Swiss Keep Military

From the BBC:
"Switzerland referendum voters to keep army conscription"

Swiss voters want to keep the country's compulsory military service, exit polls from the latest national referendum on the topic have suggested. Voting trends indicated a large majority of Swiss rejected plans to abolish conscription. Correspondents say the Swiss Army is regarded as costly and many young men complain that their time is wasted.  But older voters say obligatory duty in the armed forces remains the best way to defend the neutral country. In the canton of Ticino, voters were being asked whether full face coverings like niqabs should be banned in public places. There were also votes on mandatory vaccinations and longer shopping hours at night.  The vote on conscription was the third in Switzerland on the matter in almost quarter of a century. Pacifists and left-wing parties campaigned for abolition. They did not expect to win, but rather muster more than a 30% share of the vote. Male Swiss citizens aged between 18 and 34 begin service with weeks of basic training. They then keep their uniforms and weapons at home to be ready for tours of duty. Women can serve voluntarily.  Conscientious objectors have the option of undertaking non-military service, for example in environmental projects. Men who do not serve pay a special tax of 4% of their salary.

Centre and right-wing parties argue the measures are needed to maintain Switzerland's army in a time of security challenges. They argue it helps to bring together a country with three main language groups: German, French and Italian.  "Abolishing military service would break the genuine link uniting the people and the army," Defence Minister Ueli Maurer said. Critics say the end of the Cold War removed the need for large-scale forces with fighter planes, tanks and artillery. Switzerland has not been invaded since the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century. "Compulsory military service is a tool created for wars of the past," said Tobias Schnebli of the anti-military group, Group for a Switzerland Without an Army, told the news agency, AFP. Recent scholars have questioned the belief that the Swiss military's complex of underground bunkers deterred an invasion by the Nazis during the Second World War, AP reported. Some historians argued that Adolf Hitler left the Swiss alone because he wanted to use their banks.

^ It does seem that Conscription in Switzerland is outdated. Every country bordering the country (except for Liechtenstein) is part of the EU and all of them are part of the Schengen Visa Agreement. To day that they need Conscription to keep the French, German and Italian speakers united also doesn't add up as there are other countries (ie Belgium, Bosnia, etc) that no longer have Conscription and have different language speakers. I do believe didn't invade Switzerland because he wanted to use their banking system (which he did and deposited money, jewels, gold from teeth from concentration and death camps victims.) The Swiss actively worked with the Germans even before the war. It was because the Swiss complained about all the German Jewish refugees that the Germans added the "J" (for Jude - Jew) to Jewish passports so the Swiss would know who was a German and who was Jewish. Back to their military. It just seems like a costly waste of everyone's time and money and should be done away with. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24195870

Pariu cu viața

I recently found out about this Romanian TV show through YouTube. The title means: "Bet Your Life." I don't know much about the storylines as it is in Romanian, but it is basically the Romanian version of "Glee." I am writing about it because I find it interesting that the singers in this show (who almost always sing in English) are so good at it. Their English almost never has an accent. I think this is because the singers are all in their 20s and have learned English by following American movies, TV, etc. Had they been older (like their parents) they would have learned Russian as it was a Communist ally. The show's young cast:  Alina Eremia, Dorian Popa, Cristina Ciobănașu, Sore Mihalache, Raphael Tudor, Liviu Teodorescu, Mihai Mititescu and Vlad Gherman are a whose who of popular Romanian celebrities. The shows has gone beyond Romania and can now be seen in: Moldova, Mexico, Italy, Australia and Canada. Maybe one-day it will air in the US and the storylines in English so more people will be able to see and understand it.

Espanol USA

From USA Today:
"Can Spanish survive in the USA?"

Some experiences stay with a person forever. For Susana Rivera-Mills, it was moving in 1982 from El Salvador to San Francisco at the vulnerable age of 12—and not knowing how to speak a word of English. The education system was different then, and Rivera-Mills was actually classified as a special-needs student. She was held back a year in school. Decades later, the bilingual and successful college professor still has traumatic memories of being rejected by her peers on a daily basis. The emotional hurdle, she says, was more difficult to overcome than surviving the civil war that she and her family fled. Scars from the experience later surfaced when she became a mother and had to make the difficult decision of whether to pass on her native tongue to her only son. During the first five years of her son's life, Rivera-Mills says she spoke to him solely in Spanish, while her husband spoke to him in English. That practice ended when her son started school and became self-conscious of being different from other kids. "My mother instinct said, 'I don't want my son to be rejected and made to feel like an outcast,'" Rivera-Mills explains. But I did "want him to grow up feeling strong and confident in one language." And so English became the dominant language at her home, and her now 10-year-old son went from being bilingual to monolingual. Rivera-Mills has high hopes that her son will speak Spanish fluently again; future immersion trips to Mexico and El Salvador may help. But anecdotes and research have shown that to be unlikely. While an overwhelming majority of Latinos agree that passing on the Spanish language to future generations is critical, studies show that few people are actually doing that. According to a 2012 Pew Hispanic Center study on language use among Latinos, only 47 percent of third-generation Latinos can speak Spanish proficiently. Even fewer can read in their home language. The reasons are varied, but they include the need to avoid discrimination (as felt by Rivera-Mills), the desire for economic advancement, and the belief that to be truly American, English must replace Spanish. These influences make raising bilingual kids difficult, even for parents who seem fully equipped to do so.

^ While immigrants should remember their culture, language, etc they need to also remember that they came to a new place for more opportunities. Speaking Spanish in the US is going down-hill and for Spanish-speakers to really succeed in America they need to know English. I have lots of relatives in Spain and unfortunately I never learned Spanish (I took German, French and Russian instead.) I remember going to Miami and having a hard time finding anyone who spoke decent English (the same in parts of Texas I went to.) While I understand the US doesn't have an official language at the Federal level - I think they should make it English - most states have made English their official state language. As kids we were always taught that America was a melting pot and that was never the case. Immigrants coming to the US couldn't get anywhere without knowing English and since English is the sole International Language today it only makes sense for everyone in the country (and the rest of the world) to know English. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/21/can-spanish-survive-in-usa/2843585/

Confronting Romania

From USA Today:

"Romania: Camp commander accused of 103 deaths"

A Romanian institute urged prosecutors on Wednesday to bring genocide charges against the Communist commander of a former Romanian labor camp, saying he was responsible for 103 deaths.

Ion Ficior, 85, was deputy commander then commander of the Periprava labor camp from 1958 to 1963. The camp in the remote Danube Delta village near the Black Sea held up to 2,000 prisoners.

Romania had about 500,000 political prisoners under the Communist regime, about one-fifth of whom died while in detention, according to historians, who say most prisoners were simply people who had fallen afoul of the Communist regime. Andrei Muraru, head of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes, handed the request to the country's general prosecutor Wednesday. He accused Ficior of being responsible for 103 deaths at the camp from malnutrition, beatings, a lack of medicine and from drinking dirty water from the Danube, which caused dysentery.

"It was an extermination camp," said Muraru. "It was a repressive, excessive, inhuman and discretionary regime." The youngest person to die was 19 and the oldest 71, Muraru said, adding that he asked prosecutors to put a travel ban on Ficior since his son lives in the United States. Ficior could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but in an interview with The Associated Press in June he insisted that only three or four people died under his command. He was unrepentant in saying that his former prisoners were militiamen — known as Legionnaires — who supported the Nazis during World War II and who deserved to be incarcerated. There was no immediate response from the prosecutor's office in Bucharest to the filing. The institute says it spoke to 21 former prisoners to build its case against Ficior. "Ficior beat us every day with a wooden stick," former prisoner Ianos Mokar told the AP in June, adding that he terrorized inmates by "jumping over us on his white mare." On Monday, institute investigators began digging to search for human remains in Periprava. They have already found five skeletons of former prisoners who appear to have been dumped naked into mass unmarked graves, Dan Talnaru, general manager of the institute, told the AP on Wednesday, speaking by telephone from the village. There were no coffins, clothes or personal possessions next to the bodies, he said. On Sept. 3, Romanian prosecutors charged another former prison commander, 87-year-old Alexandru Visinescu, with genocide for his leadership of the Ramnicu Sarat prison where Romania's elite were incarcerated. Visinescu told reporters he was only following orders. He is free pending a trial, but no date for it has been set yet. About 3,500 former Romanian political prisoners from the 1950s and 1960s are still alive, down from 40,000 who were alive when communism was overthrown in 1989.

^ This shows the importance for former Communist countries to take a stand quickly and bring the people who murdered and committed crimes under their dictatorships. The statistic that back in 1989 (24 years ago) there were 40,000 surviving prisoners and now there are only 3,500 left. Also, Ficior saying that "only" 3-4 people died under is command and that was ok is stupid. The only way it would be ok is if those people died by natural causes. It is along the same lines of my post on the daughter of the Commander of Auschwitz saying that her died "only" killed thousands - not millions - of people. Hopefully, the Government of Romania (and other countries that made up the Iron Curtain) will start taking their Communist pasts seriously and start trying to make things right to the victims and their families. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/18/romania-labor-camp-deaths/2830513/

Nyet Discrimination

From USA Today:
"Putin says no discrimination of gays in Russia"

President Vladimir Putin has denied gays face discrimination in Russia, saying that a new law that has drawn protests worldwide does not infringe on their rights. Putin on Thursday insisted the law bans only "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors." He argues that it is "no infringement on the rights of sexual minorities." The law has prompted calls for boycotts of the 2014 Winter Olympics hosted by Russia in Sochi. Putin says while some European nations have allowed gay marriages, "the Europeans are dying out … and gay marriages don't produce children." He added that heterosexual couples should have more children to reverse a population decline, saying "let us make our own choice, as we see it for our country." Putin also said Thursday, that he could run for a fourth presidential term in 2018. If he serves four terms, that would keep him in power for about a quarter century and make him the nation's longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin. Putin, who served two consecutive four-year terms starting in 2000, became prime minister in 2008 to observe a constitutional limit of two consecutive terms. Putin continued calling the shots as premier with his longtime ally, Dmitry Medvedev, serving as a placeholder. Medvedev initiated a law that extended the presidential term to six years, and Putin won a third term in 2012 despite major public protests in Moscow against his rule.

^ On the one hand I understand that every country has a right to make its own laws regardless of what other places say, but then again when those laws are made to harass people doing something that is legal is another story. During Soviet times homosexuality was illegal and a law like this one would make "sense" here as it follows a legal trend, but to say homosexuality is legal in Russia and yet you can't be gay doesn't make sense. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/19/putin-russia-president-term/2837645/

School Absence

From USA Today:

"States tackle chronic absence in schools"

School attendance is about more than figuring out who is playing hooky. Until recently, schools mostly looked at the student body's overall attendance rate and the truancy—or unexcused absences—of individual students. Now a growing number of states and school districts are increasing their focus on students who are "chronically absent" from school—whether the absences are excused or unexcused. States have different definitions of chronic absence, but it is often defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year for any reason. Chronic absence is a key indicator for problems such as dropping out and lower academic achievement, according to recent research, so educators are hoping to identify students early enough to intervene. "When it comes to instructional time, a day missed is a day missed," said Hedy Chang, the director of Attendance Works, a national and state initiative promoting awareness of chronic absence. "If you're not there, you can't benefit from instruction." A school's average daily attendance, which is often reported to states and the federal government for funding or accountability reasons, says nothing about the attendance record of individual students. In a school with an average daily attendance of 90 percent, for example, 40 percent of students could be chronically absent. A study last year by Robert Balfanz and Vaughan Byrnes at Johns Hopkins University's School of Education estimated that 10 percent to 15 percent of U.S. students, or between 5 million and 7.5 million of them, are chronically absent. The impact of chronic absence is significant. Research has shown, for example, that chronic absence in kindergarten is associated with lower academic performance in first grade; students who were chronically absent in Pre-K and kindergarten in Baltimore were more often absent in later grades and more likely to repeat a grade; and in Georgia, a 3 percent improvement in attendance, or five more days, would have led more than 55,000 students to pass standardized tests. Advocates note that all the school reform in the world won't help students who aren't in school.

According to a policy brief to be released Monday by Attendance Works:

• In Utah, 13.5 percent of students statewide were chronically absent, according to a 2012 analysis. Students who were chronically absent any year between eighth and twelfth grades were 7.4 times more likely to drop out of high school.

• In Oregon, more than 20 percent of students were chronically absent.

• In Indiana, chronic absence correlates to lower test scores and higher dropout rates for students at all income levels.

Among the states that are taking action to identify and address chronic absence:

• In California, State Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson hosted a forum in May to encourage agencies to work together to fight chronic absence. Also this year, the state enacted a new school funding formula which will require every school district to monitor its chronic absence rate.

• In Hawaii, each school is required to set targets for reducing chronic absenteeism as part of its annual academic plans. The state has a data system, updated nightly, that can tell school officials which students have missed more than five percent of school days.

• In Maryland, which has tracked chronic absence longer than any other state, the public can view rates of chronic absence, average daily attendance and good attendance at every public school on the state's report card web site. In the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers adopted a law requiring school districts to intervene when a student misses 10 percent or more of school days for unexcused reasons.

• Massachusetts and Virginia monitor chronic absence as part of their early warning systems, which track a variety of metrics and alert officials when a student might be at risk of not graduating.

In addition to the states mentioned above, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island are also cited in the study as taking steps to address chronic absence.

Individual school districts across the country also have tackled chronic absence, many quite successfully. In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg convened an Interagency Task Force on Truancy, Chronic Absenteeism and School Engagement, which has launched a wide-ranging campaign to get children to school, including wake-up calls from celebrities, mentors to encourage and help students to attend school daily, and attendance meetings where teams of administrators and community partners work to boost attendance. In Baltimore, a 2008 study found that 17 percent of elementary school students, 34 percent of middle school students and 44 percent of high school students were missing at least 20 days of school. In response, city and school officials convened parents, students, and representatives from city and state agencies, universities and nonprofits to combat the problem. Despite the progress across the country, most states still do not collect statistics on chronic absence.

^ I didn't miss that much school as a whole. usually it was just gym class. Schools and states don't seem to have a good overall policy for monitoring students. I know some places that give you at-home suspension when you skip school. That is as dumb as it gets. How is it a punishment to keep students at home for them staying at home? They should get in-school suspension. Also, may states and school districts punish the parents when their kids don't go to school. I can understand when it is little kids in elementary and middle schools, but those in high schools are mostly adults (or think they are) and even if the parents walk their kids to their homeroom the kids can still leave the building. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/16/stateline-school-absences/2821959/

N. Ireland Remembers US

From the BBC:
"Lisnabreeny cemetery tribute to fallen US servicemen "

A new monument commemorating American servicemen who died and were buried in Northern Ireland during World War II is to be officially unveiled on Saturday. It has been erected in the hills overlooking Belfast, at the former Lisnabreeny American military cemetery. The site was used as a temporary burial ground for 148 US servicemen between 1943 and 1948. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and either repatriated or transferred to a permanent war cemetery in England. The fallen servicemen included personnel from the US army and US navy, but the majority were members of the army air force.  At the time, their American families were consulted before their loved ones' remains were taken to their final resting place. When the exhumations were completed in 1948, the cemetery, on Rocky Road in the Castlereagh hills, was deactivated. However, more than 60 years on from the end of the war, the local government authority wanted to create a lasting tribute to the American men who lost their lives thousands of miles from home. Castlereagh Borough Council got involved in an extensive renovation project at Lisnabreeny a number of years ago.  The council commissioned a granite monument, engraved with the names and ranks of all 148 servicemen who were once interred at the cemetery. The mayor of Castlereagh, Councillor David Drysdale said the sculpture would "provide an opportunity for the people of Castlereagh to visit the site for generations to come and learn more about these brave servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom today". Mr Drysdale will lead a parade and wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday, to mark the official opening and dedication of the monument. Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, representatives from the US and UK armed forces, members of the Royal British Legion and the National Trust are also expected to attend the event. There are also plans for a fly-past tribute by a B-17 bomber, the Sally B.  Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the acting American Consul General, Gabrielle Moseley said: "We are very grateful to Castlereagh Borough Council for acknowledging the legacy of US military personnel who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the allied war effort.  "The recent restoration of the cemetery underpins our shared history and special ties of kinship, and we appreciate those involved in the ceremony." Air Vice Marshall David Niven has been invited to lay a wreath on behalf of all three armed services at the commemoration event. Mr Niven said: "They came from the United States to fight alongside us, in our hour of need, when the rest of Europe had been over-run by the Nazi war machine.  "The sacrifice of our American allies, commemorated in granite, and standing proud in the rolling Castlereagh hills, shall never be forgotten." Thousands of US troops were stationed in Northern Ireland during World War II, following a defence agreement between the British and American governments in December 1941.

 

^ It is always good for a country to recognize and remember the sacrifices of those that died to protect you -  especially when they were away from home. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24085462

DC Victims

From USA Today: 

"Seven of 12 Washington Navy Yard victims identified"

Officials have identified seven of the 12 victims in Monday's fatal shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard. They are, according to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department: Michael Arnold, 59; Sylvia Frasier, 53; Kathy Gaarde, 62; John Roger Johnson, 73; Frank Kohler, 50; Kenneth Bernard Proctor, 46; and Vishnu Pandit, 61. Details about their lives are beginning to emerge. None of the victims have been identified as active-duty military personnel, officials said. Officials still need to notify the loved ones of the five remaining victims.  An additional victim was identified by the Washington Post as Arthur Daniels, 51. Michael Arnold's profile on LinkedIn, an online professional network, identified Arnold as a logistician and supply chain executive with LMI, a consulting firm based in McLean, Va., and said he was a graduate of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. For 29 years, Arnold, recently of Lorton, Va., was a Navy supply corps officer before working at the Pentagon from 2010 to 2012, according to the profile. His uncle, Steven Hunter, told the Associated Press that his nephew was an avid pilot who was building a light airplane at his home. "It would have been the first plane he ever owned," Hunter told the AP in a telephone interview from Rochester, Mich., Arnold's hometown. "It's partially assembled in his basement."

According to the AP, citing a LinkedIn profile in her name, Sylvia Frasier had worked at Naval Sea Systems Command as an information assurance manager since 2000. Frasier studied at Strayer University, earning a bachelor of science in computer information systems in 2000 and a master's in information systems in 2002. Her duties at NAVSEA included providing policy and guidance on network security, and assuring that all computer systems operated by the headquarters met Department of Navy and Department of Defense requirements.  Kathy Gaarde, a financial analyst from Woodbridge, Va, was a Washington Capitals fan, and devoted wife and mother of two, neighbor and friend Patrick Bolton told the Post. "The mother was just the kindest lady in the world," Bolton told the news organization. "I've never seen her do anything but nice things for people." Gaarde's husband, Douglass, wrote an email to the AP early Tuesday. "Today my life partner of 42 years (38 of them married) was taken from me, my grown son and daughter, and friends," he wrote. "We were just starting to plan our retirement activities and now none of that matters. It hasn't fully sunk in yet but I know I already dearly miss her." No information was immediately available for John Roger Johnson. A neighbor of Frank Kohler's in St. Mary's County, Md., on the Chesapeake Bay, told the Post Kohler was married with two daughters. Kenneth Proctor worked as a civilian utilities foreman at the Navy Yard, his ex-wife, Evelyn Proctor, told the AP. He spent 22 years working for the federal government, Evelyn Proctor said. "He just went in there in the morning for breakfast," she told the AP, speaking Monday of the building where the shooting took place. "He didn't even work in the building. It was a routine thing for him to go there in the morning for breakfast, and unfortunately it happened." Online records identified a Vishnu Pandit in his 60s living in North Potomac, Md. A person who answered the telephone at the address said, "Please tell your colleagues not to call."

Neighbor Mike Honig told the Post that Pandit was "a very nice man with an Irish setter."

^ While people try to figure out why the shooter did what he did the main thing here is to remember the victims. They were innocent men and women whose only crime was being at work. My dad used to work at the Navy Yard in DC and luckily he left. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/16/washington-navy-yard-victims-identified/2824265/

Slave Money

From USA Today:
"Caribbean gathering focuses on slavery reparations"

Politicians, lawyers and academics gathered Monday in St. Vincent & the Grenadines to advance an effort by more than a dozen regional nations to seek slavery reparations from three European countries that benefited from the Atlantic slave trade. The three-day conference is the first major step forward since the Caribbean Community announced in July that it intended to demand compensation for slavery and the genocide of native peoples from the governments of Britain, France and the Netherlands. Representatives from all the member nations and territories of Caricom, as the group is known, are attending the gathering. St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who is leading the effort trying to force the region's former colonial powers to pay reparations, said the matter is a "fundamental, defining matter of our age." "The European nations which engaged in conquest, settlement, genocide and slavery in our Caribbean must provide the reparatory resources required to repair the contemporary legacy of their historic wrongs," said Gonsalves, who takes over the rotating leadership of Caricom at the start of 2014. Gonsalves and other Caribbean officials say coming up with a financial estimate for reparations is critical for coming to terms with the lingering legacy of slavery in the region. Historians and economists will assist in the process. There has been no monetary figure mentioned yet, but the St. Vincent prime minister said reparations must "bear a close relationship to what was illegally or wrongly extracted and exploited ... from the Caribbean by the European colonialists, including the compensation paid to the slave owners at the time of the abolition of slavery." At the time of emancipation of slaves in 1834, Britain paid 20 million pounds to British planters in the Caribbean, the equivalent of some 200 billion pounds ($315 billion) today.

The Caribbean governments have brought on the British law firm of Leigh Day, which waged a successful fight for compensation for a group of Kenyans who were tortured by the British colonial government as they fought for the liberation of their country during the so-called Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s and 1960s.

^ This seems like a desperate act from countries that need money for their budgets. I am all for reparations for victims of slavery, war, etc, but only for those that were personally affected (ie 1st or 2nd generation) not when you have to add several "greats" to the ancestor. I think this should be applied in cases of Holocaust victims, Slaves in the Caribbean, the US and elsewhere as well as any other conflict. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/16/caribbean-slavery-reparations/2823267/

Charter Of Values

From the Globe and Mail:
"PQ Charter of Values better received by francophones, poll shows"

The Parti Québécois government’s proposal of a Charter of Values that bans public servants from wearing religious garments has deeply divided Quebeckers but has been better received by francophones and has made the PQ more popular, a new poll shows.According to the Léger Marketing survey, the charter idea has boosted support for the PQ by six points, to 33 per cent, since elements began leaking in August. In the last poll before the charter was in the public debate in June, PQ support was at 27 per cent.  However, the provincial Liberals remained the choice of 36 per cent of decided voters, meaning that an election now would be a toss-up between the two leading parties and could end with another minority government. The poll shows that 43 per cent of respondents supported the charter while 42 per cent were against. However, in the key francophone electorate, the plan had the backing of 49 per cent of respondents while 34 per cent were opposed. Among anglophones, only 15 per cent favoured the charter while 72 per cent were against.

Support for the proposal appeared to have diminished. One criticism of the PQ proposal is that its attempt to remove conspicuous religious signs from the public space stops short of banning some traditional Roman Catholic artifacts such as the crucifix hanging in the Quebec National Assembly. The poll shows that Quebeckers still remain attached to such Christian symbols, which the PQ said should be exempted because they have a “heritage” value. Asked about the crucifix in their legislature, 54 per cent of respondents said they agreed it should remain, and only 38 per cent disagreed.

^ It does seem odd to allow certain religious materials. I think it should just ban headscarves (or anything that blocks the face.) The problem is when people have their faces covered in public. You should be allowed to wear a hat or something that only covers your head along with crosses, stars, etc. ^

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pq-charter-of-values-better-received-by-francophones-poll-shows/article14334035/

Catalan Way

From Wikipedia:

"Catalan Way"

 

The Catalan Way (Catalan: Via Catalana), also known as The Catalan Way towards Independence (Catalan: Via Catalana cap a la Independència), was a 400-kilometre (250 mi) human chain in support of Catalan independence. It was organized by the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC), and took place in Catalonia on 11 September 2013, which is the National Day of Catalonia. Catalonia's Department of the Interior estimated the number of participants at about 1.6 million.The protest was supported by 14 nongovernmental groups. The human chain followed the ancient Via Augusta, from El Pertús (Vallespir) up to Alcanar (Montsià). According to Carme Forcadell, president of the ANC, it was "a symbol of the unity of Catalan people to achieve national sovereignty". Plans for the Catalan Way were presented for the first time on 19 June 2013, at the Museu d'Història de Catalunya; the inspiration for these was the 1989 Baltic Way. On 23 August 1989, the Baltic Way was organized by the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This human chain linked the capitals of the three countries in favour of their independence from the Soviet Union. The three republics became independent in August 1991, after the Moscow coup d'état attempt on 21 August 1991. According to the Baltic Way's manifesto, "A common European home can only be set up if all European nations are granted a free right to self-determination". The presentation included Henn Karits and Ülo Laanoja, two members of the organization which staged the Baltic Way. Three weeks before the event, more than 350,000 people had registered to participate. In total, the organizers mobilized about 1,500 buses and 30,000 volunteers to help organize the event.  The Catalan movement for self-determination defines itself as a peaceful, broad, social movement which does not depend on political parties. Two huge protest marches took place in Barcelona. The first one, in 2010, was attended by around 1 million people; the second, in 2012, by around 1.5 million, making it one of the largest to ever take place in Europe. There have also been many civil society campaigns: despite legal restrictions, 890,000 citizens participated in unofficial referendums held in towns throughout Catalonia. Local town halls have passed resolutions in favour of independence: currently 671 have done so (70.9% of the total). Together, these protests have changed the political landscape in Catalonia. Following the Catalan elections in November 2012, the Spanish media made much of the fact that the ruling party lost votes and seats. But the key issue was whether a referendum on independence should be held. And with a record level of participation of 70%, parties supporting a referendum (irrespective of whether they would vote for independence or for federal reform) won 74% of the vote. Parties against it won 20%. In March 2013, a resolution calling on the Catalan Government to negotiate with the Spanish Government in order to hold a referendum was supported by 77% of the MPs in the Catalan Parliament. As for support for independence itself, the polls have shown consistent results since summer 2012. For example, a survey by the Catalan Agency for Public Opinion (Centre d'Estudis d'Opinió), published in June 2013, found 55.6% of respondents would vote "yes" if a referendum was held tomorrow; 23.4% would vote "no"; 15.3% would not vote; and the rest were undecided.

 

In Catalonia:

The human chain followed the old Via Augusta, crossing the following 86 towns and municipalities (sorted from North to South): El Pertús, la Jonquera, Pont de Molins, Figueres, Santa Llogaia d'Àlguema, Bàscara, Orriols, Sarrià de Ter, Sant Julià de Ramis, Girona, Fornells de la Selva, Riudellots de la Selva, Tordera, Pineda de Mar, Calella, Sant Pol de Mar, Canet de Mar, Arenys de Mar, Caldes d'Estrac, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Mataró, Vilassar de Mar, Premià de Mar, El Masnou, Montgat, Badalona, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Barcelona, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Molins de Rei, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Cervelló, Vallirana, Ordal, Cantallops, Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues, Olèrdola, Vilafranca del Penedès, Santa Margarida i els Monjos, la Ràpita, l'Arboç, Castellet i la Gornal, Bellvei, el Vendrell, Roda de Berà, Creixell, Clarà, Torredembarra, Altafulla, Tarragona, Reus, Riudoms, Montbrió del Camp, Mont-roig del Camp, l'Hospitalet de l'Infant, l'Ametlla de Mar, El Perelló, l'Ampolla, Camarles, l'Aldea, Amposta, Sant Carles de la Ràpita and Alcanar.  In Barcelona, the path ran along several main streets, such as avinguda Diagonal, plaça de Sant Jaume and Eixample.

Branches out of Catalonia:

Two extensions of the Catalan Way, one up to el Voló, France, and the other one down to Vinaròs, Comunitat Valenciana, were made. The Northern Catalonia ANC territorial assembly was responsible to extend the Catalan Way from Pertús to el Voló, and several civic and political Valencian organizations, coordinated by Acció Cultural del País Valencià, prepared an extension from Vinaròs.

International Catalan Way:

The Foreign Assemblies of the ANC organized more than 116 Catalan Ways carried out mainly between 1 August and 11 September 2013 in major cities around the world "to support the democratic independence process of Catalonia". More than 8,000 Catalans and supporters of Catalonia's independence participated in the International Catalan Way.

• Americas: Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal (Canada), Atlanta, Boston, Boulder, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Independence, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC (United States), Guadalajara, Mexico DF, Puebla and Tulum (Mexico), Managua (Nicaragua), Panama City (Panama), San José (Costa Rica), Asunción (Paraguay), Bogotá and Medellín (Colombia), Buenos Aires, Castelar, Còrdoba, Paranà and Rosario (Argentina), Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Brasil), Lima (Peru), Montevideo (Uruguay), Quito (Ecuador) and Santiago de Chile (Chile).

• Europe: Athens (Greece), Bergen, Oslo and Trondheim (Norway), Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Koeln, Mannheim and München (Germany), Brussels (Belgium), Budapest (Hungary), Copenhagen (Denmark), Cork and Dublin (Ireland), Den Haag (Netherlands), Dubrovnik and Zadar (Croatia), Geneve, Lausanne and Zurich (Switzerland), Gothenburg and Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), Lisbon (Portugal), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Edinburgh, London and Manchester (United Kingdom), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Paris, Paris-Eurodisney and Toulouse (France), Praha (Czech Republic), Reykjavík (Iceland), Alghero, Rome and Venice (Italy), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Szczecin (Poland) and Vienna (Austria).

• Africa: Johannesburg (South Africa), Mbour (Senegal) and Serekunda (Gambia).

• Asia: Doha (Qatar), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Jerusalem (Israel), Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang (China), Everest and Pokhara (Nepal), Seoul (South Korea) and Tokyo (Japan).

• Oceania: Auckland and Wellington (New Zealand), Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney (Australia)

 

 

Reactions against:

Initially, 12-O Moviment Cívic called for a demonstration in the Sagrada Família square to circle around this monument, show their support for the "unity of Spain" and "break the pro-independence chain". However, the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Catalonia ruled that this demonstration could not be at the same time of the human chain, both in time and in place, for security reasons.  This, together with the limited support of the unionist political parties, led the organizers to call off the event and invited unionist catholics to go to the Temple to pray and postponed an answer to the Catalan Way on 12 October, the Fiesta Nacional de España.

Fifteen far-right people with with pre-constitutional, Falange, National Alliance flags assaulted the official ceremony of the Catalan National Day in the Catalan Government Centre in Madrid. They attacked those present, including the MP Josep Sánchez i Llibre, caused damage to furniture and threw pepper spray, shouting "We deceived us, Catalonia is Spain".  Medical services looked after to a person with mental breakdown, another for bruise, and the other for eye irritation.

Political consequences:

The Catalan National Assembly claimed that the day after the Catalan Way the Catalan government should set the date and the question of self-determination referendum in Catalonia, that "should be able to answer with a yes or no".  The Minister of the Presidency and spokesman of the Government of Catalonia Francesc Homs said the day after the Catalan way that "before the end of the year there should be a date and a question". The Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, said the day after that the executive had an obligation "to listen to all Spaniards", both "the people coming out" and the "silent majority" that "stay at home", who also "entitled" to ensure "for their freedoms and their views". For its part, the Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel García-Margallo, admitted that the Catalan Way was a "success of call, organization, logistics and communication", although he said that Spain would never accept a referendum agreed with Catalonia. European Commission spokesmen showed "great respect" for the Catalan Way and said they were "aware of its importance", although they recalled that the EU executive "can not interfere" in the internal affairs of member states.  Latvia's PM Valdis Dombrovskis said it would recognize Catalonia as independent state if declared in a legitimate process. Mr. Dombrovskis said: "If there is a clear will of the people and need for a referendum, we need to take that into account and seek means to make it real" [...] "Provided there is legitimacy of the process, I would say, theoretically, why not?".  Spanish government reacted asking to call the Latvian ambassador in Madrid to explain the prime minister's statements.

 

   ^ I do not see any reason why places like: Catalonia, Quebec, Scotland, etc) shouldn't be allowed to be independent if the people there vote for it. I do understand that in the case of Catalonia it is a rich area of Spain that sends most of its money to Madrid who in return sends it to poorer Spanish provinces. The same thing is done with Quebec - they send their money to Ottawa who sends it to poorer provinces. If these places think they can sustain themselves on their own then they should be allowed to. I have the feeling that many places would run back to their former status quickly. With regards to the Catalan Way I see it is an important event (more important than when the Baltic Way was held in the USSR since the Soviet officials could and did censor the demonstration.) I have many relatives in Catalonia and know that several participated in the Catalan Way. They want to become an independent country which they see as a way to make sure the anti-Catalan laws under Franco and the Spanish Government's poor handling of its economy and budgets will never affect them again. I am curious to see if Catalonia will hold an independence vote and if the people there vote with a majority to leave Spain if the Spanish Government and Monarchy will allow it. ^

     

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_Way

Zero Hour: Chernobyl

I just finished watching this program on TV which gives the most accurate account of what happened at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986. Chernobyl (called the Vladimir I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station - Чернобыльская АЭС им. В.И.Ленина - in Soviet times) was seen as the most modern Soviet nuclear power plant and yet, like most things done in the USSR, it was poorly constructed and quickly opened so the Communist Party members would praise everyone involved with bonuses. You would think that despite all the shortages in the Soviet Union an important place like a nuclear power plant would get only the best, but it didn't. On top of the poor construction the workers were doing a test that night under the arrogance of Anatoly Stepanovich Dyatlov (Анатолий Степанович Дятлов.) In 1987, he was found guilty "for criminal mismanagement of potentially explosive enterprises" and was sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in five years. The Soviet authorities that decided to try and cover-up the explosion from both the Soviet people and the rest of the world are also at fault. The USSR only announced there was a problem when countries in Europe started to complain about the radioactive material entering their airspace  two days after the explosion(and then the Soviets evacuated the plant town of Pripyat.) Even with fault placed on shoddy construction and poor management of some of the workers there were hundreds of heroic Soviet people (from firefighters, police, the army and ordinary citizens) that put their lives at risk to clean-up the plant and help stop the radioactive material from spreading even more - most did so without any protective clothing and would suffer and die from exposure.

I was living in West Germany at the time and was too young to remember anything, but my parents told me that they were put on a plane ready to take off (probably for the US) but in the end they were told to go back home and stay indoors - apparently, the US Government didn't want to upset their German "friends" by evacuating. That just goes to show you that when push comes to shove you can not count on anyone (even the Government) to help you. It is up to you to save yourself.

I went to Kiev a few years ago and wanted to take a tour of Chernobyl, but in the end decided against it as it still seems very unsafe. Apparently, the tours have since been stopped because it is so dangerous there.

What this TV program and my knowledge of the USSR shows is that that only lasting thing the Soviet Union gave the world was Chernobyl and that is pretty pathetic for a country that lasted 74 years.

John Rabe (2009)

This is a German, Chinese and French movie about the German, John Rabe, who helped save over 200,000 Chinese when the Japanese attacked and occupied Nanjing in 1937 (also known as the Rape of Nanjing.) Ulrich Tukur plays John Rabe who is considered the Oskar Schindler of Nanjing. Daniel Bruehl plays Dr. Georg Rosen who worked at the German Embassy in China until the Nazis forced him out because he was Jewish and whom also helped Rabe set up the "Safety Zone." While Rabe was a member of the Nazi Party he had lived in China working for a German company (Siemens)  since around the time of the First World War. He was being recalled back to Germany when the Japanese attacked and he decided to stay and help save his workers (first) and then as many of the other Chinese as he could. Rabe was the leader of the International Committee of foreigners (mostly because as a German the Japanese would consider him an ally as Germany and Japan were friends) and still left in Nanjing (after the diplomats, etc fled) that created the Safety Zone and tried to get the Japanese to acknowledge its boundaries and to stop their massacring. What many people do not know is that the Japanese went into Nanjing (and other Chinese cities) with no regard to international law. They murdered innocent men, women and children, they mutilated the bodies (ie chopping off their heads) and they raped girls and women at their leisure. Rabe and his Committee couldn't stop the majority of the Japanese atrocities, but they did manage to save and feed over 200,000 people in their Safety Zone. In the end, the diplomats came back to Nanjing and the Japanese were forced to stop their butchering. The Committee was dissolved and Rabe was forced back to Germany (where he was questioned by the Gestapo and had a rough life both during World War 2 and after it until he died in 1950. His story was not well-known because the Allies refused to de-Natzify him even though he stopped being a Nazi in the 1930s after leaving China (by the way Oskar Schindler was also a member of the Nazi Party from 1939-1945.) It was people like John Rabe, Georg Rosen and other foreigners who willingly stayed in Nanjing when they could have left and helped the Chinese when no one else would. The Rape of Nanjing is one of the many Japanese war crimes that the current Japanese Government and others refuse to admit. We would never stand for a German Government to refuse any of their war crimes and so I do not understand why we allowed, and continue to allow, the Japanese to do the same. This is a good movie about real events that most have never heard of and for that reason alone people need to see it.

Exchange Problems

From Yahoo:
"Exchanges create confusion for Medicare recipients"

Dear seniors, your Medicare benefits aren't changing under the Affordable Care Act. That's the message federal health officials are trying to get out to some older consumers confused by overlapping enrollment periods for Medicare and so-called "Obamacare." Medicare beneficiaries don't have to do anything differently and will continue to go to Medicare.gov to sign up for plans. But advocates say many have been confused by a massive media blitz directing consumers to new online insurance exchanges set up as part of the federal health law. Many of the same insurance companies are offering coverage for Medicare and the exchanges. Medicare open enrollment starts Oct. 15 and closes Dec. 7, while enrollment for the new state exchanges for people 65 and under launches Oct. 1 and runs through March. Next month, roughly 50 million Medicare beneficiaries will get a handbook in the mail with a prominent Q&A that stresses Medicare benefits aren't changing. Federal health officials have also updated their training for Medicare counselors, and are prepping their Medicare call center and website. Jodi Reid, executive director of the California Alliance for Retired Americans, worries there hasn't been enough outreach to seniors and that advocacy groups are spending the bulk of their advertising funds targeting those impacted by the exchange. Her organization, which represents nearly 1 million seniors in California, is putting together a one-page fact sheet to help dispel myths. "Nothing has been done that I have seen to deal with the 4.4 million people in California who are on Medicare who are not going to be impacted the same way as the rest of us so it's causing a lot of confusion," she said.  AARP officials said they anticipate a spike in calls after the October launch date for the new state exchanges. To help clarify everything for seniors, the organization is holding various events around the country, such as a senior day next month at the state fair in Columbia, S.C. Next month, the group is also hosting 21 telephone town halls, which will include hundreds of thousands of phone calls to seniors.

^ This confusion of the medical exchanges is just one major problem with Obamacare. Apparently, no one has a clear idea of what will and will not change and if it does change when that will take place. People from Obama and his minions to receptionists in doctors offices and pharmacy workers have no clear understanding of what Obamacare and its provisions. One thing I do know is that we are paying several hundred more dollars for medicine now then we did in the past thanks to Obamacare. I only hope that once the main provisions (ie the health exchanges) takes effect in January 2014 and starts hurting people ordinary Americans will finally wake up and see just how poorly designed and implemented Obamacare is and will demand change (regardless of what ruling the Supreme Court made.) ^

http://news.yahoo.com/exchanges-create-confusion-medicare-recipients-183125663.html

CO Recall

From Yahoo:
"2 Colo. lawmakers ousted in gun control recalls"

Two Democratic state lawmakers who backed tighter gun laws in the aftermath of mass shootings have been kicked out of office in a recall election promoted by both grassroots activists and the National Rifle Association. Senate President John Morse lost by just 343 votes Tuesday in a swing district in the Republican stronghold of Colorado Springs but Sen. Angela Giron lost by a bigger margin in a largely blue-collar district that favors Democrats. The NRA said the election sent a clear message to lawmakers that they should protect gun rights and be accountable to their constituents, not to "anti-gun billionaires" — a swipe against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who supported Giron and Morse. Democrats will still maintain control of the state Legislature and the laws are expected to remain in place. However, Republicans hope to build on the wins in next year's elections, when they'll try to unseat Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who signed the gun legislation.

"It's a shot across the bow to prove that Colorado isn't a colony of Michael Bloomberg or John Hickenlooper. We are a people who believe in personal freedom, including the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms," potential Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo said Wednesday.

Hickenlooper, who kept a low profile during the campaign, said he was disappointed in the election's results. Angered by new limits on ammunition magazines and expanded background checks, gun-rights activists tried to recall a total of four lawmakers but only succeeded in launching efforts against Morse and Giron. It was the first for state legislators since Colorado adopted the procedure in 1912.

The recalls were seen as the latest chapter in the national debate over gun rights — and, for some, a warning to lawmakers in swing states who might contemplate gun restrictions in the future. But the vote also exposed divisions between the growing urban and suburban areas and more rural areas in a state where support for guns hasn't really been a partisan issue. Dozens of elected county sheriffs have sued to block the gun laws and some activists are promoting a largely symbolic measure to secede from the state. The gun control debate was one of the most emotionally charged of Colorado's legislative session this year. President Barack Obama added to the attention on the Colorado Statehouse as his administration unsuccessfully pushed Congress to enact similar gun controls.

^ It's good to see that democracy can work. If the ordinary people do not like what their elected leaders are doing then they have a right to vote for change. The people of Colorado should their disapproval of both these politicians as well as the new gun laws by casting their vote. I only hope the same can be done in other states with a whole range of issues (ie gay marriage, gun control, Obamacare, etc.) ^

http://news.yahoo.com/2-colo-lawmakers-ousted-gun-control-recalls-065302400.html