Saturday, October 15, 2011

The statue reminds of Mount Rushmore.

Regardless of all the beautiful meaning attached to this statue of the Late Martin Luther King, Jr. it is has been very reminiscent of the likeness of the Presidents carved in Mount Rushmore.


That was my impression the first time I viewed it.  I believe it pays him the highest respect any American can receive in regards to his stature within the Civil Rights Movement.

The violence and property damage in London and Italy is unnecessary. It occurs because police over step their responsibility in peaceful demonstrations.

When police are introduced into peaceful protests the 'core' of liberty is removed.  People feel threatened that their lives will be changed forever in a way that is not benevolent to them.  They strike back at the heart of the cause, namely the 'authority' that oppresses them or threatens to oppress them.  The global collapse of 2008 has trickled down to the citizen and it isn't an agreeable structure within their governments (corruption and lack of justice) or their society (homelessness and allowing homes to be Wall Street tinker toys).


These movements are JUSTIFIED and empowering.  It is the way distress is expressed without human casualty.  Governments need to be response and provide answers and not obstruct the idea that there is something fundamentally wrong with their country.  Their freedoms.  Their quality of life.  Their country, NOT their country's people.


This degree of global affiliation with an clear understanding of each other thousands of miles apart is not meaningless.  


The Occupy Movement comes to Toronto (click title to entry - thank you)

As Torontonians fed up with a financial system that benefits “the elite 1%” prepare to converge at the corner of King and Bay streets Saturday for an open-ended protest, residents will be watching to see whether the amorphous movement takes root as it has south of the border.
OccupyTO was designed to run in conjunction with the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, which began last month in New York and have since spread around the world, with occupations scheduled to kick off in a host of other cities this weekend. Inspired by the Arab Spring, the movement, which comes at a time of global economic turmoil, aims to draw attention to the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
Organizers of OccupyTO say their goal is to “stand in unity with the rest of the world to seek and work towards drastic changes to economic systems that are destroying our economy, social fiber, and environment....

The Great Americans of #Occupy Wall Street are finding friends, sisters and brothers globally.


Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Potential Arrest Injuries (click here)

The protesters involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement, or other “Occupy” events, may experience pepper spray injuries and handcuff injuries in the course of the protest, or being arrested. Pepper spray and handcuff injuries are generally minor, but some protesters may need medical attention....



Wall Street Protests Spread as Thousands Gather in Europe, Asia (click here)



...“The financial system benefits a handful of banks at the expense of everyday people, the taxpayers,” said Spyro Van Leemnen, a 27-year old public relations agent and a core member of the demonstrators. “Same people who are responsible for the recession are getting away with massive bonuses. This is fundamentally unfair and undemocratic.”...



'Occupy' Movement Hits London, Draws Thousands (click title to entry - thank you)


Published: Saturday, 15 Oct 2011 | 10:22 AM ET

By: Ted Kemp and Catherine Boyle
Senior News Editor and Staff Writer


A crowd of a few thousand protestors angry at the handling of the financial crisis noisily gathered outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London on Saturday, less than 100 meters away from the London Stock Exchange.


Throngs moved through the area's narrow thoroughfares chanting, "Whose streets? Our streets! Whose money? Our money!" Others marched in the area of Paternoster Square, adjacent to the cathedral and the exchange.

The protests appeared to be free of violence, with a heavy police presence monitoring events closely.

"Occupy the London Stock Exchange" (OccupyLSX) protesters were advised by organizers in advance to bring food and water, tents and sleeping bags, in case they're planning on camping out.

Protestors, who chanted in English but spoke in a variety of languages among themselves, carried placards reading, "If voting could change anything, it would be illegal," and "Bankers got a bailout, we got sold out," among myriad other slogans....



Three UN-African Union peacekeepers killed in ambush in Darfur

11 October 2011 – 
Three blue helmets serving with the joint United Nations-African Union force (UNAMID) in Sudan’s Darfur region were killed last night in an ambush at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the mission confirmed today.



The soldiers were part of a regular night patrol that was ambushed by a group of unidentified armed men about 8:15 p.m. in Zam Zam, a large IDP camp just beyond the outskirts of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.


The names and nationalities of the slain peacekeepers have not yet been released, but UNAMID said two were soldiers and one was a police adviser. Six other peacekeepers were injured in the ambush, three of them seriously, while one of the assailants was also killed.


Ibrahim Gambari, the head of UNAMID, strongly condemned last night’s attack, noting that the peacekeepers had been trying to ensure security at Zam Zam. He called on Sudanese authorities to launch an immediate investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“An attack on international peacekeepers is a war crime and we will ensure that justice will be served,” he said. “This deplorable incident will not deter UNAMID’s strong commitment to its mission to protect the people of Darfur.”


In a separate statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the killings and offered his sympathies to the families of those killed....




African Union 'drives al-Shabab out of Mogadishu' (click here)

The African Union force in Mogadishu said its forces on Monday fought their way into and took over the last militant strongholds in the northern end of Somalia's capital. At least eight civilians and one AU soldier were killed.


Heavy fighting broke out after AU and Somali government forces attacked militant positions following what the AU force said were the deaths of at least 12 Somali civilians because of militants' mortars over the weekend.
Residents in Mogadishu's northern neighbourhoods fled explosions and gunfire as the troops made a push toward positions held by al-Shabab militants. Civilians often suffer heavily from the fighting in Mogadishu. Monday was no different, with at least eight killed and 20 wounded. It is difficult to know if civilian deaths were caused by pro-government or militant forces.
The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab fled Mogadishu in August in what its leaders said was a tactical pullout. But the militant group returned in a big way last week, setting off a truck bomb that killed more than 100 people as students tried to learn if they had won a scholarship to attend school in Turkey....

Uganda To Receive 100 U.S Military Advisors (click here)


World Wild Web
2011-10-15 01:58 PM


On Friday, the Obama Administration announced that they will be sending about 100 U.S forces to Uganda and African Union Forces fighting Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
The troops will give professional advise and training to the Ugandan troops that are working hard in bringing the LRA leader to book. President Obama in his notification added that he had sent an advance team on Oct 12 and others will follow in a months time.

"For more than two decades, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa," Obama said in the letter. "In furtherance of the Congress's stated policy, I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of [LRA commander] Joseph Kony from the battlefield."...






ROCK RAPIDS, Iowa (click here)  - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann on Friday questioned President Obama's decision to provide U.S. forces to help hunt down a central African terrorist accused of kidnapping, raping and killing thousands in the region.
"I do not know enough about it to comment on it," Bachmann said at a town hall meeting here. But she went on to add "When it comes to sending our brave men and women into foreign nations, we will have to first demonstrate a vital American national interest."
She noted that she opposed the president's decision to commit American forces to aiding the pro-democracy forces in Libya who eventually ousted dictator Moammar Gaddafi. "He did not get permission from Congress; he just did it unilaterally," said Bachmann, adding: "It just happened again."
"This is a very serious matter," Bachmann continued. "You do not just send American troops in."...


The United Nations has made a global appeal for help for the Syrian people.

There are at least 3000 civilians dead today in Syria and the country is on the brink of civil war.


Syrian and Lebanese demonstrators in Tripoli, Lebanon, chant slogans Oct. 14 against Syrian President Bashar Assad in a show of solidarity with Syria's antigovernment protesters. (Reuters /October 15, 2011)


...A statement issued in Geneva by Navi Pillay, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, essentially backed claims by antigovernment activists who say Syrian authorities have routinely attacked protesters without provocation. In contrast, the administration of Syrian President Bashar Assadhas said terrorists armed from abroad who seek to overthrow the government are to blame for the violence.

Pillay's comments appeared to be the toughest to date from the United Nations, where a resolution condemning Syria'sresponse to more than six months of protests failed to pass the Security Council this month.

The Assad government faces a hardening of attitudes against it on many fronts. European countries and the United States have imposed economic sanctions. Turkey, Syria's longtime ally, has harshly criticized Assad's handling of the unrest and is also planning to impose economic penalties against its neighbor....