In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is a term used to describe a real paradoxical phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors; sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors as an act of kindness. – (Wikipedia)

I believe that regime supporters are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. What’s worse is that Yemenis do receive abuse from the regime, yet they continue supporting its sweet torment.

EXHIBIT 1:

The supposedly uncoordinated spontaneous ‘celebration’ of the survival of Yemen’s benevolent dictator after suffering serious injuries in an assassination attempt on June 3rd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1BoR8Y6Jps

The outrageous display of jubilation by Saleh supporters resulted in scores of injuries and deaths across the city as the multi-caliber offerings of gratitude were rejected by the heavens and bullets of joy rained on regime supporters and protesters alike. With near complete absence of law enforcement and a functioning justice system, victims of the celebration have no recourse for the damages they’ve suffered enjoyed.

EXHIBIT 2:

A barefooted child laborer (likely homeless) selling lemons at traffic stops in the capitol city of Sana’a while wearing a clip-on that translates into “Joyous be a people who have you as their leader”. In proper English, the sign says “We’re lucky to have you, Mr. President.”

It’s probably relevant to note that Yemen is near the bottom of almost every category of the United Nations Human Development Index. Nearly 50% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, with over a Million children who have to work to stay alive. 43% of children under 5 are malnourished and 52% of the population live without access to proper water sources. (UNDP 2010 Yemen Report)

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

After 33 years of Saleh’s rule, it’s understandable why some people feel a sense of panic and impending loss as the revolution rages on and Saleh’s ouster is all but certain. Much like a kidnap victim raised in captivity, Yemenis have grown accustomed to the tuna sandwiches that Saleh gave them as they raised his rape-children in the locked basement of his kind benevolence.

Yemenis can’t imagine life without Saleh because their long years in captivity to his regime have taught them that the only reason they’re alive, and eating tuna, is because he lets them live.

Umbrella group Civic Coalition of Revolutionary Youth (CCRY) releasing list of demands for immediate transfer of power.

SANAA, YEMEN – Youth activist group Civic Coalition of Revolutionary Youth is calling for continued protests in advance of its press conference tomorrow. The group represents a coordinated large scale body of activists supported by activist parliamentarians, civil rights activists, and politicians.

“Our membership is the voice of a diverse group of activists, local influencers, professional associations, civil organizations and tribal groups,” says Husam Al-Sharjabi, Chairman, CCRY. “These groups have each expressed their aspirations, in one way or another, for freedom, democracy, and justice in Yemen. They reject tyranny and the monopolization of power and wealth.”

On March 23, 2011, CCRY will release its charter and a list of demands at a press conference on 9:30 a.m. at the “Yemeni Writers’ Union” in Raqqas Street, Sana’a. The Coalition’s charter lists one of its main objectives as the creation of a modern democratic nation for all Yemenis to enjoy equally under the rule of law.

This list of demands also includes:

• Immediate dismantling of the current regime.
• Arrest of all those involved in committing criminal acts against citizens and/or against the public’s interest through fraud and corruption.
• A constitution that transforms the governance system from presidential to parliamentarian.
• A decentralized government that ensures unity of Yemen while protecting the unique interests of different regions.
• Full transparency.

“The Coalition must warn all factions to refrain from attempts to divert the revolution from its stated goals, or try to take custody of its methods or agenda,” says Ahmed Saif Hashed, parliamentarian, CCRY. “We hereby call on all our brothers and sisters in protest squares across the country to continue their perseverance until a peaceful transfer of power to a civilian authority is completed.”

The Civic Coalition of Revolutionary Youth is headquartered in Sana’a. It brings together Yemen’s four main youth groups – Alliance for the Youth’s Revolution, Alliance of the People’s Youth Revolution, Alliance of Youth and Students for a Peaceful Revolution, and the Coalition of Change Leaders – under one umbrella. It formed in response to the January 16, 2011 uprising at the University of Sana’a by students and youth.

However, many signs of recovery are abound in the M&A world. In 2010, Google made six acquisitions, many in the mobile app arena. Meanwhile, Yamli has been steadily growing its profile. Nearly all the items on my wish list for Yamli (noted in the previous blog post) have been developed over the past three years by Yamli’s founder, Habib Haddad, and his team. Consequently, Yamli reported last week that approximately 2.5 million Arabic words are typed daily using its service.

Given the pace of recovery, and assuming Yamli continues to do all the right things, I believe Yamli will be looking at options by summer 2012.

The interview notes that the current dialogue is focused, in principle, on the following six points (as agreed in a previous attempt at national dialogue in early 2006, which went no where):

1. Freedom of expression (including protesting) is guaranteed if done by peaceful means without violence.
2. Ceasing public demonstrations and attacks on the media to create a better environment for returning to dialogue.
3. Conducting a national dialogue beginning with the quartet committee, then to the committee of 30, and finally to the 200 member committee.
4. Formation of a national coalition government to oversee the parliamentary election and to guarantee its conduct in a free, fair and transparent way under local, national and international monitoring.
5. The President commits to not running in 2013 and reaffirms what he announced in the two-chamber meeting, that is no extension of his presidency, no hereditary succession and no renewal of his term.
6. The President is committed constitutionally to preserve and maintain security and stability in the homeland and to maintain the tranquility of Yemeni citizens.

The idea is that these are the broad strokes, with the details of what concrete actions to take and how/when to implement them being left to committees to figure out.

While the above six points are of merit, they are disconnected from what the Yemeni street is demanding in terms of immediate, tangible actions. In business terms, the problem is being defined through the eyes of management instead of the voice of the customer. Therefore, the solutions that continue to be proposed are management-centric and don’t address the needs of the market or the customer (though they make management feel better about having done something). So before the government and President Saleh loose their business, the customer need must be identified accurately so that the public can see, and accept, the value of proposed solutions.

What I find objectionable in the noted six-point framework of dialogue is that none of them directly address key grievances of the Yemeni “street”, such as decentralization of power, the use of state funds for the benefit of the ruling party and its leadership, and establishing the rule of law and justice by prosecuting corrupt officials at any level of government. It is disingenuous to classify these issues as “details” and bury them in discussions of the umpteen committees that have traditionally never been able to address these issues.

The above issues are at the core of public discontent and are directly correlated to the deterioration of the economy and the erosion of public revenues. Political and power inequities between the ruling party and traditional (or yet-to-be-created) opposition parties stem from the regime’s illegal monopolization of the nation’s resources, and its distribution/use of basic infrastructure and public funds as means to subvert and buy political allegiances from rural leaders and tribal Sheikhs. Having a ‘clean’ election under these circumstances (i.e. no cheating) may be possible, but having a ‘fair’ election is not. The regime is predestined to win all future elections unless it is stripped of the public tools that it uses unfairly, and illegally, to gain political favor and advantage.

An empowered justice system that punishes the use of public funds for the benefit of a party or an individual is a key point, not a “detail”. Prosecuting those who are known to have pillaged the riches of the nation is a key point, not a detail. Put those in the six points as actionable preconditions to dialogue and watch the impact on protests. There is a real value proposition there that can grab the attention of the public. One that is unique and significantly different from any of the cliche promises that the public has grown numb to.

An immediate, just, and satisfactory resolution to these issues first and foremost should be presented on a platter to the Yemeni street. Only then will the goodwill of political reconciliation initiatives may have an effect on protesters.

Your World Today has been following the development of Masdar City since the project’s announcement in 2007 (See Post 1 and Post 2 for background). Below is an animated video that explains the vision. Many are likening the Masdar initiative to The Venus Project.

Next week, I will be joining meetings between Masdar officials and Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment. Mirroring the aspirations of Abu Dhabi, Nova Scotia is already a North American leader in sustainable waste management, with composting rates at 200% the Canadian average, and near 100% of residents having access to curbside collection of paper, food, and recyclable waste. Nova Scotia’s Waste management experts, together with stakeholders from academia, government, and industry, are working to create an international Waste Resource Management Institute right here in Nova Scotia. The institute’s mandate will be to share the province’s expertise with the world to promote sustainable, community-driven environmental initiatives.

Similarly, Phase 1 of Masdar City included plans for a world-class institute of science and technology with a focus on graduate-level research in clean energy and green technologies. So where are those plans now? I’m happy to report that the institute was the first building to be completed in Masdar City, and the first cohort of 88 students (selected from a pool of 1200 applicants from 22 Countries) commenced their studies in the Fall of 2009 as the first residents of Masdar City! The Masdar Institute is operated in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Masdar Institute

Another plan for Phase 1 of Masdar City was to power the construction phase using renewable energy sources. In June of 2009, a $50M Solar power plant came online to power the construction of Masdar City. The 10 Megawatt plant occupies 55 acres and is the largest photovoltaic system in the MENA region. The plant was designed and built by Enviromena: a young UAE-based company whose four founding members are all Canadian!

And before I conclude this update, I will leave you with a video demonstration of the driver-less, track-less electric cars that will be the main mode of transportation in Masdar City’s ULTra – PRT system (Urban Light Transit – Personal Rapid Transit). The system is developed and implemented by 2getthere, a company based in the Netherlands.

Engadget reports that the company behind this innovative solution, Shenzen Hashi Future Car-Parking Equipment Co. Ltd., will commence building its first 186 km of track in Beijing’s Mentougou District. Below is a demo video presented by Hashi’s Chairman Song Youzhou.

Translation is below the video, provided courtesy of China Hush.

Translation:

What you can see from the video is traffic jams, what you can hear is noise, and there is also invisible air pollution. At present, there are mainly 4 types of public transits in China: subway, light-rail train, BRT, and normal bus. They have advantages and disadvantages, for example, subway costs a lot and takes long time to build; BRT takes up road spaces and produces noises as well as pollution to the air. How to develop environmental-friendly public transportation? Straddling bus provides a solution. Let’s watch a demonstration.

The straddling bus combines the advantages of BRT, it is also a substitution for BRT and subway in the future. As you all know, the majority vehicle on the road is car, the shortest vehicle is also car. Normally our overpass is 4.5-5.5 m high. The highlight innovation of straddling bus is that it runs above car and under overpass. Its biggest strength is saving road spaces, efficient and high in capacity. It can reduce up to 25-30% traffic jams on main routes. Running at an average 40 km/h, it can take 1200 people at a time, which means 300 passengers per cart.

Another strength of straddling bus is its short construction life cycle: only 1 year to build 40 km. Whereas building 40-km subway will take 3 years at best. Also the straddling bus will not need the large parking lot that normal buses demand. It can park at its own stop without affecting the passage of cars. This is what the interior looks like: it has huge skylight that will eliminate passengers’ sense of depression when enter.

There are two parts in building the straddling bus. One is remodeling the road, the other is building station platforms. Two ways to remodel the road: we can go with laying rails on both sides of car lane, which save 30% energy; or we can paint two white lines on both sides and use auto-pilot technology in the bus, which will follow the lines and run stable.

There are also two ways in dealing with station platform. One is to load/unload through the sides; the other is using the built-in ladder so that passengers can go up and to the overpass through the ceiling door.

Straddling bus is completely powered by municipal electricity and solar energy system. In terms of electricity, the setting is called relay direct current electrification. The bus itself is electrical conductor, two rails built on top to allow the charging post to run along with the bus, the next charging post will be on the rails before the earlier one leaves, that is why we call it relay charging. It is new invention, not available yet in other places.

The set here is super capacitor, a device that can charge, discharge and store electricity quickly. The power it stores during the stop can support the bus till the next stop where another round of charging takes place, achieving zero toxic gas throughout the process.

About the ultrasonic waves put forth from the end of the bus, that is to keep those high cars or trucks away from entering the tunnel. Using laser ray to scan, cars get too close to the passage will activate the alarm on the bus end. Inside the bus, there are turning lights that indicate a the bus is intending to make a turn to warn the cars inside. Also radar scanning system is embedded on the walls to warn cars from getting too close to the bus wheels.

Nowadays many big cities have remodeled their traffic signaling system, to prioritize public buses, that is to say when a bus reaches a crossing, red light on the other side of the fork will turn on automatically to give buses the right of way. Our straddling bus can learn from this BRT method. The car can make the turn with the bus if that is the direction it wants to go too; if not, the red light will be on to stop the cars beneath while the bus take the turn.

The bus is 6 m in width and 4-4.5 m high. How will people get off the bus if an accident happens to such a huge bus? Here I introduce the most advanced escaping system in the world. In the case of fire or other emergencies, the escaping door will open automatically. I believe many of you have been on a plane. Planes are equipped with inflated ladder so people can slide down on it in emergency. I put the escaping concept into the straddling bus. It is the fastest way to escape.

The bus can save up to 860 ton of fuel per year, reducing 2,640 ton of carbon emission. Presently we have passed the first stage demonstration and will get through all of the technical invalidation by the end of August. Beijing’s Mentougou District is carrying out a eco-community project, it has already planned out 186 km for our straddling bus. Construction will begin at year end.

Thank you.

Every day at 3 p.m. there will be a So You Think You Can Dance competition. And at 5 p.m. is a Fastest Feet Competition, to see who can generate the most energy by moving their feet. On Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. local b-girls and b-boys will spark one-on-one break-dance battles on the energy-generating floor. Throughout the Games, Club Energy will be measuring which country is able to generate the most power by dancing in the BC Power Smart Dance Challenge.

The Toyota TVC below features an animated showcase of the technology.

Your World Today reported on SDC’s invention in early 2008. The world’s first sustainable dance floor was installed at Club ‘WATT’ in Rotterdam – Holland. Through successful collaboration with the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, WATT sports the world’s first ‘Piezo-electricity’ dance floor. The dance floor harvests energy from the vibrations created by dancing clubbers and uses it to power the club’s own LED lighting.

The dance floor is not the only sustainable aspect of Club WATT. Dutch architect Henk Döll is the visionary behind the club’s design, and has creatively integrated the latest innovations in sustainability to reduce the use of energy and water and decrease waste production. He is a founding partner of project SDC (Sustainable Dance Club) along with ENVIU. The project aims to ‘green dance clubs worldwide’.

The Toronto branch of Halifax-based Extreme Group and Toronto-based Lollipop have been tirelessly working on this unique branding and interactive campaign for a new Toronto business venture. The edgy campaign received final blessings and was about to launch when nature decided to rear its ugly head in Haiti.

So, instead of the massive launch this campaign was about to receive, a highly subdued roll-out took place. I’m being deliberately vague here because I don’t want to spoil your first interaction with this campaign. Go ahead and click on the image below to visit HaitianPure.com (Edit – March 1 2010: website has changed to PureBlackSunshine.com). Turn your volume up, set your browser to ‘Full Screen’, then follow the website prompts and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

While I can understand the potential risk of backlash, I can’t help but wonder if the campaign (and the client) would have benefited from the publicity that would have resulted from any potential controversy. In the end, I think the client and the agency correctly decided to err on the side of safety.

Despite the quiet launch, the campaign’s viral potential will make up for the lost attention. Extreme made sure to furnish the interactive with the necessary tools to squeeze as much social juice out of the site as possible. You can add it to your Facebook or MySpace profile. You can also Digg it and Tweet it (but for some reason, you can’t Stumble it).

Regardless of the outcome, this campaign is surely heading for some award nominations (at least a Davey Award!).

Below is the report that was issued by the initiative to carry the voices of Yemeni youth to participants of the international summit on Yemen that was held in London, UK, on January 27.The report is titled “Combating Terrorism in Yemen — A Youth Perspective”. You can download an English or Arabic version of the report by clicking the appropriate image.

Midman International supported the initiative through consultations on campaigning, social media, and PR activities. A Facebook group was established and (within 10 days) became the largest Yemen-related group on the popular social networking site. Press releases were issued in English and Arabic, and were published on 7 news websites and three print newspapers.

An organized youth campaign beat the Yemeni government and was first to receive an official and comprehensive statement (in video!) from the British Secretary of State, Ivan Lewis, regarding Britain’s intent from the summit on Yemen called for by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkOk-gX7LrM

With increased attention on Yemen (following the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt of a US plane over Detroit), organizers of the initiative believe that discussions about combating terrorism in Yemen are missing a key partner. Since 70% of Yemen’s population are under the age of 25, there is a good argument that involving youth representatives is more than just good politics.

“When was the last time you heard of a 50-year old suicide bomber?” said Rafat Al-Akhali, the Canadian-based founder of the initiative. “Any serious discussions about tackling terrorism should always involve youth representatives from the problem regions.”

90 per cent of the September 11 hijackers were under the age of 30. The shoe bomber was 28 when apprehended, and the Christmas bomber is 23. The data overwhelmingly points to youth being the key target demographic for terrorist/jihad recruiters.

The report was delivered to The Yemen Forum at Chatham House, a center for international studies in London, the US Embassy in Yemen, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as a number of local and international NGO’s and journalists/researchers interested in Yemen. The report was also sent to officials in the Yemeni government who showed their interest and support for this initiative.

An interview about the initiative was published by the Yemen Times and can be viewed here.

[via AdblogArbia]