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POPSPoor governance continues in Africa... Poverty and exploitation will continue in Africa until corrupt leaders are bought to book. All credit to Chad and Benin who did not back the resolution, well done to them.
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POPSRepublican Rep. Pete Hoekstra mercilessly heckled by Twitter users.
Hoekstra compared the mass uprising of Iranians – utilizing Twitter as an organizing tool -- to the GOP's attempt to express dissatisfaction over Nancy Pelosi's decision to adjourn Congress before an energy vote last August. More Twitter responses: Rode a packed metro into work this morning. Now know what it's like to be in a concentration camp. I burned my finger this morning on a hot plate, now I know how Joan of Arc felt. I spilled some lukewarm coffee on myself just now, which is somewhat analogous to being boiled in oil. I splashed my face with cold water this morning after shaving, which is similar to having been waterboarded. I got a splinter in my hand today. Felt just like Jesus getting nailed to the cross. Someone walked in on me while I was in the bathroom. Reminded me of Pearl Harbor. Had to move all my stuff to a new office w/o a corner view. Now I know what the Trail of Tears was like. Ate leftover for lunch today. Just like the Donner par
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POPS"WOMEN ARE HEROES" post it LARGE "Women Are Heroes" is done by a 25 year-old artist who goes by JR. He photographs women across the world, in countries like Sudan, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Laos, as well as Brazil. Then he prints extreme enlargements of the images, and wallpapers the sides of buildings in the neighborhoods of the women he documents… but then also posts them in a very large format in Western cities. In Brazil, thousands of killings by police are going largely unpunished because of public approval for a perceived crackdown on crime, reports the U.N. envoy, Philip Alston. Clashes with police killed a record 1,260 civilians in Rio de Janeiro state last year. JK's previous project, "Face2Face" made portraits of Palestinians and Israelis doing the same job and posted them face to face, in huge formats, in unavoidable places, on the Israeli and the Palestinian sides. "Face to face" is necessary. Within a few years, JR will come back for "Hand in hand".
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POPSsexual violence as "a tactic of war to humiliate, dominate, instil fear in & disperse"
Amnesty International says women and girls are being targeted in conflicts around the world while the authorities do little or nothing to prevent it. In a report called Lives Blown Apart, the organisation says these crimes persist because those who commit them know prosecutions are rare. Despite promises, treaties and legal mechanisms, governments have failed to protect women and girls, Amnesty says. The human rights group says its investigations have found that violence against women is not just a by-product of war, but often a deliberate military strategy, with women particularly targeted in ethnic cleansing campaigns. "By attacking the women you are attacking the honour of your enemy, you demoralise the men, you scare people into running away," she said. "It's a very effective weapon, because the communities are totally destroyed." The question is whether those in conflict zones who use rape in war will be deterred.
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POPSMore Czars Than There are in the Russian Section of Hell The Obama Administration is not the first administration to appoint someone with broad powers to oversee a function. You know. A “czar.” So, why stop at 25-30 czars? Why not appoint a bunch more: * Gaffe Czar: Joe Biden. Sure, he’s vice-president, but he’s already doing the job of Gaffe Czar; why not make it official? * News Czar: Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf. You knew him as “Baghdad Bob.” He’d fit right in with this Administration. And it would give Robert Gibbs a break from having to make up explanations for things all by himself. * Anti-semitism Czar: Jeremiah Wright. He’s already promoting anti-semitism as much as anyone is this country. This would give him a larger platform. * Fashion Czar: Michelle Obama. Remember Jackie Kennedy? Michelle Obama is equally qualified. Except for having poor taste in clothes. And men. Previously, we’ve had Drug Czars, Energy Czars, and so on. But, Barack Obama has gone Czar crazy.
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POPSShadow Wars "The similarities between Gates' proposals and the strategy adopted by the Kennedy administration are too great to ignore," notes Nation defense correspondent Michael Klare. These similarities include "a shift in focus toward unconventional conflict in the Third World." Gates' budget would increase the number of SOFs by 2,800, build more drones like the Predator and its bigger, more lethal cousin, the Reaper, and enhance the rapid movement of troops and equipment. All of this is part of General David Petraeus's counterinsurgency doctrine. The concept is hardly new. The units are different than they were 50 years ago - Navy SEALS and Delta Force have replaced Green Berets - but the philosophy is the same. And while the public face of counterinsurgency is winning "hearts and minds" by building schools and digging wells, its core is 3AM raids and Hellfire missiles.
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POPSThe ICC case that wounding, killing and robbing peacekeepers is a grave crime ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, contends that killing peacekeepers constitutes an attack on "the millions of civilians who those soldiers came to protect." The rebel commander's voluntary appearance in court has created a deliberate contrast to the reaction of the government officials who have been issued arrest warrants. Both the cabinet minister and Mr. Bashir have vilified the court, saying it has no jurisdiction over events in Sudan. The government denies accusations that it mobilised Arab militias to take revenge on the local population, in what the US and others have called a genocide. In the debate over the creation of the ICC, the USA fought to curb its reach. They were particularly opposed to the possibility that American soldiers might be subjected to the court's jurisdiction. Human rights groups and European leaders said they thought Washington was motivated by the fear that American policymakers, not just soldiers, would be held accountable before the court
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POPSThe International Criminal Court on Dafur The International Criminal Court is accepting supporting evidence of children's drawings of the alleged crimes committed in Darfur. Adam, 15, wrote: "Look at these pictures carefully, and you will see what happened in Darfur. Thank you." Bakhid was eight years old when he saw his village being attacked and burned by Janjaweed forces on horse back and Sudanese forces in vehicles and tanks. One young artist named Aisha said: "It is very kind to send us food, but this is Africa and we are used to being hungry. What I ask is that you please take the guns away from the people who are killing us."
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POPSHanging Agree or Disagree?Please click on the link to read more
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POPSClooney pays tribute to Mia Farrow for her activism Hollywood star George Clooney has paid tribute to fellow activist Mia Farrow for fasting to bring attention to the ongoing problems in Sudan. The two stars have become leading celebrity campaigners about the genocide in Sudan. While Clooney has been filming interviews with terrified refugees and talking about his experiences among politicians in Washington, the actress has been living among those caught up in the conflict and now she's on hunger strike for them, reported femalefirst.com.
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POPS'Iranian arms ship destroyed near Sudan No other source for this yet but I'd put my money on Israel. And good; a few less weapons in the area. Interesting that it's through Sudan. I think I read where Egypt was trying to stem the flow also.
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