On Islam, Democracy, the West (and the Environment)
On Sunday, I was in Powerbooks reading Benazir Bhutto's Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West. It is an interesting read, shedding light on Islam which Bhutto believed to have been politicised and exploited by extremists and fanatics. It also makes the bold stand that Islam is for equality between men and women and that only Muslim jurists and tribal traditions dictate restrictions on women, such as code of dress. Bhutto also challenges the non-feasibility of reconciliation between democracy and Islam and cites bold examples of Islamic nations/states already to some extent practising democracy. I always wondered whether Islam and democracy could be reconciled. Bhutto answered my question.
In the bookstore, I was able read only some parts (and none of the end or latter parts- I stopped at "The Case of Pakistan") of the book, but from reading those parts and pieces of statements here and there, I was able to get a glance of Bhutto's rich insight on the three topics close to her heart- Islam, democracy, and the west.
Sadly, I couldn't take the book home because before I can take any book out of the bookstore, I'd have to purchase it (unless I steal it) and the book being hardbound, it is deadly expensive. I hate how I can't afford any books right now!
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Those who smoke have another good reason to quit. Cigarette litter is a matter that shouldn't be taken lightly and I am glad that the Philippine Daily Inquirer shifted attention to this topic last March 7th, 2008 ("Cigarette butts pose threat to environment").
Just one of the impacts of cigarette litter (the others are fires, ingestion by children and small animals, and cost of cleaning up) is toxic chemicals which leach out of cigarette butts and can kill small animals. Plastic pieces have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures that mistake them for food.
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Discarded butts can be found almost any place accessible to people, including streets, sidewalks, parks and beaches. The butts of filtered cigarettes are not biodegradable. The filters, made of cellulose acetate, take many years to decompose. Many of the filters end up in waterways, where the toxic chemicals that they are designed to filter out find their way into the water supply.
The chemicals in cigarette butts easily leach out of the butts, and are deadly to the water flea Daphnia magna, a small crustacean at the lower end of but important to the aquatic food chain.
To sum it all up, cigarette butts are harmful to the environment!
In the bookstore, I was able read only some parts (and none of the end or latter parts- I stopped at "The Case of Pakistan") of the book, but from reading those parts and pieces of statements here and there, I was able to get a glance of Bhutto's rich insight on the three topics close to her heart- Islam, democracy, and the west.
Sadly, I couldn't take the book home because before I can take any book out of the bookstore, I'd have to purchase it (unless I steal it) and the book being hardbound, it is deadly expensive. I hate how I can't afford any books right now!
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Those who smoke have another good reason to quit. Cigarette litter is a matter that shouldn't be taken lightly and I am glad that the Philippine Daily Inquirer shifted attention to this topic last March 7th, 2008 ("Cigarette butts pose threat to environment").
Just one of the impacts of cigarette litter (the others are fires, ingestion by children and small animals, and cost of cleaning up) is toxic chemicals which leach out of cigarette butts and can kill small animals. Plastic pieces have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures that mistake them for food.
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Discarded butts can be found almost any place accessible to people, including streets, sidewalks, parks and beaches. The butts of filtered cigarettes are not biodegradable. The filters, made of cellulose acetate, take many years to decompose. Many of the filters end up in waterways, where the toxic chemicals that they are designed to filter out find their way into the water supply.
The chemicals in cigarette butts easily leach out of the butts, and are deadly to the water flea Daphnia magna, a small crustacean at the lower end of but important to the aquatic food chain.
To sum it all up, cigarette butts are harmful to the environment!