbolism, creating a sacred space beyond time. Yet, it is not cheating eternity that brings happiness. What brings the most happiness in my experience is always bringing joy or relief to the lives of ephemeral beings like one's self, and often people too poor to have their names carved permanently on a gravestone. Since life is so brief, finding happiness and purpose is of essence not to make it such a waste.

The Queen of England, who is 84 said the happiest people she has known:

Over the years those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives; the kind of people who are generous with their talents or their time.

Photoshoot with Richard Gibbs

2010-09-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

Fashion week's Richard Gibbs is utterly amazing. Working with him was so fun! An intellectual, connoisseur, creative talent extrodinaire!

Here are some of the latest. More to come!

Maria Al-Masani

and my favorite!!!

Maria Al-Masani

Photoshoot photo from Kyle Jackson from Lone Leaf

2010-08-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Maria Al-Masani

close up

Maria Al-Masani

I had an amazing photoshoot with Kyle Jackson from Lone Leaf. My mother said they were some of the best shots of me she has seen.

I am doing more photoshoots to expand my portfolio. He was great, amazing use of flash outdoors, light reflectors, great ideas, great shots. Definately a perfectionist. A very high level of professionalism and dedication to his craft. I am blessed and lucky to work with him.

Here is the best one, and another great one is coming up!

Pakistan Floods

2010-08-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

My heart goes out to the people of Pakistan. Please donate if you haven't already. If you are in Canada, the government will match your funds.

Two thirds of the population are affected. Most savings and investment are not put in banks, but in property that now is under water and has washed away.

Naheed Mustafa

The real fallout from Pakistan's flood

Last Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010 | 5:15 PM ET Comments7 Recommend14

By Naheed Mustafa, special to CBC News

The pictures arrive almost daily in my inbox, some professional, some quickly snapped on a cellphone.

They are almost all the same: hands reaching out for a meagre bag of wheat; a lone, scrawny child, wide-eyed and bewildered; water so deep that only the very tops of buildings are visible.

The flooding in Pakistan has been labeled with every kind of adjective — unprecedented, devastating, Biblical, epic, cruel. Some 20 million people — almost two-thirds the population of Canada — are directly affected.

The Indus River, usually a kilometre across at its widest, now measures up to almost 30 in some places. It has raged along a thousand kilometres, carving up the land, washing away homes and dragging away cattle and crops.

My relatives in Nowshera in Pakistan's northwest were flooded out of their home. They are unsure if they can salvage anything.

Like most people in Pakistan, their money isn't in a savings account, it was invested almost entirely in building their house. Lose the house, you lose everything.

It is difficult to overstate the enormity of the catastrophe here.

Pakistan is a nation of farmers but the agricultural sector has now been almost wiped out.

Harvest season was just around the corner when the rains came. So this season's crops are gone. And probably the next two as well. Sugar cane, cotton, wheat — all finished.

Some estimates put the cost of rejuvenating the agricultural sector at $15 billion. And that can come only after the tonnes of silt deposited by the floodwaters are removed.

Zardari doomed

One of the overarching themes in the news coverage in Pakistan and abroad is that the disaster was compounded by the incompetent response of the Zardari government.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, wearing a cap, talks with flood survivors in Jampur on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010. He has been saying that Islamic terrorists may exploit the chaos and misery caused by the floods in Pakistan to gain new recruits, remarks echoed by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who toured some of the worst hit areas alongside the president. (B. K. Bangash/Associated Press)

As Pakistan drowned, President Asif Ali Zardari was touring France and the U.K. He was ostensibly on official business but the daily reports showed him casually dressed in jeans and a sport jacket — no tie — smiling and waving with his children in tow.

Through its actions over the years, the Pakistani government has cultivated an image for itself as corrupt and forever travelling with begging bowl in hand. And certainly that image is one of the reasons foreign aid has been slow to arrive.

So far, less than half of the pledged money has found its way into the country. But the fact is that while the optics of Zardari's overseas jaunt were bad, there was nothing the government could have done.

Plainly, this is a natural disaster of immense proportions and even the most focused official response could not have staved off the devastation.

The immediate aftermath will be handled in much the same way as the massive earthquake of 2005, with a mixture of local and international help from non-governmental organizations, formal international aid, and private citizens doing what they can, person to person.

Still, the anger against the government is increasing day by day. People are frustrated that they are still sleeping on the sides of roads surrounded by their children and belongings. Food and water are scarce; disease is spreading.

Mosharraf Zaidi is a Pakistani columnist who has worked for the development agencies of both the American and British governments. He says there's a growing feeling that the government will not survive the fallout.

"Zardari has become a lighting rod for the entire civilian structure. Whatever life this government had, this is the end. There is no recovery from this."

A challenge to democracy?

But the real issue here isn't just that Zardari — who never polled better than 20 per cent anyway — will be more reviled. It is that there is a real risk people will give up on the civilian system all together.

Pakistan's military is widely perceived to be a more efficient and less corrupt institution than civilian government.

And while no one is talking about a military coup at the moment, the growing disillusionment with the civilian leadership certainly throws into question Pakistan's experiment with democracy.

In the Western press, there has been much hand-wringing over the growing presence of the aid wings of certain militant organizations in the relief effort. But the phenomenon is not new.

These same organizations came out after the last big natural catastrophe, the 2005 earthquake, and delivered aid to people in some of the most remote and inaccessible parts of the country.

The Pakistani relationship with these groups is complex and it's simplistic to say that if people accept their help, they will also join their cause.

The greater fear at the moment is connected to Pakistan's long-term economic prospects.

Zaidi says the most recent projections predict Pakistan's economy could contract by up to 10 per cent as a result of the flood. That's a loss of about $17 billion in GDP, a reality, he says, "that is too depressing to contemplate."

There is no way international aid can make that up. Short-term relief is one thing, but over the next little while Pakistan is going to have to reconstruct itself.

Another crossroads

Given the track record of Pakistani governments, it feels naïve to think about best-case scenarios and self-motivated reconstruction.

When the earthquake ravaged Pakistan-administered Kashmir in 2005, governments and individuals opened their hearts and their wallets. The devastation in certain areas was so complete, it was hard to imagine those communities could ever come back to life.

When I went there five months later, towns and villages lay in ruins and families were living in UN-allotted tents. The schools were being run outdoors and people were waiting in long lines for housing reimbursements and rations.

Today, five years later, the town of Balakot is still waiting to be rebuilt and bodies are still being pulled from the rubble in Muzaffarabad at the earthquake's epicentre.

Every few months, it seems that some obscenely violent event in Pakistan heralds the declaration that the country is now at a crossroads of some great geo-political importance.

But those bombings and killings seem like mere blips on the radar in comparison to the deep and wide destruction this flood has wrought.

The Pakistani people are slowly emerging from their shock and the vastness of the task ahead is revealing itself.

An honest assessment is that it is unclear if the nation can gather itself up and move forward, or if its future prospects drowned with its crops.

One thing is certain, though: Without the continued and focused help of the international community, Pakistan and its people will not recover.

Medic killed in Afghanistan

2010-08-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10903737

A foreign doctor is killed in Afghanistan. It happened to a friend of mine in Yemen who was very dedicated to the people of Yemen, Martha Meyers. She said her biggest fear was to leave Yemen, but in Yemen she was assassinated.

When two elephants fight, it is always the grass that suffers. This is NOT about religion, but it is about politics and power. As foreign military forces, from Alexander the Great, to the Persians to the British to the Russians, then Americans, have all spilled the blood of innocent Afghan civilians.

Some times it was spilled by accident, sometimes on purpose with the intention of instilling fear, sometimes out of anger. It shocked the civilian population, who later became desensitized enough that when a local group tried to seize power, using equally violent and outrageous means became perfectly acceptable. After all the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. When it come to bad boys, our boy is our boy, and by definition better than theirs. This makes such crimes excusable, not altogether illegal.

Violence, whether it is domestic abuse, war crimes, treating adults like children, genocide or killing doctor is all the same. It is always about one and only one thing: control. It is usually perpetuated by those who desperately want control, but are lack security in some way, lack legitimacy, lack both resources and morals, have ego problems, and/or lack conditions vital to human existence such as housing, shelter, etc. I try to blame anyone, as blaming is unproductive and I have never seen blaming improve any situation. Rather I try to analyze root causes and try to develop a plan of eliminating the problem.

Corruption or backing it has to stop, accidental bombing of weddings has to stop first. Doctors have to be associated not with the problem: bombing, violence, corruption, torture, ...but with the solution, and should have the protection of native tribal leaders of the area.

It is so sad that some people are so focused on themselves and their own goals, that they become sociopathic killers, and kill hundreds. By killing that doctor, not only did they kill the doctors, but the patients who desperately need the treatment.

Miss Universe Evening Dress Photo

2010-08-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here it is.

I am now taking modeling lessons at X Models Managment, took some portfolio shots. Those should come up shortly

Fashion Design

2010-08-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am now taking sewing/couture lessons at Darrell Thomas. My instructor is phenomenal, has a great understanding of couture. Meanwhile Darrell Thomas has an exquisite boutique collection of couture fabrics. It is like being in a candy-store. I linger around the fabric store near the class gawking at fabrics until they tell me, sorry, we are closing.

I am leaning fashion design to learn what it takes to make a garment. I hope that combined with micro-credit, sewing machines are the new women's liberation for in developing countries. An example would be in Somalia, at the Borama National Fistula Hospital's micro-credit program. I am trying my best to understand this very practical skill, and teach it to others. I wrote my thesis on micro-finance. We give micro-credit for women to learn a skill and start a business that can be marketable internationally... but what skill besides finance could I teach them. A skill that is practical and needed everywhere. Answer: Sewing!

AFP - 13 year Yemeni child-bride dies from internal bleeding after wedding

2010-07-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

AFP) - A 13-year-old Yemeni girl who was forced into marriage died five days after her wedding when she suffered a rupture in her sex organs and hemorrhaging, a local Rights organization said Thursday. Ilham Mahdi al Assi died last Friday in a Hospital in Yemen's Hajja province, the Shaqaeq Arab Forum for Human Rights said in a statement quoting a medical report. She was wedded the previous Monday in a traditional arrangement known as a "swap marriage," in which the brother of the bride also married the sister of the groom, it said.

"The child Ilham has died as a martyr due to the abuse of children's lives in Yemen," the non-governmental organization said.

Her death was a "flagrant example" of the results of opposing the ban on child marriage in Yemen, which was leading to "killing child females," it said.

The marriage of young girls is widespread in Yemen, which has a strong tribal structure.

The death of a 12-year-old girl in childbirth in September illustrated the case of the country's "brides of death," many of whom were married off even before puberty.

Controversy heightened in Yemen recently over a law banning child marriage in the impoverished country through setting a minimum age of 17 for women and 18 for men.

Thousands of conservative women demonstrated outside parliament last month, answering a call by Islamist parties opposing the law.

A lesser number of women rallied at the same venue a few days later in support of the law, the implementation of which was blocked pending a request by a group of politicians for a review.

Life in Canada

2010-07-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

Here are a few snapshots of life in Canada. The urban and rural environments are so close.

In politics, I do not think the rural-urban divide should or can be breached. Witness Iran or Ottawa city politics. Perhaps it is the most passionate of all political divides. Instead, a model should enable authentic presentation for both interests, some decentralization and greater autonomy. The states-man like behavior for reaching a noble-middle ground would dilute a party's brand, making them inauthentic to core voters, hardly inspiring voters to put cash towards a party.

Yes, there is a tax break in Canada, but there are many flavors of ice-cream to choose from. A party's survival depends on an image of authenticity towards its core group. Not understanding that will cost them votes. Taking that into account, if one party from a predominantly urban or predominantly rural constitutency wins the parliament in a winner-take all single-vote West Minister system, then the interests of the rest of the country would be squashed.

(Me, Divine and Ashely, from the Ottawa, Toronto, etc. Sun article in real life)

Perhaps proportional representation, but not to the extreme Israel and Italy took it with a 1 per cent threshold for a single district multiple vote system. (29 political parties in Israel. Germany's system: 3 parties, and they form coalition governments). A coalition government with a better proportional representation system with some decentralization is perhaps the best real way to bridge the urban-rural divide.

Thoughts anyone?

What I learned from the beauty world- men, skip this, women relish and read!

2010-07-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, being competitive in the field of beauty, I try many products. Somethings work, some don't, and I learn a lot about application, a healthy lifestyle that I just didn't know before. I think all you non-beauty pageant contestants reading, especially fellow nerds can benefit.

Hair:

Joeseph's Indian Human hair extensions, glued on, are the best by far. My mother and I can't tell my real hair from my fake hair. They picked three colour strands to match mine and did amazing make-up, the best I have had on me. Joeseph's is in the mall, at Rideau Centre. Retail, these extensions cost $500. It's worth it though.

Styling: I can't do mouse with extensions and I was balding before due to post-traumtic stress. To stop the balding, I took Nutricap, which was great for my hair, my nails, and it grows fast with it. They are vitamins for the hair, and is the most effective thing I have tried.

I have tried hair irons, straighteners, curling irons, wide barrel, thin barrel, everything, expensive high-end to low end. Many of the ladies at Miss Universe used old fashioned curls. With my extensions, I used electric heating curls I bought at wallmart. I wish I had learned this before Miss Universe. The larger the curls, the better for long hair, looks more elegant. It brought a similar look to Joeseph's and smooth. A large barrel curling iron, and inch and a half in diameter with a straighter, like at the pageant, was the next best thing, but had frizzy results.

For the effect at the top, you curl all the hair at the top of your head horizontal, in one line. Then you get the hair at the crown out of the way. On the sides, you curl your hair vertically.

Hair spray is essential or the look will die. For the stage or an evening, lots of hairspray. For a date or job interview, much lighter hairspray that emphasizes shine.

Eyelashes:

Joeseph's fake lash secret: To make fake lashes look real, Joeseph's cuts part of the eyelash. Secondly, stick the fake eyelash to the beginning of the hairs of your eyelash. After it settles, add eyeliner again and masacra, and make sure the real and fake lashes merge seemlessly. Use a small paint brush, or a toothpick with the sharp edge remove to push down the fake eyelashes instead of your fingers. Your fingers could be at the bottom of the fake eyelash, but never at the top when applying.

Also, if you have fake eyelashes, keep eyelash glue and a small mirror and a small paint brush/toothpick with you at all times.

Miss Universe fake eyelash secret: Dry the eyelash glue for 2 minutes, until it gets tacky/sticky, put it on a tray. And then brush the bottom of the fake eyelash in the tray, so that you don't get too much glue on the eyelash, or its bad for the natural lashes and looks icky.

BIGGEST EYELASH MISTAKE: Applying eyelashes to the skin. They will fall off, guaranteed. You must apply them to hairs. Once I learned that, mine never fall off, even once when I accidently left them on overnight. Btw, don't torture your eyes, and leave them over night.

Fake eyelashes are too be removed with waterproof makeup remover, and cotton ear-buds for the ears, clean of course.

We were given an eyelash conditioner from Murual which was absolutely amazing. And yes, they do double the length of your eyelashes.

http://img2.timeinc.net/health/images/slides/well-rested-400x400.jpg

For that well rested look: two things work. 1) Botox if you are in your fourties or ruined your face by alnighters. 2) a good night's rest as a habit.

Late nighters aren't worth it. Flunk or drop the damned class, reduce your work load, use contraceptives! It creates a toll on your body, increases your chances of cancer according to a study with nurses, developmentally delays the brain.

By sleeping at decent hours, I was able to reduce the look of wrinkles, undereyes. My cheeks had already sunk and it was too late to do anything about them. Well, I reasoned, that was the cost of my thesis.

Crystalis Clinic restored my cheeks to what they were before my thesis and cleaned my skin with intensive laser treatment. For the first time in my life since puberty I am able to got outside without make up! They are fantastic! My mom tried the same on her hands, which started to age. The hands are young again! My mom had a youthful face and old hands from driving in the sun without gloves. Now her hands match her face.

Skin: At Miss Universe, almost all the girls used a fake tan body lotion. No one went tanning, used a tanning bed or any of that cancer-causing non-sense. Besides, it causes wrinkles, and ages the skin quickly. No beauty queen wants that! This summer, wear an SPF 50 lotion and tan at home!

I tried real versus fake tanning. Yes, I am bad, guilty as charged. I forgot to put on my lotion at a friend's beach party. I had tan lines, it wasn't smoothe. With tanning, the ladies used a tinted moisturizer. I mixed mined with a body lotion to flow smoothely. Use a light one that gradually builds. To even results, the ladies scrubbed the tan. If you got it on your hands, just use nail polish remover.

Live a healthy lifestyle, go to the gym, eat healthy, sleep healthy, and you'll look beautiful. I learned that any woman can be beautiful if she puts effort into her apperance and lives a healthy lifestyle. At the pageant, the yoga instructor won best body, and yes it was the most attractive one. Beauty in a way is signalling health. Yes, a lot of it is artificial, like cutting the hair, fake tanning, etc. but what isn't.

Beauty is elegant, looks natural, often isn't, and never endangers your health, but enhances it. I.E. Botox in your fourties, yes. Boob-job, no. Eyeglasses are not natural, medicine is not natural, but it enhances are lives. The key is to look naturally beautiful and healthy, and try to be healthy, kind and have a light from the inside that can only come from a good kind heart. On the stage or at night, it does require exaggeration to maintain the same look you have in the day or the darkness will swallow your features.

What is sexy: healthy body, walking right, back straight like a queen or goddess, a sweet personality, intelligence, a purpose in life, goals in life, strength of character (being nice but having strong boundaries where no means no), some originality balanced with being a teamplayer, elegance and good taste, long hair, and know thyself. Yes, long hair, even if you are 85. But a geniune smile from the heart makes a woman the most beautiful. Find that reason to smile, that person, that job, that relationship!

Won Miss Congeniality at Miss Universe!

2010-06-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am back and with photos! I can't begin on saying how awesome the experience was!!!!

[Below: Maria Al-Masani pics photographed by Fadil Beshera, Halle Berry's photographer]

[Maria Al-Masani, below. Beautiful tall blonde is Elena, Miss Universe Canada]

Maria Al-Masani winning Miss Congeniality, first Yemeni-Canadian to do so.

The bottom two are by Photographer Extrodinaire, Nick Allum

Final days before competition

2010-06-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

I have been at the gym almost every day.

I am nervous. I am putting my things together, attaching the last peacock feathers to a dress, hemming another, ironing. I am fretting. I hope I have everything. I am packing my suitcase. I had a reception at Hy's to mourn the death of my father and for good-luck a the pageant. Next day, a photo-shoot.

One of my two designers, is Yves-Jean Lacasse, who is phenomenal. His clothes are stunning and his atlier is like a living museum, where cultures flow through each other as verse. I don't know how he does it all! Photos coming up.

Also, spent some time at the beach.

Worked. Nervous. Very nervous. I hope I have everything. I have no idea what to expect. Below is Aida, who fitted argueably the world's most beautiful evening gown on me. It does contain a sari, and is approximantely 10 metres of fabric... or more if you include the lining. I applied over 100 crystals, she is sewing beads today. It is a lot of work, but it is beautiful. Here is a photo of her taking my measurements. The blouse and suit-pants are not to be mistaken for the beautiful gown she made. She also made that gown for Barbie at 50, and was the winner of Ottawa Project Runway. She is phenomenal.

-Maria

BBC- More facebook users in the Middle East than Newspaper Readers!!!

2010-05-29T07:38:00.001-07:00

Facebook outstrips Arab newspapers - survey
Page last updated at 18:49 GMT, Monday, 24 May 2010 19:49 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC Middle East editor

Internet use in the Arab world is on the rise There are now more Facebook users in the Arab world than newspaper readers, a survey suggests.

The research by Spot On Public Relations, a Dubai-based agency, says there are more than 15 million subscribers to the social network.

The total number of newspaper copies in Arabic, English and French is just under 14 million.

The findings seem to confirm the increasing popularity of the social interaction platforms in the region.

Alternative

Spot On Public Relations, a marketing and communications agency, says the figures show that such platforms are beginning to define how Arabs discover and share information.

In Egypt alone, there are 3.5 million users, which is way beyond the circulation of any of the biggest dailies.

Even in conservative Saudi Arabia, people have been quick to embrace Facebook. It is the country with the second-largest membership after Egypt.

One-third of the population in the United Arab Emirates are said to be on Facebook.

The findings should come as no surprise. The majority of the region's more than 300 million people is young, and internet use is on the rise.

In societies where political freedoms are severely limited, many have also resorted to Facebook as an alternative to the public sphere.

But the survey does not provide a detailed breakdown of how it is used in Arab countries - for example how much of it is for chatting and making friends and how much is for political and social campaigning.

But it contains valuable information for advertisers who want to reach the largest possible number of people.

Nuclear-Free Middle East.

2010-05-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

This article is from BBC.

Israel shouldn't be complaining about Iran's attempt to having nuclear weapons if it has over 200 itself. Iran follows mutually assured destruction, MAD doctrine, Kennan's thesis if I do recall correctly.

The arguement that Iran shouldn't have nuclear weapons is a very salient one. Israelis have a point, but you can't have a double standard.

Nukes: Either everyone has them or no-one has them. I think that is smart.

I prefer no nukes to nuclear peace, but often nuclear peace prevents conventional war. After Hiroshima, nuclear weapons were never used. Yet there were many close calls, such as with India and Pakistan.

Nuclear-free Middle East is an excellent proposal. If not, a nuclear peace could prevent further invasions, such as the carnage in Iraq. Would more people have died in a nuclear attack, that was swift, or this carnage carried on for years? Which is better?

The MAD doctrine prevented World War III between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. I am not going to take sides here, just observe the merits of various arguements. They are all quite interesting. The main thing is that the status quo is untenable. Besides, 30% of Egyptians are illeterate and live on one dollar a day.

-Maria

-------------------

UN talks back conference on nuclear-free Middle East
Page last updated at 8:56 GMT, Saturday, 29 May 2010 9:56 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version Iran has faced international pressure over its nuclear programme Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), have agreed to work towards a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.

The members, meeting at the UN in New York, called for a conference in 2012 attended by Middle Eastern states - including Iran - to establish the zone.

The unanimously agreed document also said that Israel should sign the NPT.

US President Barack Obama backed the deal but said he was "strongly opposed" to Israel being singled out.

The US says the reference could jeopardise efforts to persuade the Israelis to attend the 2012 talks.

An Israel official later denounced the document as "hypocrisy".

"Only Israel is mentioned, while the text is silent about other countries like India, Pakistan and North Korea, which have nuclear arms, or even more seriously, Iran, which is seeking to obtain them," a senior government official told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.

'Important step'

The 28-page final declaration was agreed by 189 member states following intense talks on the last day of a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts.

Continue reading the main story All eyes the world over are watching us
Libran Cabactulan

NPT conference president
The document calls for the United Nations secretary general to organise a meeting of Middle East states in 2012 to agree to the creation of a "zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction".

"All eyes the world over are watching us," said conference president Libran Cabactulan, of the Philippines, as the final text was approved.

Egypt's Maged Abedelaziz, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement of 118 developing nations, welcomed the decision, saying it was "an important step forward towards the realisation of the goals and objectives of the treaty".

Diplomats discussing the proposals had continued talks late into the night on Thursday before resuming on Friday.

One of the sticking points involved Israel, which is not a member of the NPT, and is widely believed to have nuclear weapons. It has never admitted possessing them.

Arab states and Israel's allies had to work hard to find agreement over wording for the proposed nuclear-weapons-free zone.

Continue reading the main story However flawed some believe the existing non-proliferation machinery to be, all agree that it has at least been partially rehabilitated after a decade of failure
Barbara Plett

BBC UN correspondent

Modest progress at NPT talks
Correspondents say Arab nations want to put pressure on Israel to relinquish its undeclared nuclear arsenal.

Iran also made a late demand that the five recognised nuclear-armed nations agree to a timetable for negotiating a treaty to abolish their arsenals.

In the final document adopted, no specific timetable is set out but the five states commit to "accelerate concrete progress" towards reducing their nuclear arsenals and to report back on that in 2014.

Iran has faced repeated questions over its own nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making weapons. Tehran insists it is solely designed to meet its energy needs.

Iran, a member of the NPT, says it will stick to its obligations under the treaty.

The NPT has encountered difficulty in coming up with the best method for monitoring suspect nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea.

India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - which are known or suspected to have nuclear weapons - are not signatories to the treaty. They are not covered by any NPT agreement.

The NPT conference meets every five years. The last review conference, in 2005, failed to adopt a consensus declaration.

for my father

2010-05-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

I miss my father and regret so much that I wasn't able to be there for him in his last days. I walk in the streets, my eyes streaming with tears like thunder, but no rain comes from the sky.

Palestinian Poet Laureate, Mahmoud Darwish,

“To faces which wither under the mask of melancholy,
I bow
To roads on which I forgot my tears,
to a father who died as green as a cloud
with a sail upon his face,
I bow ."

Ibn Abbas- "When I visit you and the moon
Isn't around to show me the way,
Comets of longing set my heart
So much ablaze, the earth is lit
By the holocaust under my ribs"

How can I be coherant with the earth is ablaze to me, in a fiery conflagration from the holocaust under my ribs, as I mourn the death of my father, who wrote in sky-azure letters the word freedom, to escape between eternities of this life and the next. I can no longer tell him, that sometimes, he cheered me up, sometimes he made me laugh hysterically and to this day, no one tells funnier stories. How can I tell him, that though I feared him, that I understood the broken man behind the anger, the human being who was my father.

The world does not have mercy, not on him, nor on me, so I must make the best of it. CTV asked for my childhood footage and now they lost it. So instead, I search for him in the rustling of trees and the fragrance of the lilacs that are abundant near the water-falls next door.

I feel almost alone in my grief. He wasn't the best father, but he was MY father, and that makes all the difference.

Much love,
Maria

make-over, competition

2010-05-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I am excited about my competition, and have since had a makeover. Here are some photos!

Me and mommy, then just myself.
Maria

My father died, found out past saturday

2010-05-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I found out that my father died. He died two to three months ago in Yemen, heart attack, in the village. May he rest in peace. I wish to mourn, but I have a competition, and will mourn the Canadian way, like the Olympic skating athlete Joannie Rochette. She continued competition despite the death. Exercise, competition makes me in a better state and I hope to do my family proud.

Much Love,

Maria

Designs

2010-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Aida Flores' work, who will design my evening gown #1. Yves Jean Lacasse (Envers) evening gown#2 and suit designer is below.

DSC_0215.jpg (image)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DJkWRuh4IwE/SeqNrqWXQjI/AAAAAAAAAbg/EqbFrHriAf0/s1600-h/DSC_0215.jpg

Yves Jean Lacasse

My three designers are Aida Flores and Yves Jean Lacasse(Envers)...and myself for a couple modest cocktail dresses. I used to design.

Aida Flores won the award for best designer for project Runway in Ottawa, and Yves Jean won best up-and-coming designer at New York Fashion week.

Aida Flores (bottom left)

Yves Jean Lacasse's work. He has influences of the silk road that went through Yemen, Russia and the Middle East. I looked at his clothes and saw my soul, I never thought something so profound could happen with a garment.

http://fwnet.ipower.com/images/2010/03/enversF1020-300x399.jpg

http://www.ellecanada.com/img/photos/biz/resized_images/elleca/00032/200x200_photo32141.jpg

http://www.sweetspot.ca/uploaded_images/MTL_Fashion_wk_09_(13).jpg

Photography by Jean Marc Carisse

2010-04-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

So here is a preview of the contact sheet of photos I am ordering. Amazing photographer. I want feedback from alll fans (like auntie) on which are the best ones, these or my profile picture on beauties of Canada, also done by Jean Marc Cariise. If you want to order them, go right ahead to www.carisse.org He is so going to kill me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poland

2010-04-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

A plane crash whiped out the Polish president and elite. My condolences.

One-eyed-doll Rockmentry Rocks

2010-04-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Photocredit: Phive Photography

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntb7kqkwdro

One Eyed Rockumentry Rocks!

I am a fan of one-eyed doll and I go by Taqwacore. The lyrics area profound and visceral. Finally the documentary is out, and my friend David Jr. did an outstanding job! Go to Cannes or bust, Davidjr! I also of course love Lady Gaga and classical music, international music: anything with a good beat, concept, ...quality in of its genre. This documentary is raw and real backstage of a recording artist. I think everyone who aspires to be in a band should watch it, and those who want to see the real world behind how music is created.

Media Good Guys & Bad Word-Twisting Guys - The press doesn't always say the truth

2010-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Media can be very absurd

I am blessed to have joined Miss Universe Canada, which accepts young women of most backgrounds, is as multi-cultural as this country, and accommodated my professional considerations without me asking.

I have a right to choose what I do with my body, and I appreciate that they accept it.

Haiti Red Cross and SOS villages fundraiser- Montreal- May 7th- B there!

2010-04-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

May 7th- Fundraiser for Haiti - Montreal- Red Cross and SOS Children's Villages

Fashion Show extravaganza, , studio A dancers, Marko Bongo, Voyce, and Ricki J will be preforming his new hit single. DJ from MTV Cancun. Of course us 19 Miss Universe Canada Contestants, Quebec-East Canada Division.

Just look at us! We put the fun in fundraising!

I am the lady in the mini-abaya cape, three women right of center, no pun intended.

Start Time:	Friday, May 7, 2010 at 7:30pm
End Time:	Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 3:00am
Location:	Bain Mathieu
Street:	2915, rue Ontario Est.
City/Town:	Montreal, QC

for tickets, contact Pauline Ranjbar, paulineranjbar[at]hotmail.com

PTSD

2010-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hi, for those of you that don't know, I am recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Phew, I said it.

I saw a lot of violence growing up. My father wasn't the best. I lived through a lot as a kid. Years later, I faced pyschological violence in the workplace in Canada, and the combined effect was a disaster.

In military combat, 4% of soldiers having PTSD is the norm, but in Afghanistan its as high as 12%. With sexual assault victims, it's almost have. The incidence of trauma is higher when done to or in front of a child.

January, February, 2009, I got my life back together, started my own company. Before that, I attempted suicide twice, experienced depression, fury, shock, denial and a full range of symptoms. I would just sleep all day, as I was too tired to do anything else, and hoped, one day I'd die.

Post-traumatic stress is a normal human reaction for an abnormal situation. It doesn't mean than a person is crazy, unhealthy that they are seeing a psychiatrist. Rather, their mind is over-whelmed and over-stimulated. The best thing you can do is show kindness to a PTSD sufferer or survivor. Constantly tell them that their life means something, that you'll miss them if they are gone, and say a few kind words. You have fits of anger, sadness, etc. If they are angry, which is a normal symptom of PTSD, no matter what they say, give them a hug, and say that you understand they are upset, but you won't abandon them. The worst fear most PTSD suffferers have is the subconscious fear of abandonment. Reassure them that you won't abandon them and they will feel better. Even the most vicious anger of a PTSD sufferer ends quickly if you assure that you won't abandon them.
--------
http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/peacekeeping/topics/1686-11622/

In this interview with CBC Radio's Michael Enright, an emotionally fragile Dallaire talks about his ongoing therapy, his suicide attempts, his faith in God and the weeks he spent "just crying, and yelling, and brooding."

The ghosts of Rwanda
• This clip from June 11, 2000, finds an audibly worn Dallaire at one of his lowest points in his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• He describes obsessively eating junk food and working long hours without sleep.
• "You spend a lot of time just crying, and yelling, and brooding," he says of his syndrome. "It envelopes you."
• He also admits to attempting to suicide at least twice — adding that the only thing that stopped him from being successful was his own "incompetence." In addition to his attempt to crash his car on a highway he has also admitted to drunkenly trying to slash his wrists with a razorblade.

• With his 36-year military career having come to an end, Dallaire was telling people that he felt like school was finally out and he was enjoying a much-delayed summer vacation. But behind the scenes he was coping with an array of problems, from violent outbursts brought on by his memories of Rwanda, to several suicide attempts.
• In this interview he opens up about his troubles with PTSD, explaining how he lost his self-control and discipline after returning home.
• To hear Dallaire discuss the ongoing impact of PTSD on himself and his soldiers, listen to this additional clip.
• A heavily medicated Dallaire began the long process of psychiatric therapy in 1997, which helped him deal with the misunderstood condition of PTSD.
• "Shell shock" or "battle fatigue" was first diagnosed by British military doctors in 1914. Some thought it was brain damage caused by artillery shells bursting overhead; others thought it was simply cowardice.
• Today, the same condition is called post-traumatic stress disorder: when a witness or victim of something distressing is mentally or physically affected by their ordeal.
• To learn more about the effects of PTSD, watch this clip, "Veterans and post-traumatic stress."
• A week after this interview Dallaire, haunted by his failure in Rwanda, spiralled into a deep depression. On the night of June 20 he was found partially clothed, drunk and unconscious under a park bench in Hull, Que.
• A man who was walking through Jacques Cartier Park told a reporter that Dallaire was sitting on the bench for a while staring at the river. "You could see his eyes were glazed over, like he was somewhere else."
• Suffering from a reaction between his anti-depressants and the alcohol, Dallaire was rushed to a hospital where he nearly fell into a coma. The incident gained national headlines and generated a debate over PTSD.

• Dallaire said the event convinced him to start writing Shake Hands With The Devil, which marked the first step on his road to recovery.
• The bond between Enright and Dallaire stretches back to the early days of the Rwandan genocide, when the two would talk live on CBC Radio's As It Happens. Dallaire later joked that he made the show's producer read out the latest hockey scores before he would grant his interviews.

• In Shake Hands With The Devil Dallaire wrote "in our conversations, Enright became the voice of home to me."

The ghosts of Rwanda
Medium: Radio
Program: This Morning Sunday
Broadcast Date: June 11, 2000
Guest(s): Roméo Dallaire

TV appearances

2010-03-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Some TV appearances.
http://www.cbc.ca/connect/2010/03/bikini-contest-with-a-sari.html

Photo by Ernesto

http://news.globaltv.com/video/index.html?releasePID=tHXOyopWoQDk7sDegB5D7NhXiXZfmmsw

http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/studioaperto/edizione_servizio/159889/in-passerella-col-velo-rivoluzione-a-miss-universo.html#tc-s1-c1-o1-p7

So here are the latest television appearances. I am wearing my Ottawa Sens shirt for good luck, so that my team wins a game! CAPCA, my Arab Community Associations says some amazing things in video 2.

Why I am doing this: Borama Fistula Hospital.

2010-03-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

madbakh-women-international.org

The hospital website should be live any moment!!!! This is the most exciting time in the pageant for me because this is what I am here for.

There are three institutions linked: the Borama Fistula Hospital, Amoud University Medical School, and The Borama General Hospital (they have a maternity ward). I am working hard to save mother's lives and restore dignity back to young women.

The Liberal bill for giving young mothers dignified access to medical attention in a respectful non-paternalistic manner failed by only 6 votes in the House of Commons of Canada yesterday!!!! I am chagrined, but I`ll work hard, see what I can do to get that Bill pass. My father tried to marry me off when I was 14. If he succeeded, and I was in the village, nor abortion nor contraception, I would have died in childbirth. My body wasn`t ready for that at fourteen and the village the future husband was from was too far for medical access for me to have delivered it safely. I am alive, and every day I am alive, I know there is a teenage girl who was in my situation who is dying right now. One woman dies each minute giving birth, most of whom are young mothers.

Here is a preview of the site and some photos of the hospital. When it`s up, it will move you. One of the operations of Dr. Qaws was mentioned in half the sky. Since these women are outcasts that are regarded in a humiliating manner by fellow patients, he decided, along with Dr. Walhad to keep them in one hospital, where the only patients are fistula patients. In Borama, Somalia, that was how the Borama Fistula hospital got started. Oprah and Nicholas Kristof`s Half the Sky only discuss the operation in Edna`s hospital Dr. Qaws preformed on the girl who married her cousin, who tried to slice off her head with a knife when he found out that she had fistula. She survived and escaped to Edna`s hospital, where Dr. Qaws treated her. The fistula hospital is a referral hospital, with skills training, literacy, and micro-finance programmes to reintegrate these women into society as a whole person. After the hospital was opened, World Vision Kenya takes a bus and brings patients from places like, Mogadishu through Punt-land, through the horn of Africa, until they get to Borama, two hours away from the Eritrean border. They are treated there. Some even become nurses.

Oprah and Nicholas Kristoff did an commendable report on Dr. Qaw`s early operation before he opened the fistula hospital. My main goal, as a contestant for Miss Universe Canada is to get these Oprah Winfrey and Nicholas Kristof to follow up with the doctor and find out what happened years after the operation.

The university medical school was found with $8,000!!! The hospital only treats 50-100 women from across Somalia, due to limited capacity and supplies, but they need to treat 700 women. Why is this crucial?

What is fistula:

Click on Fistula Hospital the left corner. http://sawnews.tk/
From Fistula Foundation:

"What is a fistula?

A: A fistula is a hole. An obstetric fistula of the kind that occurs in many developing countries is a hole between a woman's birth passage and one or more of her internal organs. This hole develops over many days of obstructed labour, when the pressure of the baby's head against the mother's pelvis cuts off blood supply to delicate tissues in the region. The dead tissue falls away and the woman is left with a hole between her vagina and her bladder (called a vesicovaginal fistula or VVF) and sometimes between her vagina and rectum (rectovaginal fistula, RVF). This hole results in permanent incontinence of urine and/or feces. A majority of women who develop fistulas are abandoned by their husbands and ostracized by their communities because of their inability to have children and their foul smell. Traumatic fistula is the result of sexual violence. The injury can occur through rape or women being butchered from the inside with bayonets, wood or even rifles. The aim is to destroy the women and the community within which the sufferer lives. Once committed the survivor, her husband, children and extended family become traumatized and humiliated. The Panzi Hospital in Congo is a pioneer in treating victims of traumatic fistula.

Q: Can fistula be "cured"?

A: Yes. An obstetric fistula can be closed with intravaginal surgery. If her surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, a fistula patient has a good chance of returning to a normal life with full control of her bodily functions.

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million women have untreated fistula and that approximately 100,000 women develop fistula each year. Fistula is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

There are an estimated 100,000 women suffering with untreated fistula, and another 9,000 women who develop fistula each year.

Less than 6 in 10 women in developing countries give birth with any trained professional, such as a midwife or a doctor. When complications arise, as they do in approximately 15% of all births, there is no one available to treat the woman, leading to disabling injuries like fistula, and even death.
The root causes of fistula are grinding poverty and the low status of women and girls.
In developing countries, the poverty and malnutrition in children contributes to the condition of stunting, where the girl skeleton, and therefore pelvis as well, do not fully mature. This stunted condition can contribute to obstructed labour, and therefore fistula."

Let's all work together to eradicate fistula today!!!!!
Act now!

I disagree with Einstein's definition of insanity

2010-03-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Einstein says insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting different results. I think its the over-reaction my press release is getting while I strive hard to get attention for alternative dispute resolution and the Borama Fistula Hospital. I was within three days on CBC, the John Oakley show, National Post, cover of 24 hours.

I just had an interview, where a couple of the callers were so touching, saying that I made them are proud to be Canadian!!!

Last interview, they said I had a Westernized view of Islam. Well, of course, since Canada is my home. If I lived in Saudi Arabia all my life, I may have had different views.

There are many Western Muslims and Sufis. They are both Westerners and Muslims. They are not Muslim Alien Invaders from Outer Space that William Smith neutralizes with sunglasses and a special laser-gun.

I don't think a Canadian should apologize for being Muslim or Hindu. I don't think a Muslim or Hindu should apologize for being Canadian. They are one and the same. This is truely a Sufi country.

An Arab poet wrote: I don't know any religion or colour, but I know you are my brother, brother in humanity.

We are just human beings. Tolstoy said all we have in common is each other.

-Much Love,
Maria

Welcome!

2010-03-19T05:10:00.001-07:00

Hi, I am Maria Al-Masani and this is the craziest thing that has happened to me, forget surviving war and bungee jumping. I will take you all along with me through this insane journey in this blog.

Much Love! -Maria

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