Posted on 10/26/2013 12:27:28 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Edited on 10/26/2013 12:27:57 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The Israeli water industry took over the convention center here this week to show the world its bacterial sewage scrubbers and computerized shower heads, its low-flow nipples to grow high-yield tomatoes, and its early-warning mathematical algorithms to detect dribbles, leaks and bursts.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
And next week the Arabs will hold a bomb-belt technology expo.
A move toward American disengagement from the Middle East may be best for everyone- except the terrorists.
IMO, the problem is that Israel is a modern nation-state, while the so-called Arab “nations” are actually collections of competing tribes. The old saw about all politics being local is never as true as in Arab society.
Good for them, water tech is hot. Like they say “you can’t live without it”. Roper, Danaher, and GE have also invested big in water.
Sometimes the Arabs are just competing clans. Extended clans. Back when Yassir Arafat was alive I read that most of the Palestinian economy in Gaza was controlled by 13 clans. Arafat’s clan controlled the cement business. Which is huge there because most building is done with cinder block and rebar and poured concrtete from what I see
Point conceded. Either way, there seems to be little concept of loyalty to a nation-state, or anything beyond the level of clan/tribe. They pay lip-service to Islam being one nation, but we’ve seen how well that works. Add in that Arab culture is an “honor” culture as opposed to a “guilt” culture, and things look very dark indeed.
Islam was born the harshest dessert and does best in the dessert and arid regions of the world. Back in Mohammed’s time the clan was all important for survival of the fittest clan in such a harsh water deprived environment. You stuck together or died.
Inbreeding cements clan loyalties. Also keeps dowry wealth within the clan. So there is a perverse incentive for inbreeding among the Arabs going way back. They are wealthier now so the desert does not look as harsh as it used to be...But the old time ways carry over.
Afghanistan is an arid nation. Clans are very strong there. It is hard to form a modern democratic nation when clans and tribes and extended families are so strong
Christianity and Judaism were born in that same region, but they grew up. I think the tendencies that you mention are more inherent to Arab / Afghan culture than to Islam per se, although heaven knows that Islam has its own, many pathologies.
Thanks Brad from Tennessee. Trickle irrigation may not have been invented there (I don’t know) but Israel has done more with it than everyone else in the world combined. Around ten years ago I read about a then-new refinement, a grower using electronic monitoring of leaf water content so, in effect, his peach trees could water themselves. He halved water use and increased yield 40%.
Water surplus in Israel? With desalination, once unthinkable is possible
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3039594/posts
Israel shows off plants on water day [2007]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1805675/posts
Israeli firm to build desalination plants in Carribean and Australia & cut costs in half [2002]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/812580/posts
Israel signs two franchise agreements for water desalination (& arms for water deal with turkey) [2002]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/791285/posts
Work starts on small desalination plant in south [2002]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/788053/posts
meanwhile:
Strategy of water desalination in the Gaza Strip [2009]
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/2164460/posts
U.S. to fund desalination plant for Palestinians near Hadera [2004]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1338978/posts
You’re not the only one who feels that way. Back in the 1980s, an Egyptian diplomat said, “Egypt is the only real nation-state in the Middle East. The rest are just tribes with flags.”
I’m guessing that’s why Islam never caught on in Hawaii. Not only is it a tropical paradise, they have too many interracial marriages to suit Moslem tastes.
I hadn’t heard about that. Thank you for the information.
“I’m guessing that’s why Islam never caught on in Hawaii. Not only is it a tropical paradise, they have too many interracial marriages to suit Moslem tastes.”
Don’t forget the difficulty of convincing a Hawaiian women to submit to genital mutilation to be Muslim.
Rumors that the last real “Long Pig” luau had a Muslim as guest of honor are as yet unsubstantiated.
However, the hostess had been approached by a know Muslim who has been reported missing .
;-)
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