Robert Fisk Reports From Lebanon Robert Fisk Reports From Lebanon On the Intensifying Israeli Attack, Qana, Tony Blair and the Possibility of a Ceasefire...
Watch: http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2006/aug/video/dnB20060801a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=
As the Israeli Security Cabinet agrees to expand and deepen its ground attack in Southern Lebanon we return to our interview with Robert Fisk who has been covering Lebanon for the past 25 years. We spoke to him in Beirut Monday morning shortly after he returned from Tyre where the victims from Qana were brought after the attack.
http://www.democracynow.org/
Centre to sell human stem cells Centre to sell human stem cells
Human stem cells will be created from donated eggs and embryos
A £2m project - hailed as the first in Europe - has been launched in Scotland to help find treatments for diseases like diabetes and leukaemia.
The Roslin Cells Centre will develop human stem cell lines to be sold worldwide for testing drugs and developing new medicines.
The stem cell lines will be created from donated eggs and embryos.
These will then be sold on a non-profit basis to academics and commercial companies.
The development has been unveiled by the Roslin Institute, Scottish Enterprise, Edinburgh University and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.
This approach will provide huge benefits to academics and companies already working in the stem cell field or seeking to enter it
Dr Paul De Sousa
Roslin Cells Centre
Preparatory work on the project has been under way for about three months.
By selling stem cell lines without intellectual property rights, it should be easier and quicker to test and develop medicines.
Although some groups believe using human embryo stem cells is wrong, supporters argue the project will position Scotland as a world leader and attract more investment and employment in the area of medical science.
Important step
The centre will also act as the first step in a supply chain to support the development of the wider stem cell sector in Scotland, providing cells that can be used by academics, NHS Scotland and commercial companies.
Dr Paul De Sousa, project manager for the Roslin Cells Centre, said: "This approach will provide huge benefits to academics and companies already working in the stem cell field or seeking to enter it."
Humanity is not here to serve science but science is here to serve humanity
Catholic Church spokesman
Neil Francis, deputy chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, said: "As well as having huge potential to make significant breakthroughs in the treatment of some of the most debilitating diseases, the stem cell sector has the potential to become one of the key drivers of Scotland's knowledge economy.
"The Roslin Cells Centre is an important step in establishing a strong commercial sector based on Scotland's existing world class scientific strengths."
Professor Harry Griffin, director of the Roslin Institute, added: "This new initiative represents a key step in the drive to deliver safe and effective stem cell therapies."
Dr Angela Wilson, director of research at Diabetes UK said the investment would hopefully move things closer to finding new treatments for people with diabetes.
She added: "However, there are still significant obstacles that will need to be overcome before this is possible. Any transplanted cells will need to behave like our own body's cells producing insulin in response to changes in blood glucose levels."
Ethical control
The Church of Scotland said it supported the move.
Dr Donald Bruce, director of the Kirk's ethics and technology unit, said: "Broadly speaking we agree with this centre and making stem cells that are of therapeutic quality available and that it's being done on a not-for-profit basis."
However, he stressed the need for ethical control and for couples donating embryos or eggs to be kept fully informed.
A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said it believed human beings should "never be used as a means to an end".
He added: "The use of persons at the embryo stage is not acceptable for it violates their individual human rights, integrity and dignity. "Furthermore, clear research indicates the successful and moral use of stems cells found in adults or placenta. Humanity is not here to serve science but science is here to serve humanity."
What is your oppinion on this one ?
Chavez’s address to the UN – 9/20/06 [yt]i_fcABIpm4c[/yt]
Populist dictator of Venezuela praises Castro, calls Bush "the devil," recommends Noam Chomsky's book, and asks for a seat on the UN Security Council...
Noam Chomsky On Iraq Troop Withdrawal, Haiti, Latin America Noam Chomsky on Iraq Troop Withdrawal, Haiti, Democracy in Latin America and the Israeli Elections
Watch: http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2006/april/video/dnB20060403a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=35:35
Part II of our interview with world-renowned linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky on Iraq troop withdrawal, Haiti, democracy in Latin America and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Chomsky's latest book is titled "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy."
We turn now to Part II of our interview with Noam Chomsky. The world-renowned linguist and political analyst has just come out with a new book. It's called "Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy." In his first broadcast interview upon the book's publication, Chomsky spoke to us from our Boston studio Friday. In this second part of our conversation, Chomsky discusses a wide range of issues that are making headlines today -- including troop withdrawal from Iraq; the growing rejection of US policies in Latin America; the upheaval in Haiti; and last week's elections in Israel. We began by talking about dissent and media control in the United States today.
http://www.democracynow.org
new child car seat laws yeah i know its a kind of strange article to have on here but the lack of publicity on this issue has been fairly pathetic so i have decided to put it up here - the fines can be up to £500 for each offence :hopeless:
New child car seat laws in force
New laws which mean more children must use child car seats are now in force in England, Wales and Scotland. Child seats or booster cushions are now compulsory for under-12s under 135cm (4ft 5in) tall, but consumer group Which? says many parents are not ready.
Drivers face fines from £30 on-the-spot or up to £500 in court if they do not ensure that the children they are carrying comply with the regulations.
In Northern Ireland, the new rules are set to come in by the end of the year.
Retailers have reported soaring sales of child seats, and but supermarket chain Asda has urged ministers to drop VAT on the seats as they are now compulsory.
CHILD SEAT REGULATIONS
Child seats compulsory until children reach 4ft 5in (135 cm) or the age of 12
Children up to age of three must be carried in appropriate seat
Exemption for over-threes in "unexpected necessity"
Exemption if there are three children but only room for two car seats
Fine could rise to £500
There have also been concerns that parents have not been properly informed about the new laws.
Pat Harris, director of the transport pressure group, Belt Up School Kids, said: "Not only is it a short run-up to the actual law changing but also the way it is worded is very confusing for parents.
"Not just parents, but head teachers of schools, also some county councils who are unsure how to apply the new legislation."
Which? researcher George Marshall-Thornhill said: "It's really worrying that so many of the parents we've spoken to don't understand what the law means."
It is also unclear how stringently different police forces will implement the new law from the outset.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said enforcement would be governed by "common sense" but urged drivers to be aware of the law.
And Superintendent Phil Davies of South Wales Police said: "We will be targeting schools and shopping areas to educate members of the public about the new legislation."
The onus will be on drivers to ensure they have the correct seats and that they are used.
CORRECT SEATS
Birth to 9-12 months:
Rear-facing baby seat, up to 10- 13kg. Group 0
9 months to 4 years: Forward-facing baby seat: 9-18kg. Group 1
4 years to 6 years:
Booster seat, 15kg up to 36kg. Group 2
6 years to 12 years:
Booster seat or cushion, 22-36kg. Group 3
The rules have been updated because most cars now have rear seat belts and without a booster seat, children using adult belts risk neck injuries or slipping out of their restraint in an accident.
Safety groups have welcomed the new regime, which the government says will prevent 2,000 child injuries every year.
Duncan Vernon from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the fines were to "reinforce the fact that children do need a suitable restraint in order to carry them safely".
Exemptions do apply, such as if the car is not big enough to accommodate three seats across the back, then two will be sufficient.
And children who are on a short and occasional journey made for reasons of "unexpected necessity" - such as giving a youngster from another family a lift home - will be exempted from having the necessary restraint.
But several police forces have pointed out this will not cover arrangements between some families to ferry each other's children on the daily school run.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5355014.stm
UK: ‘Sleep-over’ turns into drug rave with 300 gatecrashers – April 1999 'Sleep-over' turns into drug rave with 300 gatecrashers
By the daily telegraph - Friday 30 April 1999
Copyright: the daily telegraph
A TORY council leader returned home to find that a "sleep-over" organised by his 15-year-old daughter for a few friends had turned into a party with 300 gatecrashers.
Paul Bettison, chairman of Bracknell Forest borough council, Berks, was telephoned at a health farm where he and his wife were having a "stress-relieving" break to be told of the mayhem at home. His daughter, Clare, had called police after a loudspeaker announcement was made at a nearby ice rink to say everyone was welcome to an open house and people arrived in their hundreds.
Drugs were being traded, fights broke out and the carpet was littered with cigarette burns as what was meant to be a girls' night turned into a full-scale "rave".
Mr Bettison said: "All hell had broken loose after one of my daughter's friends made the announcement. This girl had even put up posters and sent fliers as far afield as Reading, 10 miles away. Clare, at first, tried to remain cool and thought she could cope but it quickly got out of hand. She told the police what was happening."
Another girl rang home to get help and her older sister arrived with two adult men, only for the sister to be knocked to the ground and kicked and the men attacked by a gang of youths.
Blood was smeared on wall, carpets were ruined and a fence knocked down as the gatecrashers filled the house, stealing items and raiding Mr Bettison's drinks cabinet to bolster their supplies of beer and wine. He said: "Clare saw people openly smoking cannabis and dealing in ecstasy but everyone who had drugs vanished as soon as it was realised the police were coming.
"My daughter was terrified for her own and her friends' safety, plus what I would say when I got home." Mr Betttison and his wife, Jean, were called at the health farm on Saturday and told what to expect.
"We checked out and raced home. It is fair to say that during the journey I was wondering which of my daughter's limbs I would like to pluck off. But my daughter was just as much a victim as anyone. She even told me she had thought of killing herself. That's how desperate she was."
Clare and her friends had tried to clean up as much as possible and had washed the blood from the walls, said Mr Bettison. "But the whole place smelt like a brewery. The empty cans and bottles filled two wheelie bins and six black binliners."
An insurance claim for £4,000 had been submitted and Mr Bettison was passing details of his daughter's friend to the insurance company. He said: "The health farm did a marvellous job in reducing my blood pressure by a third. I dread to think what it has gone back up to."
http://www.telelgraph.co.uk/
Who’s most evil- Osama or George and Tony? I know wot I think. Lets do a head count!
9/11 was about 2000 people, i think. About another 50 for 7/7. Probably some more from other bombings around the world, say 500
So, Osama - 2550 Bush and Blair - 0
Anyone else got numbers for the 'defenders of democracy'. US and UK casualties in Iraq, Iraqi casualties in Iraq (have we started counting those yet?), Iraqi deaths caused by the embargo's on trade before the war, US and UK casualties in Afghanistan(dunno if they count, cos chasin down Osama might be seen as a legitimate response!) etc, etc.
It would be interestin to see what the totals would add up to.
On equality of majorities and minorities! raaa Mi moramo u Jugoslaviji na primer pokazati, da ne može biti manjine i veèine. Socializam manjinu i veèinu odbacuje. On traži ravnopravnost izmeðu manjine i veèine, a onda nema ni veèine ni manjine, nego ima jedan narod - proizvoðaè, radni èovek - socialistièki èovek.
http://www.titoville.com/sound/govor7.mp3
Chomsky on Foriegn Policy, Terror and the alternatives quite a long article, but worth the read for anyone with five minutes to spare and an interest in peace :wink:
The US and the UK perpetuate self-serving, hypocritical foreign policies which will continue to be rejected by the Muslim world.
TERROR IS A term that rightly arouses strong emotions and deep concerns. The primary concern should, naturally, be to take measures to alleviate the threat. To proceed in a serious way, we have to establish some guidelines. Here are a few simple ones:
1. Facts matter, even if we do not like them.
2. Elementary moral principles matter, even if they have consequences that we would prefer not to face.
3. Relative clarity matters. We should seek enough clarity at least to distinguish 'terror' from two notions that lie uneasily at its borders: aggression and legitimate resistance.
If we accept these guidelines, there are quite constructive ways to deal with the problems of terrorism. Let's turn to the "War on Terror". Since facts matter, it matters that the war was not declared by George W. Bush on 9/11, but by the Reagan administration twenty years earlier. The administration came into office declaring that their foreign policy would confront what Reagan called "the evil scourge of terrorism", a plague spread by "depraved opponents of civilisation itself". The campaign was directed to a particularly virulent form of the plague: state-directed international terrorism. The main focus was Central America and the Middle East, but it reached to southern Africa and South-East Asia and beyond.
A second fact is that the war was declared and implemented by pretty much the same people who are conducting the re-declared war on terrorism. During the first phase of the War on Terror, Donald Rumsfeld was Reagan's special representative to the Middle East. There, his main task was to establish close relations with Saddam Hussein so that the US could provide him with large-scale aid, including means to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD), continuing long after the huge atrocities against the Kurds and the end of the war with Iran. The official purpose, not concealed, was the view of Washington and its allies Britain and Saudi Arabia that "whatever the sins of the Iraqi leader, he offered the West and the region a better hope for his country's stability than did those who have suffered his repression" - as discussed by New York Times Middle East correspondent Alan Cowell, describing Washington's judgement as George Bush senior, authorised Saddam Hussein to crush the Shi'ite rebellion in 1991, which probably would have overthrown the tyrant.
LET'S TURN TO the second of the guidelines: elementary moral principles matter. One example, of critical importance today, is the Nuremberg Tribunal. In sentencing Nazi war criminals, Justice Robert Jackson, Chief of Counsel for the United States, spoke eloquently, and memorably, on the principle of universality. "If certain acts of violation of treaties are crimes," he said, "they are crimes whether the United States does them or whether Germany does them, and we are not prepared to lay down a rule of criminal conduct against others which we would not be willing to have invoked against us ... We must never forget that the record on which we judge these defendants is the record on which history will judge us tomorrow. To pass these defendants a poisoned chalice is to put it to our own lips as well."
That is a clear and honourable statement of the principle of universality. But the judgment at Nuremberg itself crucially violated this principle. The Tribunal had to define 'war crime' and 'crimes against humanity'. It crafted these definitions very carefully so that crimes were criminal only if they were not committed by the Allies. Urban bombing of civilian concentrations was excluded, because the Allies carried it out more barbarically than the Nazis. The self-exemption of the powerful from international law and elementary moral principle goes far beyond this illustration, and reaches to just about every aspect of the two phases of the War on Terror.
We might want to bear this in mind when we read George W. Bush's impassioned pronouncement that "the United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support them, because they're equally as guilty of murder," and that "the civilised world must hold those regimes to account." Bush's remarks pose a dilemma. Either the US is part of the civilised world, and must therefore send the US air force to bomb Washington; or it declares itself to be outside the civilised world. The logic is impeccable, but fortunately, logic has been dispatched as deeply into the memory hole as moral truisms.
But let us now adopt prevailing Western hypocrisy and cynicism, and keep to the operative definition of 'terror'. It is the same as the official definitions, but with the Nuremberg exception: admissible terror is your terror; ours is exempt.
THE INVASION OF Iraq is perhaps the most glaring example of the low priority assigned by US/UK leaders to the threat of terror. Washington planners had been advised, even by their own intelligence agencies, that the invasion was likely to increase the risk of terror. And it did. The National Intelligence Council reported a year ago that "Iraq and other possible conflicts in the future could provide recruitment, training grounds, technical skills and language proficiency for a new class of terrorists who are 'professionalised' and for whom political violence becomes an end in itself." A high-level government review of the War on Terror two years after the invasion focused on how to deal with the rise of a new generation of terrorists, schooled in Iraq. Top government officials are increasingly turning their attention to anticipate what one called "the bleed out" of hundreds or thousands of Iraq-trained jihadists back to their home countries throughout the Middle East and Western Europe. "It's a new piece of a new equation," a former senior Bush administration official said. "If you don't know who they are in Iraq, how are you going to locate them in Istanbul or London?"
Once again we find very easily a way to reduce the threat of terror: stop acting in ways that enhance the threat. Though enhancement of the threat of terror and proliferation was anticipated, the invasion did so even in unanticipated ways. It is common to say that no Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) were found in Iraq after an exhaustive search. That is not quite accurate, however. There were stores of WMD in Iraq: namely, those produced in the 1980s, thanks to aid provided by the US and Britain, along with others. These sites had been secured by UN inspectors, who were dismantling the weapons. But the inspectors were dismissed by the invaders and the sites were left unguarded. The inspectors nevertheless continued to carry out their work using satellite imagery. They discovered sophisticated massive looting of these installations in over 100 sites, including equipment for producing solid and liquid propellant missiles, biotoxins and other materials usable for chemical and biological weapons, and high-precision equipment capable of making parts for nuclear and chemical weapons and missiles. A Jordanian journalist was informed by officials in charge of the Jordan-Iraq border that after US-UK forces took over, radioactive materials were detected in one in every eight trucks crossing to Jordan, destination unknown.
If reducing the threat of terror were a high priority for Washington or London, as it certainly should be, there would be ways to proceed - even apart from the unmentionable idea of withdrawing participation. The first step, plainly, is to try to understand its roots. With regard to Islamic terror, there is a broad consensus among intelligence agencies and researchers. They identify two categories: the jihadis, who regard themselves as a vanguard, and their audience, who may reject terror but nevertheless regard their cause as just. A serious counter-terror campaign would therefore begin by considering the grievances and, where appropriate, addressing them, without the threat of terror. There is broad agreement among specialists that al-Qaeda-style terror is today less a product of Islamic fundamentalism than of a simple strategic goal: to compel the United States and its Western allies to withdraw combat forces from the Arabian Peninsula and other Muslim countries.
In the most extensive scholarly inquiry into the jihadi phenomenon, Fawaz Gerges concludes that after 9/11, "the dominant response to Al Qaeda in the Muslim world was very hostile," specifically among the jihadis, who regarded it as a dangerous extremist fringe. Instead of recognising that opposition to al-Qaeda offered Washington "the most effective way to drive a nail into its coffin" by finding "intelligent means to nourish and support the internal forces that were opposed to militant ideologies like the bin Laden network", Gerges writes, the Bush administration did exactly what bin Laden hoped it would do: resort to violence, particularly in the invasion of Iraq. The achievements of Bush administration planners in inspiring Islamic radicalism and terror, and joining Osama bin Laden in creating a "clash of civilisations", are quite impressive.
A PENTAGON ADVISORY Panel concluded a year ago that "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom', but rather they hate our policies," adding that "when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy."
There are ways to deal constructively with the threat of terror, though not those preferred by "bin Laden's indispensable ally", or those who try to avoid the real world by striking heroic poses about Islamo-fascism, or who simply claim that no proposals are made when there are quite straightforward proposals that they do not like. The constructive ways have to begin with an honest look in the mirror: never an easy task; always a necessary one.
Extracts from the Amnesty International Annual Lecture hosted by Trinity College Dublin, delivered by Noam Chomsky at Shelbourne Hall, the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, on 18th January 2006.
Noam Chomsky is author of Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World.
http://www.resurgence.org/2006/chomsky237.htm
UK/US : LDN(SE)/NJ : loads of guns seized by cops From todays Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gun/Story/0,,1871320,00.html
"SE Londonistan" (I always think Dartford, Bexleyheath, Eltham etc are SE London rather than Kent) has always had a gun culture (it was starting when I was last there in 1990-1992) but what is changing now is how quick lads are to get and use a gun even over something trivial..
Quote:
Police recovered hundreds of guns and arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of supplying firearms in three raids early this morning.The raids were part of an intelligence-led operation to tackle the supply of guns to criminals in London.
The pump-action shotguns and semi-automatic and automatic weapons were found at properties in Dartford, Kent. An arms-smuggling ring with links to the US was believed to have brought the guns into the country.
Officers from the Metropolitan police's Operation Trident team, set up to target gun crime in London's black communities, carried out the raids.
A statement from the Met said US police were carrying out simultaneous operations in New Jersey.
At 6am about 30 officers executed search warrants at two residential properties and one business address.
The cache was discovered at one of the residential addresses, which police believe was being used to sell firearms.
Searches were expected to continue throughout the day. The operation, codenamed Mokpo, was launched 18 months ago after a spate of shootings in north London involving rival gangs.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kevin Davis, from Operation Trident, said: "This operation has resulted in hundreds of guns being taken out of circulation and has potentially prevented a number of serious injuries or even deaths occurring on the streets of London.
"It is impossible to overestimate the misery and fear these weapons could have brought if they had got into the hands of criminals. Today's seizure demonstrates Trident's determination not only to target the gunmen but also tackle those who are responsible for supplying guns in the first place."
NOAM CHOMSKY + ROBERT TRIVERS [yt]WJe5UmBlxdE[/yt]
The anti-war activist and MIT linguist enters the Seed Salon to discuss deceit with the Rutgers evolutionary biologist.
JOIN TONY BENN ON THE PEACE TRAIN STOP THE WAR COALITION
TEL 020 7278 6694
WEB www.stopwar.org.uk
JOIN TONY BENN ON THE PEACE TRAIN
Tony Benn and other well known names from the anti-war movement will be travelling on the London to Manchester train, chartered by Stop the War Coalition to take Londoners to the national TIME TO GO demonstration on Saturday 23 September, the eve of the Labour Party conference. You have the chance to join them on the specially chartered peace train to one of the most important demonstrations held by Stop the War Coalition.
Tens of thousands of protestors will be converging on Manchester with the message that, whoever leads the Labour Party, Tony Blair's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the threats to other countries such as Iran, must stop now. (Demonstration details: http://www.stopwar.org.uk).
There will be mobile meetings with speakers on the train journey. Also travelling with us will be the national and international media, with Al-Jazeera TV among the broadcasters planning big features on the train and the demonstration generally.
The Stop the War peace train will be an experience to remember. If you would like to join Tony Benn and other prominent anti-war voices travelling to Manchester, you need to book now. There are some tickets available but they are going fast. The train details are as follows:
TICKETS ARE £35 RETURN
AVAILABLE ONLINE: http://tinyurl.com/onofl
OR BY TELEPHONING 020 7278 6694
DEPART EUSTON 8:12
ARR MANCHESTER 11:56
RETURN MANCHESTER 18.30
ARR EUSTON 22:08
irwin fans ‘in revenge attacks’ FFS how effing stupid can some people be, getting revenge on an unusually placid creature that was naturally protecting its self i mean come on. Its certainly would off pissed Steve off im sure:you_crazy :you_crazy :you_crazy
Irwin fans 'in revenge attacks'
Stingrays have been found dead on two Queensland beaches
Dead stingrays with their tails cut off have been found in Australia, sparking concern that fans of naturalist Steve Irwin may be avenging his death.
Mr Irwin, a TV personality know as the "Crocodile Hunter", was killed while diving in Queensland when a stingray's barb stabbed him in the chest.
Since then, 10 stingrays have been found mutilated on Queensland beaches.
Government officials said they were investigating the deaths and there could be prosecutions.
Two stingrays were found at a beach north of Brisbane with their tails cut off, while eight were found on another beach on Monday, The Australian reported.
Wayne Sumpton of the state fisheries department said it was not clear if the incidents were connected to Mr Irwin's death.
He said fishermen who inadvertently caught stingrays sometimes cut off their tails to avoid being stung, but such a practise was uncommon.
'Protect wildlife'
Mr Irwin was well-known for his work with Australian wildlife
Michael Hornby, a friend of the late naturalist and executive director of Mr Irwin's Wildlife Warrior fund, condemned any revenge killings.
"We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution. That's the last thing Steve would want," he said.
"I hope everyone understands we have to protect wildlife now more than ever. This is what Steve was all about."
Stingrays are normally placid, but when they feel under threat, a sharp, poisonous spine in their tail flicks up. A public memorial service for Mr Irwin will be held next week
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5338118.stm
STOP THE WAR COALITION NEWSLETTER No. 2006/36 STOP THE WAR COALITION
NEWSLETTER No. 2006/36
14 September 2006
Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Telephone 020 7278 6694
Web: www.stopwar.org.uk
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1) AFTER BLAIR: WILL HIS WARS GO ON?
2) PEACE CAMP GOES AHEAD DESPITE LABOUR BAN
3) TAKE THE PEACE TRAIN TO MANCHESTER
4) A VERY DIFFERENT CONFERENCE
5) NEW STOP THE WAR PAMPHLET
*************************************
1) AFTER BLAIR: WILL HIS WARS GO ON?
Tony Blair showed this week why from every corner of Britain tens of
thousands of people are planning to be in Manchester on 23 September for the
TIME TO GO demonstration. Our message will be clear: Whoever leads the Labour
party, the Bush/Blair wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have to end.
Tony Blair showed this week why this demonstration is so important. "We
should be proud of what we are doing there," he said of his wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, while also confirming his support for Israel's barbaric attacks
on Lebanon and Gaza.
Blair is "proud" of slaughtering over 100,000 civilians in Iraq and turning
the country into one of the most violent places on Earth. He is "proud" of
the carnage and destruction in Afghanistan, where 20 British soldiers have
been killed this month in what a British army officer, who quit the army in
protest, calls a "pointless war". (SEE http://tinyurl.com/jp4da)
Blair is "proud to be there", despite the latest opinion polls, which show
his support for George Bush's wars has made him the most unpopular British
prime minister since polls began, with a worse rating than Margaret Thatcher
at her lowest ebb (SEE http://tinyurl.com/jwu55).
Everyone who has seethed with anger, as Blair has committed war crimes with
impunity over the past three years, will want to be in Manchester on the eve
of the Labour conference. There are coaches booked in most major towns and
cities. There is a special London to Manchester train. People are flying in
from Northern Ireland and Europe. People are even cycling and walking to the
demonstration. (SEE : http://tinyurl.com/jeqpv)
The signs are this will be the biggest demonstration Manchester has ever
seen. And it needs to be. The Labour Party may be about to ditch Blair as its
leader to save its own skin but none of his potential replacements, least of
all Gordon Brown, has given any indication that, once in power, they plan to
end the Blair wars. That's why this is one of Stop the War's most important
demonstrations since the beginning of the Iraq war.
The TIME TO GO demonstration is organised in conjunction with CND, BMI and
MAB. It is supported by six trade unions -- CWU, PCS, NUJ, TGWU, RMT and
BECTU -- and by the Islam Channel and Friends of Al Aqsa.
FULL DETAILS OF THE DEMONSTRATION ARE AVAILABLE HERE: http://tinyurl.com/k7jhz
FULL DETAILS OF TRANSPORT AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE AVAILABLE HERE:
http://tinyurl.com/jeqpv
FOR DETAILS OF TIME TO GO PUBLIC MEETINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN THE NEXT
WEEK, AT WHICH MANY PROMINENT FIGURES FROM THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT ARE
SPEAKING, GO TO: http://tinyurl.com/jfn99
*************************************
2) PEACE CAMP GOES AHEAD DESPITE LABOUR BAN
Manchester City Council, wanting to prevent any embarrassment for Tony Blair,
has voted to ban a Military Families Against the War peace camp during the
Labour conference, which will also coincide with the TIME TO GO
demonstration. (See Daily Mail front page: http://tinyurl.com/gomva)
This is an outrageous decision, particularly since in the last two months
over 30 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rose
Gentle, whose 19 year old son Gordon was killed in Iraq, says, "They don't
want us voicing our opinions because Tony Blair will be there. But we're
going ahead with our peace camp anyway." (See BBC report:
http://tinyurl.com/z4wnq)
Rose will be joined by other military families who have lost loved ones or
have relatives serving in the Bush/Blair wars.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PEACE CAMP, GO TO http://www.mfaw.org.uk/.
SEND A PROTEST EMAIL AT THIS DISGRACEFUL BAN TO MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL:
http://tinyurl.com/zfuqe
*************************************
3) TAKE THE PEACE TRAIN TO MANCHESTER
The national and international media will be travelling on the special
charter train taking protestors from London to Manchester on 23 September.
Al-Jazeera television, watched by tens of millions of people in the Arab
world, is doing a special feature on the whole demonstration and will have a
camera crew and reporters travelling on the train.
There are still some tickets available but they are going fast. Many of the
political and campaigning organisations affiliated to Stop the War will be
represented on the train. A number of trade unions have made block bookings.
They will be joined by some of the most prominent voices in the anti-war
movement, travelling to Manchester to speak on the TIME TO GO rally.
TICKETS ARE £35 RETURN (Sorry, no concessions, as this only just covers the
cost of hiring the train)
THREE WAYS TO BOOK YOUR TICKET:
*Book online at: http://tinyurl.com/onofl
*Send a cheque made out to 'Stop the War Coalition' to Stop the War
Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
*Phone 020 7278 6694 to make a credit/debit card payment
*************************************
4) A VERY DIFFERENT CONFERENCE
Stop the war is organising an alternative conference on the theme AFTER
BLAIR: TIME FOR CHANGE in Manchester on Sunday 24 September, the day after
the TIME TO GO demonstration. Speakers include Tariq Ali, George Galloway MP,
Guantanamo detainee Moazzam Begg, former UK ambassador Craig Murray and many
other prominent anti-war voices. Unlike the Labour conference, where all
signs of dissent or real debate are stifled, -- as the ejection of Walter
Wolfgang at last years conference showed -- the Stop the War TIME FOR CHANGE
conference will encourage free discussion and includes a range of workshop
sessions. Full details of the conference are here: http://tinyurl.com/hl66p
STAYING IN MANCHESTER FOR THE CONFERENCE?
Stop the War is considering organising a return coach from Manchester for
people from London staying for the weekend of 23/24 September to attend both
the demonstration and the alternative conference. The coach will leave
Manchester at 7pm. Please contact the Stop the War office immediately is you
would like to book a ticket for this coach: email office@stopwar.org.uk or
tel 020 7278 6694.
*************************************
5) NEW STOP THE WAR PAMPHLET
Stop the War has published a new pamphlet titled STOP THE BUSH/BLAIR WARS,
which describes the catastrophic impact of Bush and Blair's warmongering for
Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East region and potentially for the whole
world. The pamphlet cost £1 and will be on sale at the TIME TO GO
demonstration on 23 September, or you can get your copy now by phoning 020
7278 or by sending a cheque made payable to "Stop the War Coalition" and sent
to Stop the War Coalition, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP
UK : East : Suffolks kids committing more violent crime From EADT.
Although upbringing can cause problems I think its also still an individual choice whether to do crime or to commit violence - and most young people do start of with a positive outloook on life...
Yet other crimes are down (including drugs etc) and although I haven't been here long I think its less rough than many other areas I have lived.
It seems that incidents seem to be mostly young people attacking other young people but this is "normal" fighting rather than mugging as that would be recorded as robbery.
Maybe its because authorities are checking up more on this and perhaps a high school fight that would have been sorted out at school gets the cops involved now - but its still worrying. Compared to my own childhood I do get the impression people are way more prepared to fight - Its as if kids are being pushed beyond their breaking points and lashing out at one another.
Youths committing more violent crime
11 September 2006 | 08:34
DANIELLE NUTTALL
Jeremy Pembroke, leader of Suffolk County Council
YOUNG people in Suffolk are committing more violent offences, despite an overall drop in the level of youth crime, it has emerged.
More than 900 “violence against the person” offences were committed by children aged 10 to 17 in the county between April 2005 and March this year - an increase of 4%.
These crimes include offences such as common assault, wounding, assaulting a police officer, threats of violence and grievous bodily harm.
While all violent crime in Suffolk - including offences committed by adults - fell by 2.4% last year, that committed by youths actually rose and was the second highest category of offence committed by children in the county.
But youth crime as a whole dropped 7.6% in 2005-6, according to figures released by Suffolk County Council and the Youth Offending Service.
The total number of crimes committed by children fell from 4,716 in 2004-5 to 4,359 last year.
Jeremy Pembroke, leader of Suffolk County Council, said: “I am very pleased at the reduction in crimes committed by young people this year. All the agencies, including the police and the Youth Offending Service, are making progress and will continue to work hard to keep making Suffolk a safer place.
“Robberies, burglaries, drugs offences and the number of young people breaching orders are all very much down. Motoring and public order offences are significantly reduced, but there is some concern over a rise in violence against the person.
“The Youth Offending Service will continue to prioritise efforts against those crimes which are not being reduced, using approaches including getting disaffected young people involved in positive activity, and working to help them understand and move away from crime at an early stage.
Mr Pembroke added: “More victims are welcoming the opportunity to participate in 'restorative justice' schemes. Restorative justice enables victims of crime to contribute to the discussion about what work the young person must carry out to repair the harm done, either directly to the victim or to the wider community.
“The figures are encouraging, but there is very much more work to do.”
Theft and handling accounted for most youth crime committed in Suffolk during 2005-6 and rose by 2% from 945 in 2004-5 to 965.
The number of sexual offences committed by youths rose 16% from 25 to 29 however many other areas of criminality fell including robbery (-36.6%), racially aggravated offences (-64%), motoring offences (-13%), domestic burglaries (-21.1%) and public order offences (-13.7%).
In addition, the number of youths who breached statutory orders or bail fell from 366 to 271 during the last year, which is a drop of 26%.
Chief Inspector Martin Ransome, of Suffolk police, said: “We welcome any fall in crime and are encouraged to see a decrease in the number of offences committed by young people in Suffolk.
“The decrease reflects our continuing work with other agencies to reduce youth offending. However the rise in violence against the person is a contrast in the dip in overall violent crime, which decreased by 2.4% in the year April 2005 and March 2006.
“Reducing violent crime is a priority of Suffolk Constabulary and we will work closely with other agencies to ensure the number of incidents continues to fall and that Suffolk remains one of the safest counties in the country.”
danielle.nuttall@eadt.co.uk
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