Middle East Calling

Its all over media again..the middle east crisis hits every once in a while and leaves most thrown between the several terrorist outfits in the region and power equation among the states. Iran was on world spotlight over its nuclear ambitions until Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers inciting Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. Here is condensation of few facts and motives behind the sudden eruption of this latest crisis.

* Hizballah is an Islamist Shi'ite group that operates freely from southern Lebanon. Iran helped create Hizballah in 1982 and continues to sponsor its activities. Syria remains a sponsor of Hizballah even after its withdrawl of troops from Lebanon in 2005 and is host to Hamas leaders.


* Hamas is a Palestinian (West bank and Gaza) extremist group founded in 1987 and known for suicide bombings against Israel. It is presently the ruling Palestinian party.

* Iran is torn between its President Ahmadinejad and its supreme leader Ayatullah Khamenei. Ahmadinejad has close relation with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps - an extremist militia outside Iranian state funded by private instituions called bonyads. These together are the patrons of Iran's external terrorist organization, Hizballah. Iran has become stronger in the region since elimination of its enemies -Taliban and Saddam Hussein by the US.

A popular theory contributes Iran to starting the present crisis. Iran wanted to come off the world spotlight on nuclear negotiations and riled up the Israelis. Hizballah could not have crossed the border into Israel without approval from Iran, not that they needed any justification to strike Israel. Israeli retalitation by bombarding Lebanon and Gaza was not expected though against its usual stance of negotiating a huge no of prisoners for one or two of Israelis. Its newly elected Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is said to be influenced by President Bush in "no negotiations with the terrorists". Olmert's government is also using this opportunity to destroy Hamas's homemade 'Qassam rockets' which it had been firing into Israel from Gaza. Together, this makes for a hot summer in the mid- east.

Implants get going

In the July10 '06 issue of C&EN there is a report of the finnish firm -Inion which started in 2000 going big on the body implants. The product are sets of plates and screws to treat fractures in bones of face, jaw and skull; products designed to treat breaks in wrists, ankles, feet; products for sports medicine - biodeg spinal fusion system for spinal care among other products for orthopedic industry.

The concept is using biodeg polymers for implants instead of the currenty used metal implants since there is always a surgery required to extract the metal. The earlier showdown with these polymers were their lack of strength to hold the bones and were limited to use as pins and screws in minor surgery. But now, biodeg polymers such as glycolic acid, lactic acid and trimet-carbonate are blended (just like in technical polymer industry) to achieve the perfect rate of egradibility and strength required. Inion's latest product - Optimaplus uses plasticisers such as NMP (N-methyl pyrrolidone) to accelerate bone healing. It is currently running clinical trials to prove that use of NMP enhances bone healing upto 50%

This success only proves how we can extend from the polymer industry concepts to customize products for use in our body.

Embracing Islam (or not) - both sides of atlantic

While US is currently fighting a 'war on terror' against the radical islamic states, the muslims at home are quite comfortably ensconced as against those in European states (French riots, Danish cartoons..) where there are increasing riots and restlessness among the muslim immigrants and the natives. EU is home to 20 million muslims while US is home to 4-7 million muslims. A look at basic differences in embracing Islam between the two sides of atlantic reveals some facts (Economist-June 06)

Europe fails to give newcomers decent economic life due to highly regulated labor laws. In America it is easier for a newcomer to get work and hard to claim welfare as against Europe.

Europe has volatile muslim underclass which is poor and from hungriest, angriest parts of muslim world (France and Netherlands having North African muslims, Germany- Turks) while American muslims are from south Asia or Iran or black American converts which lack any personal link to heartland.

Europe is agnostic and exhibits exclusionary nationalism. France's strict approach of banning muslim children from wearing head scarves as compared to America's political culture which places importance on right to religious difference provides better environment for assimilation.

The merit of American system is the freedom of speech on almost anything other than laws passed by elected lawmakers with a legal culture which enables people to fight back if their rights are infringed through Civil Liberties Union. This free speech culture and religious tolerance provides better for co-existence.