Barack Obama the Indoctrinator

Info  PR: ?  I: ?  L: ?  LD: ?  I: ? Rank: ?  Age: ?  I: ?  whois source Robo: ? Sitemap: ?  Rank: ?  Price: ? Links: 10|3 Density

Barack Obama has been accused of indoctrinating clueless high-school kids by urging them to study hard, to make a better future for themeselves and for their country.

In most countries, a leader would be praised for encouraging youngsters to look to their future, by spending time on their studies. But not so, it seems, in America. Telling the kids to work hard appears to be treated as telling them to support Obama's political agenda. The feelings are not feigned but seem to be genuinely felt outbursts by concerned parents.

It must be a mystery to outsiders how such a speech to high-school children can be viewed in this way.

What was Obama supposed to tell them about their school studies? Just enjoy yourselves and all will be OK? What could these aggrieved parents be thinking?

Kadeer's Conditions of Love Not Welcomed By Chinese Authorities

Image via Wikipedia

The documentary Ten Conditions of Love about the Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, by Australian documentary-maker Jeff Daniels, has caused the Chinese authorities to withdrew four films from the Melbourne International Film Festival.

The protest of the Chinese authorities is further underlined by the hacking of the Festival's website. The site was plastered by the Chinese flag and anti-Kadeer slogans. It is reported that the cyber attack has been traced to a Chinese internet address.

China is at odds with Kadeer and blame her for inciting the unrest in the Uighur region of Xinjiang. She denies the allegation. It is unclear how it is said that she incited the riots. Kadeer was, and is, no doubt a thorn in the side of the Chinese authorities. She was jailed in China for six years and went into exile in 2005. She now lives in the US.

The Chinese have also put pressure, unsuccessfully, on the Festival head to withdraw the documentary as well as the invitation to Kadeer to attend. The festival organiser has been outraged and proclaims the festival's independence. The documentary is due to be screened on 8 August.

In 2004 Rebiya Kadeer was given the Rafto Prize for human rights.




Technorati Tags: china, uighur, rebiya kadeer, melbourne international film festival, xinjiang

Michael Jackson Dies But the Legend Lives On

The world is in continual turmoil, with daily news of death, destruction and displacement in Pakistan, and Iraq, hardline anti-dissent crackdown in Iran, and the ever explosive situation between Israel and Palestine.

Yet we have been gripped by the news of the death of a singer - Michael Jackson, King of Pop. Are we losing our priorities? I think not.

Michael Jackson was an icon. Amongst the mundane cruelties and injustices surrounding us, there has to be a time to admire or at least to pay heed to the unusual creative talent of someone like Michael Jackson.

He stood head and shoulders high above the rest. He was indeed rightly crowned the King of Pop. Though relatively quiescent in recent years, he was the standard-bearer, he was the one who set and breached the limits. His acts were perhaps outrageous at times, but the artistry was inherent. He was not to be ignored. He was a true cultural icon.

His personal life sems tragic, despite the wealth he was able to amass and dissipate. His mysterious physical transmogrifications, albeit born out of some illness, were mesmerising. He was not quite human, by which I mean he was somewhat surreal.

His passing at a relatively young age simply solidifies the legend that he had become and which will remain with us.

Technorati Tags: michael jackson, king of pop, pop music icon, death of michael jackson

Barack Obama Arrives in the Middle East

Image by Shabbir Siraj via Flickr

President Barack Obama is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, en route to Cairo.

There is no doubt that this is an important mission, and may well be pivotal in turning the tide in Arab/Muslim-American relations. He will be making a much anticipated speech in Cairo. The Muslim world senses that Obama is sympathetic to their feelings and aspirations, and is looking forward, if tentatively, to more concrete actions.

For too long, the US has been totally indulgent to Israel, right or wrong. And when it was wrong, many lives in the Middle East were the price that had to be paid. The Arab world, as well as other Muslim nations and peoples, have felt discriminated against, slighted, side-lined, brushed off and even demonised. These have become deep-seated feelings of mistrust of the US.

This is a time of repairing the damage that has been inflicted by the Bush administration. This seems to be Obama's objective, but whether he can deliver remains to be seen.

*picture shows the Prophet's Mosque, Al- Masjid al-Nabawi, in Medina, Saudi Arabia

Air France Plane Crash Still a Mystery

It now seems quite certain that Air France Flight 447 crashed into the sea off the coast of Brazil. Something drastic, catastrophic, happened to the plane before it went down.  There is a theory that, because of the state of the debris found in the sea, the plane might even have broken up before going down.

Nothing is certain until the plane's black box is found, but hopes of finding it are not high.

There is no indication that the flight had any technical problems before taking off from Rio de Janeiro.

Amongst the passengers was a Spanish lady on her way back from her honeymoon in Brazil. She was travelling on the plane by herself as she wanted to visit her family in Spain, while her husband went directly back to their home in Dubai.

Technorati Tags: air france crash, air france flight 447, plane crash

Charity Founding Members Sentenced to 65 Years

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Two founding members of the charity organization The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development were sentenced to serve 65 years in prison. They and 3 others were charged with funding programs for schools and social welfare controlled by Hamas.

Schools are for the education of children, and social welfare is to help those in need. In places where people are leading desperate lives, and where the society is in perpetual economic turmoil, offering help through charity is normally considered to be a laudable act.

Were these charity organizers seeking to help children in need of schooling and those desperate for welfare, or were they intending really to render aid to a terrorist group that they should deserve such punishment?

Aung San Suu Kyi's Trial | John Yettaw Gives Evidence of Divine Vision

Image via Wikipedia

John Yettaw had a divine vision to save Aung San Suu Kyi.

Yettaw told the court that he had a dream of a terrorist plot to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi. In order to warn her, he travelled all the way from Missouri. He said God asked him to go to Myanmar to deliver the warning to her and to the government, which in his vision, was blamed for the assassination.

Yettaw, a 53 year-old Mormon,insisted on his story of divine inspiration.

On May 4, he swam across a lake to Aung San Suu Kyi's home, and was allowed to stay after complaining of leg cramps. In November 2008, he had also paid a visit to her house, and she reported the matter to the authorities.

Yettaw is himself charged with entering the country illegally, trespassing and contributing to the violation of the conditions of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest. It's reported that Yettaw swam twice to her house, and delivered a Bible to her. Aung San Suu Kyi is a Buddhist.

Obama Asks for Release of Aung San Suu Kyi as Trial Continues

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

President Obama has issued a statement calling for the unconditional and immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi. But no effect can be discerned from the authorities in Myanmar, as her trial continues.

The American intruder, John Yettaw, who caused all the problems by swimming to Aung San Suu Kyi's home, is expected to testify in her trial. Aung San Suu Kyi is alleged to have broken the terms of her house arrest by letting an outsider to stay in her house. Yettaw claims that he had dreamt of her being assassinated and wanted to warn her about it.

Most observers feel that Aung San Suu Kyi will be found guilty. The best that her supporters can realistically hope for is that she will not be sentenced to as long as a five year term. They have been praying for her.

Technorati Tags: aung san suu kyi, myanmar

Swine Flu Hotel Hell in Hong Kong

Swine flu has taken its toll on more than 270 people in Hong Kong. Not that they got infected - well one was - but they have been quarantined in the Metropark Hotel where a Mexican tourist was found to have contracted swine flu last Friday.

The Hong Kong authorities took no chances, and immediately confined guests and staff at the hotel. They are monitored daily for any symptoms.

The inmates are fed, but complain of the monotonous regime of rice and more rice.

Some business guests are furious because their confinement means big business losses.

Meanwhile in China, all tourists with Mexican passports are also being detained, much to the annoyance of the Mexican government. The Mexican government is arranging planes to whisk them away and China is counteracting by picking up Chinese citizens from Mexico.

In Mexico itself, the epidemic appears to have eased, and the government is gradually lifting restrictions by reopening restaurants.

Technorati Tags: swine flu, hong kong, metropark hotel, guests and staff confined in hong kong hotel

Professor Stephen Hawking Reportedly Seriously Ill

Image via Wikipedia

 

The world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking of Cambridge University has been rushed to hospital and is reportedly seriously ill.

Professor Hawking is one of the iconic figures of our time. Suffering from a degenerative disorder known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since he was 21, he has been seen in recent years in public mostly set up in a wheelchair, and speaking with the aid of a voice synthesizer.

Yet his illness and disability have not affected his brilliance or his prolific output and he has been widely acclaimed as one of the best theoretical mathematician/physicist. He has expounded on highly abstract questions of astronomy, cosmology and black holes in the universe.

Most people would hardly begin to understand his theories, yet his book "A Brief History of Tme" was a best-seller.

Technorati Tags: stephen hawking, a brief history of time, theoretical physicist, science

Cuban Cigars for All

Image via Wikipedia

The beginning of a new Cuban era has been made with Obama's move to normalise relations. Obama offered a "new beginning" with Cuba in his address at the Summit of the Americas.

It may still be early to see the lifting of the decades long trade embargo on Cuba any time soon, but if normalisation is to take place, that surely must be something in the works.

Travel will be eased, no doubt to the delight of Cubans residing in the US, and other Americans can also look forward to visiting Cuba as tourists. No longer (in the distant future) need Americans furtively fish out their Cuban cigars.



There is still resistance in some quarters to Obama's overtures. But to most people, the hard-line policy of the US is showing welcoming signs of softening.

Technorati Tags: cuba, americas, cuban embargo, barack obama, summit of the americas

Red Shirts Thai Protesters Give Up Fight

After two days of violence in street battles, Thai protesters in Bangkok are beginning to withdraw and disperse. Heavily armed soldiers have been out in full force surrounding the Red Shirts. At last count, there have been over 100 casualties with two deaths.

It's reported that there have been three arrests, linked to a possible bomb attack on a bank.

Bangkok has been in turmoil over the last couple of weeks. This move may spell an end, at least temporarily, to the violence. But the political situation in the country is still far from stable.



Technorati Tags: Thailand, Bangkok, protests in Thaland, Red Shirts

Italy Earthquake

A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 has struck the city of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy.

The Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has declared a state of emergency and is cutting short his travel schedule to return to Italy.

The city of L'Aquila is in ruins. More than 27 people have reportedly been killed and others are unaccounted for. Thousands have fled their homes.

A large number of buildings, including churches and a university dormitory, have collapsed. Rescue workers have arrived to look for survivors under debris. The city hospital is practically unable to cope, and people are being treated in the open air.

The scale of the disaster is still unknown as many villages have been isolated by landslides.

Technorati Tags: italy, italy earthquake, l'aquila, natural disaster

North Korea Launches Rocket

It looks like North Korea's rocket turned into a damp squib, despite its claim that it has sent a satellite into orbit and the nation is now enjoying patriotic broadcasts on their television.

US and South Korea said that no object connected to the missile had reached orbit.

Hotel Ryugyong :  another damp squib

All the usual suspects have expressed their concern as they believe that the real purpose was not the launching of a satellite but a test for a long-range missile, in breach of a UN resolution. The Security Council will meet to formulate a response.

What consequences North Korea will suffer for its defiant act remains to be seen, but it is not entirely without friends. Both China and Russia have called for restraint.
                                                                                                                                                        

Related articles by Zemanta

• Defying World, North Koreans Launch Rocket (nytimes.com)
• Obama condemns North Korea rocket launch (cnn.com)

Gaza War Crimes Team Appointed by UN

Richard Goldstone, a former South African judge, has appointed by the UN  to investigate alleged violations of international law amounting to war crimes during the Israeli attack in Gaza. Mr. Goldstone had previously acted as UN chief prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

        Image via Wikipedia

Together with team members from Pakistan, Britain and Ireland, he will go on a fact-finding mission to look into all violations of international humanitarian law.

The UN Human Rights Council said the mission would be independent and impartial. The Israeli government says it is biased. It remains to be seen whether it will offer any co-operation.

               

What happened in Gaza was so shocking to the whole world that justice calls for an impartial inquiry. There is prima facie evidence that grave violations took place and it's not sufficient for either side to the conflict to simply brush them away without a full and proper investigation. This mission is, hopefully, the first concrete step towards a proper accounting before the eyes of the world.

Technorati Tags: israel, palestine, war crimes, international humanitarian law, human rights, gaza

Related articles by Zemanta
Gaza Calls for accountability! (teabreak.pk)

Godless in America - Chaplain Banned from Saying 'God'

Image via Wikipedia

 In Godless America, is even reference to the Almighty on the way out?

The words "God" or "Lord" are banned from being used in public at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida, said the Rev. Mirta Signorelli, a former chaplain at the hospice. She resigned because she felt that God was taken away from her. She said that she and other chaplains were told to "cease and desist from using God in prayers."

The administration claimed they wanted chaplains to be motivational and not religious, and the guidelines issued were a minor administrative directive.

Seems bizarre, whether there was a misunderstanding or not, that a chaplain should have to feel so much under pressure as to resign. One has to wonder whether this is secularism gone too far.

source:  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/bocaraton/sfl-flphospice0318pnmar18,0,5601993.story

Illegal Israeli Settlements on the West Bank

The following video from CBS gives a realistic picture of the continuing occupation of the West Bank by illegal settlers.  It also shows how Palestinians in the West Bank suffer from the arbitrary whims of Israeli soldiers who decide to take over private homes for whatever purpose and seemingly answerable to no one.

When will justice prevail?


Watch CBS Videos Online


Technorati Tags: palestine, israel, west bank

The Ugly Face of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

The BBC has stunned the world by declining to air an appeal for aid to Gaza on the specious pretext that to do so it would risk the public's confidence in its impartiality.

This is the ugly face of the BBC. To maintain its so-called impartiality it sees fit to allow the suffering humanity in Gaza to to continue all the more, when by taking part in a charity appeal it could help relief the suffering. How this is "impartial" is beyond human understanding.

What the BBC is really doing is playing dirty politics and showing its unbridled partiality in this on-going catastrophe.

BBC Bans Gaza Aid Appeal - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Technorati Tags: BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, Gaza