علاقة التعليم بالديمقراطية

لا يختلف اثنان على أهمية التعليم بالطبع. فمن الملموس بأن العلم يسهل العمل ويقوي الدولة مما يساعد في بناء حاضر ومستقبل زاهر.

وقد لا يجد القارئ علاقة قوية بين نظام سياسي وبين التعليم ومدى توفره, إلا إنه يبدو أن الاثنان على علاقة وطيدة.

لنبدأ على نطاق صغير, ولنتخيل عوضا عن دولة, شركة صغيرة تتألف من 25 شخصا. إن كانت الشركة ذات مديرٍ واحد له الأمر والنهي, فلا يمكن أن تجد في هكذا شركة أخصائيين وخبراء, إذ يؤول أمر اتخاذ القرارات للمدير العام وتنتفي حاجة الشركة للرأي الخبير المستقل. أما إن كانت الشركة ذات هيكل أفقي, فيتعين على المدير العام الاتكال على غيره من المدراء, مما يحتم أن يكونوا على قدر من الدراية والمعرفة. في هذا المثال البسيط, نجد أن الشركة ذات نظام الإدارة الأكثر ديمقراطية تحوي قدرا أكبر من المعرفة والعلم.

لنأخذ مثلا معيار التعليم العالمي, وهو معيار ثانوي من معيار التنمية البشرية الذي تنشره الأمم المتحدة. بشتمل معيار التنمية البشري على معيار التعليم, معيار الناتج المحلي, ومعيار توقع مدة حياة الأفراد. في معيار التعليم نجد أنه يتكون من 179 دولة مختلفة. تتصدر الدول المتعلمة بلجيكا ثم أستراليا ففنلندا فالدنمارك. فيما يتذيل القائمة تشاد, مالي, بوركينا فاسو فالنيجر.

لنقارن ذلك بمعيار الديمقراطية العالمي والذي تنشره وحدة الاستخبارات الاقتصادية التابعة لمجموعة "ذي إيكونومست The Economist" والتي تصدر مجلة عالمية بذات الاسم تعني بشؤون الاقتصاد.

معيار الديمقراطية  يقيس عبر 60 سؤالا مدى ديمقراطية الدولة. أمثلة على بعض الأسئلة: "أتوجد انتخابات حرة ونزيهة؟ ما مدى سلامة المصوتين وقدرتهم على التصويت لمن يريدون؟ وما مدى تدخل القوى الأجنبية في الحكومة؟". معيار الديمقراطية يقسم الدول, حسب نتائجهم إلى 4 فئات:

• ديمقراطية كاملة
• ديمقراطية ناقصة
• نظام حكم مختلط
• أنظمة استبدادية

للمقارنة, تجدون الجدول أدناه:

للتنويه: أتوقع أن يستنكر بعض القراء تصنيف الدول العربية بالإستبدادية, إلا أن هذا ليس رأيا لي بل تصنيف المعيار المذكور.وتجدون وصلات للقوائم كاملة في آخر المقال.
من المقارنة المطروحة, في حال الديمقراطيات الكاملة والمنقوصة, نجد أنه في العادة يتناسب الترتيب الديمقراطي مع الترتيب العلمي. فكلما ارتفعت مرتبة الديمقراطية, ارتفع معيار التعليم, أو العكس.

أما في حال الأنظمة الخليطة أو الاستبدادية, فنرى نتائج متباينة, فمصر مثلا, ترتيبها التعليمي أقل من عمان على الرغم من أنها أعلى في مستوى الديمقراطية. ولعل الأسباب تتعدد هنا فتدخل حسابات أخرى كالفساد وغيره. على العموم, نستطيع القول أن واحدا من هاتين الجملتين صحيح:

• الأنظمة الديمقراطية تضمن تعليما عاليا
• أو التعليم العالي يضمن نظاما ديمقراطيا

من هنا يتضح وجود رباط وصلة وثيقة بين نظام الحكم والتعليم. لكن ما هو المسبب وما هو النتيجة؟ قد نجد إجابة لذلك في دراسة طرحت في الجمعية الملكية الاقتصادية بجامعة وارويك, بريطانيا في 2007.

وقد تم دراسة 104 دولة منذ 1960 وحتى 2000, واكتشفوا أن الدول التي حصل مواطنوها على 4 سنين على الأقل من الدراسة أصبحت ديمقراطيات, وأن الدول التي حصلت على أقل من ذلك بقيت أنظمة مستبدة.

ما يثير الاهتمام في الأمر هو أن الدراسة اكتشفت أن الفارق ليس التعليم العالي, بل التعليم المتساوي. أي, لا يهم كم عدد حملة الماجستير والدكتوراه. المهم, للحصول على دولة ديمقراطية, أن يحصل أكبر عدد من الناس على تعليم جيد بجودة متقاربة. حيث تذكر الدراسة: "التوسيع المتساوي للتعليم هو شرط اساسي لظهور وثبات الأنظمة الديمقراطية". وقد أضاف كاتب الدراسة, السيد أمبارو كاستيلو كليمينتي: "نتائجنا تشير إلى أنه عوضا من زيادة متوسط سنين الدراسة, ما تحتاجه الديمقراطية هو تحسين نوعية التعليم الذي يحصل عليه معظم الناس".

وعلى الرغم من أن الدراسة خلصت إلى أن التعليم هو السبب والديمقراطية هي النتيجة, فقد قال البروفيسور سافيل كوشر, مدير مركز للدراسات التعليمية والديمقراطية بجامعة غرب إنجلترا أن العكس قد يكون صحيحا في بعض الحالات. وقال: "إذا كان هناك توجه للديمقراطية, فسيكون هناك استثمار أكبر في التعليم. هذا يحدث حالياً في أماكن مثل البيرو. هناك أيضا حالات شاذة مثل كوبا التي تمتلك نظام مدرسي متطور لكنها مازالت نظاما استبداديا". وقد يفسر كلام البروفيسور كوشر حالة البحرين, إذ أن مركزها 144/167 في معيار الديمقراطية لكنها في معيار التعليم 62/179 إذ أن البحرين أبدت نوايا لزيادة المساحة الديمقراطية في البلاد.

وعليه, فيجب الاهتمام بتساوي التعليم الذي يحصل عليه غالبية الناس. وقد يصعب تبيان نوعية التعليم عادة, إلا أنه في البحرين, تم إنشاء هيئة ضمان جودة التعليم, والتي تراقب أداء وجودة المدارس الحكومية والخاصة, والجامعات والمعاهد التدريبية. يستطيع المواطن العادي الولوج لموقع الهيئة الالكتروني والحصول على معلومات عن معظم الجهات التعليمية التي خضعت للتقييم حتى الآن. يتبين لنا اليوم تفاوت جودة المدارس الحكومية بشكل كبير, كما تتفاوت أيضا مدارس البنين عن مدارس البنات. هذا في وقت أصبح التعليم الخاص ضرورة حياتية لفئة كبيرة من المجتمع وما عاد ترفا للأغنياء. وعليه, فالوضع التعليمي في البحرين يبشر بنتائج متفاوتة, مما, إن صحت الدراسة أعلاه, قد تؤخر التحول الديمقراطي في البحرين لعدة أجيال.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/apr/13/highereducation.uk

http://www.qaa.bh/reviewreports.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_index

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

نداءٌ للعقل والحكمة

لأول مرة منذ عامٍ ونصف, أكتب هنا. ولأول مرة باللغة العربية أيضا. لكني أود أن أقول للبحرين شيئاً, فإسمعوني رجاءً.

يمر هذا العام ثقيلاً على البحرين وسكانها. وعلى الرغم من أن أحداثها قد شتت أهلها وأبعدتهم عن بعض, إلا أن من السخرية أن يجمع الكل على أن هذه السنة مرهقةٌ بحق.

في بداية العام, حاولت تبيان نقاط التلاقي والتشابه بين أفراد هذه المملكة. فعلى الرغم من بعض الإختلافات, إلا إننا متشابهون في الحياة اليومية بشكل كبير. الثوب العربي ليس حكراً على طائفة معينة ولا العباءة. الكل يستعمل السيارات للتنقل ويسير على نفس الشوارع. الكل يلبس الجديد في العيد وله نفس الطقوس من عيدية وزيارة أهل وغيره.

إن كنت جالساً في الفضاء الخارجي تنظر لهذا الشعب بمنظار, فستصعب عليك رؤية فرق واضح عدا أن بعضهم يصلي هنا والآخر هناك.

وقد نسينا هذا. الخوف والغضب والحزن أعمونا. وهذا شيءٌ طبيعي ومتوقع. عندما تزداد العاطفة, يقل العقل. لهذا نقول للعاشق إنه مجنون ولا يفيق إلا بوجود خاتمٍ في خنصره. ونعذر الغاضب إن تحدث بما لا يليق, فهو لا يعي ما يقول. بل العاطفة تخرجك من الدين أحيانا, وسأعطيكم مثالاً حيا: هيا, جرب معي؛ إذهب لزوجتك وقل لها إنك ستتزوج ثانيةً, هيا إذهب. سأنتظرك هنا.

....

دعني أحزر: تعالى صراخها وربما قالت إن هذا حرام ولا يرضي الله ولا رسوله, صح؟ حسنا, إذهب لتراضيها ثمَّ أكمل القراءة.

في هذا المثال كفرت المرأة بحق الرجل للزواج بغيرها, السبب هو زيادة العاطفة التي أخرست المنطق الذي يقول أنها تؤمن بدين يقبل هذا الفعل ولا يجد حرجاً فيه.

هنا, في البحرين, ما يحدث, وما نفعل, ليس من المنطق ولا من الدين. لأننا منفعلون.

حديثي موجهٌ للجميع دون إستثناء, وإني هنا إذكركم بتواضع, فإن الذكرى تنفع المؤمنين.

يعلق سمو ولي العهد الأمير سلمان بن حمد آل خليفة دوماً أن الخلاف ليس بين الطوائف والأديان, بل بين السياسات. فلا تقحموا الدين فيه. فالمسلم لا يأخذ بعض الدين ويترك بعضه (كما تفعل الزوجة الأولى في مثالنا). المسلم (وأنت على الأرجح كذلك) سيلتزم بالآيات والأحاديث التالية:

نحن متساوون

للأسف, عند الخلاف, كلٌ ينظر للآخر على إنه أفضل من ذلك وله الحظية عند الله, وعليه, فهو من فصيلةٍ أسمى. يا ناس, هذا ما أصاب إبليس عندما إعتقد إنه أفضل من سيدنا آدم.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "لا فضل لعربيٍ على أعجميٍ إلا بالتقوى". بمعنى:

إلا: أداة شرط. يعني, أن الفرق الوحيد (أكرر: الوحيد) هو التقوى. الحمدلله, أرى أن رؤوسكم تهز بمعنى أن نعم. جيد. إسمعوني:

من الذي يستطيع قياس التقوى؟ واحدٌ أحد فقط. هو الله. صح؟ تمام. إذن, لا يوجد إي بني آدم قادر على قياس التقوى. صح؟

حسناً, متى يتم هذا القياس؟ إن كان الله هو الوحيد القادر على ذلك فأكيد سيحدث هذا في الآخرة أي بعد يوم القيامة. تمام.

هذا يعني, حتى أن تقوم القيامة, فلا سبيل لقياس الفرق الوحيد بين الناس (التقوى). ودون الفرق الوحيد, فنحن سواسية. منطقي, هاه؟

إلا إذا توفى أحدهم, وذهب للآخرة ليستعلم ثم يرجع فيخبر. ولا أعتقد أن ذلك سيحصل قريباً.

إذن, نحن سواسية. أنا وأنت ومن يعارضك ومن غسل سيارتك ومن صنعها ومن خاط ملابسك وكل البشر. على الأقل, حتى إشعارٍ آخر في الآخرة.

شعبٌ يسب نفسه

منذ فبراير وحتى اليوم, ارى سباً فظيعاً ومقيتاً. وأرى تهماً تلقى جزافاً على الخلق (وطالني نصيبٌ وافرٌ من ذلك أيضاً). نعم أعلم أنكم خائفون غاضبون. نعم. لكن عاطفتكم أنستكم قول الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم: "ليس المؤمن بالطعان ولا اللعان ولا الفاحش ولا البذي".

طعّان: مثل أن يقول أحدكم أن هذا فعل كذا وكذا دون أن يرى ذلك. هل رأيته يفعل ذلك رأي العين؟ أين دليلك؟ أما اللعَان فمعروفة. منذ فبراير ونصف الشعب يلعن الآخر ويحتسبه عند الله والآخر يرد عليه بالمثل. فلحنا! يا ناس اللعن مذموم وأيضاً لا يفيد. إسأل حولك, هل إستفاد أحدٌ من اللعن أو خفت مصيبته؟ لا؟ اللعن هو الطرد من رحمة الله فلا تصدقوا أن لكم هذه القدرة الخارقة.

الفاحش هو ذو الفحش في كلامة وفعله, والبذي هو السفيه الفاحش في منطقه وإن كان كلامه صدقا.

عن أبي الغفاري أنه سمع رسول الله يقول: "ولا يرمي رجلا بالفسق ولا يرميه بالكفر إلا ارتدت عليه إن لم يكن صاحبه كذلك" رواه البخاري، ويقول "سباب المسلم فسوق وقتاله كفر" متفق عليه. كما قال حبيبي المصطفى " لا يكون اللعانون شفعاء ولا شهداء يوم القيامة".

من منكم يود أن يكون فاسقاً بسب الناس؟

لا عقاب جماعي

يقول الله في القرآن الكريم: "ولا تزر وازرةٌ وزر أخرى". بمعنى بسيط: إثم الشيء وعقابه لا يخص إلا مرتكبه. لذا نرى مثلا إن مارس رجلٌ وإمرأة الزنا, فيقام عليهما الحد كلاهما. لكن, مولودهما لا ذنب له. بل هو بريءٌ حاله كحال أي مولودٍ آخر. وما مقاطعة البضائع والمحلات عندنا في البحرين إلا عقابٌ جماعي.  لا أعرف شخصاً واحداً قاطع منتجاً ما أو شركةً ما لأنه رأى صاحب الشركة يفعل ما يستحق. بل الناس تقاطع بناءً على طائفته أو إسمه. حسناً وما أدراكم ما بقلبه؟ لا يصح العقاب الجماعي, لأن هذا يؤدي إلى كلام مثل "جماعتنا وجماعتهم" وهذا يتعارض مع التساوي الذي سنه رب العالمين وذكرته أعلاه. الآية نزلت أصلاً في الوليد بن المغيرة , كان يقول : اتبعوا سبيلي أحمل أوزاركم ; كما ذكر ابن عباس . وقيل إنها نزلت رداً على العرب في الجاهلية من مؤاخذة الرجل بأبيه وبابنه وبجريرة حليفه. ويبدوا إننا مازلنا بعد 1400 سنة في نفس المكان.

ومقاطعة البضائع, ليس فيها من الإسلام شيء. فما قط سمعت أن الدين أمرنا بقاطعة كذا وكذا. بل نعرف أن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم إشترى شعيراً من يهودي على أن يدفع له لاحقاً ورهن درعه عنده كضمان. لم يكن لديهم نقص في التجار المسلمين أيامها, وخصوصاً في سلعة نفترض تواجدها كالشعير. لكن التاجر اليهودي جزء من المجتمع ويجب أن لا يُقصى منه. فمابالكم بمسلمين كبروا على نفس الأرض؟

لماذا خلقكم مختلفين؟

نعرف أن أوجه التشابه بين البحرينيين أكثر بكثير من أوجه الإختلاف. مع ذلك نرى ضيقي الأفق يطالبون بطرد فئة من البلد (وكلامي مازال للجميع). أما قرأوا قوله سبحانه وتعالى؟ "يا أيها الناس إنا خلقناكم من ذكرٍ وأنثى وجعلناكم شعوباً وقبائل لتعارفوا".

لاحظوا كلمة "لتعارفوا". لم يقل لتناحروا, لتتضاربوا, لتتقاتلوا, لتتساببوا. لا. قال لتعارفوا.

وتتعرف على من؟ هل تستطيع التعرف على من تعرف؟ لا, أنت تعرفه بالفعل. أنت لا تستطيع إلا التعرف على الغريب أو من يختلف عنك. وهذا الكلام بين شعوب ودول. فياللأسى, في دولةٍ بهذا الحجم إنقسم شعبها وصارت كل فئة غريبةٍ عن الأخرى, تخافها وتنفر منها. يا للخزي.

يا ناس, بالله عليكم, ألا تعتقدون إن بمقدرة الله أن يجعلنا كلنا شعباً واحداً بمذهبٍ واحد؟ لكنه لا يريد ذلك. بل جَعَلنا شعوباً وقبائل عن عمد لنتعارف. هذه هي مشيئة الله بحسب كلامه عن نفسه.

مازلت تود التركيز على الخلاف؟

لا تدع التعصب والعاطفة تعميك وإستغفر ربك. أعترف بوجود خلافات شديدة بين مكونات الشعب, نعم. لكن أن تجعلكم هذه الخلافات تخالفون شرع الله وتبدأون في السب والطعن والقذف واللعن, فلا خير يُرجى من ذلك أبداً. بل ولا تصدق للحظة أن هذا عمل بطولي أو يرضي الرب إذ إني أثبتُّ لكم دون شك أن هذا لا يرضيه.

الإسلام دين سلام وليس دين كره. ونحن أبناء شعبٍ واحد ومتعلمون, ولسنا همجاً ومتخلفين. مشاكلنا سياسية, والمشاكل السياسية تحل على طاولة بوجود أوراق وأقلام ونوايا صافية. أنا أنادي العقل والحكمة الموجودان لدى كلٍ منكم. أناديكم للرجوع لتعاليم هذا الدين وأن لا تأخذوا بعضه وتدعوا بعضه. أناديكم لتعتصموا بحبل الله جميعاً.

ثقافة البحرين واحدة وممزوجة ولا تفصل. الحلوى البحرينية رمزٌ لنا كفخار عالي. اللؤلؤ إصطادته كل الطوائف. أغانينا, أهازيجنا, مشاريعنا وكل مافينا خليطٌ منا. لا تنسوا من أين أنتم. أنتم بحرينيون. لا تفترقوا أبداً, نحن أفضل من هذا.

رب أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا إتباعه, وأرنا الباطل باطلاً وارزقنا إجتنابه. برحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين.

#blameAhmedZainal

Blaming Ahmed Zainal is in! Get with it!

Murdering intelligence is a crime.

In my job, I interview private sector employees and analyze their jobs in order to set a training plan to improve their performance or ready them for a new position. The employees fill out an assessment form before I start and I just seen one of the worst, although a common sight, unfortunately.
A young man, born on 1987, has a hard time writing properly. Simply writing! He left school at junior high, never finishing it.
The number of Bahrainis that leave school is shocking me. I don't have numbers but I constantly see young, very young Bahraini's who are illiterate or are very weak in basic reading and writing. The fact that our kingdom has systems that allow illiterate people to exist frankly sickens me.
As far as I know, primary education is mandatory. However, if I was, say, to not allow my son to study, are there any penalties to be imposed on me? Would anyone notice in the first place?
I saw many illiterate working men my age or younger who dropped out of primary school. How on earth is it possible that we cannot track and stop such occurrences? 


I suggest demand that education up to high school be mandatory. Parents who fail to allow their children to study up to high school should be punished by law. Repeat offenders may face numerous penalties aiming to benefit the child. Extreme cases need the child to be removed from the custody of his/her parents and allowed to study should his/her parents deny him/her education or lead destructive lives that prevents the kids from studying.


And to all the Maatams and Mosques, shame on you. You should step up your game! These places of worship are blessed with strong social relationships and has a social responsibility to society. They should address parents who allow their kids to not study or prevent them from doing so. These social measures would often be more useful than regular legal measures.


The ongoing problem is that the illiterate do not try to improve themselves at all. The government does provide alternatives for adults who wish to finish their studies up to high school, but I have yet to meet one who did despite spending 3 years on this project. I was really ecstatic to hear about A9eel which is a unique programme to promote good work ethics and in turn push for individuals to improve themselves. I hope that the data of my work helped Tamkeen see the extent of the problem and made them come up with this.


If you know someone who stopped studying, please, talk to them. If you know of a parent who allows their kids to not study, talk to them, to their kids or report them if so needed. 
You can make a change. Real change. 

In case of Black Hole, Break Glass.

My Physics Professor at NYIT-Bahrain shared this picture with me. She used to work at CERN and one of her physicist friends sent her this:







I asked her if this button is real, appearance it is. it shuts down the whole experiment should things get out of hands.
I know the picture is of a wall (or a table, I dunno) and the skeptics will not believe its CERN, well, she gave me one more picture to look at. That's one GIANT machine!







This better be on Digg soon or I'm switching to Reddit.

Not as funny as you think

A Bahraini View Point

Bahrain is filled with Negative Energy. Its giving off bad vibes or something and it's very contagous. I often adopt a "we-can-do-it" attitude sprinkled with some chllenge in a despeate attempt to infuse those around me with what is now so lacking in my heart.
Lands being stolen, riots for frivoulus reasons, traffic jams,  profiteering traffic cops, endless pllution and no hope for individuals of rising in economical class. Everyone has a serious complaint. That amount of negative energy has generated its own mass and gravity that one would need a massive amount of energy to escape from its grasp.
Hence, it is refreshing and inspiring to see tidbits of hope. Shining examples roaming our decayed earth. Mahmood Alyousef (The famous reborn blogger) is channeling his energy to serve the forces of good. His quick video interviews, named Bahraini Views, shows other people who still have that zest, that glimmer in their eyes and that rock hard determination.
Thank you. This is just what I need. Just what, many of us need.

Please point your browser to their You Tube page and subscribe to get their latest entries.
http://www.youtube.com/bahrainiviews

Me no understand!

I was working on a Beta version of Microsoft Office 2010. Powerpoint gave me a unique remark. Click on the picture to enlarge and read:

"Whats this? Its all gibberish to me! Naaaahh. Throw it out. Throw all  that shit out!"
Funnier if you read it in a Chris Rock voice, BTW.

The end of Blogging

In 1996 I had a geocities website which I coded entirely in HTML using notepad. Old school. I also used HTML based chat rooms. That was big then. But times changed. 
10 years later I started blogging here on my desktop. And blogging as a concept came to be. 
A huge leap to be sure. But, as is the case with print media, blogging as we know it is dying. 
It was cute to see people describe thier blogs as ramblings, thoughts, opinions, and the like. It gave humans insight never previously available. Access to restricted news and innermost thoughts to humans. But, is this even valid right now?

I concider my self a good measure of when things are gaining popularity and when they begin to die. It is my opinion that blogging in that sense is dead. I really do not care what bloggers think anymore. 
Example: if you overheard someone talk about anything on a supermarket line or on a train or a bank, does it really matter to you? Probably not. It's just something someone anonymous to you said. So what? Why on earth would the same thing matter to me if it was printed on a blog?
Gaining an insight on peoples thoughts was once what blogs enabled you to do. Twitter has since took over that responsability. And still, twitter reflect only the tweeting community, not general public, it is then still a limited tool but it has two advantages. For one, I would think that hot topics and breaking news are better represented by an average of a group rather than the one sided argument of one or two bloggers. Trends in Twitter does that. I also think that the common blogger does not resemble the common man much, twitterers however, while still different, are a closer match. 
Twitter is not complete. It will either evolve or something better will come along. But blogs ceased to provide me with solid opinions representative of the masses or unbiased credible news.  
So are blogs dead? No. They are simple different. 
Specialized blogs are a valuble source of information and expression. While the musings of a random girl or the rants of some man start losing interest, specialized blogs by informed people gain importance. They resemble newspaper columnists. A finance website by someone with a solid background in finance or investment can provide valuable insight. Car blogs by racers and die hard car guys, fitness blogs by trainers or amature players and movie blogs by film aficinados are all good examples. 
It is from this understanding that I started two other blogs, arablish.net is one that focuses on the lack of respect and attention we show to the Arabic language, being an ex newspaper columnist and the son of a renouned poet I saw my self able to add value there. My other blog, ithnain.com is a video cast presented by my self and fellow blogger Eyad Ebrahim in Arabic as we both have around 20+ years of gaming experience. 
This blog (theredbelt.com), being unfocused has been losing both readership and my interest. Infact, most Bahraini bloggers feel a slump is taking place. Blogs, as they were, are ineffective in this age and have little, if any, impact at all. Posts are dwindeling and bloggers are stopping. In fact, if you are Reading this, chances are that you are, or were, a blogger yourself. It is a small closed inactive community. 
It is a shame but it has to be realized sooner or later. Blogs and bloggers need to evolve and provide significant value added. The times are achanging.

I used to blog from my desktop. But not anymore. I now wrote this on an email on a very different device. 
Times changed  We must change. 


Sent from my iPhone

Trustworthy Juice

This is from a Kuwaiti Juice Company "JUDA". Well, at least they are honest. Someone should give them a call and laugh at them.

Daddy Knows Best

My dad returned from China yesterday. So I went to see him and welcome him back. After some small talk he reaches into the still packed suitcase on the floor and yanks out a bag with an Astro Boy Silhouette.

Dad: Here you go.
Red: What's that?
D: Somethings I got for Baby Tameem. There is a T shirt for you too.
*unpacking*
R: Gee dad! ASTRO BOY! Love that! cute small clothes! I love the T Shirt too. But it looks a bit big?
D: BIG? Says who?
R: Well look; you got XL. I would need L.
D: Who says you're a size L?
R: Huh? I do!
D: No you're not! You are XL, if not XXL even!
R: Wait.. What the?? How can "I" be XXL?
D: I wear XXL sometimes.
R: That is your call! I am M or L. This shirt is big!
D: No you are NOT! You are an XL and this T shirt fits just fine!
*goes to toilet, door closes*
...

Handicapped Internet for a Premium

It is no wonder why telecom companies make zillions in this world. From over charging sms rates and data rates to internet. The biggest legal scam ever.
Batelco just released their new pricing. Some will say that these are good. But they are only good when compared to Bahraini rates, which are a rip off anyway. In real life, it is bad. Very very bad.
The rates, if you are still in the dark:

Speed	Price	Max Usage
10MB	BD80	50GB
8MB	BD60	40GB
4MB	BD50	25GB
2MB	BD30	20GB
1MB	BD25	15GB
640kb	BD16	5GB
256kb	BD10	2GB

How about that?
In a discussion on Facebook in the Bahraini Internet Society's group, I posted this (with correction):

Some of you may know that I host a gaming show at Ithnain.com. So from a videogamer viewpoint: These speeds are useless.
Speeds and ping rates prevent us from playing online properly with other players. Simply the devices and software are not designed for our slow "speednets".
We are falling behind on productivity. As an example: There is a device called OnLive, which will be an always connected gaming console. Its minimum (I repeat: Minimum) speed requirement is (real) 1.5MB. I said real, not "up to". That is the minimum.
Average performance is suggested at 5mb. (Wikipedia)
By looking at this device alone we can see that we are no longer going along the rest of earth. Even Facebook, Vimeo & You Tube find it hard when I upload videos and I must use the "basic" uploader for our "slow" speeds. I have 1 Mb at home and 2 mb at work.
Netflix are renting movies online by straeming them in Hi Definition. This would be impossible in Bahrain. When will it be possible? Probably when a strong family business man or a royal makes a similar site and orders Batelco to increase speeds to accomodate this.
These new Batelco speeds and prices are appalling. The prices would be right if you multiply the speeds by 10. ie: 100mb for BD 80, and so on. Don't get me started on the threshold. I do know that a few (very very few) companies abroad have thresholds but they are much, MUCH higher than these weak limits. Threshold should be to prevent you from making your PC a server or a torrent seed point, not to stop you from using the damn connection!
If this situation is not fixed and soon, we could find ourselves in the next two years with unusable websites and services.
You've been warned.

Where is this blog going?

I started this blog to comment on another.
Then I used it like Facebook for a while.
Then I thought I'd write to foreigners about Bahrain.
Then I thought I'd write about videogames to Bahrain.
About Sports.
About politics sometimes.
And even about nothing.

But I can't help to feel that ... This blog is pointless.
nope. It's not doing it for me.
I have two other blogs, one is Arablish.net (Arabic) about misuses and errors of Arabic usage. I kinda like this one.
The other is Ithnain.com (Arabic also) which is a videogame show which started out monthly and should be weekly starting June.
But the Redbelt is rather vague, isn't it? I thought I'd keep it as a free space to write whatever I please, but that does not bring in regular readers, and if no one is reading, it'd be pointless, won't it?
I have been think about making this an Arabic speaking blog. If this blog is to make a real impact, it should speak to the masses. Theme? I think I'd still stick with logic. I like logic. That could be a decent them, can't it?
Now I need a motive. Why should I change the Redbelt (or keep it at all really)?
...
...
I like to improve "things".
people, systems, everthing.
If I can sense that I am of use to someone out there, that would give me good reason to blog.
I need to sleep on this thought a bit. Please share with me your thoughts as well.

LMRA Taxes, are they any good?

I have ignored this blog for longer than I should, haven't I? I apologize, and that demands a dedicated post on its own.

This blog of mine usually does not delve into politics. If you look at the most used tags, you will surely find politics somewhere at the bottom. My most used tag is of course: Bahrain. Which is why I'm writing today.
His Highness the crown Prince has a vision of where he wants Bahrain to be economically. Thus he established the Economic Development Board (EDB) which in turn established the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA or sometimes pronounced as: lemra).
LMRA has many goals, but one of the main ones are to make Bahraini's the employee of choice rather than expats, especially if they were unskilled or moderately skilled. The EDB established another entity called "Tamkeen" to help with that but more on it later.

Now, the LMRA is taxing companies, they have to pay BD 10 per month per each expat employee they employ. Once that happens the world goes NUTS! "We are DOOMED" cry businesses. For this tax apparently will break their business. Because I am a blogger and not an LMRA spokesman I can use colourful expressions like "Fuck you, you dumb fuck. You are what is holding us back." But I wont. :)
See, several companies write in the papers saying how doomed they are, some well known papers, oh hell, let me name them: Akhbar Alkhaleej & Alwatan are at the forefront of a media campaign to battle this tax. Alwasat is also defending the majority of shiite readers with stories on how businesses are failing, families are bankrupt, prices are going up for Bahrainis and how maybe, just maybe, the government, maybe (did I say that before?) does not care about us poor citizens. Maybe.

OK people, calm down. Let me explain why and how this works:

1- Too Many Expats, Too many jobless Bahrainis:

We do have way too many expats here, over 50% 0f the population actually. Companies hire in Bahrain for two main reasons: Cost & Stability.
Decreasing costs is at the forefront of any business. So companies here try to pay the lowest salaries possible. But they do that in an unethical way.
Picture your friendly road digging worker. They get at best BD 80 per month. Just a bit over US$ 200. Yes, PER MONTH. Now obviously this is much less than the job deserves. For one, the workers work under the direct rays of our friendly sun. Next they work in roads which anyone in Bahrain can attest how safe that can be. Not to mention the lousy work environments.
This job obviously is worth much more than a mere BD 80 per month. True, it doesn't need a degree, but it is freakishly hard work. What happens is instead of companies paying what the job is WORTH they pay salaries based on MARKET PRICE (See the Supply/Demand image attached). Because there is a supply of cheap unskilled labour, they get away with paying less than what they should. Just because there are many supermarkets doesn't mean we can pay less than 100 fils for a cola can, but companies do. If Bahrainis woun't work for that salary, Indians will. If Indians woun't, Bangladeshis will, if Bangladeshis woun't maybe the Vietnamese will. So companies scoure the Earth looking for the cheapest alternative. This creates an unfair work package. This point leads us onto the next: stability.

Bahrainis will not work for such low salaries. And if they did, it's a matter of months or weeks before they can find better jobs. So Bahraini people will not work for long at unfair jobs. But expats, thanks to a sponsorship system, cannot leave to find another job. They HAVE to stay and work for the greedy employer or be returned home which is often not an option for many of them.
This example was based upon road workers but is true for every job capacity.

2- Making things even:
So since they hire for cost and stability, these reasons must be made equal to Bahrainis and fair for all. The LMRA tax serves to make expats a more costly option. But still, that alone is not enough. So the next logical step is to abandon the sponsorship system and adopt issuing working Visas to expats. Giving expats the liberty to change employers if a better chance come up.
In essence: if Bahrainis will not stay and work for you, eventually expats woun't.
Companies which have crappy packages or working conditions get around the high turnover in Bahraini staff by hiring expatriate ones.
When this system is fully in place, it will mean that companies cannot hire for cost nor stability anymore. They must hire for competency and competency alone. If you can do the job, well, you are hiered.
What this also means is that the salaries will get better organically. If a company suffers from a high turn over of staff because the package or work environments are lousy, then they HAVE to make them better to attract people to stay.
Eventually this will happen:
Companies offer better jobs, better salaries and also have better quality because they hire for competence.
Good no?

So Why are they making a fuss? Because they are greedy.
They want to keep earning money as if its 1985. Same profit model. The thing is, they can't. They just can't. The world is different now.

The companies that are going to be stubborn and stick with unfair low salaries will simply have no one to work for them. They have two choices:
1- Improve working conditions, including salary, benefits and safety
or
2- Die

If you have no one to run the business, you don't have a business. So businesses better step up.

So companies are complaining about paying BD 10 per month. Big freaking deal! You will not go bankrupt because of that and if you are, then you have another problem.
Lets imagine shall we? You have a business, OK? And you employ 50 expats. Fine? Which means you have to pay 500 per month. OK? See, that should NOT be a problem. Because if you have 50 staff members, and 500 dinars a month puts you in the red, then, you are running a real crappy business my friend! BD 10 per employee should in no way make companies go bankrupt or affect their profit in a significant manner. If it does then here are some solutions:
a- Go to business School you idiot
b- Change the business you are in
b- Sell the business. You are crap and lazy.

Companies that wish to AVOID paying extra fees for expats should simply hire Bahraini's. If you simply click on Tamkeen's website, you can see that they will go out of their way to help you and train all the staff you need for free. There is really no comparison here:
Unskilled uneducated expat + fees? OR Skilled and Educated Local + No fees + lotsa support?

This model will cause the price of goods and services to spike up of course. After all, companies are not used to this. However, salaries should also spike because of this, so theoretically you will not feel it.

I personally feel this is a great step in the right direction. I am passionate about it and can't wait to see the fruits. I know we will soon get into a "Storming" phase, but will eventually move on to the Norming & Performing phases in the future.

If only companies see things the way I do.

Umm alhasam's speed

This was taken (and written) in Umm Alhasam's traffic. The 2 is my calculated average speed.
I think I can speak for everyone when I say: "FUCK THAT!"

Bahrain is in which country?

The Google search results as of today moments ago. Look at the highest two search results. (Click to Enlarge).



Priceless.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Test drive [Redcast]

The car was real fun to drive, although I do demand more power than the 2.0T offers. However the turns were tight and the suspensions stiff (this may turn some people off).
The Turbo's boost is hardly felt, it seems to kick in after 2000 RPM but it isn't noticed unless you are trying to notice it on purpose. The doors open and close firmly which is pleasant. The Mustangs and Camaros I've seen had their door rattle when I close them despite being brand new in the show room.
I didn't like the fact that the RPM was over 3000 when driving on 120 kph, guess the V6 will take care of this hopefully.
Smart features I liked: the boot (or trunk if you're American) is quite spacious for a car like this. Moreover, the two rear seats can be flattened to increase space. And you can do that directly from behind the car by pushing a button. You don't need to do it from inside the cabin.
Another tiny feature I liked was the locks. Most cars lock the doors when it starts to move, and so does this one. But the coupe actually opens the doors again for you when you shift the gear to "P". Cute!
Overall I am happy with the quality and ride. This car is perfect for a daily driver that does not mind a stiff sporty ride. It is also great for tuners that do not care for warranty.

Way to go Hyundai. It's cars like these that will make your brand a little more desirable and exciting.

Liberating Speech

Five days ago, I wrote a note on Facebook:

Imprisonment of Speech

I am sure most of you know of the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Information to ban websites. I think we are all together that this is unacceptable, unimplementable, and simply put: ILLEGAL as it goes against the Bahraini Law which protects the freedom of speech.
A group of us tried to avoid this by introducing the Anti Hate Code of Ethics (http://www.bahraincodeofethics.com) and prefer that any offending website be prosecuted under the law with a chance of representation rather than resort to this old and ineffective method.

My friends,
Whether you signed the code or not, I implore you to write about the matter in your own blogs. We should also unify our forces to make our voice heard. We could hold up a rally or send one letter of objection bearing our signatures. I invite you to come up with more suggestions on what we can do about it.

Regards,

Manaf Almuhandis
Redbelt

TheRedbelt.com
Arablish.net
Ithnain.com
Bahraincodeofethics.com

Now, this has started with Shaikha Mai Alkhaleefa taking the helm as a minister. I am a fan of much of her work. She brought a breath of fresh air to Bahrain when she saved our souls with the “Spring of Culture”.

However, I would have to disagree with her on this virtual blind fold. Let me try to paint you a picture:

It is the 1980’s. No internet and no Satellite TV channels and nothing. The only communications we have with the outside world are videotapes, cassettes, books and magazines.

In these simpler times, banning something would actually work. If the government says for a reason or another that a film for example is unacceptable and not wanted, the majority of the population, if not all, will not get to see it. Tapes will be easily found and confiscated. And then what? Banning media at that age was quite effective.

But that was a long, long, LONG time ago. Just look at my brother, he was a mere idea in ’86 and was born in ’87. Today he is a 186 cm tall man, with a goatee, driving license and a college degree. Media has grown that much too.

What is the ministry hoping to achieve? Seriously? If they think they can stop people from accessing info and media in 2009, they must be delusional. Let me just count the ways that I, a non IT technician, could think of:

1. Use a proxy website. I know these get banned too, but hundreds pop out every day. The proxy websites are aware of that and email their customers a list of new addresses periodically.

2. Use a programme like Hotspot. Even if the download site is blocked, many have it and will circulate it through email forwards to all of Bahrain by this weekend.

3. Subscribe in RSS & Atom feeds: Simple. All blogs and many websites have them now. Simply click on “Subscribe to the Redbelt” to the right side bar and you will see the familiar orange box looking icon. Just click that icon wherever you go and you can get the posts immediately by email. Or you can use a service like Google Reader to read it there.

This is just off the top of my head.

Let us assume I had a blocked website (god forbid), I can easily clone my ENTIRE website and have it running from a free server with a new unblocked address. I can also email all my readers so they would know. Effectively making the ban absolutely worthless in 15 minutes.

I do understand that Shaikha Mai Alkhalifa, and the rest of the people at the ministry, mean well. So, here is my honest solution to the ministry: Go with the flow.

Example: In martial arts; to stop a punch you can either block it (which uses lots of energy and you risk injury) or... redirect it. Like Akido. Look at the following video.

Now, this is implementable in real life.In practice we can look at Apple:

One day, people found out that MP3s were popular. CD sales went down. Piracy went up. All the companies started FIGHTING mp3 sites trying to stop it, but they couldn’t. They still can’t.

Apple went and introduced itunes. If people want MP3s, give them MP3s! So simple. It worked.

The ministry is trying to block sites, which is pointless. I will still go to the same websites I went to and get all the media I got before the ban. I REPEAT: I will still go to the same websites I went to and get all the media I got before the ban. I am not affected. Bahrain is.

I am concerned about the public view of the ministry and, by extension, Bahrain as a whole. We don’t want the world to think that we are ruled by a dictatorship do we? Especially when reality is anything but that. In our post reform Bahrain, freedom of speech is guaranteed in the constitution itself:

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Chapter III, Article 23 (General Rights and Obligations): “Freedom of opinion and scientific research is guaranteed. Everyone has the right to express his opinion and publish it by word of mouth, in writing or otherwise under the rules and conditions laid down by law, provided that the fundamental beliefs of Islamic doctrine are not infringed, the unity of the people is not prejudiced, and discord or sectarianism is not aroused.”

The National Action Charter also addressed the matter:

The National Action Charter, Chapter I (Fourth: Freedom of expression and publication): “Every citizen shall have the right to express himself orally, in writing or in any other way of expression of personal opinion or creativity. Under this law, freedom of scientific research, publishing, press and printing are ensured within the scope specified by law”, provided it is a responsible freedom within the scope of preserving the social fabric, and does not infringe on the freedoms of others or their religious, sectarian, or intellectual affiliation.

I strongly suggest that the Ministry uses our Judicial system. If a website is considered offensive, a court case can be filed and the law will take its proposed course (That is, after all, why we have courts in the first place). Even if there was a need to rush and take a site down in a short time, an urgent case can be filed and such an order can be had within a day.

I hope the ministry takes heed of my humble advice.

I thank the many bloggers who wrote on the matter:

Eyad's Coffee Break

Yagoob's Dome

Marhoons.com

Ammaro.com

The view from Fez

Silly Bahraini Girl

S as in Saudi

Hayat

Mughtarib (Ar)

Another Day in my life

Khalidbahrain (Ar)

And many, many more...