Zashnain @bedlamfury

Everything Depends On Our Peace

2012-02-26T12:48:00.004+08:00

If the earth were your body, you could feel the many areas where there is suffering. War, suppression, and famine wreak destruction in so many places. Many children have become blind from malnutrition, their hands search through mounds of thrash for things they can trade for a few ounces of food. Many adults are dying slowly and hopelessly in prisons and others are killed for trying to oppose violence. We have enough nuclear arms to destroy dozens of Earth but we continue to manufacture more.

Aware of all this how can we withdraw to a forest or even to our own room to sit in meditation? The peace we seek cannot be our possession. We need to find inner peace which make it possible for us to become one with those who suffer, and to do something to help our brothers and sisters, which is to say, ourselves. I know many people who are aware of the real situation of the world and who are filled with compassion. They refuse to hide themselves in artificial peace, and they engage in the world in order to change the society. They know what they want, yet after a period of involvement they become discouraged. Why? It is because they lack deep inner peace, the kind of peace they can take with them into their life action. Our strength is not in weapons, money, power. Our strength is in our peace, the peace within us. This peace make us indestructible. We must have peace while taking care of those we and those we want to protect.

I have recognised this peace in many, many people. Most of their time and effort is spent protecting the weak, watering the trees of love and understanding everywhere. They belong to various religious and cultural backgrounds. I do not know how each of them came to their inner peace, but I have seen it in them. If you are attentive, I am sure you will see it too. This peace is not a barricade which separate you from the world. On the contrary, this kind of peace brings you into the world and empower you to undertake whatever you want to do to try to help-struggling for social justice, lessening the disparity between the rich and the poor, stopping the arms race, fighting against discrimination, and sowing more seed of understanding, reconciliation, and compassion. In any struggle, you need determination and patience. The determination will dissipate if you lack peace. Those who lead a life of social action especially need to practice mindfulness during each moment of daily life, at least that's what I believe.

One good man or one good woman can change the world

2012-02-05T11:24:00.000+08:00

One good man or one good woman can change the world, can push back the evil, and their work can be a beacon for millions, for billions. Are you that man or woman? If so, may the Great Spirit bless you. If not, why not? We must each of us be that person. That will transform the world overnight. That would be a miracle, yes, but a miracle within our power, our healing power.

~ Leonard Peltier

The Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 (video)

2012-02-04T15:56:00.000+08:00

Malaysia's Peaceful Assembly Bill

2012-02-03T04:47:00.000+08:00

Global Fund Villains - A Decade of Undermining a Global Cause #HIV #AIDS

2012-02-01T13:56:00.000+08:00

Global Fund Villains - A Decade of Undermining a Global Cause from Auntie Retroviral on Vimeo.

Indonesian Court Indicts Papuan Activists for Treason

2012-01-30T14:41:00.000+08:00

WEST PAPUA.

An Indonesian court on Monday indicted five Papuan activists for treason for raising an outlawed Papuan flag and declaring the region independent.

The men, who led a peaceful pro-independence celebration attended by 5,000 indigenous Papuans on Oct. 19, face life in prison if found guilty.

“The defendants jointly tried to commit treason with the intention of allowing the country or part of the country to fall into the hands of the enemy,” Judge Jack L. Oktovianus at the Jayapura district court said.

“They acted together to declare Papua an independent region, which constitutes an act of treason.”

Local TV footage had showed the men declaring the region’s independence in the Papuan capital Jayapura and paramilitary police then shooting into the crowd and beating participants with batons and bare fists.

At least three people were killed and more than 90 injured in the chaos. Eight police officers were let off with written warnings for disciplinary infractions.

New-York-based Human Rights Watch on Sunday called for the cancellation of the trial.

“It’s appalling that a modern democratic nation like Indonesia continues to lock up people for organizing a demonstration and expressing controversial views,” the group’s Asia deputy director Elaine Pearson said in a statement.

Indonesia in 1969 took control of Papua, a former Dutch colony on the western half of New Guinea island, after a vote among a select group of Papuans widely seen as a sham.

Papuans, mostly indigenous Melanesians, have long accused Indonesia’s military of violating human rights in the province and complain that the bulk of earnings from its rich natural resources flow to the capital.

Jakarta keeps a tight grip on the region through its military, which regularly clashes with locals, and foreign-based journalists are barred from reporting in the region.

More than 170 people are currently imprisoned in Indonesia for peacefully promoting separatism in Indonesia, most of them from Papua or the eastern Maluku islands, according to Human Rights Watch.

AFP

Source: Jakarta Globe

A Humbling Visit

2012-01-30T13:03:00.006+08:00

Last week my group and I visited Orang Asli Batek Settlement in Ulu Tembling, near to Taman Negara Pahang. The Batek is part of the Semang subgroup, officially called Negrito. They are true nomads and classified by some anthropologists as pygmies due to their short stature. They live an extremely simple life, not worrying about material things that money can buy

'Hut' used for shelter when it rains.

More About The Batek:

http://www.peacefulsocieties.org/Society/Batek.html

http://www.asiaharvest.org/pages/profiles/nonChina/Malaysia/Bateq.pdf

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware" - Martin Buber, German philosopher.

Twitter, Nations and Censorship

2012-01-29T11:50:00.000+08:00

Twitter defended its decision on its blog on Friday, saying they would only scrub tweets after receiving what they judge to be a "valid and applicable legal request".

But then again what what does "valid and applicable legal request" truly mean? Who determines what is valid? And what transparency and accountability practices will Twitter adhere to?

"In short, we believe the new, more granular approach to withheld content is a good thing for freedom of expression, transparency, accountability - and for our users. Besides allowing us to keep Tweets available in more places, it also allows users to see whether we are living up to our freedom of expression ideal," the company added.

Sounds like a load of bullshit to me.

Children with disabilities in humanitarian responses

2012-01-29T11:35:00.000+08:00

In Qatar, forum calls for better inclusion of children with disabilities in humanitarian responses

Osman Idris Abu Bakar, 9, uses a crutch in the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people in Sudan.

By Tazeen Qureshi

DOHA, Qatar, 26 January 2012 – At the fifth annual International Shafallah Forum, held from 22 to 24 January in Doha, Dr. Rima Salah, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director (a.i.), stressed the need not to let children with disabilities be the forgotten victims of emergencies.

The Shafallah Forum focuses on the needs of persons with disabilities around the world, particularly those facing situations of crisis or conflict. This year’s forum highlighted the need for humanitarian actions to involve persons with disabilities in times of emergencies.

Humanitarian response for children with disabilities

Children with disabilities often experience marginalization and disempowerment. They have limited access to social services, including education, and are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, neglect, stigma and discrimination. Too often, they are subjected to bullying and other negative attitudes and behaviours that limit their participation.

No doubt that nearly all believe in the Supreme Myth

2012-01-29T02:05:00.001+08:00

In the mythologies of every continent there can be distinguished great myths, and others that are of less importance. Some myths dominate and show the character of the religious outlook, while others are less central, repetitive and outrageously fanciful. All kinds of myths need to be taken into account, for altogether they show the values the society holds dear.

Most myths tell how something came to exist: human beings, the world, wildlife, nature and social interaction. The myths make a sacred history of the people, the society and the individual. But naturally the creation of the world comes first and this myth influences others that follow. Legendary events that came later show how the world was changed, and in particular the adventures of human beings, the discovery of enlightenment, the obligation to work, and at times the unexpected arrival of death.

Myths are stories, the product of fertile imagination, sometimes simple, often containing profound truths. And yet it seems, even after ten of thousands of years, evolution show that we have become worse. Our lives have become part of our delusional, obsessed, insecure myths.

Conform to society or be deported from humanity

2012-01-26T04:16:00.001+08:00

Diplomacy is one of the traditional accomplishments of a corporate gentleman, along with good educational background, driving a vehicle, a knowledge of music, a passion for football, and etiquette. Society expects such fine breeding of men and women to propagate their tradition, religion and family honour. Such is the culture that harried relentlessly by their parents and friends, these upper middle class then become distant from the realities of life.

They are usually consumed by materialistic need to fit into society, governed by influences of their peers, they set standards of behaviour. If you are unable or refuse to conform to such expectation, then you are definitely unworthy of their bounty. The reservoir of greed and vanity grows, unstoppable, with every new generation; even the poor, obsessed with the refined temptations of a "better" life, seek a magnificent life of luxuries, sacrificing both their identity and self-worth.

This materialistic-breeding programme infects people, drawing them to the frontiers of greed, demanding that they lose their humanity. A simple sacrifice, one that many have performed and will continue. Replace compassion, mercy and the individuality, for the comforts of conformity to the status quo.

Institutionalised life is not about being part of an enterprising society, it is merely a deportation from humanity.

A Life of Extremes for the Social Class

2012-01-23T00:16:00.001+08:00

The traditional components of the present day corporate sector are the great corporate captains who govern the land in the name of democracy mashed with capitalism. The elites who stimulate the lifestyle and ferment it by flooding it with materialistic needs and whims. They embrace and nurture their luxuries, even at times beyond their means and in constant debt.

Outside this social class structure, and therefore hardly recognised as part of civilised society, are those who live at the brink or within the endless cycle of poverty.

For the elites, both great and small, life could be a rich and splendid affair. But for the woman at the bottom, or outside, life was poor and changed little. The nameless factory worker, the forgotten homeless man, the disabled, grubbing in the brownish earth, or in crowded sweatshops, continued to labour in misery.

The elite always knew that they could not live without the poor and believed that somewhat reasonable attention should be given to her welfare. But no one suggested that she should be treated with dignity - she was a necessary instrument, to be kept in trim without pampering...

Endangered turtle to be tracked in Cambodia - #conservation

2012-01-21T15:59:00.000+08:00

One of the world's most endangered turtles has been released into a Cambodian river with a satellite tansmitter attached to its shell to track how it will navigate through commercial fishing grounds and other man-made hazards.

The 75-pound (34-kilogram) southern river terrapin - one of only about 200 adults remaining in the wild - waddled into the Sre Ambel river in southwestern Cambodia this past week to the heers of local residents and conservationists.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said the female terrapin was given to the group last year instead of being sold to traffickers who have decimated the country's population of turtles and other species to cater to demand for exotic wildlife in China.

Relationship Tips

2012-01-17T17:39:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Relationship Tips: [Relationship Tips are trending on twitter. Loving the ones from my fav ladies xfarrahx, mediha_m & massabrinam] These are some of mine here..enjoy :)

We may stop showing concern, but its not that we dont love. We may look elsewhere or do other things, but its not because we dont feel passionate about that cause. We have other matters to attend to but its not because the issue is immaterial.

Photos of a sanctuary where beauty & harmony is nurtured

2012-01-15T22:28:00.000+08:00

Photos taken at a secluded beach in Melaka - peaceful, surrounded by the grace of Nature.

The Children's Statement in 2002, but where are we now?

2012-01-13T03:47:00.000+08:00

Address at the opening of the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children [8 May 2002] delivered by Gabriela Azurduy Arrieta from Bolivia and Audrey Chenynut from Monaco.

We are the world's children.
We are the victims of exploitation and abuse.
We are street children.
We are the children of war.
We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS.
We are denied good-quality education and health care.
We are victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination.
We are children whose voices are not being heard: it is time we are taken into account.
We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone.

.... ....
This is the opening part of their speech, the voices of children and young people. The words spoken in 2002. Where are we now in 2012? Have we achieved much?

Two years later, Haiti, more than 200k dead and still nothing

2012-01-13T03:34:00.001+08:00

As Haiti marks the second anniversary of the massive earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and devastated an already poverty-stricken country, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged continued international support for recovery and rebuilding.

But the reality, Haiti will not recover in the next decade. As it is, the UN, funding agencies and NGOs are unable to coordinate effective community-building programs, while the world's blindness mocks at itself. Haiti is in the pisspot of charity, it is a nation which has been unwittedly turned into a begging nation. Courtesy of pen-pushing, degree-wielding "experts" who are completely ignorant of relief and recover work.

You have the power to change. So what are you waiting for?

2012-01-12T20:21:00.000+08:00

Lack of Opportunities for Effective Participation of Young People

2012-01-12T15:28:00.003+08:00

Many political leaders, NGOs and Institutions are far from convinced that harnessing the active involvement of young people represents an effective strategy for achieving better outcomes. Outcomes that affects children and young people, their present, and their future. Marginalized youths lack access to most of the processes through which adults can easily articulate their concerns.

Ending Poverty ~ Our Choice

2012-01-12T14:40:00.000+08:00

I always ask myself is life worth living, why does every cent have to be a bet in life? Why does hunger persist in a world of plenty? How does it feel to be hungry all the time? As this article is written, I allow myself to cry. Life seemed unfair. Hunger has haunted humankind throughout the known history of the world. What have been causes and consequences of hunger events? How have the peoples of the world faced fear of hunger, the prospect of starvation, devastation by famine in their lands? How have they adapted to these conditions?

Banishing The Word “Bossy” From Our Vocabularies

2012-01-11T14:35:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Banishing The Word “Bossy” From Our Vocabularies: As always, Mr Yashar hits me at the core and makes me realize a simple aspect of a person. I, for one have been exposed to many 'bossy' people as I am sure you have. Tolerating them to me is the key. Or avoiding in totally for peace of mind. What type of boss-y-ness is another issue. Here's some types which I have crossed path with:

Type 1

I know everything as I am well learned, read, exposed, and can even read people's minds. No, I am not a tarot card reader, gypsy/bomoh related (I think) or anything religiously connected to my mind reading skills. Whatever you say or feel, I know. I also know your reactions.

Homeless people travelling in Bangkok

2012-01-10T14:40:00.001+08:00

When I was doing my relief work in a partially flooded-Bangkok, I met a homeless elderly woman sitting on a bench at 4:17 am. Her two heavy sacks was filled with dirty clothes, her face was masked with pure exhaustion, and she fiddled with an empty bottle. I offered her my flask, but she graciously declined with a smile, and in English, said she had to walk the path Fate had set for her.

Within her eyes burned a desire to survive. She did not lose her home due to the enraged flood, she lost it because of society's prejudice and ignorance. Apathy has forced her into homelessness for two years. The heavy flood was merely an eye-opener for people living in Bangkok and many provinces in Thailand; but did anyone see those without a home before the flood? And have society changed its behaviour towards homeless people?

This woman had fought horrors that would have crushed the elites of the city and the spirit of any common man.

Clarity

2012-01-09T23:59:00.001+08:00

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.

~Ansell Adams~

Visit my Flickr:http://www.flickr.com/photos/nura_azli

Water and Truths

2012-01-09T23:42:00.001+08:00

Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams - they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do - they all contain truths.

~Muhammad Ali~

Visit my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nura_azli

Adakah Dia Yang Ditunggu

2012-01-09T21:19:00.000+08:00

kini dia sudah bebas
tidak bersalah dimata mahkamah
ramai yang berkinja gembira
ramai yang marah kecewa
ramai yang masih tak tahu hujung pangkalnya

apa yang akan terjadi seterusnya
adakah ini bermula strategi
untuk mengotakan janji
untuk menyempurnakan dendam
untuk membuktikan kebenaran

atau dia sebenarnya
masih seorang ahli politik
yang sama seperti yang lain
yang mencari keuntungan
yang mencari kuasa

kita menunggu
adakah dia seperti yang diagungkan
adakah dia sebaik yang diwarkan
adakan dia seistimewa yang diumumkan
adakah dia pemimpin generasi ini

adakah dia yang ditunggu
untuk membawa perubahan itu

Nura Ahmad 9/1/2012
Visit my Blog:http://nuraahmad.wordpress.com/

The Medicine

2012-01-09T20:59:00.000+08:00

Nature is my medicine.
~Sara Moss-Wolfe

Visit my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nura_azli

Extinction of relief workers and their identity

2012-01-06T22:11:00.001+08:00

Natural disasters, war-torn countries are hot spots. These occurrence brings about the worse in humanity. Institutions cease to function, for a time, and mayhem strikes into the hidden core of vulnerability. Society panics as they see their quality of life drops, miserably and in agony. Outrage, confusion and disorder comes into existence, violently slapping the face of every adult and child, waking them from their slumber into the reality, the fury.

Read more »

The cruel bow, the knowledge of living

2012-01-05T18:42:00.001+08:00

Every man has a master, cruel or compassionate, who in turn bows his head and back to another. All things must eventually answer to something more powerful, be it human or a symbolic-searing object; man will continue to bow before everything in the hope of peaceful existence or a balanced life of happiness. The day man stops bowing to anything is the day man embraces life with respect, to feel the fear of the submission and the harsh realities of individuality.

Such is Karma, powerful, and it is in your hands.

Poem: And the price we pay

2012-01-05T10:20:00.000+08:00

the distant chatter in mandarin
assures me I am here
in this land
where emperors once rule
where communism was a way of life
where great rivers meet
where forbidden palace reside
where people once wear the same clothes

when i walk the streets today
i see apartments and condominiums
i see skyscrapers
i see high-end boutiques
i see VW taxi cabs
i see people in designer clothes

and it reminded me
of my own country
of how we become skilled
of how we become wealthier
of how we strive to be developed
of how we still struggle in social issues
and the price we pay to be where we are now

nura – 5/12/2011, 9:56pm

Visit my blog: http://nuraahmad.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/poem-and-the-price-we-pay/

The Past, nightmare, the edge of reason, endless unappetising cycle

2012-01-05T00:23:00.001+08:00

"Oh fuck, why am I dreaming this again!"
As a student of activism and humanitarian relief work in the late 1980s, I often had bad dreams. What struck me the most was how lifelike they were. The nightmare followed, stalked me, often senselessly when I was in the field, either endlessly coordinating supplies to be transported or the actual relief work in the zones. More like twilight zones on a backdrop of mayhem.
I have learned over the years to lock the memories in my mind, in my soul ~ an abandoned sanctuary. Locking them in Vaults, securing them tightly with chains made from loss and forgetfulness. It was better to let sleeping dragons hibernate. The challenge was that, to control my emotions in such a way that in the course of my work, I would not accidentally awaken the dragons. Such a thought and determination is not as easy as I would care to boast. Even with an adrenaline-infused will power, I hear the calling, the whispers of seduction, a soothing voice ~ they beg me to open the Vaults. And at times during moments of severe anxiety, I would welcome myself to the Vaults even with a grin, hammer, hard, at the chains, seeking the release of those memories...

To be continued: http://t.co/hqoviiXm

The Sunset Over Sg Belanak

2012-01-04T22:16:00.002+08:00

Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer to your goal.

~Elbert Hubbard

visit my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nura_azli/

Puisi: Sudah Terlambat by Nura Ahmad

2012-01-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

Puisi: Sudah Terlambat oleh Nura Ahmad

bila susah mengherdik
kita kuat menentang

bila sakit menjerit
kita cekal melawan

bila celaka berkunjung
kita pakukan pintu

kenapa sewaktu amaran tiba
tiada peduli yang kita sediakan
tiada endah yang kita cari
tiada risau yang kita beli

kenapa kita tidak mengembeling sedia
kenapa kita tidak mencari resipi mengelak
kenapa kita tidak bersenam semangat
kenapa kita tidak bertukang idea

kenapa kita selalu menunggu
sehingga semuanya sudah terlambat

Nura Ahmad – 9/12/2011, 7:15pg

Photos of Bangkok Canal & Floods, Nov 2011 [updated]

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000+08:00

Can distributing clean NEEDLES ever be as easy as giving out CONDOMS?

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000+08:00

Fighting HIV/AIDS in Thailand: can distributing clean needles ever be as easy as giving out condoms?

When I think of HIV/AIDs, symbols pop into my mind: the red looped ribbon and the free condom. They’re actually a good representation of what Thailand is doing best to combat the epidemic- massive information campaigns and the 100% Condom Program which saw the dramatic decline of HIV/AIDS among sex workers.

However, those symbols faded in my mind after I visited an old, impoverished part of Bangkok and met the people who currently are the most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS- the injection drug users.

HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases are transmitted when needles are shared. Under influence, many users are also likely to have unprotected sex. There are programs called ‘harm reduction’ where drug users are provided with clean needles, syringes, and condoms to avoid transmission. Condom distribution is easy but needles are another issue.

It’s not uncommon here to hear stories of community workers delivering clean needles harassed by the police. Possession of needles and syringes, in fact, isn’t illegal in Thailand. Harm reduction programs aren’t also widely accepted because of the way society sees drug users. Tragically, this pushes drug users further underground and further away from the help they need.

What Am I and What Are You?

2011-12-31T00:30:00.000+08:00

I am not what you want me to be. I am not the fire of activism, nor revolution. I am not the sweeping force that crushes your enemy. I am not your inevitable destiny, and I am not your hero. I am not part of your aggression, nor am I a part of peace. I am not the ideology that drives your world, I am not part of your establishment.

I am not you.
Read more »

Your meat is sweet to me...

2011-12-30T21:00:00.000+08:00

Calm is what seeks me

2011-12-27T17:28:00.001+08:00

Comforting sight, those angry clouds above. Continuous rumbling of thunder, vicious and gracefully brutal, accompanied by the sudden whiplash, the kiss of the wild wind. Such a day, waiting impatiently for this moment, it promises a cleansing, and its worth the wait.

Smile, a tired crooked smile, is what I can offer the menacing sky. So little, yet sincere do the warmth I generate, gratitude to the monstrosity of what seeks to engulf me.

The Storm, my moment of calmness.

I Am Karma

2011-12-27T03:01:00.001+08:00

As I sit at my porch, the night, and the darkness has swallowed the sky, I'm uncertain of the future. The future that promises much, yet offers little of foresight. I don't believe in predictions, especially related to my life, nor do I see a need. Fortunes rarely show any kindness, I see no reason to dig, nor ponder about my Fate, into the mist of the future.

The past, filled with pain, misery, a cocktail of unpredictable happiness and agony. This, coupled with haunting memories, I remember them well. I locked them in Vaults, secured them with chains made from my will. Yet, at times, I hear the seductive whispers, partially seducing me to take action. Such voice begs me to open the Vaults, to release the memories, to drown in them.

I neither seek the past nor the future. I live for the present. It is safer for me, comforted by a Fate which I alone can control. This gives me a degree of comfort, the knowledge to be my own Karma.

Chasing Infinite Storm

2011-12-27T02:19:00.001+08:00

Divinity dwells there, whose frost-flesh and skin resemble snow, delicate and soft like the skin of an infant; they consume the thoughts of others, they suck the bravery of their foes and drink the morning dew from Nature; they mount on vapours and clouds and fiercely drive the Storm, thus they rove beyond the sea, looking for one such as me.

Men Who E-Maintain Women

2011-12-23T16:35:00.000+08:00

The Art of Texting “What’s Up?”

My friend Karen (all names changed to protect privacy) was confused and frustrated when she called me on a Friday night.
About a year ago, she met a guy, Michael, through work. They met a few times for drinks with colleagues and then one night, she met him for dinner, which ended with the two of them “hooking up” (whatever that means).

She liked Michael a lot, and wanted to see him again.

He Doesn't Deserve Your Validation: Putting The Fa...

2011-12-23T15:06:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: He Doesn't Deserve Your Validation: It's great to be a man in our society. The perks seem to be endless. Everything is built with the intention of accommodating our needs. ...

A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not "Crazy"...

2011-12-23T14:11:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not "Crazy"...:

I LOVE THIS ARTICLE (PERIOD). READ UP LADIES

________________________________

You're so sensitive. You're so emotional. You're defensive. You're overreacting. Calm down. Relax. Stop freaking out! You're crazy! I was just joking, don't you have a sense of humor? You're so dramatic. Just get over it already!

Sound familiar?

Forsaken, Inevitable, the Memories Pound the Soul

2011-12-08T01:06:00.001+08:00

The memories clash against the vaults that I have tried, oh so many times, to confine in the Void of my soul. Hiding these vaults gives me no joy, no pleasure, no rest, but merely a creeping pain, every hour of the day. I hear the pounding, it grows louder, it does not stop, when I grow careless, when I see the reflection in the mist, and within the shadows.

The Void is alive, It taunts me, amplified, insane pounding. I hear no music, but the noise, soul-shattering and the misery that the taunts carry.

Waves, pounding. Mercilessly.

Scent of memories, fermented by the Void, shatters my spirit, drowning and resurrecting it.

It is a matter of time. I prepare for the day, when I will embrace those memories with complete acceptance. I. Am. Not. Ready. Now.

PAKISTAN: Girls fight for the right to education

2011-12-07T23:49:00.000+08:00

PESHAWAR, 7 December 2011 (IRIN) - Armed with only a slightly used copy book sent by her aunt from Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtoomkhw’a province, Azeera Gul, 12, is fighting for the rights of girls to an education.

Source: PAKISTAN: Girls fight for the right to education

You'll smile, guaranteed‏! :)

2011-12-03T12:30:00.003+08:00

Hello readers! I'm so glad that the weekend is here , time to relax a bit, time to put a sweetest smile on your face. You know, one thing I like to do is make people smile because the best way to make yourself smile is if you make someone else smile, so I thought I would like to share an email that I've received from World Food Program few days back that probably will put a smile on your face. Here it goes:

"Twenty years ago, I was just like these kids -- surrounded by poverty. I grew up in an industrial town in Lesotho. I slept on a mattress in the kitchen. Many of my schoolmates’ families couldn’t afford to put food on the table.

Read more »

My Thoughts of Bangkok & Floods (Part 1)

2011-12-02T19:43:00.001+08:00

The floods. Me. 27 days in Bangkok. I saw no rain, but the streets and homes were wet from the flood. I experienced the devastating impact of Mother Nature, with mixed emotions: the joy of doing relief work again and the sadness at the raging effects of climate change. The deaths, the displaced, the hunger and the homelessness: Misery was shared by Thais, migrant workers and refugees.

Read more »

Our Goal towards Extinction [Indigenous People]

2011-11-14T13:55:00.001+08:00

Societies and governments have achieved many wondrous feats, but for all its declared successes for mankind, have we moved a step of two closer to extinction? Have we truly moved away from on hatred and violence or have we made them the civilised virtue of the human species?

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Ignorance increases the body count [West Papua]

2011-11-14T05:42:00.001+08:00

A battle ground, where indigenous people are slaughtered and tortured by Indonesian troops. People die, forgotten by the region, ignored by the international community, such is the pitiful state of ignorance that is prevalent especially among South East Asia. Tokenism, an expression of mock shock to the atrocities. People who claim to champion human rights still shroud themselves in self-strangulation, not wanting to do anything to champion and advocate the rights of West Papuan.

Read more »

Rants of a tired relief worker [Bangkok Flood]

2011-11-14T05:20:00.000+08:00

Snapshots of Bangkok and Flood [PHOTOS]

2011-11-14T04:56:00.000+08:00

Anonymous - The Aftermath of Operation Brotherhood Takedown (VIDEO)

2011-11-13T17:22:00.001+08:00

PHASE 3: Proceed to strike hard and fast on all websites belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. Attacks WILL CONTINUE until Friday, November 18th 2011.

A few statements made explaining other points on why we chose to take down the Muslim Brotherhood's websites.

Read more »

Photos of Bangkok & Flood [1]

2011-11-11T01:16:00.000+08:00

Photos of Bangkok & Flood [2]

2011-11-11T01:10:00.001+08:00

Photos of Bangkok & Flood [3]

2011-11-11T01:06:00.001+08:00

The abomination of society which is in our midst

2011-11-09T00:15:00.000+08:00

Timeline of Events Surrounding The Freeport Miners' Strike and The Third Papuan People's Congress

2011-10-31T00:40:00.004+08:00

SEPT 15:

8,000 (about 70%) of workers of PT Freeport Indonesia, the Indonesian unit of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, launched a planned month-long strike at the Grasberg mining facilities in Timika, demanding salaries equivalent to what the Phoenix, Arizona-based company pays in other countries — a raise from between $2.10-$3.50/hour to as high as $17-$43/hour.

The strike is costing the Indonesian State up to $6.7 million in losses per day. The losses for Freeport-Mcmoran are estimated somewhere in the range of $19-30 million per day. By Freeport’s own estimation the impact of the strike to aggregate daily production is 3 million pounds of copper and 5000 ounces of gold for each day of the work stoppage. Several attempts to negotiate met with failure.

OCT 10:

Tensions rose as Freeport tried moving replacement workers into the mine workers’ barracks. Indonesian security forces opened fire on striking workers. Mine worker Petrus Ayamiseba was shot and killed. Six other workers were also injured from the shooting.

OCT 13:

Striking workers blockaded the only road leading to the Grasberg mining facilities preventing an influx of replacement workers, but also depriving holed-up staffers and their families of supplies.

OCT 17:

5000 Indigenous Papuans attended The 3rd Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura. The three-day-long gathering was themed “Upholding Papuans’ basic rights now and in the future.”

Freeport announced it would suspend all mining operations, citing “suspected pipe sabotage” and “security concerns.”

OCT 19:

Indonesian security forces opened fire on the third and final day of the Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura, where 20,000 people had gathered to hear delegates read a West Papuan Declaration of Independence. Several hundred people were arrested or detained, and several key West Papuan leaders were arrested, presumably, on charges of treason.

OCT 21:

Three people killed by gunmen are found near the mine. One of the men was a contract worker for Freeport. It s not clear whether this incident is linked to the strike.

OCT 26:

Freeport-McMoran says it is no longer “liable for contracts on sales from its strike-hit copper and gold mine”, declaring “force majeure.”

OCT 29:

The National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo admitted that security forces who guarded the Freeport-McMoRan mining site at Timika received money from the US mining company, of up to $14 million, describing the fees were paid to the police personnel as “meal money.”

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A Prayer For Overcoming Indifference

2011-10-30T16:28:00.003+08:00

I watch the news, GOD. I observe it all from a comfortable distance. I see people suffering, and I don't lift a finger to help them. I condemn injustice but I do nothing to fight against it. I am pained by the faces of starving child, but I am not moved enough to try to save them. I step over homeless people in the street, I walk past out-stretched hands, I avert my eyes, I close my eyes.

Read more »

Revolution and Mindset

2011-10-30T15:04:00.001+08:00

What do we mean by the Revolution? The battles and wars? The skirmishes? The street protests? The petitions?

I do not consider them part of the Revolution; it is only the inevitable effect and dire or worthwhile consequence of it. At times, the engagement swamps the propaganda, the wildfire burns the defenders, and stimulates the passions of those believing and aggressively fighting their Cause.

The revolution must be in the minds of the people. Not just a thought of jumping in the bandwagon, or synergies with the popularised culture of resistance. The people, the individual, must believe in what they do. In that essence, only then we have a Revolution.

13 Deadliest Dictators

2011-10-25T17:14:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: 13 Deadliest Dictators:

Muammar Gaddafi’s bloody reign has ended, but how does he compare with history’s other tyrants?

The flood of politics & ego hampers Thailand's relief work

2011-10-25T01:59:00.000+08:00

I am very concerned about the impact of the floods, not just in Bangkok but the other provinces of Thailand. There seems to be a coordination gap between their federal government and the related province administration. I don't really care about the politics behind the scenes but I do worry about the impact towards marginalised people, specially those made vulnerable due to the lack of unity and coordination of humanitarian aid. I worry about the homeless, the streetkids, the families living in the slums, the refugee and the migrant worker.

Read more »

RAW FOOTAGE OF THE ATTACK ON THE PAPUAN PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

2011-10-22T14:18:00.003+08:00

RAW FOOTAGE OF THE ATTACK ON THE PAPUAN PEOPLE'S CONGRESS from westpapuamedia on Vimeo.

by westpapuamedia

This is raw footage of Wednesday's attack by the Indonesian military and police on the Third Papuan People's Congress in Jayapura. The footage shows people dancing, soldiers closing in, and gun shots. The video was shot by several observers. The last sequence was shot while the camera person was hiding from gunfire. Police have now confirmed that five people were killed in the attack - human rights groups say it was more.

by Numbay Media — via our partners EngageMedia.org

Thailand: Fighting Mother Nature (video)

2011-10-21T23:43:00.000+08:00

The flooding has already killed 320 people, with 9 million others affected. Will the people learn from this experience? Can their country manage natural disasters in a more efficient and effective way next year?

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West Papua: Resistance & Revolution against a brutal colonist

2011-10-21T19:43:00.000+08:00

The police chief who is responsible for atrocities in occupied West Papua, Adj. Sr. Comr. Imam Setiawan, said that he would 'finish' those who support subversion.

“Whoever supports separatism or subversion activity, I will do the same as yesterday [forcefully dissolve the 3rd Papua People’s Congress]. I’ll finish [them],” he said.

Spoken like a fucking mass-murderer. Genocide.

Read more »

Our Hope of Evolution

2011-10-21T13:03:00.000+08:00

If we must all agree, all work together, we're no better than a machine. If an individual can't work in solidarity with his fellows, it's his duty to work alone. His duty and his right. We have been denying people that right. We've been saying, more and more often, you must work with the others, you must accept the rule of the majority.

Read more »

Human Rights Doesn't Exist in West Papua

2011-10-20T11:38:00.000+08:00

Someone mentioned to me last night that the United States has been a "global leader" for quite some time, in promoting human rights; this is despite its own brutality in enforcing its own brand of the New World Order. What a joke. What human rights?

Black Elk Quote

2011-10-20T10:42:00.000+08:00

Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that one.

--Black Elk

Our Right, Our World, Our Lifeblood

2011-10-19T02:57:00.000+08:00

I seek to live a life free from stigma, prejudice and discrimination. I know it is possible, for us to live with compassion, mercy and respect. Unfortunately there are people who seek to further spread their apartheid message of hate, submission and ignorance. They seek to keep people in the dark, robbing them the right to speak, share, and act, and to live.

IRIN Asia | THAILAND: New drug crackdown raises concerns

2011-10-18T22:30:00.000+08:00

CHIANG MAI, 18 October 2011 (IRIN) - Thailand's new government has unveiled plans for an ambitious crackdown on drugs, with an emphasis on rehabilitation and compassion.

Officially announced on 3 October, the policy includes placing some 400,000 drug addicts in rehabilitation programmes within the year, as well as arresting some 10,000 known dealers.

But while the planned focus on rehabilitation is seen as a step forward in a country where nearly 3,000 people were killed during the 2003 controversial war on drugs, human rights groups and activists remain sceptical.

"An ambitious and worrying target has been set to 'rehabilitate' 400,000 drug users within one year," says Human Rights Watch (HRW) spokesman Sunnai Pasuk.

"Concerns remain about the potential arbitrary arrests and detention of drug users in compulsory drug 'rehabilitation' centres, mostly run by the military and Interior Ministry, where 'treatment' is based on military-style physical exercise, with little medical assistance for drug withdrawal symptoms," he added.

Abuse alleged at Canberra-funded rehab centre

2011-10-17T23:48:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK: Australia and other Western nations have donated to a supposed drugs treatment centre in Laos where hundreds of detainees, including children, are held against their will and are beaten and brutalised, Human Rights Watch says.

Rights Not Rescue

2011-10-16T21:30:00.000+08:00

Sex workers are subjected to widespread human rights abuses, including police violence and unequal access to health care, in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Despite enormous challenges, they are organizing to protect their rights and demand an end to violence and discrimination.

A report published by the Open Society Institute, Rights Not Rescue, is based on a series of interviews and focus groups with sex workers and advocates throughout the three countries.

In this animated short film, sex workers who participated in the research tell their personal stories and collectively call for hope and change.

Border Realms: A Ghostly Ruin in Thailand’s South (Photos)

2011-10-09T20:57:00.000+08:00

Chilean girls stage 'occupation' of their own school in education rights protest

2011-10-09T09:52:00.000+08:00

For five months, girls demanding free university education for all have defied police to occupy their state school

Sleeping on a tiled classroom floor, sharing cigarettes and always on the lookout for police raids, the students of Carmela Carvajal primary and secondary school are living a revolution.

It began early one morning in May, when dozens of teenage girls emerged from the predawn darkness and scaled the spiked iron fence around Chile's most prestigious girl's school. They used classroom chairs to barricade themselves inside and settled in. Five months later, the occupation shows no signs of dying and the students are still fighting for their goal: free university education for all.

A tour of the school is a trip into the wired reality of a generation that boasts the communication tools that feisty young rebels of history never dreamed of. When police forces move closer, the students use restricted Facebook chat sessions to mobilise. Within minutes, they are able to rally support groups from other public schools in the neighbourhood. "Our lawyer lives over there," said Angelica Alvarez, 14, as she pointed to a cluster of nearby homes. "If we yell 'Mauricio' really loud, he leaves his home and comes over."

Read more »

Begging For Survival In Saigon

2011-10-09T02:00:00.000+08:00

After 11 years of begging on the streets of Ho Chi Minh city, 14-year-old Sok Sang still relies on body language and a cheerful smile as he wanders through markets from daybreak till nightfall seeking change from adults. He has picked up just a few phrases of Vietnamese, like “please give a little bit of money” and “do you want to buy a lottery ticket?”

Read more »

A Quick Take on Activism Courtesy of A Wandering Mind

2011-10-08T23:59:00.000+08:00

The volatility of the far-right, and far-left, behavior, the unpredictable and troublesome emotions of activists. Activism is a lot like the turbulence on an damaged bright red airplane, spinning uncontrollably, nose-dive towards a rocky valley: terrifying, gut-wrenching and feeling the sense of hopelessness. Is there a good side to activism? Yes to the people we serve but good things are usually brief, or almost non-existent for the hard core activists. Society treats an activist with distrust or more commonly associated with the need to practice the "shut-the-fuck-up" approach on the increasingly anxious activist. Some have associated activists with rapid-tongue lawyers or intimidating criminals, with immense annoyance and hostile prejudice. Or are activists oblivious, self-serving people, obsessed with self glory? And what are the goals of leftist and rightist activists? Or is there such a thing as an ultra-activists? Hmmm...

KENYA-SOMALIA: A day in the life of a refugee

2011-10-08T23:22:00.001+08:00

DADAAB, 7 October 2011 (IRIN) - Moulid Iftin Hujale has spent 14 of his 24 years in the world's largest refugee complex, Dadaab, in eastern Kenya, close to his home country, Somalia. As well as working with an NGO in the complex's Ifo camp, Hujale is a writer and freelance journalist. In this second instalment of his account of life in Dadaab, he reflects further on the quotidian reality of camp life and the tantalizing opportunity of escape offered by a scholarship:

Source: KENYA-SOMALIA: A day in the life of a refugee

Ex-monk burns to death in latest outbreak of Tibetan unrest

2011-10-08T21:50:00.001+08:00

Fate of second man unknown as self-immolation death rate in Sichuan province rises to seven in two and a half years

Two more young men, believed to be former monks, have set fire to themselves in the latest self-immolations in a troubled Tibetan area of western China, exiles and campaign groups have said.

Choepel, 19, and Khayang, 18, are thought to be from the Kirti monastery in Aba, Sichuan province, known as Ngaba to Tibetans. Choepel is believed to have died at the scene while the condition and whereabouts of Khayang are unknown, Free Tibet said.

The public security bureau in Aba denied any knowledge of an incident. "Nothing like that happened here. I am not aware of the situation," a spokeswoman told Reuters, despite claims that police officers had helped extinguish the flames and beaten the men as they took them to hospital.

Until 2009 experts knew of only one Tibetan self-immolation, by a lay person living overseas. But today's death was the second at Kirti within a week – another monk set fire to himself on Monday – and the seventh in Sichuan within two and a half years. "This is a new development ... We are all struggling for the right words to characterise what is happening," said Kate Saunders of the International Campaign for Tibet.
In August, a court jailed three lamas over the death in March of another monk, Rigzin Phuntsog, 21, also from Kirti, who set fire to himself. They were accused of denying him medical treatment by hiding him. Exile groups said the monks intervened because security officers were beating him, a claim denied by state media.
The death led to a confrontation with armed police and the number of monks at Kirti has fallen from about 2,500 to several hundred. Campaign groups said there was still a high security presence in the town, with conditions further tightened today.

Free Tibet said Choepel had been expelled from the monastery after Phuntsog's death. It is not clear why Khayang left, but exiles said his uncle was among 13 people shot dead in March 2008 as riots in Lhasa spilled over into unrest across Tibetan areas.

"There are many courageous young Tibetans who are determined to draw global attention to one of the world's greatest and longest-standing human rights crises no matter the cost to themselves," Free Tibet's director, Stephanie Brigden, said.

Ethiopia’s ‘bulldozer’ government arrests 100 tribal people over dam

2011-10-08T20:08:00.000+08:00

Survival has received reports that around one hundred Ethiopian tribespeople have been arrested and jailed for opposing Ethiopia’s controversial Gibe III dam.

Plans for the dam and irrigated land plantations nearby are gathering pace, along with rising repression and intimidation to any opposition.

A policeman reportedly told one indigenous community that the government was, ‘like a bulldozer, and anyone opposing its development projects will be crushed like a person standing in front of a bulldozer.’

Read more »

Brazilian tribe’s ‘unequalled’ suicide rate highlighted on World Mental Heath Day

2011-10-08T03:33:00.002+08:00

Brazilian tribe’s ‘unequalled’ suicide rate highlighted on World Mental Heath Day:

On World Mental Health Day (October 10) Survival International has warned of the fatal and lasting consequences land loss can have on indigenous peoples.

An epidemic of suicide unique in South America has beset one tribe in Brazil – "the Guarani":/tribes/guarani. More than 625 Guarani have taken their lives since 1981, the youngest just 9 years old.

The tribe has seen virtually all its land stolen in recent decades by farmers and cattle ranchers.

According to the World Health Organization, ‘indigenous peoples often have elevated suicide rates compared with the general population in their countries. Depending on the place and age group, the suicide rate can be over 100/100,000 per year, and two, three or more times higher than the general population.’

This is particularly prevalent among the Guarani. A study initiated by Brazil’s Ministry of Health found the suicide rates amongst the tribe to be 19 times higher than the national average. It also noted a disproportionate effect on young and adolescent Guarani.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said today, ‘What could be a clearer sign of these people’s desperation than their children killing themselves? It’s a shameful indictment of Brazil’s economic ‘miracle’ – stealing Guarani land destroys their livelihoods. Their mental health remains intact when they are granted the legal right to their land.’

Read more »

10 Years On, Afghanistan Defined by Poverty, Conflict

2011-10-07T23:59:00.003+08:00

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan. But a decade and many billions of dollars later, Afghanistan is still desperately poor and battling a worsening insurgency.

Out of sight and out of the minds of millions of Americans, the war is the most prolonged conflict the United States has been engaged in since Vietnam. President Barack Obama said it was the longest in US history.

Bangkokians worried by rising cost of living: survey

2011-10-07T21:03:00.001+08:00

Most Bangkokians are worried by the rising cost of living, an opinion survey has found.

The survey was conducted by Bangkok University on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10. The pollster interviewed 1,189 Bangkok residents, who are at least 18 years old, from September 30 to October 3.

The survey found that most or 35.7 per cent of respondents cited the rising cost of living as their biggest worry during the past two months after the Yingluck government took office. The cost of living was followed by traffic problem (8.3 per cent), debt (7.9 per cent) and flooding (6.4 per cent) as biggest worry. And 6.3 per cent of respondents said they worried that they would not receive Bt300 daily minimum wage or Bt15,000 salary as promised by the government.

513,860 people suffer from flood-related disease - Thailand

2011-10-07T19:00:00.000+08:00

Health officials in Bangkok, Saraburi, Nakhon Sawan, and Pitsanulok are urged to monitor the outbreak of flood related diseases in the lower northern region and central region.

Public health ministry has reported that about 513,860 people are suffering from flood related disease. The number of new cases has increased to 20,000 each day. About 3,104 cases were under stress and 4,435 people were suffering from depression. About 574 were at risk from committing suicide.

More:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/260222/schools-to-shelter-flood-victims

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/260236/ministry-to-set-up-energy-war-room

30 Incredible Examples of Photography

2011-10-07T04:56:00.001+08:00

Heroin and crack cocaine use in decline

2011-10-07T04:37:00.003+08:00

Experts say turning point had been reached in England's heroin epidemic, with fall particularly sharp among the under 30s

Young people in England are turning their backs on the most dangerous illegal drugs for the first time in 30 years, according to the head of the national treatment agency.
New figures show that the total number of drug users entering treatment for heroin or crack cocaine has fallen by 10,000 over the past two years.

The official data shows that the fall in heroin use is particularly sharp among under 30s with the number of 18-24 year olds in treatment more than halving and the 25-29 age group almost matching this fall.
Drug treatment experts say that they are "cautiously optimistic" that the heroin epidemic which has gripped Britain since the 1980s may have finally passed its high water mark.

Read more »

Jamie Oliver Tomato Sauce Recipe - Make Ahead Reci...

2011-10-07T04:26:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Jamie Oliver Tomato Sauce Recipe - Make Ahead Reci...: So gonna try this and keep it as a tomato sauce base for bolognaise dishes and feed my family :) Let's!

THAILAND: International community urged on impunity of "drug war" killers — Asian Human Rights Commission

2011-10-07T01:06:00.000+08:00

(Hong Kong, October 6, 2011) The killers of thousands of persons during the "war on drugs" conducted in Thailand from 2003 to 2005 continue to enjoy impunity for their crimes over six years on, a relative of one teenage victim of extrajudicial killing said at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva on Monday.

Mrs. Pikul Phromchan told delegates participating in an event convened by non-governmental organizations FORUM-ASIA, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) at the UN, two days before the Universal Periodic Review of Thailand's compliance with human rights instruments, that police in the northeastern province of Kalasin killed her nephew, Mr. Kiettisak Thitboonkrong "in order to hide the pernicious nature of the police officers and the weak judicial process" in her country. "There was no framework within the drug suppression policy to prevent base and amoral state officials from using violence," Pikul said. "Citizens who possessed status of wealth had to opportunity to pay a bribe; if they did not pay the bribe, then they were killed or disappeared," she added. Police arrested Kiettisak, 17, in 2004 on charges of allegedly stealing a motorcycle. He never came home. A few days later, his mangled body was found in a neighboring province. At the urging of relatives, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in the Ministry of Justice began investigating his death in 2005, and on 18 May 2009, six police officers were charged with premeditated murder and with concealing Mr. Kiettisak’s corpse to hide the cause of death. At this time, the court case is still ongoing. For further information on this case, as well as other murders and torture in which the Kalasin police are accused of involvement, please see:http://www.humanrights.asia/search?SearchableText=kalasin Michael Anthony, who is in Geneva representing the Asian Legal Resource Centre, said that the Hong Kong-based regional rights group remained highly concerned for the safety of Pikul. "Pikul has worked both to secure accountability in the specific case of her nephew and also to fight for justice of some other 27 other victims of the police in Kalasin," Anthony said. "She is a human rights defender who has worked tirelessly and at considerable personal risk and without her efforts we have no doubt that the case would never have gone to court," he added. At the time of the killings in 2003, the Asian Legal Resource Centre issued a special report in its periodical, article 2, which can be downloaded here:http://www.article2.org/mainfile.php/0203/

The full text of Pikul's statement follows.

A Son Lost his Dad as the World Mourns the Legend

2011-10-06T14:43:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: A Son Lost his Dad as the World Mourns the Legend: I cried when I read this piece by Steve Job's neighbour. I feel for the family, especially the kids.

Letter to and from Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T14:27:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Letter to and from Steve Jobs: Dear Steve, RIP. You are tremendously missed. Love, From a non-Apple user / Blackberry user but soon to be Android.

MYANMAR: Blocked dam project raises hopes

2011-10-06T02:49:00.001+08:00

YANGON, 5 October 2011 (IRIN) - Environmentalists and activists hope Myanmar will keep its promise to suspend construction of a controversial hydroelectric dam in the northern Kachin State, despite calls by the Chinese government for talks over the decision.

Read more »

Machinations behind Thai military moves

2011-10-05T23:36:00.000+08:00

Machinations behind Thai military moves:

A dispute between Thailand's Yingluck Shinawatra-led government and senior military officials over a long-awaited appointment of the new army chief of staff has thrown a shadow over what was ultimately to be an amicable reshuffle. The real test will be her brother Thaksin's possible return in the next few months, since the appointments essentially leave an institution still largely controlled by his political opponents. - John Cole and Steve Sciaccitano (Oct 5, '11)...

Source: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/MJ06Ae01.html

--------------------------------

The loyalties of the army should be for the people. The balance of power between the loyalty to the institution/monarchy or to the government/politicians doesn't solve the fundamental concern of why the military would eventually be used against the Thai people.

Should there be stricter laws for parents who harm...

2011-10-05T15:55:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Should there be stricter laws for parents who harm...: Yes!

Real Women Have… Bodies

2011-10-05T15:22:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Real Women Have… Bodies: What makes us “real” people is not the shape of our flesh but our basic humanity. And we lose our humanity when we judge – not when we lose weight, gain weight, or make the intensely personal decision to undergo cosmetic surgery

Sex and the Stormtroopers: How French women fell f...

2011-10-05T14:43:00.001+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Sex and the Stormtroopers: How French women fell f...:

Perhaps the most high-profile of Franco-German affairs was between the designer Coco Chanel and the dashing 44-year-old German officer.

Military Getting Away With Murder, Activists Claim

2011-10-05T11:48:00.000+08:00

Human rights lawyers are using the occasion of the Indonesian Military’s 66th anniversary today to highlight what they say is the need to reform the institution’s “untouchable” legal status.

The latest case of military inaction over the murder of a civilian by one of its own has again illustrated what is a longstanding problem, they say.

I Must Not Fear

2011-10-05T01:16:00.000+08:00

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

- Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear.

Amanda Knox: Guilty or innocent, five reasons why

2011-10-04T11:08:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Amanda Knox: Guilty or innocent, five reasons why: I have been wondering who Amanda Knox was and found am insightful description by www.rollingstone.com (please see below) Whether she i...

Incubator of Poverty and Injustice

2011-10-04T01:24:00.000+08:00

We see poverty every fucking day. Poverty going on a rampage. Affecting millions of people. Everywhere. Families affected, lives are lost, starvation going amok and the 'ignorance' of those who can still afford a luxurious meal at a fine-dining restaurant.

Ignorance breeds a sense of complacency. It gives birth to an abomination. This abomination born through minutes of hell, reeks with contempt for those who are not privileged, and for those not complying with their standards of social order. The social order of those with and without food. A fucked social order.

Read more »

Top 50 Journalism Blogs

2011-10-04T00:18:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Top 50 Journalism Blogs: One way to gain perspective on this writing genre is to read what other journalists are saying about this field.

Call for Writers: Culture and Human Rights: How can we challenge ‘cultural’ excuses for gender-based violence? / Jobs Around the World / Get Involved / Home - AWID

2011-10-03T23:58:00.000+08:00

Call for Writers: Culture and Human Rights: How can we challenge ‘cultural’ excuses for gender-based violence? / Jobs Around the World / Get Involved / Home - AWID

Career Change Anybody?

2011-10-03T23:47:00.000+08:00

@SuAvaTia: Career Change Anybody?: JOBS: Women and global development

My red velvet heartbreaker – TAKE TWO

2011-10-03T17:02:00.000+08:00

Red Velvet Lover like me, try this recipe :)

@SuAvaTia: My red velvet heartbreaker – TAKE TWO: