Beirut’s River of Trash: What Can We Learn From It?

A view of the built up pile of waste on a street in Beirut’s northern suburb of Jdeideh

A river of trash?

Yes, there is a ‘river of trash’ in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

It is amazing to see trash arranged in a line like a river for miles through the city.

This was caused due to the closing of the country’s landfill in July 2015.

I think due to the political deadlock in Lebanon, its government is unable to function properly and that had caused lots of trouble for its people.

Due to the political crisis in Lebanon, the country has yet to elect a new president after the previous president, Michel Suleiman resigned on May 2014.

Al Jazeera, in its article, ‘What’s to become of Lebanon?’ reported that:

“But the Lebanese are a divided people, and that is a major cause for trepidation,” – Al Jazeera

That is what happened when its people are too divided and failed to work together in order to build a stronger nation.

Now protests were held in Beirut regarding the trash problems that injured hundreds of people including the police.

My question is, can protests solve this problem?

Some people see this as their human right, the right to make street protest when they are not happy.

But instead of going to the streets to protest, it is better if the people of Lebanon be united and make sure that they have a strong government that can take care of them.

This can happen anywhere in the world, including in Malaysia if our government is unable to function properly due to political instability.

Our government needs to solve problems that are actually created by people who are against the government instead of solving the real problems faced by our country, and this can bring us to destruction and cause chaos to Malaysia.

That is why we must be careful or we too will be facing problems like the people of Lebanon, or even worst like what happened to the people of Libya, Egypt and others.

Political differences must not be the reason to destroy our country, for if that happened it is the people who will be suffering.

The overflowing piles of rubbish are threatening the water supply and people continue to burn garbage, despite a government ban, filling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants and carcinogens.

The British firm chosen to export the rubbish to Russia for disposal, Chinook Urban Mining, failed to obtain documents proving Russia had agreed to accept the waste, annulling the deal, government agency the Council for Reconstruction and Development (CDR) said.

The overflowing piles of rubbish are threatening the water supply and people continue to burn garbage, despite a government ban, filling the air with foul smoke that contains dangerous levels of pollutants and carcinogens.

A view of the built up pile of waste on a street in Beirut’s northern suburb of Jdeideh

Degilnya The Malaysian Insider

The Malaysian Insider’s site was blocked by Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the 25th of February 2016.

But they opened a mirror site with the URL, themalaysianoutsider.com and told everyone to use that site instead.

Today I saw that The Malaysian Insider(TMI) posted this on their Facebook page:

I checked themalaysianinsider.wordpress.com today, and this is what I get:

Will TMI make more and more mirror sites to prove that it does not respect the law?

TMI had been accusing that the Malaysian Prime Minister is involved in corruptions which are against the law and that TMI is fair and against any wrongdoing.

But is TMI obeying the law when they cheated and opened mirror sites of the blocked portal?

The Malaysian Insider should walk the talk…

Sony World Photography Awards Final

A flamingo is perfectly reflected in glassy water. (Steiner Wang)

The final shortlist has been revealed for the world’s biggest photography competition. Hundreds of thousands of entries were submitted by photographers from 186 countries, and 270 images made it onto the shortlist across the Open, Professional and Youth categories. The pictures capture snapshots of life across the globe, from intimate personal moments, to huge sporting achievements, to explosive breaking news events. For the shortlist, the judges have chosen those they felt demonstrated originality and empathy.

This bird’s eye image is part of a series exploring water, one of the most precious resources for life on our planet. (Stephan Zirwes)

This bizarre staged picture is intended to be ‘an expression of absurdity in an absurd world, eruption of freedom in skimpy landscapes, anarchic dancing in a shabby architecture’. (Juliette Blanchard)

A fisherman floats in the sea in between the bamboo rods constructed for aquaculture off the coast in southern China. (Tugo Cheng)

This highly stylised picture was taken for an editorial photoshoot for a jewellery magazine. (Oliver Schwarzwald)

Two tourists in Namibia resemble the pelicans they are so intent on photographing. (Elie Kauffmann)

This dramatic shot was taken for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Adaptive Sports Program, and shows a player for the RIC Hornets wheelchair basketball team. (Rob Gregory)

Be United, A Poem By Ahmad Ali Karim

Cute little birds,
Flying all around,
Over yellow sunflowers,
Making chirping sounds.

Red, green or blue,
They all have fun,
Unlike humans,
They’re united as one.

Singing the sweetest songs,
Can be heard from afar,
Chirping all around,
No matter where they are.

All around the places,
They’ll fly together,
Nothing can stop them,
Not even the weather.

Fiji’s Cyclone Winston: 20 Killed, Death Toll Could Rise

The damage to Mudu village on Koro Island after the most powerful cyclone in Fiji’s history battered the Pacific island nation (AFP Photo/)

The death toll from the Fiji Cyclone rises up to 20 people on Monday, as authorities began to reach the hard-hit outer islands.

According to the Weather Underground website, the category five Cyclone Winston is the strongest storm in the Southern Hemisphere since record-keeping began.

Please click the photos for larger images:

The damage to Mudu village on Koro Island after the most powerful cyclone in Fiji’s history battered the Pacific island nation (AFP Photo/)

In this Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016 aerial photo supplied by the New Zealand Defense Force, debris is scattered around damaged buildings at Susui village in Fiji, after Cyclone Winston tore through the island nation. Fijians were finally able to venture outside Monday after authorities lifted a curfew but much of the country remained without electricity in the wake of a ferocious cyclone that left at least six people dead and destroyed hundreds of homes. (New Zealand Defense Force via AP) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

A beachside villa and trees lay destroyed following high winds caused by Cyclone Winston at the Tokoriki Island Resort in Fiji, February 21, 2016. Fijian officials were assessing the damage on Sunday after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the archipelago, with early reports of widespread disruption and one confirmed death. REUTERS/Sarah Bingham/Handout via ReutersATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A combination image shows the beachfront villa of tourist Sarah Bingham on February 17, 2016 (L) and after Cyclone Winston struck February 21, 2016 (R) at the Tokoriki Island Resort in Fiji. Fijian officials were assessing the damage on Sunday after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the archipelago, with early reports of widespread disruption and one confirmed death. REUTERS/Sarah Bingham/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A fruit and vegetable market damaged by Cyclone Winston reopens for the first time in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston in Fiji’s capital, Suva, February 22, 2016. Fiji began a massive cleanup on Monday after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation, flattening remote villages, cutting off communications and killing at least 10 people. REUTERS/Sarah Boxall – CARE Australia/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A remote Fijian village is photographed from the air during a surveillance flight conducted by the New Zealand Defence Force on February 21, 2016. Fiji began a massive cleanup on Monday after Cyclone Winston, one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation, flattening remote villages, cutting off communications and killing at least 10 people. REUTERS/NZ Defence Force/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A remote Fijian village is photographed from the air during a surveillance flight conducted by the New Zealand Defence Force after Cyclone Winston on February 21, 2016. Fiji began a massive cleanup on Monday after one of the most powerful storms recorded in the southern hemisphere tore through the Pacific island nation, flattening remote villages, cutting off communications and killing at least 10 people. REUTERS/NZ Defence Force/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE.

Category 5 Cyclone Winston Hit Fiji, 5 Killed

A family digs through the remains of their home in the town of Ba, after it was destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Winston, the only category five storm system to ever hit Fiji, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Naziah Ali)

A category five tropical cyclone Winston hit Fiji on Saturday, killing at least five people and causing lots of damage to the country’s infrastructure.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the powerful cyclone packed wind gusts approaching 300 kilometres per hour.

Winston is the most powerful cyclone that was recorded to hit Fiji.

There are unconfirmed reports saying that thousands of homes had been destroyed and entire villages flattened but the authorities can only assess the damage after communications are re-established.

Here are some photos of the aftermath…

People are splashed by a wave whipped up by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Labasa, Fiji, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Pacific island nation of Fiji is hunkering down as a formidable cyclone with winds of 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour approaches. (Luke Rawalai/Fiji Times via AP) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, FIJI OUT

Buildings and trees are damaged after Cyclone Winston swept through the town of Ba on Fiji’s Viti Levu Island, February 21, 2016. REUTERS/Jay Dayal

A tree blocks a road after it was blown down by the encroaching cyclone Winston in Nakasi, Fiji, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Pacific island nation of Fiji is hunkering down as a formidable cyclone with winds of 300 kilometers (186 miles) per hour approaches. (Jonacani Lalakobau/Fiji Times via AP) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, FIJI OUT

Toppled trees lie on a road in Tamavua, Suva, after the most powerful cyclone in Fiji’s history battered the Pacific island nation, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/-)

Fiji began a massive clean-up on February 21, 2016, after the most powerful cyclone in its history battered the Pacific island nation, killing at least one person and leaving a trail of destruction (AFP Photo/UNICEF Pacific)

A family digs through the remains of their home in the town of Ba, after it was destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Winston, the only category five storm system to ever hit Fiji, on February 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Naziah Ali)

Rainforest Part 2, A Poem By Ahmad Ali Karim

By the river, surrounded by trees,
There’s many things to be seen,
Birds, squirrels, butterflies and bees,  
Around wild flowers, orchids and ferns.

Green plants and grey rocks,
Scattered across the damp grass,
Fishes, foxes, deer and hawks,
Greeting you as you pass.

Soothing sounds, pleasing your ears,
Animals and nature singing for you,
Sounds of nature, you can hear,
Day and night, awaiting you.

Rainforest, A Poem By Ahmad Ali Karim

Deep in the rainforest,
With animals all around,
Birds, frogs and tigers,
Making wonderful sounds.

You walk by the trees,
The monkeys pass by too,
As you stop for a moment,
Butterflies come to greet you.

Animals everywhere,
Mammals, birds and reptiles,
Colourful flowers and trees,
That will make you smile.

Thankful, A Poem By Ahmad Ali Karim

Happy blue birds,
Flying merrily together,
Across deer herds,
Over Tehama County.

Happy blue birds,
Hunting for food,
Found some curds,
Over piles of fruits.

Happy blue birds,
Back in their nests,
They were lost of words,
Of how joyful they feel!