Christmas season is with us again. A walk through the town, at least here in Italy, which I guess is what happens world over, preparations are in top gear and the decorations can tell it all. It is interesting that even television news give considerable coverage of Christmas so are the newspapers. The only undoing is the bad weather clobbering most of Europe bringing many cities to a tilt and spoiling many plans. Back at home, in Kenya, this is significantly the biggest feast in the year.
Christmas occurs in the last month of the year characterized by many events: It is time to relax for class 8 pupils and form 4 students who sat for their exam and wait for the results and all schools are closed; it is time for initiation for boys in most part of the country; it is time for family gatherings. It is what summer is for Europe or USA. The month-long- holiday-proper begins with the Independence Day on Dec 12 and lasts until first week of New Year. Goats, chicken, bulls will have nowhere to hide. Everyone will be clad in the best cloth and shoes and churches will be overflowing. As I think of what I am missing with the weathers threatening to send me to the maker, something crossed my mind. What is the meaning of all this festivities and are they worth it?
Christmas is a feast when we celebrate God who chose to be one of us. We were taught since we young that ‘For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son that those who believe in him will have life eternal’. Therefore, we celebrate God’s love to a fallen people in need of his redemption. But God wants to reach man through man; he chose Mary to give birth to Jesus and Joseph to take care of him. Later this child will save mankind from eternal condemnation by his death and resurrection. Christmas is thus intimately connected to Easter. But I ask does man really understand all this?
Looking at the preparations we make for Christmas on would right to say that it is more of an external than it is internal. We are so elaborate with the town, house, street and church decorations than we are in preparing our hearts to contemplate the whole event. We are so dogged down by the daily traffic that we hardly find time to think about what it really means. For many though it is the one other time, apart from Easter, that we set foot in church. Even then we still do not reach the essence of the feast often forgotten as these two articles suggest, http://godwardthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/11/in-preparation-for-christmas.html http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0008.html
I propose a rethinking of Christmas. Suppose I celebrate Christmas to become what Jesus becomes for me to others? That is if Jesus is a sign of God’s love, if he is brings me joy, if he forgives my sins, if he becomes food for me, then why should I be the sign of love, brings joy, forgiveness and become food for others especially the less fortunate. We read too that there was no room for him In Bethlehem, shall he find one today in my heart. It is him who says he who welcomes one of the little brothers welcomes me. How many people have no place to lay their head tonight? Or have no food? Or clothing? Or status? Or family? And what am I doing? God has reached to us through his son. It is our time to reach unto others? I just wish we could spend a quarter of the time we spend on the externals to prepare Christmas and dedicate it to serving those in need! It all depends on you. Here you go
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Increase highway speed at the country’s peril
The proposal by the Italian minister of infrastructure and transport, Altero Matteoli, to increase speed on the some roads from 130km/h to 150km/h poses a lot of questions than answers. The proposal comes hot on the heels of manifestations in Rome and other cities against highway mortalities in Italy. It is know in Italy that over 60% deaths from motor accidents are caused by over speeding. This puts the minister’s proposal at loggerheads with the general thinking of the people, be they relatives of victims or other stakeholders.
One must ask why the minister thought it wise to make such proposals at a time when hundreds of youth continue to die every weekend out of accidents? According to statistics by Ocse, (l’Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico), as contained in Corriere della sera, www.corriere.it (Matteoli: si a 150km/h all’ora in autostrada), Italy has a media of 9.8 highway deaths of every 1000 persons per year, which is higher that the European media of 9.6. Such figures confirm the stories I used to hear that drivers in Italy are just crazy and that driving in Rome is total madness.
Matteoli argues that the proposal is going to save time, ensure constant flow of traffic and increase security on the roads adding that if a car is strong enough to cruise at that speed then it should not be forced to drive along the weak ones. Such an argument by the minister is actually contrary to ensuring security on the roads. The strength of the car should not be the measure of speed buy by the capacity to drive safely and the conditions of the roads.
No doubt the country wants to increase security on the roads and ensure constant flow of traffic but not at the expense of human life. It is not surprising that leaders have come up to oppose such laws saying it is ‘demagogical and paradoxical’ in a country that lacks the culture of highway security (Paese in cui non c’e cultura della sicurezza stradale’, according to Silvia Velo, Vice president Pd della commissione della trasporto della camera.) www.agi.it ‘Nuovo codice della strada….’ One can only hope that these leaders are not just playing politics but are convinced that increase of speed to 150km/h, even if only in some roads, is not a well informed proposal.
If the minister is concerned about the highway security then he must ensure there are rules to ensure those who drive are properly trained, that Highway Code is put in place to regulate the flow of motor and contain madness on the roads caused a like by drivers, Motor cyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Minister we better not assume everyone has the capacity to drive at that speed leave alone driving properly. Better to rethink again how else free flow of traffic can be ensured, how highway security can be improved and how else time can be saved other than sending many more to the grave, in trauma or on wheelchairs. Doing it any other way will be simply peddling a fib and it soon becomes cropper!
One must ask why the minister thought it wise to make such proposals at a time when hundreds of youth continue to die every weekend out of accidents? According to statistics by Ocse, (l’Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico), as contained in Corriere della sera, www.corriere.it (Matteoli: si a 150km/h all’ora in autostrada), Italy has a media of 9.8 highway deaths of every 1000 persons per year, which is higher that the European media of 9.6. Such figures confirm the stories I used to hear that drivers in Italy are just crazy and that driving in Rome is total madness.
Matteoli argues that the proposal is going to save time, ensure constant flow of traffic and increase security on the roads adding that if a car is strong enough to cruise at that speed then it should not be forced to drive along the weak ones. Such an argument by the minister is actually contrary to ensuring security on the roads. The strength of the car should not be the measure of speed buy by the capacity to drive safely and the conditions of the roads.
No doubt the country wants to increase security on the roads and ensure constant flow of traffic but not at the expense of human life. It is not surprising that leaders have come up to oppose such laws saying it is ‘demagogical and paradoxical’ in a country that lacks the culture of highway security (Paese in cui non c’e cultura della sicurezza stradale’, according to Silvia Velo, Vice president Pd della commissione della trasporto della camera.) www.agi.it ‘Nuovo codice della strada….’ One can only hope that these leaders are not just playing politics but are convinced that increase of speed to 150km/h, even if only in some roads, is not a well informed proposal.
If the minister is concerned about the highway security then he must ensure there are rules to ensure those who drive are properly trained, that Highway Code is put in place to regulate the flow of motor and contain madness on the roads caused a like by drivers, Motor cyclists and pedestrians. Mr. Minister we better not assume everyone has the capacity to drive at that speed leave alone driving properly. Better to rethink again how else free flow of traffic can be ensured, how highway security can be improved and how else time can be saved other than sending many more to the grave, in trauma or on wheelchairs. Doing it any other way will be simply peddling a fib and it soon becomes cropper!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Climate change; real or just fuss!
The 15th conference on climate change in Copenhagen, next week, will bring together delegations from 192, for two weeks, to address another global issue threatening to decimate us all due to mans’ lack of foresight, selfishness and greed. The conference, preceded by a meeting by the ministers of government who meet above 5600m, with Everest just in sight, in what was dubbed ‘taking climate higher’, is the greatest assembly bringing all leaders together to build consensus on climate change. The Copenhagen meeting is expected to pass new climate protocol to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol which ends in 2012, to prevent climate changes and stem global warming.
Interestingly, the meeting is expected to produce regulations to curb CO2 emissions especially from the heavy producers China and United States of America. To say the least there has been some progress with the inclusion of US in the talks snubbed by earlier administration and commitments from China and India who have been accused of doing little to address CO2 emissions. However, it must be stated that apart from these countries there are many others who are hitting above the belt making the efforts by others become a cropper. This meeting should be a wake-up call to every country, district, village and every human person to do what we must do to save the climate.
Indeed the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) blames ‘humankind's influence on the modern day climate and about the impacts of rising temperatures http://news.bbc.co.uk “Q&A. The Copenhagen Climate Summit”. At least the report by IPCC points at the principal cause as burning of fossil fuels that produce high concentrations of CO2 that combines with the CO2 in the air to trap more of sun’s energy and warming the earth’s surface. This explains the changes we all have witnessed in the past few years.
Notwithstanding, there is a disturbing issue is the fact that some scientists and cynics are dismissing global warming as a natural occurrence sending mixed signals to us mere mortals. However, unless they are willing to explain to us why we encounter hurricanes, floods, changed weather patterns, rise of sea water levels due to melting of glacier today more than ever, then their theory remains naught. The debate as usual has been politicized and countries are divided down in the middle.
However, it is heartening to hear that majority leaders are committed to do something to reverse the situation. At least by now we know the governments want ‘a new treaty that is bigger, bolder, wide-ranging and more sophisticated than the Kyoto agreement’ as reported by BBC. I hope this is not another futile gimmick to hoodwink the masses and as it emerged from the ‘greatest debate on earth’ on BBC, Saturday 06 Dec 2009, we either adapt or die.
Interestingly, the meeting is expected to produce regulations to curb CO2 emissions especially from the heavy producers China and United States of America. To say the least there has been some progress with the inclusion of US in the talks snubbed by earlier administration and commitments from China and India who have been accused of doing little to address CO2 emissions. However, it must be stated that apart from these countries there are many others who are hitting above the belt making the efforts by others become a cropper. This meeting should be a wake-up call to every country, district, village and every human person to do what we must do to save the climate.
Indeed the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) blames ‘humankind's influence on the modern day climate and about the impacts of rising temperatures http://news.bbc.co.uk “Q&A. The Copenhagen Climate Summit”. At least the report by IPCC points at the principal cause as burning of fossil fuels that produce high concentrations of CO2 that combines with the CO2 in the air to trap more of sun’s energy and warming the earth’s surface. This explains the changes we all have witnessed in the past few years.
Notwithstanding, there is a disturbing issue is the fact that some scientists and cynics are dismissing global warming as a natural occurrence sending mixed signals to us mere mortals. However, unless they are willing to explain to us why we encounter hurricanes, floods, changed weather patterns, rise of sea water levels due to melting of glacier today more than ever, then their theory remains naught. The debate as usual has been politicized and countries are divided down in the middle.
However, it is heartening to hear that majority leaders are committed to do something to reverse the situation. At least by now we know the governments want ‘a new treaty that is bigger, bolder, wide-ranging and more sophisticated than the Kyoto agreement’ as reported by BBC. I hope this is not another futile gimmick to hoodwink the masses and as it emerged from the ‘greatest debate on earth’ on BBC, Saturday 06 Dec 2009, we either adapt or die.
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