Written by What can I say about the events of today? Lowkey says it for me and I am sure for millions of people out there too.
Monthly archives for May, 2010
EPIC FAIL – Israel Claims Aid Flotilla To Gaza Had Links To Al-Qaeda & Hamas
EPIC FAIL – Israel Claims Aid Flotilla To Gaza Had Links To Al-Qaeda & Hamas
RAW FOOTAGE Israeli Soldiers Killing Innocent People On The Flotilla
RAW FOOTAGE Israeli Soldiers Killing Innocent People On The Flotilla
Turkey urges UN to punish Israel for raid on Gaza Flotilla
Speaking at the urgent UN Security Council session in New York, Turkey’s Foreign Minister has condemned Israel’s attack on humanitarian aid convoy off the shore of Gaza as unacceptable and called for measures to bring Israel to responsibility.
Words Fail: PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE CONDEMN TERRORIST ISRAEL’S ACTIONS
First and foremost, we mourn the deaths of the 20 humanitarian aid workers that were spinelessly slaughtered by the terrorist state of Israel. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families in this terrible time of senseless loss. We also wish a speedy and complete recovery to the up to 80 people who were wounded by the IDF in this abominable attack in International Waters.
We severely condemn, with the very harshest tone imaginable, the murderous attack conducted upon the innocent unarmed humanitarians of the FREE GAZA ‘Freedom Flotilla’ within International Waters.
Israeli troops storm Gaza flotilla in International Water
Israeli forces have attacked aid ships attempting to break the blockade of Gaza.
Commandos lowered themselves from helicopters and onto the Mavi Marmara – the lead ship in a flotilla of six vessels which are carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory.
Israeli Army Radio said up to 16 people may have been killed in the operation.
Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal on board the Mavi Marmara sent this report before communications were cut.
Church ‘breached international law’
A leading abuse survivor has suggested the Vatican had breached international law over the child sex abuse scandals.
Colm O’Gorman also said he believes it is “technically possible” for Pope Benedict to be arrested when he visits the UK later this year.
At the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts in Wales, Mr O’Gorman claimed the Vatican was implicated in grave crimes.
“There are moves on foot to start to look to international law, although I’m not quite sure how that may work out, to secure his (Pope Benedict) arrest,” he said.
“I do think that that arrest in a country where the rule of universal jurisdiction and international law is perhaps more robustly applied than others is a distinct possibility. It is technically possible – it may well happen.”
BP Commands Government to Strangle Off Media Coverage of Oil Gusher
On Saturday, the Associated Press reported that the government is strangling off access to areas of the Gulf of Mexico impacted by what is now admitted to be the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
“The Associated Press, CBS and others have reported coverage problems because of the restrictions, which officials say are needed to protect wildlife and ensure safe air traffic,” the AP reported. “A CBS news story said one of its reporting teams was threatened with arrest by the Coast Guard and turned back from an oiled beach at the mouth of the Mississippi River.” Officials said the denial of access was under “BP rules.”
BP and other leviathan transnational corporations own Congress and the White House. Obama’s apparent disinterest in the oil gusher until very recently is not because he does not believe the situation merits attention. The federal government has done little beyond engage in public relations management because transnational corporations and bankers rule (and own) the political process. BP continues to insist it is in control of the situation and the government continues to defer. BP does not want the media poking around and reporting the severity of the disaster to the American people.
“U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration officials said BP PLC, the company responsible for cleaning up the spill, was not controlling access,” Matthew Brown writes for AP. “Coast Guard officials also said there was no intent to conceal the scope of the disaster. Rather, they said, the spill’s complexity had made it difficult to allow the open access sought by the media.”
And yet it is admitted BP contractors are operating alongside the FAA and Coast Guard at command centers that approve or deny flight requests. Charter pilots say they have been denied permission to fly below 3,000 feet when they have reporters or photographers aboard.
Increased Incidence of Whooping Cough Causes Alarm
Whooping cough—also known as pertussis—was a major cause of childhood illness and death in the U.S., but with the introduction of a vaccine in the 1940s, the number of cases fell from approximately 200,000 a year to an all-time low of 1,010 in 1976. Since then, however, the number of whooping cough cases has been steadily increasing, and there is a new resurgence on the West Coast causing some alarm, particularly among California state health authorities.
A serious bacterial infection caused by the infectious bug Bordetella pertussis, whooping cough spreads through the air, meaning that coughing, sneezing, or simple conversation can spread the infection. It starts with symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing, and a general body ache. While seeming like a normal, dry cough accompanying a cold, within the first week it turns into a wheezing cough where the patient suffers attacks of coughing. After gasping for air, these symptoms can become worse over time if not treated properly. The cough can end in a high-pitched whooping noise, hence where the infection got its interesting name.
On board Gaza’s Freedom Flotilla
A flotilla of aid ships left a port in Cyprus on Sunday afternoon bound for the Gaza Strip.
A total of six ships were expected to set sail carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists destined for Gaza in defiance of an Israeli embargo on the Palestinian territory.
The flotilla from Turkey, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Kuwait and Algeria is carrying roughly 10,000 tonnes of aid, including cement, water-purification systems and wheelchairs.
Al Jazeera’s Jamal El-shayyal is on board the Mavi Marmara, the lead ship in the Freedom Flotilla.
In this video blog, he looks at what is on board and how the 600 passengers are coping with what is already proving to be a difficult mission. (30 May 2010)
Hawaii To Ban Possession Of Shark Fins
In just over a year, Hawaii will become the first state to ban the possession of shark fins in an attempt to help prevent the extinction of species that have been overfished throughout the world.
According to Yahoo News, on Friday, Governor Linda Lingle signed what shark conservationists consider a “landmark bill,” prohibiting the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins. The bill was sponsored by Senator Clayton Hee, D-Kahuku-Kaneohe.
During the hearings, testimony was presented that suggested 89 million sharks are being killed for their fins each year, and an estimated 32% of open ocean shark species are in danger of becoming extinct primarily because of overfishing.
Israel rejects plea of 189 countries
After the United Nations ratified a resolution calling for a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves to condemn the treaty.
The attack came after all 189 signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) reached a deal on Friday for the establishment of a Middle East without nukes.
The 28-page statement by the NPT members — which was agreed upon following a month of wrangling — called on all Middle East nations to attend a conference on ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction due to be held in 2012.
The Friday’s agreement also stressed “the importance of Israel’s accession to the treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.”
Reacting to the ratification, the Israeli prime minister issued a statement on Saturday announcing that Israel would not participate in the 2012 conference.
“Israel will not be able to take part in its [the resolution] implementation,” AFP quoted Netanyahu as saying in the statement.
FROM CYNTHIA MCKINNEY ON MAY 31, 2010
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FROM CYNTHIA MCKINNEY ON MAY 31, 2010: I am outraged at Israel’s latest criminal act. I mourn with my fellow Free Gaza travelers, the lives that have been lost by Israel’s needless, senseless act against unarmed humanitarian activiests. But I’m even more outraged that once again, Israel has been aided and abetted by the silence of the world’s onlookers whose hearts have grown cold with indifference.