The world is marking the first Nelson Mandela International Day (July 18) to commemorate the birthday of South Africa’s first black president, who turns 92 today Sunday July 18. Happy birthday and best wishes to a great man.
A concise history of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela according to WikiPedia. “Born 18 July 1918, served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison. Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president from 1994 to 1999, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation.”
“In South Africa, Mandela is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan.”
“Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.”
Usually kept under the radar - domestic violence in Brazil has hit world-wide headlines recently. Bruno Fernandez had his ex-girlfriend tortured, killed, cut up and fed to dogs. The Flamengo football club’s goalkeeper is now in a Rio de Janeiro jail awaiting trial.
The video below is from Al Jazeera, here’s their report. “The brutal killing of a young woman linked to a Brazilian football star has not only made world news headlines, but also highlighted the serious problem of domestic violence in the country.”
“Brazil currently ranks 12th in the world for murders of women.”
“A study by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, a Geneva-based non-governmental organisation, says one in four women in the country will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetime.”
“In 70 per cent of the cases, women are beaten inside their homes. And 40 per cent of the time, the incident results in serious injury.”
“Victims say the authorities are often slow to react.”
Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo reports from Sao Paulo. (July 17, 2010)
“I bear no malice towards the man who shot me.” Those are the incredible words PC David Rathband who sustained painful life-threatening injuries when Moat shot him in the face. PC Rathband is Raoul Moat’s third victim of his shooting spree.
First he shot and injured his ex-girlfriend and shot dead her new partner. Hours later he spotted PC Rathband sitting in his patrol car on a bridge in Rothbury where he fired a shotgun into his face. PC Rathband is recovering but he has lost his sight in both eyes.
“I bear no malice” he said. PC David Rathband is the type of cop we need in Britain’s police forces. Brave, empathetic, principled. He surely must receive the highest commendation.
“He was a mentally ill man under a lot of stress who cracked, and it was just the final straw. His actions, although I appreciate were absolutely horrendous, and although I wish he hadn’t gone ahead and done what he did, were a cry of anguish. It was a cry of pain. The media have been bigging him up as a kind of Rambo type character. It’s crazy.” Those were the words of Angus Moat, older brother of Raoul Moat who this week sparked a massive police hunt after shooting injuring his ex-girlfriend and killing her new partner.
The incident that triggered such a massive infusion of armed police into the 7-day manhunt was the shooting of Pc David Rathband while he was sitting in his patrol car in East Denton, near Newcastle. That incident in my opinion sealed his fate.
Two days before Raoul Moat began his murderous rampage he was released from prison. He had been serving a sentence for assault. Clearly he was a dangerous man and the police would be right to take every precaution – if only they had!
Police Fail One
The prison authorities warned the police that Mr Moat could be a danger to his former girlfriend. They ignored the advice and he was able to obtain a gun and attempt the execution. His girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart, escaped death but was badly wounded. Her new partner, Chris Brown, was shot and killed trying to save his girlfriend. These two people are members of the public the police keep telling us they are there to protect.
PC David Rathband
Police Fail Two
After the shootings Moat turned went to the home of his friend Andy Mcallister to give “his side of the story”. He went back a second time after shooting the cop.“They knew he had been to my house once – I would have thought they would have been watching,” Mcallister said.
Police Fail Three
Police knew the car Moat was driving but failed to tell the public. It was parked for a day in a town called Rothbury for a day before police discovered it. Local people were unaware of its significance.
Raoul Moat pinned down by armed police
Police Fail Four
After the discovery of the car the police threw a ‘ring of steel’ round the town but despite several sightings of him “wandering around” the police, comprising the ‘elite’ of 15 police forces including London’s Metropolitan Police (MET), failed to spot him.
Police Fail Five
After seven days they had him surrounded and pinned down in a field. Moat had been in one position, open to the elements for six hours but the cops lost patience. It seems they got fed up with negociating and decided to Tasered Moat twice. It has been suggested that the shock from the Taser caused him to involuntarily pull the trigger on his gun. He died directly after the Taser attack.
Is the police force structure fit for purpose?
Gloucester, Ipswich, Soham, Whitehaven, and Birtley in Tyne & Wear…. what they have in common is they are all the site of one or more particularly unpleasant murders…. that for days and sometimes weeks captured lurid headlines in the nation’s redtops. Each of these crimes left a legacy if not of police incompetence, at least of police incapacity as to varying degrees the local force was overwhelmed by the demands placed on it.
The United Nations has declared Tasers as “instruments of torture” and yet the British government issue them to the Police, Prison Service and Military.
Moat was a violent man, he was dangerous and he was also clearly a mentally ill man. The cops killed him by Taser and I bet the order came from above. The British police have too much power, power that they do not have intellect to handle responsibly.
Placing oil booms in a vain attempt to stop the spill reaching the coast.
On June 29 The Duck Shoot broke the story that the Obama administration was preventing access to areas where thousands of sea creatures were dead and injured. The question asked was why the US government cover-up?
I got the story from an American guy that I met on a short break. This ban is not new! The US Coastguard and BP officials have been obstructing the first amendment rights of both individuals and newsmen for over a month. Now it has official backing from Obama’s government, now with severe penalties too!
Watch the CNN video where Anderson Cooper discusses how the Obama administration is limiting access to the media to areas affected by the BP Macondo well spill.
The Dalai Lama, 75 today, has been exiled from Tibet for over 50-years and yet continues to teach peace and love to the world.
In contrast to so many world leaders, and indeed many religious leaders as well, he sets an example of non-violence and compassion. His peaceful resistance to his detractors is a lesson to us all.
Now we have a chance to send a birthday tribute to him to show our appreciation. It will be delivered personally to him on a “wall of warm wishes” outside the temple in Dharamsala and broadcast around the region. Here’s the link to add your tribute:
The Avaaz community, the organisers of this tribute, has been supporting radio stations, bloggers, and censorship avoidance technologies to ensure information comes in and out of closed Tibet.
They are working with these partners in the coming days to ensure our global birthday messages of hope, gratitude and encouragement from around the world reach hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and Chinese.
I’ve had the files and notes for this article tucked away on my hard drive for moths now. Like so many articles that are sitting there waiting for completion there always seems to be more urgent issues preventing me from getting them finished. I may come back to this issue in detail at a later date but for now I offer you a brief insight into my thinking and leave you to enjoy the audio clips below.
As you may realise from my writings I am very suspicious of government use of legislation to protect my liberty. By definition that means your liberty also. The ‘Terrorism Act’ in force in the United Kingdom has done more to reduce individual rights than any terrorist or group of terrorists. United States’ citizens are also experiencing less liberty as well, it’s probably worse in the US than here in the UK. The legislation and over zealous enforcement of it has given victory to the terrorists.
The following clips are taken from George Galloway’s ‘Mother of all Talk Shows’ where he debates the issue of airport security with Philip Baum of ‘Aviation Security’. Both make some very good points and I agree and disagree with some of their opinions.
There is a “depressing”survey result going viral on the Internet that shows that only 74% of Americans know why they celebrate ‘Independence Day’ on the 4th of July.
The flag of the USA
There is a “depressing”survey result going viral on the Internet that shows that only 74% of Americans know why they celebrate ‘Independence Day’ on the 4th of July.
So just to help out some the 26% who haven’t a clue here’s the answer. You gained Independence from Great Britain and it’s tyrannical King after a successful and bloody rebellion.
I suppose that could be described as depressing considering the importance that Americans attribute to that particular day. But I don’t think citizens of other countries would do any better if asked about important national celebratory days.
The real concern is that both home and abroad the ‘Independent’ republic has become tyrannical itself. This is despite having the Constitution provided and signed by the founding fathers.
Typical damage to Gaza by the terrorist Israeli military.
The International community pledged $7.7 billion at an aid conference in Paris to Palestinians. That was three years ago but although the promised money has been delivered the Israeli siege is preventing the construction, repair and reconstruction of projects in Gaza.
The terrorist Israeli government blockade is preventing housing, schools and hospitals from being built in the war ravaged country. Roads need repair, building materials are desperately needed for reconstruction of bombed builds.
But Israel won’t allow free movement of the materials either by road or sea. Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston brings you this video highlighting the problem.
The shorelines are littered with thousands of dead fish and birds. A thick carpet of foul-smelling sludge covers acres of beaches and marshland. The ruptured deep sea oil well continues to gush thousands of barrels of this deadly pollutant every hour – largely unabated.
BP oil rig fire after explosion that killed 11 oil workers
So where are the pictures to support the above statements? Apart from the same footage of the deep-sea gush that gets re-run by TV news channels every day there are few.
Reporting is strictly controlled by the authorities. Only residents, cleaning personnel and officials are allowed into the worst-hit areas. Anyone entering these areas have all recording equipment – camcorders, cameras and cell phones – confiscated.
The media is strictly prohibited from entering and filming areas that are ‘restricted’. So, in order to fool the public, the true extent of this catastrophe is hidden from news crews who are escorted to ‘permitted’ zones only.
So why is the US Government censoring this information? It cannot be kept under-wraps forever.
Are they hoping to clean-up in secret so that the truth never gets out? That’s obviously the plan at the moment but unless they cordon off a whole chunk of the United States for decades this subterfuge will be exposed eventually.
Was the government complicit in allowing basic safety precautions to be ignored? The oil lobby is powerful and many government officials and politicians are corrupt so that question is, I think, rhetorical.
This totally avoidable disaster is not just an ‘American’ problem – it’s global. Even if the pollution is localised there is no guarantee it won’t happen again. Deep sea drilling is still happening and Shell has declared that it will not halt exploration and the sinking of wells in deep water.
Brazil has discovered oil off the coast of São Paulo and at least one of those discoveries is in deep water. There are plans to sink wells off the African and Alaskan coasts and it won’t end in these locations.
It is obvious that the dependence on oil as fuel is threat to our Earth and it’s inhabitants – including us humans – so we have to change. The greedy oilmen and politicians don’t give-a-damn until it’s too late so people-power has to come into play. Drive less, drive slower and look for ways to use less oil in our everyday living. It is our duty to the survival of our planet because the capitalist oil companies have no morality!
Fallujah, Iraq. City destroyed and occupants massacred.
The UK government says the cost the war and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan has passed £20bn (approx. 30bn USD).
The money has been spent on military operations, aid and security for UK officials. The twenty billion pounds does not include troops salaries and care for the wounded so the final cost will be much higher.
Add to this the millions on Trident and you have to ask, ‘does the government care about the desperate state of the economy here in Britain?’.
How many hospitals, schools and social housing projects would £20bn buy? How many of our young could have been educated to an improved standard with a fraction of that sum? How many of Britain’s poor could have been lifted out of their poverty?
The two wars are a crime in themselves, a crime against the Iraqi and Afghan people and a crime against the British taxpayer*. A crime against all troops who have died and been injured in these wars.
*Everyone pays tax in the UK, the unemployed, ‘illegal’ immigrants, the aged, children and the abysmally low-paid. Think about that statement! Am I wrong – challenge me.
Unidentified crowd being assassinated from the air:
Although these videos are of the US forces, the British forces and mercenaries (private contractors) were also guilty of war crimes in Iraq and I fully expect there will be more evidence emerging in this regard from both Iraq and Afghanistan.
I have just received news that the Israeli butchers killed many more activists than the Israelis claim and at least four injured activists were thrown into the sea. Eight of the dead accounted are Turkish and the ninth is American of Turkish origin.
Kevin Ovenden, a friend of mine who was on the Mavi Marmara, returns to British soil Saturday June 5.As soon as I have more information it will be added here.
38 Degrees has set up a petition to the UK Government. Please add your name to call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and a full investigation into the attacks.
Israelis celebrating attack on Turkish Aid Ship – in front of the Turkish Embassy, Tel Aviv, Israel. Their blood lust is obvious from these pictures.
There is no justification for the total blockade of Gaza, surely, not all Jews support it or the atrocities committed towards Gaza. Now the Israeli military has attacked the humanitarian flotilla and murdered nine peace activists who at worst were only armed with sticks.
The joy these particular Jews are showing in this video is nothing short of discusting.
Following Israel’s raid on a convoy of aid ships bound for Gaza, the UN Security Council has agreed a statement. The Turkish ambassador made a statement that not only reflected the true gravity of the violation of International law and human rights but his version should have been accepted.
The USA amongst others insisted on watering down the condemnation to the version published here.
The UN statement in full:
The Security Council deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the convoy sailing to Gaza. The Council, in this context, condemns those acts which resulted in the loss of at least ten civilians and many wounded, and expresses its condolences to their families.
The Security Council requests the immediate release of the ships as well as the civilians held by Israel. The Council urges Israel to permit full consular access, to allow the countries concerned to retrieve their deceased and wounded immediately, and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance from the convoy to its destination.
The Security Council takes note of the statement of the UN Secretary-General on the need to have a full investigation into the matter and it calls for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.
The Security Council stresses that the situation in Gaza is not sustainable. The Council re-emphasizes the importance of the full implementation of Resolutions 1850 and 1860. In that context, it reiterates its grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stresses the need for sustained and regular flow of goods and people to Gaza as well as unimpeded provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.
The Security Council underscores that the only viable solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an agreement negotiated between the parties and re-emphasises that only a two-State solution, with an independent and viable Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours, could bring peace to the region.
The Security Council expresses support for the proximity talks and voices concern that this incident took place while the proximity talks are underway and urges the parties to act with restraint, avoiding any unilateral and provocative actions, and all international partners to promote an atmosphere of cooperation between the parties and throughout the region.
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