Posts tagged earth

Wild fires in Canada Artificial rain in the US

America diary

Episode: 7

In Canada, most of the forests in Ontario, Quebec and the western provinces are under fire. Strong winds pushed the smoke along the East Coast and into the Great Lakes region. Canadian officials say that there are more than 400 forest fires in Canada, 250 fires are out of control while 6.5 million acres have been burned so far. Wildfires in the American Northwest have filled the air with yellowish-gray smoke and warned people to stay indoors and keep windows closed. After this terrible fire in the forests of Canada, clouds of smoke spread to the atmosphere of the American city of New York and Massachusetts, as a result of which the atmosphere here turned orange. Yesterday, millions of people living on the East Coast of the United States were warned to be careful in the area due to smoke clouds from the wildfires in Canada. US officials here have advised vulnerable and elderly citizens to stay indoors, while some schools have canceled outdoor activities. Some public places have also been closed in the worst affected areas. Air Quality Index warnings have been issued for Boston, Syracuse and New York, Charlotte, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina areas. By Wednesday morning, the weather had turned orange with wind warnings in some cities. This situation is “unhealthy for people of sensitive nature”. US authorities classify children whose lungs are still developing as susceptible. The elderly and those suffering from lung diseases are also ordered to stay indoors.

Forest fires burning in hundreds of places across the Canadian province of Quebec could be felt yesterday from the US state of North Carolina to the south and as far west as Ohio, leaving the air smoky and causing people to feel sore throats. US officials have issued air quality alerts in several areas and have warned that bad conditions will continue for several days, while flights in Canada and the US have been affected and people are forced to wear masks. Here in Springfield, the atmosphere is often orange. Few people are coming out of the houses. The streets are deserted. I am also spending most of my time at home. Yesterday evening a friend, Musa came to my lodgings and took me with him to the Connecticut River. Walked around downtown Springfield, quenched my stomach with Turkish koftas and lassi. Returned late at night. It rained this morning too. It turns out that this rain is not real but artificial rain that is falling intermittently to minimize the effects of the fires in Canada.

Take the chocolates, I want to buy a bicycle

America diary 32 Comments

Episode: 5

It’s been a week since I came to America, but I have nothing else to do except eat, drink, sleep, read and watch TV. It was raining for two days, so I couldn’t even go out of the house. Today, when the clouds cleared, Faisal and I went out to buy groceries. We arrived at Wal-Mart. (It should be noted that Wal-Mart is a large chain of cash and carry in America.) After leaving the grocery store, a young American girl came towards us. She was barely 10 years old. Fair-skinned, blond, hair reaching to the shoulders. She had chocolates in her hand. She stopped us and said: “Buy me chocolate, I want to buy a bicycle.”

Faisal took out his wallet and bought two chocolates worth $6 from him.

That girl was not only beautiful, but her condition was giving a hint that she belongs to a well-to-do family.

I am surprised that the name of America shines in the list of rich countries of the world and its young generation is suffering from child labor. What is the contradiction? At the beginning of the last century, the incidence of child labor was almost eliminated, but recent research on child labor in the United States shows that thousands, if not more, of children are currently victims of this situation. An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 children are still working on farms in the United States. About 100 years ago, American mines, tobacco farms, and textile factories began employing children as laborers. Till date this problem remains unsolved. In the face of unionization by workers in the United States, increasing demands for higher wages, protests, demonstrations, and threats of lockouts by railroad officials, some states in the United States are considering reducing the working class and its power. One way is to consider recruiting 14 to 17-year-old youth as laborers. Not only America but also western countries are facing this problem. Only in the state of Minnesota, 90 thousand demographers left their jobs in the days of Corona. Due to this situation, the state has more jobs and less employed people. In second place is the state of Iowa, where 75,000 people left their jobs as of December. The new legislation being introduced in both states will allow young people to work longer hours, while the working class will not feel the burden of work in case of illness or accidents, especially the young people in construction and Work can be given in meat packing sectors as these sectors have been badly affected in both the states. Efforts are ongoing and politicians with ties to big business are doing their best to hire young people to address the labor shortage. However, the other downside is that instead of giving attractive salary or wages, these children will be kept on low salaries with no benefits or facilities. It has been reported that through this project, children who have no parents or who are caught in severe economic crisis can be targeted. The moral aspects of such a situation are also different. I was in my middle age that much. Faisal asked this girl:

“Can’t your father buy you the bicycle; you will buy by selling chocolates?” “If my father wants, he can buy me 20 bicycles. He is very rich, but he says that when you buy a bicycle with your own money, not only will you realize the value of money, but will also love the bicycle bought with your earnings. You will take care of it and life will be more than that. My father is also with me. He pointed to a Mercedes with the driver’s door open and a soot-booted young man puffing on an American cigar. His eyes were on the same girl and us.

I was shocked to see and hear all this. The statistics of child labor in the United States became suspicious in my eyes. Future economists and businessmen were being produced here. A sense of responsibility was being taught at an early age. I also took out a 10 dollar note from my pocket and held it to the girl and I also bought two chocolates from her.

The girl gave me back $4.

I took the chocolate from her hand, requested to take a photo with her which she politely declined.