Modern society, as many previous societies were, is a comprehensive social compact between rulers and the ruled. The rulers are those who decide on behalf of everybody. The ruled are those who are always at the receiving end. Traditionally, the ruled prefer to defer to those in positions of power, at least in those past eras when power was also responsibility and not only plunder. In earlier phases of the existing world order, even when there were plenty of bad apples in the community of the rulers, the ruled, by and large, assumed (at times to their dismay) the collective ruling leadership can be somewhat trusted, at least when it comes to critical matters concerning the larger society. This was and still is the crux of the social compact that holds, albeit tenuously, modern societies together!
In late modernity, this long established compact or trust (that withstood the polarization of old) between the ruling classes and the sheeple (human mass) seems to have been irreversibly fissured if not altogether broken. The modern rulers of the global system seem to be out of sync with the needs and aspirations of the masses. The modern rulers’ obsession is about themselves and nothing more. The ridiculous level of polarization, both within and between countries, is one obvious reality that illustrates the bad governance at play. In order to fulfill their objectives, the reigning elites use all kinds of weapons to render the sheeple (human mass) docile. Lies remain the main tools of this dangerously destabilizing endeavor. There is literally no area of governance where lies are not effectively employed today. Lies permeate every nook and cranny: from lies regarding economic data to Covid-19, from terrorism to color revolution, etc., etc.! Ultimately, the highly centralized machine that continuously spews out lies after lies (all across the globe) will face the music! For a start and unlike before, the prevailing deceitful ways can easily be exposed, even if these truths are not allowed to circulate freely! The lost legitimacy of the status quo, on many fronts, is another indicator of situations getting progressively worse. The world system, most likely, has now entered its twilight zone!
Almost all global institutions have now lost their credibility, as a result of this extreme divergence of interests between the ruled and the rulers. For instance, the whole global educational infrastructure, for the most part, is now used not to enlighten but to indoctrinate and brainwash; to make sure the populous remains zombified. As science became ‘big’, it also succumbed to the cheap political manipulation of the parasitic elites of the status quo. Even in the general field of the sciences, it seems the only genuine intellectual sanctuary left for the deeply reflective is in the realms of pure mathematics. No wonder the Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman, working from his mother’s rural home, emphatically refused the establishment’s prestigious awards. He declined the Millennium Awards (a million US dollars), the Fields Medal (mathematics’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize), European Mathematical Societies’ prize and many others, that were extended to him on the account of his seminal proof of Poincare’s conjecture. Grigori even threatened to stop doing math if establishment cretins (media, politicos, etc.,) don’t stop bothering him. In his own words; ‘I’m not interested in money or fame; I don’t want to be on display like an animal in a zoo.’ Hallelujah!
Big science is now half-truth (life sciences) and wild speculation (astronomy) because of the management imposed on it by transnational capital and its subservient states. The implication; plenty of venerable sciences and scientist are now part and parcel of the weapons of ‘institutions of lies’ or the Ministry of Truth, to use Orwell’s lingua. WHO’s entanglement with Big Pharma is well known and documented, long before Covid-19 came to the scene. See Al Jazeera’s documentary films on the matter. How this whole project of inculcating the global sheeple with untold lies will end up is anybody’s guess! On our part, we recommend, at least to our critical readers, web sites/documents that are written, supported and managed by independent researchers and not politicians, propagandists or any other malicious promoters of lies! To this end, we suggest the critical articles of Swiss Policy Research (www.swprs.org). See the article next column.
What exasperates the ongoing mistrust between the ruled and the rulers is also the chronic lack of (all rounded) quality leadership. See the ‘Hutch Report’ on page 50. The continuous degradation of leadership has been visible since the Deep State (DS) aggressively took over the critical functions of global governance. Even in the most enlightened societies of the Nordic countries, trust in their institutions has been gradually eroding, thanks to the influence of the Anglo-American nation-states’ worldview, which desires to sustain the parasitic relations between the two protagonists (ruled & rulers). At the center of it all, it is empire’s aspiration, led by the DS, which is the major obstacle to decent coexistence at the global level. It is empire’s sick and wicked ideology that is fostering mistrust all over the planet.
The eerie relevance of the old accomplished manipulators’ teachings to our reality is frightening. ‘It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion.’ Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propaganda minister. Finally here is the American ‘father of spin.’ “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the [public] is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” Edward Bernays. Good Day!
WHO TO TRUST?
Total donates 17 million birr to fight COVID-19
Total Ethiopia produced 94,000 bottles of hand sanitizers (500 ml.) and donated 80,000 bottles of sanitizers worth 15 million birr to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport as well as 14,000 bottles of hand sanitizers to employees, fuel truck drivers and partners working with Total Ethiopia.
Total has also donated fuel worth 1 million birr through Total Cards to the frontline emergency ambulances and service vehicles of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) under the Ministry of Health. The company dedicated COVID-19 emergency fuel dispensing pumps for emergency service Ambulances to get fuel at fifty selected Total stations in Addis Ababa and major upcountry towns.
In addition Total Ethiopia donated 10,000 sanitary soaps worth 200,000 birr to be distributed to helpless elders, street boys and or selected NGOs like Mekedonia. Public hand washing facilities have been installed at fifteen Total stations in Addis Ababa distributing soap and water to the community worth 150,000 birr.
In parallel, Total Ethiopia maintains its activities of fuel and lubricants supply throughout the country to its service stations and customer sites. With the aim of protecting employees and their family’s health, Total Ethiopia has minimized staff presence in the office by deploying work and availing IT equipment and platform that can be accessed from home.
In so doing, Total Ethiopia in its corporate social responsibility program has taken various pragmatic and targeted actions as part of the national effort to fight the spread of the COVID-19.
The handing over ceremony tha was held on June 18, was attended by Dagmawit Moges Minister of Transport and Ambassador Mesganu Arega State Minister of Trade and Industry and member of the National COVID-19 resource allocation committee.
Total Ethiopia was established in 1950 as a petroleum product distribution company, developed its activities by acquiring Mobil Oil East Africa assets in 2006. Today, the company operates with more than 150 service stations and five depots across the country, of which four are aviation depots, and Fuels and LPG depot, the Dukem depot. Dukem depot has a total storage capacity of more than 8 million liters of fuel. It also stores up to 100 tons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), an electronically-operated LPG cylinder filling plant and an ethanol blending facility. This depot is uniquely situated to serve the industry at large with its extra installed capacity.
Ministry assessing ways to conduct national exams
Ministry of Education is assessing options to give the National University Entrance Exam of grade 12 and grade eight examinations.
According to sources the Ministry is overseeing two different options to give the exams to the students.
According to sources one of the options is developing a web system to which it gives specific time to do one question and the second option is a virtual one with a camera system.
Although the ministry was planning to start classes if the current situation gets to normal it has been three months since the government orders to close about 45,000 schools all over the country.
On 16 March Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that schools and universities would halt classes for two weeks. On 17 March the Minister of Science and Higher Education gave further directions on how universities should act. For many, it was not an easy order to follow since little preparation had been made by institutions towards this end. However, the decision was applauded by the public, while the duration of school closures remains uncertain.
Despite this most of the schools are trying to reach their students through different mechanisms and continue the teaching learning process including virtual classrooms supported by social networks. Also the Ministry of Education is using public television stations to provide courses for students of all ages as well as training to teachers.
Despite one of the challenge in the country accessing internet is an enormous challenge. The Ministry has started to screen those who are not available for both options so that they can take the exam in schools with social distancing to control the spreading of the virus.
A month ago Addis Ababa city education bureau has give model examination for grade eight students through telegram.
At the beginning of the current academic year the Ministry was planning to conduct the national entrance exam from June 1 up to June 3.
In related story the Ministry of Science and Higher Education has mandate universities to continue courses of post graduate student and complete their programs as pre the scheduled tabled at the beginning of the academic year through digital platforms. At the end of the year the Ministry also planned extraordinary thesis defense and graduation ceremony that will be conducted using different virtual methods.
Universities are giving course materials for all the first year and above students to help them continue their study in their house.
WHO concerned over COVID-19 impact on women, girls in Africa
Africa’s wild polio-free status to be determined in August
Humanitarian crises, including health emergencies affect men and women differently. As COVID-19 continues to spread in Africa, there are concerns over its impact on women and girls, with vulnerabilities feared to worsen as the pandemic overwhelms health systems.
Although overall in the African Region, women account for around 40% of COVID-19 cases, this ranges from 35% in some countries to over 55% in South Africa.
“We are already seeing that the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls is profound. Women are disproportionately affected by lockdowns and this is resulting in a reduced access to health services,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.
As efforts are focused on curbing the spread of COVID-19, essential services such as access to sexual and reproductive health services have been disrupted. According to preliminary data, in Zimbabwe, the number of caesarean sections performed decreased by 42% between January and April 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. The number of live births in health facilities fell by 21%, while new clients on combined birth control pills dropped by 90%. In Burundi, initial statistics show that births with skilled attendants fell to 4749 in April 2020 from 30 826 in April 2019.
Recent analysis published in the Lancet Global Health suggests that a reduction in maternal health services of between just 9.8-18.5% could lead to as many as 12 200 additional maternal deaths over six months in low- and middle-income countries.
The economic hardship due to COVID-19 is also greater for women according to a World Bank report. Informal workers, most of whom are women, account for more than 90% of the labour force in sub-Saharan Africa. Informal sector jobs are particularly at risk during the pandemic.
In addition, women face a higher risk of gender-based violence in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. A recent study by UN Women found that reports of violence against women, and particularly domestic violence, have increased in several countries as security, health, and financial worries create tensions and strains accentuated by the cramped and confined living conditions of lockdown.
“We are working with governments and partners to find ways to continue to deliver essential services safely, including the provision of personal protective equipment to health workers, many of whom are nurses and are women,” said Dr Moeti.
The burden of caring for the sick is also largely borne by women. Most health workers in Africa are women. Over the past four months, with the Colleges of Nursing in Africa WHO has provided targeted virtual trainings to over 1000 nurses and midwives. In West Africa, this training has been cascaded sub-nationally using virtual platforms – thus allowing as many nurses as possible to be trained in case management for COVID-19 and infection prevention and control.
WHO works to improve the health of women and girls in Africa by developing guidance on the implications of gender, gender-based violence, and access to sexual and reproductive health.
In a related statement the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), responsible for certifying the eradication of wild poliovirus in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, is set to make its final decision about the region’s wild poliovirus status in August 2020.
Following field verification visits over the past year and thorough critical analysis of the documentation of the polio surveillance, immunization and laboratory capacity presented by the governments of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria and South Sudan, the Commission has validated that the countries’ documentation grants them wild polio-free status.
In August 2019, the African Region became eligible to be certified free of wild poliovirus, after Nigeria, the last wild poliovirus endemic country, recorded no new cases three years – the requisite period – since it last reported cases of wild poliovirus. The commission had already accepted the documentation of the other 43 countries in the region.
“We are satisfied with the documentation that the four countries have presented. We are reviewing updated reports from the other 43 countries in the WHO African Region and we anticipate that by August 2020, we will deliver our final decision on the region’s certification status of wild poliovirus eradication,” said Professor Rose Leke, ARCC Chairperson.
“This achievement by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria and South Sudan is a major step towards the eradication of wild poliovirus in the African region,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti. “As the continent struggles with COVID-19, this milestone shows that when leaders, partners, health workers and communities come together we can triumph over the most difficult health challenges.”
If the region is certified in August, it would be the fifth of the six WHO regions to be declared free of wild polio. However, the scale of ongoing circulating vaccine-derived polio outbreaks is a battle the region is striving to win.
