Rehearsal at ESMAE with Álvaro Salazar

Today I went to a rehearsal at ESMAE (Superior Scholl of Music and Performing Arts - Porto) where two creations of two of my ex-professors, Jorge Peixinho (unfortunately death after longtime) and Álvaro Salazar (pictured), were played.

Peixinho's Fantasia-Impromptu is plenty of his personal poetics and unique genius that inspired all generations of portuguese "avant-gardistes". Portugal stills not capable of honouring him as a great musicien and great creator he was. Portugal always favoured bastards and corrupts, so there's little surprise when Peixinho died by an heart stroke almost in oblivion, "buried" in a minor town (his own town).

Álvaro Salazar's Noturno em Lizara (2009) is a short slice of quit abstract music where the composer combines great inspiration with a kind of contemplating pace. Amazingly this old man, who can actually hardly get a sight of myself (him lost about 75% of his vision), know very well how his music should sound and lead the musiciens to some sort of very interesting achievement.

Later on, at concert, we were given versions of two XX century's major classics: Luciano Berio's Sequenze VIIB and Pierre Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double, the former for sax solo, and the later for saxo and tape. Gilberto Bernardes was the inspired sax player.

Note: I never wrote Álvaro Salazar's name on my curriculum because (unfortunately) I went to very few of his (great) classes...

Dereliction of duty, errors, conflicts of interest

Blame for Britain's banking implosion is now being spread far and wide. Latest in the firing line are auditors Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young and PwC who are accused by a House of Lords committee of a 'dereliction of duty' in not sharing vital information with regulators.

This comes hot on the heels of a working paper from the Bank of England earlier this week which focused on the serious errors of the credit rating agencies and their conflicts of interest. dailymail

A new dawn for transgenic in Europe

Approval of the Amflora potato could signal a fresh approach to genetically modified organisms.

The European Commission last week approved Amflora — a genetically modified (GM) potato developed by German chemical company BASF. The potato — engineered to produce a form of starch that is better for some industrial purposes in, for example, paper manufacturing, adhesives and textiles — is the first GM crop to be approved for cultivation in the European Union (EU) for 12 years. Monsanto's MON 810 maize (corn), which is engineered to be resistant to the European corn-borer caterpillar, was licensed in 1998. nature

Note: the undemocratic EU's officials did aprove, this weeck, transgenic food in EU, depite knowing that european people would refuse it, if asked. Maybe some lobby bribed them...

With stoicism a nation rallies

Less than 24 hours after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami struck north-east Japan, destroying much of its infrastructure, a hard-hat army descended on the damage like antibodies around a virus. This weekend, hundreds of miles of once warped and buckled motorways are again open to traffic. independent


Japan pays 'suicide squads' fortunes

Four reactors at stricken plant to be decommissioned

Subcontractors offered £760 a day - 20 times going rate - to brave radiation levels but some refuse

One expert who designed reactor says race to save reactor two is 'lost'

Radiation levels in sea water 3,335 times higher than normal

Readings are almost three times worse than last week

Unmanned drone photographs plant from the air amid health fear for pilots

American robots dispatched to help containment efforts

dailymail

Missing Libya woman spurs reporters

Eman al-Obeidy hasn't been seen since she accused Gadhafi troops of a horrible assault. yahoo/thecutline


Syrian police shoot nine people dead

• Six die in assault on mosque in southern city of Deraa

• Activists call for mass demonstration on 'Dignity Friday'

guardian


Note: the most upset of all is that those Iranian's mullahs did break the very first and hopefully middle east uprising against those macabres dictators and their odd and unfair feudal system. They used the most vicious ways to successfully breakdown iranian protesters. Last year Iran did more than 250 executions.

Uncertain Times

During this time, however, Portugal's government will need to borrow more money. From now until June, some €9.2 billion ($13 billion) of sovereign debt needs to be refinanced on the markets, of which €4.2 billion is due in April alone. Borrowing, however, might become unbearably expensive for the transitional government. spiegel


Bailout request seen as 'inevitable'

Bailout request seen as 'inevitable' following prime minister's resignation after failure to push through austerity measures. guardian

Note: the portuguese problem is the "legal corruption". Most of portuguese people struggle to. Politicians, magistrates, diplomats and so on, are the ones who can afford some luxury, because they are the ones whom still get great retirement pensions (keep in mind that the minimum wage in Portugal is less than 500 euros but politicians, magistrates, top militars, diplomats and catedratic professores, among others, can easly get 5000 or 6000 euros - 14 months a year - as retirement pension: where going Portugal get the money to still paying all live long for those ineffective people?! - think at unrelying portuguese justice system, at junkie level of some portuguese superior courses, at those ridicule portuguese diplomats, and, by the way, is you who want the portuguese army to go along with to war zones like Iraq?), and some were embroiled (helped by the bankers, of course who won big profits) in the corruption big businesses, where the public money went towards theirs offshore acounts. Romenia and Bulgaria are worse? I' m not sure: the "legal corruption" in Portugal go through absolutely legal contracts with obscure clausules which give always guaranteed huge profits to the companies choised by the government, and it went up to billions euros. I'm not at all sure that Romenia and Bugaria are more corrupts than Portugal. Anyway they will be the same huge problem to the eurozone, if they suced to enter it.

But corruption is not a concern to EU's officials. They just are concerned at compelling the portuguese government to change labour laws instead of to compel it to change laws to tackle the "legal corruption" that ruined the country.


Fears of 'Lehman-style' tsunami

The Greek debt crisis has spread to Spain and Portugal in a dangerous escalation as global markets test whether Europe is willing to shore up monetary union with muscle rather than mere words. telegraph

Note: Paul Krugman said that “the biggest trouble spot isn’t Greece, it’s Spain”.

Syrian troops kill six protesters

DERAA, Syria: Syrian forces killed six people yesterday in an attack on protesters in a mosque complex in the southern city of Deraa, and later opened fire on hundreds of youths marching in solidarity, witnesses said. thepeninsulaqatar

Seeing through the fog

Killing Colonel Gaddafi cannot be a war aim, nor indeed regime change in Libya - though we may hope that happens.

Meanwhile, we should help the rebel forces. As former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind says, the arms embargo chiefly affects the rebels; it should instead be directed at the government side.

We should, nonetheless, be prepared for the possibility that the no-fly zone will not be conclusive: we could be in much the same position in a month's time as now. But that is still preferable to Colonel Gaddafi having things his own way. standard


Innocents still being attacked

One doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “They are talking about a ceasefire, they are talking about a no-fly zone, for me that does not mean anything. My people here are under attack. telegraph


The ineffectual Baroness Ashton

The ineffectual Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign affairs guru, displayed her diplomatic naivety when she sided with the Germans in opposing a no-fly zone. telegraph


Gold reserves worth more than $6bn

Libya has declared gold reserves worth more than $6bn at current prices, thought to be held largely at home. bbc

Japan tragedy seared into the world's imagination

... the way it haunts us with some of our most basic fears: Death by water. Or rubble. Or nuclear fallout.

Add to that, it's a crisis with an impact that will be felt around the planet: Japan is one of the most advanced countries in the world, its third-largest economy, its most successful car-seller and its second-most generous giver of foreign aid.

"This event has the potential to be the most globally disruptive natural hazard in modern times," said Rob Verchick, a disaster expert at Loyola University in New Orleans. yahoo/AP

Gadhafi vows 'long war'

TRIPOLI, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi vowed a "long war" against the international military force that struck at his forces with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles that shook the Libyan capital early Sunday with the sound of explosions and anti-aircraft fire. In the capital of the rebel-held east, the Libyan leader's guns appeared to go silent. yahoo/AP


Bodies crowd Benghazi morgue

At least 24 bodies of fighters and civilians, many burnt beyond recognition, lay in the morgue of Benghazi's main hospital on Sunday.

The hospital's wards were filled with men, women and children wounded in Saturday's assault by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces on the rebels' eastern stronghold. independent


Gaddafi's tanks have reached the centre of Misrata

1.31pm: Reuters are now reporting that Gaddafi's tanks have reached the centre of the rebel-held city of Misrata.

"Two people were killed so far today by snipers. They (snipers) are still on the rooftops. They are backed with four tanks, which have been patrolling the town. It's getting very difficult for people to come out," one resident, called Sami, told Reuters by telephone.

"There are also boats encircling the port and preventing aid from reaching the town."

Abdelbasset, a spokesman for the rebels in Misrata, told Reuters: "There is fighting between the rebels and Gaddafi's forces. Their tanks are in the centre of Misrata ... There are so many casualties we cannot count them." guardian

Note: UN knew that it would happend... Did not France stop Gadaffi's war veihicles towards Benghazi and this city would be now under his will.

Gadhafi strikes rebels as diplomats mull action

BENGHAZI, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi took advantage of international indecision to attack the heart of the 5-week-old uprising on Saturday, sending troops, tanks and warplanes to swarm the first city seized by the rebels. Crashing shells shook buildings, and the sounds of battle drew closer to Benghazi's center. yahoo/AP


French fighter planes are enforcing the no-fly zone

2.48pm: Sarkozy has confirmed that French fighter planes are already enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya, particularly Benghazi.

Speaking at a press conference after the emergency Paris summit, he said: "As of now our aircraft are preventing [Gaddafi's] planes from attacking the ground." guardian

Debt, Austerity and How to Fight Back

Corporate America’s unprovoked assault on working people has been carried out by manufacturing a need for fiscal austerity.

We are told that there is no more money for essential human services, for the care of children, or better public schools, or to help lower the cost of a college education.

The fact is that big banks and large corporations are hoarding trillions in cash and using tax loopholes to bankrupt our communities. the nation

UN orders air strikes against Gaddafi

In a momentous vote that could change the course of a conflict that had seemed close to a devastating end, the United Nations last night authorised military action against forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya. independent


"Libya declares ceasefire after UN resolution"

Note: rubish! Air strikes against Gaddafi should go ahead.

Japan weighs need to bury nuclear plant

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese engineers conceded on Friday that burying a crippled nuclear plant in sand and concrete may be a last resort to prevent a catastrophic radiation release, the method used to seal huge leakages from Chernobyl in 1986.

But they still hoped to solve the crisis by fixing a power cable to two reactors by Saturday to restart water pumps needed to cool overheating nuclear fuel rods. Workers also sprayed water on the No.3 reactor, the most critical of the plant's six. yahoo/Reuters

Note: those reactores are from General Motors, aren't?

Japan dumps water on overheating reactor

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese military helicopters and fire trucks poured water on an overheating nuclear facility on Thursday and the plant operator said electricity to part of the crippled complex could be restored in a desperate bid to avert catastrophe. yahoo/Reuters

Gaddafi forces bomb airport at rebel stronghold *

Libyan rebels shot down at least two bomber planes that attacked the airport in their main stronghold today, according to residents who witnessed the rare success in the struggle against Muammar Gaddafi's superior air power. independent

* with the complicity of the so-called international community...

U.S. shows growing alarm over Japan nuclear crisis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States showed increasing alarm about Japan's nuclear crisis on Wednesday and urged its citizens to stay clear of an earthquake-crippled power plant, going further in its warnings than Japan itself.

The State Department said the United States has chartered aircraft to help Americans leave Japan and had authorized the voluntary departure of family members of diplomatic staff in Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama -- about 600 people. yahoo/Reuters

Global financial aftershock

In 1923, when a strong earthquake destroyed most of Tokyo, Japan suffered a crippling economic downturn that may have hastened the onset of military rule. Yet financial markets around the world barely shrugged.

Ninety years on, Japanese cash plays a crucial role in global bond and stock markets. Despite two decades of stagnant growth on home turf, Japan is the second largest foreign owner of US government securities, with nearly $900bn of America's public debt. This time it could be the rest of the world that takes a financial hit while the Japanese economy booms. guardian

Japan prepares for the worst

New reactor blast raises fears of meltdown

Final death toll could reach 'tens of thousands'

Markets crash over fears of economic fallout

independent

Second blast at stricken Japan nuclear plant

The second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked a Japanese nuclear plant today, devastating the structure housing one reactor and injuring 11 workers.

Water levels dropped precipitously at another reactor, completely exposing the fuel rods and raising the threat of a meltdown. independent


Tide of 1,000 bodies overwhelms quake-hit Japan

TAKAJO, Japan – A tide of bodies washed up along Japan's coastline, crematoriums were overwhelmed and rescue workers ran out of body bags as the nation faced the grim reality of a mounting humanitarian, economic and nuclear crisis Monday after a calamitous tsunami.

Millions of people were facing a fourth night without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures in the northeast devastated by an earthquake and the wave it spawned. Meanwhile, a third reactor at a nuclear power plant lost its cooling capacity and the fuel rods at another were at least briefly fully exposed, raising fears of a meltdown. The stock market plunged over the likelihood of huge losses by Japanese industries including big names such as Toyota and Honda. yahoo/AP

Explosion at Japan nuke plant

IWAKI, Japan – An explosion at a nuclear power station Saturday destroyed a building housing the reactor, but a radiation leak was decreasing despite fears of a meltdown from damage caused by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, officials said.

Government spokesman Yukio Edano said the explosion destroyed the exterior walls of the building where the reactor is placed, but not the actual metal housing enveloping the reactor.

That was welcome news for a country suffering from Friday's double disaster that pulverized the northeastern coast, leaving at least 574 people dead by official count.

The scale of destruction was not yet known, but there were grim signs that the death toll could soar. One report said four whole trains had disappeared Friday and still not been located. Local media reports said at least 1,300 people may have been killed. YAHOO/AP

Note: "four whole trains had disappeared"

Europe's response in disarray as Gaddafi makes gains

France recognises rebels as Libya's legitimate government as dictator's son threatens escalation after troops take key cities. independent

Note: France is allright. UE did whats the butcher Gaddafi and his son expected: talks and no action. UE seems going to an end. Hippocrit UK would be very, very, happy (of course...), but it would be a tragedy to countries like Grece and Portugal. They were unable to create an real democratic tradition and huge statewide corruption destroyed any social cohesion. Totalitarian regimes are waiting on the corner (nothing new for them... and that isn't a tragedy to Europe... Iberians and balkanians are used, even in "democracy", for that kind of system...). Anyway a "democracy" like the portuguese is just rubish and corruption. Portuguese banks are among the main responsibles for that. They are embroiled in all corruption business system, and they are the main beneficiary of that corrupt system. BES (Saint Spirit Bank...), owned by GES (Saint Spirit Group...), is apparently the most corrupt and is embroiled in dirty deals like Portucale and submarines, namely.

Libyan warplanes strike rebels

Libyan warplanes launched fresh airstrikes on rebel positions around a key oil port today, trying to block the opposition fighters from advancing toward Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold in the capital, Tripoli.

Rebels in the area said they can take on Gaddafi's elite ground forces, but are outgunned if he uses his air power. independent

Note: they need a no-fly zone NOW!


America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebels

Desperate to avoid US military involvement in Libya in the event of a prolonged struggle between the Gaddafi regime and its opponents, the Americans have asked Saudi Arabia if it can supply weapons to the rebels in Benghazi. The Saudi Kingdom, already facing a "day of rage" from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community on Friday, with a ban on all demonstrations, has so far failed to respond to Washington's highly classified request, although King Abdullah personally loathes the Libyan leader, who tried to assassinate him just over a year ago. independent

Note: they need a no-fly zone NOW!


SAS and MI6 officers released

The group's capture is a major embarrassment to the British government and could potentially undermine the rebels' claims that the revolution, which has rippled through Libya for the past fortnight, has had solely domestic roots. Officials in Benghazi's organising committee, which is trying to organise civilian and military affairs, criticised the British team's decision to make a clandestine entry to the country, claiming it had fuelled doubts about their intentions. guardian

Note: stupid british!

Europe is doing nothing to help this people?

Another inhabitant reported that at least 20 tanks had rolled into the town and had started shelling its square. "The fighting has intensified and the tanks are shelling everything on their way," Abu Akeel said. "They have shelled houses. Now they are shelling a mosque where hundreds of people are hiding. We can't rescue anyone because the shelling is so heavy." guardian

Ten kilometres or so behind them was another worrying development for the 200 or so fighters within Zawiyah. First six, then eight, BM-21 missile launchers appeared in a tree-fringed meadow, their rockets pointing towards the town.
...
Snipers are firing at anyone who moves. guardian

King blasts banks for exploiting customers

Financial crisis could happen again, says Bank of England governor, with warning signs already of short-term profit fixation. guardian

Note: there's no anymore revolutions in Europe? (not like the portuguese's flowers revolution wich result is Portugal: the most corrupt eurozone's country)

Europeans are just stupid bastards paying for the bankers' billions salaries and bonuses?

Bradley Manning 'forced to sleep naked'

WikiLeaks suspect made to relinquish boxer shorts for about seven hours due to 'situationally driven' event. guardian


Bradley Manning may face deah penalty

'Aiding the enemy' among 22 new charges brought against US soldier held in solitary confinement. guardian

Note: US act, very often, as deeply disgusting nation. To often... Maybe because the horrendous conservative. Also because the f... conservative inside the democratic party! Manning did the most interesting thing in the last 20 years. Kill him and it will be a war.

Bad for the environment like the Republican

A bit like the Republican party, they are white, seemingly indestructible and bad for the environment. But after an absence of four years, foam plastic coffee cups have made a comeback in the basement coffee shop of the United States Congress building after Republicans began reversing a series of in-house green initiatives undertaken by Democrats. guardian


Libyan leader laughs off international pressure

Muammar Gaddafi has insisted that the people of Libya love him and denied during an interview that there have been any demonstrations against his regime. guardian

Note: hang the butcher!

Opposition leaders placed in 'safe house'

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi and their wives were placed in a "safe house" for their own welfare, but they have not been arrested, Iranian government sources told CNN Saturday. cnn

Note: Iranian's government rigged the elections and did the same as Gaddafi - the monster - against opposition and protesters.

Iran in secret uranium talks with Zimbabwe

The Associated Press news agency (AP) have revealed that they acquired an intelligence report Tuesday that shows Zimbabwe is a key focus in Iran’s covert global search for uranium, to sustain its controversial nuclear programme. thezimbabwean


Iran Courting Pariah Leaders in Uranium Search

Iran is expanding its covert global effort to obtain uranium, according to a new intelligence report from an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member nation. The Associated Press reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly expressed interest in Zimbabwe’s uranium supplies since visiting the country in April and meeting with President Robert Mugabe. bigpeace


Iran threatens Olympic boycott over logo design

Iran has threatened to boycott the London 2012 Olympics unless organisers agree to change the design of the logo.

The Iranian government has lodged a formal protest with the International Olympic Committee over the four-year-old logo, claiming that it must be changed since it spells out the word 'Zion'. yahoo

Note: "It's not the first time that the logo has been at the centre of an unusual complaint: it has been heavily criticised ever since first being unveiled in 2007, and has been compared to everything from a swastika to a stylised image of two people making love." *

* two british gays making sex (not love).

Europe's tangled ties to Gadhafi

The two elderly men were surrounded by scads of beautiful young women, but theirs was the real courtship, a pas de deux between a ruthless North African dictator and a fawning European leader. bellinghamherald

Note: "British-based corporations alone have inked deals worth more than $1 trillion in oil and gas exploration."

Hunt for Gaddafi's loot begins

With Gaddafi’s hold on power fading fast, financial authorities in the UK and Switzerland say they are in the process of freezing the Libyan leader’s accounts, while the embattled government denies such funds exist.

­Switzerland on Thursday ordered a freeze of any assets being held by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Swiss banks. rt

Note: Gaddafi, and some of his sons, must be hanged.


Did UK let Gaddafi Off the Hook?

Britain put pressure on an international court not to indict Colonel Gaddafi for war crimes despite evidence that implicated him in the maiming of more than one million people in Sierra Leone, the Chief Prosecutor on the case has claimed. humanrightsdoctorate


Tyrant’s bid to safeguard his billions Wealthy

Colonel Gaddafi was yesterday desperately trying to safeguard his multi-billion pound fortune – including a large amount invested in Britain. unitedkhmer


GADDAFI ORDERS SUPPORTERS TO HIDE EVIDENCE

DESPOT Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has ordered a mass clean-up of ­bodies to hide his atrocities and crimes against humanity. express

Watercolour wonders

No one will leave this exhibition informed of Swiss and Saxon schools of watercolour painters; no one will have been reminded of Delacroix, Nolde and Klee as experts in the medium; no one will know that, on their travels, it was the medium of choice for itinerant painters from Moscow and Madrid throughout the 19th century, or that there were Italians whose best work was watercolour. Brian Sewell in standard

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal tops 100

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has doubled its nuclear weapons stockpile over the past several years, increasing its arsenal to more than 100 deployed weapons, The Washington Post reported late Sunday. dawn

Note: US gave billions for that. And we didn't care...


Crime against women in Delhi

The Delhi policeman is a figure of legend, renowned for sloth, corruption, brutality and casual misogyny. A constable is classed as semi-skilled labour on government pay scales. Almost all the many dark detective novels set in northern India published in the last year or so have featured scenes of torture, humiliation, venality or simple incompetence set in the local thana, or police station. Most are based on true stories. guardian

Note: India is basically rubbish and corruption.

Libya no-fly zone call by France *

Nicolas Sarkozy is leading the calls for a Nato-imposed no-fly zone to be enforced over Libya to "prevent the use of that country's warplanes against [its] population".

Sarkozy, the current president of the G8 and G20 economic forums, has also called for the European Union to impose sanctions against Libya and suggested that the assets of the family of the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, should be frozen. guardian

Note: "Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the former foreign secretary Lord Owen became the first British politician to call for a no-fly zone, adding that the west should be concerned about the possibility that Gaddafi would unleash chemical weapons.

"We know that this is a person who could unleash either chemical or biological weapons, which he possibly still has. He is one of the worst despots we have seen for many a century. He is deeply unstable, and has been for 42 years," Owen said."

* fails to get David Cameron's backing...

Anyway: I cannot waiting to see Gaddafi's (and some of his sons) hanging (if Saddam did, Gaddafi must do!).

Britain sent sniper rifles to Gaddafi

Britain approved the export of sniper rifles to Libya just months before marksmen began murdering protesters in Tripoli. standard


Arms dealer's wife donated to Conservative Party

The Conservatives received a £300,000 gift from the wife of a billionaire former arms dealer caught up in the furore that forced a Cabinet minister's resignation.

Details of the donation emerged as David Cameron neared the end of a tour of the Gulf in which he was forced to defend weapons sales to authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. independent

Gasland

There is no such thing as bad publicity. But the PR adage seems to have been overlooked by the US energy lobby, whose attacks on a documentary on natural gas drilling have increased the film's pre-Oscar buzz. The attacks - including a demand to strike the film, Gasland, from contention for the Academy Awards - have brought a fresh burst of public attention to the documentary as well as its subject, a controversial method of natural gas extraction known as hydraulic fracturing. news.reportlinker.com


Hydraulic fracturing

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process whereby rock formations deep below the Earth's surface are cracked and held open with chemicals and proppants in order to allow the gas that is trapped within the rocks to escape upward so that it can be collected. The chemicals that are used to hold the fractures in the rock formation open are currently industry trade secrets, protected much like the formulas for Coca-Cola or pharmaceutical drugs are. examiner

2 Mar 2011: Mikhail Gorbachev turns 80

The first and the last Soviet Union president, Mikhail Gorbachev, celebrates his 80th birthday on Mar 2. It follows a year of other key anniversaries for the architect of glasnost and peristroika. The 25th anniversary of his accession as Soviet leader, the 20th anniversary of his inauguration as USSR executive president and 20th anniversary of his Nobel Peace Prize all fall in 2010. newsahead


Mikhail Gorbachev slams Vladimir Putin

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Soviet Union, attacked Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for grabbing political power and robbing the Russian people of their Democratic choice.

Gorbachev's complaint revolves around a plan for Putin and current Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to decide who will be permitted to run for president of Russia in next year's elections. "This is not Putin's business. It is the business of the nation. It is the business of elections. It is the business of those who will vote," he said. yahoo


Classic Russian Corruption

Alexey Navalny leaps out of his chair and draws five black circles on a whiteboard. The circles represent players in Russia's multibillion-dollar oil industry. With boundless energy and lightning speed, he draws lines and connects the dots, telling the story of what he calls classic Russian corruption. guardian

'Free Benghazi'

Libya's second city, Benghazi, appears to have fallen beyond the control of Muammar Gaddafi, with the local military defying his regime and monarchy-era flags flying from government buildings. guardian


41 years of summary executions, theft and corruption

The Libyan people are witnessing the last lashings of a dying beast. He has oppressed them for 41 years. Forty-one years of disappearances, summary executions, theft and corruption, and 41 years of humiliation. guardian

Hypocrisy goes on

David Cameron was last night accused of using his Middle East tour to promote Arab democracy as a cover for arms sales.

The Prime Minister was branded a ‘disgrace’ after it emerged that he has taken eight defence firms with him on a four-day visit to the region.
...
At the same time, Defence Minister Gerald Howarth and 50 British companies were flying the flag at an arms export show in the United Arab Emirates, also attended by Libyan generals.

Criticism of Britain’s cosy trade relations with Arab dictators has focused on Tony Blair’s Deal in the Desert with Colonel Gaddafi in 2004. dailymail


Tanks, helicopters and fighter jets

International condemnation is growing in response to reports that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is using tanks, helicopters and fighter jets to quell the most serious challenge to his 42-year rule. aljazeera

The naked truth

When the curators go on to admit that "art of the present requires no specialist knowledge; we are all experts in the present", they are in danger of explaining themselves away. If they are not experts, why are they in charge of this exhibition? Why should we believe anything they say of it or its exhibits? standard


The (british) "liberal system"

It's interesting, then, to read about the case of 21-year-old Sacha Hall, who is facing trial for allegedly helping herself to food that had been thrown out and was awaiting disposal. Ms Hall lives in a flat above a Tesco Express in Essex and last January she apparently saw the store staff throwing away large quantities of chilled food following a power cut. She is accused of joining passers-by in helping herself to some of it, including pies, potato waffles and ham. Magistrates in Chelmsford, Essex heard that the store manager had seen Ms Hall handing the bags into her flat through her bedroom window.

The police were called and Hall was arrested, handcuffed, and charged with taking £215 worth of food, in a little-known crime of "theft by finding", an offence with a maximum sentence of seven years. standard

The biggest heist of all in Inside Job

Here's the biggest story of our time, lucidly told. Inside Job, nominated for best documentary feature at the Oscars, explains how the financial crash of 2008 happened, who was responsible and how little they have been held to account. standard


How bankers caused the financial crisis

The film Inside Job brilliantly exposes the corruption in US banking that led to the 2008 crash. guardian


Berlinale Opens with Strong Political Message

The 2011 Berlin International Film Festival opened on Thursday evening with a strong message of support for the Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is facing six years in prison in his native country. Jury head Isabella Rossellini read out an open letter from the filmmaker in which he is openly critical of the Tehran regime. spiegel

Libya clashes spread to Tripoli

Security forces have shot dead scores of protesters in Libya's second largest city, where residents said a military unit had joined their cause.

While Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi attempted to put down protests centred in the eastern city of Benghazi against his four-decade rule, Al Jazeera began receiving eyewitness reports of "disturbances" in the capital Tripoli early on Monday as well.

There were reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and Gaddafi supporters around the Green Square. aljazeera


Libyan forces storm protest camp

Libyan special forces have stormed a two-day-old protest encampment in the country's second largest city, clearing the area, witnesses said.

Access to the internet was also cut at around 2am local time on Saturday removing one of the few ways Libyans can get out information about the waves of anti-government protests in one of the most isolated and repressive nations in North Africa. standard


Iran protester's death 'hijacked by regime'

Saane Zhaleh, who was killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, is being falsely described as a pro-government militia member, according to his family. guardian


F... perverts are demanding executions

Thousands of worshippers and regime-backers have gathered for Friday prayers demanding the execution of opposition chiefs whom officials say have rebelled against Iran's Islamic establishment. yahoo/AFP


Bahrain, Libya and Yemen

Reports of dozens killed by Gaddaffi's security forces, while Bahrain troops leave scores wounded. guardian

Berlusconi faces Ruby sex charge trial

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been indicted to stand trial on charges of paying for sex with an under-age prostitute and abuse of power.

Examining judge Cristina Di Censo said the process would start on 6 April, after prosecutors in Milan asked for an immediate trial. bbc


Bunga-bunga

Bunga bunga is a phrase of mock African origin and uncertain meaning that dates from 1910 if not earlier. By 2010 the phrase had gained popularity in Italy, where it was used in connection with allegations about Silvio Berlusconi. wikipedia


Abramovich is a symbol of Russia's 'rich debauchery'

Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev has launched a scathing attack on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, saying that he is a symbol of Russia's 'rich debauchery'.

Gorbachev also accused the ruling class in Russia of showing indifference to its people.

"They (the ruling classes) are rich and debauched. Their ideal is to be something close to Abramovich. I scorn this idea. I am ashamed of this rich debauchery. I am ashamed for us and the country," the Daily Mail quoted Gorbachev, as saying. dailymail

The (very) real Egypt

Former GMTV reporter Lara Logan suffers 'brutal and sustained' sex assault covering Egypt uprising

Was set upon by mob of more than 200 in Tahrir Square

Saved by group of women and 20 Egyptian soldiers

dailymail


The Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان‎ ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān) is a novel by Egyptian author Alaa-Al-Aswany. The book was made into a film of the same name in 2006 and into a TV series in 2007.

Published in Arabic in 2002 and in an English translation in 2004, the book, ostensibly set in 1990 at about the time of the first Gulf War, is a roman à clef and scathing portrayal of modern Egyptian society since the Revolution of 1952. The locale of the novel is downtown Cairo, with the titular apartment building (which actually exists) serving as both a metaphor for contemporary Egypt and a unifying location in which most of the primary characters either live or work and in which much of the novel's action takes place. The author, a dentist by profession, had his first office in the Yacoubian Building in Cairo.

The Yacoubian Building was the best selling Arabic novel for 2002 and 2003, and was voted Best Novel for 2003 by listeners to Egypt's Middle East Broadcasting Service. It has been translated into 23 languages worldwide.
...
The stories of each of the primary characters are often intertwined, very horrible at times colliding or converging with one another. Together, they give a biting condemnation of a nation that has squandered its promise and which has been forced to compromise its own principles, resulting in a corrupt and undemocratic political system dominated by a single party (the fictitious "Patriotic Party", a thinly-veiled version of Egypt's National Democratic Party), a society whose most talented members abandon the country for promising careers abroad, and an increasingly disenchanted and restive populace that has no loyalty to the government and which sees extremist Islam as one of the few viable options to counter growing poverty, economic stagnation, and a perceived degradation of morals and lack of social cohesion.

The Yacoubian Building's treatment of homosexuality is taboo-breaking, particularly for contemporary mainstream Arab literature. Khaled Diab, in an article entitled Cultural rainbows, explores this aspect of the novel, and how this can help change popular attitudes to homosexuality in the Arab world. wikipedia

People power in Iran

It is still too early to tell the ultimate impact in the Middle East of the popular uprising in Egypt. But so far the most significant ripple from Mubarak's downfall, more important than the demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain or even Algeria, is renewed opposition activity in Iran. Thousands demonstrated against the regime yesterday, the biggest upsurge since protests against President Ahmadinejad's disputed election in 2009.

The security forces have responded brutally, shooting dead at least one protester in Tehran. The call from 50 conservative Iranian MPs today for opposition leaders to be executed gives some idea of the religious Right's discomfort with open democracy.

Yet Foreign Secretary William Hague has merely called on the Iranian government to show restraint. That is not good enough. We should unequivocally back the protesters, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has done. A democratic Iran would not only improve life for Iranians ground down by a hard-line, authoritarian regime. It would also reduce tensions in the region caused by the Ahmadinejad government's endless provocations. We should support these courageous protesters. standard

Note: US... UK... where's EU?!*

* Ha! Course... that british lady...


Libyan protesters clash with police

Hundreds of anti-government protesters have clashed with police overnight in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. The protests were reportedly triggered by anger at the arrest of a human rights campaigner.

Meanwhile, Libyan state television said rallies were being held across the country in support of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The online edition of Libya's privately owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, reported that demonstrators had petrol bombs and threw stones. guardian

Sentence dictated by "a higher authority"

MOSCOW - The stiff prison sentence given to oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky at his most recent trial was dictated to the district court judge who handled the case by "a higher authority," one of his aides told a news Web site here. washingtonpost


The best of britain...

A student lay dying from an asthma attack outside a hospital after A&E staff refused to summon help, telling her friend to ring for an ambulance instead. dailymail


Not only BP

Look at this british company here and here!

Question: where are the European Union's authorities that did care so much at how to wrap the portuguese traditional cheese?


British company link to drug used in execution

The suspected source of the drug used in the execution of death-row prisoners in the US has been identified as a British company in Berkshire.

Archimedes Pharma – which is based in Reading and describes itself as a "fast-growing specialty pharmaceutical business marketing a portfolio of products to specialist prescribers" – confirmed last night that it did produce the drug sodium thiopental. independent

Note: just british business as usual...

The problem

This was the problem with the banks: it was not their funds that would be lost if they failed. standard


Seriously

A confidential report by the Pentagon says the 2008 meltdown may have been prompted by co-ordinated attacks by "financial terrorists intent on destroying the American financial system". It could have been a three-pronged onslaught: pushing up oil prices; launching bear raids against Bear Stearns and Lehman; then hitting the dollar. Seriously. standard

Death to Dictator!

The clashes broke out at Tehran's prominent Azadi (Freedom) Square when crowds of opposition supporters began chanting "Death to Dictator!" – a slogan used by protesters against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after the disputed 2009 presidential election.

Witnesses said police fired tear gas and also shot paintballs at protesters who had gathered despite a ban by authorities. telegraph

Power station to double as laser-firing ski slope

Denmark burns 54% of domestic waste to generate power, according to Eurostat data. So, Bjarke says, it makes sense to harness the unused physical potential of its vast incendiary plants.

"In a country with the perfect climate for skiing, but which has long suffered from a lack of skiable slopes, why not kill two birds with one stone?" he said.

Capping off the multi-purpose power plant will be a terrain park that offers go-carting, sailing, and rock climbing.

But what about the all-important apres-ski aperitif?

"Of course!" Bjarke enthused. "At the very top of the slopes, underneath the chimney there will be a giant disc -- housing a bar with the best 360-degree panoramic views of Copenhagen anywhere in the world." cnn

Abdullah Gul in Tehran

The presence of the Turkish president Abdullah Gul in Tehran could be a restraining influence on the way the Iranian security services deal with today's demonstrations.

Well, Gul has used a press conference with his Iranian counterpart to urge (unspecified) Middle East governments to listen to the demands of their people. He said:

The desires of people must be taken into account. In this respect, fundamental reforms must be carried out, whether economic or political. guardian

Protests in Iran

Although today's Iran protest was initially organised for the capital Tehran, reports suggest that protesters have also taken to the streets in Enghelab Square, in the city of Isfahan, and Namazi Square, in Shiraz.

in Tehran, an eyewitness told BBC Persian TV that there have been clashes between the riot police and protesters in Kalej cross.

Opposition websites report that Abdollah Naseri, a reformist activist and close ally to former president Mohammad Khatami has been arrested. guardian

Pupils are being taught religious apartheid

- Muslims who adopt Western ways will be 'tortured in afterlife'

- Unprovoked beatings captured on camera in Yorkshire madrassa


Multiculturalism has failed

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has joined David Cameron in condemning multiculturalism as a failure.

Cameron launched a scathing attack earlier this months on 30 years of multiculturalism in Britain warning that it fostered extremism.

His damning verdict came just months after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that multiculturalism in Germany had failed. dailymail

Trust Strasbourg, not our (*) politicians or judges

The European court of human rights has defended freedom of our press more successfully than MPs or judges. guardian

(*) portuguese

All assets frozen in Switzerland

Switzerland has frozen all assets belonging to Hosni Mubarak and his family, which could run into hundreds of millions, the government announced.

The move came as the former president was reported to have flown to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he has previously chaired summits, received guests and enjoyed the winter sunshine well away from the crowds. guardian

'Overconfident' IMF downplayed risks

A damning report on the International Monetary Fund's failings in the run-up to the global financial crisis has blamed "groupthink" and "intellectual capture" for the inability of the Washington-based organisation to spot Britain's looming banking crash. guardian


JP Morgan Chase accused of turning a blind eye

Madoff, one of the most respected investment advisors on Wall Street who defrauded thousands of investors in a pyramid scheme of 60 billion dollars, some of the money run by investment bank JPMorgan Chase.

“While many financial institutions have encouraged fraud Madoff, JPMorgan Chase was right in the center of the scheme and is guilty of complicity,” reads the legal complaint filed by reperzentantul losers to court in New York. financial-magazine

Assange's extradition is only the tip of the iceberg

No doubt, in the coming days, many more column inches will be dedicated to Julian Assange's battle against extradition to Sweden. His case, however, is the tip of the iceberg. In 2009 more than 4,000 people were extradited under Europe's fast-track extradition system, 700 from the UK alone.

A few days ago, four of Fair Trials International's clients spoke in parliament about their personal extradition ordeals. Frank Symeou explained how his 21-year-old son, Andrew, spent a year in horrendous prison conditions in Greece. Eighteen months after he was extradited he is still waiting for the trial to start.

Edmond Arapi described his 12-month battle against extradition to Italy where, with no notice whatsoever, he had been sentenced to 16 years for murder. Ultimately, Italian judges were persuaded that Arapi could not possibly have committed the crime and the wrong man had been convicted. He had spent weeks in custody, torn from his young family. guardian


The inhumane conditions of Manning's detention

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months -- and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait -- under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture. Interviews with several people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning's detention, ultimately including a Quantico brig official (Lt. Brian Villiard) who confirmed much of what they conveyed, establishes that the accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries. Glenn Greenwald in salon

Finger of suspicion points to Kremlin

THIEVES have broken into the studio of a film director to steal his documentary about the jailed Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky days before it was due to make its debut at the Berlin Film Festival.

Two laptops and two other computers were taken from the Berlin studio of Cyril Tuschi - raising fears that Russian agents could again be active in Western Europe. The incident also highlights the extraordinary sensitivity of the case of Khodorkovsky, 47, the former head of the Yukos company, who in December had his jail sentence extended to 2017. theaustralian


Assassination of Anna Politkovskaya

Politkovskaya's book, Putin's Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy, strongly criticized Putin's federal presidency, including his pursuit of the Second Chechen War. She accused Putin and the Russian secret service FSB of stifling all civil liberties in order to establish a Soviet-style dictatorship, but admitted that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies":

"Society has shown limitless apathy... As the Chekists have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that." wikipedia


Iranian-Dutch Citizen Sentenced to Death

Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR) - Zahra Bahrami, an Iranian-Dutch citizen who was arrested in the wake of the Ashura (December 27, 2009) massive popular protests has been sentenced to death.

Zhinous Sharif Razi, Zahra Bahrami’s lawyer confirmed the news and told CHRR, “My client’s case was being investigated in two parts. The first part concerns the 2009 Ashura events. No trial has been held regarding the [Ashura] charges, so naturally no sentence has been issued [either]. However, the death sentence concerns the second part of the case against Zahra Bahrami that involves the possession of narcotics. More than 30 grams of drugs were discovered in my client’s home after it was searched. According to the law, possession of more than 30 grams of [certain] drugs is punishable by death. The court has sentenced her to death on this charge.”

Sharif Razi also said there is no possibility to appeal the sentence. She stated that the only way to save Zahra Bahrami is [to receive] a positive response from the Clemency and Forgiveness Commission: “The drug possession cases are sent directly to the National Attorney General’s office after tried in the lower court, and then the cases are sent to the Execution of Sentences Circuit court. Our only hope is that the Clemency and Forgiveness Commission responds positively [to our request for clemency].”

Zahra Bahrami was charged with Moharebeh [enmity with God] by Judge Salavati of branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court on August 16, 2010. Her charges included: “acting against national security, propaganda against the regime, Moharebeh, and membership in the proscribed Monarchist Association”. persian2english


“How is it possible that she was executed?!”

A shocked and emotional Banafsheh Nayebpour, daughter of Iranian-Dutch citizen, Zahra Bahrami, who, according to a Fars News Agency report, was executed in the early morning hours of Saturday, 29 January 2010, talked to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today. She said people have been calling her for the past hour to verify the news of her mother’s death. “How is such a thing possible? We had requested clemency, and we have not yet received a reply. They have not reviewed my mother’s other case, either. How is it possible that she was executed?” she said in disbelief.

Zahra Bahrami’s daughter was informed of her mother’s execution through phone calls from her friends and relatives on Saturday at around 4:00 p.m. “I called her lawyer. She had not been informed, either. I don’t know where to go now, of whom to seek information. Nobody is answering me now, because it’s past business hours. This means that my mother died this morning, when I was sleeping,” she said.

“Shouldn’t they have informed her family and lawyer before executing her? We should have gone to see her before her execution. Is it so easy–that my mother is no longer in this world? Did I not have any right to see her before her execution?” said a distraught Banafesheh Nayebpour. persian2english


David Kato

David Kato Kisule (1964 – January 26, 2011) was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement. He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). Kato was murdered in 2011, shortly after winning a lawsuit against a magazine which had published his name and photograph identifying him as gay and calling for him to be executed. wikipedia


Dozens of women murdered in Portugal *

April 7 ** - Seven Embassy employees left the office for the day to lend a helping hand and paint several rooms (and hallways!) of a shelter belonging to the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV). The three story house is currently a temporary home for approximately 30 women and children victimized by domestic violence and, with all the small children running around, it was in need of several coats of paint.

This volunteer initiative was undertaken within the framework of Embassy Lisbon’s Environmental & Humanitarian Outreach Program (LEHOP). Domestic violence is unfortunately a growing problem in Portugal. Last year alone, 43 women were murdered and thousands of victims and family members affected by domestic violence. usembassy * every year ** 2009

Note - in 2010 more than 40 women were again murdered in Portugal by husbands, ex-husbands, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, lovers and ex-lovers... Portuguese laws are very soft to the killers and Portuguese politicians (both men and women) seem do not worry much to tackle the problem.


Wins UK transfer after seven years in rat-infested jail

A former City worker who spent seven years in an Indian jail for alleged drug trafficking has won his battle to serve his sentence in a British prison.

Patrick Malluzzo, 33, was held in one of India's most notorious prisons where he shared a rat-infested cell with 70 other inmates.
...
Documents produced at Mr Malluzzo's trial confirm that no drugs were found in his holdall.

He claimed Indian police denied him access to a lawyer, deprived him of sleep, burned him with cigarettes, beat him with bamboo sticks and used pliers on his genitals to make him confess. standard

The (very, very) rich French *

Interesting information published in the Belgian press: "Sarkozy came to Brussels with two long-haul ..." Yep! it takes two planes to travel 300 km. He could take the TGV...

* c'est comme ça...


Multiculturalism has failed

Berlin, Feb 5 (PTI) British Prime Minister David Cameron believes his country's policy of multiculturalism has "failed" to prevent the radicalisation of Muslims by hindering their integration into the British society.

In his first speech on radicalism and causes of terrorism, the Prime Minister said a "hands-off tolerance" of those who reject Western values had failed to prevent the rise of Islamic extremism in Britain.

He said Britain has "even tolerated these segregated communities behaving in ways that run counter to our values", a policy that needs to be revised. oneindia


Russian opposition leader detained

MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Russian opposition leader Eduard Limonov on Monday was arrested along 20 supporters after a protest rally on Moscow, RIA Novosti reported.

Limonov was detained while participating in an unsanctioned rally at Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square. He and his supporters were arrested as they attempted to hold their own unsanctioned protest near the square, according to Russian police.

For over a year, opposition groups and activists hold rallies at the Triumfalnaya Square the last day of each month which has 31 days. The protests are intended to demand that the government respect the Article 31 of the Russian constitution that guarantees freedom of assembly. oneindia

Milton Babbitt died aged 94

Milton Babbitt, who has died aged 94, was one of the most eminent, and controversial, American composers of the 20th century. Deeply influenced by the 12-tone music of Arnold Schoenberg, whom he met in New York in the 1930s, Babbitt extended Schoenberg's serial organisation of pitch structure to other parameters, including rhythm, dynamics and instrumentation, an approach that came to be known as "integral serialism".

With his Three Compositions for Piano of 1947, Babbitt slightly preceded his European contemporaries Olivier Messaien, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez in producing the first work in this new and stricter manner. Guardian

A symphony

A symphony must be like the world.

It must contain everything.

Gustav Mahler

Protests in Egypt

• 13 people have died as running battles continue
• Arrests of and attacks on journalists
• Egyptian PM apologises for violence

Guardian


BP's manipulation

BP is being investigated by US regulators over alleged manipulation of the gas market, dealing a blow to its attempts to rehabilitate its tarnished reputation following the Gulf of Mexico disaster. Guardian


To destroy artic's ecosystem

LONDON — British oil company BP announced Friday night that Russia's state-owned oil firm Rosneft will take 5 percent of BP's ordinary voting shares in a major stock swap.

In exchange, Rosneft will give BP about 9.5 percent of its shares, BP officials said. Rosneft chairman and Russian deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said the deal was worth about $8 billion. newsok

Translation: british petroleum is going to destroy artic' s ecosystem.


The country of the very, very, funtastic

Italy faces the possibility of a dynastic succession as calls grow for the millionaire daughter of Silvio Berlusconi to enter politics with a view to becoming the country's next prime minister. Telegraph

SOUTHERN SUDAN - DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Someone may wonder by asking questions as to why this piece of article is written at this time and what is the creditability of the author to do that? And you may come up with some conclusions like: He is not the president or one of the members of South Sudan legislature, this man must be on the wrong frame of mind and all the criticisms that go with it. Well, to make it clear, I am a proud citizen of Southern Sudan, who has a right to appeal and encourage all South Sudanese citizen to vote for separation. Because I believe with the sprit, South Sudan will have a clear constitution if separated; that will favor its entire citizens and its government unlike the current Slavery-style-system. Now, let me push you back to the topic “Southern Sudan, The Declaration of Independence” since it will make my separation pledge as a prime topic a bit clearer.

There must be equal privilege for the people of South Sudan to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws must be abided, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that the law should declare the causes which impel us to the separation from Sudan’s National Islamic Front (NIF), an Al-Bashir’s brotherhood fundamentalists.

As Thomas Jefferson once said “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”, Therefore in South Sudan, whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People of Southern Sudan to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their security and cheerfulness. Forethought, indeed, we shall not dictate that Governments long established and we should not be changed for light and temporary causes; and accordingly all experience that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when there is a long existence abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute dictatorship, it is right, and duty for Southerners, to throw off such a dictatorship Government, and to provide new leadership for their future security. We shall not and will not dictate ourselves, of course we’ve already been tortured by NIF, do we need history to repeat itself under different band? Absolutely not.

Sudan’s National Islamic Front (NIF) or Al-Bashir’s brotherhood fundamentalists, has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive since 1956 by seizing away their rights. NIF is taking toll to destruct us, with opportunity to fuel infighting among us (be your own witness and recall the past and current tribal wars to dispute my assertion). There never been any development in South Sudan, regardless of the enormous amount of wealth that we have. We are a nation with full pride, perseverant and dignity that if we hold the power as they, we could not have an eager to destruct them. That is what make us difference from those whom we fight.

NIF has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring it on the inhabitants of Darfur, Nubian etc, whom they misled before by enslaving them to fight us. The NIF rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions, and whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, and therefore are unfit to be the rulers of the free people.

If South Sudan will be declared as a country (I strongly believe it will be) on upcoming January 09, 2011, it will have a Right it ought to have to be Free and Independent as a State, and that all political connections between us and the North will be totally abolished; and as we will be free and independent, South Sudan will have full power like any other countries to impose War, to any other country who shall not respect or who happen to obstruct our right including Northern Sudan (if a situation allow that to occur). We will have a peace contract with our neighbors whom respect our rights as a country. We will establish trade; diplomatic relationships and links with other Nations whom we welcome and whom value our rights as sovereign nation.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm confidence on the protection of our destiny, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our prosperity, and our sacred respect. Let me conclude with some few quotes and remarks from His Highness; Haile Selassie II, a 20th century Ethiopian Emperor who once said: “That which man dreams of and to which he aspires, unless fulfilled in his own lifetime, can produce no actual satisfaction to him. It will be self-deceiving and a waste of time to advocate dialogue with those who are not ready to listen, because it is obvious that the freedom of millions is not a commodity subject to bargaining. It is better to die free than to live as slave. The ultimate resource of a nation is its people. Unless this resource is employed for the benefit of the nation, unless the latent good, which it represents, is exploited to the maximum for the common good the nation will languish, poor in spirit, lacking in achievement. Every laborer is a father; his labor is his child. Choose your project carefully and achieve is worthily. The true leader is a different sort; he seeks effective activity, which has a truly beneficent purpose. He inspires others to follow in his wake, and holding aloft the torch of wisdom, leads the way for society to realize its genuinely great aspirations”.

With this thoughtful quotes and remarks in mind; and strong urgency for free Southern Sudan, I believe you will carry unequivocal message to your voting station and make your choice a wise one. Do not be deceived by emotional speeches like the one recently made by Al-Bashir himself in Juba or Machiavellian pledges already placed by the NIF regime. Commit to separate, declare your independence.

May God Bless You all and May God Bless This Land.

Bayak Dak Guandong*

*Bayak Dak Guandong lives in Canada and released an article last year entitled “SOUTH SUDAN IS IN JEOPARDY, BUT WHO IS GOING TO BE BLAME”. You can view this article and more on his blog at http://bguandong.blogspot.com/ (in www.southsudan.net)

Note: the capital of the Southern Sudan is likely to be Juba.


Arab despots should heed events in Tunisia

The fall from power of Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine ben Ali is one of those widely unpredicted turns of events that hindsight quickly labels inevitable.

Corrupt authoritarian regimes are generally brittle and Mr Ben Ali's was no exception. But few anticipated how quickly a spate of angry demonstrations could become a regime-changing rebellion. Other governments across the region, with populations hardly less repressed than Tunisia's, will look on in fear. Guardian

Note: France, the former colonial power in Tunisia, supported Mr Ben Ali until the very last moment. One minster offered to send riot police to help shore up the regime.

Bomb hits Egypt church at New Year's Mass

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt—A powerful bomb exploded in front of a crowded Coptic Christian church a half hour into the New Year early Saturday, hitting worshippers emerging from a holiday Mass in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and killing at least 21 people in an attack that raised suspicions of an al-Qaida role.

The attack came in the wake of repeated threats by al-Qaida militants in Iraq to attack Egypt's Christians. A direct al-Qaida hand in the bombing would be a dramatic development, as Egypt's government has long denied that the terror network has a significant presence in the country. Al-Qaida in Iraq has already been waging a campaign of violence against Christians in that country. denverpost


Naga Hammady Massacre

Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7. On the eve of their celebrations in Egypt, Copts go to churches and celebrate the holy event. But this year an unexpected incident happened in Naga Hammady, in Upper Egypt, where an unknown criminal opened his fire randomly on people there after they finished their prayers and were on their way back to their homes. globalvoicesonline

Note: January 7, 2010.

Eurokrisis

The cause of the euro crisis is not to be found in the irrationality of the financial markets. Rather, it lies in the fact that certain countries lived beyond their means. A Greek train driver earns a monthly net salary of €5,000 ($6,600), and Spanish air traffic controllers make up to €300,000 a year.
...
In 2007, the Irish government had a balanced budget, and the Spanish government even had a surplus. The financial sector, on the other hand, issued loans that made no sense at all for years. The damage is considerable, but it could be contained if Europe would introduce euro bonds.
...
Since total new borrowing for the euro zone is substantially lower than that of the United States, the euro bond would be an attractive instrument at the international level. And that's particularly the case since the market for euro bonds would be much bigger than the market for German government bonds.
...
The European Central Bank (ECB) has already asked (euro-zone) member states for a capital infusion because, since the crisis began, it has bought up close to €75 billion in troubled government bonds. And who is paying the lion's share? Germany. For the time being, the shell game being played by politicians and the ECB is still working. But things will get worse when Greece and others can no longer service their debts. Then we'll have to guarantee amounts that no one could even imagine today.
...
Without the euro, Germany would have come to resemble Japan, suffering from weak growth and always teetering on the edge of deflation. Like Japan, in order to re-establish competitiveness, we would have had to respond to every devaluation of the dollar with wage freezes. Thanks to the euro, we avoided that. And that's why it's worth doing everything we can to preserve it. Spiegel


Bloomberg to Force Disclosure of Greece Swaps

Bloomberg News filed a lawsuit against the European Central Bank, seeking the disclosure of documents showing how Greece used derivatives to hide its fiscal deficit and helped trigger the region’s sovereign debt crisis.

The lawsuit asks the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg to overturn a decision by the ECB not to disclose two internal documents drafted for the central bank’s six-member executive board in Frankfurt this year. The notes show how Greece used swaps to hide its borrowings, according to a March 3 cover page attached to the papers obtained by Bloomberg News.
...
“Decisions made behind closed doors helped contribute to the global economic havoc of the last few years. Money flees secrecy and unanswered questions undermine the financial system and give some participants an unfair advantage. Confidence in markets grows with information,” he said. “Bloomberg wants the ECB, as well as the Federal Reserve and other financial institutions around the world, to end this damaging opacity.” Bloomberg


Jafar Panahi arrested (II)

Jafar Panahi (Persian: جعفر پناهی ; born July 11, 1960) is an Iranian filmmaker and is one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. He has gained recognition from film theorists and critics worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

On 20th December 2010 Jafar Panahi was handed a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on making or directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media as well as leaving the country. wikipedia

Note: Panahi is not the only filmmaker jailed in Iran.


Post-election brutality

Alexander Lukashenko and his black-shirted riot police reverted to type at the weekend, cracking heads and arresting opponents while fabricating a landslide election victory. This violent regression victimised the people of Belarus.

But it was also a striking setback for half-hearted European Union attempts to break Moscow's icy embrace and bring Belarus in from the cold. Guardian

Afghan women still suffer

Bibi Aisha, the Afghan girl whose nose and ears were cut off by her husband, was a "lucky victim" because she survived her attack and got help, a top human rights official in the country said yesterday.

While Aisha escaped her abusive family, the deputy chairman of the country’s Independent Human Rights Commission said many women in similar circumstances were less lucky.

“For sure, we have hundreds of Bibi Aishas in Afghanistan,” Ahmad Fahim Hakim said. taipeitimes


Rwanda to unveil Genocide Archive

An ambitious hi-tech project to make the Rwandan genocide one of the most thoroughly documented mass killings ever will be unveiled in Kigali today.

The Genocide Archive of Rwanda will serve as a "unified repository" for all information related to the 1994 massacres, which saw about 800,000 people killed in 100 days, mostly from the minority Tutsi population. Guardian


WikiLeaks cables: Pfizer 'used dirty tricks

Cables say drug giant hired investigators to find evidence of corruption on Nigerian attorney general to persuade him to drop legal action. Guardian


Vatican refused to engage with child sex abuse inquiry

Leaked cable lays bare how Irish government was forced to grant Vatican officials immunity from testifying to Murphy commission. Guardian


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