Category: Blog

Happy Christmas to friends of Palestinians and Palestine

“Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
Oh, hush the noise, ye men of strife
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
Oh, rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!”

adapted from Sears EH, 1849, It came upon the midnight clear, public domain

Inaugural launch of Palestinian Society at University of Surrey

It was nice to chat briefly with Professor Amelia Hadfield at the beginning, who is fully supportive of the society. Good to know it exists and that senior academic staff welcome the inauguration. It has taken about a year to establish the society. One of the team and their mum made Palestinian baklava for attendees too.

The guests in the afternoon were His Excellencies Rami Mortada, Ambassador of Lebanon to the UK and Dr Husam Zomlot, Ambassador of the Palestinian Mission to the UK. It was lovely to hear them express their genuine kinship and love of each other’s cultures. They provided informative, educational speeches – I think they were recorded so will update this post later.

Some notes (not all verbatim), I agree with all these points:

There is no incentive for Israel to make peace from their allies. The aggression in Lebanon symptomatic of what is happening in Israel. Right – unable to project vision for peace. Forever war, continuous conflict.

Israel has eroded international order

When talking to supporters of Israel, there is always a diversion from centrality from conflict which is sovereignty for Palestine. Iran, Russia used as diversion.

We grew up believing, dreaming we had solved issues in WW2, will never again mass destruction of people because of who they are.

Established rules for when war erupts, but right of self defence doesn’t apply to Palestine and Lebanon. International system has a declaration of extermination on Palestinian people.

Balfour declaration cancelled Palestinians as a people. Turned into non Jewish minorities. Mantra – Palestine is a land without a people. Gaza is only way they could make the lie come true.

But there has been a sustainable change in public opinion about Palestine.

Palestine is the emblem, the divide between right and wrong.

Young people bringing us back to our dream.

—

One of the immediate goals of the society is to introduce a scholarship. I will try and help in whatever way I can too.

Digiemissions calculation thoughts

I will start researching this in approx 2 weeks time. I already have some data from papers, JISC and elsewhere for embedded software or app elements but see what other have found. JISC had a figure for a computer on standby so can use that to help with estimating active computer usage.

Energy and internet usage

Energy – these are direct emissions so possibly smart meter data if available, otherwise will have to find from company reports / carbon disclosures.

Internet emissions are embedded, so will look at company reports / carbon disclosures.

The way I plan to do it because I don’t have time to research this in detail (unless I find an alternative) is:

Company emissions / x customers. Then total / 365 / 60 / 60 to get the minutes.

And similar for other embedded emissions if I can’t get any other data that can be calculated in minutes. I am assuming source 2 and 3 emissions from larger tech companies are lies anyway so…

Statement of Condemnation from Alrowwad Cultural & Arts Society

Founded in 1998 within Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, Palestine, Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for marginalized Palestinians. Officially recognized as a not-for-profit organization in August 2003 under the law Number 1 of Charitable Societies and Non-governmental Associations, 2000, by the Ministry of Interior of the Palestinian National Authority, Alrowwad holds license number BL-360-CU. Additionally, it obtained license number 239/B/100/2009 from the Ministry of Culture. Catering to children, youth, and women, Alrowwad is deeply embedded within the local community.

https://alrowwad.org/?lang=en

Alrowwad Cultural And Arts Society strongly condemns the Israeli Zionist colonial forces for storming its main headquarters in Aida Camp at dawn today, demolishing the main entrance in a blatant attack and ongoing crime against our people and national institutions in Aida Camp.

This egregious assault involved vandalizing the Society’s internal doors, causing damage to its contents and facilities, and systematically tampering with its resources. The Society considers this crime to be a continuation of the repeated violations committed by the Zionist colonial forces against civil society institutions, aimed at erasing Palestinian identity and breaking the will of refugees to defend their rights.

Alrowwad Society calls on all international organizations concerned with the protection of Palestinian refugees and their institutions to take responsibility and act immediately to stop these attacks and hold the Zionist colonial forces accountable for their continuous crimes, which flagrantly violate international laws and resolutions.

The Society emphasizes that this criminal incursion into Aida Camp—which included the storming of several institutions and homes, as well as the detention of dozens of young men from the camp inside Alrowwad’s building—will not deter the Palestinian people and their resilience from continuing their role in defending their rights.

Issued by
Alrowwad Cultural And Arts Society
Aida Camp – Tuesday, December 3, 2024

The Chuchunaa, Siberia’s Yeti

Introduction This story appeared in issue 347 of Duda (English: Doubt), a Spanish language magazine from Mexico which frequently discussed the supernatural. This issue was published on 22 February 1978 and can be found online at: http://revisteriaponchito.com/duda/347/ My translation: A “Yeti” also lives in Siberia For many decades there has been information about the presence of […]

The Chuchunaa, Siberia’s Yeti

Environmental Audit – Dental practice

I volunteered for Students Organising for Sustainability again this year. I have just completed a Green Impact audit for a primary care dental practice. This one was slightly different because the practice decided at the beginning of the year, to only go for bronze. There are so many great initiatives being completed, in spite of meeting clinical safety too. Even bird boxes outside a busy urban practice.

Hopefully in 2025, there will be an opportunity to complete an audit in person for a different sector, details to be confirmed.