What if?... Just a thought...

I found this posted by someone on Twitter yesterday:

I wish if the stupid #NTC would've considered a solution 2 these families instead of giving 2000LYD to every Libyan Fam 

with a link to this picture:

The first thing that came to my mind was that when they recieved their money from the NTC they'd still live in the ghetto but they'd have a plasma TV! And unfortunately, that's probably pretty much true. They'd squander what they were given and wait for the next handout. It's a pattern that has developed for the last 42 years.

Then I thought: But what if....

• What if these people were encouraged to start micro-enterprises? 
• And what if NGOs and other organizations helped these people to learn how to get started? 
• And what if the focus of these micro-businesses was on women? 
• And what if the small businesses they started began to flourish?

Yes.... what if....

Libya's streets are a mess.. but I've cleaned up my desk!

After a busy week I'm spending a quiet weekend. Today I concentrated on sorting out my office area. My desk is finally visible. I managed to file away all my papers and dejunk the area. I'm pleased with the result.

The rest of my weekend will be spent doing laundry, a bit of gardening and possibly meeting a friend for coffee. 

Oh, I can't forget to mention that I'm also going to start reading 'The Hunger Games' trilogy. My daughter Nora is a huge fan. She's been begging me to read the books for ages and is now anxiously waiting to see the film. She even had a t-shirt custom designed by a girl she knows at university who's started a small business designing t-shirts.

A few gripes to get off my chest:

• I noticed while driving around this week that some (but not all) of the potholes are being filled in. So maybe there is hope! Keep up the work - Ainzara Road is still miserable.  

• Unfortunately the garbage situation is worsening. Huge piles of trash line the streets and roads around town - many have been set alight, thick smoke fills the air. It's quite depressing... and smelly. 

• LTT Wimax is still horrible. I paid 40 dinars, only to have sporadic Internet service and a slow connection. I feel so cheated! Almadar's Internet isn't much better. (I finally gave up trying to post this yesterday ... it's a day late!)

That's all for the moment. Have a great weekend!

NTC... we are sinking!

We've had heavy rains this year in Libya. More rain than we've seen in many many years. The countryside is green and full of wildflowers. The fields and orchards are full of bounty. This is all well and good. But there's a downside to all this wonderful rain.

The rains have made driving treacherous. The roads are full of standing water, deep puddles and in some areas the roads are in a state of being washed away. What were once big potholes have now turned into HUGE potholes. In some places sinkholes have formed that are large enough to swallow up entire cars. I'd take pictures but I'm too busy trying to avoid falling into the depths of these chasms.

My theory (one of them anyway).... if the NTC wants Libyans to feel like they are doing something right for this country, they should get busy and repair the roads! Most of us are in our cars for a few hours every day. We'd REALLY appreciate  it if the roads were safer. 

While they're at it they can collect the rubbish that's piling up everywhere too. But I'll save that for a later post....

New song for Libya