VLADD'S SOAPBOX/ 'Fighting Injustice'

Oba Chandler executed in Florida | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times

2011-11-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

Oba Chandler | Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg Times

Baby P: Doctors demand probe into claims of a Baby P cover-up; Kim Holt: I was driven out to protect the Great Ormond Street brand, says the whistleblowing paediatrician who could have saved Baby Peter ;

2011-07-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Senior doctors from Great Ormond Street today demanded a government inquiry into an alleged "cover-up" by the leading children's hospital over the Baby P tragedy.

The unidentified paediatricians want independent investigators brought in after claims the hospital failed to pass on information to a review of events surrounding the death in August 2007 of 17-month-old Peter Connelly

- Source

- I was driven out to protect the Great Ormond Street brand, says the whistleblowing paediatrician who could have saved Baby Peter

Mukhtaran Mai: History of a rape case; Acquittals in Mukhtaran Mai gang rape case;

2011-04-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Five of six men charged over a village council-sanctioned gang rape in Pakistan have been acquitted by the Supreme Court.

The court upheld the decision of a lower court, which included commuting the death penalty of the sixth man to life imprisonment.

The victim, Mukhataran Mai, hit world headlines after speaking out about her ordeal in 2002. She has since become an icon for women's rights in Pakistan.

She said she now feared for her life.

Mukhtaran Mai was her clear and unambiguous self when she spoke minutes after the verdict, the BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Pakistan said.

"The police never even recorded my own statements correctly," she said.

"I don't have any more faith in the courts. I have put my faith in God's judgement now. I don't know what the legal procedure is, but my faith [in the system] is gone.

"Yes, there is a threat to me and my family. There is a threat of death, and even of the same thing happening again. Anything can happen."

- Source

- Mukhtaran Mai: History of a gang rape case

Rape; Iman al-Obeidi; Rape used 'as a weapon' in Libya; A woman who has become the public face of Libyan oppression has said the son of a high-ranking official raped her.

2011-03-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

As Libya's opposition fighters push west, doctors are uncovering more victims from the front line.

Several doctors say they have found Viagra tablets and condoms in the pockets of dead pro-Gaddafi fighters, alleging that they were using rape as a weapon of war.

They say they have been treating female rape survivors who were allied with pro-democracy forces.

Furthermore, 175 people, including doctors, have been reported missing from Ajdabiya, and many have now been found to have been killed.

- Source

- A woman who has become the public face of Libyan oppression has said the son of a high-ranking official raped her

- Rape

Florida; Child abuse; Jorge and Carmen Barahona both facing murder charges; ; Granddaughter told of abuse of twins; State to seek death penalty for Jorge and Carmen Barahona;

2011-03-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Abuse of helpless small children needs to be eradicated!

If Jorge and Carmen Barahona are found guilty of this very ugly crime and, eventually 1st degree murder, I hope the harshest penalty is applied.

¤¤¤

The 6-year-old girl who blew the whistle on the abuse of her grandparents' two adoptive children is herself a victim of child abuse, authorities said Friday.

A Miami judge ordered that the girl's mother, Jennifer Perez, and all members of her family to have no contact with the child for the foreseeable future.

- Source

- Barahonas to appear in court; state to announce whether it will seek execution

- Jorge and Carmen Barahona both facing murder charges

- State to seek death penalty for Jorge and Carmen Barahona

Marlon Noble: Man not convicted, but jailed nine years;

2011-03-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

WEST Australia's attorney-general has defended a decision to leave an intellectually disabled man in prison for more than nine years without being convicted or standing trial.

Marlon Noble was 19 when he was arrested in December 2001 for allegedly sexually assaulting two minors in Carnarvon, 900km north of Perth.

He was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and detained until the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board could examine his situation.

Mr Noble is now 29 and is being held at Greenough Regional Prison near Geraldton despite the director of public prosecutions deciding in August 2010 not to prosecute him.

- Source

David Attenborough; David Attenborough’s speech to the RSA on population; Population: The elephant in the room;

2011-03-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

The broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has become a patron of a group seeking to cut the growth in human population.

On joining the Optimum Population Trust, Sir David said growth in human numbers was "frightening".

Sir David has been increasingly vocal about the need to reduce the number of people on Earth to protect wildlife.

The Trust, which accuses governments and green groups of observing a taboo on the topic, say they are delighted to have Sir David as a patron.

- David Attenborough warns on population

- Population: The elephant in the room

- Sir David Attenborough insists we must tackle growth by contraception

- Population Matters

Florida; Alexander Crain: Golden Gate teen accused of slaying his parents breaks down in court; 14-year-old Alex Crain charged as adult, manslaughter for killing parents

2011-03-10T05:34:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2010

NAPLES — Fourteen-year-old Alexander Thomas Crain, charged with shooting his parents to death, quietly cried in court today as a judge ordered him held in secure juvenile detention for 21 days.

Crain’s grandmother, Nancy S. Ward, stood with Crain, who clasped his hands behind his back, and defense attorney Lee Hollander as about 20 family members packed the small courtroom’s first three rows and sobbed quietly.

“Based on the allegations, if charged as an adult, Mr. Crain will face the restrictions of the 10-20-Life Law because of the use of a firearm,” Assistant State Attorney Rich Montecalvo told Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier

- Source

- 14-year-old Alex Crain charged as adult, manslaughter for killing parents

Blasphemy law; Shahbaz Bhatti; Murdered Pakistan minister's defiant video message; Shahbaz Bhatti's 'goodbye' call; Murder of Shahbaz Bhatti reveals Talibanisation of Pakistan; Sherry Rehman next on Pakistan militants' hitlist, friends fear, Funeral for murdered Pakistani Christian minister; In Pakistan, Justifying Murder for Those Who Blaspheme

2011-03-02T14:06:00.000-08:00

I am very sad to read of the violent death of this brave man and am proud to call him my Brother in the faith!
He is a martyr for Jesus Christ and will be rewarded as such.

¤¤¤

12:29PM GMT 02 Mar 2011

Pakistan's only Christian minister has been shot dead by suspected militants after receiving a series of death threats over his support for persecuted Christians and his opposition to the country's controversial blasphemy law.

Mr Bhatti had supported Aasiya Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to hang for allegedly making derogatory comments against the Prophet Mohammad, and believed the blasphemy law was being used to make false claims against members of religious minorities.

In the weeks before the attack Mr Bhatti had spoken of continuing death threats against him but insisted he would not increase his security or live in fear.

- Source

- Shahbaz Bhatti's 'goodbye' call
- Murder of Shahbaz Bhatti reveals Talibanisation of Pakistan
- Sherry Rehman next on Pakistan militants' hit list, friends fear
- Funeral for murdered Pakistani Christian Minister
- BBC/Video of funeral
- Shahbaz Bhatti funeral tinged with anger
- Turning a blind eye to blood-thirsty clerics
- Justifying murder for those who blaspheme

Overpopulation; Family Planning; Planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, experts say;

2011-02-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

..."Population experts, meanwhile, called for more funding for family planning programs to help control the growth in the number of humans, especially in developing nations.

"For 20 years, there's been very little investment in family planning, but there's a return of interest now, partly because of the environmental factors like global warming and food prices," said Bongaarts."...

- Source

- Family Planning

Suicide Bombers; Twelve-year-old suicide bomber kills 31 in Pakistan;

2011-02-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

A 12-year-old boy dressed in school uniform blew himself up killing 31 army recruits in north-west Pakistan.

- Source

Facebook; Egypt; Khaled Said; Israel; 'Palestine Papers'; A Mideast Peace Plan That Still Could Be; Green and Jasmine bleed together

2011-02-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

If there is a face to the revolt that has sprouted in Egypt, it may be the face of
- Khaled Said.
¤¤¤

... "In Israel, by contrast, there is fear. Whatever their doubts about how Egypt and Jordan were ruled, most Israelis counted on the Mubarak and Hashemite regimes, if not as true allies then at least as stable neighbors committed to the peace treaties they signed. Israelis understand that their occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza are sources of rage in the Arab street, but many have come to believe that the peace process is futile — especially since President Obama seems to have despaired of achieving meaningful negotiations — and they fear democracy will bring Islamists to power, or at least encourage anti-Israeli politicians. They feel a strategic pillar has been kicked from under them, and the regional unrest only strengthens their sense that they must defend themselves against, rather than make peace with, the Palestinians."...

- Source

- The Whitehouse Waits

- Green and Jasmine bleed together

Hena Begum; Mahbub Khan; Bangladeshi family tells of grief over girl whipped to death; Bangladesh girl bled to death after lashing say doctors; Bangladeshi doctors to face charges in flogging death of Hena Begum, 14;

2011-02-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

It was a chance meeting next to the palm tree just yards from her bedroom that led to a 14-year-old girl being whipped to death in this tiny village about 40 miles south of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

In the early evening Hena Akhter had gone out to use the bathroom when she was met by her cousin and neighbour, Mahbub, who gagged her with a cloth before beating her.

The assault left her on the brink of consciousness, unable to walk or talk. But instead of punishing Hena's attacker, local elders called a shalish – a village meeting – where she was accused of having an illicit relationship with a married man.

Mahbub's wife, Shilpi, complained that he had secretly been meeting Hena. Village elders found both cousins guilty.

- Source

- Hena Begum, Bangladeshi teen, dies after public lashings

- Bangladesh girl bled to death after lashing say doctors

- Bangladesh lashed teen 'murdered': prosecutor

- Bangladeshi doctors to face charges in flogging death of Hena Begum

Mohammed Hanif Khan; Imam convicted of raping a boy and sexually assaulting another; Muslim imam, given award by Princess Anne, facing jail for raping boy, 12, at mosque; Muslim cleric jailed for 16 yrs for raping young boy;

2011-02-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

MUSLIM leader Mohammed Hanif Khan has been warned he faces up to 14 years in jail after raping a schoolboy at his mosque and sexually assaulting another youngster.

The imam, pictured, was remanded in custody after being found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child after a three-week trial.

A third count of rape and one of attempted rape were dismissed by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court after the jury failed to reach a verdict in respect of the charges after 14 hours of deliberations.

The two victims, both aged under 18, attended the mosque in Capper Street, Tunstall, where Khan was employed as imam.

The 41-year-old raped one of the boys there following prayers, while he assaulted the second teenage boy after he stayed over at the defendant's former home.

Khan, aged 42, showed no emotion as he sat in the dock when the verdicts were read out.

- Source

- Muslim imam, given award by Princess Anne, facing jail for raping boy, 12, at mosque

- Muslim cleric jailed for 16 yrs for raping young boy

The 10th Parallel: Where Christianity And Islam Meet; Eliza Griswold; Franklin Graham; Omar al-Bashir

2011-01-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

August 25, 2010

In the winter of 2003, writer Eliza Griswold traveled to the northern capital of Sudan with Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader and son of Billy Graham, to meet with Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan.

There were several reasons for making the trip. Graham wanted to ask Bashir for the right to preach to Muslims in Khartoum and in northern Sudan. (Bashir denied his request.) Griswold, meanwhile, wanted to see how Christian evangelicals had come to play such a large role in U.S. foreign policy, a topic she was researching for her book The Tenth Parallel, about the collisions between Islam and Christianity in certain parts of the world.

- Source

Aljazeera - Video

Africa; Sudan; George Clooney; John Prendergast; Satellite Sentinel Project;

2011-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

A Message From George Clooney and John Prendergast

A new state is being born in Southern Sudan against a backdrop of decades of war between the South and North of Sudan. A peace deal in 2005 ended the latest round of open conflict, but the possibility of a return to war remains high as Southern Sudan prepares for independence.

One of the biggest risks in this dangerous moment is that an incident on the highly armed border could lead to wider conflict. The government in Khartoum has armed militias in contested bordering regions, the government air force has bombed border areas, and both sides have massed military units and equipment along the hottest border spots.

These areas have witnessed some of the most deadly conflict in the world since World War II. The former director of national intelligence says that Southern Sudan is the place in the world most likely to experience genocide.

We can’t allow another deadly war, and we surely cannot stand by in the face of a genocide threat.

- http://www.satsentinel.org/

- Take Action

- Sudan country profile

Gerry Rafferty: In Memoriam; Gone but not forgotten: Family and friends pay tribute to Gerry Rafferty as his ex-wife carries 20-year-old love note; Whatever's written in your heart;

2011-01-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

Singer-songwriter
April 16th 1947-Jan 4th 2011

Was sad to read that one of my favourite singers, Gerry Rafferty, has died.
- Gerry Rafferty dies at age 63

He had a voice that really moved the soul in its innermost places.

He certainly had a very bad start in life which obviously affected the rest of it so negatively!

May he rest in peace.

- Source

- Daughter sings at Rafferty funeral
- 'Whatever's written in your heart'

- Life in pictures

- Gerry Rafferty obituary

- Songs Of Alienation

- Baker Street

- Night Owl (1979)

- Right Down The Line

Stealers Wheel: - Stuck In the Middle With You

Mesac Damas; Mesac Damas confesses to killing family, wants to go to heaven; Haiti; Mixing Voodoo with 'Christianity'

2011-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Mesac Damas confessed publicly Tuesday to killing his five children and wife in North Naples, and told the Daily News he wants to die and go to heaven.

“I want death,” Damas said from the back seat of the pickup truck transporting him to the Port-au-Prince airport, from where he was extradited to Miami late Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Naples man admitted to the brutal slayings of his five children and wife, Guerline Damas. The six bodies were discovered in the couple’s rented townhouse on Saturday night. Family members of the victims say their throats were cut.

- Source

Southern Sudan: George Clooney uses Hollywood starpower in S.Sudan; South Sudan: fear 'absurd' expectations will spark new conflict; Sudan secession: factfile;

2011-01-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

8th Jan 2011

JUBA, Sudan – How do you get a long-suffering but little-known slice of Africa on the White House agenda and onto American TV screens? George Clooney knows how.

Humble, self-effacing and dressed for safari, the Hollywood star and former Sexiest Man Alive was in the scruffy, straw-hut capital of Southern Sudan on Saturday to draw attention to the region's weeklong independence referendum.

The vote, which begins Sunday, is likely to create the world's newest nation. Clooney is working to help the region avoid a backslide toward war.

In picking a cause and roughing it in a developing country, Clooney is hardly alone. Celebrities are shining their star power on the poor, the war-weary and the disaster-prone more than ever.

- Source

- South Sudan: fear 'absurd' expectations will spark new confilct

- Sudan secession: factfile

Salman Taseer shot dead by bodyguard in central Islamabad after speaking out against blasphemy laws; Islamic Extremists Protest Efforts to Change Blasphemy Laws and Free Christian; Pakistan Mourns Slain Governor who Backed Christian; Salmaan Taseer, Aasia Bibi and Pakistan's struggle with extremism; Blasphemy laws must not be scrapped, says Musharraf;

2011-01-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

The governor of Pakistan's wealthiest province has been killed by one of his own bodyguards, apparently because he had spoken out against the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

In the most high-profile political assassination since the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, Punjab governor Salman Taseer was shot nine times at Kohsar market, an upmarket shopping area less than a mile from the presidential palace.

The interior minister, Rahman Malik, said that the gunman had told police he had killed Taseer for criticising the country's blasphemy legislation.

- Pakistan attack kills Punjab governor

- Punjab Governor Salman Taseer assassinated in Islamabad

- Islamic Extremists Protest Efforts to Change Blasphemy Laws and Free Christian

- Pakistan crisis deepens as governor shot dead

- Pakistan Mourns Slain Governor who Backed Christian

- Salmaan Taseer, Aasia Bibi and Pakistan's struggle with extremism

- Aasia Bibi

- Blasphemy laws must not be scrapped, says Musharraf

Leroy Nash: Leroy Nash, Oldest Death Row Inmate In U.S., Dies At 94

2010-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

PHOENIX — Deaf, nearly blind, confined to a wheelchair and suffering from dementia and mental illness, the oldest death row inmate in the United States has died of natural causes at age 94.

Viva Leroy Nash died late Friday at the state's prison complex in Florence, said an Arizona Department of Corrections spokesman.

Nash was still officially on death row, but spokesman Barrett Marson said Sunday he did not know if Nash died in his cell or in a medical facility at the prison.

- Source

- Oldest Death Row Inmate in US Dies at 94

- 'Jailhouse Houdini': Viva LeRoy Nash's life of crime - and escape

- Viva Leroy Nash

Kainat Soomro: Pakistan's rape victim who dared to fight back;

2010-12-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Kainat Soomro should have stayed silent. After being battered and gang raped for four days her traditional, conservative village in rural Pakistan expected the 13-year-old girl to keep her story to herself.

She refused.

Since then her dark brown eyes and striking features have become a staple of the country's newspapers and television news channels, as she fights for justice and a new voice for women in a deeply conservative country.

Nothing has stopped her. Not the murder of her brother, threats from the men she says raped her or a death sentence imposed by the elders of her village, Dadu, in Sindh province.

"This is what happens in Pakistan," she said. "Poor women have no chance. These men set the rules and think they know how to deal with these issues. They don't."

- Source

Karl Hinett; Horrifically burnt in Iraq Karl Hinett is running 52 marathons in a year to repay medics who saved him;

2010-12-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

It was an image that shocked the world.

A soldier engulfed in flames battles to escape his blazing Warrior tank after being hit by a petrol bomb in Iraq.

There seemed to be little hope that Private Karl Hinett would survive after suffering burns on almost half his body as he tumbled from the vehicle and collapsed unconscious by the road.

Karl, then 18, was dragged to safety by comrades and spent 11 days in a coma as medics fought to keep him alive and repair his ravaged body with skin grafts.

Now, five years on from the attack – on September 19, 2005 – he finally finished his treatment last week and his indomitable courage is summed up by the tattoo on his stomach. It says “unscarred”.

- Source

Open Doors; Right To Believe Campaign; Aasia Bibi; Pakistani Christians to protest on Christmas Day to repeal blasphemy law; Asia Bibi 'can be killed at any time' says Pakistani priest; Islamic Extremists Protest Efforts to Change Blasphemy Laws and Free Christian

2010-12-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

Right to Believe

DEFAMATION OF RELIGIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS: a threat to religious liberty

This year in 2010 the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), linking 57 countries with majority or significant Muslim populations, once again introduced a Defamation of Religions Resolution in the United Nations.

If the Resolution became the basis for law, it would allow governments the power to determine which religious views can and can't be expressed in their country, and the right to punish those who express 'unacceptable' religious views as they see fit. So, in effect, it would makes persecution legal.

It aims to criminalise words or actions deemed to be against a particular religion, especially Islam. It has the effect of providing international legitimacy for national laws that punish blasphemy or otherwise ban criticism of a religion. It was voted on in the UN General Assembly on 21 December.

Many countries have backed this Resolution in the past, but this year some changed their minds. Although the Resolution was not defeated, it passed with the narrowest margin to date - just 9 votes. Thousands of people from the UK and Ireland and across the world helped to acieve this by their prayers and their signatures on the Open Doors' Right to Believe petition.

- Open Doors

¤¤¤

The 'Defamation of Religions' Resolution has been voted on by the United Nations General Assembly

The UN General Assembly in New York voted on the Defamation of Religions Resolution on 21 December. It was passed with 76 votes in favour, 67 countries voting against and 40 abstaining. In all the years of voting on this issue this is the narrowest margin to date! The trend of declining support is clearly accelerating. The gap between the YES and NO vote narrowed significantly, and the total number of NO votes, plus the abstentions, far outweighed the YES vote. We believe that every signature on the petition has played a small but significant part in this.

Further details can be found at http://www.opendoorsuk.org/campaign/RTB.php

The Defamation of Religions Resolution is not about to become law. Support for the concept is decreasing. And in 2011 the petition signatures will still be a powerful weapon as the discussions continue. Open Doors will be working to build on all that has been achieved with the support of so many around the world.

When a Christian woman such as Asia Bibi can be sentenced to death over a charge of blasphemy in Pakistan, it is vital that the United Nations should be looking for ways of further protecting the rights of all people of faith.

Open Doors will continue to campaign for the Right to Believe. In 2011 we will highlight the widespread level of concern indicated by 428,856 signatures on the global Right to Believe petition. We will continue to pray, to prompt, to campaign privately and publicly. We will do all we can to ensure that our brothers and sisters who currently face persecution for the sake of Christ will one day have the Right to Believe, in freedom and without fear.

Thank you for all you have done in campaigning action and prayer in support of persecuted Christians in 2010.

Wishing you a Christmas full of the joy and peace of Jesus Christ.

Alice J
Advocacy Manager
Open Doors UK and Ireland

- Aasia Bibi

- Pakistani Christians to protest on Christmas Day to repeal blasphemy law

- Asia Bibi 'can be killed at any time' says Pakistani priest

- Tense Christmas Weekend Ahead in Pakistan

- Islamic Extremists Protest Efforts to Change Blasphemy Laws and Free Christian

Aramaic; Christ's endangered language gets new lease of life in Oxford; Aramaic/Proto-Hebrew alphabet; History of Aramaic

2010-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

It is the language that Christ spoke, but is regarded as "endangered" with ever fewer scattered groups of native speakers.

But in Oxford, Aramaic has been flourishing again, with a course in the ancient language drawing people from as far afield as Liverpool and London. There are now 56 people learning Aramaic at the university, including three classics professors, solemnly completing their weekly homework tasks and regularly attending the free lunchtime lessons, more than the numbers studying Greek.

Their first lesson might have surprised the writers of the books of David and Ezra in the Bible, and of the Talmud, both originally written in Aramaic: the scholars pored over a translation of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

- Christ's endangered language gets new lease of life in Oxford

- Aramaic/Proto-Hebrew alphabet

- History of Aramaic

Sunni and Shi'a; Iran hangs Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi; Iran hangs 11 Jundullah Sunni militants;

2010-12-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

The words Sunni and Shi'a appear regularly in stories about the Muslim world but few people know what they really mean.
Religion permeates every aspect of life in Muslim countries and understanding Sunni and Shi'a beliefs is important in understanding the modern Muslim world.

- Source

- Iran 'arrests leader of Sunni militants Jundullah'

- Iran hangs Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi

- Iran hangs 11 Jundullah Sunni Militants

Lars Vilks; Taimour Abdulwahab; Samir Khan; Facebook; Cartoons, threats preceded Sweden bombing; U.S. citizen believed to be writing for al Qaeda website, source says;

2010-12-17T13:48:00.000-08:00

... In July 'Inspire' magazine, an online magazine from al Qaeda's Yemeni arm, put Vilks at the top of an assassination list. And a few weeks ago Al Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, released a video in which a Swedish member exhorted Swedish militants to kill Vilks.

These threats follow an audiotape back in 2007 from Umar al Baghdadi, then a senior figure in al Qaeda in Iraq, who promised "a reward of $100,000 for anybody who kills this Infidel criminal. This reward will be raised to $150,000 if he is slaughtered like a lamb."

Baghdadi also called for attacks against Swedish businesses, including Volvo.

There's an ironic twist in the mention of Volvo. Back in the 1970s Osama bin Laden went on vacation to Sweden because an older brother was trying to buy Volvo trucks for the bin Laden family construction company. During downtime, the brothers liked nothing better than to speed through the Swedish countryside in the family Rolls Royce.

And for a long while, Sweden got a pass from international jihadists. In an October 2004 videotape al Qaeda's leader disputed President George W. Bush's accusation that al Qaeda hated freedom by retorting: "Let him tell us why we did not strike Sweden, for example."...

- Source

- U.S. citizen believed to be writing for al Qaeda website, source says

- Medhjälpare till självmordsbombare söks på Facebook

- Former New Yorker Samir Khan behind graphics of new Al Qaeda recruiting magazine Inspire: officials

Amy Houston; Aso Mohammed Ibrahim; We'll carry on fighting to get asylum seeker who left child to 'die like a dog' kicked out, vows government; Human Rights Act - which David Cameron had personally pledged to scrap - has allowed Ibrahim to win his fight in Britain.

2010-12-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

By Jack Doyle and Jaya Narain: Last updated at 5:12 PM on 17th December 2010
- Father says 'criminals have free rein' after losing battle to deport driver
- Failed asylum seeker Aso Mohammed Ibrahim had a string of convictions
- Outcome 'may have been different' if Iraqi didn't have children, judges say

The decision to stop the deportation of a failed asylum seeker who ran over a child and left her to 'die like a dog' is to be appealed by the UK Border Agency.

Aso Mohammed Ibrahim knocked down Amy Houston, 12, and fled the scene without getting her any help - leaving her trapped under the wheels. He was driving while disqualified and after the little girl’s death he committed a string of further offences.

But the Human Rights Act - which David Cameron had personally pledged to scrap - has allowed Ibrahim to win his fight in Britain.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: 'We are extremely disappointed at the tribunal’s decision and are appealing.

‘He was convicted of committing an offence that led to the tragic death of a twelve year old child and it is our view that he should be removed.'

- Source

- Driver's deportation win challenged

A.D.H.D.; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Untangling the Myths About Attention Disorder;

2010-12-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

...“Attention is a really complex cognitive phenomenon that has a lot of pieces in it,” said Dr. David K. Urion of Harvard, who directs the learning disabilities and behavioral neurology program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “What we’re specifically talking about in kids with attention deficit is a problem compared to age- and gender-based peers in selective attention — what do you glom onto and what do you ignore?”

Moreover, the disorder occurs along a broad spectrum, from mild to extreme. Boys are more likely to be hyperactive and impulsive, girls to be inattentive. (One reason many girls don’t get an official diagnosis is that those with the inattentive form may be well behaved in school, but still unable to focus.)...

- Source

Hillary Clinton: Empower girls and women; "Give women equal rights and entire nations are more stable and secure."/Hillary Clinton

2010-12-12T13:25:00.000-08:00

It certainly is time that women receive alot more respect for their capabilities!

¤¤¤

Toward the end of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's surprise appearance at the TED Women conference Wednesday, she told the story of a girl and her father in a developing country.

"This teenage girl's father expected to force her into early marriage, but she had been to school and she received a cow, perhaps through the Heifer project, to encourage her to stay in school. When her father demanded she drop out of school and get married, she said no. When he insisted, she insisted right back.

"And finally she pulled out her trump card: 'If I leave and get married, I'm taking my cow, that cow belongs to me.' So guess what. She stayed in school, she was spared an early marriage, all because her father couldn't bear to part with the cow."

- Hillary Clinton: Empower girls and women

Shane Taylor; Three-strikes law; Stanford law students appeal three-strike cases; Petition

2010-12-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

11th Dec 2010

By PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Paul Elias, Associated Press – 15 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO – Nearly 15 years after sentencing, an inmate is getting an unexpected chance at freedom — and the judge a shot at redemption.

Students at Stanford Law School's novel Three Strikes Project, which has successfully overturned 14 life prison terms handed down for non-violent crimes under California's unforgiving sentencing law, are joined by an unusual coalition in their latest bid. The county judge and prosecutor who sent Shane Taylor behind bars for 25-years-to-life in 1996 now want to help set him free.

His public defender at trial is also supporting Taylor's plea for a reduced sentence by conceding he failed to mount an adequate defense.

Taylor's offenses: two burglary convictions when he was 19, and a third conviction for possessing about $10 worth of methamphetamine.

- Source

- Petition: Abolish Three Strikes Law

Julian Assange; Anna Ardin; The 'honeytrap' that snared Assange; STD; Julian Assange to use £1m book deals for legal fight;

2010-12-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

- What the Assange case reveals about rape in America

- Lawyer for two women whose assault allegations led to arrest says case has nothing to do with WikiLeaks or CIA

- Anna Ardin, Julian Assange Rape Accuser, May Have Ceased Pursuing Claims

- Assange accuser flees to Middle East, may not be cooperating with police

- STD fears sparked case against WikiLeaks boss

- The 'honeytrap' that snared Assange

- Julian Assange enjoys an emotional reunion with his mother

- Julian Assange, WikiLeaks boss, sent lovesick, 'creepy' emails to teen: report

- Wikileaks' Julian Assange tells of 'smear campaign'

Hopefully Mr Assange has learned a lesson and will behave with less arrogance when next he 'dates'...assuming that all that has been 'revealed' is true.

- Julian Assange to use £1m book deals for legal fight

The Israeli Source of the Pathan Tribes; Lucknow Pathans have Jewish roots?; Sunni Muslims; Afridi Tribe; Dr. Zakir Hussain; Taliban may be descended from Jews;

2010-12-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

As children, we heard from our parents, who come from Afghanistan, stories about the Ten Tribes who were lost during the destruction of the Temple, about meetings with the country people with whom they had contact in trade matters, about Jewish customs and names – and it all sounded inconceivable and fascinating. Like all children, we enjoyed hearing about tribes of Israel preserving their forefathers’ tradition, bearing arms and awaiting the day of redemption.

From Mr Yisrael Mishal, who lived in Afulah and was formerly President of the Afghanistan Jewish community, I often heard unusually fascinating quotations and stories uttered repeatedly and Mr Mishal gave live examples of his meetings with Pathans who dwell on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

- Source

- Taliban may be descended from Jews
- Lucknow Pathans have Jewish roots?

Dr. Zakir Hussain: - "I love Israel, for my forefathers were most probably Israelites"

- Medieval Persian References to the Israelite Origin of Afridi Pashtuns/Pathans

- Pakhtun, Afghan and Pathan

Shahla Jahed; Naser Mohammadkhani; Iran footballer's 'temporary wife' faces execution: Amnesty; Shahla Jahed, Nasser Mohammad Khani's Mistress, Hanged In Iran;

2010-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

"In the Shiite faith that is the majority religion in Iran, men and women can marry for an agreed period of time. Afterwards, the marriage is null and void, although it can be renewed."

As a woman I'm very grateful to have been brought up as a Christian.

¤¤¤
Shahla Jahed was convicted of murdering the wife of football legend Naser Mohammadkhani

... Activists in Iran widely suspect that Jahed was forced to confess to the stabbing. The news of Jahed's pending execution outraged human rights activists, who have campaigned for several years to stop Iran from killing her.

Karim Lahidji, the president of the Iranian League for Human Rights, said: "Shahla Jahed has never had a fair trial in Iran and has always insisted that she is innocent. Unfortunately, she's a victim of a misogynous society. Although Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's case is about adultery, her case is similar to that of Shahla Jahed because both are victims of the flaws of the Iranian judicial system."

He added: "We are approaching the Human Rights Day on 10 December and once again Iran is planning to execute another woman. That's a clear signal that Iran wants to challenge the world on human rights issues."

Mohammadkhani was in Germany when the killing happened, but it emerged later that he was "temporarily married" to Jahed, a practice allowed under Shia Islam. Temporary marriage or "sigheh", as it is known in Iran, allows men to take on wives for as little as a few hours to years on the condition that any offspring are legally and financially provided for. Critics of the tradition see it as legalised prostitution.

Shahla Jahed's case drew huge attention when Iran took the unprecedented decision of holding her trial in public...

- Source

- Iran footballer's 'temporary wife' faces execution: Amnesty

- Iran executes woman accused of murdering lover's wife

- Iran hangs footballer's mistress Shahla Jahed

- Shahla Jahed, Nasser Mohammad Khani's Mistress, Hanged In Iran

¤¤¤
... Sex and drugs

During the trial, it emerged that Shahla Jahed was a devoted fan of the player who had pursued him until he gave in to her advances.

The court heard that Khani led a double life, carrying on a four-year relationship with Shahla Jahed in an apartment in north Tehran while maintaining his marriage with Laleh Saharkhizan.

Ms Saharkhizan's mother and sister told the court that she had received telephone calls at night from an anonymous woman who told her she did not deserve her life with Khani.

After the murder, her body was found at home by her children, bearing several knife wounds.

Shahla Jahed was arrested the next day and refused to talk for nearly a year.

Khani was also imprisoned for several months on suspicion of complicity, but was released after his lover confessed that she had acted alone.

However, after the court heard that he had smoked opium with his mistress, he was sentenced to 74 lashes for drug-taking. ...

- BBC/18th June 2004

Nineteen is the Number to Watch as UN Committee Prepares to Vote on Religious ‘Defamation’; Merkel urges Germans: stand up for Christian values; Open Doors

2010-11-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Nineteen is the Number to Watch as UN Committee Prepares to Vote on Religious ‘Defamation’

Friday, November 19, 2010
By Patrick Goodenough

(CNSNews.com) – As a U.N. General Assembly committee prepares to vote on a controversial religious “defamation” resolution – possibly as early as Friday – critics will be keen to see how successful their lobbying against the Islamic-led initiative has been.

Nineteen will be the number to better. That was the margin of difference between countries voting for and against the resolution in 2009. The result then was 80-61 in favor of the resolution, with 42 abstentions.

- Source

- Islamic Nations’ ‘Religious Defamation’ Drive Is Losing Steam

- Merkel urges Germans: stand up for Christian values

- Open Doors

Aasia Bibi; Salmaan Taseer; The death sentence on a Christian woman in Pakistan called Aasia Bibi for blasphemy has set off a storm of debate about her fate; Death Sentence in Pakistan Spotlights Blasphemy Laws As U.N. Votes on ‘Defamation’; John 17:11-16; Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi 'has price on her head'

2010-11-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Rob Crilly in Lahore 11:59AM GMT 27 Nov 2010

It started as nothing more than a petty squabble: a group of Muslim women refused to sup from a bucket of water fetched by a Christian co-worker as they picked berries on a farm.

But within days the spat had escalated into a deadly storm, as imams whipped up an angry crowd accusing Aasia Bibi of badmouthing the Prophet Muhammad.

Today the mother-of-five is on death row, the first woman in Pakistan to be sentenced to hang for blasphemy.

- Source

- Death Sentence in Pakistan Spotlights Blasphemy Laws As U.N. Votes on ‘Defamation’

- Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi 'has price on her head'

- Christian's Death Verdict Spurs Holy Row In Pakistan

¤¤¤

- John 17:11-16
Jesus' Prayer for His Disciples

In the name of Jesus Christ I pray that my Sister in the faith, Aasia Bibi, is not killed by the Muslims of Pakistan.
But not our will but Thy will be done.
Amen
- More about Aasia Bibi

Winnie Mandela biopic clip leaked online; Is Jennifer Hudson fit to play Winnie Mandela?;

2010-11-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

A first glimpse of a controversial biopic about South Africa's Winnie Mandela which promises to restore her reputation as Mother of the Nation has been provided by the leaking of the official trailer on the Internet.

- Winnie Mandela biopic clip leaked online

- Is Jennifer Hudson fit to play Winnie Mandela?

- Zindzi Mandela in rent debt again

Anti-Semitism; Sharia law and its punishment; Koran; Ofsted; Saudi school lessons in UK concern government; Racism is institutional in upper tiers of British society, says Lord Parekh;

2010-11-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

The government says it will not tolerate anti-Semitic and homophobic lessons being taught to Muslim children in the UK.

BBC Panorama found that more than 40 Saudi Students' Schools and Clubs are teaching the official Saudi national curriculum to about 5,000 pupils.

One text book shows how the hands and feet of thieves are chopped off.

The Saudi government said it had no official ties to the part-time schools and clubs and did not endorse them.

- Saudi school lessons in UK concern government

- Jerusalem Western Wall development plan opposed by Palestinians as 'illegal'

- Racism is institutional in upper tiers of British society, says Lord Parekh

Missing child; Zahra Baker; Adam Baker; Elisa Baker; Memorial to Zahra grows, birthday vigil planned Tuesday; Remains Found Confirmed As Zahra Baker's;

2010-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

This is the not so strange tale of parental irresponsibility, child neglect and alleged abuse.

I hope they find her cowardly dad soon.

Zahra is, sad to say, certainly much better off where she is now.

¤¤¤

ZAHRA Baker's Australian mother says she has been "crushed" by the mystery surrounding her daughter's death.

Emily Dietrich has gone to Hickory in North Carolina where US police have found bones they've confirmed are her missing 10-year-old daughter Zahra Baker.

North Carolina police have been looking for the young girl - who lost part of a leg to bone cancer five years ago - since her father Adam Baker and stepmother Elisa Baker reported her missing on October 9.
- Source

- Bone Found in Search for Missing N.C. Girl

- Missing girl's mother said to blame Zahra's father

- Who is Elisa Baker?

- Zahra Baker's mother tells of her anguish

- Memorial to Zahra grows, birthday vigil planned Tuesday

- Remains Found Confirmed As Zahra Baker's

Aung San Suu Kyi: Burma releases pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi; A biography of Aung San Suu Kyi; Burma's opposition leader is a new Mandela

2010-11-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's great that Aung San Suu Kyi has been released from house 'prison' and hopefully things will go well for her! She has made great sacrifices for her country and beliefs.

She has two sons, Kim and Alexander

- After 10 years, Aung San Suu Kyi's son prepares for reunion

¤¤¤

The Burmese military authorities have released the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, from house arrest.

Appearing outside her home in Rangoon, Ms Suu Kyi told thousands of jubilant supporters they had to "work in unison" to achieve their goals.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been detained for 15 of the past 21 years. It is not yet clear if any conditions have been placed on her release.

US President Barack Obama welcomed her release as "long overdue".

- Source

- A biography of Aung San Suu Kyi

- Timeline: Aung San Suu Kyi

- Burma's opposition leader is a new Mandela

- Aung San Suu Kyi in pictures

-Suu Kyi's son in Burma visa bid

Kim Longinotto; 'Rough Aunties'; Operation Bobbi Bear; A documentary about very kind and tough women in Durban, South Africa, who work with the victims of child rape and sexual abuse.

2010-11-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

Watched a really heart warming and heart breaking documentary about the work of an organisation in Durban, South Africa that works with the victims of child sexual abuse.

The documentary is called 'Rough Aunties' and the organisation is called 'Operation Bobbi Bear'.

This documentary really puts a face on the small victims who are so viciously abused and ill treated by adult members of society.

I myself cannot imagine what goes throught the mind of an adult male/? father as he sodomises his small son and then rewards him for services received or a grandfather who rapes his mentally retarded granddaughter.

May God richly bless these brave women for the light they shine in a very dark world.

Feel free to donate to a very worthy cause.

- Kim Longinotto: 'Film-making saved my life'

Sweden Must Stop Deporting Iraqi Christians; Sweden and Iraqi Refugees; Sweden Deporting Iraqi Asylum Seekers: Just Not Muslims; Al-Qaeda Vows More Attacks On Iraqi Christians; Iraqi Christians put to the sword; Why Iraqi Christians Are Running Scared -- in Sweden; Sverige skickar kristna i döden; Tobias Billström; Iraq's Christians plan a simple Christmas in the shadow of violence

2010-11-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight on the Swedish news I heard that the newspaper 'Expressen' had published articles urging the Immigration Minister, Tobias Billström, to stop sending Iraqi Christians back to Iraq to be murdered.

I'm very glad to know that the media, and especially 'Expressen' is taking a stand on this matter.

Because I myself am a Christian, these persecuted people are my brothers and sisters in the faith.

They need our prayers and encouragement as do all other persecuted Christians out in the world.

Dedicate this time of year to our Christian brethren and pray that the carnage stops and soon!

¤¤¤Stockholm (AINA) -- Expressen, a Swedish tabloid, and all Swedish Christian newspapers are demanding the Swedish government and the Migration authorities take the persecution of Assyrians in Iraq seriously. They are demanding a stop on all deportations of Christians to Iraq and and that the Swedish government works for protection of Assyrian and other Christians. A petition has been signed by editors, reporters, Church leaders and politicians. The Assyrian journalist Nuri Kino is one of them. He has written the following editorial, which was published in a Swedish the newspaper.

"They stormed the church, they are terrorists, they are going to kill everyone, you have to report this," a Christian man who had been forcibly departed from Sweden screamed at me on a cellular phone from Baghdad just after five o'clock on Sunday. I phoned Younadam Khana, chairman of the Assyrian Democratic Movement as well as being an Iraqi Christian parliamentarian. He replied and began by apologizing because he had been speaking to someone else. With my ear glued to the phone I heard how the police were trying to block the way to the church. I made several other phone calls and heard how shots were being fired. I called Khana again, he was stressed, the phone was calling all the time, I wanted to hang up but he asked me to remain on the line. He thought it was important to report to the outside world so they knew what had happened. By evening I saw the horrible pictures of the massacre in the church.

- Source

- Easy Targets? Sweden Deporting Iraqi Asylum Seekers: Just Not Muslims

- Why Iraqi Christians Are Running Scared -- in Sweden

- Sweden and Iraqi Refugees

- Report

- Christmas under Islam: Slow-Burn ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Iraq

- Al-Qaeda Vows More Attacks On Iraqi Christians

- Iraqi Christians put to the sword

- Christians in Iraq living in fear of 'pogrom' after bomb attacks

- Sverige skickar kristna i döden

- Stoppa utvisningarna av kristna Irakier

Expressen: - Johannes Forssberg: Sluta avvisa kristna irakier

Aftonbladet: - ”Jag fick aldrig någon advokat”

- Iraq's Christians plan a simple Christmas in the shadow of violence

- Stoppa utvisningar av kristna irakier

Aasia Bibi; Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to Death on accusation of Blasphemy; A Christian woman has been sentenced to hang in Pakistan after being convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed; Maulana Yousef Qureshi:Cleric offers Rs500,000 for Aasia’s execution; Pakistan Christian Congress Files Petition in UN to release Asia Bibi

2010-11-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

Lahore: November 9, 2010. (PCP) A Christian woman named Asia Bibi was sentenced to death by District and Session Courts after year long trial on accusation of blasphemy filed by Muslim villagers of Ittanwali, where she was residing from generations.

While working in farms with other Muslim women, Asia Bibi was dragged in religious dialogues on June 19, 2009, when Muslim women termed her an “Infidel” and Christianity a “Religion of infidels” and pressed her to embrace Islam.

Asia Bibi who is married and have two children, defended Christianity with her little knowledge and told Muslim women that Christianity is only True religion on which Muslim women made a roar and accused her defiling Prophet Mohammad.

- Source

- Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan 'for blasphemy'

- Keep giving to Pakistan, says GFA

- Pakistan Christian Congress demands immediate release of Asia Bibi

- Christians and Muslims issue joint statement condemning Iraqi church attack

- Pope’s appeal for Bibi is wonderful, hope for a quick ruling

- A campaign by AsiaNews

- Family waits to see if mother, accused of blasphemy, will be hanged

- Pakistani woman's blasphemy death sentence appealed

- Zardari may pardon woman sentenced to death for 'blasphemy'

- Pakistani woman facing death for blasphemy may be pardoned

- Aasia Bibi, Pakistani Christian, will get clemency or pardon: presidential aide

- Blasphemy case : Zardari warned not to grant pardon

- No mercy petition, no presidential pardon

Imam Maulana Yousuf Qureshi: - Blasphemy case: Cleric offers Rs500,000 for Aasia’s execution

Shahbaz Bhatti: - Pakistan minister condemns reward for killing Christian woman

- Pakistan Christian Congress Files Petition in UN to release Asia Bibi

- Continued

Judge in Cates case schedules first trial; Steven Spader; Christopher Gribble; Kimberly Cates; Jaimie Cates

2010-11-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

NASHUA – The first trial over last fall’s home invasion and murder of Kimberly Cates has been scheduled to begin one year after the fact, a judge has ruled.

Steven Spader, 18, and Christopher Gribble, 20, both of Brookline, each face charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and burglary, plus witness tampering, stemming from the Oct. 4, 2009, attacks on Kimberly Cates and her 11-year-old daughter.

- 4 teens held in N.H. slaying

- Judge in Cates case schedules first trial

- Spader jury to start deliberations Tuesday after today's closing arguments

- Spader sentenced to life in prison

- Spader’s parents leave court with no comment

- Christopher Gribble

- Suspect in machete attack regrets girl’s survival

James Duckett; Melinda Duckett, Trenton Duckett; Nancy Grace settles lawsuit with Melinda Duckett estate

2010-11-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

CNN talk-show host Nancy Grace has reached a settlement with the estate of Melinda Duckett that calls for the cable television star to establish a $200,000 trust dedicated to locating Duckett's missing son, Trenton.

The family of Melinda Duckett had sued Grace, saying she drove the young mother to suicide in 2006.

Melinda Duckett, 21, was grilled by Grace after reporting her son missing from his bedroom Aug. 27, 2006, in Leesburg, then killed herself with a shotgun at her grandparents' home in The Villages on Sept. 8, 2006, the day that the interview with Grace was to be broadcast. Leesburg police have said Duckett is the lone suspect in the boy's disappearance.

The settlement still must be approved by a federal judge in Ocala.

- Source

James Duckett is on Florida's death row..
Former Mascotte police officer loses latest appeal of murder conviction, death sentence

James Duckett, grandfather of missing Leesburg toddler Trenton Duckett, has been imprisoned for 21 years in girl’s murder

March 26, 2010

By Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel

OCALA — A federal court judge rejected a demand to release former Mascotte police Officer James Duckett from Florida's death row and throw out his convictions in the sexual assault and murder of an 11-year-old girl.

Duckett, 52, imprisoned for the past 21 years for the 1987 murder of Teresa McAbee, is the grandfather of Leesburg toddler Trenton Duckett, who was reported missing Aug. 27, 2006, from his mother's garden apartment.

James Duckett went to prison when his own son Joshua, Trenton's father, was a child.

- Source

Thilo Sarrazin; Germans argue over 'failure to integrate'; 'Germany Abolishes Itself'

2010-11-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

His essential message is that Muslims are either "unwilling or unable to integrate" into Western society. "If the majority of migrants from non-Muslim countries don't have any obvious problem integrating," he told a packed hall, "then the failure to integrate on the part of migrants from Muslim countries can't be due to a fault on our side - because all are treated equally. It has to be because of a characteristic of Muslims themselves."

He is not a great speaker. He deals in statistics. He recognises that some Muslims have integrated, but he believes Germany has gone too far in trying to accommodate them. "People who obey laws are welcome to live here," he told me, but he wants to end Muslim immigration.

- Source

Al-Qaeda group in Iraq says Christians 'legitimate targets' ; Islamic Fundamentalist Mass Media Targets Egyptian Coptic Church; Egyptian Coptic Church Accused of Stockpiling Weapons; Camilia Shehata; Mary Abdallah

2010-11-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

DUBAI (AFP) – An Al-Qaeda group in Iraq has declared Christians "legitimate targets" as a deadline expired for Egypt's Coptic church to free women allegedly held after converting to Islam, SITE monitors said Wednesday.

The self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) said in an Internet statement its action was justified by the church's refusal to indicate the status of the women it said were being held captive in monasteries, the US-based monitoring group said.

"All Christian centres, organisations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for the mujahedeen (holy warriors) wherever they can reach them," said the statement.

- Al-Qaeda group in Iraq says Christians 'legitimate targets'

- Islamic Fundamentalist Mass Media Targets Egyptian Coptic Church

- Egyptian Coptic Church Accused of Stockpiling Weapons

- Qaeda demand for priest wives spotlights Egyptian fault line

- The Camilia conundrum

- Baghdad attacks on Christians prompt archbishop's call for mass exodus

George Soros donates $1 million to campaign to legalise cannabis; What is the long-term effect of cannabis?; What are the medical dangers of marijuana use?

2010-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Billionaire George Soros donated $1 million (£630,000) on Tuesday to a campaign to legalise marijuana in California through an initiative placed on ballots in the November 2 election.

- George Soros donates $1 million to campaign to legalise cannabis

- What is the long-term effect of cannabis?

- What are the medical dangers of marijuana use?

Oral sex linked to throat cancer; Oral Sex Cause of Throat Cancer Rise; Men at throat cancer risk with oral sex; BBC documentary to tackle oral sex cancer risk; Jaime Winstone

2010-10-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

A virus contracted through oral sex is the cause of some throat cancers, say US scientists.

HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.

The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.

But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm the findings.

HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.

- BBC

- Oral Sex Cause of Throat Cancer Rise

- Men at throat cancer risk with oral sex

Jaime Winstone: - BBC documentary to tackle oral sex cancer risk

Video: - Possible Oral Sex Cancer Risk

Cancer; Dr. Dennis Slamon: The Search for a Cure for Breast Cancer; 'Living Proof'; Herceptin; Anthracyclines with Herceptin/heart problems

2010-10-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today I watched the very inspiring movie about Dr Dennis Slamon's battle to get funding for research in finding new treatments for breast cancer.

I have great respect for his wife who encouraged him to fight for this cause even though it put a strain on her marriage and family.

Cancer has no respect for gender or age!

The world needs more dedicated researchers and generous donors to help fund the research.

- 'Living Proof'

- Herceptin

-Herceptin: A wonder drug, but not a miracle

Ofra Haza; Doron Ashkenazi; Rabbi Uzi Meshulum; AIDS; Lost children of Yemen

2010-10-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have always loved the music and voice of Ofra Haza.

She seemed to just 'disappear' and in 2002 I decided to find out what had happened to her by doing some research out on Google.

What I found there did not make me very happy and so I am dedicating this page to her.

- The double life of Ofra Haza

- Ofra Haza's wedding

- The murder of Ofra Haza

- Singer Ofra Haza dies

- Entertainment Israelis mourn death of singer Ofra Haza

- The lost children of Yemen

- Ofra Haza: - Biography

¤¤¤

- Yerushalayim Shel Zahav

- Im Nin Alu

- Sixth Sense

- I Want To Fly

Equal rights, sustainability, and development for Israel’s Negev – not dispossession of the Bedouin!

2010-10-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Started by: Jewish Alliance for Change

We, residents of the Negev, human rights activists, social organizations in Israel, Jewish and other allies in the United States and around the world, issue this call to the leadership of the Jewish National Fund (JNF):

JNF must no longer serve as an accomplice to the discriminatory policy of the Government of Israel and the Israel Land Administration (ILA) designed to expel and dispossess the Bedouin from their land.

Join our urgent call to the leadership of JNF to:

1. Stop forestation activities in areas of existing Bedouin villages as well as on lands for which Bedouin have made legal claims of ownership, pending final court decisions.

2. Fund projects for Israel’s Bedouin citizens and communities at levels that are proportional to the size of this population in the Negev—nearly 30%—recognizing the contribution of the Bedouin to the flourishing of the Negev.

3. Join with human rights organizations in Israel to allow the Bedouin to live on their traditional lands, as they have for many generations.

4. Reconsider JNF’s development plans for the Negev and commit, henceforth, to working toward truly sustainable development of the Negev for ALL its inhabitants, Jews and Arabs alike.

- Read More

Rape; What is rape?; Motivation for rape; Date rape; Rape is a weapon of war.

2010-10-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Rape is a form of degradation and is practised to demoralize and demean fellow human beings.

It is practiced in all walks of life and has no 'respect' for its victims. who can be either male or female, old or young or even dead.

Rape is a weapon of war

- Woman raped by Libyan forces

- Rape is forced, unwanted sexual intercourse.

- Types of rape

- Megan's Law - Facts about Sex Offenders

- What do I do if I've been sexually assaulted?

Rodney Alcala; Sexual predator, Serial killer; San Quentin; Death row; The Dating Game; Three strikes law; Serial killer Rodney Alcala files for candy bars, Playboy

2010-10-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I watched the 'Dr Phil' show..have really become an 'addict'.. and he spoke with people whose lives have been radically changed by the very selfish acts of persons with no sense of compassion or conscience.

Rodney Alcala is one of these persons and it's very difficult to have any positive emotions where he is concerned.

It's also very difficult to 'understand' how this sexual predator and serial killer got away with his dreadful deeds for so long.

So many other criminals have been put to death by the different states for much lesser crimes and/or have received life without possibility of parole sentences.

...He was convicted, but within a few years, a California state prison psychiatrist deemed him “considerably improved.”...

Well let's hope that Rodney Alcala aka John Berger/Burger does eventually get his dose of lethal medication which will remove him permanently from society or else gets buried away out of sight for the rest of his miserable life!

- Rodney Alcala's Murderous Romp Through Polite Society Brings Him to an Orange County Courtroom Again

YouTube: - Calif. Judge Sentences Serial Killer to Death

YouTube: - Serial Killer Rodney James Alcala on the Dating Game

- Serial killer Rodney Alcala files for candy bars, Playboy

C.S Lewis; From atheism to theism; From theism to Christianity; C.S. Lewis explains Narnia;

2010-10-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

C.S Lewis seemed to have had the same problem as I had!

Unlike him I always believed that God 'was' but I could never really figure out how Jesus fitted in.

- Who Was CS Lewis?

- From atheism to theism

- From theism to Christianity

- C.S. Lewis explains Narnia

Neil Diamond; The Very Best of Neil Diamond; Hillbrow

2010-10-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Feeling nostalgic so am posting the links to some of my favourite Neil Diamond songs.

They remind me of the time I used to hang out with my uncle Clive in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

He's passed on since but his ghost hangs about in the music.

- Kentucky Woman

- Cherry Cherry

- Cracklin' Rosie

- Solitary Man

- Longfellow Serenade

- Hello Again

- I Am...I Said

- Neil Diamond Song Lyrics

Ronald Kitchen: 13 years on Chicago death row and 21 years in prison; Exonerated; Freed inmate names Burge, Daley in new torture suit; Dr Phil/Wrongful Convictions

2010-10-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

A man who was sentenced to death and spent more than 21 years in prison for a quintuple murder is suing former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge and three of his officers for torturing him into giving a false confession.

Burge was convicted earlier this week of perjury in lying about the torture of criminal suspects in the 1970s and 80s in connection with another civil lawsuit.

Ronald Kitchen's federal lawsuit also names as defendants a number of officials who Kitchen contended knew what Burge was doing, including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who was Cook County state's attorney for part of the time a jury determined that police were torturing suspects. The suit alleged Daley's office concealed evidence that criminal suspects were being beaten.

Other defendants include former police superintendents Terry Hillard and Leroy Martin.

Kitchen, wearing a brown shirt, jeans and brown dress shoes, said at a news conference this morning that he wasn't bringing suit for the possible money but to make it known the abuse he suffered.

"Let it be known that's it's not about the money. It's about making those who were supervising and overseeing the city of Chicago take notice," said Kitchen, who spent 21 years in prison, 13 of them on death row.

- Source

- Dr Phil: Wrongful Convictions Follow-Up

Prison Wives; Richard Sipe; Incarcerated for 71 years in Oklahoma; first time, non violent drug offense; Methamphetamine; Juli Sipe; Glass artist; Sentence commuted for man featured on 'Prison Wives'; Troy Kell/ Utah death row;

2010-10-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today I watched an episode of 'Prison Wives' and learned of Richard Sipe who has received a 71 year sentence for a 'non violent, first time drug offense'.

Well this sounded very harsh to me and so I did some Google research and came up with the following..

- Prison Wives ID

- http://www.ricandjulisipe.com/

- Petition: Commute Richard Sipe Sentence

- seattlepride/JuliSipe

Well I've signed the petition and hope that the judicial system will be fair to this man eventually.

I have been corresponding with prisoners in the USA since 1995 and know that, very often, the sentence definitely doesn't fit the crime.

This is, sadly, one of those instances.

30th March 2011:
Having noticed that this particular entry in my blog has been having quite a few visits lately, I checked things out and found that Richard Sipe's sentence was, in fact, commuted in Dec 2010.
This is really very good news and I wish him and his family the very best for the future!

- Sentence commuted for man featured on 'Prison Wives'

- Troy Kell: - From one side of glass, condemned killer marries

- Death row inmate takes wedding vows in handcuffs

John Lonchar; Felony Murder; Michigan; Habeas Corpus

2010-10-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Because I always remember the prison penpals I have corresponded with over the years, I remembered John Lonchar today and looked him up.

He is still in prison serving a life sentence for felony murder but I must say that he seems to be doing alright according to the way he looks on his mugshot.
Of course I'm not sure how old the pic is...he may have changed alot since it was taken.

- Pic

There's very little info about the case out in cyberspace but it seems that he has never been granted Habeas Corpus.
This, to my mind, is extremely unfair as the other men who were connected to the crime plea bargained and got off practically scott free!!

MESSAGE: #9 posted February 5, 1999

FREE JOHN LONCHAR: Fellow biker has been incarcerated for 22 yrs. JUST FOR BEING THERE.
Murderer served 8 1/2 yrs. other person "there" served 2 1/2 years.
Please send letters to Gov. Engler of Michigan to have John totally pardoned and his sentence commutted.

John Lonchar, #132814
4010 Cooper St. JMF
Jackson, MI 49201

Thanks for any and all letters or a petition if you get some signatures.....all will count to free this guy from JUST BEING THERE.!!!

P.S. (OTHER GUYS PLEA BARGAINED, JOHN TOOK BENCH TRIAL, FOUND GUILTY BY BEING THERE UNDER OLD FELONY MURDER LAW)

Thanks and Easy Ridin' to all of you. Be Safe.
- Source

The message posted on the Bikers' message board was written by someone who personally knew/knows John Lonchar.

Since this message was posted John Lonchar has moved and now resides at Macombe Correctional Facility, New Haven, MI

It would be nice to know how he's doing so maybe I should drop him a line.

Hopefully he'll be set free eventually.

Sweden joins Europe-wide backlash against immigration; Sweden Democrats, Jimmy Åkesson; Issa Issa attacked because of his faith and political affiliation; Dutch far-right party wins pledge on burqa ban

2010-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

In a country that elevated social democracy into the natural form of government for decades, Maria has been a loyal stalwart. The 66-year-old retired canteen worker has always voted for Sweden's Social Democratic party, like the vast majority in her working-class suburb of Malmo. Until last Sunday, that is. That morning Maria broke the habit of a lifetime and in doing so helped redraw the map of Swedish politics. She voted for an extreme-right movement accused of being Islamophobic that broke into parliament in Stockholm for the first time, probably condemning the country to a fragile minority government.

She was not alone. In Maria's high-rise suburb of Almgården an astonishing one in three voted for Sweden Democrats, a party dubbed "racist and neo-Nazi" and led by Jimmie Åkesson, the new young darling of the European far right.

The reason is plain. Maria pointed across the dual carriageway to the neighbouring housing scheme of Rosengård, known locally as "the ghetto".

It is home to almost 20,000 immigrants, overwhelmingly Muslim, almost half of them jobless.

"It's become crazy around here. You can't go out in the evening," said Maria, who like other locals, did not want her surname revealed. "I've got nothing against foreigners. I've been married to a Bulgarian for 40 years. But these people don't share our values. If you don't like the colour of our flag, I say, I'll help you pack your bags."

- Source

Issa Issa, a Christian Syrian and former member of Sweden Democrats, was attacked in his home after the party obtained 20 seats in Parliament.

- Read more

- SD-politiker misshandlad

- Knivskuren SD:are var från Mellanöstern

- Knivattackerad - nu lämnar han politiken

- Dutch far-right party wins pledge on burqa ban

Death Row; lethal Injection; Women who have been executed; Teresa Lewis executed for family murders; Lynda Lyon; Alabama; Electric chair; Yellow Mama.

2010-09-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

On May 10th 2002 my death row penpal Lynda Lyon was executed in the electric chair ( known as 'Yellow Mama' ) in the state of Alabama.

She was the last person to be executed in Alabama in this barbaric way before the lethal injection 'cocktail' was introduced.

We started corresponding after I had written her in response to an article published about her which I had read in the Swedish version of 'Elle' magazine.

When her first execution date was set she wrote me to ask for help and I sent her letter to CCADP...

'Hello from Sweden...
Today I received a letter from my friend Lynda Lyon who is on
Alabama's Death Row and who has a set execution date for April 19th 2002.

She maintains that she and George Sibley fired on and killed a policeman to save their own lives.

This is what Lynda wrote in her latest letter.
We have been corresponding since 1995...

" Dear Ann,
The Alabama Supreme Court has set an execution date for me.. April 19th.
George and i have been prepared for this so it's not a shock.

We chose to take a different, riskier road.

We could have gone the usual tortuous route through the 6 layers of state and federal appeals courts, which takes an average of 15 years, but the chances of getting OUT of prison, if you're innocent, are stacked against you and all in favour of the prosecutor.

We chose the fast track..to bypass the courts and appeal to Congress, where our chance is somewhat better, but if we lose, we are executed sooner.

The Alabama Supreme Court doesn't want Congress to investigate our case, thus the " hurry-up" on my execution.We're not giving up..we still have options and we're fighting down to the wire. ( last word a little unclear )

The new Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Roy Moore, is key to our release. If you could get a letter-writing support from the Internet that would help me tremendously.

Thanks for your support,

Lynda "

Should you be wanting to help Lynda please write the Sup Crt Chief Justice
at the following address...

Chief Justice Roy Moore
Alabama Supreme Court
300 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36104

...Lynda's chance of getting freedom in Alabama is VERY thin if one has to
look at past results.

I hope she can prove her innocence but should she not
be able to do that then I would ask that we request for her a more dignified
way to die.

The electric chair in Alabama is doomed and she could very well
be the last one to die in it.

This is too horrible to contemplate.

She does not want a life sentence and especially if George Sibley is eventually killed by the state.

Her address is.
Lynda Lyon [Block Z575]
Tutwiler Prison DR4
8966 US Hwy 231N
Wetumpka, Ala. 36092

Sincerely for Lynda Lyon Block

Ann Ezelius...

¤¤¤

( Unfortunately it took me a long time to understand that 'Block' was no longer part of her surname.)

We corresponded for 7 years before she was eventually killed by the state in the name of 'justice'.
¤¤¤

23rd September 2010..

VA: US woman Teresa Lewis executed for family murders:

A 41-year-old woman who conspired to murder her husband and stepson has been executed in the US state of Virginia.

Teresa Lewis was the first woman to be put to death in the US for five years and in Virginia since 1912.

Lewis, who had learning difficulties, used sex and cash to persuade hitmen to kill her family in 2002.

The US Supreme Court and Virginia's governor refused to stop her execution, which took place at 2100 (0100 GMT) at Greensville Correctional Center.

- BBC News

- Women Who Have Been Executed

- Shortage of lethal injection drug halts US executions

Jamaa Ait Bakrim: Moroccan Convert Serving 15 Years for His Faith

2010-09-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

ISTANBUL (Compass Direct News) – Nearly five years into the prison sentence of the only Christian in Morocco serving time for his faith, Moroccan Christians and advocates question the harsh measures of the Muslim state toward a man who dared speak openly about Jesus.

By the end of December Jamaa Ait Bakrim, 46, will have been in prison for five years at Morocco’s largest prison, Prison Centrale, in Kenitra. An outspoken Christian convert, Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years prison for “proselytizing” and destroying “the goods of others” in 2005 after burning two defunct utility poles located in front of his private business in a small town in south Morocco.

Advocates and Moroccan Christians said, however, that the severity of his sentence in relation to his misdemeanor shows that authorities were determined to put him behind bars because he persistently spoke about his faith.

- Source

Tapan Ghosh; Muslim Persecution of Hindus In India

2010-09-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

They are crossing the border illegally and violently displacing the indigenous population whose homes and possessions they either destroy or occupy. They are attacking the young, the elderly, and especially the girls and women, whom they kidnap, forcibly convert, or traffic into brothels. The locals are terrified of them. The police rarely come to their aid, nor do the politically correct media or government. Both are terrified by the criminals and terrorists who are riding these immigrant waves.

I am not talking about illegal immigrants to Europe or North America. I am describing Muslims who are penetrating India’s West Bengal region. These Bangladeshi immigrants are becoming conduits for criminal activities (arms, drugs, and sexual slavery) which also fund global jihad.

- Source

- Wahhabi radicals are determined to destroy a gentler, kinder Islam

- Barack Obama to authorise record $60bn Saudi arms sale

Pentecostalism; Pentecostalism is particularly strong in the developing world; Assemblies of God joins outcry against Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of Quran

2010-09-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

A profile of Pentecostal Christianity, its history and increasing popularity, and Pentecostalist worshippers' customs of speaking in tongues, prayer cloths, healing by laying on of hands and rarely serpent handling.

There are just under 1 million Pentecostals in the UK, and over 20 million in the USA. (March 2006)

During the last three decades of the twentieth century Pentecostalism grew very strongly and there are now over 250 million Pentecostals around the world, who make up more than 10% of all Christians. (Some writers suggest the number is more like 500 million.)

Pentecostalism is particularly strong in the developing world where it poses a serious challenge to other, more established, denominations.

- Source/BBC

- History Of Pentecostalism

- Assemblies of God joins outcry against Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of Quran

- Assemblies of God/World Missions

9/11; Muslims and Islam Were Part of Twin Towers’ Life; Burning 'holy' books.

2010-09-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Now that all the fuss about burning copies of the Koran has died down to some extent I'm posting the link to an interesting article published in the NY Times.

I'm a follower of Jesus Christ and I read my Bibles ( and I have different copies ) mostly every day.

I have read many articles where Bibles have been burnt in different parts of the world and I'm glad that we, as followers of the Son of God, do not go out and threaten lives because this happens.

People of other faiths may think we are weak but actually we are meek which is definitely not the same thing.

The difference is that our 'prophet' has told us to pray for those who wish to do us harm and this I do on a daily basis.

He preached love for our fellow man and that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated.

I have never read the Koran and prob'ly never will but if fellow earth dwellers feel that this is the book that does it for them, so be it.

The bottom line is that God Almighty/Yaweh does not want us to worship Him thru violence and revenge.

He has His own way of making a point.

He is no respector of persons.

Our ways are not His ways.

- Muslims and Islam Were Part of Twin Towers’ Life

Dean Cage: Exonerated man, accuser forge rare bond; Loretta Zilinger, Rape victim; Eye witness, Dr Phil show.

2010-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today I watched the exonerated man, Dean Cage, meet his accuser, Loretta Zilinger, on the Dr Phil show.

I think these are two amazing people and Dr Phil is the greatest!

I wish them the very best for the future.

¤¤¤

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

In 1994, Loretta Zilinger, 15, was sexually assaulted by a man in Chicago

Her testimony landed Dean Cage, then 26, in prison for a crime he didn't commit

DNA evidence helped prove Cage's innocence in May 2008 and he was released

Zilinger and Cage have become friends and plan on speaking to the public about their experience

- CNN

- Dr. Phil Unites a Man Wrongly Accused of Rape with the Woman Who Accused Him

Thirty years of China's one-child policy; Yang Zhizhu; World leaders 'ignoring' extent of child deaths in Third World; Contraception; Natural Family Planning/Billings Method; Mother Teresa; Polygamy; Jacob Zuma to become a father for the 22nd time after he has wed his next wife; What the Pope really said about condoms

2010-09-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

As a former midwife in South Africa I can relate to these articles.
Family planning was a great issue in the 1970s and 1980s because the world's population was exploding.

Contraception in form of 'the pill', injections and intra-uterine devices became popular among women.

These methods, however, were not acceptable to other members of society for various reasons.

The Roman Catholic church forbade/forbids contraception in its various forms because 'it goes against God's will' and black African men beat up their wives and girlfriends for using these methods because it 'went against their culture' and threatened their macho images.

But the women were strong and many took the injection even though they did not like not menstruating every month. They felt that not menstruating was not 'normal'.

Mother Theresa promoted the Billings Ovulation Method in India with great success.

Today 'family planning' seems to have been pushed onto the back burner and children are being produced without any consideration for their quality of life.

As a result children are being used and abused and thrown away, traded like lifestock, starved to death and blown to bits and life goes on as usual.

We will reap what we sow.

- World leaders 'ignoring' extent of child deaths in Third World

- South Africa's polygamous president, Jacob Zuma, is to become a father for the 22nd time following news that his fiancée is pregnant.

- Beijing professor Yang Zhizhu fired for having second baby
- Professor still refuses to pay for 2nd child

- Thirty years of China's one-child policy

- What the Pope really said about condoms

- 'Down By The River'/Edna O'Brien

West Memphis Three; Damien Echols; Jason Baldwin; Jessie Misskelley; Johnny Depp: Free The West Memphis Three; Larry King Live; Vedder haunted by West Memphis three; Deal Frees ‘West Memphis Three’ in Arkansas;

2010-09-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

PEARL JAM frontman EDDIE VEDDER fears his personal life is suffering as he fights on behalf of three men he believes have been falsely accused of murder - because he spends so much time working on their case.

- Read More:

VIDEO: - Larry King Live/Eddie Vedder/Natalie Maines

- Celebs Support Tenn. Killers

- Deal Frees 'West Memphis Three' In Arkansas

Billy Robbins: World's Heaviest Teenager at half a ton; Dr Younan Nowzaradan: morbid obesity; child abuse; junk food; Georgia Davis 40 Stone at 17; 'Queen Sized' movie offers a trite-and-true lesson on bullying;

2010-08-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

DESPERATE Billy Robbins holds the unenviable title of the World's Heaviest Teenager - after topping 60 STONE.

His life-threatening weight - half a ton - follows years of overfeeding by his misguided mother, Barbara.

Billy, 19, was housebound for three years before doctors told Barbara she was literally killing him with love.

Warned he had just a few years to live, Billy embarked on a drastic weight-loss plan. His battle is revealed in a shocking new Channel 4 documentary, Half Ton Son.

- Read more:

- Billy Robbins Support Fan Group

After seeing the latest episode of the story of Billy Robbins I was really impressed to note that he was beginning to fight back!

Hopefully he continues to do this and becomes a well functioning member of society who can be an example to others who are also imprisoned in their own bodies.

- Half Ton Teen: Addiction - Latest Billy Robbins Update

- Update on 20-Year-Old Baby

¤¤¤

- Georgia Davis: 40 stone ( 254kg ) at 17

- 'Queen Sized' movie offers a trite-and-true lesson on bullying

Prison Abuse; Prison Rape

2010-08-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

- Nicholas Pinto/Lackawanna County Prison, Pa: Vicious, feared attack leaves Pa. inmate comatose

- Prison assault reports Study finds incidents of rape, sexual assault at county lockup

Lackawanna County Prison
1371 North Washington Avenue
Scranton, PA 18509
570-963-6639

Acid Mine Drainage; Acid mine outrage: How South African communities are affected by government and industry neglect

2010-08-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Acid mine outrage: How South African communities are affected by government and industry neglect

By Andrea Zeelie

Acid mine drainage (AMD) refers to the mixing of water with toxic chemicals such as those present in heavy metals, sulphates, and radioactive uranium, which leak from abandoned mine sites into dolomitic areas underground. The contaminated water penetrates ground water sources, which in turn leach into surface water sources. This can degrade water quality to the point that it is unfit for human and animal consumption or crop irrigation. Ingestion of this toxic acid water is related to increased health risks, such as cancers.

Such pollution represents arguably the most mismanaged environmental disaster South Africa has ever witnessed. Scientists and environmentalists have battled for action since 1996, when they first became aware of potential damage. The eastern, central, and west basins of the Witswatersrand are polluted, immediately affecting residents living in half-a-dozen surrounding communities.

Government action with regards to this disaster has been varied, lethargic and confusing: any response involves five departments, each with divergent interests. In an ideal world, industry would pay to clean up the devastating amount of AMD within South Africa, under government oversight. However, extreme government inaction has led to little payments and even less accountability.

- Source

- What is AMD?

- Acid Mine Drainage Database

- Treatment for Acid Mine Drainage

ISLAM: 270 million bodies in 1400 years; Political Islam; Difference of Medinan and Meccan Surahs in the Koran; Geert Wilders: Dutch lawmaker forms anti-Islam group

2010-08-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

I found this very mind-boggling video on Facebook and felt the need to share it!

- ISLAM: 270 MILLION BODIES IN 1400 YEARS.

- Difference of Medinan and Meccan Surahs in the Koran

- Geert Wilders: Dutch lawmaker forms anti-Islam group

Aaron Keyes: My Soul Finds Rest - Psalm 62

2010-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

This hymn is so inspiring in a dark world.

- VIDEO: My Soul Finds Rest - Psalm 62 - Aaron Keyes

*** Lyrics..

My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation,

A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken.

Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me,

I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me.

Chorus: O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight, my Reward;

Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.

¤¤¤

Find rest, my soul, in God alone

Amid the world’s temptations;

When evil seeks to take a hold

I’ll cling to my salvation.

Though riches come and riches go,

Don’t set your heart upon them;

The fields of hope in which I sow

Are harvested in heaven.

Chorus:

¤¤¤

I’ll set my gaze on God alone,

And trust in Him completely;

With every day pour out my soul,

And He will prove His mercy.

Though life is but a fleeting breath,

A sigh too brief to measure,

My King has crushed the curse of death

And I am His forever.

O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,

O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,

O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah!

- About Aaron Keyes

Story Behind The Song - Aaron Keyes - Not Guilty Anymore

Olav Fykse Tveit; World Council of Churches; Pentecostal Church; Pentecostal World Conference; Ecumenical leader tells Pentecostals: 'We need each other'

2010-08-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches has spoken of the common call shared by Pentecostals and ecumenists in fulfilling God’s mission.

“It is my deep conviction that the member churches of the WCC, some of which are Pentecostal, need the closer bond to the Pentecostal churches you represent and it is my humble conviction that you need us,” said the Rev Dr Olav Fykse on the second day of the Pentecostal World Conference taking place this week in Stockholm, Sweden.

It is the first time a general secretary of the WCC has delivered a formal greeting to the Pentecostal World Conference.

- Source

Chris Tomlin: 'Indescribable'; You are amazing, God!

2010-08-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

Found this video today and thought I'd post the link.

Enjoy and may God open your hearts and minds.

- Chris Tomlin Indescribable

Arranged marriages; Marrying 1st cousins; 700 children born with genetic disabilities due to cousin marriages every year

2010-08-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

The problem is worst among children born in Britain's Pakistani community, where more than half of marriages are between first cousins, and children are 10 times more likely than the general population to suffer genetic disorders.

The medical risks of first cousin marriages include higher rates of infant mortality, birth defects, learning difficulties, blindness, hearing problems and metabolic disorders.

As adults, the children born from first cousin marriages are at increased risk of miscarriage or infertility. A third of children affected die before their fifth birthday.

An investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches programme found that although more than 70 British studies have proved the risks, and 700 British Pakistani children are born with associated genetic diseases every year, many people deny the dangers.

Ann Cryer, the former Labour MP for Keighley, suffered abuse for trying to highlight the problems.

- Source

Divorce; Suicide; Liver Cancer; Prayers; Forgiveness.

2010-08-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today I received news that a young person aged 25 years is suffering from advanced liver cancer and may have only months or weeks to live.

Ironically this young woman would not have been born had my ex-husband and I not divorced in 1979.

Looking back to that period in time still fills me with paranoia as I was at the lowest point I'd ever reached and was very seriously considering ending my life.

Alot of water has passed under the bridge since then but, even though I survived and emigrated, I'm still connected to the past by my son who shares the same father as the girl in question.

From my second marriage I have a daughter and my children are my gifts from God.

Because I can relate to the pain the parents of this young woman must be suffering, I am now able to pray for her and them in spite of the pain that was afflicted on me all those many years ago.

If we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ we have to forget past injuries and, instead of praying for death and destruction to those we feel have injured our pride and our dignity, we have to pray that God walks with them in their hour of need.

Peter Anthony Cantu: 3rd trip to Texas death chamber for grieving dad; Cantu executed for 1993 deaths of Houston teens

2010-08-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Randy Ertman knows the road to the Texas death chamber too well.

He's set to make the trip again, to witness for the third time the execution of one of the gang members responsible for the rape and murder of his teenage daughter and her schoolmate.

This time, it will be the lethal injection on Tuesday of Peter Anthony Cantu, the leader of the five young men who were sentenced to die for the June 1993 murders of 14-year-old Jennifer Ertman and 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena.

It's not lost on him that Cantu has lived in prison longer than Jennifer and Elizabeth were alive.

- Source

- Peter Cantu's execution set for tonight

- Cantu’s Clemency denied

- Cantu executed for 1993 deaths of Houston teens

- Pic

- Houston Knows Murder, but This . . .

- Cantu loses appeal in gang rape, murder case

Prisons; Assisted living facility at Coyote Ridge; Aging inmates straining prison systems; Three Strikes laws

2010-08-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS, Associated Press Writer Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 16, 4:01 am ET

CONNELL, Wash. – Curtis Ballard rides a motorized wheelchair around his prison ward, which happens to be the new assisted living unit — a place of many windows and no visible steel bars — at Washington's Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.

A stroke left Ballard unable to walk. He's also had a heart attack and he underwent a procedure to remove skin cancer from his neck. At 77, he's been in prison since 1993 for murder. He has 14 years left on his sentence.

- Source

- Gregory Taylor: LA judge frees thief who got 25 yrs on 3rd strike

Aftab Khan; Child sexual exploitation; Child prostitution; Asian men target white underage teenagers; Nine jailed after girl forced into prostitution;

2010-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Nine men have been jailed after a 14-year-old girl was preyed upon and forced into prostitution.

The vulnerable teenager was targeted with vodka and cigarettes after she was spotted wandering the streets before she was made to have sex with a string of Asian men, Greater Manchester Police said.

The child went missing from home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on two occasions in February 2008 before she told officers she had been sexually exploited.

Over the following weeks the girl was spoken to by a specialist team of officers, police said. She was able to identify the places she was taken and the men who had abused her.

The convictions for various offences, including sexual activity with a child, controlling a child prostitute, facilitating child prostitution and paying for sexual services with a child, can be reported today following the acquittal of another man at Manchester Crown Court who faced charges in connection with the case.

The girl, who is white, had to testify in separate trials involving the men and was eventually excused further evidence after a third hearing when psychologists ruled there were fears for her mental and physical well-being.

- Source

- Missing girl, 14, forced into prostitution by gang who plied her with drugs and vodka

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani; Brazil offers asylum to Iran woman sentenced to stoning; Iran rejects Brazilian offer to give asylum to woman sentenced to death by stoning;

2010-08-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has offered to provide refuge to a woman facing execution in Iran.

President Lula asked Iran to allow Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to accept the offer.

Ms Ashtiani's case prompted international outrage when she was initially sentenced to death by stoning.

Although that threat was apparently lifted last month, she may still face execution by hanging.

- Source

- Iranian woman facing stoning: 'I'm afraid of dying'

- Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani; Stoning Women; Casting the first stone; Adultery, Judgement, Repentance, Forgiveness, Iran stoning sentence for adultery draws outrage.

- Iran rejects Brazilian offer to give asylum to woman sentenced to death by stoning

- Iran TV airs 'confession' from woman facing stoning

Bali 9; Death Sentence; Drug smuggling; Secret snip for Bali 9 inmate; Circumcision; Convert to Islam; Bali Nine's Scott Rush avoids death penalty; Andrew Chan: Relaxed in spite of losing last appeal against death sentence

2010-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a sad story but being human and weak we all succumb to temptation at one time or another on our difficult journey through life.

I am convinced that if we are genuinely remorseful for wanting to cause harm to others for whatever reason and if we confess our sin to God through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and the slate is clean.
God knows our hearts and nothing is hidden from Him.

Learning about other religions and beliefs is sometimes necessary in order to clear our minds and find peace and contentment with our own beliefs.

I am asking God to guide Scott Rush to make the right decision should he seriously be considering converting to Islam.

I would write him if someone would supply me with an address.

As someone has commented, it may be a "smart short term plan but a silly eternal plan".

I would say that that is putting it very mildly.

I would prefer to say that it is a disasterous eternal plan.

All one can do is pray that Scott Rush does not lose his life because of his selfish and irresponsible act.

¤¤¤

DEATH-ROW inmate and Bali nine drug mule Scott Rush has been circumcised by a man who infiltrated Bali's Kerobokan prison last week.

The procedure, performed on Friday, is commonly part of the ritual when a person converts to Islam, although the religious orientation of Rush - who has previously professed to be Christian - could not be established last night.

- Source

- Bali Nine's Scott Rush 'learning about Islam', circumcised in prison

- God help us: Bali Nine pray

- Bali Nine taste Maccas on death row

- Bali Nine's Scott Rush launches final appeal

- Bali nine pair may be spared death

10th May 2011
The family of Bali Nine drug mule Scott Rush have vowed to continue fighting to free their son after he was spared execution by the Indonesian Supreme Court yesterday.

The Supreme Court voted two to one in favour of a life sentence.

It is understood the Supreme Court granted the appeal on the basis that Rush, 25, had shown remorse for his actions, while also citing his age at the time as a mitigating factor.

The court also considered the fact that Rush was not a ringleader in the group, and only a courier.

After almost five years living on death row, suffering nightmares about the firing squad and what would happen to him, it was the news Rush was praying would come true.

- Bali Nine's Scott Rush avoids death penalty

- Andrew Chan: Relaxed in spite of losing last appeal against death sentence

HIV; Jake Glaser Alive and Thriving; Starsky & Hutch; Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

2010-07-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Years back in the 70's I was a great fan of the 'Starsky & Hutch' tv series.

Today on CNN I discovered that Paul Michael Glaser's son, Jake, is HIV positive.
His Mom contracted the disease after a blood transfusion and unknowingly passed the virus to her two children.
She created the Pediatric AIDS Foundation as a result.

His Mom, Elizabeth Glaser, and his younger sister Ariel both died from the disease but Jake may always remain symptom free due to a gene mutation.

- Jake Glaser Alive and Thriving

- "This Beautiful Gene"

- VIDEO: Jake Glaser Speaks to Staff in Washington, D.C.

- Pediatric AIDS Foundation

William Van Poyck: Jurors Recommend Death For Prison Guard`s Killer.

2010-07-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have been corresponding with William Van Poyck on an irregular basis for quite many years.

When I started writing him he was incarcerated in Virginia but has since been transferred back to Florida.

He has his own blog and also a webpage I made for him in 2004.

Just lately I heard from William and today I found an old article about his death sentence on Google.

He's no dummy and it's sad that he is where he is today.

He remains optimistic tho' and we share the same birth month and that is why I decided to give him a place on my blog.

- Jurors Recommend Death For Prison Guard`s Killer

- William Van Poyck: Florida Death Row Author

- Death Row Diary

Diego Forlán: FIFA Golden Ball award; Forlan credits team for award; 2010 World Cup, Football/Soccer; World Cup star Diego Forlan attracts fans in Calcutta

2010-07-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

The FIFA 2010 World Cup has finished in South Africa and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the matches thanks to Sweden's SVT.

I was sad that South Africa was knocked out so early but happy that the team scored the first goal thanks to Siphiwe Shabalala.

My favourite player in the World Cup became Diego Forlán and I was was really unhappy when he didn't manage to score a 3rd goal in Uruguay's match against Germany. Had he done so Uruguay might have managed to win the match by time extension and/or penalties.
Another reason would have been that he took the lead in the number of goals scored for the competition's Golden Boot.

Today I read that Diego Forlán was awarded the FIFA Golden Ball for his input in the competition and am really happy for him.

He seems a really nice person and dedicated to the game.
He is also not afraid to make sacrifices for his loved ones.

I hope to watch him play football for a good few years ahead.

"..Diego Forlan has dedicated his FIFA Golden Ball award for the outstanding player at the World Cup to his Uruguay team-mates and vowed he will not let the praise go to his head..."

- Source

¤¤¤

- Bio

- Brave sister is Forlán's tragic inspiration

- 2010 World Cup

- World Cup: Uruguay, Germany seek right to go home a winner

- World Cup 2010: Dutch coach criticises referee Webb

- World Cup 2010: Diego Forlán voted best player

- World Cup star Diego Forlan attracts fans in Calcutta

Mary Ann White; Sex offender; !st degree murder; Woman Accused of Killing Boyfriend; Sheriff's officials say Mary Ann White of Lakeland stabbed Buford Scarborough to death in an alcohol-fueled rage; Barney Franklin

2010-07-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I was reminded of a murder that was committed in 1988 and only got to court 7 long years later because of lack of evidence.

The 'supposed' perpetrator got the death sentence while the number one suspect, a man called Barney Franklin, got lucky and was given an alibi by his family when they realised that he was in danger of ending up on death row.

At the time Barney Franklin was serving a long sentence for sexual battery ( just 2 years after the murder he was sentenced for sexual battery ) and when he agreed to testify against the co-defender he was allowed to plead no contest and became accessory after the fact for which he got the very short sentence of 5 years.

Eventually, after an appeal, the death sentence was overturned and the 'perpetrator' got 27 years for 2nd degree murder.

I always wondered about the 'justice' dished out in this case and have now discovered that Barney Franklin was indeed a very dangerous man who got other weaker people to do his dirty work.

From what I've discovered it seems he is now deceased but his name has, once again, come up in the news.

I am posting part of the article...

Mary Ann White's previous convictions are:

Manslaughter for shooting and killing her fiance from Volusia County in April 1980.

Escape from Marion County jail in 1980.

Sexual battery in Polk County in 1990.

Cutting off an electronic monitoring device case in Polk County in 2007.

She was most recently released from Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County in 2009.

In the sexual battery case, White, who also went by Mary Brown, and a man named Barney Franklin drove a woman to the woods in Fort Meade, according to an arrest report.
- Barney Franklin

White demanded the woman have sex with Franklin. When the woman refused, White punched her repeatedly. Eventually, the woman escaped and called sheriff's deputies, according to the report.

- Registered sex offender charged in boyfriend's murder

- Woman Accused of Killing Boyfriend

- Sheriff's officials say Mary Ann White of Lakeland stabbed Buford Scarborough to death in an alcohol-fueled rage

- Barney Franklin: Charge lowered in 1988 murder

Bronson Blessington, Janine Balding, Balding killers will never be free; Wayne Wilmot: Serial rapist destroyed my life: victim

2010-07-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today I received a message from someone who objected to my posting a message regarding a petition pertaining to the case of Bronson Blessington in Australia.

The complainent didn't give a name so I won't post the message but, as a Christian, I have to hope that what my Christian brother says is true and that he is not just hiding behind his 'conversion'.

I am also expected to pray for him on a regular basis.

- Petition

The case is old and, just for the record, it seems as if Bronson Blessington and Matthew Elliott will spend their remaining years in prison serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of Janine Balding in 1988.

Even tho' we become followers of Jesus Christ we remain responsible for our actions and have to take whatever consequences come along.

Bronson Blessington is a prisoner at:
Long Bay Correctional Centre
Malabar NSW 2036
Australia

- A question of guilt that's too hot to handle

- 'Diminished responsibility' never raised by defense

- Balding killers will never be free

- Law abandoned child killers for the term of their natural lives

Peter Breen. - Killer love remarks: MP resigns

- Airdate: Crime Investigation Australia

- Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Amendment (Existing Life Sentences) Bill

Wayne Wilmot: - Serial rapist destroyed my life: victim

Child abuse 'big business online; Child porn warning for networking sites

2010-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Because we live in an amoral world child abuse is tolerated in society by people who turn a blind eye.

¤¤¤

There are around 450 criminal gangs around the world making money from images of child sex abuse, the UK's Internet Watch Foundation has said.

The watchdog's annual report says that the 10 most prolific of these account for more than 650 web pages.

But despite these gangs being well-established online, the IWF says the the industry is not growing.

Such groups are, however, finding new ways to distribute images, the report adds.

- Read More

- Child porn warning for networking sites

Nicholas Pearton: Nick Pearton, 16, chased and stabbed to death in park; Sheldon Gordon; Charlie Clayton; Jimmy Mizen; Schoolboy 'chased and stabbed' in Sydenham park/Trial; Three youths guilty of murdering Nicholas Pearton in Sydenham

2010-05-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

A teenage boy was chased through a playground by a mob of youths wielding knives and baseball bats before being stabbed to death in London’s latest outbreak of fatal gang violence.

Nick Pearton, 16, who was cradled by his mother as he lay bleeding from multiple knife wounds, became the tenth teenager to be murdered in the capital this year. Seven of those victims have been killed in the past six weeks.

He was attacked in Home Park, Sydenham, at about 6pm on Wednesday after apparently being lured to the recreation ground by a phone call then ambushed in what was believed to be a revenge attack connected to an earlier gang fight.

Local people, who called police to report a disturbance in the park, said today that they saw the boy, who is white, running away from a group of black youths armed with knives and baseball bats.

- Read more

- Nick, 16, stabbed so hard blade broke in his body

- Family 'in shock' after Sydenham teenager's death

- Old Bailey remand for youth accused of Nick Pearton murder

- SYDENHAM: Four more teens in court over Nick Pearton murder

- SYDENHAM: Police investigate after 15-year-old boy stabbed

- Teenage boys deny stabbing youth to death

- Trial/Jan 2011: Schoolboy 'chased and stabbed' in Sydenham park

- Three youths guilty of murdering Nicholas Pearton in Sydenham/SELondon

¤¤¤

- The ‘incredible pain’ of Jimmy Mizen parents

The only way to stop youth crime is to help the parents; Agony of the frozen-out fathers

2010-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Government policy aims, though punishments and rewards, to persuade violent or irresponsible teenagers to choose a less destructive way of life. That, in essence, is what the criminal justice system exists to do. But there are good reasons for thinking that it's bound to fail. Evidence from neuroscience explains why what has gone wrong with teenagers who are extremely violent can't be fixed by trying to change their behaviour: the problem lies in their minds.

The physical composition of our brains is fundamentally affected by what happens in the first three years of life. If you are abused by your parents, or even just inadequately nurtured by them, your brain will develop in ways that will make it impossible for you properly to empathise with others, and to control the outbursts of anger to which you will be subject.

- Source

- Agony of the frozen-out fathers

Jarred Mitchell Harrell: Man charged in death of Fla. girl in landfill; Somer Thompson; Joseph Newman

2010-03-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know if Jarred Harrell is guilty of the crime he is charged with but have decided to follow up the case because I'm interested to know what drives adult men to rape and murder small children.

In most cases the perpetrators have nasty backgrounds and it seems that Harrell may fall into the category.

###

Man charged in death of Fla. girl in landfill

By BRENT KALLESTAD and TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press Writers Brent Kallestad And Tamara Lush, Associated Press Writers – 18 mins ago

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A 7-year-old Florida girl whose body was discovered in a Georgia landfill was walking home from school when she was lured into a home by a 24-year-old man and sexually assaulted before being killed, Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said Friday.

Jarred Mitchell Harrell, who was already in jail on dozens of child pornography charges, was charged with premeditated murder in the death of Somer Thompson. Authorities said she was asphyxiated and tossed into a trash bin, but they did not give many details about her death.

Harrell also faces charges of lewd and lascivious battery and sexual battery.

Somer, an elementary school student who loved the color purple and the song "You are My Sunshine," went missing Oct. 19. Her body was found two days later in a Georgia landfill about 50 miles from her north Florida home.

During a press conference at the same church where Somer's memorial service was held, Beseler said detectives used DNA evidence, witnesses and statements from Harrell himself to solve the case.

- Source

- Harrell Charged With Murder Of Somer Thompson

- Who is Jarred Harrell?

- New, bizarre details in Jarred Harrell's childhood

Morgan Harrington: Shattered bones,’ Harringtons say Morgan’s killer is ‘violent, sadistic' ; Somer Thompson

2010-03-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

Her parents desperately wish it weren’t so, but they say they’re convinced: Morgan Harrington suffered before she was killed.

On the five month anniversary of the Virginia Tech student’s disappearance and less than two months after her remains were discovered in a remote area of a southern Albemarle County farm, her parents, Dan and Gil Harrington, spoke to reporters in front of the John Paul Jones Arena, where Morgan attended an October 17 Metallica show the night of her disappearance, to beg anyone with information about the case to come forward and to urge caution in the Charlottesville community.

- Shattered bones,’ Harringtons say Morgan’s killer is ‘violent, sadistic

###

- Jarred Harrell: Man Named Person Of Interest In Somer Thompson Case

Epitaph To Morrie: Death Of A Pet Hamster.

2010-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

In the 1970's I was persuaded to allow a hamster into my home.

Because we lived in an apartment block where dogs and cats were not allowed as pets, my son aged 6,

decided that a hamster would be more fun to have than a budgie.

Well that hamster's life was short lived as it escaped from the apartment one night and fell down the fire escape stairs and became 'Sonny's' first meeting with death.

He had a couple more of these rodents but they too succumbed and mostly before their 1000 days were up.

Years later in the 1990's we, once again, became hamster owners because my daughter wanted a pet after her rabbit died.

We decided to buy a hamster as a change to get away from the memories of the rabbit whom she had loved dearly.

This hamster plus three more little critters passed through our lives with tears being shed at each funeral.

Hamster number four was called Charlie and his demise was mourned so loudly that number five was added in order to get over his death as quickly as possible.

Morrie became the fifth and last hamster to live in this house and he turned out to be the nearest one could get to having a dog.

He was intelligent and interracted with us like a larger pet would.

He never bit us.

He had rather large ears for a hamster and these he'd prick up as soon as he heard voices.

He'd sit up on his back legs as still as a stone and check out proceedings until he was allowed to climb onto an outstretched hand.

He enjoyed tickles and cuddles and had his routines and behaviour patterns.

He loved almonds and raisons and received them most mornings around 5am before one or other of us left for work.

He knew at exactly which gap in the bars they would be presented.

He loved climbing out of his cage and climbing around on the cushions on the sofa.

Yesterday ( 22nd March 2010 ) Morrie died very suddenly.

We thought he would be around for at least another year.

I am amazed at how empty the house is without him.

He is sorely missed.

We thank you dear Morrie for having blessed us with your presence and hope that we will meet up with you again in the next phase.

¤¤¤

Muslim gangs imposing sharia law in British prisons.

2010-03-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Muslim gangs imposing sharia law in British prisons

Radical Muslim gangs are imposing a form of sharia law inside some of Britain's prisons, a BBC investigation has found.

By Andrew Gilligan

Published: 9:00AM GMT 15 Mar 2010

Non-Muslim inmates at the high-security Long Lartin jail have been forced by the gangs to stop playing "Western" music and take down pictures of women from their cells, according to one former prison officer there. Prisoners at the jail, although allowed to cook their own food, are not allowed to prepare pork for fear of offending the Muslim inmates, the officer said.

The officer, speaking to Radio Five Live's Donal Macintyre show, told how younger prisoners were targeted for forced conversion to Islam by the gangs. "They went along because they were intimidated. They genuinely weren't of the Muslim faith," she said. "I knew one lad quite well, who was approached by the radical Muslims and he changed. He was being controlled and bossed around and he wasn't even allowed to look at me or speak to me.

- Read More

- BBC Video: Growing fears over Muslim prison 'gangs'

Sadek Mufid: Arabs became refugees following leaders’ promise absence would be temporary

2010-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Arabs became refugees following leaders' promise:

"A week, two weeks... and you'll return to Palestine"

by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

An Arab refugee in Lebanon described in an interview on Palestinian Authority TV how he and other Arabs left for Lebanon from Israel during the 1948 war, after Arab leaders said their absence would be temporary:

"They [Arab leaders] said: 'A week, two weeks, approximately, and you'll return to Palestine,'" said Sadek Mufid.

This refugee's testimony is yet another example of how Palestinian leaders, writers and refugees themselves have begun to speak out in recent years and openly blame the Arab leadership for the creation of the Arab refugee problem. Mufid describes a large departure to Lebanon from Israel, which led to the creation of "11 or 15 refugee camps."

He does not place the blame on Israel.

As Palestinian Media Watch has previously reported, other recent Palestinian accounts likewise describe a deliberate exit from Israel under orders by Arab leaders, which contradicts the Palestinian leadership's charge that the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who left in 1948 were expelled by Israel.

- Source

- King Hussein, Jordan, In the Shadow of the Six-Day War, Israel

Prescott Bush, Hitler, War is very profitable, How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power.

2010-01-31T08:47:00.000-08:00

How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power

Rumours of a link between the US first family and the Nazi war machine have circulated for decades. Now the Guardian can reveal how repercussions of events that culminated in action under the Trading with the Enemy Act are still being felt by today's president

Ben Aris in Berlin and Duncan Campbell in Washington The Guardian, Saturday 25 September 2004 23.59 BST Article historyGeorge Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.

The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

- Source: read more

Robert Maudsley, serial killer, solitary confinement, Wakefield prison, David Maust, prison penpals in Britain

2010-01-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Today I read about Robert Maudsley who is a serial killer ( of paedophiles ) and who has been incarcerated in the UK in solitary confinement since 1983.

In a way his story reminds me of that of serial killer David Maust and so I have decided to put his story out on my blog.

Hopefully many will read about him.

It seems he is an intelligent person so perhaps one could send him cards or letters of encouragement.

Address: HM Prison Wakefield
                5 Love La,
               Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 9AG,
               United Kingdom

- Writing Prisoners in British Prisons

- New unit for killer inmates

###

- Robert Maudsley

- The caged misery of Britain's real 'Hannibal the Cannibal'

- Killer begs for budgie or suicide

- Serial killer Robert Maudsley near death

¤¤¤

- Charles Bronson admits 'I'm not ashamed' in message to moviegoers

- Charles Bronson: Prison cost me my sanity

- Wakefield Prison staff suspended over 'smuggling' mobile phones

- Visiting time: Charles Bronson invites us into his cell

"The Last Nail in Europe's Coffin", Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Anna Lindh Foundation, Israel, Islam and Bible Prophecy

2010-01-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2010

The Last Nail in Europe's Coffin

By Pamela Geller

Because of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership between the European Union and Islamic states in the Middle East, by the year 2050, the Islamic population of Europe will be 25% to 30% of the total population. There will be perhaps over 100 million Muslims in Europe.

Partnership? More like a suicide pact. Fifty million laborers with families. The effects on European civilization, and on Europe's relationship with the United States, are all too easy to imagine. And the U.S.-Muslim engagement document, the blueprint for the Obama administration's relationship with Muslim countries, parallels these plans. It contains the same "cross-culturalization" plans that are discussed and recommended in the Euro-Med partnership. In other words, it's a charter for our dhimmitude, our subservience to Islamic law.

- Source

- Anna Lindh Foundation

- Israel, Islam and Bible Prophecy

Koalas in Australia dying from AIDS, habitat loss, Koalas could be extinct within 30 years

2009-12-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

National koala population has fallen from 100,000 to under 43,000 in the past six years

Australian Koala Foundation says if nothing is done, koalas could be extinct within 30 years

Koalas have suffered from Chlamydia, dog attacks, cars and habitat loss

Koala AIDS, for which there no vaccine or cure, is also plaguing the population

- Read more:

- Sam the koala rescued from bush fire

Bob Dylan, 'Christmas in the Heart', What does 'Judeo-Christian' mean?

2009-12-25T10:03:00.001-08:00

'Christmas in the Heart':
I received this AWESOME album from my 'old man' even tho' he's anything but a Dylan fan. ( Of course I requested it because I am a Dylan 'fan-atic! )

The tracks on the album are a mix of carols and fun songs..all well-known and loved..and sung in Bob's best and raspiest voice. The background music and vocals are also great.

I don't celebrate the consumerism and greed that tend to dominate this traditional time of year but I grew up with the carols and the songs and it's 'in the blood' so to speak.

I have followed the life and times of Bob Dylan since 1965 and I'm really overjoyed that there is a chance of us meeting in the next phase because it seems that he follows Judeo-Christianity as I do.

So a BIG 'thank you' to Bob Dylan/Zimmerman for making this album, making Christmas 2009 my finest yet and for donating the proceeds of the album to a good cause.

- Bob Dylan's Christmas Album: Is this a Joke?

- What does 'Judeo-Christian' mean?

- FFOZ Blogs : Bob Dylan: A Messianic Jew

- 'Christmas In The Heart'
Free listening

- Bob Dylan: Official Website

Posted using ShareThis