text:
Goodluck Jonathan's plan to run for a second term as president of Nigeria has been among the country's biggest open secrets for months. So why did he wait until almost three months before the election to announce his candidacy?
Jibrin Ibrahim, director of the Center for Democracy & Development in Abuja, says Jonathan had planned to declare his candidacy earlier in the year after touring the country, but the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency and the group's kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from the northeastern town of Chibok in April sidetracked his plans.
"There's been a large outcry against that, so that's why he suspended the zonal tour at the end of which he was to make the announcement," Ibrahim explained. " Right now he had to make his declaration because the timetable has come for party primaries and it's necessary for him to openly admit what he had wanted to do all along, which is to contest for a second term."
Jonathan's main opponent will likely come from the All Progressives Congress, a new coalition of opposition parties formed last year. Former military ruler Mohammadu Buhari is expected to be the party's presidential candidate.
The APC is seen as the biggest threat to Jonathan's People's Democratic Party, which has held power since the restoration of democracy in 1999.
But the APC has done little to distinguish itself from its opponent, according to Clement Nwankwo, executive director of the Abuja-based nonprofit Policy and Legal Advocacy Center.
"The opposition party has not been able to concretize a message for the election, a message that appeals to people, it hasn't come up with alternative programs that people can see and make a difference, in terms of the difference between themselves and the president who is in office. So I really worry that in terms of substance the opposition party has not been able to articulate a strong enough message that would resonate with people," Nwankwo said.
With a population of over 173 million people of different ethnicities spread across 36 states and divided nearly evenly between Muslims and Christians, Nwankwo says people are likely to choose their candidates based on where they're from or where they pray, rather than whether they're the best-qualified to run the country.
"Unfortunately, I worry that the politics of the country has been clouded so much by ethnicity, by religion, and what is called zonal politics where people have been fed with messages that suggest that unless someone from their particular ethnic group or religion is in office that they would have no advantage, which would really be unfortunate, because there are several issues that should be of concern to Nigerians," Nwankwo said.
Nigeria's presidential elections are scheduled for February 15 of next year.


text:
Explore this collection of the world's most promising social innovations, submitted from every corner of the globe. These solutions give you insights into where the world is heading in the future.
Total 2 ideas
Act2Save, an innovative mobile application, engages participants in a fun and interactive way tow
Dare to love life!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Best View ever…
The best view is where you can see everything. At the Olympics, it is hard to see everything, as the stadiums are huge. From the top of Mt Whitney you can turn in a circle and see amazing distances. But seeing is half the picture. The other half is satisfying yourself with the view. So […]Read More
Love is the most generous thing you can offer of yourself. Loving feels so good that it is still not able to be defined. Love feels good to both people simultaneously…how cool is love…very! Love happens from reciprocity…you give to get. If you don't give…guess what…you don't get. If you life is rough and no […]
Happiness for YOU
Being Happy…something everyone desires. How to find happiness has brilliant minds working non stop seeking the magic answer. Billions of dollars, pounds, shillings, and rupees have been poured into finding this "secret sauce" of life. Whomever unlocks the code to happiness will have wealth beyond King Soloman's, or so thinking goes. The people spending fortunes […]Read More
My buddy, Mike, just texted me from his hospital bed saying he just woke up and was in pain, but his operation was successful. Now that is cause for celebration. I am thrilled for my friend and for his family. Celebration is for good times. Good times come from accomplishment of something important. In my […]Read More
How Good Are YOU?
You are as Good as you desire…so how good are you? Desires either trap us or allow us to be free…it is a matter of personal choice. No one dictates your desire, not your boss, your wife, your kids, your friends. Your desires spring up from inside you. A good friend is a Psychologist that […]Read More
3 Furry Ideas !
3 Furry Ideas is about fun. How do you have fun in life? The furry otters in the picture splash and chase each other in the water, and have lotsafun on land. They appear to be carefree and depend each day upon nature's provisions, as they can't earn money, save for retirement, or visit a […]
How to Unleash your Imagination !
Unleashing your Imagination is what the business world desperately wants you to do. Here are the difficulties for business. A business creates a process it wants workers to follow. The business gets "upset" when employees don't follow "the rules" and … nothing imaginative EVER happens. Entrepreneurs create business opportunities. Managers of process, people, and finance […]
EZ way to get ahead
EZ way to get ahead Troubles are everywhere. People forget how great you are or are too busy to help. You want to get ahead, but it is not working so far. Here are some tips to get ahead: 1. Effort: Yesterday, I was visiting our son-in-law and was astounded to see him immaculately dressed […]Read More
Are you Balanced in your life?
We are used to routine and most people sleep their 8 hours during darkness. Nature is balance and our lives yearn for balance. When we disrupt "balance" our lives are less comfy. We become irritable with not enough sleep, we get angry when irritated and make poor decisions, we take short cuts in life and […]
Do you do all the work?
Do you do all the work, do you carry the burden for all those around you, are you overwhelmed? My buddy, Marshall Ulrich, is seen in this picture traveling across Death Valley enroute to Mt Whitney some 146 miles away. He completed this task with no assistance from anyone, carrying his food and water for […]


text:
Bytelion offers a unique set of capabilities for understanding your business goals, users, and software design needs. User Experience Design is the core structure of any business or product, providing transparency and insight into the structure and scope of the product. Focusing on the 'Why' before making any moves up front allows for you to make better business decisions down the road. UX applies to every aspect and process from discovery and research to user testing and final launch.
Business Analysis Consulting
Our team uncovers all of the unknowns to create transparency for the stakeholders and team in order to build a clear path for the future of the project.
- Stakeholder Interviews
- Business Requirements
- User Requirements
- Features & Functionality List
- Ethnography
Data Analysis & Research
We're keen analysts, collecting data to validate all our initial thoughts and ideas or to inform us that we need to pivot and change direction.
- Competitive Audit
- Expert insights
- Technical Assessment
- User Research
UX for the Enterprise
Our expert team knows how to navigate the sometimes troubling waters for internal critical enterprise projects. With experience across multiple organizations, our team excels at:
- Stakeholder Management
- Enterprise Customer-driven design
- Enterprise UX roadmap strategy and tracking
Lightweight Design Structure
We work with all variables of the project to determine the initial architecture and flow of the project.
- Controlled Brainstorming
- Information Architecture
- User Flows
- Content Strategy
Full Visual Design
From wireframing, to logo design, bring life to project while keeping you in the loop with design meetings for iteration.
- Paper Prototypes
- Wireframes
- Interactive Prototypes
- Product Personality
- Micro-interactions
Testing & Evaluation
Using tools to analyze user data and getting direct feedback from users we adapt the design to function and flow in the best way possible for the user, eliminating bugs, and reducing user errors.
- Usability Tests
- A/B Testing
- Data Synthesis
- Google Analytics
Our Process
Hold interviews and brainstorming meetings to better understand user and business needs and goals.
In-depth competitive analysis, user research, and technical exploration to provide thorough data reports insights.
Producing user flows and original approach with new data to confirm and align timeline, scope, and features list of the project.
Developing the product skeleton and initial structure to create a strong foundation off which to build upon.
UI design comes into play here, we are developing the functionality and personality of the product, from fonts to transitions.
User testing is king during this phase since feedback is key to affirming the design is a great experience for users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is UX?
User experience is the process in which customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ease of use are improved through a deeper understanding of the business and its users.
How will UX design help solve my business or product problems?
UX design focus is to improve the experience for your business, product, and users, so when a problem is presented it is the UX designers job to research, understand and come up with creative solutions that will benefit your business' overall experience and solve immediate issues.
What is Bytelion's UX design process?
Our process is flexible to fit the needs of our clients, but typically follows a series of 'Discovery & Understanding', 'Ideation', 'Creation', and 'Evaluation'. For a more in-depth view of our process, view our process above.
How does UX design fit into Agile development?
UX design does not work well in a waterfall approach, so using a development methodology such as Agile works much better for the designers and team. Designing in agile means that you are constantly working with the team to improve and iterate on the design, based on new data from user feedback and business goals.
When should I hire a UX designer for my project?
As soon as you can! In a perfect world, you will bring in a UX designer as soon as your project began, however, we understand that you may not have been aware of the benefits of having and UX expert on your team, or your budget did not allow for it. UX designers are proficient at discovering your needs and goals at any point in the development process and can work with your team to understand what your goals are for the improvement of your business.
What if I only want to use some of Bytelion's design services?
Good news! Since UX is a process, not a phase, so we can apply the same UX philosophies to any aspect of your project at any time.
Marc Hausle
I have a passion for Product & UX Design. I enjoy making experiences and processes the best they can be. With each new challenge I face, I learn and grow through research and collaboration. I am excited to bring my unique knowledge and experience to your product and create excellent experiences for your users.


text:
As my 50-week gratitude tour for all things CHOC Children's nears its end, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how grateful I am for the research that happens at CHOC.
CHOC is committed to clinical research and understanding the mysteries behind childhood diseases. Because of this, CHOC patients have access to current treatment options but also benefit from the latest in research.
Research is occurring every day at CHOC, and new endeavors begin regularly. Just recently, CHOC opened a stem cell production facility that could one day lead to therapies for neurological diseases in children.
The Research Institute at CHOC Children's operates two Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), which decide whether proposed research is ethical, that participant consent is sufficient, and that safeguards have been established for participants.
It's so exciting that CHOC is a research hospital. Scientists' work today will affect patients for years to come. I am grateful that CHOC has an opportunity to help children today and tomorrow.


text:
Saturday, April 30, 2011
U.S. And NATO Allies Initiate Libyan Scenario For Syria -- Rick Rozoff at Stop Nato
Apparently the U.S. & Israel do not want to franchise the killing of civilians in the Middle East to Syria and Libya. NATO already has that job. Obama has issued to Syria the same sanctions order he gave to Libya. Empire marches on. Linda
Washington seized $32 billion dollars worth of Libyan assets in the U.S., with
special emphasis placed on those belonging to "any person determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State...to be a
senior official of the Government" or "to be a child of Colonel Muammar
Twenty-two days later bombing missions and missile attacks were unleashed
against Libya, initially under U.S. Africa Command's Operation Odyssey Dawn and
since March 31 through NATO's Operation Unified Protector, which are continuing
into their seventh week.
Libya and Syria are the only two Mediterranean nations and the sole remaining
Arab states that are not subordinated to U.S. and NATO designs for control of
the Mediterranean Sea Basin and the Middle East.
Neither has participated in NATO's almost ten-year-old Operation Active Endeavor
naval patrols and exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and neither is a member of
NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue military partnership which includes most regional
countries: Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania.
Lebanon is subject to a naval and internal (that is, on its border with Syria)
blockade run overwhelmingly by NATO nations under the post-2006 expanded United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon mission.
Jordan and Morocco are supporting the NATO war against Libya and members of
another NATO partnership program - the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative - Qatar
and the United Arab Emirates, are supplying fighter-bombers for combat missions
over Libya. Fellow Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partner Kuwait announced on
April 24 that it will grant $180 million to pay the salaries of employees of the
rebel Transitional National Council in Libya.
With renewed efforts earlier this year to recruit Cyprus into NATO's Partnership
for Peace transitional program [2] - member Sweden, for example, has provided
eight Gripen warplanes for the campaign against Libya - Libya and Syria were
prospectively the last outposts of independence and non-alignment in the entire
Mediterranean region.
On April 24, Easter Sunday, three leading members of the patrician branch of the
U.S. regime (and effective modern-day proconsuls) - Senators John McCain, who
had just returned from meeting with Libyan insurgents in Benghazi, and Joseph
Lieberman and Lindsey Graham - appeared on CNN's "State Of The Union" program,
the first two live and the other in a segment taped two days before.
In what Americans and the rest of the world have come to accept as specimens of
U.S. foreign policy expertise, international diplomacy and seasoned
statesmanship, Lieberman stated that United Nations Security Council Resolution
1973 "gives justification if NATO decides it wants to, for going directly after
Gadhafi," and Graham added that "my recommendation to NATO and the
administration is to cut the head of the snake off, go to Tripoli, start bombing
Gadhafi's inner circle, their compounds, their military headquarters."
McCain and Graham are Republicans and Lieberman is a self-described independent
who caucuses with Democratic Party colleagues in the Senate and was the
Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000. The once almost
second-in-command of the world's sole military superpower, to use Obama's
phrase, added: "You can't get into a fight with one foot." The transition from
republic to empire cost Rome the eloquence of Cicero. The United States has
nothing to lose on that score.
Graham, further working himself into a frenzy of unbridled bellicosity and not
to be outdone by his colleague in either fury or coarse bluster, asserted that
"the goal is to get rid of Gadhafi" and added "Let's get this guy gone."
UK Preventive Arrest for Street Theater Troupe! Coming Soon Here? Your Rights -- Use Them or Lose Them
Friday, April 29, 2011
Great Video Dramatizing A Truth of the Palestinian Struggle - [French]
from this Salem News website:
Superman Renounces U.S. Citizenship
originally found on Moon of Alabama: http://www.moonofalabama.org/
"With President Obama's Birth Certificate, Klansman Trump Reminds Blacks They Will Never Be American"
Royal Wedding Only a Celebration of Wealth – London Student
Thursday, April 28, 2011
This Could Be Any of Us -- We Are Troy Davis by Jen Marlowe
Last Monday, I attended the funeral service of Virginia Davis in Savannah, GA. Reverend Dr. Warnock delivered a passionate eulogy for Virginia, which ended with a powerful call to action: The best way to honor Virginia's life, he said, is to fight for her son Troy's life.
I am writing to ask you to help fight for Troy's life.
Troy Davis is on death row for the 1989 murder of police officer Mark MacPhail in Savannah, GA. Troy has always maintained his innocence, and there was never any physical evidence linking him to the crime. 7 out of the 9 non-police witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. New witnesses have come forth identifying another suspect. Yet, on March 28, the US Supreme Court denied Troy's final appeal, clearing the way for Georgia to set the execution date. Troy's sister, Martina, said her mother "died of a broken heart. I don't think my mother could have taken another execution date."
That execution date could be set any day now. Troy's life will then be in the hands of Georgia's Board of Pardon & Paroles, who has the power to grant Troy clemency.
1. Sign the Amnesty USA petition, asking the GA Board of Pardons & Parole to grant Troy clemency, and forward it to others.
2. Collect signatures on a download-able version of the petition.
3. If you are a lawyer or a legal professional: add your name to the legal professional sign-on letter
4. If you are a member of the clergy: add your name to the clergy sign-on letter.
5. If you have contacts with legal professionals or members of the clergy, forward them the sign-on letters and urge them to sign.
6. If you have contacts in Georgia, urge them to sign the petition or, sign-on letters (if they are legal professionals or members of the clergy.) It is important that the Board know that this issue matter to folks around the country and around the world--but especially that it matters to folks in Georgia.
7. 1 million Tweets for Troy!
If you are Twitter user than please consider tweeting for Troy.
Some sample tweets include:
When in doubt, don't execute!! Sign the petition for #TroyDavis! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Too much doubt! Stop the execution! #TroyDavis needs us! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No room for doubt! Stop the execution of #TroyDavis . Retweet, sign petition www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Case not "ironclad", yet Georgiacould execute #TroyDavis ! Not on our watch! Petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No murder weapon. No physical evidence. Stop the execution! #TroyDavis petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
7 out of 9 eyewitnesses recanted. No physical evidence. Stop the execution of #TroyDavis www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Troy's case is deeply personal to me. Troy is a friend of mine. I have corresponded with Troy for the last four years, visited him twice in prison, and written about his case. I have gotten to know and become close to his incredible family, and witnessed first-hand their struggle to bring justice to Troy.
But even if Troy was not my friend, even if I did not know the Davis family--Troy's case should still be deeply personal to me, deeply personal to all of us. As Laura Moye (the Amnesty USA death penalty abolition coordinator) and I were gathering petition signatures in Savannah last week among union-member day laborers, a young man called out emotionally, "Troy could be your brother, your son! This could be any of us!"
Put another way (as the T-shirt in support of Troy states) "I am Troy Davis."
I hope you will take the time to learn more about Troy's case. Thank you in advance for doing all you can to prevent Troy's execution. As the young man in the union hall reminded me, Troy is all of us.
Jen Marlowe is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, author, playwright, human rights advocate, and founder of donkeysaddle projects. Her new book, The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker, co-written with and about Palestinian peace activist Sami Al Jundi, has just been published by Nation Books. Her previous book was Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival. Her email address is: email@example.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"China to Become Economic #1 in 2016: U.S. Imperialism Doomed" -- Glen Ford at Black Agenda Report
The end of U.S. economic hegemony in the world is near – much nearer than almost anyone thought. No less an authority than the U.S.-dominated International Monetary Fund predicts that China will outstrip the United States by the year 2016, when measured by the real value of what people earn and spend [6] in their domestic economies. It's called "purchasing power parities," and under that measure – which is as good as any – China's economy will outgrow the U.S. in five years, $19 trillion compared to $18.8 trillion. And the gap will continue to grow, from there.
Imagine: most of us alive today will see a watershed in modern civilization. At or around the year 2016, unless something wholly unforeseen occurs, the United States will fall from the economic pinnacle it has occupied since the late 1890s. Much more importantly, the bell will have tolled, definitively, for U.S. imperialism.
This is a subject that is separate from the question of capitalism's continued survival as a social system in the U.S. or elsewhere on the planet. It is about U.S. empire. However one describes the Chinese system, it is not the twin of U.S. imperialism, which has maintained its supremacy through the rigging of world markets, the artificial supremacy of the U.S. dollar, and most importantly, the coercive force of its military – all of which are interrelated. U.S. imperialism seeks to entrap the world economy, to put it in service of finance capital, largely headquartered in New York and London. The Chinese system is fueled by relentless production of actual goods.
"For some on Wall Street and in the Pentagon, the economic news is a signal for massive, preemptive military action."
The U.S. and European imperialists, in one sense, dug their own graves decades ago, when they gambled that they could somehow maintain their grip on the world, while transferring the production of real goods, actual products, to the south and the east of the planet, through corporate globalization. They methodically dismantled the productive capacity of what had been the world's powerhouse, the United States, in search of ever lower labor costs in what we used to call the Third World. The outsourcing of actual production to the east and south meant higher rates of return – profits – on investors' dollars. Detroit and Pittsburgh and Chicago withered and rusted away, while Wall Street became economically and politically all-powerful.
Wall Street thought it could remain in the global catbird seat through its financial supremacy, backed up by an irresistible military. But especially since the meltdown of 2008, Wall Street has turned pure parasite All that now remains of U.S. imperial power is its military, more expensive than all the other militaries of the world, combined – in some ways, as much a burden as a weapon.
The Chinese do not spend even one-fifth the U.S. war budget, but will soon have an economy that is leaving the Americans in the dust. For some on Wall Street and in the Pentagon, the economic news is a signal for massive, preemptive military action, before the whole imperial edifice collapses. These are people who cannot envision a world in which they are not on top. They will not go down quietly. We are in, as the Chinese say, "interesting times." The empire may not choose to go out in twilight, but in an inferno.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Costs of arming Israel can no longer be ignored -- Josh Ruebner
Military aid to Israel ran the gamut from the patently absurd — one used food steamer valued at $2,100 — to the lethal — 93 F-16D fighter jets valued at a total of nearly $2.5 billion. With nearly 500 categories of weapons transferred to Israel, the US is pervasively, intricately and comprehensively involved in arming its military.
These weapons transfers also make the US deeply complicit in almost every action the Israeli military takes to entrench its illegal 43-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip and the apartheid policies that undergird its government's stance toward Palestinians.
From September 2000-December 2009, roughly the same period during which the US transferred these 670 million weapons to Israel, the Israeli military killed at least 2,969 Palestinians, of whom 1,128 were children, who took no part in hostilities, according to the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem.
For example, Israel killed 446 unarmed Palestinians, including 149 children, with missiles fired from helicopters. The Pentagon classifies the number, types and value of missiles transferred to Israel; however, the US gave Israel nearly 200 AH-64D Apache, Sikorsky CH-53 and Cobra helicopters from which at least some of these lethal missiles were fired. It was likely one such US-supplied missile from a US-supplied helicopter that Israel fired in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on 29 December 2008, which killed five sisters, Jawaher (age 4), Dina (age 7), Samar (age 12), Ikram (age 14) and Tahrir Baulusha (age 17) during an attack on a nearby mosque.
Israel's misuse of US weapons to commit human rights abuses like these against Palestinian civilians should trigger sanctions against, rather than increasing amounts of military aid to, Israel. The Arms Export Control Act limits the use of US weapons to "internal security" and "legitimate self-defense." Israel's occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip is defined by the US government as a foreign military occupation, and the killing of thousands of unarmed civilians in support of a military occupation cannot be justified as legitimate without distorting the meaning of self-defense.
In addition, the Foreign Assistance Act strictly prohibits US foreign assistance to any country that "engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally-recognized human rights." The State Department's recently released 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices documents amply, if not comprehensively, Israel's human rights abuses of Palestinians.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
"Call of Alternative Information Center to Global Social Movements"
When politics loses its moral underpinnings and condones racism; when aggression and oppression become a daily occurrence in the name of self defense or religion; when peace becomes a tool for the continuation of occupation and humiliation; when humans become daily targets of murder in defense of hegemony and control--silence becomes complicity.
For sixty-four years the State of Israel has perpetrated policies of aggression and colonialism, whether in historic Palestine, the Syrian Golan or Lebanon, policies that bring about the continued suffering of the Palestinian and other peoples under a colonial, military occupation.
Israel denies the Palestinian right to return, the right to self-determination and the right to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Israel further refuses to abide by United Nations resolutions and insists on flouting international law by clinging to its expansionist policy-- its policy of oppression in the West Bank and Judaisation of Jerusalem, the construction of the Separation Wall and the continuation of the siege and aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Israel also continues to design and implement racist policies against Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The radicalization of Israeli oppressive policies in recent years stands in stark contrast to the current wave of democratic revolutions in the Middle East. The Middle East is dramatically changing, and international policies toward the region must also change. Accordingly, the Alternative Information Center (AIC) as a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization, calls out to the world's social movements at this crucial time.
The Israeli-Arab conflict is not a clash of civilizations, a religious problem or a timeless hatred, but a conflict stemming from the political and cultural system of Israel's ruling class. Our problem is with the colonialist Zionist ideology. We believe in the necessity of ending this bloody struggle on the basis of international law and United Nations resolutions.
We call upon YOU TO END INTERNATIONAL COMPLICITY with Israeli apartheid AT THIS EXACT MOMENT, repudiating the racist and colonialist practices and policies of Israel. This mobilization has become of utmost importance if we, together, want to open paths towards a shared future based on ending the Israeli occupation, implementing a just and comprehensive peace based on recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people (right to return, the right to self-determination, and the right to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital), and resisting all forms of racism, sectarianism, hate and chauvinism.
We call upon you to end the attempts of Israel and Zionist movements to monopolize the representation of Jews and Israelis by subverting their voice in support of colonialist, racist enterprises. The future of Israelis in the region is tied to the future of Palestinians, and the time has come to say "Enough!"
More than sixty years of war, build-up of conventional and unconventional weapons, oppression, occupation and hundreds of checkpoints, walls, and the siege of the Gaza Strip have not given Israelis peace, because peace cannot grow in the shadow of occupation and security doesn't flourish at gunpoint. Security and peace are achievable only through ending the policy of aggression, expansion, occupation and sectarianism and working towards a shared future based on the principles of justice, equality and democratic values.
We, the Palestinians and Israelis of the AIC, call on the world's social movements:
- To support the 2005 united Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and United Nations resolutions
- To pressure countries to halt their acquiescence to Israeli policies, without which Israel would be unable to continue its blatant violations of Palestinian rights
- To mobilize global support for the Palestinian popular resistance
Friday, April 22, 2011
For a month now, the Syrian people have bravely taken to the streets in protest of over 40 years of Al-Assad rule. Protesters have been met with violence, the injured have been denied medical treatment, innocent bystanders shot by snipers, husbands and brothers snatched away by security forces, and STILL the world isn't paying enough attention.
Bring Syrian flags and posters, and a voice loud enough to shout for freedom.
We are urging our government to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria right now. We are standing in solidarity with the Syrian people in their demand for freedom.
To demand:
The people have the right to peaceful protesting.
Syrian security forces stop the killing of civilians.
Syrian protestors have the right to medical treatment.
WESTLAKE PARK ON 4th & PINE, SEATTLE, WA
No Boots on the Ground by Phil Disley
"Speak Your Piece: Silence No More"
"Syria unrest: 'Bloodiest day' as troops fire on rallies" -- BBC
The demands issued by the "Syrian local organising committees" include:
- An end to torture, killings, arrests and violence against demonstrators
- Three days of state-sanctioned mourning for deaths so far
- An independent investigation into the deaths of protesters and judicial proceedings in the light of evidence revealed
- Release of all political prisoners
- Reform of Syria's constitution, including a two-term presidential limit
[friends-of-freedom-aFriday 04/22/2011-On the Second Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Bassem Abu Rahma
Friends of BilinBil'in Popular committee
Friday 04/22/2011-
On the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Bassem Abu Rahma .
One citizen of the village of Bil'in was seriously injured as well as five demonstrators and four others who were injured as a result of abuse by the occupying forces, in addition to dozens of other cases of people choking on poison gas.
Today a woman of Bil'in was seriously injured whilst five demonstrators and four citizens received dozens of bruises, there were also many cases of severe asphyxia as a result of inhalation of tear gas, many people suffered due to the waste water and chemicals fired by the Israeli Army. This was due to the clashes that took place after the suppression of the Israeli occupation forces with the creation of the wall and settlements. On the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Bassem Abu Rahma there was a march organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall in Bil'in and the National and Islamic Forces. It began after Friday prayers from the center of the village and was attended by the people of Bil'in, dozens of Palestinians and internationals. Palestinian factions,
The Participants of the march waved many Palestinian flags, flags of Palestinian factions and pictures of martyrs Jawaher and Bassem Abu Rahma. There were also yellow banners with a picture of the leader Marwan Barghouti who is a prisoner of the occupation. This started the participants chanting national anthems calling for unity and rejection of differences, to unite in the face of the occupation and its plans and to end the division and occupation as quickly as possible.
The march headed towards the wall, where Israeli forces intercepted the march by storming the village from the west side. They fired bursts of gas, sound bombs, rubber bullets, lead Toto and live bullets toward the participants in an attempt to prevent the demonstration from getting to the area. This resulted in a injury to citizen Isra' Bornat, 20 years old. He received serious injuries as a result of inhaled poison gas and was transferred to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah. Mohamed Hesham Bornat 28 years old was hit by a soldier's baton in the head, Jasser Ash'al, 22 years old was hit by a tear gas canister in the hand, Ahmed Ibrahim Abu Rahma, 38 years old was hit by a tear gas canister in the leg, Mohammed Shawkat, 18 years old was shot with a rubber bullet in the leg, and Simon Krieger 22 years old was hit with a tear gas canister in the arm. The occupation forces severely beat all of Iyad Bornat, 38, and Mohammad Al Khatib, 36, as well as two people from London showing solidarity with the Palestinian people, all of whom were severely bruised.
After the Israeli soldiers broke out with such violence the protestors managed to make the army of occupation retreat to the back wall.
Iyad Burnat
Sunday, April 17, 2011
In Praise of Marx -- Terry Eagleton
This [unequal distribution of resources], Marx considered, was not because of natural scarcity. It was because of the peculiarly contradictory way in which the capitalist system generated its fabulous wealth. Equality for some meant inequality for others, and freedom for some brought oppression and unhappiness for many. The system's voracious pursuit of power and profit had turned foreign nations into enslaved colonies, and human beings into the playthings of economic forces beyond their control. It had blighted the planet with pollution and mass starvation, and scarred it with atrocious wars. Some critics of Marx point with proper outrage to the mass murders in Communist Russia and China. They do not usually recall with equal indignation the genocidal crimes of capitalism: the late-19th-century famines in Asia and Africa in which untold millions perished; the carnage of the First World War, in which imperialist nations massacred one another's working men in the struggle for global resources; and the horrors of fascism, a regime to which capitalism tends to resort when its back is to the wall. Without the self-sacrifice of the Soviet Union, among other nations, the Nazi regime might still be in place.
Marxists were warning of the perils of fascism while the politicians of the so-called free world were still wondering aloud whether Hitler was quite such a nasty guy as he was painted. Almost all followers of Marx today reject the villainies of Stalin and Mao, while many non-Marxists would still vigorously defend the destruction of Dresden or Hiroshima. Modern capitalist nations are for the most part the fruit of a history of genocide, violence, and extermination every bit as abhorrent as the crimes of Communism. Capitalism, too, was forged in blood and tears, and Marx was around to witness it. It is just that the system has been in business long enough for most of us to be oblivious of that fact.
The selectiveness of political memory takes some curious forms. Take, for example, 9/11. I mean the first 9/11, not the second. I am referring to the 9/11 that took place exactly 30 years before the fall of the World Trade Center, when the United States helped to violently overthrow the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende of Chile, and installed in its place an odious dictator who went on to murder far more people than died on that dreadful day in New York and Washington. How many Americans are aware of that? How many times has it been mentioned on Fox News?
Marx was not some dreamy utopianist. On the contrary, he began his political career in fierce contention with the dreamy utopianists who surrounded him. He has about as much interest in a perfect human society as a Clint Eastwood character would, and never once speaks in such absurd terms. He did not believe that men and women could surpass the Archangel Gabriel in sanctity. Rather, he believed that the world could feasibly be made a considerably better place. In this he was a realist, not an idealist. Those truly with their heads stuck in the sand—the moral ostriches of this world—are those who deny that there can be any radical change. They behave as though Family Guy and multicolored toothpaste will still be around in the year 4000. The whole of human history disproves this viewpoint.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
"Vittorio Arrigoni's Mother To Join Freedom Flotilla II" -- South Lebanon Blog
Gaza - PNN – Agidea Prata, the mother of Vittorio Arrigoni, the Italian activist and journalist killed in Gaza on Friday, said that she will be sailing to Gaza on May with the Free Gaza flotilla.Prata on Saturday told Italian news sources that "I want to see the Gaza that my son loved and sacrificed for, I want to meet the good people living there that my son Vik always talked about". She added that Vittorio's work will go on though his friends.
Vittorio's mother added that her son received death threats from a right wing American group on their website two years ago because of his photos published online and the pro Palestinian tattoo he has on his shoulder.
Vittorio first came to Gaza with the Free Gaza folitial in 2008 and used to live in a single bedroom house near Gaza City coastline until he was kidnapped and murdered by armed men.
Also on Saturday organizers of the Free Gaza flotilla announced that next voyage to Gaza will be named " Freedom Flotilla – Stay Human" in Honor of Vittorio Arrigoni.
"The murder of human rights activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, is a tragedy for his family, for those of us who knew him, and for the Palestinians who loved and admired him. The Steering Committee of Freedom Flotilla 2 condemns this senseless murder and the people who are behind it. They took the life of one of the most passionate supporters of justice for Palestine. This murder is damaging to the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice as well as our work in support of that struggle." The group said on their website.
Adding that ""Stay Human he would say, then grin and clench his pipe in his teeth. We will do our best, Vik, to carry on the work you have done. The flotilla will return to Gaza in your honor."
According to the Free Gaza Movement the group will send a new flotilla to Gaza on May. Last year on May 30th Israeli navy attacked the freedom flotilla boats while sailing in international water to Gaza killing 9 aid workers and injuring 54.
April 18 Prisoner Day -- Demand that the ICRC take Public Action Against Israel's Treatment of Palestinian Political Prisoners!
EXCERPT: (sign petition at link below)
7500 Palestinians are currently being held as political prisoners by Israel, including around 344 Palestinian children and 115 Palestinian women. These prisoners face forms of torture and mistreatment during their arrest and detention, and are consistently denied family and lawyer visits.
April 17th is the International Day in Solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners. It is marked by demonstrations through out the Occupied Territories with families demanding the release of prisoners. Many of these demonstrations take place outside the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as this body is responsible for maintaining contact with prisoner! s, as well as delivering clothes and other essential items. This year in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners and their families we call on all Palestine solidarity groups and prisoners solidarity groups to hold demonstrations and deliver a letter of protest to ICRC missions on April 18th (April 17th falls on a Sunday).
We are calling on the ICRC to take more meaningful steps in the monitoring of prisoner conditions. Despite the grave violations of prisoner rights that take place in Israeli prisons, the ICRC mission in the West Bank and Gaza Strip is not carrying out frequent visits to central Israeli prisons and has failed to deliver urgently needed supplies.
We call for demonstrations at ICRC offices to demand that the ICRC take public action and let the world know what is happening to Palestinian political prisoners inside Israeli jails and detention centers.
We call on all Palestine solidarity groups and prisoners support groups to endorse this day of action and sign onto a letter being delivering to the ICRC. To endorse or receive more information please contact http://sumoud.tao.ca
1. As prisoner support organizations in Palestine are demonstrating outside local ICRC offices we must come together in the Palestine solidarity movement to support them and the prisoners. Join other groups all over the world on April 18 to organize a demonstration at an ICRC office in your area. Sumoud Political Prisoner Solidarity Group can provide you with resources (letter to ICRC, fact-sheets, event poster, press release, powerpoint presentation and video for educationals around the topic). Information available at http://sumoud.tao.ca
2. Sign an online petition being delivered to the ICRC on April 18 at http://www.petitiononline.com/sumoud/petition.html
3. Organize a Call-in / Fax Day to the ICRC on April 18. Below is a list of central ICRC delegation contacts and a sample letter that can be faxed / emailed and used for talking points when making phone calls.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Vittorio Arrigoni by Carlos Latuff
Reminder: VIGIL FOR A FREE PALESTINE, Saturday April 16
It's time for the ISRAELI OCCUPATION to END. It's time for the PALESTINIAN PEOPLE to be FREE!
Come join us!
Saturday, April 16
Noon-2:00 pm
Westlake Plaza, 4th & Pine
Amin Odeh
"Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone"
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Eva in Gaza Remembers Vittorio Arrigoni (Vik), Her Friend & Fellow ISMer
[Vittorio (Vik) Arrigoni was murdered by Salafist kidnappers in Gaza]
He was hung.
I first heard of Vik before arriving in Gaza. Vik had just been injured by IOF water cannoning which shattered the windows of the fishing boat he was accompanying. Vik had some injuries from the shattered glass.
When I met Vik he was nothing but humble and humour. A compassionate man, living to do good and do anything for Palestinian justice. Others knew him better and longer, and told me of Viks arrests by the IOF, deportation, and other interesting stories. But above all, what shone, aside from his intelligble English, was his humanism.
He was taken from Gaza, briefly, by the IOF navy, when they kidnapped 15 Palesitnian fishermen and 3 accompanying activists, including Vik, in November 2008, from Palestinian waters.
He returned to Gaza, via Free Gaza again, before Israel began its war on Gaza. He continued to write and report from the enclosed, bombed Strip.
Stay human, he always said. And so was the title of his book on the Israeli massacre of Gaza in 2008-2009. Stay human.
Viks blog, Guerilla Radio, gave voice to Palestinians who have strong voices but are denied the microphone.
During the Israeli war on Gaza, we all worked together, riding in ambulances, documenting the martyred and the wounded, the vast majority (over 83%) civilian. Vik was always on the phone, Italian media taking his words and printing them for the public to see.
Aside from the loss of a compassionate, caring human, activist, and friend, I am saddened by the group that did this. Surely they knew Vik was with them, for them. But in every society, including my own, there are extremists, people who act with misguided guidance.
Vik was there, among the war casualties, among the on-going martytrs unspoken in the corporate media, celebrating Palestines beauty and culture, dancing Dabke at my wedding celebration.
Vik, my brother, allah yerhamek, bless you for your humanity and your great contribution to Palestinian justice. I will miss you, your smile, your humble, fun personality.
Yatikalafia ya Vitorrio.
Bibi in "Pirates of the Mediterranean"
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Very Moving Video of Challenge and Walkout on Israeli Consul General at Penn State
Palestine Authority Efforts to Push for State Recognition A Farce -- Ali Abunimah
What do you do if your decades-long campaign to bring about an independent Palestinian state on those fractions of historic Palestine known as the West Bank and Gaza Strip have resulted in total failure?
The answer seems to be, if you are the Western-sponsored Palestinian Authority (PA) in Israeli-occupied Ramallah, to pretend you have a Palestinian state anyway, and to get as many other countries to join in this charade as possible.
This appears to be the essence of the PA strategy to gain admittance for the "State of Palestine" to the UN General Assembly by September.
Already, the PA is lobbying hard for countries to support the move, and in recent months a number of states, particularly in Latin America, have extended full diplomatic recognition to the Ramallah authority. The New York Times cited diplomats who say that if brought to a vote in the UN General Assembly, the measure would likely pass.
A fantasy 'state'
The PA's push for recognition of a Palestinian state is the diplomatic counterpart to its much-touted "institution-building" and "economic development" efforts which are supposed to create the infrastructure for a future state.
But the institution-building program is nothing more than a mirage, boosted by public relations tricks and good press.
In fact, the main "institutions" the PA has built are the police-state and militia apparatuses used to repress political opposition to the PA and any form of resistance to Israeli occupation. Meanwhile the economy of the West Bank, and the PA itself, remain completely dependent on foreign aid.
UN recognition of a Palestinian make-believe state would be no more meaningful than this fantasy "institution-building", and could push Palestinians even further away from real liberation and self-determination.
Figures from the Ramallah-based PA have justified their UN recognition strategy as a way to bring international pressure to bear on Israel.
"Such recognition would create political and legal pressure on Israel to withdraw its forces from the land of another state that is recognised with the [1967] borders," Ramallah 'foreign minister' Riyad al-Malki told reporters in January.
Similarly, Nabil Shaath, a top Fatah official, explained to the New York Times that if a Palestinian state were recognised by the UN: "Israel would then be in daily violation of the rights of a fellow member state and diplomatic and legal consequences could follow, all of which would be painful for Israel."
But can anyone who has seen how the "international community" functions when it comes to Israel believe such delusional expectations?
Lebanon has been a member state of the United Nations since 1945 and yet this did not prevent Israel from occupying southern Lebanon from 1978 until 2000. Israel's occupation of Lebanon ended not because of any international pressure, but only because the Lebanese resistance drove Israel and its collaborating militias out.
Since its massive bombardment of Lebanon in 2006, Israel has violated Lebanon's sovereignty thousands of times – according to the UN itself. But its constant overflights of Lebanese airspace and kidnapping of Lebanese citizens among other violations has never prompted "diplomatic and legal consequences" to hold Israel accountable.
Similarly, since 1967 Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria (also a UN member since 1945). There has been virtually no armed resistance on the Golan Heights nor has there been any international pressure for Israel to withdraw or for Syrian refugees to return to their homes.
Even after Israel illegally annexed the territory in 1981 – a move condemned by the UN Security Council – the international community's silence has allowed Israel's colonisation of the Golan Heights to continue unabated.
Why would the situation in the "State of Palestine" be any different?
'Paper' victories
The effort to seek diplomatic recognition for an imaginary Palestinian state on a fraction of historic Palestine is a strategy of desperation from a Palestinian leadership that has run out of options, lost its legitimacy, and become a serious obstacle in the way of Palestinians regaining their rights.
Relying heavily on diplomatic forums and the good will of the "international community" has also been tried before and produced no results. Recall that in 2004, the PA expended enormous efforts to obtain an advisory ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague that Israel's apartheid wall in the West Bank is illegal and must be torn down.
But beyond obtaining the ruling, the PA had absolutely no strategy to mobilise Palestinians and their allies to pressure the world to actually implement the decision. It was a paper victory that resulted in no change on the ground.
Indeed, there is significant evidence that while the PA's diplomatic corps and negotiators were busy in The Hague, the leadership sought to stifle attempts by Palestinian civil society organisations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to organise around and bring attention to the ICJ ruling, almost certainly due to pressure by Israel and the United States.
Would the government of an "independent Palestine" still under Israeli occupation and reliant on aid from the US and EU be able to stand similar pressure in the future? The PA's record to date offers no basis for optimism.
In spite of these efforts, the ICJ opinion did have one important consequence. It was not the PA or the defunct Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) that began to mobilise.
Rather, amid the inaction from world governments to enforce the ICJ ruling, Palestinian civil society independently issued the 2005 Palestinian Call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS).
This campaign seeks to isolate Israel and pressure it to respect Palestinian rights and international law, through popular boycotts similar to those that helped end apartheid in South Africa.
Rather than fetishising "statehood", the BDS campaign focuses on rights and realities: it calls for an end to Israel's occupation and colonisation of all Arab lands conquered in 1967; full equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel; and respect for and implementation of the rights of Palestinian refugees. These demands are all fully consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international law.
The PA has never endorsed this campaign, and in fact has sought to distract from and undermine it by calling only for a half-hearted boycott of Israeli settlement goods while actively promoting trade with Israel in violation of the BDS call.
Reduxing the bantustans
Many have accurately likened the Palestinian "state" envisaged by the PA and its sponsors to the "bantustans" of apartheid South Africa.
The bantustans were nominally independent states set up by the apartheid regime to grant "citizenship" to blacks, as a way to derail demands for true equality.
World governments did not fall for the trick, and refused to recognise the bantustans because they understood that diplomatic recognition for these entities would actually set back the struggle to end South African apartheid.
Not coincidentally, the only country to have had extensive dealings with the bantustans – allowing them to open diplomatic missions and frequently receiving their leaders – was Israel. Israel saw the bantustans as a model for how it would one day manage the Palestinians.
Recognition of a Palestinian "state" under Israeli occupation would certainly solidify and perpetuate the privileges and positions of unelected PA officials, while doing nothing to change the conditions or restore the rights of millions of Palestinians, not just in the territories occupied in the June 1967 war, but within Israel, and in the diaspora.
Far from increasing international pressure on Israel, it may even allow states that have utterly failed in their duty to hold Israel accountable to international law to wash their hands of the question of Palestine, under the mantro of "we recognised Palestine, what more do you want from us?"
Palestinians and their allies should not be distracted by this international theatre of the absurd, but should focus on building wider and deeper BDS campaigns to end Israeli apartheid everywhere that it exists, once and for all.
Corporations Pay Less In Taxes Than YOU, Yeah YOU - by comedian Lee Camp
"UK Colonial Atrocities in Kenya Linked to Current Torture in Bahrain"
The British government is finally being forced to reveal the atrocities its predecessors committed during the Mau Mau war in Kenya in the 1950s.
The High Court in London launched proceedings to investigate a case brought up by four Kenyans who claimed they are victims of torture and assault at the hands of British colonial authorities during the Mau Mau uprising between 1952 and 1961.
Three men and one woman, in their 70s and 80s have come a distance 4,000 kilometers to give witness in the High Court in a session being held to unveil one of the black chapters in the British colonial history.
They have finally succeeded in forcing the British government to release documents, which reveal the true horror of atrocities which the UK colonial system committed against the revolutionaries during the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya in the 1950s and 60s.
Previously hidden documents contain 2,000 boxes of papers of which 300 are related to Kenya and of those 30 are directly relevant to the Mau Mau war of independence.
The papers show how much British colonial officers have been involved in employing the most cruel torture techniques against the Kenyans including beating and roasting the revolutionaries alive as well as severe sexual assaults and castration which they used as common and routine torture techniques.
Not all the revelations are new. The extensive torture and killing of Mau Mau fighters and detainees was documented by two historians, Caroline Elkins from Harvard and Oxford University's David Lee Anderson in their 2005 books, Britain's Gulag and Histories of the Hanged.
Prof Elkins' book in particular gives a vivid account of the shocking crimes committed by the British, which, ironically, came only seven years after the end of the Second World War in which the British and their allies set out to end the torture and mass killings in Nazi Germany and occupied countries.
Prof Elkins says: "Hundreds of thousands were detained in squalid camps fenced off with barbed wire and subjected to horrific torture."
The torture of some was as much psychological as it was physical. In one passage, Prof Elkins quotes a witness recalling the result of a colonial soldiers' sweep through their village.
"At one point the villagers were ordered to remove every article of clothing and remain stark naked. You cannot start to imagine the shame and embarrassment we felt when … we were told to arrange ourselves in two rows, one for the men and the other for the women, old and young alike. To everyone's horror we were ordered at gunpoint to embrace each other, man with a woman, regardless of whether the man happened to be your father, father-in-law or brother. It was all so humiliating that one woman hanged herself later, as she felt that she could not continue to live with the humiliating experience of having been forced to embrace her son-in-law while both of them were naked. In (Kikuyu) custom that is a curse."
Now, five decades after these wicked and shameful incidents happened in Kenya, an infamous name from among mountains of documents is catching the eyes of Bahraini revolutionaries whom, themselves, have been victimized by his inhumane and vile measures.
Ian Henderson who served as the British Colonial Officer in Kenya, and was nicknamed "torturer in chief" in the African country moved to Bahrain in the late 1960s and acted as the country's security chief for some 30 years.
Henderson established one of the most notorious security systems in Bahrain, by which thousands of activists have allegedly been detained and tortured in the most brutal ways.
George Galloway, the former British parliamentarian has described Henderson's cooperation with al-Khalifa regime in Bahrain as follows.
"Henderson had gathered around him the kind of British dogs of war and mercenaries whose guns and electric shock equipment were for hire to anyone who will pay the price", he said.
At the same time that the High Court in London investigates the case brought up by the Kenyan victims, Bahraini revolutionaries' efforts to bring Henderson to justice have so far led to nowhere.
This is while Queen Elizabeth has honored the butcher of Bahrain and the Kenyan torturer-in-chief with the Knight medal as well as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Now, the question remains whether these four old Kenyan nationals will be able to achieve their rights while British politicians "only" claim that they are supporting human rights? The question will be answered in future.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
GRITtv: Remi Kanazi: The Do's and Don't of Palestine
Monday, April 11, 2011
National Call-in Day Tues April 12: Stop the Grand Jury!
Call Obama, Holder and Fitzgerald April 12. Stop the Grand Jury!
to Fitzgerald, Holder and Obama
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Grand Jury is still on its witch hunt and the FBI is still harassing activists. This must stop.
Please make these calls:
1. Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300. Then dial 0 (zero) for operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
2. Call U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder 202-353-1555
3. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111
Suggested text: "My name is __________, I am from _______(city), in ______(state). I am calling _____ to demand he call off the Grand Jury and stop FBI repression against the anti-war and Palestine solidarity movements. I oppose U.S. government political repression and support the right to free speech and the right to assembly of the 23 activists subpoenaed. We will not be criminalized. Tell him to stop this McCarthy-type witch hunt against international solidarity activists!"
If your call doesn't go through, try again later.
Update: More than 1400 activists have signed the Pledge to resist FBI and Grand Jury Repression (via the web or the paper version at local protests), committing to join the national day of protest when anti-war and international solidarity activists are ordered to appear in front of the Chicago Grand Jury or are indicted. If you have not signed, click here. (http://www.stopfbi.net/get-
involved/pledge-of-resistance). By signing, you will be on the priority contact list for the emergency action.
We demand:
-- Call Off the Grand Jury Witch-hunt Against International Solidarity Activists!
-- Support Free Speech!
-- Support the Right to Organize!
-- Stop FBI Repression!
-- International Solidarity Is Not a Crime!
-- Stop the Criminalization of Arab and Muslim Communities!
Background: Fitzgerald ordered FBI raids on anti-war and solidarity activists' homes and subpoenaed fourteen activists in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Michigan on September 24, 2010. All 14 refused to speak before the Grand Jury in October. Then, 9 more Palestine solidarity activists, most Arab-Americans, were subpoenaed to appear at the Grand Jury on January 25, 2011, launching renewed protests. There are now 23 who assert their right to not participate in Fitzgerald's witch-hunt.
The Grand Jury is a secret and closed inquisition, with no judge, and no press. The U.S. Attorney controls the entire proceedings and hand picks the jurors, and the solidarity activists are not allowed a lawyer. Even the date when the Grand Jury ends is a secret.
So please make these calls to those in charge of the repression aimed against anti-war leaders and the growing Palestine solidarity movement.
Email us to let us know your results. Send to email@example.com
In Struggle,
Tom Burke,
for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
Brutal Arrests by IDF at An-Nabi-Salih Apr 8 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Inspiring Video of Shut-down of Undemocratic Carleton Board Over Occupation Divestment
In Tahrir Today
Egyptians Marching to Israeli Embassy for Palestine Yesterday (Via Angry Arab Newservice)
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Palestinian Children Demand International Protection
Hundreds of children in the Gaza Strip participated in a Tuesday event organized by the Palestinian Ministry of Sports and Education – The General Administration of Children's Affairs, demanding the international community to provide them with the needed protection against the ongoing Israeli violations.
The children started their procession at the Al Saraya Street in the center of Gaza City, and marched towards the Legislative Council building.
They carried Palestinian flags and posters demanding their rights to a healthy childhood and protection from physical and psychological harm.
Deputy head of the Legislative Council, Dr, Ahmad Bahar, demanded the international community and the United Nations to protect the children in Gaza and to act on halting the Israeli attacks and violations against the coastal region.
Minister of Culture and Sports, Mohammad Al Madhoun, called for providing the children with a secure life, far away from death, fear and destruction.
Al Madhoun said that the ministry put in place several programs and activities that are meant to help the children deal with the stress caused by the Israeli violations.
He said that the international community must stop the Israeli attacks and its usage of internally banned weapons, and slammed that latest Israeli escalation against the Gaza Strip.
Several children performed different songs, and asked the world to provide them with protection and security.
They also commemorated the children of Al Hilo family who were killed last month after the army bombarded a playground east of Gaza City.
On Tuesday evening, four Palestinians, including two children and a pregnant woman, were injured after the Israeli army bombarded several areas in Gaza.
Call Obama, Holder and Fitzgerald April 12. Stop the Grand Jury!
to Fitzgerald, Holder and Obama
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Grand Jury is still on its witch hunt and the FBI is still harassing activists. This must stop.
Please make these calls:
1. Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300. Then dial 0 (zero) for operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
2. Call U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder 202-353-1555
3. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111
Suggested text: "My name is __________, I am from _______(city), in ______(state). I am calling _____ to demand he call off the Grand Jury and stop FBI repression against the anti-war and Palestine solidarity movements. I oppose U.S. government political repression and support the right to free speech and the right to assembly of the 23 activists subpoenaed. We will not be criminalized. Tell him to stop this McCarthy-type witch hunt against international solidarity activists!"
If your call doesn't go through, try again later.
Update: More than 1400 activists have signed the Pledge to resist FBI and Grand Jury Repression (via the web or the paper version at local protests), committing to join the national day of protest when anti-war and international solidarity activists are ordered to appear in front of the Chicago Grand Jury or are indicted. If you have not signed, click here. (http://www.stopfbi.net/get-
involved/pledge-of-resistance) . By signing, you will be on the priority contact list for the emergency action.
We demand:
-- Call Off the Grand Jury Witch-hunt Against International Solidarity Activists!
-- Support Free Speech!
-- Support the Right to Organize!
-- Stop FBI Repression!
-- International Solidarity Is Not a Crime!
-- Stop the Criminalization of Arab and Muslim Communities!
Background: Fitzgerald ordered FBI raids on anti-war and solidarity activists' homes and subpoenaed fourteen activists in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Michigan on September 24, 2010. All 14 refused to speak before the Grand Jury in October. Then, 9 more Palestine solidarity activists, most Arab-Americans, were subpoenaed to appear at the Grand Jury on January 25, 2011, launching renewed protests. There are now 23 who assert their right to not participate in Fitzgerald's witch-hunt.
The Grand Jury is a secret and closed inquisition, with no judge, and no press. The U.S. Attorney controls the entire proceedings and hand picks the jurors, and the solidarity activists are not allowed a lawyer. Even the date when the Grand Jury ends is a secret.
So please make these calls to those in charge of the repression aimed against anti-war leaders and the growing Palestine solidarity movement.
Email us to let us know your results. Send to firstname.lastname@example.com
In Struggle,
Tom Burke,
for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Monday, April 04, 2011
'No Safe Levels' of Radiation in Japan" -- Dahr Jamail
TOKYO, Apr 4, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) - In a nuclear crisis that is becoming increasingly serious, Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed that radioactive iodine-131 in seawater samples taken near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex that was seriously damaged by the recent tsunami off the coast of Japan is 4,385 times the level permitted by law.
Airborne radiation near the plant has been measured at 4-times government limits.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company that operates the crippled plant, has begun releasing more than 11,000 tons of radioactive water that was used to cool the fuel rods into the ocean while it attempts to find the source of radioactive leaks. The water being released is about 100 times more radioactive than legal limits.
Meanwhile, water that is vastly more radioactive continues to gush into the ocean through a large crack in a six-foot deep pit at the nuclear plant. Over the weekend, workers at the plant used sawdust, shredded newspaper and diaper chemicals in a desperate attempt to plug the area, which failed. Water leaking from the pit is about 10,000 times more radioactive than water normally found at a nuclear plant
Thus, radiation from a meltdown in the reactor core of reactor No. 2 is leaking out into the water and soil, with other reactors continuing to experience problems.
Yet scientists and activists question these government and nuclear industry "safe" limits of radiation exposure.
"The U.S. Department of Energy has testified that there is no level of radiation that is so low that it is without health risks," Jacqueline Cabasso, the Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, told Al Jazeera.
Her foundation monitors and analyses U.S. nuclear weapons programs and policies and related high technology energy, with a focus on the national nuclear weapons laboratories.
Cabasso explained that natural background radiation exists, "But more than 2,000 nuclear tests have enhanced this background radiation level, so we are already living in an artificially radiated environment due to all the nuclear tests."
"Karl Morgan, who worked on the Manhattan project, later came out against the nuclear industry when he understood the danger of low levels of ionising radiation-and he said there is no safe dose of radiation exposure," Cabasso continued, "That means all this talk about what a worker or the public can withstand on a yearly basis is bogus. There is no safe level of radiation exposure. These so-called safe levels are coming from within the nuclear establishment."
Sunday, April 03, 2011
GE and Jeff (Taxavoidination) -- Dick Destiny [You know GE pays no taxes, right?]
Solidarity with Egypt in Bil'in
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Support Nuclear Resisters at April 6 Arraignment
Action URL: http://wanet.org/actions/
Support-Nuclear-Resisters-at- April-6-Arraignment
Action Name: Support Nuclear Resisters at April 6 Arraignment
Date: 2011-04-06
Event Time: 8:00 am
Location: Union Station Courthouse
Pay parking is available behind the courthouse; some street parking is available; and the area is well-served by public transit.
Organization: Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
MORE INFO: http://gzcenter.org/
Description: Six nuclear resisters who engaged in a nonviolent direct action at the Bangor nuclear submarine base will be arraigned in Federal court on Wednesday, April 6, 2011.
During the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action's vigil and action on January 15, 2011 honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Patricia "Patti" Bass, Carolyn Dorisdotter, Norm Keegel, Gordon Sturrock, Sam Tower, and Robert Friend Weber Whitlock entered the roadway and crossed the blue line onto Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor protesting the Navy's huge stockpile of nuclear weapons. All six were arrested by Naval security personnel, processed and released after being issued citations for trespassing.
Here is Sam Tower's reflection of the day: "On Jan. 15, MLK Day, 6 of us were part of an action, attended by about 60 or so folks, from Ground Zero in front of the Trigger gate of the Trident Sub base at Bangor. At the time that seemed right we 6 held hands and crossed the blue line. We were met by a phalanx of Marines who told us to leave. We said that we wanted to go in and talk to the base commander. They arrested us, filled out paperwork, took photos and took us back across the line. It was the first time for all of us. We received Ban and bar letters from the Navy and orders to appear for arraignment on April 6th 2011, 8:30 AM at the federal court house in Tacoma. I can only speak to my on thinking that day. I believe strongly that nuclear weapons are inhuman, immoral, and illegal both under international as well as US law. I felt that I could no longer sit back and let others make a statement while I stood on the side lines. It is my job stand up and say tha t what my country is doing is wrong and should be stopped. My friends had just been convicted for their actions at Bangor and I felt it was time for me to take up the call to end war and the stockpiling of nuclear weapons."
Join us at 8:00 am on April 6th for a vigil outside the Tacoma Union Station Courthouse to support the six resisters on the day of their arraignment. Bring your nonviolent spirit and speak out for peace, justice and nuclear abolition.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Roadmap to Israeli Apartheid
for more videos on this issue: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11889.shtml


text:
The Twilight Zone II: Final Dreams
From DoomWiki.org
The Twilight Zone 2 - Final Dreams (originally released in 1999, and revised in 2014) is the sequel to The Twilight Zone and is a complete 32 level megawad created by Paul Corfiatis. The difficulty is easy to medium throughout and the theme varies with each level. All 32 levels were made by Corfiatis himself except for the deathmatch section of MAP26 which is taken from American McGee's IDMAP01.WAD.
In The Twilight Zone 2, you must travel throughout the galaxy via Ethereal Travel to find and defeat Johnny Boy; an evil cartoon character of a boy who's sprite was drawn by Andrew Snow, a penpal Corfiatis knew throughout the late 1990's. The Spider Mastermind is replaced with the Baby Cyberdemon from Mark Klem and David Shaw's Cringe episode. There is a new fist and a new weapon which replaces the chainsaw named the Needlegun (or Needlesaw), a weapon which consists of a needle that moves in a jackhammer-like action at very high speed and delivers severe damage to the target at a rapid rate. The Twilight Zone 2 also contains all new music composed by Corfiatis.
- MAP01 - Sputnik Port
- MAP02 - Triton
- MAP03 - Nemesis
- MAP04 - Memento
- MAP05 - TNT Barons
- MAP06 - Burnett Mining Complex
- MAP07 - Suffocate
- MAP08 - Porpoise
- MAP09 - Gymea Mentos
- MAP10 - Facility
- MAP11 - Termite Mound
- MAP12 - Death Ship
- MAP13 - D'Sparil's Domain
- MAP14 - Hazard Base
- MAP15 - Stardate Institute
- MAP16 - Subspace
- MAP17 - Spacelab
- MAP18 - The Gypsy
- MAP19 - Disaster Area
- MAP20 - Corcous
- MAP21 - Processing Labs
- MAP22 - Despair
- MAP23 - Who Stole The Health
- MAP24 - The Abyss
- MAP25 - Amy's Keep
- MAP26 - Den of Insanity
- MAP27 - Place of Reckoning
- MAP28 - Unholy
- MAP29 - Caverns of Darkness
- MAP30 - Jon's Arena
- MAP31 - Morass
- MAP32 - Meorhanal 4 Yul
- A modified version of MAP10 appears as MAP09 of Biowar.
- MAP24 is a modified version of E4M2 of Death Tormention II.
- MAP29 has a few areas inspired from the original series. The player starts in an area similar to MAP29 of Doom II. An area inspired from MAP25 of TNT: Evilution can also be found.


text:
For perfect recordings in imperfect rooms
Inspired by the legendary SM7B, the MV7 is a dynamic microphone with both USB and XLR outputs for use with computers and professional interfaces alike.
Studio sound, wherever you go.
Musicians like Adam Levine trust Shure both on stage and in the studio. With the all-new AONIC 215 True Wireless Earphones, now you can enjoy that same quality of sound in your music.
Wireless Excellence, Wherever Required
From lecture halls to houses of worship to performance venues, SLX-D delivers transparent, 24-bit digital audio and rock-solid RF performance with easy setup and rechargeability options in a suite of versatile wireless system configurations.
From mics to DSP to loudspeaker, the audio chain signal is now available from one trusted brand. Discover the Shure Ecosystem.
Developed with the Details in Mind
Engineered from decades of stage and studio experience, the new AONIC line of Sound Isolating™ Earphones deliver the long-term value and professional performance that the most discerning listeners demand. These new models ensure a lifetime of listening enjoyment no matter where you are.
Studio Sound In Your Home Office
With microphones and headphones designed for the most discerning listeners and audio professionals, Shure puts studio quality sound in your home office. Connect directly to your computer and enjoy audio clarity that puts you in the room with clients, colleagues and friends.
Shure Tech Portal
Get easy and direct access to complete product documentation, software and firmware information, comparisons, and other technical tools and resources, all in one place.


text:
East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to supporting a culture of openness, honesty and transparency in all its activities, clinical and non-clinical, which includes apologising and explaining what happened when an incident or error has occurred.
To this effect, East Cheshire NHS Trust will follow the Principles of Being Open as laid out in the Being Open Framework. This policy statement was agreed by Trust Board in January 2011.
A clinical or non-clinical error, accident or incident, however serious, is rarely caused wilfully. It is not, in itself, evidence of carelessness, neglect or a failure to carry out a duty of care. Errors are often caused by a number of factors including, process problems, human error, individual behaviour and lack of knowledge or skills. Learning from such incidents can only take place when they are reported and investigated in a positive, open and structured way.
Determining safe practice is an important part of successful risk management. Moving away from punishing errors to learning from them will promote a fair and open culture and safe practice throughout the organisation. This will enable East Cheshire NHS Trust to identify trends and take positive action to prevent the error or adverse incident from happening again.
To promote a fair and open culture and encourage the reporting of incidents, the trust will take a non-punitive approach to those incidents it investigates. Staff remain accountable to users, carers, the trust and their professional bodies for their actions, but a non-punitive approach means that disciplinary action will not be taken against a member of staff for reporting an incident, except in the rare circumstances where there is evidence of:


text:
The combination of robotics, teleoperation, and cloud technologies is poised to transform enterprise operations, industrial processes, and consumer services across many industry verticals. Both purpose-built and general purpose robotics segments will benefit greatly from cloud operations. Mass consumerization will be on the horizon by 2022 as end-users become accustomed to autonomous and remote control robots for many different personal services tasks.
Browse the report: http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/cloud-robotics-technologies-leading-companies-solutions-market-outlook-and-forecasts-2017-2022
This research evaluates the ecosystem, players, technologies and solutions for Cloud Robotics. The report evaluates the current state of technologies and assesses the future outlook of integrated teleoperation, robotics, cloud systems and solutions. The report covers all major robot types such as stationary, wheeled, and legged robots.
The report provides global and regional forecasts for Cloud Robotics apps, services, and components from 2017 to 2022. Forecasts include the market outlook for Cloud Services support of Cloud Robotics including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Robotics as a Service (RaaS). Forecasting for Cloud Robotics by deployment model is also included covering Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, and Community Cloud.
A sampling of forecast details in the report includes the following:
Cloud Robotics by Type including: Crawler Robots, Flying Robots, Hybrid Robots, Legged Robots, Micro Robots, Modular Robots, Nano Robots, Robotic Balls, Snake Robots, Soft or Elastic Robots, Stationary Robots, Swarm Robots, Swimming Robots, and Wheeled Robots.
Request a sample of the report: http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/333768
Major Cloud Robotics Components including: Belts & Pulleys, Breadboard, Chassis, Displays & lighting, Electronic Kits, Gears, Grippers, LCD/Graphic Displays, Linear Actuators, Microcontrollers, Motion Components, Motors, PAN & TILT Systems, Power Supplies, Processors & ICs, Propellers, Radio & Communication, Relays & Interface Kits, Robot Computers, Robotic Arms, Robotic Cables, Robotic Legs, Screw, Nuts & Washers, Sensors & Navigation, Servos & Bracket, Tracks & Sprockets, Tubing & Shafting, Vision & Camera, and Wheels.
Cloud Robotics Software market including Cloud Data Storage & Analytics, Integrated Virtual Robots, and Robotics Application Software.
Cloud Robotics Services market including Connectivity Services, Professional Consulting, and System Integration
Cloud Robotics Connectivity including: Bluetooth, Cellular (by 3G, 4G, and 5G), Infrared and WiFi
Cloud Robotics by Industry Vertical including:
Industrial Cloud Robotics by Automotive, Manufacturing, and Transportation & Logistics
Professional Service Cloud Robotics by Agriculture, Healthcare & Medical, Home & Construction, Retail & Consumer Service, and Travel & Tourism including Aerospace
Personal Service Cloud Robotics by Education, Entertainment, Home Appliances, and Personal Healthcare
Military and Government Cloud Robotics by Aerospace, Transportation, and Defense
Purchasers of this research will also receive the bonus report Teleoperation and Telerobotics in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
All purchases of Mind Commerce reports includes time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.
Buy the report@http://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase/333768
Key Findings:
Cloud Robotics will amplify the market value of General Purpose Robots
Robotics as a Service will emerge as a major robotics market segment by 2022
Teleoperation and cloud technologies will cause mass consumerization of robotics
Cloud Robotics will facilitate a major shift of manufacturing into cloud infrastructure
The combined Cloud Robotics market will reach $18.2 billion by 2022 with CAGR of 29.5%
The leading Cloud Robot type by revenue will be Bipedal (e.g. Humanoid Robots) at $365M by 2022
Target Audience:
Cloud companies
Robotics companies
Investment organizations
Data management vendors
Industrial automation companies
Consumer application companies
Enterprise across all industry verticals
Major Points From The Table Of Contents:
Cloud Robotics Ecosystem Analysis
Cloud Robotics Market 2017 – 2022
Company Analysis
Conclusions and Recommendations
Figure 1: Cloud Robotics System Architecture
Figure 2: Cloud Robotics Functional Diagram
Figure 3: Elastic Model for Cloud Robotics Implementation
Figure 4: Cloud Robotics as a System Architecture
Figure 5: Cloud Robotics Development Prototype
Figure 6: Robots by Type and Function
Figure 7: Global Cloud Robotics Market 2017 – 2022
Figure 8: Global Robot Shipments 2017 – 2022
Table 1: Top Ten Cloud Robotics Countries
Table 2: Top Ten Emerging Countries for Cloud Robotics
Table 3: Robotics Automation Project ROI Calculator Framework
Table 4: Robotics Automation Project Cash Flow Framework
Table 5: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Segment 2017 – 2022
Table 6: Global Cloud Robotics Hardware Market by Type 2017 – 2022
Table 7: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Device Type 2017 – 2022
Table 8: Global Cloud Robotics Device Market by Type of Stationary Robot 2017 – 2022
Table 9: Global Cloud Robotics Device Market by Type of Wheeled Robot 2017 – 2022
Table 10: Global Cloud Robotics Device Market by Type of Legged Robot 2017 – 2022
Table 11: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Component Type 2017 – 2022
Table 12: Global Cloud Robotics Software Market by Type 2017 – 2022
Table 13: Global Cloud Robotics Application Software Market by Type 2017 – 2022
Table 14: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Type of Integrated Virtual Robot 2017 – 2022
Table 15: Global Cloud Robotics Service Market by Type 2017 – 2022
Table 16: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Implementation Module 2017 – 2022
Table 17: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Connectivity Technology 2017 – 2022
Table 18: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Cellular Connectivity Technology 2017 – 2022
Table 19: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Business Model 2017 – 2022
Table 20: Global Cloud Robotics Market by Deployment Model 2017 – 2022
About Us:
Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.
Media Contact
Company Name: Orbis Research
Contact Person: Hector Costello
Email: email@example.com
Phone: +1 (214) 884-6817
Address:4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600
City: Dallas
State: Texas
Country: United States
Website: http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/cloud-robotics-technologies-leading-companies-solutions-market-outlook-and-forecasts-2017-2022


text:
About Us
It's an expression you might have heard before, but it's one I truly believe in. When it comes to bookkeeping, I was born to do it. And that's the simple, honest truth. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved anything and everything that had to do with managing numbers and paperwork. I remember being about eight years old and sitting at a little desk in my mom's office, "filing notes" and "taking messages" for her. I took that love of numbers and applied it – and my active imagination – to the Bookkeeping for Small Business certificate course at the University of the Fraser Valley, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.
And since I've also always enjoyed the outdoors and using power tools, I figured why not combine the two – along with my passion for numbers – into offering specialized services for the trades industry? (And, yes, I do happen to own a set of steel-toed work boots.) Since then, my bookkeeping company has grown to include all businesses – no matter what size – in all sectors in BC's Fraser Valley. Along with that growth, there's been a corresponding increase in staff and resources as well.
30 Minute FREE No Obligation Consultation
Looking for one less thing to worry about when it comes to managing your company? Let Your Steel Toed Bookkeeper help you manage your payroll, cash flow, government remittances and other accounting-related services. When you're financially organized, you're better equipped for success.
Sign up for a complimentary, 30-minute consultation and we'll be in touch with you within two business days.


text:
UTS Housing Resident Networker Scholarship
1 year
Quick Links
The Resident Networker program is a leadership development program for UTS Housing residents and is a vital part of the UTS Housing community.
This Scholarship is an extension of the Resident Networker (RN) program. The Scholarship is offered on a voluntary basis and aims to provide financial support to students admitted to the Resident Networker program to assist with the costs of their education.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for the Scholarship, a candidate must meet all of the following criteria:
Applicants must be/have:
- Admitted to the Resident Networker program (having met all conditions therein) in the year of scholarship award (See the Resident Networker Leadership Program Description for details at "Become a Resident Networker"); and
- A current resident of UTS Housing; and
- For the duration of the Scholarship: enrolment in any UTS undergraduate or postgraduate degree (coursework or research), Study Abroad or Exchange program or Jumbunna UNISTART.
Selection process
The eligibility criteria outlined above and the Selection Criteria and Retention Criteria set out in the "Resident Networker Leadership Program Description", will be used to identify and select all Recipients.
To be eligible to participate in the RN program, applicants must:
- Participate in the RN Training Program.
- Be available throughout UTS Housing Welcome Week.
- For residents who are in the second year of their course or above, have attained, and maintained, a minimum pass grade average in the previous academic year.
- Be enrolled as a full-time or part-time UTS student.
- Be a current resident of UTS Housing.
- Be willing to move apartment, level or residence where required.
- Be endorsed by two current residents of UTS Housing supporting your application to become an RN.
- For residents who are in the second year of their course or above, have attained, and maintained, a minimum credit (or higher) grade average in the previous academic year.
- Demonstrate prior involvement in community leadership roles, including volunteering, UTS clubs and societies, charity, etc.
- Demonstrate prior involvement in the UTS Housing community.
- Demonstrate leadership and personal qualities including empathy, responsibility, maturity, initiative, etc.
Need more information? Contact...
UTS Scholarships Office
Phone: +61 2 9514 2527
Email: email@example.com


text:
Yesterday was the last day to experience the holiday (Christmas) events at the Universal Orlando Resort. In less than a month's time, they will begin their annual Mardi Gras celebration. With just a brief stop at the Harry Potter Celebration between now and then, Mardi Gras kicks off on February 3rd and runs to April 7th. Universal has only officially announced the names of 4 acts so far who will be playing concerts at the event. Revealed in a Annual Passholder flyer, they are:
The Beach Boys FEB 10
Kelsea Ballerini FEB 17
Andy Grammer FEB 18
Foreigner MAR 17
Popular reggae artist, Sean Paul, actually had it listed on his website that he would be kicking off the event on February 3rd. But it was removed after being discovered and shared by several people from the online theme park community.
It seems like it will be similar to last year where the event will run every day with concerts only happening on weekends. It gets pretty packed for the concerts so you can still enjoy the parade, food, and atmosphere during the week. Anticipate Universal announcing the full concert lineup in the next week or so. What is your favorite part of Mardi Gras? Tell me down in the comments!
Here's one of the earliest Mardi Gras videos I have on my YouTube channel. The Mardi Gras parade from 2010! Pardon the low quality in video. This was before I had an HD camera. But some of the floats were a little different back then! Can you spot any of the retired floats? Feet don't fail me now!!


text:
This is from Jesus' parable of the weeds. A man sows good seed in his field and during the night an enemy sows weeds among the good wheat. The servants ask if they should pull the weeds. But the man replies… the above verse…let them grow together until the harvest and then we will separate them.
I let a giant thistle grow in my garden last spring. I mistakenly thought it was a poppy. (Hey–just look at a poppy leaf, they are similar!) The thistle turned out to be just a weed, one that my daughter lovingly deemed the devil's flower. But at the same time it wasn't–I have always loved the purple color of the blossoms, and I like the texture of the leaves. And they are the favorite food of goldfinches, who kept tabs on the plant hoping they could get a taste.
As I have studied Revelation this year, I see just how much God follows this strategy. He lets the weeds grow, they have purposes, and He is waiting until the harvest to give them chances. There are weeds around me all the time testing my faith, giving me opportunities to see how I might react, if the weed might have worth and will I give it that possibility. And to share my faith and hope that maybe, they aren't just a weed–but just a different kind of plant that will in turn yield its own kind of good fruit.
I am human, no matter how hard I try not to be judgemental, but it happens. In my head pops an opportunity that I have missed. I am not giving that person the chance I should, and I need to right that wrong. And I am humbled, because a good friend is giving that person an opportunity.
I am sure there are others…but this is the weed God might be calling me to. Ever have those? Who are the ones we consider weeds right now? God is leaving them there until the harvest. How can we see the worth in that plant and give them a chance to bear fruit in Christ?


text:
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
|Broadband adoption by SMES
|Oni, Oluwasola
|Papazafeiropoulou, N
|Issue Date:
|Brunel University, School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics
|Because the benefits of broadband for businesses have been widely publicized, the UK government has tried to ensure that there is a wide and fast take-up of the technology. Initial figures showed that broadband adoption by SMEs was particularly slow and there has been little research on the use of broadband by businesses, particularly SMEs. An in-depth study into the roles and activities of the groups involved in broadband diffusion to SMEs was conducted. The innovation diffusion and social construction of technology theory were applied to develop a framework that addresses some of the issues not covered in previous literature. The research was carried out in two phases and the empirical data from these was obtained and analysed using a qualitative and interpretive approach. Whilst broadband adoption figures have picked up more recently the research results show that SMEs have not adopted broadband in its full capacity. The results show that factors including cost, quality of service, and lack of awareness might be a reason for this. Implications for policy makers and groups involved in broadband diffusion to SMEs have therefore been provided. The first phase of the research provides results that indicated that broadband has not necessarily changed the way the Internet is used by the SMEs. In the second phase, the results showed a wide if not incompatible difference among groups involved in the issues surrounding broadband diffusion to SMEs. Although the governi-nenht as provided funds for SMEs' adoption of information technology, the level of awareness displayed by SMEs is persistently low. A case is put that this may be because SMEs are unique as are their needs and so need to be targeted as individual businesses with individual needs as opposed to a 'one size fits all' solution.
|This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.
|Appears in Collections:
|Computer Science
Dept of Computer Science Theses
Files in This Item:
|Adobe PDF
Items in BURA are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


text:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Law enforcement is doubling down on patrols after a violent weekend in Indianapolis. Six people were shot within a two-hour period Saturday morning, spreading IMPD's resources across three separate scenes.
Chief of Police Bryan Roach held a press conference Saturday afternoon to address the uptick in violent crimes and to assure people that safety is a top priority.
"We want to send a message that we won't tolerate people that think that illegally possessing a gun or using guns is the answer," said Chief Roach.
Roach announced a three-part plan his department would implement, "effective immediately."
First, he called for the reallocation of resources to the parts of the city that have been hardest hit by violent crime.
Second, Roach said commanders of each district have been authorized to move staffing to the times of day and neighborhoods that need the strongest police presence.
And third, the chief of police ordered a new initiative within IMPD's investigations and the area's homeland security team to collaborate through police units to target not just the people being arrested but their known criminal associates.
"The level of violence and the use of violence to resolve conflicts in Indianapolis is unacceptable," said IMPD Deputy Chief Chad Kneck, "we've started deploying those resources and given them very specific missions and that is to go out, and very bluntly, be the police."
Kneck said IMPD will be conducting more foot, horse and bike patrols to create a much larger and much more visible police presence throughout the city. They've teamed up with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, which announced Saturday it would offer 30 of its deputies to be used by IMPD at its discretion.
IMPD said it plans to better utilize social media and cameras to monitor situations before they escalate into violence. That includes a better line of communication between some of the bar and restaurant owners to flag potential conflicts before they spill out onto the streets.
Over the past several months, IMPD and the Marion County Sheriff's Office have made a concerted effort to bolster uniformed officers in the immediate downtown area. Their focus has been on the weekend nights, particularly around bars and clubs, where police are seeing the fights and shootings start.
"If business is going well and downtown is safe, they are much more profitable. If it's not safe and business starts to go down, they own a piece of that responsibility to make it safe because they want to have their businesses thriving as well," Kneck added.