Two moans this morning…
Tanzania accused of backtracking over sale of Masai’s ancestral land
Masai told to leave historic homeland by end of the year so it can become a hunting reserve for the Dubai royal family
Tanzania has been accused of reneging on its promise to 40,000 Masai pastoralists by going ahead with plans to evict them and turn their ancestral land into a reserve for the royal family of Dubai to hunt big game.
Activists celebrated last year when the government said it had backed down over a proposed 1,500 sq km “wildlife corridor” bordering the Serengeti national park that would serve a commercial hunting and safari company based in the United Arab Emirates.
The Tanzanian government has been accused of going back on a deal not to sell Maasai land bordering the Serengeti national park. Photograph: Alamy
Now the deal appears to be back on and the Masai have been ordered to quit their traditional lands by the end of the year. Masai representatives will meet the prime minister, Mizengo Pinda, in Dodoma on Tuesday to express their anger. They insist the sale of the land would rob them of their heritage and directly or indirectly affect the livelihoods of 80,000 people. The area is crucial for grazing livestock on which the nomadic Masai depend.
Unlike last year, the government is offering compensation of 1 billion shillings (£369,350), not to be paid directly but to be channelled into socio-economic development projects. The Masai have dismissed the offer.
“I feel betrayed,” said Samwel Nangiria, co-ordinator of the local Ngonett civil society group. “One billion is very little and you cannot compare that with land. It’s inherited. Their mothers and grandmothers are buried in that land. There’s nothing you can compare with it.”
Nangiria said he believes the government never truly intended to abandon the scheme in the Loliondo district but was wary of global attention. “They had to pretend they were dropping the agenda to fool the international press.”
Source: TheGuardian Read more
Opinion:
Do I really need to say it? This smacks of pure greed and corruption.
The last thing the world needs is to pander to the likes of the Dubai royal family. They’re nothing but a bunch of spoiled brats.
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Mediterranean diet is best way to tackle obesity, say doctors
Mediterranean diets may help reduce the risk of heart attacks, researchers say
A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said.
Writing in the Postgraduate Medical Journal (PMJ), the doctors said a Mediterranean diet quickly reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
And they said it may be better than low-fat diets for sustained weight loss.
Source: BBCNews Read more
Opinion:
In my opinion, this is bullshit. Not totally, but once again the ‘experts’ are ignoring the real issue. Ban HFCS from all foods and sodas, and the problem disappears, almost.
Eco-Crap 