This video from Israel says about itself:
20100211 10:58 Tel Aviv, Rabin SquareFeeding doves.
Tens of thousands of Israelis packed a central Tel Aviv square on Saturday night to pay tribute to late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, 15 years after he was gunned down by an Israeli extremist: here.
WikiLeaks: Netanyahu feared anti-right backlash after Rabin murder: here.
Since a few days, the combination of plants and bird feeders on the balcony behind the apartment attracts quite some birds.
Two or three great tits. To or three blue tits. Below the feeders, sometimes a dunnock. This morning, two dunnocks.
This is a dunnock video.
Though we had put acorns on the balcony to attract jays, a jay did not come closer than the roof about ten meter away.
Time to feed your gardens birds – But not bread: here.
Dunnock migration: here.
Leucistic Dunnock: here.
From Incubate Blog:
Harry Mulisch, the Netherlands’ most famous writer, past away yesterday evening 8pm. Mulisch suffered cancer and was seriously ill the last few weeks. He was 83 years old.
In the 1960s, Mulisch was often attacked by the political Right for supporting the Cuban revolution.
This is a Dutch TV video on the burial of Mulisch.
This video from the USA is called Audubon President Explores Threats to Birds and their Habitat on Location in the Gulf.
USA: Weeks before the April 20 explosion, Halliburton and BP were aware of test results showing problems with the cement mixture designed to temporarily seal the Macondo well: here.
They’ve survived Katrina, systemic racism. But BP oil spill could wipe out Pointe-a-la-Hache oystermen. Our exclusive: here.
BP spill claims czar throws out thousands of applications: here.
New study: Just weeks after BP oil spill, toxic chemicals had spread 3,300ft deep & 8 miles away. More here.
In Gulf Of Mexico, ‘They Are Literally Shrimping In Oil’: here.
Millions of birds winter on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Now volunteers are counting the animals to help scientists determine the oil spill’s effects on resident populations as well as on the migratory populations: here.
Dead Coral Found Near Site of Gulf Oil Spill: here.
Apache acquires BP assets in Egyptian Western Desert: here.
U.S. Activists: Prevent future oil spills in Alaska, home to some of our country’s most important species: here.
This video is called Naomi Klein: The War on Terror (1 of 2).
And here is #2.
The terrorism scare that dominated the US media Friday afternoon is one of a long series of such episodes that have become a regular part of American public life: here.
Yemeni student, mother released after questioning in Dubai explosives case, student’s dad says: here.
In what has become a regular feature of American public life—especially on the eve of major elections—the airwaves were taken over Friday by breathless reports of a new terror threat: here.
Britain: Military intervention in Yemen would “exacerbate the threat of terrorism” and push al-Qaida into other countries to set up a base, the Stop the War Coalition (StWC) warned today: here.
The Commerce Department on Friday estimated that the US economy grew at an anemic annual rate of 2.0 percent in the third quarter, a pace that all but ensures a further rise in unemployment: here.
The European Union has intensified pressure on its highly indebted member states to reduce their deficits by drastically cutting costs: here.
London firefighters are to stage a second series of strikes on November 1 and 5, against the London Fire Brigade imposing new cost-cutting rosters and the threat to sack those who refuse: here.
President Benigno Noynoy Aquino’s administration has issued a labor department order barring Philippine Airlines employees from striking in support of a pay agreement: here.
This video says about itself:
Super Size Me is an Academy Award-nominated 2004 documentary film, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. It follows a 30-day time period (February 2003) during which Spurlock subsists exclusively on McDonald’s fast food and stops exercising regularly.The film documents this lifestyle’s drastic effects on Spurlock’s physical and psychological well-being and explores the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit. During the filming, Spurlock dined at McDonald’s restaurants three times per day, sampling every item on the chain’s menu at least once. He consumed an average of 5,000 calories (the equivalent of 9.26 Big Macs) per day during the experiment.
From daily The Morning Star in Britain:
McDonald’s told to pay £11,000 to worker who gained 66lbFriday 29 October 2010
A Brazilian court ruled this week that fast food giant McDonald’s must pay £11,000 to a former franchise manager because he gained 66 pounds while working there for a dozen years.
The 32-year-old man said he felt forced to sample the food each day to ensure quality standards remained high, because McDonald’s hired “mystery clients” to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.
The man also said the company offered free lunches to employees – adding to the calories while on the job.
His identity was not released.
The ruling was signed on Tuesday by Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho in Porto Alegre.
Mr Ghisleni said McDonald’s could appeal against the decision and the Brazilian headquarters of the chain said on Thursday that it was weighing its legal options.
Global burger chain store McDonalds has banned its employees in Australia from speaking languages other than English while on duty: here.
With much media fanfare, McDonalds declared April 19 “National Hiring Day,” offering 50,000 new positions at poverty wages: here.
WikiLeaks cables: McDonald’s used US to put pressure on El Salvador: here.
Only 50 percent of a McNugget is actually chicken. The other half includes corn derivatives, sugars, leavening agents and completely synthetic ingredients: here.
Up to 26 million people in Britain could be obese within the next two decades due to a lethal cocktail of rich food, no exercise and poor policy-making: here.
This is a music video by British punk band Crass, of Securicor (another name for G4S corporation). Lyrics are here.
From daily The Morning Star in Britain:
Border Agency ditches deportation companyFriday 29 October 2010
by Paddy McGuffin
The company responsible for deporting detainees from the UK will be replaced from next year, the UK Border Agency said today.
G4S will lose its contract for escorting detainees, both within the UK and on deportation flights, from next May but will continue to manage immigration removal centres.
Last week, three civilian security guards employed by G4S were arrested over the death of Angolan Jimmy Mubenga while he was being deported from the UK, but the agency said that today’s decision had been made in August and had nothing to do with Mr Mubenga’s death.
The deportation escort contract has been handed to Reliance Security Task Management Limited.
Reliance already manages several contracts for the Prison Service. The agency said the firm was identified as the lead bidder in August and that decision had not changed since.
Mr Mubenga, 46, collapsed on a plane at Heathrow Airport, apparently having been restrained by guards, while being escorted back to his homeland on October 12.
Witnesses have stated that he had been complaining of being unable to breathe before he collapsed.
The death of Mr Mubenga is not the only alleged incident of G4S security guards using excessive force.
In May last year an African national was so badly beaten during his deportation at the hands of G4S security guards that a French pilot refused to allow him on the flight.
In November 2008, an investigation was launched into allegations that Cameroonian Anselme Noumbiwa suffered similar brutality.
He, too, was deported to Paris where an Air France pilot refused to fly him to Africa and contacted police over the barbarity of his treatment.
G4S and death of Australian Aborigine: here.
A work safety agency charged an Australian state government, G4S Custodial Services and two drivers today over the death of an Aboriginal elder from heatstroke in the back of a prison van on a scorching summer day in the Outback: here.
Three years after Aboriginal elder Mr Ward was cooked to death in the back of a prison van travelling from Laverton to Kalgoorlie, charges have been laid against the four parties found responsible by coroner Alistair Hope: here.
Jimmy Mubenga family call for inquiry into deportation syste: here.
This is a music video of the Spanish anti fascist song Ay Carmela.
From British daily The Morning Star:
Lifelong trade unionist and communist dies at 92Friday 29 October 2010
Marcelino Camacho, a lifelong communist who fought in the Spanish civil war before going on to become one of the country’s foremost union leaders, died at 92 today.
Mr Camacho died in a Madrid hospital after several days in serious condition.
He is survived by Josefina Samper, his wife of 61 years, a son and a daughter.
After fighting in defence of the Popular Front government against Francisco Franco’s fascist coup d’etat in the 1936-39 Civil War, Mr Camacho opposed General Franco’s dictatorship until its end in 1975.
He spent a total of 14 years in prison for his political activism.
The son of a railwayman, he founded the initially clandestine and communist Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and led it to become one of Spain’s two largest trade unions, alongside the General Workers Union.
Mr Camacho was general secretary of the Communist Party of Spain from 1976 until 1987 and a member of parliament from 1977 to 1981.
The CCOO remembers Camacho: here. The Communist Party of Spain remembers Camacho: here.
Neo-Fascists Teaching In Top Spanish University: here.
From current.com:
December 18, 2008US limits military aid to nations using child soldiers
Under legislation adopted by the US Congress on December 10, 2008, governments involved in the use of children as soldiers may no longer be eligible for US military assistance, Human Rights Watch said today. The legislation, passed unanimously by both the Senate and the House, could affect six countries currently receiving US military training, financing, and other defense-related assistance: Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda.
Well, as quite some politicians use to say: “That was then. This is now”.
From Al Jazeera today:
Child soldiers ‘no bar’ for US aidObama administration decides to continue funding to Chad, Yemen, Sudan and DRC though they use children in armed forces.
Afghanistan is not mentioned in this Al Jazeera report, but don’t bet on the Pentagon and other US government agencies wanting to stop the flow of taxpayers’ money to the Kabul puppet regime; even though it and its warlord supporters continue to use child soldiers.
The report does mention the puppet government in Somalia, which does get much US military aid even though the Washington government officially does not exempt it from the anti-child soldier law.
It does not mention Uganda, whose soldiers serve as Washington’s cannon fodder in Somalia.
It does not mention Sri Lanka …
The nice sounding 2008 United States law is a dead letter.
Britain: Campaigners and faith groups welcomed an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill today which could put stop youths joining the military: here.
