Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thatcher Funeral

From Yahoo:
"Britain bids farewell to Iron Lady at grand funeral"

Britain gave Margaret Thatcher its grandest political funeral in half a century on Wednesday as her flag-draped coffin was borne through central London on a horse-drawn gun carriage, though a few boos were a reminder of her divisive rule and legacy. In an event comparable to Winston Churchill's funeral in 1965, the Queen joined top British and foreign politicians past and present to pay her final respects to the "Iron Lady" who - for better or for ill - transformed the country. Thousands of supporters lined the streets of London as Thatcher's casket made its final journey from the centre of British political power in Westminster to St Paul's Cathedral. Honoured with a gun salute from the Tower of London every minute and the silencing of the bells of Big Ben, military bandsmen played Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin. More than 700 military personnel and thousands of police provided security.Thatcher, who ruled Britain from 1979-1990, died after suffering a stroke on April 8. She was the country's first and only woman premier, its longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, and won three consecutive general elections. As a bell mournfully tolled, a party of soldiers and sailors carried her casket on their shoulders into St Paul's Cathedral. Beneath its giant painted dome - the same place where Horatio Nelson's funeral was held and Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married - more than 2,000 mourners then heard a sombre service filled with hymns and reflective readings. "After the storm of a life lived in the heat of political controversy, there is a great calm," the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, told mourners. "There is an important place for debating policies and legacy ... but here and today is neither the time nor the place."
In death, as in life, Thatcher polarises opinion. While the vast majority of onlookers clapped her cortege as a mark of respect and threw blue roses into its path, some chanted "Ding dong the witch is dead" and about two dozen opponents turned their backs on the procession. The Bishop of London brought smiles to the faces of former leader Tony Blair, Prime Minister David Cameron's wife Samantha and other mourners when he recounted a story about her telling him not to eat duck pate because it was fattening. Cameron and Amanda, Thatcher's 19-year-old granddaughter, read from the New Testament while patriotic hymns echoed around the imposing 300-year-old cathedral.
Two heads of state, 11 serving prime ministers and 17 foreign ministers looked on. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger also attended. The music included Thatcher's favourite hymns, among them "I Vow to Thee My Country". British military bandsmen played Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin to accompany the grandest funeral for a British politician since that of Thatcher's hero, Churchill, in 1965. Polls have shown that many Britons are unhappy that the estimated 10-million-pound ($15 million) bill for the ceremonial funeral is being picked up by the taxpayer at a time of austerity and spending cuts. But Cameron dismissed such criticism. "She was the first woman prime minister, she served for longer in the job than anyone for 150 years, she achieved some extraordinary things in her life," Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, said. "What is happening today is absolutely fitting and right," the prime minister added.
         
^ Whether you like what Margaret Thatcher did while Prime Minister or not there should never be protests at a funeral. If you do not like that someone did while they were alive then you can protest by NOT attending the funeral. I'm glad that the protesters did not ruin the funeral as they had tried to do. Thatcher, like Reagan, will be placed in history for standing firm on her convictions and helping to end the Cold War.    ^
             
        
http://news.yahoo.com/britain-stages-grand-funeral-iron-lady-margaret-thatcher

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

NZ Marriage

From USA Today:
"New Zealand lawmakers approve gay-marriage bill"

Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated at New Zealand's Parliament as the country become the thirteenth in the world and the first in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. Lawmakers voted 77 to 44 Wednesday night in favor of the gay-marriage bill. People watching from the public gallery immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing a New Zealand anthem in the indigenous Maori language. Leaders of most political parties encouraged lawmakers to vote as their consciences dictated rather than along party lines. Same-sex marriage is currently recognized in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and Denmark. Lawmakers in Uruguay approved a law last week that President Jose Mujica is expected to sign.

^ Nice job New Zealand. Hopefully more countries will continue the trend. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/04/17/new-zealand-gay-marriage/2089857/

Monday, April 15, 2013

Boston Bombs

From Yahoo:
"At least three dead, 130 injured after bombs explode at Boston Marathon"

At least 130 people are injured and three dead after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon. The injuries include dismemberment, witnesses said, and local hospitals say they are treating shrapnel wounds, open fractures and limb injuries. An eight-year-old boy is one of the three known dead, multiple news outlets reported, and several of the injured are also children. At a Monday night press conference, Gov. Deval Patrick urged Bostonians to be vigilant on their morning commute Tuesday, and to report any suspicious packages to the police. The FBI has officially taken over the investigation, and is treating it as a potential terrorist attack. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis stressed that the police had no suspect in custody yet. "I'm not prepared to say we are at ease at this time," Davis said, when asked if the area was safe. Authorities found and dismantled five more more explosive devices in the area, according to The Wall Street Journal. "This cowardly act will not be taken in stride," Davis said. "We will turn over every rock to find out who is responsible.'' Davis said Boston police were not aware of any specific threat to the marathon before it began. Police said they had no one in custody and no suspects, but the Boston Globe reported that a "person of interest" who was injured in the blast was being questioned at Brigham and Woman's Hospital Monday night. Two large explosions, just 50 yards apart, went off at 2:50 p.m. ET, more than four hours into the race. One of the explosions happened near the entrance of the Fairmont Copley Hotel in Copley Square. The blast scattered hundreds of onlookers and runners, and left a bloody scene of injured spectators, including children. Local news reporter Jackie Bruno wrote that she saw some people with their limbs blown off. The Boston Police Department said it is looking for video footage taken from the finish line as part of its investigation. Video footage shows first responders and bystanders rushing to the scene of the blast to help the wounded. Boston Medical Center took in 20 patients, including two children, most of whom are being treated for "lower leg injuries," a spokeswoman said. A spokeswoman for Tufts Medical Center said the hospital is treating nine patients for conditions such as shrapnel wounds, ruptured ear drums, and "serious orthopedic and neuromuscular trauma to the lower legs." At least one patient was as young as three years old.
President Barack Obama warned Americans in a brief statement Monday evening not to jump to conclusions before authorities find out who committed the crime. "We will find out who did this," Obama said in an appearance in the White House briefing room. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice." A White House official said the incident is being treated as an act of terror. NBC News, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, reported Monday that a "small homemade bomb" is believed to be responsible for the explosion. The FAA created a no-fly zone around the area. Cell phone service was shut down in the area, the AP reported, to prevent any remote detonations. Family and friends of marathon runners or spectators can call 617-635-4500 for information on their loved ones. The New York Police Department is stepping up security around the city in response to the explosion. At the White House, yellow police tape was used to block off Pennsylvania Avenue from pedestrians in front of the White House's north gates and secret service were positioned along the perimeter. Credentialed pass holders continued to be permitted entry and exit from both the White House and the Executive Office Building.

^ I came home today and saw the Special Reports on TV. Then I checked my e-mails and had many e-mails and messages from friends around the world asking if I was ok. I posted a message on Facebook that I was no where near Boston today (not even in Massachusetts.) People's concern for me was touching. While I was not in Boston I do have several friends that live and work there and so checked on them. Luckily, it was a holiday in MA (Patriots' Day) and so they either worked from home or stayed home for the day. What happened in Boston today was disgusting - pure and simple - The only "good" thing about today (if there could be a good thing) is that the majority of the bombs did not go off as they were supposed to an saved people from being hurt or killed. That my be little consideration to those that were hurt and to the families of those killed. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/dozens-people-injured-explosion-boston-marathon-190955311.html

Cheap Citizenship

From the BBC:
"Cyprus to ease citizenship rules for EU bailout losers"

Cyprus is to relax its citizenship rules for foreign investors who lost at least 3m euros (£2.5m) under an EU bailout deal. President Nicos Anastasiades said new measures, mostly affecting the Russian business community, would be approved at a cabinet meeting on Monday. Russians have billions of euros in Cypriot bank deposits. Investors were angered when it emerged they would lose up to 60% of their savings under the terms of the bailout. In order to secure the 10bn euros, agreed by the EU and IMF, Cyprus was forced to wind up one major bank and write-off of a large portion of secured debt and uninsured deposits in the largest bank, Bank of Cyprus. Speaking at a Russian business conference in the coastal resort of Limassol, President Anastasiades said the new measures would "mitigate to some extent the damage" Russian investors had endured. Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004. It sealed an EU bailout last month to save it from bankruptcy. President Anastasiades said foreign investors who held deposits prior to 15 March, and who lost at least 3m euros would be eligible to apply for Cypriot citizenship.  Cyprus's existing "citizenship by investment" programme will also be revised to reduce the amount of investment required to be eligible from 10m euros to 3m. The president said he would also drop requirements for citizenship applicants to keep 15m euros in Cypriot banks for five years, saying they would be allowed immediate access to their money. "These decisions will be deployed in a fast-track manner," President Anastasiades said. The Cypriot economy is worth about 18bn euros, which accounts for less than 0.2% of the eurozone total.

^ I don't think any country should sell their citizenship. It cheapens the country, its culture and traditions. While I don't agree with the bailout program I also don't agree with handing out citizenship. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22147643

Friday, April 12, 2013

NY Nazi Teacher?

From USA Today:
"Teacher's assignment to students: 'Argue that Jews are evil'"

A high school English teacher could face disciplinary action for giving a writing assignment that asked students to make a persuasive argument blaming Jews for the problems of Nazi Germany, Albany school district officials said Friday. School district spokesman Ron Lesko said administrators were discussing what official action the 10th-grade teacher at Albany High School could face for the assignment given to students on Monday. The assignment, first reported Friday by the Albany Times Union, asked students to research Nazi propaganda, then assume their teacher was a Nazi government official who had to be convinced of their loyalty. The assignment told students they "must argue that Jews are evil." A third of the students refused to complete the assignment. Superintendent Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard said she doesn't believe the teacher who handed out the assignment had malicious intent. The purpose of the assignment was to have students make an argument based on limited information, but it should have been worded differently, she said. "I don't believe there was malice or intent to cause any insensitivities to our families of Jewish faith," the superintendent told the newspaper. Vanden Wyngaard scheduled a news conference Friday afternoon at the United Jewish Federation to discuss the controversy. The school district has not named the teacher.Lesko said the assignment was brought to administrators' attention by a parent of one of the students. The teacher's assignment told students they "must argue that Jews are evil, and use solid rationale from government propaganda to convince me of your loyalty to the Third Reich!" Earlier this year, a teacher at Public School 59 in Manhattan caused a controversy by giving fourth-graders a math homework assignment that used scenarios about killing and whipping slaves. The school's principal ordered sensitivity training for the entire staff.

^ This is pretty stupid for any teacher, other than a History or Social Studies teacher, to include in their assignments. It has no place in an English class essay just like killing and whipping slaves has no place in a Math class. Maybe this teacher in Albany (I know many people who went to Albany High as it was near where I graduated from) wanted to make a name for him/her self along the same lines as the teacher (Ron Jones) who inspired the book/movie "The Wave" where he created a class experiment where he brain-washed his students to follow him blindly in order to teach them that what happened in Nazi Germany could happen again and in the US. Even though Jones' experiment went badly (although it did show the students that Nazism/dictatorships could happen in the US it went too far) at least Jones was a World History teacher so the topic fit the subject unlike the English teacher in Albany. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/12/school-nazi-assignment/2077973/

SA's Past And Present

From Yahoo:
"Troubled South Africa debates impact of white rule"

Few South Africans have the moral stature of retired archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who campaigned against apartheid and now laments the crime and inequality that plague the nation two decades after it cast off racist white rule. "We can't pretend we have remained at the same heights and that's why I say please, for goodness' sake, recover the spirit that made us great," Tutu said. "Very simply, we are aware we've become one of the most violent societies. It's not what we were, even under apartheid." This month, South Africa reopened a conversation over the extent to which the legacy of apartheid drives persistent imbalances in services and opportunities. Some argue that current leaders lean on the past to justify squandered chances to improve South Africa and even invoke the specter of apartheid for political gain. The fresh discussion began with reported comments by National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel that South African officials should assume full responsibility for the nation's problems and resist the temptation to continually blame apartheid for missteps. Those include a faltering education system, an uneven record on providing basic services and allegations of corruption and cronyism that drain public faith in the government. The African National Congress, in power since the first all-race elections in 1994, has improved housing for many poor people and presides over a society that is immeasurably more tolerant than its predecessor. But the gulf between the wealthier white minority and the millions of blacks who can't find work and live in shacks remains wide. "While wanting to see change happening fast in every corner of the country, we are under no illusion that South Africa will automatically and comprehensively change in only 20 years. That is impossible," President Jacob Zuma said this week. "The legacy of apartheid runs too deep and too far back for the democratic administration to reverse it in so short a period." Zuma has pointed to old inequities, noting white South Africans earn far more than blacks even if political power is now in the hands of elected leaders. Yet South Africa is in "a much better place" than it was under apartheid, and is working toward real unity, devoid of racism and other forms of discrimination, said Zuma, who turned 71 on Friday. But the grim reference point of apartheid is fading among younger voters. The general elections in 2014 will mark the first time that the leading edge of the generation born after apartheid, known as the "born frees," will be eligible to vote. An estimated 3 million young people, or 10 percent of the electorate, with no direct experience of apartheid will be able to vote. A foundation chaired by F.W. de Klerk, the last apartheid-era president who negotiated a power transition with Mandela and later shared a Nobel Peace Prize with him, said in a statement Friday that Zuma's references to apartheid are diverting attention from the need for effective policies. "When President Zuma says that 'we cannot stop blaming those who caused it,' he is playing the very dangerous game of making whites the racial scapegoats for the manifest failures of his own government," de Klerk's foundation said. Tutu made his comments Thursday in a Cape Town ceremony to celebrate his receipt of the 2013 Templeton Prize, a $1.7 million award for spiritual work, the South African Press Association reported. He recalled that South Africa was "flavor of the month" at the time of the 1994 elections, as the world saw voters waiting patiently to cast the first ballots of their lives. White income earners make on average four times as much as blacks, according to a recent study published by the South African Institute of Race Relations, a research center based in Johannesburg. Lucy Holborn, research manager at the institute, said it is possible to assign responsibility for South Africa's problems to both apartheid and the government that came after it. "There are still definitely cleavages within our society that reflect past injustices and are left over from them," she said. At the same time, Holborn said, the "gaps would be much narrower" if the government had built a strong education system and empowered a "broader group of people" rather than seeking change mostly at the top.

^ It has been 19 years since Apartheid ended and while the effects of that discriminating system would surely still be felt (especially on anyone who was 18 or older when it ended in 1994) there should be an uphill swing towards the better for those too young at the time. People who were adults in 1994 had their education and life "planned" by the Apartheid government (whether for good or bad.) But those educated since 1994 should have a better chance in today's South Africa as the post-Apartheid government was supposed to have improved things. So in this respect both the Apartheid and post-Apartheid governments are at fault for the current problems in South Africa. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/troubled-south-africa-debates-impact-white-rule-145730858.

55% No In 2018

From MT:
"Over Half of Russians Want Putin to Quit in 2018, Poll Finds"

More than half of Russians do not want to see President Vladimir Putin stay in office after 2018, according to a new survey. Fifty-five percent of Russians want a completely new president, while 22 percent said they would be satisfied if Putin were re-elected, and 8 percent said they would be happy to see Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev return to the Kremlin, according to the survey by the independent Levada Center. Many Russians appear to simply want to see a new face, and the ideological position of the new president does not bother them, Alexei Grazhdankin, deputy head of the Levada Center, told Vedomosti. Putin said in a television interview in December that he would not remain in office for a "single day" if he saw that he had lost the trust of the Russian people. The Kremlin did not have an immediate comment on the new survey. On Thursday, Putin was chairing a meeting on the forestry industry in the Buryatia republic, near the Mongolian border. He also met with Buddhist monks. Putin is serving his third term since 2000. Unlike the first two four-year terms, this one will last six years under a constitutional amendment approved after he stepped aside for his protege Medvedev in 2008 to avoid violating the Constitution's limit of two consecutive terms.
The poll, conducted in late March, questioned 1,601 people in 45 regions. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

^ This is interesting. I wonder what will happen between now and 2018. It's still a long ways away.^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/over-half-of-russians-want-putin-to-quit-in-2018-poll-finds/478493.html

Rude McD's

From Yahoo:
"McDonald's Tackles Repair of 'Broken' Service"

McDonald's Corp. (MCD), battling back from recent earnings disappointments, is putting unusual emphasis on a longtime challenge: getting its far-flung workforce to provide service with a smile.
The fast-food giant, whose restaurant sales in the U.S. began to slip last year, is pushing franchisees to improve staffing and service amid mounting complaints about rude employees.  In a webcast McDonald's executives held with franchise owners last month, the company said 1 in 5 customer complaints are related to friendliness issues "and it's increasing," according to a slide from the presentation reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The webcast identified the top complaint as "rude or unprofessional employees."  One slide said that complaints about speed of service "have increased significantly over the past six months." Another mentioned that customers find service "chaotic." "Service is broken," said a slide from part of the webcast delivered by Steve Levigne, vice president of business research for McDonald's USA.


^ This is a real problem for McDonald's. I had to file a complaint with the main office after I was verbally abused by a cashier at a McDonald's in Rensselaer, New York (I was there going to NYC for my birthday and the incident happened on my birthday last June.) I wrote about it already under my trips section. People will only stand so much before they go elsewhere. I don't know if I intentionally reduced my trips to McD's because of the above-mentioned incident, but I used to go often and since last June I can count the number of time on one hand. Good customer service is the most important thing for any company and sadly has been going way-down over the years. ^

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-tackles-repair-broken-233000449.html

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Mail 6 Days

From USA Today: 
"Postal service delays plan to end Saturday mail delivery"

The nation will continue to get its Saturday mail through at least Sept. 30, the U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday.The Postal Service backed down from its plan to cut mail delivery starting this summer from six days a week to five, saying Congress had prohibited such a move. A measure passed by Congress last month to fund government operations while the budget remains in limbo included language that barred the U.S. Postal Service from changing its delivery schedule, the Board of Governors of the postal service said in a statement Wednesday. The board said it was "disappointed" with the move by Congress, but would follow the law. The board directed the postal service to delay the start of its new delivery schedule while it seeks authority from Congress to make the change.

^ It seems that Congress put the USPS back in its place. Good for them (Congress.) ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/10/us-postal-service-saturday-delivery/2070407/

Church Russian

From MT:
"Orthodox Church Teams Up With State to Teach Migrants Russian"

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federal Migration Service have joined forces to teach migrants Russian language and culture in what could be an attempt by religious leaders to attract more believers and financing from the state, an analyst said. Migrants are invited to take free lessons in Russian language, culture, history and the basics of migration laws provided by a joint project, Maxim Parshin, head of the joint commission of the church and the migration service, told a news conference in Moscow on Monday, connected through video links to similar events in St. Petersburg, Kazan and Tomsk. A federal law that came into force in December institutes a requirement for migrants to pass a Russian language test to get a job in the communal services and retail sectors. The new project, called "Enlightenment: The Language and Cultural Adaptation of Migrants," started on a trial basis in December in several regions, including Krasnodar in southern Russia and Khabarovsk in the Far East. Migrants will study using a textbook that will appear online in the next one to three weeks, Parshin said. Moscow Patriarchate official Vsevolod Chaplin said the project was "not a missionary one." "At the same time, it is evident that the acquaintance of migrants with the life of the country, with our society, is impossible without getting acquainted with its religious traditions," he told the news conference. "The integration of religious migrants into the life of Russia's traditional religious communities is very important — the Orthodox community, the Muslim community and others," Chaplin said. Last year, then-President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a tender to provide state financing to NGOs that take part in developing civil society institutions, and the joint project of migration and church officials emerged a winner, receiving partial support through a presidential grant. Asked by a reporter whether communities preaching different religions could compete for potential followers, Chaplin said religious communities had so much work to do with migrants that they had no time to think about competition. At the same time, he urged communities of different belief systems to focus on non-religious migrants. "The Orthodox Church, with the support of the Federal Migration Service, is going to convert migrants to Orthodoxy," said Roman Lunkin, an expert on religion at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. By educating migrants, the church also apparently hopes to get more state financing from funds allotted as part of a 2010 law that stipulates support for "socially oriented" nongovernmental groups. About 10.5 million foreigners currently live in Russia, most of them natives of Central Asia, Anatoly Fomenko, deputy head of the Federal Migration Service, told the news conference. According to official data, there are around 3.5 million illegal migrants in Russia. Young migrants often aren't well-versed in Russian language, laws or culture. "All of this, unfortunately, leads to certain negative consequences linked to the violation of the rights of migrants themselves, the criminalization of the migrant sphere, the formation of a shadow labor market, the appearance of xenophobia and interethnic conflicts," Fomenko said.

^ It does seem that the only separation of church and state in Russia deals with the Jewish, Muslim and Catholic religions while the Russian Government seems to praise and give many special opportunities only to the Russian Orthodox Church. As of right now this program is free and voluntary, but if/when it becomes mandatory to take then the Russian people should openly question this "special relationship." ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/orthodox-church-teams-up-with-state-to-teach-migrants-russian/478324.html

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

UN

I just watched "Beyond The Gates" about the Rwandan Genocide and it reminds me just how completely useless the whole United Nations institution really is. If you look at the history of the UN from its founding in 1945 through the present day you will see a record of ineffectiveness. The UN did nothing to stop the Soviet occupations/invasions of: Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Afghanistan (1979) not to mention its tight dictatorships around Eastern Europe. It did nothing to stop the world coming to the brink during the Cold War (the Cuban Missile Crisis.) It did nothing/has done nothing to stop Arab/Muslim attacks/invasions against Israel from the 1940s to the present. It did nothing to stop the Killing Fields of Cambodia. UN "Peacekeepers" stood by and watched innocent people murdered in Bosnia, Croatia, Rwanda and many other places. UN sanctions were useless in stopping Saddam in Iraq or apartheid in South Africa not to mention the current threats in Iran and North Korea. The UN may have seemed good on paper in 1945 (just like Communism) but in practice it has achieved/achieves nothing. It is a smoke-screen that gives people and countries a false sense of accomplishment despite the fact that it accomplishes nothing. The UN has stopped no wars, killings, dictatorships, famines, refugee problems and no major international dispute since 1945. It is merely a bunch of politicians from around the world talking and talking about doing things to better the world. When the UN is actually given a chance to make a difference for the better there are too many factors (ie the member states, the Security Council, etc) that work against the system so nothing could be done even if one tried. The UN should be disbanded since for the past several decades it has been up to individual countries, charities, governmental programs and regional military alliances that have made a difference in trying to ease the suffering of people around the world - not the UN.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Margaret Thatcher

From BBC:
"Ex-Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher dies, aged 87"

Former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher has died "peacefully" at the age of 87 after suffering a stroke while staying at the Ritz hotel in central London. David Cameron called her a "great Briton" and the Queen spoke of her sadness at the death. Lady Thatcher was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the role. She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. The ceremony, with full military honours, will take place at London's St Paul's Cathedral. The union jack above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast while Parliament will be recalled from its Easter recess on Wednesday to enable MPs to pay tributes to the former prime minister.  After cancelling planned talks in Paris with French President Francois Hollande and returning to the UK, Mr Cameron made a statement outside No 10 in which he described Lady Thatcher as "the patriot prime minister" and said she had "taken a country that was on its knees and made it stand tall again". "Margaret Thatcher loved this country and served it with all she had. For that she has her well-earned place in history - and the enduring respect and gratitude of the British people," he said.  Lady Thatcher, who retired from public speaking in 2002, had suffered poor health for several years. She had been staying at the Ritz hotel since being discharged from hospital at the end of last year. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Lady Thatcher - whose husband Denis died in 2003 - had been a controversial politician who inspired "passion" among her critics and supporters. Her government privatised several state-owned industries and was involved in a year-long stand-off with unions during the Miners' Strike of 1984-5. She was also in power when the UK fought a war following Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. Lady Thatcher survived an assassination attempt in 1984, when the IRA bombed the Brighton Grand Hotel, where she was staying for the Conservative Party's annual conference. During her later years in office she became increasingly associated with Euroscepticism. She is also seen as one of the key movers behind the fall of communism in eastern Europe. World leaders and senior UK figures have been paying tribute to Lady Thatcher. US President Barack Obama said the world had "lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty" and that "America has lost a true friend". German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would "never forget her part in surmounting the division of Europe and at the end of the Cold War". Ahead of his return to the UK, Mr Cameron told the BBC: "Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds. The real thing is she didn't just lead our country; she saved our country. "I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister." A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "The Queen was sad to hear the news of the death of Baroness Thatcher. Her Majesty will be sending a private message of sympathy to the family." Lady Thatcher was born Margaret Roberts, the daughter of a shopkeeper and Conservative councillor in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1925. She studied chemistry at Oxford University and worked for a plastics company before marrying businessman Denis Thatcher in 1951. She gave birth to twins Mark and Carol in 1953, the year she also qualified as a barrister, and served as MP for Finchley, north London, from 1959 to 1992. Having been education secretary, she successfully challenged former prime minister Edward Heath for her party's leadership in 1975 and won general elections in 1979, 1983 and 1987.
 
^ Another great person was lost today. While I do not know much of her domestic policies while in office she showed her determination and strong will-power by not only fighting the Argentinians when they invaded the Falkland Islands, but she also worked to help end communism in Eastern Europe. She is the British (and female) equivalent of Ronald Reagan and that is a high compliment. ^


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22067155

Annette Funicello

From USA Today:
"Original Mouseketeer Annette Funicello dies"

Disney's official fan club has just broken the news on Twitter: Annette Funicello has died at age 70.  The actress, singer and beloved Mousketeer had been hospitalized due to complications from multiple sclerosis, according to ExtraThe Disney Fan Club says Funicello died today at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Calif. Her family confirmed to Extra that Funicello died from complications of multiple sclerosis. They were by her side when she was taken off life support. Funicello had been in an MS coma for years, reports the site. Funicello was 12 when she became a Mouseketeer. As a teen, she was launched on a successful singing and acting career, but she really gained popularity when she co-starred with Frankie Avalon in a series of "Beach Party" movies in the mid-1960s. In 1992, Annette announced she had MS. Funicello was married to her first husband, Jack Gilardi, from 1965 until 1981, and had three children. In 1986, she married California harness racing horse breeder/trainer Glen Holt.

^ This is sad. While I am too young to know her from the Mickey Mouse Club or the beach movies of the 1960s she was on some shows I watched in the '90s. She had a good life and was one of those people that not only seemed to have it all, but also suffered and despite the pain managed to push through it. ^

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/04/08/disney-annette-funicello-dies/2063545/

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Illegals



Saw this on Facebook and couldn't agree with it more.

March Of The Living: 25

From DW:
"March of the Living remembers Nazi victims"

The "March of the Living" teaches students from all over the world about the Holocaust. For 25 years, contemporary witnesses and youths commemorate the victims by walking along the route of the former Nazi death march.  It's a three-kilometer walk (1.9 miles) from the Auschwitz concentration camp to Birkenau where people were systematically killed by the Nazis during World War II. In April 1988, masses of people were flocking the narrow street. More than 14,000 young Jews from all over the world had come together to march down the same path the Nazi victims had to walk on. OnYom HaShoah, the Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day, they were joined by survivors of the Holocaust, or Shoa, who had decided to return to the place of martyrdom to commemorate the victims. But they also wanted to look ahead and move forward.  Since that first march in April, the "March of the Living" takes places on every Yom HaShoah. The event stands in stark contrast to the Nazi's death marches, explained Shmuel Rosenman, the 69-year-old Israeli who heads the organization "March of the Living International" and is one of the initiative's founders. The death marches stand for a cruel chapter in German history: In the last months of World War II, the Nazis cleared out their concentration camps in Poland and sent thousands of starved prisoners on back-breaking marches to Germany. Many of them didn't survive the freezing temperatures. Today's "March of the Living" is a "sign of hope," Rosenman said. The silent march - with many young participants - is a symbol of the future. This year's march on Monday (08.04.2013) marks the event's 25th anniversary. More than 150,000 people have participated in the past years. "The initial idea was to teach teenagers about the Shoa where it happened," Rosenman said. "In many Jewish families, parents and grandparents never talked about this." The organization wanted to break that silence. "The March of the Living" is not just a three-kilometer walk: It's an educational program Jewish schools and communities can sign to participate in. School classes and groups from all over the world come to visit the Holocaust sites in Poland for a week. The remembrance walk takes place while they are here.  Today, participants from 42 countries come to the sites; most of them are between the ages of 16 and 21. This trip is the first time that many of them are directly confronted with places of Nazi persecution. Teacher Avi Ehrlich has been traveling with students from a Jewish secondary school in Berlin to participate in the "March of the Living" for years: "And suddenly, everyone was walking together, and groups from countries that are usually far apart were able to talk to each other. The students realized they belong to one nation as part of their identity." Many initially kept to themselves, but then opened up to dialogue and their own grief, Ehrlich said.   In the past, every group was accompanied by one or several Holocaust survivors. They tell their story of segregation and persecution to young adults. "These reports have a strong impact on students," organizer Rosenman said. For this year's march, 300 witnesses to the Holocaust will travel to Poland.  The educational program's focus was expanded and includes a look at Jewish life in Poland before World War II and encourages interaction with Polish students. This year's march - in light of the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - focuses on Jewish resistance.  The message of the march is a universal one: Get to the roots of hate, prejudices and intolerance, and to eradicate them. And it's not just about anti-Semitism, Rosenman said. "For about 10 years, many non-Jews come, too. That's a very positive development," the university professor from Tel Aviv said. One of those participants is Christina Brinkmann from the German city of Greifswald. The 18-year-old is a volunteer with the International Youth Meeting Center in Oswieciem/Auschwitz. She said she hopes for many interesting conversations with both witnesses and young people. "I take a special interest in this, because it's a Jewish event," she said. To her, the "March of the Living" is not just a means of commemoration. "It has a significant reference to our world today and is a strong message against human rights violations and racism."

^ I have heard about this March over the years and think it's a good way to not only teach, but show young people about the Holocaust. ^

http://www.dw.de/march-of-the-living-remembers-nazi-victims/a-16726051

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Warsaw Ghetto Survivor

From Yahoo:
"Warsaw ghetto survivor in Israel recalls uprising"

Two days before her comrades embarked on an uprising that came to symbolize Jewish resistance against the Nazis in World War II, 14-year-old Aliza Mendel got her orders: Escape from the Warsaw Ghetto. The end was near. Nazi troops had encircled the ghetto, and the remaining Jewish rebels inside were prepared to die fighting. They had few weapons, and they felt there was no point in giving one of them to a teenage girl whose main task to that point had been distributing leaflets."They told me I was too young to fight," said the survivor, now 84, who uses her married name, Aliza Vitis-Shomron. "They said, 'You have to leave and tell the world how we died fighting the Nazis. That is your job now.'" She's been doing that ever since, publishing a memoir about life in the ghetto and lecturing about the revolt and its legendary leader, Mordechai Anielewicz. While nearly all her friends perished, she survived the ghetto and a later period in a Nazi concentration camp. She made it to Israel, married and has three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. On Sunday night, 70 years after the Warsaw ghetto uprising, Vitis-Shomron is set to speak on behalf of Holocaust survivors at the official ceremony marking Israel's annual Holocaust memorial day. "It's a day of deep sorrow for me, because I remember all my friends in the (resistance) movement who gave their lives," said Vitis-Shomron. "But it was also a wonderful act of sacrifice by those who gave up their lives without even trying to save themselves. The goal was to show that we would not go down without a response." Six million Jews were killed by German Nazis and their collaborators in the Holocaust of World War II, wiping out a third of world Jewry. The 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising was the first large-scale rebellion against the Nazis in Europe and the single greatest act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Though guaranteed to fail, it became a symbol of struggle against impossible conditions, illustrated a refusal to succumb to Nazi atrocities and inspired other acts of uprising and underground resistance by Jews and non-Jews alike. While the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, the date of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, Israel's annual Holocaust memorial day coincides with the Hebrew date of the Warsaw ghetto uprising — highlighting the role it plays in the country's psyche. Even the day's official name — "Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day" — alludes to the image of the Jewish warrior upon which the state was founded. The ghetto battle contrasts with the image of Jews meekly marching to their deaths. Israel has wrestled with the competing images for decades. After setting up their state in 1948, just three years after the end of the war, Israelis preferred to emphasize the heroic resistance fighters, though their numbers were relatively small. In recent years they have come around to recognizing the overwhelming tragedy of the murder of millions of Jews and the traumas of the survivors who still live along them. Before the war, Warsaw had a vibrant Jewish community, and a third of the city's population was Jewish. The Nazis built the Warsaw ghetto in 1940, a year after occupying Poland, and began herding Jews into it. The ghetto initially held some 380,000 Jews who were cramped into tight living spaces. At its peak, the ghetto housed about a half a million Jews, said Havi Dreifuss, a researcher at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial who has studied the ghetto. Life in the ghetto included random raids, confiscations and abductions by Nazi soldiers. Disease and starvation were rampant, and bodies often appeared on the streets. The resistance movement began to grow after the deportation of July 22, 1942, when 265,000 men, women and children were rounded up and later killed at the Treblinka death camp. As word of the Nazi genocide spread, those who remained behind no longer believed German promises that they would be sent to forced labor camps. A small group of rebels began to spread calls for resistance, carrying out isolated acts of sabotage and attacks. Some Jews began defying German orders to report for deportation. The Nazis entered the ghetto on April 19, 1943, the eve of the Passover holiday. Three days later, the Nazis set the ghetto ablaze, turning it into a fiery death trap, but the Jewish fighters kept up their struggle for nearly a month. The Jewish fighters who had fortified themselves in bunkers and hiding places managed to kill 16 Nazis and wound almost 100, Dreifuss said. They were ultimately brutally vanquished. Anielewicz and others died inside the bunker on 18 Mila Street, which later became the title of a famous novel by Leon Uris that fictionalized the events. "It was a moral victory. No one believed the Jews would fight back," said Dreifuss. "It's amazing that after three years of Nazi occupation, starvation and illness, these people found the strength to disobey the Nazi orders, stand up and fight back." Anielewicz, who was in his early 20s, became a heroic figure in Israel, with a village and streets across the nation named in his honor. Vitis-Shomron remembers him well. She said he was a tall, charismatic leader of a younger generation who refused to submit quietly to the Nazis as their parents did. "His theory was, 'don't get used to what is happening. Don't accept it,'" she said. "The Nazis wanted to turn us into slaves, and he said that only free people could resist." The approach put Vitis-Shomron at odds with her parents, who objected to her activity in the youth movement. Often she would defy the Nazi curfew and only return home in the morning. She narrowly escaped S.S. officers in the streets as she posted underground leaflets calling on Jews to resist or escape. She said the hardest part for her was escaping before the uprising began, joining her mother and younger sister in their hideout on the Polish side of town outside the ghetto. She remembers watching the red skies above the burning ghetto, where her friends were waging war. "If it was up to me, I would have stayed behind and fought to the death with them. I had no fear," she said. "The uprising represented Jewish pride. It was us saying, 'we will not die the way you want us to. We will die the way we want to, as free people.'" Vitis-Shomron was later captured and sent the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp with her mother and sister. They all survived and eventually made it to Israel. Her father was deported from the ghetto and killed in a Nazi death camp. Today, Vitis-Shomron volunteers for Yad Vashem, collecting pages of testimony from fellow survivors that help build the museum's depository of names of the victims. Despite her own past, she claims not to have experienced the psychological damage that plague other survivors. "I never saw myself as a victim. I was on the active side, the resisting side," she said. "It helped me cope."

^ Whether you remember the Holocaust in January when Auschwitz was liberated or in April when the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising happened the main thing is that you remember it. Millions upon millions of innocent men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis and their helpers while most of the world stood by. I can imagine how hard the debate was/is in Israel. On the one hand you have the majority of the victims (millions upon millions) go to their death without giving any resistance and only a handful of victims that fought back. Israel has learned for this moment in Jewish history and has taken the stance of never going "like lambs to slaughter" but follow the fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and fight to the death. Luckily, Israel has been successful in every war since it was created in 1948 and continues to show the world their resolve to stand up for themselves despite overwhelming odds against them. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/warsaw-ghetto-survivor-israel-recalls-uprising-173855032.html;
 

A Pozner Interview

From Moscow Times:
"Q&A: Pozner Is the Venerable Visage of Russia in the West"

For many Americans over 40, legendary television journalist Vladimir Pozner was the face of the Soviet Union.  During the late 1970s and throughout the '80s, Pozner was best known in the West for his frequent appearances via satellite on Ted Koppel's "Nightline" program, as well as the co-host of U.S.-Soviet "space-bridge" broadcasts with U.S. talk show host Phil Donahue. Even if viewers didn't always agree with Pozner's positions and his defense of Soviet policies, it was hard not to be impressed by his articulate speech, intelligence and wit.  Pozner was born in France in 1934, fled to the U.S. in 1940 after the Nazi invasion of France, and was raised in Manhattan until 1949, when the rise of -McCarthyism created problems for his Russian-born father. He then lived in East Germany for three years before moving to Moscow, where he completed his university degree. After graduating, Pozner spent 30 years working as a Soviet print, radio and television journalist until the Soviet collapse in 1991. In the subsequent two decades, he has been a prominent television talk show host in both the U.S. and Russia.  On Monday, Pozner turned 79, but he is in excellent physical shape. What's more, his trademark smile still warms the heart as it did 40 years ago, and his intelligent, blue eyes haven't lost their luster. For the millions of Pozner fans who religiously watch his weekly interview program "Pozner" on Channel One, they can rest assured that Pozner shows no signs of retiring any time soon.  At his stylish French brasserie called Geraldine, which is named after his French mother and located just off of Moscow's exclusive Ostozhenka street, Pozner sat down with The Moscow Times and shared his views on the rise of anti-Americanism, the Russian work ethic, the lack of racial tolerance in the country, patriotism, his Jewish background and the future of democracy in Russia.


Q: Many in the West are surprised that the Kremlin's anti-U.S. propaganda campaign still works so well on Russians 20 years after the Soviet collapse. Why is the level of anti-Americanism still so high in Russia?

A: The level of anti-Americanism is probably higher now under President Vladimir Putin than it was during the Soviet Union. Soviet anti-Americanism was mostly government-induced, while the current anti-Americanism is more grassroots in nature, and there are several reasons for this.   First, after the Soviet collapse, the U.S. didn't do enough to build better relations with the Russian government and the people. One of Washington's biggest mistakes was not developing a kind of Marshall Plan for Russia in the early 1990s. Had that happened, I am convinced that we would be living in a completely different country today.  The other reason is that the U.S. didn't hide its joy at winning the Cold War, at times relishing its victory and reminding Russia in many different ways that it is no longer a superpower. The U.S. and NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 was a key moment, sparking sharp anti-U.S. sentiment in Russia. This anti-Americanism continued during the years that George W. Bush was president and continues to this day.

Q: But don't most Russians have many more important things to worry about on a daily basis than the United States?

A: Over the past five years, I have traveled to 50 or 60 Russian cities, both small and large. I have met with people and discussed this issue. What I have found is that Russians are still very much envious of Americans. Even if they have never been to the U.S. or never even met an American, they still know that Americans live much better on the whole than Russians. In addition, Russians are a proud people and have always considered themselves a great nation. They are still stung by the defeat in the Cold War and the loss of the country's superpower status.

Q: Why don't Russians blame the Soviet Union and its flawed leadership and policies for that?

A: It is very difficult to do that because they would have to blame themselves for past mistakes. Very few countries are able to do this, including the U.S. and Japan. Psychologically, it is more comforting to blame others. Perhaps the only country that was able to take a firm position on its guilt was Germany, and this was only because they were occupied after World War II and had to come to terms with their criminal past, clearly saying to the whole world, "We were wrong." Keep in mind that Russia very much remains a Soviet country in terms of its mentality. The people who run the country were born, bred and educated in the Soviet Union. They were all Komsomol and Communist Party members at one point. To this day, it is difficult for them to change their Soviet mentality and admit that the Soviet Union was responsible for the collapse of the empire, as it is difficult for them to admit the mistakes they have made as leaders in post-Soviet Russia. Incidentally, this Soviet mentality among the country's leaders is one reason why Russia is moving so slowly toward democracy.

Q: How much of anti-Americanism in Russia is manufactured or contrived by the Kremlin?

A: I don't think the Kremlin has a specific interest in cultivating anti-Americanism. Putin understands that Russia needs the U.S. as a partner and has shown this many times. At the same time, however, Putin has real suspicions about U.S. intentions, many of which are justified. He believes that there is a powerful group within the U.S. political establishment that would prefer to see Russia on its knees.
Actually, there is far less anti-Americanism on state-controlled Russian television today than there was during the Soviet period, yet the level of grassroots anti-Americanism is higher. I believe that the U.S. is largely responsible for this. The U.S. made a fundamental mistake in its policy toward Russia — and toward many other countries for that matter — in believing that it could export democracy in 20 years, or even less. Building democracy is a long process that sometimes takes centuries. I'm not saying that the U.S. shouldn't criticize Russia when it deserves it, but Washington should have more patience when judging Russia. U.S. double standards also play a large role in fueling anti-Americanism in Russia. For example, there is much more democracy in Russia than in China. Yet while you rarely hear U.S. criticism of China, Russia is often presented in the U.S. media and in government circles as being anti-democratic and going back to Soviet authoritarianism. The general opinion among Russians is: "C'mon, guys. Give us a break!" And the recent U.S. Magnitsky Act, which singled out Russia for its human rights record among all nations of the world, made Russians' already negative attitudes toward U.S. double standards even worse.

Q: How does Russian patriotism differ from U.S. or French patriotism?

A: In the U.S., every major league football or baseball game starts with the crowd standing up, putting their hands on their hearts and singing "The Star Spangled Banner." In France, that would be considered crass. The French are still very patriotic, but they are a bit quieter about it; as the saying goes: "The French don't think they are the best in the world. They know it." Russian patriotism is somewhat closer to French patriotism in this respect, but at the same time Russians have more doubt about their country's greatness as a global player because of the Soviet collapse. As a result, Russian patriotism tends to be more aggressive in nature than U.S. or French patriotism.

Q: In your book "Parting With Illusions," you criticize Russians for their general lack of tolerance. You write that even the intelligentsia don't see anything wrong with saying something openly racist like, "I can't stand chyornikh," a pejorative term in Russian for people from the North Caucasus and Central Asia. What should the government do to address the problem of widespread racial intolerance in Russian society?

A: The lack of political correctness and tolerance in Russia is a huge problem, and yet the government has made no effort to address this issue or to discuss the problem in schools, in the media and in society as a whole. Its policy has basically been to ignore racial intolerance, which means that it festers and only gets worse. This may be Russia's greatest problem because it exacerbates the sharp divisions in Russian society. The Russian government needs to understand that racial and ethnic intolerance is a dangerous disease that needs to be treated. Otherwise, there could be a real social explosion.

Q: When you interviewed television personality Ivan Urgant during one of your recent "Pozner" television shows, you asked him a question about his Jewish background that made him visibly uncomfortable. Yet it was the same question that Phil Donahue asked you 25 years ago on television, which also made you visibly uncomfortable, as you described in your book. Do you think your question to Urgant was politically correct?
 
A: Actually, it wasn't my question to Urgant but one from a viewer. But I felt it was an important question to ask because you have to come to terms with these issues. Yes, Phil Donahue's question made me uncomfortable, but I am glad in the end that he asked it because it helped me get rid of the Soviet complex I had of not wanting to be Jewish. Yes, I squirmed when Donahue asked me the question about my Jewish background, but because I went through the process I don't squirm any more. Today, I would answer Phil or anyone else calmly by saying: "Pozner is, indeed, a Jewish name, and I am perfectly happy knowing that I came from a Jewish family from my father's side. At the same time, I am an atheist and am not part of the Jewish culture or religion in any way. The only time I do feel Jewish, however, is when I encounter or hear about anti-Semitism. To any anti-Semite, I would be the first person to say to him, 'I am Jewish and proud of it.'"

Q: How would you describe the Russian work ethic?

A: I know of no other country where the word for work, работа, is derived from the word slave, or раб. I know of no other country where one of the most popular fairy tales is based on a loafer who lies around all day at home not doing a damn thing and then gets lucky in life because he catches a gold fish.  In addition, the bad work ethic has a lot do with Russia's Orthodox religion, which is more restricted, closed and less tolerant than other Christian dominations — and one that to a larger extent inculcates the notion that the individual is nothing. If you look at the most prosperous countries in the world, they are largely Protestant. Catholic-majority countries come in second, while Orthodox countries like Russia trail by a large margin. This doesn't mean that Russians don't work hard. They do, particularly in difficult times, and they have shown many times that they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when necessary.

Q: What are you proud of in Russia today?
 
A: I can't say I am particularly proud about anything. There are certain people whom I respect for their bravery, when they stand up for what they believe in, defend their principles against the powers that be. At the same time, however, what I find painful is the apathy that dominates many Russians. There is another thing I find distasteful: Many Russians from so-called higher society who say, "I just got back from vacation and thank goodness there were no Russians there." I say to myself, "Well, who are you?" Can you imagine an American or Frenchmen saying, "Thank goodness there were no Americans or French where I vacationed"? This is a strange mixture of an inferiority complex and chauvinism.

Q: Many believe that Russia is doomed to be stuck in a permanent historical cycle of autocracy. Do you see any way out of that vicious circle?

A: Certainly, a strong leader has always been a part of Russian history. Most Russians support a strong government and want a strong leader who can represent the country well on the global arena. This is one reason why Putin is still quite popular, even after being in power for so many years. Once Putin does step down, however, I could see someone like Mikhail Prokhorov becoming president. He would be a strong leader but not necessarily autocratic.

Q: So are you optimistic that Russia will eventually become more democratic?
I have no doubt that Russia will become more democratic, and it is already moving in that direction. Look at all the Russians who regularly speak out in harsh terms against Putin, the government and the Duma. What's more, tens of thousands of Russians have participated in street demonstrations over the past year. The fear factor, which used to be a central component of the Soviet Union and the glue that held that country together, is clearly not present in Russia today. This movement toward democracy will surely continue. In another 20 years, there will be a new generation that will have a different mentality, a different outlook on life. This country will change in a democratic direction because as the people change, so will the government, which will be made up of new people who never grew up in the Soviet Union and who were never members of the Communist Party or the KGB.

^ I am too young to know who he is, but he gave a good interview and explained things in a way most non-Russians could understand Russian mentality. Soviets/Russians were never forced to come to terms with the Soviet Union once it collapsed nor their role within the failed Communist state. Had they been forced to (like Germany was after World War 2) then things probably would been different today. The current trend in Russia today is to praise anything Soviet and are bringing them back (both officially and unofficially.) We would never stand for Germany bringing back the swastika or any Nazi symbol so I don't know why we allow Russia to do the same with Soviet symbols. I remember talking to Russians about the Cold War - I never brought the subject up, but sometimes they did. Even those my age who had nothing to do with the Cold War would praise Soviet things like: free health care, no unemployment, no crime, etc. (Side note: there was crime and unemployment only it wasn't made public.) Some people I spoke with refused to believe that the US won the Cold War. I would simply reply: the US is still as it was in 1776 and yet there is no more Soviet Union. They couldn't refute that. It has been 22 years since the USSR collapsed and you would think that Russians would be able to move on. It was hard for the Germans to do it after 1945, but they did even though their country was split in two so the Russians should be able to do the same. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/qa-pozner-is-the-venerable-visage-of-russia-in-the-west/478104.html

Moving Remembrance

From JP:
"Bereaved families call to move Remembrance Day"

Bereaved families over the weekend called on the state of Israel to heed an ongoing campaign to bring forward the date of Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Terror Victims, saying the transition to Independence Day the next day is too jarring. Remembrance Day was set to take place on Monday, April 15, followed by Independence Day on Tuesday, April 16. Monday evening is considered Independence Day eve, and marks the beginning of celebrations of Israel's day of formation. Cities all over the country greet the celebratory day the night before with fireworks and performances by famous Israeli entertainers.   "Bereaved families want to celebrate on the eve of Independence Day as well, but the proximity to Remembrance Day prevents us from letting go of the day's feelings [of mourning] and celebrating with the rest of the people of Israel," said Shmuel Tamir-Shurki, who lost his son, IAF pilot Lt. David Tamir. Tamir-Shurki and attorney Yossef Tamir posted a petition online calling on the State of Israel to mark Remembrance Day a day earlier, on Sunday, April 14, and thus create a gap between the day of mourning and the day of celebration. Nearly 5,000 people had signed the petition by Saturday. "Remembrance Day may be the hardest day of the year for tens of thousands of families in Israel. This is a day in which the entire country joins in mourning and remembrance of the people closest to them [the bereaved families]," Tamir-Shurki said. "The bereaved families go through an upheaval and enormous pain. Beyond the enormous mental pain, there is a physical effort, of running around from cemeteries to monuments and to different remembrance events. When the day is over, each bereaved person wants to lay their head down and rest. Instead, on their way home from the cemetery, they encounter roads blocked for Independence Day celebrations," he added.  "A minute after their terrible day of mourning ends, everyone except for them moves to Independence celebrations all over the country, which is unbearable, and a continuous injustice to thousands of families in Israel," he bemoaned. Tamir-Shurki added that the proximity of the end of Remembrance Day to Independence Day shows disrespect to the bereaved families and their fallen loved ones. "The very people who paid the ultimate price (except for the fallen soldiers), are the ones who can't participate and find themselves on the outside of the national celebration," he said. The petitioners have taken their cause to social networks and created internet memes - graphics that represent a basic idea that can be transferred and subjected to mutation, crossover and adaptation - to describe their situation.

^ It makes sense for the government of Israel to move the holiday by one day. The date changes every year anyways because of the Hebrew calendar. Israelis should celebrate their Independence (which is still being hard-fought) as well as pay respect to the soldiers that fought and died in all the wars since their Independence. You would think that since every Israeli man and woman have to be soldiers and put their lives at risk it would be a no-brainer for the date change - as it could possibly affect every citizen. ^


http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Bereaved-families-call-to-move-Remembrance-Day-date-308899

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Military Brats

From Veterans United:
"5 Reasons Being a Military Brat is Awesome"

Some military parents fear that their lifestyle hurts or would hurt their children. So, some service members decide to leave the military for the sake of their kids. Military children, though, have been resilient and grew up to take advantage of the benefits gained during their childhood. I am one of millions of American “military brats.” Here are five benefits I have received from my military family experiences.

Experience and Appreciation of Diversity

Military children on average make more moves that their civilian counterparts. Therefore, they encounter many cultures and the experience helps them to appreciate the diversity in our world. Not many non-military children can say that they have lived in England, Germany, Korea or Japan.
When it comes to military children, I’m a bit of an exception. We lived on one military base — Fort Hood — for 12 years, but that didn’t prevent me from experiencing diverse culture. At my high school and in my neighborhood on base I had classmates and friends of many ethnicities and backgrounds. In addition, my mother is German, so I already came from a multicultural home. I learned much about different cultures then and I continue to carry a curiosity for and fascination by other cultures today.

Proficiency in Language Learning

Children are language sponges when they are young. When they grow up overseas they have opportunities to pick up a second language easily and fluently. The trick will be keeping it up when the family changes station. Even if the military child forgets the second tongue, having learned it will help their brain be more receptive to picking up new ones when they are an adult.
I grew up speaking English and German and still speak both today. Also, I’ve taken an interest in French, Spanish and Latin. I don’t imagine I’ll be speaking Latin anytime soon.

Adaptability to New Environments and Situations

As stated above, military children move on average more than their non-military peers. That means, in addition to the benefit of engaging diverse cultures and ideas, they constantly have to make new friends and acclimate to new places. At first, this can be stressful and at times saddening, but over time military children pick up a very important skill — adaptability — which will aid them in school, the work place and life in general. Today, my adaptability has served me well — I’ve survived six moves so far as an adult, and I enjoy friendships from around the world.

Desire to Serve Others

Not everyone joins the military for the primary reason of service, but over time each military member comes to live a life of service — to give to and sacrifice for others and a cause greater than themselves. Military children recognize the importance of sacrificial service.“Being in a military family I can appreciate the veterans and their families more,” Andy, a military child aged 11, told Time. “I relate to what they sacrificed because my dad went to war too.” My adult life has been all about service. As a teenager I wanted to the join the military, following the footsteps of my father. So, after college I joined the Air Force as an officer and even did one tour in Afghanistan. I left the Air Force after three years to enter the seminary. Although, I learned that ministerial service was not for me I learned that I wanted to serve through education. Currently, I am in school working my way towards a Ph.D.

Connection to Other Military Children

Not only do military children make friends from all over the country and the world, there is a special bond that exists between military children. It’s the equivalent of learning that someone is from your hometown plus the shared experiences of moves, parent deployments and generic AAFES brand products. Many times I have met other adult military brats and we hit it off when we learn of each other’s background, waxing nostalgic over wearing our parents’ camo and eating their MREs when they have returned home from “the field.”

^ I am a military brat and have moved 6 times around the world and the US before I finished high school. The person who wrote this article says they are a military brat yet they write about it through official US Military propaganda eyes. This is the exact things we were constantly told at every military school and on AFN (Armed Forces Network - the only English channel we had overseas.) Instead of commercials AFN played cheap Public Service Announcements on things like how to dress and act so you can be an unofficial ambassador of the US to the world, etc. No one took those PSAs seriously. Another phrase I kept hearing (from all the adults) was that this is the best years of our lives and that we are getting many opportunities to travel, learn languages and learn different cultures than most people do. When you are a military brat (as with most children) you don't care about behaving like an ambassador or bringing together different cultures. You care about making friends, keeping in touch with the friends you have made and doing fun things. In the time before the Internet keeping in touch was very difficult as most people moved every 3 years (although I have since reconnected with people I lost in touch with due to years of moves.) Also anything a military brat does reflects on their parents and will reflect on their careers. I wish the US Military and other adults would treat military brats like the children they are instead of talking to them about things children don't care about. ^

http://www.veteransunited.com/spouse/reasons-being-a-military-brat-is-awesome/

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Paperless Immigration

From CBP's website:

Foreign visitors arriving in the U.S.—only via air or sea—who need to prove their legal-visitor status—to employers, schools/universities or government agencies—will be able to access their U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrival/departure record information online when the agency starts its records automation on April 30, 2013.  When the electronic rollout begins April 30, CBP will no longer require international non-immigrant visitors to fill out a paper Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record upon arrival to the U.S. by air or sea. The agency will gather travelers’ arrival/departure information automatically from their electronic travel records. This automation will streamline the entry process for travelers, facilitate security and reduce federal costs. CBP anticipates that the automated process will save the agency an estimated $15.5 million a year. Because advance information is only transmitted for air and sea travelers, CBP will still issue a paper form I-94 at land border ports of entry. CBP will phase-in the Form I-94 automation at air and sea ports of entry through April and May. Foreign visitors will continue to receive the paper Form I-94 until the automated process arrives at their port of entry. Following automation, if travelers need the information from their Form I-94 admission record to verify immigration status or employment authorization, the record number and other admission information will be available at CBP.gov/I94. ( CBP.gov/I94With the new CBP process, a CBP officer will stamp the travel document of each arriving non-immigrant traveler. The admission stamp will show the date of admission, class of admission, and the date that the traveler is admitted until. Travelers will also receive on arrival a flier alerting them to go to CBP.gov/I94 for their admission record information. ( CBP.gov/I94Travelers will not need to do anything differently upon exiting the U.S. Travelers previously issued a paper Form I-94 would surrender it to the commercial carrier or to CBP upon departure. If travelers did not receive a paper Form I-94, CBP will record the departure electronically via manifest information provided by the carrier or by CBP.
 
 
Week 14/30/13Charlotte Douglas International Airport,
Orlando International Airport,
Las Vegas Airport,
Chicago O’Hare and
Miami International Airport
Week 25/7/13Major Air and Sea Ports within the following field offices:
New York,
Boston,
Buffalo,
Baltimore,
Detroit,
Atlanta,
Tampa,
Puerto Rico,
Miami,
Chicago,
New Orleans and
Houston
Week 35/14/13Major Air and Sea ports within the following field offices:
Pre-Clearance,
San Francisco (includes Hawaii and Guam),
Tucson,
El Paso,
Seattle,
Portland (includes Alaska),
Los Angeles,
San Diego and
Laredo
Week 45/21/13All remaining airports and seaports
^ It's good that they are going to start doing this electronically. I know many foreigners who had problems because the airline forgot or misplaced their form when they left and so they had problems when they wanted to return to the US. This should no longer be the case as it will be US Immigration and not the airlines doing it - as it should have always been. ^

     http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/i-94_instructions/i94_rollout.xml