Sunday, September 30, 2007

Happy 800 Birthday, Rumi

Today is the 800th anniversary of the birth of the great Sufi poet Rumi.

An interesting article on Rumi in Afghanistan here
If anyone asks you
how the perfect satisfaction
of all our sexual wanting
will look, lift your face
and say,

Like this.

When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,

Like this.

If anyone wants to know what "spirit" is,
or what "God’s fragrance" means,
lean your head toward him or her.
Keep your face there close.

Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.

Like this.


Excerpt from Like This. Illustration by ERIK VILET, from Rending the Veil.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

FINAL HOUSE ACTION ON H.R. 2003 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2007

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION IN SUPPORT OF H.R.2003

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A special congratulations to Ethiopia's own, athlete Haile Gebrselassie, who has shattered the world marathon record with an official time of 2hr 4min 26sec to win the 34th Berlin Marathon
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The Coalition for H.R. 2003 is pleased to announce that HR 2003 (“Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007”), introduced by Chairman Donald Payne of the Subcommittee on Africa on April 20, 2007, has been scheduled for final action by the House of Representatives on October 2, 2007. Consideration of items on the suspension calendar will begin at 10:00 a.m. [See, Here]

There are 14 bills scheduled for floor debate on October 2. H.R. 2003 is listed as #5 on the calendar.

H.R. 2003 was referred to the floor on a special House procedure known as “suspension of the rules”. This procedure is used generally to act swiftly on relatively non-controversial legislation. The procedure is set forth in clause 1 of House Rule XV. When a bill or some other matter is considered “under suspension,” floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, and a two-thirds vote is required for final passage. The equivalent calendar in the Senate is called the consent calendar.

Also see:
-EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT H.R. 2003, BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK!

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Troops refuse to fire in Rangoon - Possible army mutiny?

The best outcome we could hope for in Burma would probably be if the soldiers were won over. That would be in keeping with the peaceful Buddhist ideals. Whether or not this is a real possibility has been debated by many others far more knowledgeable than me, but the reality is nobody knows.

However, if this is true, it looks promising:
Reports from Rangoon suggest soldiers are mutinying. It is unclear the numbers involved. Reports cite heavy shooting in the former Burmese capital.

The organisation Helfen ohne Grenzen (Help without Frontiers) is reporting that "Soldiers from the 66th LID (Light Infantry Divison) have turned their weapons against other government troops and possibly police in North Okkalappa township in Rangoon and are defending the protesters. At present unsure how many soldiers involved."

Soldiers in Mandalay, where unrest has spread to as we reported this morning, are also reported to have refused orders to act against protesters.

Some reports claim that many soldiers remained in their barracks. More recent reports now maintain that soldiers from the 99th LID now being sent there to confront them.

Growing numbers of protestors are gathering in Rangoon, with 10,000 reported at the Traders Hotel and 50,000 at the Thein Gyi market. The police are reported to have turned water cannons against crowds at Sule Pagoda.

Many phone lines into the Burmese state have now been cut, mobile networks have been disabled and the national internet service provider has been taken off-line.


In a related development, an unverified report from cbox says:
Military sources in Rangoon are claiming that the regime's number two, General Maung Aye (right), has staged a coup against Than Shwe, and that his troops are now guarding Aung San Suu Kyi's home. A meeting between him and Suu Kyi is expected. Maung Aye is army commander-in-chief and a renowned pragmatist.


Lots more here or on the facebook group.

Winners of the "Latin America and the Millennium Development Goals" Journalism Awards

Daniel San Juan Tolentino dug his own grave. A pile of earth fell on him and buried him.
First Prize was awarded to this article on child labourers in Mexico. The quote is from one of the stories in the article, and refers to a 12-year old boy who was digging a ditch to prevent floods in the field where he worked. He was buried by an avalanche of mud.

None of the daily rituals carried out by 26-year-old biology student Flávia Santiago, who is seven months pregnant and anxiously awaiting the birth of her first child, was ever experienced by Nadja Batista Borges, 29, who dropped out of primary school in the third grade. She, too, is pregnant. But with her seventh child.

They probably love their babies equally. The difference lies in their addresses. Nadja lives in a 'favela' (shantytown) of Santo Amaro. Flávia lives with her husband in a comfortable apartment [in a well-off neighbourhood].
This quote is from the second place article about women and motherhood in Brazil, "Faces da maternidade" by Bruna Cabral and Mona Lisa Dourado, published in the Jornal do Commercio in Recife, Brazil.

"This kind of journalism, often consigned to the sidelines and neglected for obvious reasons, has shown its credentials and demonstrated that in Latin America, hidden behind more sensational reporting, there is this other kind, with a vocation for participating and a sense of its own usefulness," said one of the members of the jury. 466 articles were entered from 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The top five winners will be published in a book, and the top 3 also recieved cash prizes. More info on the competition here.

I tried to find more, but nothing much was available in English. I'd love to read the articles in full if they get translated. If anyone has more info or a link, please let me know!

Eritrea calls on UN to solve border crisis, warns of Ethiopian attack

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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- Today's Top HEADLINES
- BURMA - SPECIAL COVERAGE (cntd.)
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (MESKEL)

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EDITORIAL: ETHIOPIAN POLITICS (AMHARIC)
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ASMARA — Eritrea urged the United Nations to force its arch-foe Ethiopia urgently to implement a border ruling, warning it feared Addis Ababa was preparing to resume war, in a letter published Friday.

(Members of The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, EEBC (from left to right): Sir Arthur Watts, KCMG QC; Professor W. Michael Reisman; Sir Elihu Lauterpacht, CBE QC; His Excellency Prince Bola Adesumbo Ajibola; Judge Stephen M. Schwebel)

In the letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said he believed that Ethiopian threats to scrap the Algiers peace deal that ended their bloody 1998-2000 border war were a precursor to an attack.

"Ethiopia seems to be planning to use its unlawful attempt at renunciation of the Algiers Agreements as a precursor for initiation of renewed hostilities," read the letter, dated Thursday but posted on the Eritrean information ministry website Friday.

"It is a cardinal principle of international law that forcible occupation of the territory of another state is an act of aggression and Ethiopia's stationing of troops north of the recognised international boundary falls squarely within that category," Osman added.

Early this month, a meeting of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) meeting in The Hague, seen as a last-ditch attempt to break the frontier deadlock, ended in failure.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-100,000 Ethiopian faithful celebrate 'true cross'
-Kinijit delegates arrive in Oakland (ER) --- [See Video here]
-Press Release: The Coalition for HR 2003
-Merkel to visit Ethiopia, South Africa and Liberia
-Meles speaks at the Clinton Summit, NY - VIDEO
-11,000 fled Mogadishu fighting in September-UNHCR
-Press group deplores attack on Somali media boss
-Four Somali soldiers killed in Mogadishu attack

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BURMA - SPECIAL COVERAGE (cntd.)

BURMA JUNTA CUTS INTERNET ACCESS AND PHONE-
Bush: Every nation should stand up for Burama-
VIDEO - Reuters REPORT-
AUDIO - PROTESTER SPEAKING TO NPR-
Burmese Authorities Attack Civilians-

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Court Allows Musharraf to Seek Re-Election
-Iran Signs Accords With Venezuela And Bolivia
-Iraqi Leader rejects division of nation
-Phone credit low? Africans go for "beeping"

PICTURE OF THE DAY

(Ethiopia, Meskel Festival)

(Festival marking the finding of the true cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The festival is ancient; dating back 1,600 years. The celebration of Meskel recognizes the presence of the true cross at the Mountain of Gishen Miriam monastery, and also recognizes Empress Helena’s road to finding it. According to tradition, Empress Helena lit incense and prayed for assistance from God in her search for the cross. The smoke from the incense drifted in the direction of the buried cross. She dug and found three crosses: one of them was the true cross on which Christ died. Empress Helena gave a piece of the cross to each of the churches, including the Ethiopian church. The piece given to the Ethiopian church was then brought to Ethiopia.)



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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

HR 2003 ON TO THE NEXT STAGE

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- ON THE KINIJIT CRISES: ETP and Others
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- SPECIAL COVERAGE – JUNTA IN SERIOUS TROUBLE
- INTERNATIONAL news

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HR 2003 ON TO THE NEXT STAGE

[AUDIO] - Congressman Chris Smith, Members of the Kinijit delegation and others react to the news. [Click here to Listen to VOA's Report]

Also see:
-Report: Ethiopia Legislation Moves Forward
-EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT H.R. 2003, BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK!
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ON THE KINIJIT CRISES: ETP and Others

Here are some opinions (articles, video and audio) that deal with the current crisis within KInijit. We have also tossed in our two cents into this conversation by posting our first AMHARIC editorial



-IN POLITICS, CRISIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY (Abebe Gelaw)
-Almezuria Teshome appeals to Kinijit’s leaders
-VP Birtukan Mideksa appeals to chairman Hailu - VIDEO
-Obang Metho Appeals to Kinijit’s leaders
-Winners do not falter at faulty moments (ENC)
-Management of crisis
-Enkifat - Poem (Tewodros Abebe)
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Today's Top HEADLINES

-Kinijit leaders meet with authorities in Finland (EMF)
-Ethiopian Human Rights Council Report
-Upstate New York welcomes Kinijit Delegation
-Press Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
-Ethiopia Threatens to Terminate Peace Deal With Eritrea
-Ethiopia gets $208 mln China loan
-Ethiopia to sell hydro power to Egypt (Capital)
-Somali president, PM meet to solve latest rift
-Pictures - Kinijit Delegation in Sweden

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Who will win the $5m prize?

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is next month due to award over $5m to the former African head of state adjudged to have demonstrated exemplary leadership. The presidential prize is aimed at encouraging best practice. The lucky recipient of what the organisers call "the world's biggest prize" will be named on 22 October.(More...)

Also see:

Rwanda 'most improved' in Africa-
Ibrahim Index of African Governance-
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SPECIAL COVERAGE – JUNTA IN SERIOUS TROUBLE

-BURMA MONKS CHANT "DEMOCRACY, DEMOCRACY"
-BUSH TO ANNOUNCE SANCTIONS AGAINST BURMA
-BRITISH PM CALLS FOR ACTION ON BURMA
-AUNG SAN SUU KYI INTERVIEW - VIDEO
-BURMESE CONTINUE DEFIANCE - AUDIO

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Fukuda elected Japan's prime minister
-Ahmadinejad Remarks Meet With Scorn, Laughter
-Putin purges cabinet of last reformers
-Lebanon parliament puts off presidential vote
-Germs taken to space come back deadlier (Science)





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Because War Just Isn't Enough...

As if invasion, occupation, destruction of infrastructure, unemployment, poverty, and displacement aren't enough... now they've got cholera, a truly horible and deadly disease.

You know, if the American military had any intention of actually trying to win "hearts and minds", they might consider nutritious food and clean water as a start, rather than, say, this.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Shape of a Mother

The Shape of a Mother shows the beauty of the female form during and post pregnancy.
One day I sat in a restaurant in Anaheim, California eating breakfast, when a woman passed by my table with her infant carrier in tow. As she lifted it up to fit between the tables, her shirt raised and I saw that, although she was at a healthy weight and her body was fit, she had that same extra skin hanging around her belly that I do. It occurred to me that a post-pregnancy body is one of this society's greatest secrets...

I don't know about you but I think the photo on the right is absolutely gorgeous. You can see the life weight of her heavy breast and the aesthetic texture of her stretch marks. Whereas this photo is artistic, most of the other photos are more like snapshots. There are photos of lovely round bellies, babies, and stretch marks.

This is a very cool site. Check it out. Reminds me of another really interesting project which shows photographs of normal breasts (Obviously NSFW).

(Via Cranky Fitness)

Monday, September 24, 2007

Media Face Off: OJ Takes on the Jena Six

I watched television news this weekend. Typically I get my news online, or from a newspaper, but rarely from television. I think I forgot how limited and misleading TV news tends to be. I'm sure some experts have theories about why this is, but all I know is it is worse than print media.

I was shocked to see no coverage at all of the Jena 6.

So I thought I'd do a little experiment, to see whether the newsies think people are more interested in OJ Simpson, or in a new chapter in the ongoing struggle for African American civil rights.

Google News (which is a highly balanced aggregator of diverse sources), offers me 15,599 results for OJ Simpson.


How did the Jena 6 fare? Well, Google informs me there are 3,465 pieces. Apparently OJ's antics are just that much more interesting.


This of course should lead any thinking person to question why one is considered newsworthy and the other is not.


See my first Media Face Off: China's Stock Market vs. Migrant Workers.

Almezuria Teshome appeals to Kinijit’s leaders

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (millennium edition featuring Faces of Ethiopia)

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Almezuria Teshome appeals to Kinijit’s leaders

Alemzuria Teshome is 25 years old. In November 2, 2005 security forces who came to arrest her father (Kinijit’s city council elect for Addis Ababa) murdered her mother W/ro Etenesh Yimam , a 52 years old housewife, for screaming too loud. [Listen here]

Also see:
-Alemzuria's Testimony to the U.S. Congress

Today's Top HEADLINES

-VP of Kinijit Birtukan Mideksa Speech - VIDEO
-Winners do not falter at faulty moments (ENC)
-Azeb Mesfin in NY to attend conference
-Ethiopian Doctors fleeing in record numbers
-Ethiopia to see grand Millennium Library
-Africa flooding spreads, 22 countries hit: UN
-Enkifat - Poem (Tewodros Abebe)

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SOMALIA: RIFT BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND PM DEEPENS

The political row between Yusuf and Gedi first surfaced earlier this year when the two leaders supported opposite deals with foreign firms intending to explore for potential oil in Somalia. Some insiders suggested that Gedi's recent meetings with opposition figures represents a separate policy the Prime Minister is pursuing, especially with regard to securing Mogadishu, which is dominated by members of Gedi's Hawiye clan.(More...)

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Iranian president begins US visit amid controversy
-US invites Syria to peace talks
-Top Pakistan politicians arrested
-Germans Protest Online Surveillance
-The Most Influential People in the World

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JUNTA IN CRISIS AS BURMA'S MONKS MARCH ON

The military leaders of Myanmar, the former Burma, are expected to meet this week, to decide how to react to growing protests against their rule. Thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns have staged daily demonstrations on the streets. The generals face a dilemma; stamp out the dissidents and risk an explosion of popular anger, or allow the monks to continue and see the protests become unstoppable.(More...)
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PICTURE OF THE DAY - FACES OF ETHIOPIAMillennium edition

(Ethiopia - Borana girl)

(the Borana are estimated to total 500,000, but because many live in remote areas it is hard to know exactly how many exist. They are traditionally semi-nomadic pastoralists, who depend exclusively on their livestock for subsistence. The women are independent and equal to men even with building and owning houses. )


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Friday, September 21, 2007

AMNESTY: OGADEN CLAN ELDERS HELD INCOMMUNICADO IN JIJIGA

Sultan Fowsi Mohamed Ali and Ahmed Mohamed Tarah were arrested on 28 August in Jijiga, the capital of the Somali Region (known as the Ogaden) in the east of the country. They are held incommunicado in Jijiga military barracks, where they are at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

Both men are respected clan elders, Fowsi Mohamed Ali with the title of Sultan. Both had long been involved as independent mediators in conflict-resolution activities in the Somali Region.

There have been reports that they were arrested to prevent them meeting and giving evidence to a UN fact-finding mission, which visited the Somali Region on 29 August to investigate.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-AUDIO: OLF spokesman Beyan Asoba's Interview with VOA
-Fresh Ethiopia forces deployed in Mogadishu
-US gives 'strategically important' Ethiopia $97 million
-Ethiopia: Worst place to live in the World?
-VIDEO - PM Meles answers questions from govt. Journalists


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The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized: Tomorrow is World Carfree Day


Plan to be in Toronto this weekend? Check out the World Carfree Day festivities on Queen Street West.

Why not have a parking meter party around 1:00 pm? Here's how:
  • Scout out a parking spot where you'd like to spend the afternoon
  • Park your non-motorized "vehicle" (bike, trike, roller-skates, dinky-car etc.) along Queen West
  • Pay the meter: for $1.50 per hour the spot is yours! (Be sure to display your parking receipt on the "dash" of your "vehicle")
Or, go a-paradin' at 6:00. Meet at 5:00 at Trinity-Bellwoods park. One tip: I don't suggest driving down to the parade (or if you have no other method of transportation, why not consider one of these).

More festivities on Sunday. Details here and here

If you feel so inclined check out these related links:

Do Motorists in the US Pay Their Own Way? No. They are subsidized by taxpayers. Check out the UC Davis study (PDF) that proves it. Bookmark it for use the next time some taxpaying motorist complains about subsidizing public transit.

And, yes, it is within our power to create carfree cities. Don't believe me? Check out the book that proves it.

Today is also Park(ing) Day. Who knew? A whole day in which parking spaces are transformed into parks. Like this on a larger scale. Sweet.

And next time you get into a car by yourself, for goodness sakes, check the passenger seat. Darn evil dictators, always bumming a ride!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Ethiopian Politicians Making the Rounds in the U.S.

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (millennium edition featuring Faces of Ethiopia)

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“For the sake of political stability and political dialogue we decided to accept the proposal from the elders” - Gizachew Shiferaw On signing the pardon letter

"U.S. government should do more to ensure human rights are protected in Ethiopia" - Hailu Shawel On U.S. foreign policy

"The ultimate desire is for all principles contained in the bill to be implemented" - Brook Kebede On HR 2003

Members of an Ethiopian opposition party who were jailed for 20 months in connection with a disputed election are lobbying the Bush administration and Congress to pressure Ethiopia to support a more open and democratic society.

Members of the CUD delegation also plan to travel to various U.S. cities in an effort to continue to organize Ethiopian Americans and to thank them for providing financial and political support during their incarceration.


The CUD members were among a group of 38 who were pardoned in July after being imprisoned since November 2005. They had been arrested after months of unrest in Ethiopia that followed elections in May of that year.

A report written by the European Union called the election the “most competitive” Ethiopia had ever held, but said it was “marred by irregular practices, confusion and lack of transparency.” The report credited the government for allowing relatively unbiased campaign coverage in the weeks before the election but said support of Democratic institutions waned in the weeks following the disputed vote.

Government police reportedly arrested as many as 30,000 people in the weeks after the elections. Most were released soon after, but around 70 top CUD members were kept in jail, drawing condemnations from human rights groups and foreign governments. Most were released in July and August after receiving pardons.

The pardons came after eight months of negotiations from a group of elders. CUD members said they signed the letters seeking the pardons, which included apologies to the government, even though they believed they had not committed any crimes.

“For the sake of political stability and political dialogue we decided to accept the proposal from the elders,” said CUD member Gizachew Shiferaw, who was elected to a seat in parliament but refused to accept it unless the government agreed to a list of eight conditions CUD members said would promote democracy.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-SOMALI OPPOSITION ALLIANCE BEGINS FIGHT AGAINST ETHIOPIA
-UN calls for Human rights probe in Ogaden
-O.N.L.F STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO UN REPORT
-ETHIOPIAN GOVT. STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO UN REPORT
-US endorses Arab-African peace force for Somalia
-Shabelle Media Network Closes Radio Station
-Envoy Cites 'Lack of Confidence’ in Somali Government

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"The Failure of 'Reconciliation' and 'Reconstitution' Opens Up a Political Vacuum

(Independent analysis by PINR)

The Power and Interest News Report (PINR) is an independent organization that utilizes open source intelligence to provide conflict analysis services in the context of international relations. PINR approaches a subject based upon the powers and interests involved, leaving the moral judgments to the reader.(More...)
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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Violence reignites in Sierra Leone
-Bin Laden to declare war on Musharraf, al-Qaida says
-BURMA monks escalate pressure on junta
-EU urges Israel to reconsider Gaza "enemy" status
-New York: Iran's leader can't visit ground zero
-Thousands rally in La. to support Jena 6

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LEBANON REACTS TO YET ANOTHER POLITICAL ASSASSINATION

[Audio Report]

Stores, banks and some government offices were closed in many parts of Beirut to mourn the slaying of Christian member of parliament Antoine Ghanem in a car bomb explosion, Wednesday. Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY - FACES OF ETHIOPIAMillennium edition

(western Ethiopia, Anuak girl)

(The Anuak of Ethiopia reside in the Gambela Region. The Anuak live a tight-knit community life. The villages are run by headmen, but these can be removed if their behavior or judgment is considered unsatisfactory. Unsatisfactoriness includes being dictatorial, as according to Anuak philosophy there are no "God-men." All family and other disputes are resolved democratically within the village. The region is hot and tropical with rich, fertile, well-watered soil coming from the rivers originating in the mountains of the highlands where there is a much cooler, dryer climate.)


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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Why I Am Not an Objectivist, #2311

Ayn Rand on the theft of Native American Lands:
They didn't have any rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights which they had not conceived and were not using . . . . What was it that they were fighting for, when they opposed white men on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence, their 'right' to keep part of the earth untouched, unused and not even as property, but just keep everybody out so that you will live practically like an animal, or a few caves above it. Any white person who brings the element of civilization has the right to take over this continent. <Lawyers, Gun$ and Money>


Hmm... Greenspan hearts Rand. Probably thinks they Iraqis live like animals in caves, too. Which is why the civilized Americans need to liberate their oil. Well, as long as we are all as selfish and greedy as possible, it will all work out in the end, right? ...right?

Ethiopia's Opposition Wants U.S. Support for Democracy Struggle

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (millennium edition featuring Faces of Ethiopia)

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UN's FULL REPORT ON THE OGADEN (UN FACT FINDING MISSION TO THE OGADEN PUBLISHES FINDINGS)

LETTER TO THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS (Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy, EACA)
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Ethiopia’s main opposition, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) says the struggle in Ethiopia is a struggle for democracy, and it hopes the United States will stand on the side of those fighting for democracy in Ethiopia.

In July this year, the Ethiopian government pardoned and released from prison 38 of the country’s top opposition leaders. They had been arrested and charged with treason in a government crackdown following the 2005 parliamentary elections. Now a five-man delegation of the opposition CUD is in the United States.

[CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO REPORT]

Spokesman Hailu Araaya told VOA that the delegation is here to thank the Ethiopian Diaspora for its support.

“You know we have been in prison for almost 21 months, and the Ethiopians in the Diaspora have been helpful, so supportive in many ways such as diplomatically, financially and so on. So we wanted to come to this country to meet them face-to-face and say thank you to them. The other thing is there is a struggle going on in Ethiopia to establish democracy there, and this democracy needs the support of the people not only in Ethiopia but also outside Ethiopia. And we are here to discuss with them how best we can work together to promote the struggle for democracy in Ethiopia,” he said.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-UN fact-finders say situation in Ogaden deteriorating fast
-Ogaden NGO slams Ethiopian govt over U.N. visit
-Kinijit Leaders Continue in Ethiopia's Fight for Democracy
-Meles's bruised image recovering in Addis? (Fortune)
-EU urges Eritrea to charge or free detainees
-Police surround and fire upon Somalia ’s Radio Shabelle
-US Firm enters Ethiopia’s fuel-distribution market
-Uplift of Ethiopian plateau coincided with evolution (science)
-Africa: Many Modern Conflicts are Food Wars (Analysis)

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[VIDEO] - Finding the origins of humanity

Paleoanthropologist Zeresenay Alemseged is looking for the roots of humanity in Ethiopia's badlands. Here he talks about what he has found -- including the oldest skeleton yet discovered of a humanoid child -- and how Africa holds the clues to what makes us human.[Watch Video]
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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Rice Begins Mideast Peace Mission
-Israel: Hamas-controlled Gaza 'hostile entity'
-Monks on march again in BURMA
-10 Musical Events that Changed the World
-10 Technologies That Will Change The World

-Study: L.A. drivers lose 72 hrs a year
-Kanye crushes 50 Cent in sales showdown

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Tutu calls for action on Zimbabwe

The former Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, has called for tougher action to end the crisis in Zimbabwe. He told a British television station that South Africa's "softly-softly" diplomatic approach had failed and more forthright measures were needed.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY - FACES OF ETHIOPIAMillennium edition

(western Ethiopia, Nuer girl)

(The Nuer of Ethiopia are located in the western part of the country, there are also many Nuer in Sudan. Collectively, the Nuer form one of the largest ethnic groups in East Africa. Nuer warriors were noted as some of the most skilled in East Africa, with weapons made of fine crafted iron. Since the Nuer were so successful at fending off European powers, they spent much of their time interacting with bordering groups like those of the Dinka and Anuaks.)


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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Eritreans Deny American Accusations of Terrorist Ties

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (millennium edition featuring Faces of Ethiopia)

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LETTER TO THE NATIONAL BLACK CAUCUS (Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy, EACA)
EUROPE - UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF KINIJIT DELEGATION
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NY Times - Eritrean officials, responding to American accusations that they have abetted terrorists in the volatile Horn of Africa, defended their actions on Monday and said that while they would like to have better relations with the United States, they had no intention of bowing to American pressure.

Over the weekend, the Eritrean government held a conference for Somali opposition leaders that included some prominent Islamists whom Jendayi E. Frazer, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, has called terrorists.

American officials have threatened to list Eritrea as a state sponsor of terrorism, accusing it of funneling weapons to Somali insurgents. But on Monday, Eritrean officials denied that they were trying to destabilize Somalia, and said their conference was a legitimate way to rebuild the shattered country.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-Eritrea: Human Rights violations continue unabated (Amnesty)
-OLF applauds new Somali opposition alliance (OLF Statement)
-CPJ: Somali police besiege radio station
-Is Kinijit the Way? (Opinion, Fikru Helebo)
-HARAR: City on a hilltop, UNESCO World Heritage site
-Teddy Afro Rocks Out in Jimma

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[AUDIO] VOA's Report ON LAST SUNDAY's KINIJIT D.C. METRO CHAPTER SPONSORED EVENT
(For more, see yesterday’s post)
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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Musharraf set to relinquish army post
-'Tear gas used' on Burma monks
-Russia warns West over use of force in Iran
-10 Musical Events that Changed the World
-10 Technologies That Will Change The World

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MYSTERY ILLNESS STRIKES AFTER METEORITE HITS PERUVIAN VILLAGE

Villagers in southern Peru were struck by a mysterious illness after a meteorite made a fiery crash to Earth in their area. Around midday Saturday, villagers were startled by an explosion and a fireball that many were convinced was an airplane crashing near their remote village.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY - FACES OF ETHIOPIAMillennium edition

(Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia - Gumuz man)

(The Gumuz ethnic group of Ethiopia live in the northern and western parts of the country near the Sudan border. Over 120,000 Gumuz in Ethiopia live in the “bush-savanna” region, an area covered primarily with bamboo and other small trees. The Gumuz are rich in culture and the region is full of natural attractions.)


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Monday, September 17, 2007

Bombs defused in Addis Ababa says Govt.

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (Kinijit's chairman arrives in Washington)

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U.S. CUD DELEGATION ITINERARY -- SEPTEMBER 16 - OCT 27, 2007 (Ad Hoc Coordinating Committee)

EUROPE - UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF KINIJIT DELEGATION
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Two bombs were defused in the Ethiopian capital and three suspects were arrested in connection with what the government said Sunday was a thwarted attack.

Authorities defused the two devices in the Lideta district of the capital of Addis Ababa on Saturday, government spokesman Zemedkun Tekle said. He did not provide information on the three suspects arrested or the area where police believed the devices were to be detonated.

Security has been a top concern of the Ethiopian authorities during the country's millennium celebrations, which began last Tuesday and saw tens of thousands celebrating in the streets. Ethiopia follows the Coptic Christian calendar, which is seven years behind the one used by most of the rest of the world.(More...)

Today's Top HEADLINES

-OLF and EPRDF to start Negotiations? (Reporter)
-NPR on the Ogaden - AUDIO (National public Radio)
-Ethiopia to deploy 5000 troops in Darfur
-Afeworki pledges support for anti-Ethiopian alliance
-Ethiopia says Eritrea must change stance
-Eritrea says will never ever change stance
-SOMALIA: "What have we done to deserve this?"

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SPEECHES FROM THE KINIJIT D.C. METRO CHAPTER SPONSORED EVENT SEPT. 16, 2007

Dr. Berhanu Nega: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

Birtukan Midekssa: [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
Tamagne Beyene: [ 1 ] [ 2]
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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Alan Greenspan Says Iraq War 'Largely About Oil'
-France: Prepare for war over Iran
-Microsoft must share code with rivals
-Al-Qaeda Offers Reward for Cartoonist's Death
-Man in China dies after three-day Internet session

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SIERRA LEONE OPPOSITION WINS PRESIDENCY

Opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma has won Sierra Leone's presidential election run-off. He won 54.6% of the vote while his rival Vice-President Solomon Berewa of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) obtained 45.4%.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY




(Kinijit chairman Hailu Shawel arrives in Washington DC, Sep. 15, 2007)

Click here to watch short clip of Hailu Shawel arriving in DC.







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Sunday, September 16, 2007

The Politics of Solidarity: Six Nations, Leadership, and the Settler Left


The European settlers who colonized most of North America, were themselves uprooted from the land through capitalist enclosure and the commodification of land and labour – a process later exported to the indigenous peoples of the Americas and the rest of the world. By becoming small farmers and independent commodity producers in the early stages of Canadian development, poor and working class settlers in North America clearly benefited from the theft of indigenous lands. However, over the past 100 years, capitalism has extended and intensified its reach. Non-native people have become increasingly concentrated in large cities (Canada has the most urbanized population per capita in the world) and have been integrated into the capitalist system as workers. Because of the inherently exploitative dynamics of capitalism, workers in North America have faced a decline in living standards since the neo-liberal offensive of the late 1970s.

As William Robinson has argued, the contemporary resurgence of indigenous struggle in the Americas is happening as the few remaining autonomous indigenous communities are being forced into compliance with the demands of capitalist world market. This market seeks to commodify their labour and their land. At the same time, it seeks to drive down living standards and commodify the lives of non-native people as well. These pressures are just as evident on the Haldimand tract as they are in Canada's far north, in the mountains of Chiapas, or in the jungles of the Amazon. Traditional indigenous resistance to enclosure and commodification is increasingly assuming a directly anti-capitalist character. When this resistance takes place in large urban areas where a relatively small proportion of settlers directly occupy the land in question, new opportunities for joint struggles arise. Doing this kind of work will not be easy. Building radical organizations and combating white racism within predominantly white communities, workplaces, and political organization will be particularly hard. But it remains necessary task as a pre-condition to building meaningful solidarity with indigenous struggles.

Read this article by Tom Keefer via Whenua, Fenua, Enua, Vanua (originally published here), discussing how non-native activists can support indigenous struggles, like that of the Six Nations reclamation in Caledonia, breaking away from the "leadership" model, and turning towards work within our own comminities as well as alliances with indigenous communities. It is a long article, but worth the read.

U.S. War resisters in Canada need our help

We Canadians love nothing better than watching and criticizing American politics and foreign policy. It's practically our national pastime.

Nearly all of us oppose the Iraq invasion and occupation, but we feel helpless to do anything. As non-consistuents, we have no representative or senator to call. Inhabiting a different geography, we cannot easily participate in anti-war demonstrations. There is, however, something we can do, and that is to support the war resisters looking for asylum in Canada.

A couple hundred AWOL GI's are currently living in Canada. They are from the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. Many of them served one tour in Iraq and then refused to go back again. Instead, they and their families have moved to Canada. With the support of many Canadians, they are struggling to create a home for themselves and a sanctuary for war resisters.

Nearly fifty of the resisters have asked Canadian authorities to allow them to remain in Canada as political refugees. They strongly believe they are doing the right thing by refusing to fight in an illegal war. They look to UN refugee law, which states that soldiers should be considered as refugees if they face persecution for refusing to fight in wars that are "widely condemned by the international community as contrary to standards of human conduct."

These absentee GI's are upholding the Nuremberg Principles, which were adopted as U.S. law after World War II. By refusing to fight in illegal wars or to commit war crimes, they are exercising their rights and responsibilities as soldiers.

So far, the war resisters' refugee claims have been rejected by the political appointees on Canada's refugee boards, who say that war resisters had legal avenues in the U.S. they could have pursued. They say that prosecution for being AWOL does not amount to "persecution." They are reluctant to call the U.S. war "illegal."

But the war resisters are fighting for their rights and for international law. They are appealing in Canada's federal court system. The first two U.S. war resisters to apply for refugee status, Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey, have asked the Supreme Court of Canada to hear their appeals. Their lawyer, Jeffry House, is optimistic that the Supreme Court will overturn the negative decisions of the refugee board and the lower courts that have upheld them. In November, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not to hear the war resisters' appeals.
<Read the Whole Article & Watch the Video>


Tell the Canadian government: Let them stay!

Contact both Prime Minister, Stephen Harper and Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, Diane Finley to request that they make a provision to allow U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Fax: 613-941-6900
Email pm@pm.gc.ca

Minister of Citizenship & Immigration Diane Finley
Phone: 613-954-1064
(between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.)
Email: Minister@cic.gc.ca

For more information or to donate to the War Resisters Support Campaign in Canada, visit their website at www.resisters.ca.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Back to School in Iraq

This article Back to School, Back to Horror offers a good opportunity to compare some lifestyle differences between the invaders vs. the invadees, occupiers vs. occupied.

While American kids are getting settled in their new classes, probably after going on a shopping spree, Iraqi kids are also going back to school.
With the security situation grimmer than ever all over the country, just stepping out of one’s house means a serious threat to life.

"God knows how we could send our kids to school this year," Um Mohammed, a mother of five in Baghdad told IPS. "Our financial situation is the worst ever and the prices are way too expensive for the majority of Iraqis to afford. I might have to keep some of them at home and send only two."

The 40-year-old woman shed tears when she started to talk about the family’s financial now compared to what it was before the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

"My God, don’t those Americans have any conscience? We were not rich before, but life was easy and we used to celebrate the school season, watching our kids trying their uniform on and looking at the colourful pictures of their new books," she said.


Now, the state of American public education is somewhere between adequate and dismal (depending on which school district you look at), something for which there is no excuse in the richest country in the world. Iraqis face infinitely more challenges:

"The educational system in Iraq is destroyed and we are suffering all kinds of difficulties," said Hassan, a school headmaster in Baghdad who spoke on condition that his last name and the name of his school would not be used. "There will be a shortage of desks, blackboards, water, electricity and all educational supplies – as well as a critical shortage in the number of teachers this year."

Teachers, like other Iraqis, have fled the country because of threats from sectarian death squads. Some were evicted from their areas and moved to others inside Iraq for sectarian reasons.

According to Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education, as of February 2006, nearly 180 professors were killed and at least 3,250 have fled Iraq to the neighbouring countries. The situation has deteriorated severely since then.


Many children in the USA have little more to worry about than studying and socializing, with puberty and various crushes thrown into the mix for older kids. This is enough for any kid to deal with, and many American kids have other concerns on top of these: learning disabilities, bullying, child abuse, incest, family violence, gang violence, poverty, racial or ethnic discrimination, social exclusion, self-esteem issues, eating disorders, pressure to succeed... it goes on. Is it any wonder that kids have a lot on their mind and often experience mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or hyperactivity?

Now imagine life as a school-age child in Iraq.
According to an Oxfam International report released in July, "92 percent of children had learning impediments that are largely attributable to the current climate of fear."

The report added, "Schools are regularly closed as teachers and pupils are too fearful to attend. Over 800,000 children may now be out of school, according to a recent estimate by Save the Children UK -- up from 600,000 in 2004."

Photo from War News Radio


More on Children in Iraq

Other recent interesting posts on back-to-school: Surveillance, Control and the First Day of School and School, Take Four...

And speaking of school, instead of blogging, I should really be reading right now (Revolutionary Terrorism: The FLN in Algeria, 1954-1962)... time to get back to it.

Politically Motivated Arrests, Harassments to continue into the New Millennium?

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (millennium edition featuring Faces of Ethiopia)

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CUD DELEGATION ITINERARY -- SEPTEMBER 16 - OCT 27, 2007 (Ad Hoc Coordinating Committee)
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AP - Authorities have detained three Ethiopians linked to a top opposition politician, accusing them of trying to create a disturbance during the country's millennium celebrations, a fourth man who was released said Friday.

Nebiyu Bazezew, a 28-year-old banker, said that three of his friends had been arrested in the capital on Tuesday night, when celebrations for Wednesday's millennium began, and held without charge.

After attempting to see the men, Bazezew was held incommunicado for three hours of questioning on Friday, but was released without being told why he had been detained. He was informed by police that his friends were being investigated for trying to cause a disturbance at millennium celebrations, he said, but given no further information on the circumstances of their arrest. Ethiopia follows a Christian calendar seven years behind the one most of the rest of the world uses.

Authorities were not immediately available for comment due to the millennium holiday, which was extended over several days. The three men still in prison were scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Bazezew said.

"It was more than scary. Nobody knew I was there. In a country where we talk about civil rights, I wasn't even registered, and I wasn't told why I was there," Bazezew said.

His three friends have not been charged. Under Ethiopian law, suspects must be charged within 48 hours, although the holiday may have delayed their case.

Bazezew said the only connection between the four men was fundraising efforts to buy a car for Birtukan Mideksa in August. Birtukan, a top opposition politician, was among 38 opposition members released from prison last July.

They had been held for more than two years after security forces shot 193 civilians protesting electoral fraud. The trial attracted international condemnation and strong pressure from the United States to free the accused, who emerged from prison with strong support in many of their neighborhoods. Such support motivated a group in the neighborhood to buy Mideksa a car, Bazezew said. Bazezew said his arrest was "obviously" political but could offer no further explanation.

Related story:
-Police release ceremony organizers

Today's Top HEADLINES

-CUD DELEGATION PULLING DOUBLE SHIFT
-More Ethioipans Die crossing to Yemen- AUDIO
-WFP food reaching victims of flooding across Ethiopia
-PM Meles awards Al Amoudi golden medal
-Heavy clashes in Somali capital kill six

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ISLAMIST TO LEAD NEW SOMALI OPPOSITION ALLIANCE

Somali opposition figures on Friday named a senior Islamist as chairman of a "liberation" alliance vowing war on Ethiopian troops. They chose 43-year-old Sheikh Sharif Ahmed -- one of the two highest-ranking leaders of Somalia's Islamic Courts movement -- to steer the new opposition grouping.(More..)

Also See:
-Key facts about Sheikh Sharif Ahmed


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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-SAUDI WOMEN TO SAY NO TO DRIVING BAN
-Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan on Oct. 18
-Sunni Sheik Who Backed U.S. in Iraq Is Killed
-US, China to reward North Korea with fuel aid
-Japan Launches (Unmanned) Moon Mission
-Report on Hindu god Ram withdrawn

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WORLD'S 10 MOST POLLUTED PLACES (PHOTOS)

Areas that researchers have declared the most polluted in the world are typically little known even in their own countries. Yet, the kinds of pollution in these areas not only lead to cancers, birth defects, mental retardation and life expectancies approaching medieval levels, but are also often found all around the globe.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAY - FACES OF ETHIOPIAMillennium edition

(Bumi Men, Omo River Region, Ethiopia)

(The Bumi live south of Omo National Park. Numbering around 6 - 7000 in population, the Bumi are agro-pastoralists, relying on cattle herding and flood-retreat agriculture (consisting mainly of sorghum harvesting on the Omo and Kibish Rivers). The Bumi are known to be great warriors. Small groups of Bumi living along the Omo are specialized crocodile hunters using harpoons from a dugout canoe.)




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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Who's Got Our Oil?

We may never solve the riddle of why God put our oil under their sand, but at least we know how to get it back. After all, if God didn't want us invading, slaughtering, and destroying resource-rich countries, he wouldn't have given us such a powerful military-industrial complex.


It may not be that accurate (Canada is so small - I assume tar sands aren't included) but this world map is a very special world map. It tells us
who has our oil.

That means this Very Special Map can tell the future. In a simple visual display of colour and shape, it shows us which countries we needs under our control. The bigger the chunk of map, the sooner we'll invade (unless other arrangements are made).

Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Canada (along with three other good old-fashioned white colonial settler nations: USA, Australia & New Zealand) voted no. 143 other countries voted yes, so it passed anyways.

Wait... we voted no? To a non-binding declaration?

Yup, that's right: "No rights for you!"

Um. What gives the Canadian state the right to dictate who get rights anyways?

JJ is right, it is embarrassing, but unsurprising.

THE DANIEL BEKELE PROJECT

Check back with ETP for more news throughout the day

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Also:
- Today's Top HEADLINES
- INTERNATIONAL news
- Picture of the Day - (In honor of the beginning of Ramadan for Ethiopian Muslims)

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Join Daniel's family and friends as they call for the end of political incarceration and to a new millennium where human rights and freedom are respected in Ethiopia

Letter from the family of Daniel Bekele

October 8, 2007. To many, that day holds no particular meaning or significance. On that day, many people will go on with their daily lives. They will go to work and spend time with family and friends. Some may celebrate a special event, such as a birthday or an anniversary.


However, in an Ethiopian court on October 8th, it will be a somber day where judges will determine the future of Daniel Bekele, a human rights attorney, activist, scholar and a Prisoner of Conscience who has been incarcerated in an Ethiopian jail for two years.

We are writing to request your legal, social and political intervention to secure his freedom so we may memorialize that date as the day justice prevailed for not only Daniel and Prisoners of Conscience throughout the world, but for a society that values human rights for all.

At the University of Oxford, Daniel is a Ph.D. candidate with a Masters Degree in Legal Research, in addition to a L.L.B. in Law and a Masters Degree in Development Studies from Addis Ababa University. As an attorney, Daniel's fields of expertise are in Public International Law, Human Rights Law and Law in Development.

Daniel actively participated in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and he worked as a policy and advocate manager at ActionAid Ethiopia, the South Africa-based international development organization, where he pushed for civic engagement in Ethiopian society.

He also published papers with a focus on the freedom of expression and the application of international human rights law in his homeland of Ethiopia. Daniel's contributions and his passion for peace illustrate dedication to his belief in a peaceful and democratic change in Ethiopia.(More...)

Related stories:

-SSI: Daniel and Netsanet's case may not wrap up before the millennium
-U.N. elections consultant testifies for Daniel and Netsanet, says they "acted within law"
-Two-Month Adjournment and a Prolonged Jail Delay

Today's Top HEADLINES

-Celebrating 2000 with Mixed Emotions
-Kinijit Leaders addressing Crowed in London - Picture
-Addis Press Corps: My observations(Mengedegna)
-PM Meles's Millennium speech (ETH govt.)
-O.N.L.F Press Release
-AUDIO - Govt. Ridicules Opposition Gathering in Eritrea
-Cornell University to offer degree program at BahirDar (First in Africa)
-Ethiopia, EU, US agree on coffee trademarks
-TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK (The Week in Review)

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MUSLIM WORLD CELEBRATES START OF RAMADAN

Most of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims celebrated the start of Ramadan on Thursday. The beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, is traditionally determined by the sighting of a new crescent moon. During the month Muslims have to abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk.(More..)

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INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

-Egypt faults U.S. for inactivity on Mideast peace
-Bush to endorse limited troop cuts in Iraq
-Russian nominee PM hints at presidency
-U.S. Base Hit By Iranian-Type Rocket
-Japanese Prime Minister Abe hospitalized
-Castro Says Cuba Saved Reagan's Life

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In memory of a South African martyr

Thirty years after freedom fighter Steve Biko was beaten to death by police, his image is still instantly recognisable across South Africa. He is one of the most important figures in recent South African history and some are concerned about the commercialisation of his image. But it is undeniably one of the ways in which his legacy is kept alive.(More..)

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PICTURE OF THE DAYrepost

(In honor of the beginning of Ramadan for Ethiopian Muslims)

(The mosque of Negash is said to be the first one built in Ethiopia by the followers of Prophet Mohammed who came with the First Hijra. The photo shows a modern building on that place)

-ETN Interview with Ato Nejib Mohamed from the Ethiopian Muslim community and Abune Gebrail from the Ethiopian Orthodox church
-The first hijra: Migration to Abyssinia(International Board of Islamic Research and Resources)
-[VIDEO] The Message – first Muslims flee to Abyssinia (Scene from the 1977 movie by Director Moustapha Akkad starring Anthony Quinn)



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