Friday, October 31, 2014
Western Sahara News: Espionage against Christopher Ross: The Criminal A...
Western Sahara News: Espionage against Christopher Ross: The Criminal A...: The recently released confidential documents reveal the methods used by Morocco in Geneva to spy on the UN special envoy to Western Sahar...
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Western Sahara News: Disgraceful corruption at the HCHR office in Genev...
Western Sahara News: Disgraceful corruption at the HCHR office in Genev...: After the publication of the report of the UN Secretary General on Western Sahara in 2014, Morocco immediately conducted a change of its ...
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Friday, October 24, 2014
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager late Friday during clashes in Silwad village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, medical officials said.
Orwa Abd al-Wahhab Hammad, 14, was shot multiple times with live bullets. He was taken to Palestine Medical Complex where he was pronounced dead.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said that soldiers fired at a Palestinian adult who was hurling a Molotov cocktail at forces in the area.
Zionists murdered a 16 y/o child in his own occupied land, Hamid Abdul Wahab, who lived his entire life under occupation and this is how they report it. The word 'Nazi' to describe the despicable IDF / IOF is not far from my mind at the moment. Israel is not only a state that does not respect the lives of Palestinians, the very idea of their lives having value is utterly alien to it and to the majority of adult Israeli Jews.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Israel is building illegal settlement housing units by the thousands, demolishing and taking over homes on a weekly basis, sending illegal settlers to march on al-Aqsa compound on every second day, cut off water to Shuafat refugee camp for months, has arrested almost 900 Palestinians since the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir by illegal settlers - all in an effort to drive Palestinians out of East Jerusalem and when Palestinians respond to this, the arrogant Israeli settler mindset is to complain about 'Palestinian violence'. Israel reaps what it sows and by all accounts, the violence is what Israel's regime and it's illegal settlers want, it's part of the plan of intimidation they have.
On Oct 19 Israeli settler from the illegal colony of Yitzhar drove over two Palestinian girls coming from kindergarten. Inas Shawkat, 5, died, her friend is still fighting for her life in hospital. The driver escaped from the scene and to this day has not been arrested, but is back in the illegal colony, whose settlers yesterday were told to have burned between 100-200 olive trees.
Hit&run attacks on Palestinian pedestrians by illegal Israeli settlers have become weekly, the death toll a dozen since last December, when a 13 y/o girl was killed in hit&run attack by an illegal settler in East Jerusalem. All the settlers behind the attacks are alive, free and well, Palestinians are always killed and even what look like normal traffic accidents declared immediately to be 'terror attacks' to justify the killing.
If the driver survives the immediate aftermath, death will still soon come in the hands of Israel, like for Raed al-Jabari, who was beaten to death in September by Israeli prison guards and whose autopsy has been declared secret by Israel, which claims he hanged himself so that the prison guards can get away and kill again, like the illegal Israeli settlers speeding down roads in occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank, looking for more victims.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Commenting reader reply to http://972mag.com/for-near-identical-crimes-an-israeli-and-a-palestinians-fate-couldnt-be-more-different/97869/
Justifying the lynching, nothing to say about the murder.
During the last year, about ten Palestinians have been killed in hit-and-run cases by Israeli settlers in occupied areas - and two more in Israel itself.
As far as I know, none of the Israelis who caused these deaths have been arrested or jailed.
Palestinians involved in traffic accidents with Israeli settlers or occupation forces tend to always die. If not killed immediately, then in prison.
And it's taken granted by mainstream Israeli media - not to speak of state representatives - that all these cases were "attacks" and all cases of Palestinians being killed by Israeli drives were "accidents".
There's only one word for this: Racism.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Western Sahara News: Morocco/USA: The stakes of a spurious lobbyism
Western Sahara News: Morocco/USA: The stakes of a spurious lobbyism: Khalil Asmar The revelations of Chris Coleman don’t seem to let any details escape away. The Moroccan Snowden has unveiled the shad...
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
If you see this, please follow the link to sign
At just ten years old, Brishna is the survivor of a brutal rape.
Although a local mullah has been charged and awaits trial, powerful groups in the community want to kill Brishna for "bringing shame" on her family.
We need to act fast: death threats are pouring in – even from relatives and religious leaders.
Demand Afghan authorities protect Brishna against the threat of an "honour" killing.
After she was released from hospital, Brishna was taken to a shelter run by Women for Afghan Women for protection.
Despite male relatives threatening to "kill her and dump her in the river" local police removed Brishna from the shelter and returned her to her family.
Call on police to protect Brishna and staff at the shelter, and investigate the threats against them.
Honour killings are an ongoing problem in Afghanistan. Shockingly, Afghanistan’s Penal Code recommends reduced sentences in murder cases when honour is the motivation. When a murderer is convicted for an honour killing, they receive no more than two years jail.
Please sign at: http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/35792/
Friday, October 10, 2014
I would think that supporting Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing and torturing people to death would be more reason to be ashamed, but apparently it's a case of "Judaism Makes It Right" and as a result what would be evil in other circumstances comes magically good because it's done by Jews and not to Jews.
Thursday, October 09, 2014
Thursday, October 02, 2014
Other sources claim that Kissinger's reason was that Cuba sent troops to support the new communist government of Angola in 1975 after the country gained independence from Portugal and was attacked by Apartheid South Africa and the UNITA rebels, which were supported by a bizarre alliance which included USA, Apartheid South Africa and North Korea.
Previously USA had supported yet another rebel group, FNLA, with Israel and communist China and Romania...
Angola endured 27 years of civil war until Angolan government - by then supported by also USA - killed UNITA's leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002. The same government which USA and Apartheid South Africa wanted to overthrow in 1975 still rules the country, after having changed communism to capitalistic cleptocracy, and is now backed by China thanks to the vast resources Angola has.
The criminal Benjamin Netanyahu is now using the arena of the United Nations to continue his deception, lies, threats, intimidation and misdirection, attempting to cover up his and his army’s terror massacres against Palestinian civilians, children and elders, who are still being killed in cold blood in full view of the world, said the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in response to Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly...
...Once again, the Front emphasized the importance of prosecuting the Zionist war criminals in international courts for their crimes against the Palestinian people, which requires Palestinian officials to urgently sign the Rome Statute and join the International Criminal Court, and immediately file to prosecute the leaders of the occupier as war criminals.
United States has been morally bankrupt country always when it comes to their "justice" system. Public prosecutors using court cases as springboards to political careers is just one the reasons why "justice" so rarely happens in cases like this.
To be an Arab or Muslim and to be accused of terrorism in the USA means that you are certain to be convicted one way or another, but this doesn't trouble 99 % of "Americans", who just sing their old song how they have the "Best Justice System in the World" - like they did during the Jim Crow era lynchings.
It's a rotten country and it's justice system, like every other part of it's system of governance, seems to successfully oppose all attempts at reform.
To be an Arab or Muslim and to be accused of terrorism in the USA means that you are certain to be convicted one way or another, but this doesn't trouble 99 % of "Americans", who just sing their old song how they have the "Best Justice System in the World" - like they did during the Jim Crow era lynchings.
It's a rotten country and it's justice system, like every other part of it's system of governance, seems to successfully oppose all attempts at reform.
My only problem with this is the way you mentioned Western Sahara, which is the last colony in Africa and which like Palestine has been trapped in endless peace process where the Western countries supporting the occupier, in this case Morocco, allow the occupation to continue even when Morocco has for twenty years successfully stopped the independence referendum from going on. Western Sahara needs it's liberty. Polisario, the independence movement of Western Sahara, is secular and wants to establish a secular state. Morocco, on the other hand, is a "security state". Prominent Saharawi human rights activist Hassana al-Wali just died imprisoned, after years of torture and mistreatment. The Saharawi deserve their independence and their culture is far from the puritan austerity the Saudi Wahhabis want to enforce in Muslim countries - just look at the prominent role of women both in the Saharawi culture and their independence struggle. I enjoy reading your blog, but please, don't believe the Moroccan propaganda in this issue. Supporting the independence of Western Sahara is not about being trendy, but allowing the Saharawi to leave refugee camps and live in peace in their own country. And Morocco itself needs true democratic change.
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
There's one thing that has troubled me about the way IS/ISIL/ISIS has behaved.
After major victories it started to behead 'Western' captives at a time when it could have and - logically alone - should have concentrated on consolidation and avoid larger confrontation,
Instead it basically goaded the 'West' to attack like a cowardly bull-fighter goads a bull.
Why on earth would IS/ISIL/ISIS have done this? Over-confidence, wanting to keep alliance with Iraqi troops - or it's own ranks - together by a big, common enemy, dangerous way to lure new recruits - or else its leadership knows something that the 'Western' leaders (and us) don't....
I have no idea what it could be, but I can't shake away the feeling that they should have not acted in this manner if there's any pragmatism in their commanders.
As long as Israel operates a de facto ban on bomb shelters for it's minorities and in some cases for Jewish women, I think Israelis have no right to complain if people living under occupation by Israel take measures like this.
Israel tortures Palestinians to death, Palestinians living under occupation don't allow Israelis on campuses.
Do you think that raids by Israeli occupation troops, very common, and dead students and staff at Israel's hand might have something to do with it?
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Commenting: PFLP: Occupation assassinates martyrs of al-Khalil in new crime against Palestinian people
Truth about the events certainly died with them and we are left with but 5 dead people, Israel's claims and several people imprisoned and any account given by them in imprisonment will be stained by torture by Israel. But we know what are guilty of the dead of all the 5 people: The occupation and the state which practices it, Israel. Without the occupation everyone of them would be alive.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Israel is the occupier, Israel which was created through ethnic cleansing and is a segregated Apartheid state keeping up an illegal occupation for 47 years. Israel, which has put 560 000 illegal settlers on occupied land in violation of international law; Israel which has killed over 9300 Palestinians and almost 1500 Lebanese during this century. Hamas is the symptom, just like all resistance movements are and the occupation and the ethnic cleansing, the original sin of Zionism in 1947-1948, are the causes and until the causes are dealt with the symptoms are not going away.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
It's easier to fight an evil, genocidal antisemitism, that ended 69 years ago by "supporting" Israel than ongoing ethnic cleansing and apartheid by opposing Israel. When Palestine is finally free, it's friends will multiply just like happened with Jews after they no longer needed help against their oppressors - and naturally all these new friends supported Palestinians all along...
Friday, September 26, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
A Letter sent to Kosmos Energy about the Upcoming Oil Drilling in Western Sahara:
Saharawi Center for Media and Communication
Elaaiun, Western Sahara
Email: saharawicmc@gmail.com
Date: September 19th, 2014
Mr. William Hayes
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Kosmos Energy Ltd.
c/o Kosmos Energy LLC
8176 Park Lane, Suite 500
Dallas, Texas 75231
USA
RE: Complaint Letter about the illegal upcoming Oil Drilling in Western Sahara.
Dear Sir,
We are writing to you to let you know that we are Sahrawis from the Moroccan controlled side of the occupied territory of Western Sahara, and we strongly denounce your company’s decision to start oil drilling in the coastal waters off Western Sahara, namely in the Cape Bojador, Boujdour block zone.
It is our conclusion that your company’s decision will bring great damage to the Saharawi cause and it is thus rejected by all Sahrawis. Kosmos Energy has no right to conduct business in Western Sahara. Formally, it is illegal for international companies to operate in the land and coastal waters of Western Sahara without the consent of its people and without them being consulted and benefiting from these business operations. Such illegal business is also a direct threat to the whole peace settlement as it puts at stake the right of self-determination by ignoring international law and legality.
On February 5th, 2002 in a letter made public at UN Headquarters in New York, the senior UN Legal Counsel Hans Corell responded to a Security Council request for an opinion on the legality of certain contracts signed by Morocco with foreign companies to explore for mineral resources in Western Sahara. Mr. Corell determined that oil prospecting by foreign companies in disregard of the interests of the people of Western Sahara – the Sahrawi people – would violate international legal principles dealing with territories administered by another country. The Legal Counsel also concluded that as such the specific contracts of the time dealt with in the Security Council’s request were not in themselves illegal. If, however, further exploration and exploitation activities were to proceed without respect to the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara, the contracts would be in violation of the international legal principles dealing with non-self-governing territories. We are now at that point.
The Sahrawis believe strongly that your company has neglected then and you did not count them as stakeholders. This is a terrible mistake and very bad for business. In the joint declaration with the Moroccan agency involved, posted on your company’s web site, there are many misleading declarations and statements that will only stir problems and political and social unrest in the territory. Your company’s action will only bring instability to the region and will surely affect neighboring countries. All your negotiations and deals were conducted with the Moroccan authorities and not the Sahrawis. This can only mean lack of respect for the rights of the people. Most Sahrawis interpret your action as an incitement for violence and hatred as you only care about how much you will make at the expense of the Sahrawis and their long lasting misery and suffering. The whole affair is unethical and calls for immediate action from your side to put things back on track to prevent yet another human tragedy in Northwest Africa.
By starting oil drilling operations off Cape Bojador, your company would damage world peace, and hurt the Saharwis and their just cause. By signing an exploration agreement with Morocco, you are going against international efforts to find a just and a mutually accepted solution for the conflict. Also, by joining hands with Morocco, you are consolidating its sovereignty over Western Sahara. This is exactly what Morocco needs to put the final nail in the coffin of the Sahrawi people. You once spoke about "substantial recent progress in resolving the political situation" in Western Sahara to ease things and to present your company as a fortune stimulator, but this is untrue given that the UN led negotiations and peace plan remain a deadlock and things are not very promising as far as a near future solution. If no further action is taken, Sahrawis might consider resorting to international law to assert their rights and to stop your company’s unethical business in occupied Western Sahara.
We think that it is time your company considered the matter afresh, and whether unethical potential revenues can ever be balanced against the obvious risks to the Sahrawi people.
Please accept the assurances of our highest consideration and the hope of the Sahrawi people that your company will reconsider its decision.
We look forward to your early reply in this crucial matter.
Signature,
Saharawi Center for Media and Communication
Elaaiun, Western Sahara
Cc´:
- US Congress
- US Chamber of Commerce.
- American Embassy in Morocco .
- UN Special Envoy , Mr. Christopher Ross.
- EU.
- AU.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Beautiful Compassion: Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on Hungerstrike in Bahrain
Beautiful Compassion: Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja on Hungerstrike in Bahrain: I started writing a book, a few years back. It's about how I became 'an activist' and some of the wonderful people who have insp...
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Issawi threatens to resume hunger strike
Palestinian ex-detainee Samer Issawi has threatened to resume hunger strike in case Israeli authorities refused to release him.
Issawi is currently held in Gilboa prison after being recently rearrested during the Israeli military operation launched in the West Bank since mid-June along with 62 other ex-detainees who were released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal.
After his visit to the prison, Arab Knesset Member Basil Ghattas(NDA) confirmed that Issawi is determined to restore his freedom anew, recalling that he had engaged in a legendary hunger strike that lasted for 278 days in protest against his former illegal administrative detention.
Five more detainees declared their intention to join the strike in case they were not released, he added.
Meanwhile, Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies revealed that Palestinian ex-detainees who were re-arrested since June have threatened to step up their protests in case they were not released.
The center called, in a statement on Friday, on the Egyptian authorities, human rights institutions, and Palestinian negotiation delegation to practice pressures on the Israeli authorities to stop the trials of ex-detainees who were released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal.
The statement pointed out that 70 ex-detainees are currently held in Israeli jails in flagrant violation of the swap deal reached under Egyptian mediation.
The center confirmed that the ex-detainees were arrested although they did not break their release terms set by Israeli authorities.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The following short book, “The Popular Front and External Operations,” was published in 1971 by Al-Hadaf, the Front’s theoretical journal. This book “deals with an important topic, the subject of ‘External Operations ,’ which have been adopted by the Popular Front as part of its strategy to pursue the enemy and defeat him everywhere. This activity has triggered controversy among those interested in the affairs of the Palestinian resistance.” It responds to criticism of this strategy and examines the PFLP’s approach to imperialist interests in the Arab world.
It is newly available for download online in English:
The family of Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, who ended last year his longest hunger strike in history after a deal with his jailers, said his health condition deteriorated very badly and appealed to human rights groups to visit him in jail.
Coordinator of Shirin Issawi campaign Badie Dweik said that the family of prisoner Issawi visited him last Sunday and said that his health condition was very difficult and getting worse.
Dweik added that the Israeli prison authority has been denying him any visit by his lawyer since June 23, 2014.
Prisoner Issawi, during his family's visit, called on the Palestinian Authority and the Egyptian authorities to put an end to the suffering of prisoners who were rejailed by Israel after their release as part of the prisoner swap deal of Gilad Shalit.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Palestinian detainee and iconic former hunger striker Samer al-Issawi is in deteriorating condition, his family said following a visit with him.
According to Ma'an News Agency, activist Badie Dweik said that al-Issawi was visited by his family at Jalbou prison, where they noticed he was feeble and with a pale face, that he seemed fatigued, and suffered a noticeable loss of weight.
Samer reportedly complained about pain in his kidneys and having difficulties in eating.
Mr. Dweik also said that Israeli authorities had prevented Issawi’s lawyer from visiting him since late June.
Samer served 10 years in Israeli jails and became an internationally recognized icon for the prioners' movement after spending 9 months on hunger strike last year.
Samer was released, along with 1027 Palestinian prisoners, as a result of an Egypt-brokered deal between Hamas and the Israeli government for the return of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli sports columnist and a former Israeli soldier.
In July of 2012, however, Samer was re-arrested for violating the terms of his release when he left Jerusalem into the West Bank.
Convicted for 8 months, to possibly include a reinstatement of the rest of his original 26 year sentence, al-Issawi began a hunger strike in August, 2012.
In April of last year, when a deal was finally reached where he was to serve 8 months for violating his bail, and then be released to Jerusalem, Samer announced the end of his strike.
Samer's sister Shireen was arrested with their brothers Medhat and Shadi, in March. They were not charged, but Israel has refused to release any details about their arrest, in line with behavior typical of theAdministrative Detention policy.
In January of 2013, brother Ahmad al-Issawi’s home was bulldozed.
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian detainee and former hunger striker Samer al-Issawi is in deteriorating condition, his family said after visiting him, an activist said Monday.
Badie Dweik said Issawi was visited by his family at Jalbou prison, where they noticed he was feeble, his face was pale, he seemed fatigued, and he suffered from noticeable weight loss.
Issawi complained about pain in his kidneys and difficulties in eating.
Dweik said Israeli authorities had prevented Issawi’s lawyer from visiting him since late June.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Commenting Latest indyref polls give mixed message
1. Different polling methods tend to reach different segments of the population - phone polling more elderly, for example and internet polling younger voters - so I would consider those that rely on one single method more apprehensively than mixed polling methods and the latter seem to consistently show a very narrow lead for NO.
As a personal opinion I hope that YES wins. Scotland is a more progressive country than Great Britain as a whole and we need more progressive countries in the world. Plus smaller, leaner UK might itself not be so keen anymore to serve as the man-at-arms for USA's crusader knight in a tarnished armour.
2. As a Marxist I naturally don't oppose that description of The Sunday Torygraph, but it's ideological and journalistic deficiencies have nothing to do with the poll. The main problem with the poll is that the number of people interviewed should mean that it's less accurate - by 1 percent in either direction, I suppose - than some other polls we have seen in recent days.
3. "British values" can hardly be tied to the regional extent of the British state - or they are very odd kind of values.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
The remains of about 70 crew members have been found. One group made it to the continent only to die in the so-called "Starvation Cove" - although there has been claims that a few men might have made it a little bit farther before dying. It was there in the Starvation Cove that the Inuit found among the dead men what were likely to be the log books of the ships, and gave the papers to their children to play with. A box described by the Inuit, but never found, is speculated to have contained Franklin's bones, as his grave has never been found, unlike some of the men who died before the expedition abandoned the ships and apparently scattered into groups which died separately. Tragically the current find and Inuit oral testimony seem to confirm that one ship was later released from ice, so the decision to abandon the ships seems, in retrospect, to have been a wrong one. On this ship, perhaps in 1850, the Inuit claimed to have found the body of a man who had just died. If I recall correctly, a stove was still supposedly warm.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Sunday, September 07, 2014
Commenting Shock poll: Scotland’s ‘Yes’ campaign pulls into lead. It’s 51% to 49%
The supporters of independence have positive reasons why they want independence, the supporters of union most of the time don't seem to be able to muster positive reasons without evoking threats. Positive messages tend to work better than threats.
The supporters of independence have positive reasons why they want independence, the supporters of union most of the time don't seem to be able to muster positive reasons without evoking threats. Positive messages tend to work better than threats.
I think the unionists should stop for a moment and think why they want to keep the union. Just because something has existed for 300 years doesn't mean that it should go on existing just on the basis of it's previous existence. But that's a very common unionist claim - and it reveals another weakness in their arguments.
The unionists want to preserve the union for the sake of the past, the supporters of independence want independence for the sake of the future. Again, supporters of independence have the positive message, unionists' message is that people should live in a museum, warming themselves with the embers of a great past instead of seeking a great future.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Sunday, August 31, 2014
1. There is genetic evidence that the Denisovan girl in the Altai had dark hair, brown skin and eyes.
The article assumes that Denisovans migrated to islands of Southeast Asia and Melanesia; it's more likely that it was the hybrid descendants of the first wave of modern humans to reach mainland East and South Asia and Denisovans. Later waves of human emigration then diluted the Denisovan heritage on the mainland of Asia.
The article assumes that Denisovans migrated to islands of Southeast Asia and Melanesia; it's more likely that it was the hybrid descendants of the first wave of modern humans to reach mainland East and South Asia and Denisovans. Later waves of human emigration then diluted the Denisovan heritage on the mainland of Asia.
2. No, except the last part.
The likely scenario is rather simple: About 600 000 years ago the early Homo heidelbergensis population split into African and Eurasian branches. The former gave rise to Homo sapiens by 195 000 years ago.
The latter interbred with the older Homo erectus population of Eurasia and split into Neanderthal and Denisovan branches, with the former branch evolving enough to stand apart from heidebergensis by 230 000 years ago.
Eventually modern humans migrating out of Africa interbred with neanderthals in Middle East and the hybrid descendants of this first migration wave interbred with the Denisovans, probably in the mainland East Asia.
The likely scenario is rather simple: About 600 000 years ago the early Homo heidelbergensis population split into African and Eurasian branches. The former gave rise to Homo sapiens by 195 000 years ago.
The latter interbred with the older Homo erectus population of Eurasia and split into Neanderthal and Denisovan branches, with the former branch evolving enough to stand apart from heidebergensis by 230 000 years ago.
Eventually modern humans migrating out of Africa interbred with neanderthals in Middle East and the hybrid descendants of this first migration wave interbred with the Denisovans, probably in the mainland East Asia.
3. There is some evidence that the admixture can still cause infertility in modern humans and might have played a major role early on in diminishing the genetic heritage from these species, which would indicate that the species were at the edge of being able to successfully produce viable fertile descendants with modern humans.
This would be a strong support of considering all three of them as independent species, but of course they were all humans like all the other genus Homo species - and perhaps we should include the later Australopithecines as humans, as the line between them and early Homo has become increasingly blurry in studies in recent years and different Australopithecine species and early Homo species can be assumed, but so far not confirmed, to have also interbred and produce hybrid descendants which might have contributed to our own genetic inheritance...
4. Oldest Homo sapiens remains are 195 000 years old, from Omo river in Ethiopia. There's plenty of over 100 000 years old Homo sapiens finds from Africa.
Beyond our own Homo sapiens sapiens, only one Homo sapiens' sub-species has currently wide support, the Homo sapiens idaltu, known from three partial skulls from Herto also in Ethiopia, dated to 160 000 - 154 000 years ago.
I hazard a guess that the tomb was intended as a semi-public place and a shrine and not just a tomb, so the entrance beyond the sphinxes but probably not farther was intended to be open. Then, probably for political reasons, the site’s outer parts were dismantled and it was hidden in it’s entirety at some later point. But there seem to be some amount of respect involved, this was apparently no defilement.
I have little doubt it was intended as a royal tomb – those that followed Alexander the Great on the throne in Macedon would never have allowed any of his commanders to build such a grand tomb, as has been proposed. It would have been seen as a challenge to the royal authority.
In March there were claims of finding of new Argead royal tombs in Vergina – including Perdiccas II – and possibly the tomb of Cassander. These tombs are far more modest, as is typical of the royal tombs, and as this Amphipolis tomb was build no later than the rule of Cassander, it beggars belief that he would have allowed it to be build while building a much more smaller tomb for himself.
Beyond the very small possibility that this was not intended to be actual tomb but a shrine or cenotaph or that this was actually originally commissioned by Alexander for his father Philip II, I believe that this was intended to be the tomb for Alexander the Great, somebody else was or were buried there and later, either during dynastic change or Roman takeover, it became politically inconvenient and was deliberately hidden.
There are now at least 28 Palestinians that have been tortured to death by the Syrian regime. Both Palestinian human rights organizations in Syria (Action Group for Palestinians in Syria & Palestinian League for Human Rights-Syria) have documented these deaths.
2465 Palestinians have died during the course of the Syrian war so far. Over 250 of them have died by torture. And this month alone, 28 Palestinians have been tormented to death, almost one every day. I have listed their names below. We have the photographs of 19 of these men. For the other casualties, we have only their names. Each had a story. And each perished in an agony unimaginable to most of us.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Commenting http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/jerusalem-vivendi/.premium-1.612515
As a Jewish state Israel is above all international laws and will never be punished in any way, no matter what it does, by the international community, so why should it be troubled? Just do the usual routine of shouting "Antisemitism", "Auschwitz", "Holocaust" few times and the "West" will accept any damage to historical buildings Israel will inflict - and it's not like the "West" would care what happens to mosques, historical or not, in the first place. Whether the destroyer is ISIS or Israel.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
Friday, August 01, 2014
When Genocide isPermissible
AUGUST 1, 2014, 5:36 PM
I wasn’t aware of this, but it seems that the nature of warfare has undergone a major shift over the years. Where wars were usually waged to defeat the opposing side, today it seems – and judging by the number of foul calls it would indicate – that today’s wars are fought to a draw. I mean, whoever heard of a timeout in war? An NBA Basketball game allows six timeouts for each team during the course of a game, but last I checked this is a war! We are at war with an enemy whose charter calls for the annihilation of our people. Nothing, then, can be considered disproportionate when we are fighting for our very right to live.
The sad reality is that Israel gets it, but its hands are being tied by world leaders who over the past six years have insisted they are such good friends with the Jewish state, that they know more regarding its interests than even they do. But there’s going to have to come a time where Israel feels threatened enough where it has no other choice but to defy international warnings – because this is life or death.
Most of the reports coming from Gazan officials and leaders since the start of this operation have been either largely exaggerated or patently false. The truth is, it’s not their fault, falsehood and deceit is part of the very fabric of who they are and that will never change. Still however, despite their propensity to lie, when your enemy tells you that they are bent on your destruction you believe them. Similarly, when Khaled Meshal declares that no physical damage to Gaza will dampen their morale or weaken their resolve – they have to be believed. Our sage Gedalia the son of Achikam was given intelligence that Yishmael Ben Nesanyah was plotting to kill him. However, in his piety or rather naiveté Gedalia dismissed the report as a random act of gossip and paid no attention to it. To this day, the day following Rosh Hashana is commemorated as a fast day in the memory of Gedalia who was killed in cold blood on the second day of Rosh Hashana during the meal. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same mistakes over and over. History is there to teach us lessons and the lesson here is that when your enemy swears to destroy you – you take him seriously.
Hamas has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel celebrates life. What other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other than obliterate them completely?
News anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have lost their lives as a result of this war. But anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered an innocent civilian. If you’ll counter, that Hamas has been seen abusing civilians who have attempted to leave their homes in response to Israeli warnings to leave – well then, your beginning to come to terms with the nature of this enemy which should automatically cause the rules of standard warfare to be suspended.
Everyone agrees that Israel has the right to defend itself as well as the right to exercise that right. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has declared it, Obama and Kerry have clearly stated that no one could be expected to sit idle as thousands of rockets rain down on the heads of its citizens, placing them in clear and present danger. It seems then that the only point of contention is regarding the measure of punishment meted out in this situation.
I will conclude with a question for all the humanitarians out there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly stated at the outset of this incursion that his objective is to restore a sustainable quiet for the citizens of Israel. We have already established that it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the safety and security of its people. If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?
https://archive.today/RPf3M#selection-374.0-374.1
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Let's be frank: ISRAEL will murder hundreds to thousands of Palestinians just because it can and all armed resistance factions in Gaza are taking part in the resistance to Israeli attacks. Hamas is not Gaza, Gaza is it's 1 800 000 people, almost half of which are under the age of 18. As long as Israeli Jews don't value the lives of the people in Gaza and Palestinians lives overall, Israel has no right to exist.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Patagonian monsters: Tibetans and Denisovans share genes
Patagonian monsters: Tibetans and Denisovans share genes: A recent paper by Emilia Huerta-Sánchez (2014) [1] has shown that Tibetans' adaptation to high altitude is due to a gene that they in...
Saturday, July 05, 2014
Friday, July 04, 2014
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