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Monday, June 24, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Bashar al-Assad led Syrian Army regains control of rebel stronghold Qusair
The Syrian army seized control on Wednesday of the strategic border town of Qusair, Syrian media and security sources said, in a major advance for President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the country's two-year civil war.
Rebels said they had pulled out of Qusair, which lies on a cross-border supply route with neighbouring Lebanon and where they had fought fierce battles with government forces and Hezbollah guerrillas for more than two weeks.
One Hezbollah fighter told Reuters that they took the town in a rapid overnight offensive, allowing some of the fighters to flee. "We did a sudden surprise attack in the early hours and entered the town. They escaped," he said.
Assad's forces fought hard to seize Qusair, which had been in rebel hands for over a year, to reassert control of a corridor through the central province of Homs which links Damascus to the coastal heartland of Assad's minority Alawites, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
"Whoever controls Qusair controls the center of the country, and whoever controls the center of the country controls all of Syria," said Brigadier General Yahya Suleiman, speaking to Beirut-based Mayadeen television.
Mayadeen showed soldiers sticking Syrian flags with photographs of Assad on piles of rubble spilling from shelled buildings across the torn up streets.
"Our heroic armed forces have returned security and stability to all of the town of Qusair," a statement carried by Syrian state television said.
It marked the latest military gain for Assad, who has launched a series of counter-offensives against mainly Sunni Muslim rebels battling to overthrow him and end his minority Alawite family's four decade grip on power.
More than 80,000 people have been killed in the fighting and another 1.6 million Syrians refugees have fled a conflict which has fueled sectarian tensions across the Middle East, spilled over into neighbouring Lebanon and divided world powers.
Rebels said they had pulled out of Qusair, which lies on a cross-border supply route with neighbouring Lebanon and where they had fought fierce battles with government forces and Hezbollah guerrillas for more than two weeks.
One Hezbollah fighter told Reuters that they took the town in a rapid overnight offensive, allowing some of the fighters to flee. "We did a sudden surprise attack in the early hours and entered the town. They escaped," he said.
Assad's forces fought hard to seize Qusair, which had been in rebel hands for over a year, to reassert control of a corridor through the central province of Homs which links Damascus to the coastal heartland of Assad's minority Alawites, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
"Whoever controls Qusair controls the center of the country, and whoever controls the center of the country controls all of Syria," said Brigadier General Yahya Suleiman, speaking to Beirut-based Mayadeen television.
Mayadeen showed soldiers sticking Syrian flags with photographs of Assad on piles of rubble spilling from shelled buildings across the torn up streets.
"Our heroic armed forces have returned security and stability to all of the town of Qusair," a statement carried by Syrian state television said.
It marked the latest military gain for Assad, who has launched a series of counter-offensives against mainly Sunni Muslim rebels battling to overthrow him and end his minority Alawite family's four decade grip on power.
More than 80,000 people have been killed in the fighting and another 1.6 million Syrians refugees have fled a conflict which has fueled sectarian tensions across the Middle East, spilled over into neighbouring Lebanon and divided world powers.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Snubbed! Cabinet dismisses calls from civil-society groups to sideline embattled junior minister over shop saga
Tyrone Reid, Senior Staff Reporter
Embattled junior minister Richard Azan will still hold on to his job even though civil-society groups had been calling for him to be sacked.
Azan has come under intense pressure for more that a week for his confessed involvement in the stink emanating from the shop saga at the Spaldings Market in Clarendon.
The slight by the Cabinet was announced on the same day the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) revealed that it had been investigating the unauthorised construction and rental of the shops for more than a month and called on members of the public to come forward with information on the matter.
Last week, the Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC) argued that Azan, the member of parliament (MP) for North West Clarendon, should step aside and allow a full investigation to take place. The JCSC also said that the situation showed poor judgement on Azan's part.
Anti-corruption lobby National Integrity Action called for the OCG to investigate and said if the claims against Azan were proven to be true, then it would also support the view that the MP "should either, as a matter of conscience, resign or, in the absence, be fired".
Scores of individuals have also called for the minister's head.
But, the Portia Simpson Miller-led Cabinet was unmoved by the constant baying for the junior minister's head and circled the wagon in support of their man in North West Clarendon. The Cabinet saw the matter differently, arguing that it relates to Azan in his capacity as MP and not as state minister.
While awaiting the formal report from the OCG, the Cabinet appeared to be satisfied with the retroactive actions taken in a bid to regularise the sordid affair, which resulted in the rent being paid at the ruling People's National Party's (PNP) North West Clarendon constituency office and a $500 commission paid to a third party from each rent payment.
"Cabinet notes that the issues are not directly related to the duties of Mr Richard Azan, in his capacity as minister of state in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing. Pending receipt of the report from the OCG, he will continue in the position," noted the release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Established procedures breached
According to the Cabinet, it welcomed the OCG's decision to investigate the controversial matter. However, it was prepared to accept that established procedures were breached.
"It appears that standard administrative procedures may have been overlooked in attempting to address a clearly established need for vending space," the OPM release said.
"Cabinet also notes that the Clarendon Parish Council has advised that all monies collected by the contractor for the rental of the shops, as well as receipt books, were handed over on Friday last. The council further advised that the ownership of the shops has been transferred to the parish council," the press statement added.
The matter was brought to light by a Sunday Gleaner exposé published on April 7, 2013. Azan has endured a turbulent and testing time since it was revealed that he gave permission for a private contractor to build the shops on lands inside the refurbished Spaldings Market without the approval of the local authority that owned the property.
After declining to comment last week, the OCG disclosed yesterday that it initiated a formal enquiry into the matter from as early as March 6, 2013. "We wish to, however, use this opportunity to encourage members of the public who may be privy to any information in the captioned regard, to make contact with its office at 926-0011 or dharrison@ocg.gov.jm. The OCG wishes to assure members of the public that any information received will be held with the strictest confidence," read another section of the OCG statement.
The guardian of the Government's contracts awards process also stated that the probe is ongoing and that material in its possession is currently being processed by its officers.
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Embattled junior minister Richard Azan will still hold on to his job even though civil-society groups had been calling for him to be sacked.
Azan has come under intense pressure for more that a week for his confessed involvement in the stink emanating from the shop saga at the Spaldings Market in Clarendon.
The slight by the Cabinet was announced on the same day the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) revealed that it had been investigating the unauthorised construction and rental of the shops for more than a month and called on members of the public to come forward with information on the matter.
Last week, the Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC) argued that Azan, the member of parliament (MP) for North West Clarendon, should step aside and allow a full investigation to take place. The JCSC also said that the situation showed poor judgement on Azan's part.
Anti-corruption lobby National Integrity Action called for the OCG to investigate and said if the claims against Azan were proven to be true, then it would also support the view that the MP "should either, as a matter of conscience, resign or, in the absence, be fired".
Scores of individuals have also called for the minister's head.
But, the Portia Simpson Miller-led Cabinet was unmoved by the constant baying for the junior minister's head and circled the wagon in support of their man in North West Clarendon. The Cabinet saw the matter differently, arguing that it relates to Azan in his capacity as MP and not as state minister.
While awaiting the formal report from the OCG, the Cabinet appeared to be satisfied with the retroactive actions taken in a bid to regularise the sordid affair, which resulted in the rent being paid at the ruling People's National Party's (PNP) North West Clarendon constituency office and a $500 commission paid to a third party from each rent payment.
"Cabinet notes that the issues are not directly related to the duties of Mr Richard Azan, in his capacity as minister of state in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing. Pending receipt of the report from the OCG, he will continue in the position," noted the release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Established procedures breached
According to the Cabinet, it welcomed the OCG's decision to investigate the controversial matter. However, it was prepared to accept that established procedures were breached.
"It appears that standard administrative procedures may have been overlooked in attempting to address a clearly established need for vending space," the OPM release said.
"Cabinet also notes that the Clarendon Parish Council has advised that all monies collected by the contractor for the rental of the shops, as well as receipt books, were handed over on Friday last. The council further advised that the ownership of the shops has been transferred to the parish council," the press statement added.
The matter was brought to light by a Sunday Gleaner exposé published on April 7, 2013. Azan has endured a turbulent and testing time since it was revealed that he gave permission for a private contractor to build the shops on lands inside the refurbished Spaldings Market without the approval of the local authority that owned the property.
After declining to comment last week, the OCG disclosed yesterday that it initiated a formal enquiry into the matter from as early as March 6, 2013. "We wish to, however, use this opportunity to encourage members of the public who may be privy to any information in the captioned regard, to make contact with its office at 926-0011 or dharrison@ocg.gov.jm. The OCG wishes to assure members of the public that any information received will be held with the strictest confidence," read another section of the OCG statement.
The guardian of the Government's contracts awards process also stated that the probe is ongoing and that material in its possession is currently being processed by its officers.
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Monday, March 25, 2013
Civil society seeks arrest of Rahman’s killers
Members of civil society organisations called for the immediate arrest of Parveen Rahman’s killers while demonstrating near the Quaid’s mausoleum on Sunday.
Ms Rahman, a renowned social worker, was killed on Wednesday in a targeted attack when she was returning from her office in Orangi.
The demonstration was jointly organised by the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP), and an environmental NGO Shehri. Participants in the demonstration demanded that the killers be caught, booked, tried and punished sternly, according to the law.
A few speakers also named a certain ethnic party and its local leaders, who they accused of extending death threats to Ms Rahman, and demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out into the murder.
The demonstrators said that many other social workers, whose work was affecting various mafias and power groups, were also receiving threats and demanded that protection be provided to them.
According to them, Ms Rahman had said that she had been working on land surrounding the city which was being encroached upon. They said Ms Rahman had probably come too close to the powerful mafia and land grabbers, who fearing exposure, had eventually silenced her. They said the social worker’s cold-blooded murder had shocked the entire civil society and demanded that the government take concrete steps to contain the prevailing sense of insecurity. However, the demonstrators vowed that they would continue their work despite threats for the empowerment of the poor and rule of law.
Paying tribute to the slain social worker, Prof Nauman Ahmed of the NED university said Ms Rahman’s organisation, the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), had been working at the grass-roots level to turn a major chunk of Orangi Town from a slum into an area with proper infrastructure.
Amber Alibhai of Shehri, an NGO, said that many other social workers, whose community improvement work was affecting various mafias and power groups, were also receiving threats and demanded protection for them.
Sikander Hayat of the PCATP, Mumtaz Jilani of the IAP and others also spoke on the occasion.
The demonstrators carried banners inscribed with their demands and also chanted slogans. A statement condemning Ms Rahman’s murder and demanding her killers’ arrest was also distributed among the participants.
Ms Rahman, a renowned social worker, was killed on Wednesday in a targeted attack when she was returning from her office in Orangi.
The demonstration was jointly organised by the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP), and an environmental NGO Shehri. Participants in the demonstration demanded that the killers be caught, booked, tried and punished sternly, according to the law.
A few speakers also named a certain ethnic party and its local leaders, who they accused of extending death threats to Ms Rahman, and demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out into the murder.
The demonstrators said that many other social workers, whose work was affecting various mafias and power groups, were also receiving threats and demanded that protection be provided to them.
According to them, Ms Rahman had said that she had been working on land surrounding the city which was being encroached upon. They said Ms Rahman had probably come too close to the powerful mafia and land grabbers, who fearing exposure, had eventually silenced her. They said the social worker’s cold-blooded murder had shocked the entire civil society and demanded that the government take concrete steps to contain the prevailing sense of insecurity. However, the demonstrators vowed that they would continue their work despite threats for the empowerment of the poor and rule of law.
Paying tribute to the slain social worker, Prof Nauman Ahmed of the NED university said Ms Rahman’s organisation, the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), had been working at the grass-roots level to turn a major chunk of Orangi Town from a slum into an area with proper infrastructure.
Amber Alibhai of Shehri, an NGO, said that many other social workers, whose community improvement work was affecting various mafias and power groups, were also receiving threats and demanded protection for them.
Sikander Hayat of the PCATP, Mumtaz Jilani of the IAP and others also spoke on the occasion.
The demonstrators carried banners inscribed with their demands and also chanted slogans. A statement condemning Ms Rahman’s murder and demanding her killers’ arrest was also distributed among the participants.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Civil society opposes Qadri’s ‘veto power’ on caretaker PM nomination
Progressive think tanks, intellectuals and representatives of civil society have unanimously opposed the Islamabad Long March Declaration – an agreement reached between the government and Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran chief Tahirul Qadri – and challenged the “veto power” given to him by the coalition government for the nomination of caretaker prime minister.
The Joint Action Committee for People’s Rights (JAC), a consortium of more than 30 non-government organisations, arranged a seminar on Friday to discuss the current political situation and future of democracy in Pakistan.
Asma Jahangir, human rights activist, presided over the seminar. IA Rehman, director of Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP), human rights activist Hina Jilani, political scholar Ahmad Rashid, prominent lawyer Salman Raja, Irfan Mufti from South Asia Partnership (SAP), Robina Jamil, Peter Jacob, Karamat Ali and Awami Workers Party leader Farooq Tariq were among the key speakers.
Asma Jahangir, appreciating the role of government and opposition parties towards Qadri’s long march, said that Pakistani politics has “grown up now but some hurdles are still in its way so politicians should act sensibly in the future as Qadri’s long march was not fully ended in principle”. She also lauded the democratic government’s “wise decision” to deal with Qadri in a peaceful manner and holding negotiations to avoid an episode like Lal Mosque incident in the country. She, however, opposed the Islamabad Long March Declaration, reached between the government and Tahirul Qadri, and said it had given a “veto power” to Qadri on the appointment of caretaker prime minister that is “totally unconstitutional and illegal and the Pakistani nation will not endorse it”. About the implementation of articles 62 and 63 of the constitution, she said that the government should restore it in the original shape of 1973 as both articles were subjective and no one in the country could fulfil its requirements as a candidate in the next general elections.
She also suggested introducing a good and trustworthy accountability procedure by bringing an accountability bill in the assembly to further empower National Accountability Bureau.
For strengthening democracy, she stressed on holding local bodies elections soon after completing the general elections procedure in the country. She also stressed on the need for an “independent foreign policy”, emphasising trade relations with regional countries.
About the future government after general elections, she was confident that nationalists would win in Balochistan and after establishing their government in the province they would not give permission to any military general to earn money from trade through Chaman border.
She also criticised security forces for getting 20 percent fee from the Balochistan government to protect resources of the province. HRCP Director IA Rehman, while addressing the seminar, said that due to subjective and hard merit, articles 62 and 63 of the constitution of Pakistan should be removed as no one could meet the merits mentioned in the elections. He also criticised the role of media during Tahirul Qadri’s long march, and said that all the media had been “hijacked and it played a partial role all the time… it was not showing the opinion of the anti-long march people so accountability of the media should also be done”. Salman Raja said that Qadri’s “veto power” on the interim set-up nomination was unconstitutional and it should be challenged because the constitution had defined the domain of the government and the opposition regarding it.
He also said that articles 62 and 63 were not fulfilling the needs of the hour as they were silent about the non-tax payers but held a restriction on the defaulters so there was a need to amend these articles to make them more effective. All the other speakers agreed that the democratic system could run the business of the government more effectively. They unanimously urged political parties to make democracy stronger.
The Joint Action Committee for People’s Rights (JAC), a consortium of more than 30 non-government organisations, arranged a seminar on Friday to discuss the current political situation and future of democracy in Pakistan.
Asma Jahangir, human rights activist, presided over the seminar. IA Rehman, director of Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP), human rights activist Hina Jilani, political scholar Ahmad Rashid, prominent lawyer Salman Raja, Irfan Mufti from South Asia Partnership (SAP), Robina Jamil, Peter Jacob, Karamat Ali and Awami Workers Party leader Farooq Tariq were among the key speakers.
Asma Jahangir, appreciating the role of government and opposition parties towards Qadri’s long march, said that Pakistani politics has “grown up now but some hurdles are still in its way so politicians should act sensibly in the future as Qadri’s long march was not fully ended in principle”. She also lauded the democratic government’s “wise decision” to deal with Qadri in a peaceful manner and holding negotiations to avoid an episode like Lal Mosque incident in the country. She, however, opposed the Islamabad Long March Declaration, reached between the government and Tahirul Qadri, and said it had given a “veto power” to Qadri on the appointment of caretaker prime minister that is “totally unconstitutional and illegal and the Pakistani nation will not endorse it”. About the implementation of articles 62 and 63 of the constitution, she said that the government should restore it in the original shape of 1973 as both articles were subjective and no one in the country could fulfil its requirements as a candidate in the next general elections.
She also suggested introducing a good and trustworthy accountability procedure by bringing an accountability bill in the assembly to further empower National Accountability Bureau.
For strengthening democracy, she stressed on holding local bodies elections soon after completing the general elections procedure in the country. She also stressed on the need for an “independent foreign policy”, emphasising trade relations with regional countries.
About the future government after general elections, she was confident that nationalists would win in Balochistan and after establishing their government in the province they would not give permission to any military general to earn money from trade through Chaman border.
She also criticised security forces for getting 20 percent fee from the Balochistan government to protect resources of the province. HRCP Director IA Rehman, while addressing the seminar, said that due to subjective and hard merit, articles 62 and 63 of the constitution of Pakistan should be removed as no one could meet the merits mentioned in the elections. He also criticised the role of media during Tahirul Qadri’s long march, and said that all the media had been “hijacked and it played a partial role all the time… it was not showing the opinion of the anti-long march people so accountability of the media should also be done”. Salman Raja said that Qadri’s “veto power” on the interim set-up nomination was unconstitutional and it should be challenged because the constitution had defined the domain of the government and the opposition regarding it.
He also said that articles 62 and 63 were not fulfilling the needs of the hour as they were silent about the non-tax payers but held a restriction on the defaulters so there was a need to amend these articles to make them more effective. All the other speakers agreed that the democratic system could run the business of the government more effectively. They unanimously urged political parties to make democracy stronger.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Civil society jointly takes out rally against gender based violence in Pakistan
Legislation against domestic violence, and violence perpetuated by the state machinery and its officials must be passed to make these acts punishable offence; this was demanded by the hundreds of participants of a rally entitled ‘Protect Women against Violence’ to mark international day for the elimination of all forms of violence against women, held at Faisalabad on 28th November 2012. The Member of the National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan, Mrs. Khalida Mansoor led the rally, staged by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) and Peace and Human Development (PHD Foundation) in collaboration with CARE Foundation, Aitbar Foundation, ARADA Network, LEHR Network and RASTA Network.
Speaking on this occasion, the executive secretary of the AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, “Violence is a serious violation of human rights, but regrettably there is a general and widespread acceptance of violence based on gender diversity in the society, therefore the majority of people do not recognize its many forms as crime in Pakistan, but rather consider it an integral part of the culture and the fate of women.” “The conservative value system, poverty, women's dependence on men, and religious extremism are the root causes behind all forms of violence against women. It is a fact that male member of a family whether he is a father, husband or brother, usually have power over movements and behaviour of female members, therefore problem arising from the culture and local traditions must be demolished by laws and a change of mentality,” he added.
The director of the PHD Foundation, Suneel Malik said, “It is sad that the forces responsible for protecting citizens are also sometimes found involved in gender based violence in the jails and shelter homes, therefore the government must pass a legislation banning violence perpetrated or condoned by the state machinery.” “When the state fails to prosecute the perpetrators without hesitation, this not only encourages further abuse, it also give the message that male violence against females is acceptable or normal. The result of such impunity is not only denial of justice to the individual victims, but also reinforcement of prevailing inequalities that affect other women and girls as well,” he added.
The coordinator of the AWAM, Shazia George said, “The forced sterilization of the women with disabilities is horrendous act, which cause their reproductive inability. The violence in the domestic sphere is also objectionable, therefore, govt. must approve legislation protecting women against domestic violence.” “It is their prime responsibility to stand up and say no to all forms of violence against their fellow women. Together these voices will turn into a force that would be hard to ignore or sideline,” she added.
The director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “Violence against women also takes place in developed countries. However it is more problematic in Pakistan, as there is there is no system to address this issue in an effective manner. Working to end violence against women requires not only a clear demonstration of political commitment, but also systematic and sustained action, backed by strong, dedicated and permanent institutional mechanisms.” “Though the government of Pakistan has set up crises centers to protect women victims of violence, but it is pity that the funds are not being released for crises centers to stay functional,” she added.
The head of the Aitbar Foundation, Nasreen Bukhari said, “The passage of pro-women legislation is not enough to protect women. The most important action towards safeguarding human rights of women is the substantive measures and strict enforcement of laws towards the increasing trend of violence against women in the society.”
The convener of the ARADA advocacy Network, Mehwish Anam stressed the need for collective and rigorous efforts by the media, educators, religious leaders and families to help create a society alienated from gender based discrimination and violence, and emphasized on the need of more cohesive and strategic approach on the part of the government and civil society to tackle to menace of violence against women.”
The participants of the rally strongly condemned the inhuman and unethical treatment towards women witnessed in Pakistan on a daily basis, and urged the govt. to take tangible steps for the protection of women’s rights. They chanted slogans in support and recognition of women’s rights and in opposition to gender based violence, intolerance and discrimination. They were also holding placards and banners criticizing various forms of physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence in the family, community, and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state including; laws and customary practices against women, sexual harassment, the jirga system, murder, rape, forced abortion, women trafficking, forced prostitution, honour killing, forced conversion, forced marriages, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, genital mutilation, beating, stove-burning and acid attacks, limiting them to home boundary and depriving from their right to live a life on their own with their free will.
The rally was joined by over 300 people from different walks of life including students, lawyers, representatives of trade unions, political parties and civil society organizations namely; HEDO, ASB, Maimar, PACE, ASWO, AIM, PATAN, EDEN, IWF, NCJP, Labour Qaumi Movement, Freedom Bhatta Workers Union and Awami Workers Party. Naseem Anthony, Suneel Malik, Nazia Sardar, Shazia George, Amina Zaman, Nasreen Bukhari, Yousaf Adnan, Dr. Gul Pervaiz Akhtar Ghouri, Mehwish Anam, Asghar Shaheen, Farrukh Awan, Irshad Parkash, Babar Surroya, Farooq Ayub, Dr. Shafiq, Shahid Anwar, Shafiq Sharif and Mian Naveed were among the prominent figures, present at the rally.
Speaking on this occasion, the executive secretary of the AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, “Violence is a serious violation of human rights, but regrettably there is a general and widespread acceptance of violence based on gender diversity in the society, therefore the majority of people do not recognize its many forms as crime in Pakistan, but rather consider it an integral part of the culture and the fate of women.” “The conservative value system, poverty, women's dependence on men, and religious extremism are the root causes behind all forms of violence against women. It is a fact that male member of a family whether he is a father, husband or brother, usually have power over movements and behaviour of female members, therefore problem arising from the culture and local traditions must be demolished by laws and a change of mentality,” he added.
The director of the PHD Foundation, Suneel Malik said, “It is sad that the forces responsible for protecting citizens are also sometimes found involved in gender based violence in the jails and shelter homes, therefore the government must pass a legislation banning violence perpetrated or condoned by the state machinery.” “When the state fails to prosecute the perpetrators without hesitation, this not only encourages further abuse, it also give the message that male violence against females is acceptable or normal. The result of such impunity is not only denial of justice to the individual victims, but also reinforcement of prevailing inequalities that affect other women and girls as well,” he added.
The coordinator of the AWAM, Shazia George said, “The forced sterilization of the women with disabilities is horrendous act, which cause their reproductive inability. The violence in the domestic sphere is also objectionable, therefore, govt. must approve legislation protecting women against domestic violence.” “It is their prime responsibility to stand up and say no to all forms of violence against their fellow women. Together these voices will turn into a force that would be hard to ignore or sideline,” she added.
The director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “Violence against women also takes place in developed countries. However it is more problematic in Pakistan, as there is there is no system to address this issue in an effective manner. Working to end violence against women requires not only a clear demonstration of political commitment, but also systematic and sustained action, backed by strong, dedicated and permanent institutional mechanisms.” “Though the government of Pakistan has set up crises centers to protect women victims of violence, but it is pity that the funds are not being released for crises centers to stay functional,” she added.
The head of the Aitbar Foundation, Nasreen Bukhari said, “The passage of pro-women legislation is not enough to protect women. The most important action towards safeguarding human rights of women is the substantive measures and strict enforcement of laws towards the increasing trend of violence against women in the society.”
The convener of the ARADA advocacy Network, Mehwish Anam stressed the need for collective and rigorous efforts by the media, educators, religious leaders and families to help create a society alienated from gender based discrimination and violence, and emphasized on the need of more cohesive and strategic approach on the part of the government and civil society to tackle to menace of violence against women.”
The participants of the rally strongly condemned the inhuman and unethical treatment towards women witnessed in Pakistan on a daily basis, and urged the govt. to take tangible steps for the protection of women’s rights. They chanted slogans in support and recognition of women’s rights and in opposition to gender based violence, intolerance and discrimination. They were also holding placards and banners criticizing various forms of physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence in the family, community, and violence perpetrated or condoned by the state including; laws and customary practices against women, sexual harassment, the jirga system, murder, rape, forced abortion, women trafficking, forced prostitution, honour killing, forced conversion, forced marriages, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, genital mutilation, beating, stove-burning and acid attacks, limiting them to home boundary and depriving from their right to live a life on their own with their free will.
The rally was joined by over 300 people from different walks of life including students, lawyers, representatives of trade unions, political parties and civil society organizations namely; HEDO, ASB, Maimar, PACE, ASWO, AIM, PATAN, EDEN, IWF, NCJP, Labour Qaumi Movement, Freedom Bhatta Workers Union and Awami Workers Party. Naseem Anthony, Suneel Malik, Nazia Sardar, Shazia George, Amina Zaman, Nasreen Bukhari, Yousaf Adnan, Dr. Gul Pervaiz Akhtar Ghouri, Mehwish Anam, Asghar Shaheen, Farrukh Awan, Irshad Parkash, Babar Surroya, Farooq Ayub, Dr. Shafiq, Shahid Anwar, Shafiq Sharif and Mian Naveed were among the prominent figures, present at the rally.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Eat in to keep from spreading out
In an era of deficits, we Americans have one surplus: calories.
In the U.S., there's enough food in the supply chain to provide every
person with 3,800 calories a day — but we need only about two-thirds of
that (2,350 calories a day). Unfortunately, we chow down those extra
calories, especially when we eat out. Guys who eat fast food or at
full-service restaurants munch 500 more calories a day than those who
eat at home. Young kids take in about 130 additional calories; teens and
adult women, 250-300 extra. If you eat out four or five times a week,
that could boost your weight 12 to 24 pounds a year!
So our recommendation to
control your weight, protect your heart, keep your brain sharp, skin
wrinkle-free and sex life revved? Put on an apron (always a turn-on) and
cook at home.
1. Steam
assorted veggies: Toss with a dash of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a
grind of pepper. Add spices (rosemary, garlic, or peppers) for flavor
and health!
2. Broil
fish: Salmon and trout are loaded with heart-saving omega-3s — using a
marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and lime juice. Or brush on a
mustard coating or a crust of walnuts.
3.
Stir up Grandma's chicken soup: Saute a mixture of chopped celery,
carrots and onions. Add chicken parts (no skin!) and water; boil for 30
or more minutes. Remove chicken and dice; add back to liquid with 100
percent whole-grain pasta and a quarter-cup frozen peas. Cook until
done. Yum!
REVERSING THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF HEART DISEASE
Telltale
signs of hard living are unmistakable: Think of 26-year-old Lindsay
Lohan's once-unlined face. But those of you with less raucous lives also
can display physical signs that you're older than your chronological
age — and are at risk for heart disease.
A
new study identifies a receding hairline at the temples, baldness on
the top of the head, horizontal earlobe creases and yellow, fatty
deposits around the eyes as markers of aging associated with heart
disease. Got any three? Your chance of a heart attack goes up 57
percent.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Civil armed forces under-equipped due to fund shortage
The Senate’s Committee on Interior on Tuesday was informed that
the civil armed forces of the country, including Pakistan Rangers,
Frontier Corps (FC) and Pakistan Coast Guards lack necessary equipment
and are understaffed due to funds shortage.
The Ministry of Interior accused the Finance Ministry for not releasing allocated funds for purchase of weapons and other necessary equipments for the civil armed forces.
“Parliament allocates budget for civil armed forces, but Ministry of Finance did not release funds to Ministry of Interior using various delaying tactics such as controlling the fiscal deficit,” said Additional Secretary Najibullah Khan during a meeting of the committee on Tuesday.
Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood, chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting and senator Sardar Ali Khan, Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Pervaiz Rashid, Begum Najma Hameed, additional secretary interior Najibullah Khan, the Pakistan Coast Guard director general, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) Dr Moen Masood and other senor officials attended the meeting.
The Pakistan Coast Guard DG told the committee that PCG is currently very much under-staffed and has no reserved unit.
“PCG has sent a summary to Ministry of Finance through Ministry of Interior for recruitment of two battalions, but the summary is pending with Ministry of Finance for the last several months”, he said. 50 percent of the PCGs are performing their duties without ammunition, he added.
“We do not have practice ammunition for the last many years”, he said. The PCG release human smugglers after their arrest in few days due to lack of space in the prison. He requested the committee that its service structure should be improved in the line with FC.
“A number of PCG troops comprise soldiers beyond 45 years of age. Health and medical problems affect their efficiency and render them only for administration duties,” he said.
He requested the committee to allow PCG to recruit doctor on contract bases as army medical crops is unable to provide doctors to the PCG on deputation due to excessive commitments. On this senator Talha Mehmood directed secretary committee to call secretary ministry of Finance, representative of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) in the next meeting.
The committee expressed serious concern over the absence of minister for interior and secretary interior in the meeting. Senator Tahir Mashhadi said that under the rules even the PM could not call a Minister when parliament calls him. The minister is bound to attend standing committee meeting, he said.
Senator Sardar Ali Khan asked the chairman to take stern action against the Minister and secretary interior for not attending the meeting. “If minister for interior is busy then it was the responsibility of minister of state for interior to attend the meeting,” he said.
While discussing the bill titled, ‘The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2012’, moved by Rehman Malik, the committee also expressed concern over the amendment in Section 116-A by addition of Sub Section 6. Dr Moen Masood said that some of the traffics violations by the drivers have been accepted internationally as hazardous and potentially dangerous. Therefore these violations are necessary to be included in the list of declared traffic violations, which are being enforced in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). “Due to lack of law, ITP are facing many problems”, he said.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Weird news: Iranian news agency reposts Onion article
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses
the 67th United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters,
Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)(Credit: AP)
A
major Iranian news agency, the Fars News Agency, is evidently not
familiar with America’s most popular parody news source. Without
attribution, the news site affiliated with the Islamic Revolutions
Guards Corps reprinted an Onion story, which
read, “According to the results of a Gallup poll released Monday, the
overwhelming majority of rural white Americans said they would rather
vote for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than US President Barack
Obama.”
The Onion’s made-up poll was accompanied by made-up
comments, reprinted in full by the Fars News Agency,
including: ”[Ahmadinejad] takes national defense seriously, and he’d
never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama
does.”
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
1985 D.C. murder convictions will stand, judge rules
Seven men who sought to have a judge overturn their convictions for
the high-profile 1984 murder of a Northeast D.C. woman failed to prove
their innocence during a series of hearings that reexamined the case
earlier this year, a judge ruled Monday.
The ruling by D.C. Superior Court Judge Frederick H. Weisberg
means that six of the men — Kelvin Smith, Levy Rouse, Clifton
Yarborough, Timothy Catlett, Russell Overton and Charles Turner — will
serve out their sentences from their 1985 convictions on charges of
felony murder in the beating death of Catherine Fuller. A seventh man
already has been released from prison.
The ruling formally ends a process that began in the spring. During
three weeks of hearings in April, prosecutors squared off against
defense attorneys, who argued that authorities, pressured by city
residents and elected officials, rushed their investigation and arrested
the wrong men; purposely withheld important evidence that hurt the
defendants’ case; and threatened witnesses into lying. Prosecutors
maintained that the seven men were responsible for the killing.
Weisberg ruled that the defense attorneys had failed to produce evidence that their clients were innocent.
“After
considering all of the evidence, both at trial and at the hearings, the
court concludes that petitioners have not come close to demonstrating
actual innocence,” Weisberg wrote in his ruling.
Attorneys for the seven men said they plan to appeal.
“We
are disappointed that the fight to clear the names of these defendants
will have to continue, but we continue to believe that there is
overwhelming evidence that Catherine Fuller was not murdered by these
defendants,” Barry J. Pollack, one of the lead attorneys for the men,
said in an interview Monday.
In 1985, a jury found eight
neighborhood friends — then between 16 and 21 years old — guilty of
first-degree murder in connection with Fuller’s death. The men were
sentenced to 35 years to life in prison. One of them, Steven L. Webb,
died in prison after a brief illness. Another, Charles Turner’s brother
Christopher, was paroled in 2010 after more than 25 years behind bars.
Prosecutors
outlined a horrific scenario during the 1985 trial: Fuller, 48, a
cleaning woman, wife and mother of six, left her K Street NE home on a
rainy afternoon to fill a prescription. The suspects were smoking
marijuana and listening to go-go music at a nearby park.
A group
of about 30 people confronted Fuller, prosecutors said. She was grabbed
from behind and pushed into an alley, where she was beaten; a
12-inch-long metal pole was shoved into her rectum. Her liver was
shattered, a lung was punctured and four of her ribs were broken,
according to authorities. Her body was found in a garage in the same
alley that evening.
In all, 17 people were charged in the murder.
Five indictments were dismissed, two defendants pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder and two others were acquitted.
During the
April hearings, defense attorneys presented four witnesses who told
Weisberg that detectives had forced them to lie about seeing the men in
the alley when Fuller was killed. In his ruling, Weisberg said there was
no evidence that the witnesses made up their accounts and called the
recantations “incredible.”
Weisberg also highlighted the failed testimony of Melvin Montgomery.
Defense attorneys had expected Montgomery, 45, to testify that he had
been pressured into lying when he said he saw the men in the alley at
the time Fuller was killed.
Instead, in a surprise turn that sent
defense attorneys scrambling, Montgomery took the stand and told
Weisberg that he had been truthful during his 1985 testimony.
Weisberg
called Montgomery’s testimony a “bad turn of events. Whatever else can
be said of Mr. Montgomery’s ‘recantation,’ it certainly cannot be said
that his testimony helps petitioners to meet their burden of proving
actual innocence,” the judge wrote.
In the hearings, defense
attorneys also argued that prosecutors during the trial had withheld key
evidence, including information about other possible suspects. For
example, several witnesses told authorities they had seen another man,
James McMillan, in the alley at the time of the attack. McMillan, 46,
whose house was located on the alley where Fuller was killed, is serving
a life sentence in a Virginia prison for a deadly attack on another
woman.
Weisberg agreed that prosecutors should have disclosed the
information about other possible suspects, but ruled that even if
McMillan had been in the alley, it did not mean the other men were not
there. McMillan, Weisberg said, “could have been a participant” in the
attack.
After a 2001 Washington Post article, attorneys from the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and nearly a dozen volunteers began petitioning for a new trial.
Weisberg
had ordered a retrial in another case in 2009, ruling that a prosecutor
deliberately withheld information in a murder trial. On Monday, he
declined to do the same for the seven men convicted in the Fuller
killing.
“Unquestionably, they have not proved by clear and
convincing evidence that they are actually innocent, and just as surely
they have not established their innocence by a preponderance of the
evidence,” Weisberg wrote.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Modi bats for ‘clean, innocent’ Sangma
Backing the candidature of P A Sangma for the Presidential election,
Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday showered praise on the former
Union minister and said the time has come for him to become the first
tribal President.
“From Gujarat, no leader has been elected as MP nine times. He
(Sangma) has served as Union minister for 18 years and also served as
the CM of Meghalaya. And in his long career, no agency, be it CBI, CAG
or any other, has ever tried to touch him. He has not got any black spot
in his long career,” Modi said with Sangma on his side at a function
organised by the Netaji Subhas Bose’s INA Trust.
“Tribals of the country are waiting for a tribal in Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Fourteen parties have supported him and I believe that miracles
do happen today,” he said. “The sun rises in the east and the time has
come that Sangmaji, who hails from North-East, becomes the first tribal
President... We wish an innocent tribal leader be the First Citizen of
India,” Modi added.
Sangma, who was “overwhelmed” by the colourful reception he got
right from his landing at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport where
Sidi tribals and others performed, avoided speaking on his candidature
at the function.
Later, at a press conference, he said, “I have come hear to
request all the tribals, Dalits, OBCs and minority MLAs from all the
parties to support my candidature like they had supported the first SC
President, K R Narayan.”
Monday, October 10, 2011
WCC demands repulsion of blasphemy law
The World Council of Churches (WCC) on Monday demanded the repulsion of blasphemy law, with the WCC general secretary asking the government to repeal Section 295C of the penal code.
Addressing a press conference, Rev Dr Olav Fykes Tveit said WCC expressed its serious concern on several occasions and urged the Pakistani government to repeal Section 295C of the Pakistan penal code, which carries a mandatory death penalty for anyone found guilty of blasphemy.
“On behalf of the member churches of WCC in different parts of the world, the WCC urged the government of Pakistan on several occasions to guarantee the rights of all-religious minorities in the country,” he said, adding that it was a matter of encouragement that there was a voice of dissent against acts of discrimination and violence against minorities coming from the Pakistani public. Ordinary citizens and key religious scholars of this country do speak of reform and maintaining their view that the Islam was a religion of peace that prohibited compulsion and persecution, Dr Olav said.
Encouraging the liberal forces in Pakistan, he said it was also encouraging that there had also been a positive civil response to engage various stakeholders in conversations about the blasphemy law and other discriminatory laws that are targeted against the minorities.
Demanding of the government of Pakistan to provide security to minorities rights, he said that for some years, the WCC had been receiving reports of discriminatory practices and persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan, including Christians, Ahamadis, and Hindus.
During the past several years, the WCC had been following the situation of the human rights violation of minority religious communities in the country, he said, adding that there had been many incidents of violence, killings and other forms of persecutions against Christians in the country and at a number of times, the WCC responded to such situations and wrote to authorities in Pakistan, Dr Olav said. He said the international community as well as civil society organisations in Pakistan had deplored such actions from time to time through various means.
“However, we are extremely disappointed that in spite of all such urges, the authorities in Pakistan could not prevent human rights violations and persecutions against religious minorities in the country,” he said.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Albany businesses, church burglarized
Someone threw a large rock through the front door of the Rainbow Music at 208 South Jackson about 2:00 AM. Police riding by saw the broken window and stopped a person walking away. Nothing taken, but the door will cost about $300 to repair.
Willie Tom Green was caught by Police, and charged with burglary.
Also burglarized about 4:00AM, the OK Beauty and Fashion Store in the 300 block of South Slappey Boulevard.
Someone broke a front window, broke a board wall and snatched the cash register, and some cash inside.
Also someone pushed a window air conditioner out of the window of one of the Sunday School rooms at the River Road Church of Christ on Martin Luther King Junior Drive about 3:00AM.
The alarm sounded, and the burglar never went inside. Church deacons are upset by the break in at their worship center.
The Bethany Temple Church of God in Christ on Odom Avenue was broken into early Sunday morning.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Anna: Corruption more serious threat than Pakistan
Terming corruption a threat “more serious than Pakistan”, social activist Anna Hazare demanded that the corporate sector, too, be brought under the purview of the forthcoming anti-corruption ombudsman, the lokal. The suggestion to include the corporate sector is new. It’s a reaction to the government side’s move in the second draft to include non-government organisations (NGOs) in the purview of the lokpal.
“By bringing in voluntary organisations under the lokpal, the government is trying to target movements. Such organisations have done much more than the government has,” Hazare said. Rejecting the draft legislation as a betrayal, Hazare said he would restart his fast from August 16, and it would be non-negotiable this time. “The second freedom struggle is beginning.”
He said, “There will be no talks, no negotiations. The government must accept our proposals in entirety. Otherwise, I will fast unto death. I am willing to die for the country.” Campaigner Arvind Kejriwal said the government draft did not suggest an autonomous and transparent lokpal.
“The government is trying to control appointments, removal and functioning of the lokpal … We demanded financial autonomy for the lokpal, but it will depend on the government for everything. How will it be autonomous or independent?”
Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, another campaigner, said some “intelligent and informed civil society activists” also must be made part of the lokpal selection process.
Hazare refuted the allegation that the lokpal, as proposed by his team, would amount to creating a parallel and police state, since one of the Hazare team’s demands was sweeping powers for lokpal officials to listen in to any phone conversation that they want to and search and seize documents.
“There is an election commission, there is a judiciary and there is a comptroller and auditor general. Does any one of them make for a parallel state?” he asked.
On the charge that the proposal to allow the lokpal to discipline government officials would make them unaccountable to the government, Hazare said, “That is what we want.
The alliance between politicians and officials is the root cause of corruption. We want a lokpal that would break that nexus.”
On the accountability of the lokapl as envisaged by the activists, Kejriwal said, “It is accountable to the ordinary citizen. Anyone can file a complaint against the lokpal.”
Hazare said he had withdrawn his fast in April after the government promised to accept all the demands. “But they betrayed me. Therefore, now there will be no negotiations. We will mobilise people across the country and force the government to concede to our demands,” he said.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Bringing Peace to Pakistan and India
David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, told university students in Islamabad, Pakistan, that the “time is now ripe” for India and Pakistan to make real peace.
Cameron has not been to Pakistan since becoming Prime Minister, although he did visit India last year — and caused a ruckus by suggesting that Pakistan is exporting terrorism. The conflict between India and Pakistan is ancient. When Britain, through a variety of political mechanisms, ruled what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Burma, the old differences that had kept these “nations” at each others’ throats were dropped as they united in hostility to the British Raj.
These differences transcend simply the conflict between the Hindu majority in the Raj and the Muslim minority. Within that amorphous population called “Hindu” are various isolated groups. The caste system, for example, kept in separate compartments whole slices of society living in the same provinces, with little possibility of finding common ground. The worst category of all is that of the casteless ones, the Dalits of India or “untouchables,” who still exist in numbers roughly equal to the whole population if England. Their plight even today is pitiable — much worse than that of blacks under Jim Crow in the old South — and the Indian government denies to former Dalits who convert to Christianity the same rights granted to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, or Dalits. Despite the nominal nonviolence of Hinduism, Christians in India are the subject of persistent persecution — in many cases, state-supported. On March 29, 2011, for example, 14 Christians, including two clergymen, were arrested in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa for coverting Indians to Christianity without a license.
Pakistan is even more hostile to Christianity, and murder and mayhem are very common occurrences against Christians there. The entire Islamic world officially persecutes Christians and tolerates mob violence against them.
The hatred and genocide within the nations that were part of the British Raj were also horrific. When the British left in 1949 and granted India independence, millions of Muslims and millions of Hindus were murdered, raped, or maimed — each side guilty of massacres of the other. The hatred of these two groups dates back more than one thousand years, when Muslims conquered India and treated the natives as if they were atheists (so lacking the protection given to “People of a Book”). Over time, Hindus were raised to the level of dhimmi, or subject peoples such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, but their plight was still grim. One reason for the suttee — the Hindu practice of the widow of a Hindu burning herself to death on her husband’s funeral pyre — was because of the prevalence of Muslim rape of Hindu women. Timur the Lame (or Timerlane) built entire pyramids of human skulls when he conquered cities in the subcontinent, and the rule of the Muslims was savage.
Since 1949, the subcontinent and contiguous parts of the Raj have been violent, bloody places indeed. Old Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, endured one of the longest and most brutal civil wars in history between the Buddhist Sinhalese and the Hindu Tamils — both notionally nonviolent groups. The first suicide bombers were not Muslims, but rather members of the notorious Tamil Tigers, who strapped bombs on themselves to commit maximum mayhem.
The Sikhs have assassinated Indian Prime Ministers twice — both times to retaliate for the encroachments of Hindu India into those northern parts of the country that Sikhs consider their homeland. Pakistan itself has been riven with violence. Originally, the Muslims of the Raj were given a nation of two parts — West Pakistan and East Pakistan. The West Pakistanis, though smaller in number, effectively controlled the government and treated their countrymen to the east as stepchildren. As a consequence, the East Pakistanis began a civil war in 1971, with the goal of establishing their own nation, Bangladesh. The West Pakistan army attempted to suppress this revolt, and it is estimated that millions of Bengali women were raped during this civil war.
Really, both India and Pakistan are empires of subject peoples. India has many different languages — including 20 languages, each of which is spoken by more than one million people. The Indian subcontinent — before Britain, France, Portugal, and Holland decided that they must compete for empire there — was not a nation at all (any more than Europe was a nation in 1648), despite the fact that its peoples shared many cultural, religious, and linguistic characteristics. It was home to many different religions: Parsees (or Zoroastrians), who escaped Muslim rule in their native Persia; Sikhs; Buddhists; Jains; Jews; Christians from the Church of the East; and the polyglot varieties of Hinduism, including castes or the wretched casteless “untouchables” — but these groups seldom interacted. Parsees, for example, remained mostly in a small part of Bombay, and Sikhs stayed in northern India.
The British introduced several reforms: For instance, the suttee was abolished by law; child marriage was banned; untouchables, Muslims, and those of other religions were granted equal rights; and thugee (the practice of ritual murder of strangers to placate the Hindu goddess Kali) was punished as murder. Such reforms, however, did not mean that the British Empire resolved all the problems of the subcontinent. What the British did bring to the subcontinent — though they did not recognize it at the time — was something very different: Christian civilization. For instance, the equality of all men (and women) before God was a Christian concept unthinkable to a Brahmin or even a Muslim among dhimmi. The oppression of women was a common characteristic of Islam, Hinduism, and even Buddhism (Gautama Siddhartha considered women so far down the level of creatures in the order of reincarnation that at first he did not even condone Hindu nuns).
The subcontinent was ancient, advanced, populous, and filled with intelligent people. What it lacked was the hope of Christianity, which comes best not by soldier, diplomat, or even a British Prime Minister. The love and tolerance of Christianity come through professing Christians bringing the Gospel to those who do not have it. Consider a frail little woman who grew up in a backward nation and came to India with little more than her faith. Mother Teresa arose, alone, out of a gigantic nation that encompassed one-quarter of humanity and that was filled with every faith and metaphysical system imaginable, and — in a land that considered women inferior and resented Europeans — drew with Christian love huge numbers of Indians so that when she died she was given a state funeral.
Politicians such as Prime Minister Cameron cannot bring peace to that Gordian knot of mistrust and misery. The problems of India and Pakistan are not political, but spiritual. The battle to bring peace to the world is being fought every day all over the world by Christian missionaries bringing medical clinics, schools, orphanages, and hope. It is in this great battle — not in diplomacy or foreign aid or peacekeeping forces — that peace will come. It is through acceptance of God’s love — and nothing else.
Monday, March 28, 2011
New Queen Bio Tells Complete Story
Last week saw the U.S. release of a new Queen bio, titled Is This The Real Life? (yep, the opening line from "Bohemian Rhapsody"), via Da Capo Press. Penned by author Mark Blake, the book tells the complete story of the British band that perfected and popularized "arena rock" during the 1970's and 1980's.
The 410 page book is priced at $25.00, and includes such tales about a chance encounter between the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious and Freddie, the writing of such Queen classics as "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," the preparation of the group's show-stopping performance at Live Aid, and Freddie's final reclusive years, before dying from an AIDS related illness in 1991.
Is This The Real Life? also contains a 16-page black and white photo section, which includes such rarely seen shots as the band members during their school days, Freddie preparing for a performance with the Royal Ballet Company in 1979, and a shot of arguably the most over-the-top/gaudy costume ever (from the set of the best-forgotten video for "It's A Hard Life").
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Woman injured by rock-wielding teen may face charges
A Mid-South woman who was injured after a teen attacked her with a rock says Memphis police may file charges against her.
Charlotte Gathings suffered serious injury after a fight involving her daughter. But now, she may face trouble of a different kind.
"The investigator said that they were thinking about filing charges against me for simple assault and starting a riot," she said.
Gathings claims she was only trying to break up a fight the day she picked her daughter up from Raleigh Egypt High. That's where another teen was trying to fight her daughter. Gathings broke up the altercation with help from her son.
"He said, 'That's not what the camera says,' but I say otherwise because I don't have enough dignity in my heart to put my hands on somebody else's child."
An hour later, Gathings says a carload of teens showed up at her Raleigh home. One of them hit her in the head with a rock.
Gathings says investigators are now giving her an ultimatum.
"They want both of us to drop charges against each other in order for me not to be charged, and I'm not fixing to do that," she said.
Memphis police would not comment on the case, citing an ongoing investigation. However, as of Tuesday afternoon, no additional charges had been filed in the case.
Meanwhile, doctors tell Gathings it may take her up to a year to fully recovery from her injuries. She is currently seeking legal advice.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
“Shahadat Jariha” on Alsumaria commemorates innocent victims
Assassinations, bombings and sabotage attacks have become a frequent occurrence in the Arab world. World reactions pour in over any despicable incident. Media rushes to cover the news, politicians take turns in denunciation, and security forces work on containing the repercussions on the ground. Victims however turn into figures as sympathy and sorrow soon fade away.
“Shahadat Jariha” on Alsumaria pays tribute to martyrs and recovers the humanitarian and social value of people lost in the trail of terrorist attacks that cast the life of thousands of innocent people. Victims are no longer figures in this program, they are a sad memory worth of pondering upon.
“Shahadat Jariha” is a seven episode length social program on Alsumaria that airs every Monday at 10:30 pm Baghdad time starting February 14.
In each episode, host Mohannad Al Khatib interviews families of victims. How are they going through life? How are they dealing with their painful tragedy? What do they have to say to perpetrators? Are they able to forgive? Can their loss be compensated?
A special reportage retracing the life of the victim is shown in every episode. Among the guests is a relative of the victim who shares with viewers touching stories about the deceased in remembrance of his missed presence among his beloveds. The program hosts another guest from the media field to discuss the effect and repercussions of the major incident on society and the country’s security and economy.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
40 jobs to be created by AA Ireland
AA IRELAND has announced its intention to create 40 new jobs at its headquarters in Dublin.
The insurer today announced that it was hiring 40 new staff immediately, with new positions being created in its insurance and AA rescue divisions.
Policy director Conor Faughnan said it was “great to be able to make a positive announcement about Irish business and Irish jobs”, and said the bulk of the new hires were being sought in the motor insurance, home and travel insurance branches.
Faughnan explained that AA Insurance had been “performing very strongly and we need extra staff in our call centre to deal with growing demand.”
AA Ireland currently has a customer base of 600,000 across its insurance and rescue businesses.
Applications for the positions – based in Dublin city centre – are now open, and application forms can be found on the AA’s website.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
First Aid Kit Bio
First Aid Kit, composed of Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg, started gaining popularity a few years ago by posting their soulful folk renditions of popular and underground songs on YouTube, now they’re all set to release their second studio album and tour again.
Swede Dreams
Sisters Johanna and Klara grew up in a suburb outside of Stockholm called Enskede, and were first inspired to make music by listening to pop music like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera but soon turned to more folksy-influenced music like Bob Dylan when they started learning guitar and creating their own melodies.
Mellow yellow: First Aid Kit has retro style
First Aid Kit inspired by nature
The Soderburg Sisters on Tour
Black and White: The Sisters Soderburg
Internet Sensation
In 2007, at the ages of 14 and 17, they had started posting their nature-infused songs on YouTube along with covers they did of bigger bands, often playing and recording in nearby woods. Their cover of Indie rock band Fleet Foxes “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” brought them rapid recognition from critics and music-lovers around the world!
By summer 2007 these talented teens vocals had already graced Swedish airways with their home-recorded song “Tangerine” and been signed to Swedish electronic band The Knife’s record label Rabbid Records and recorded the EP “Drunken Trees.” In 2008 the Soderburg sisters toured Europe, the U.K. and the U.S.
Recording for Real
No more home-recordings for this sister duo! Even though they had to balance homework with recording sessions at the start of 2010 First Aid Kit released a full-length album,“The Big Black and Blue.”
But these girls aren’t ready to stop yet, if you love their haunting folk sound you’ll probably be excited to hear that they are set to release another two albums in 2011, “Dungen” is the first to come out with a self-titled album hot on its heels.
Fun Facts
- First Aid Kit’s music is often compared to old school American songstresses like Joan Baez
- The sisters enjoy snowball fights!
- First Aid Kit are not just talented at music, they also design their own album art
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