Today's date is 12/12/12. One of my graduate students posted on the
biotechnology facebook page that we are the only generation to see
01-01-01, 02-02-02, 03-03-03, 04-04-04, 05-05-05, 06-06-06, 07-07-07,
08-08-08, 09-09-09, 10-10-10, 11-11-11, 12-12-12. But I think it remains to
be seen whether we are unique in other ways: for example will we be the
generation that misses the opportunity to save our species and planet earth
from the looming environmental catastrophe of global warming. Some places
on earth (like most of the Arab world) will see over the next 20 years an
increase in average annual temperature of 3-5 C and a decline in annual
rainfall by 20-30%. You add to that the explosion in population, the
dwindling existing resources, decline in culture and education, and you get
a major problem. Gaza's underground water aquifer for example is projected
to be unusable by 2016 while its impoverished population will grow to over
2 million in a few years. My visit to India also showed me the poverty in
the streets of Mumbai. Lack of education and opportunities also means that
the cycle of poverty will only spiral out of control. This man-made Nakba
(catastrophe) might be the last and most significant of our Nakbas. I will
be speaking about these issues at the Third Palestinian Environmental
Awareness & Education Conference Monday
http://eecp.org/templates/rhuk_solarflare_ii/applications/EEC%20Third%20Conference-en.pdf

I believe it is necessary for all of us to work on all fronts against
oppression, whether of fellow human beings or of the environment. I think
the issues are related: the same multi-millionaires and billionaires (most
of them happen to be Zionist) work to keep people fighting each other, push
them towards servitude, poverty, and ignorance while getting rich
themselves. Religion is used to keep people from real progress. For many
decades, they declared war on environmental rights, human rights, rights to
natural resources, rights to clean air, rights to sustainable environment
etc. Those who champion rights of common people are by definition enemies
of those elites and may pay a heavy price for our resistance. On the global
human rights' day, Israeli occupation forces raided human rights
organization offices in Ramallah including women's organization offices and
the offices of the Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer. Hundreds of
such violations of basic rights occur daily here. Here is just one story
from my friend AbdelFattah AbuSrour: The Knock at the Door by Abdel Fattah
AbuSrour http://www.thestruggle.org/knock_door_abed_2012.htm

But life and struggle goes on. And life goes on too. A meeting in Bethlehem
last week on the third anniversary of the Kairos document emphasized the
need to work together to achieve justice (a prerequisite for peace). And
here are some videos from the conference in India that I also had the honor
of attending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTRenh8zX6g

http://vidube.com/0en4568idattach.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TDqtFxIRxg


My son, a Palestinian American software engineer, invented a cheap and fast
book scanner (story and video):
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/13/3639016/google-books-scanner-vacuum-diy

There are thousands of expatriate Palestinians who achieve a lot. This
year, Prof. Sami Sameer Amr (originally from Hebron) was elected as
President of the 25,000 member strong International Academy of Pathology.
There are also hundreds of thousands of decent common Palestinians and
millions other human beings who dedicate their lives to justice, human
rights, and to peace.

'You have to demolish them while they're small' : So Supreme Court
President Asher Grunis said shortly before a partially built mosque in the
West Bank was pulled down.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/you-have-to-demolish-them-while-they-re-small.premium-1.483761

Resuscitating the Palestinian economy: A Christmas wish!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLOEnHHNSv8

To act in support of Palestinian human rights
Sign petition
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/641/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=12081
and then do other actions here:
http://www.causes.com/causes/400673-us-campaign-to-end-the-israeli-occupation/actions/1713399

University of Toronto graduate students endorse BDS, call on administration
to divest
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora/university-toronto-graduate-students-endorse-bds-call-administration-divest

Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
Professor, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities
http://qumsiyeh.org