Daily Archives: August 9, 2013

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Sick of Uncle Tom’s & Aunt Tomesia’s

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Well said – not all that different in some ways as the union movement – they fought and died for worker’s rights – and membership is now down to nothing compared to 20 years ago. The health benefits, the 40 hour week, workman’s compensation, right to organize, sick pay, overtime pay, minimum wage – they are the ones who got those benefits for everyone, Right on Tess!

Tess Powell Out Loud

There was a time in this country when African-American celebrities weren’t afraid to speak out against injustices of their race. Perhaps because many of them were still feeling the indignities of the Jim Crow era and/or because they truly cared.  Jackie Robinson, Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Paul Roebeson, Muhammed Ali, & of course Harry Belafonte, just to name a few. They fearlessly spoke up & participated in social issues not worried about the effect it would have on their career status. Without them & our Black leadership, Dr.King, MalcolmX, & Meadgar Evars, there’s no doubt, African-Americans would have remained second class citizens in the country we built.

This is why I’m baffled today’s’ celebrities are so indifferent to those that paved their way. Don’t they realize if so many had not laid down lives & limbs for them, they wouldn’t have the education or opportunity to have to acquired the…

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racism

British ships to visit Gibraltar – World – NZ Herald News

British “Armada” to show flag to intimidate Spain – Oh what Cameron will do to try and look good for coming elections. Getting fitted for Capt. Hornblower togs?

A rapid reaction force of Royal Navy warships is to visit Gibraltar on its way to exercises in the Mediterranean just as Britain and Spain are locked in a fierce diplomatic row over the future of the territory.

The force of nine vessels, led by the helicopter carrier HMS Illustrious and including two frigates, will sail for the Mediterranean on Monday at the start of a four-month deployment. Three of the ships, including HMS Westminster, will dock at Gibraltar.

via British ships to visit Gibraltar – World – NZ Herald News.

racism

Mayor of Upper Nazareth on Mission To Rid City of Arabs – Say What?

(Read this – then close your eyes and substitute in your mind some American mayor of today or long ago making a similar speech – then you might agree that this is nuts! and…)

In an interview on Aug. 5 with Channel 7, Israel’s right-wing news channel, Gapso said, “Upper Nazareth is a Jewish city, and no Arab school will be built there as long as I am mayor. There are alternative solutions. … The main problem is that they want to cause a provocation. It starts with a school, but then they’ll want a mosque and a church. We have to nip it in the bud. … Anyone who wants to live in the Jewish city of Upper Nazareth should consider that he will have to drive or somehow transport his kids to a school somewhere else.”

via Mayor of Upper Nazareth on Mission To Rid City of Arabs – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

Uncategorized

Rough and magical sunset in kikhavn

Beautiful – almost beyond words…

Leelouz Café

I know this is going to be repetitive for some of you, but not sharing this magical walk is too selfish! Please bear with me and I am sure you will enjoy to some extend what we experienced first hand. ..Some of these pictures are taken by my son georges who has a good eye  for beauty ( thanks God my love of beauty is being transmitted to my young ones!)

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It is truly beyond description…am fascinated and in awe of these moments…

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environment, planetkillers

Detroit Zoo Halts Bottled Water Sale, Cites Waste

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Zoo says it’s giving up a $240,000-annual revenue stream when it stops selling bottled water to visitors.

Operators of the 125-acre zoo in suburban Royal Oak say they’re acting to cut back on what is the “largest contributor to plastic waste.”

“This phase-out will cost us revenue, but it’s important to walk our talk and do what’s good for the environment,” zoo Executive Director Ron Kagan said in a statement.

The zoo says it will sell reusable water bottles that can be filled with filtered water at seven locations.

“We understand that this will be an adjustment for some visitors, but we hope it will help in a simple but significant way to make a difference for the planet,” said Kagan.

In its announcement, the zoo described bottled water as a major waste disposal problem nationwide.

“According to the Earth Policy Institute, more than 30 billion water bottles each year end up as garbage or litter in the United States,” he zoo said. “Additionally, it takes 5 liters of water to make 1 liter of bottled water, and it requires about a quarter of a water bottle of oil to produce, transport and dispose of a single bottle of water. ”

via Detroit Zoo Halts Bottled Water Sale, Cites Waste.

Anti-Humane, environment, Frankenfood, planetkillers, urban farm

Monsanto’s new GE crops already in the ground? | Pesticide Action Network

Dicamba-resistant soy is still awaiting USDA approval, as are 2,4-D-resistant corn and soy. And after receiving hundreds of thousands of comments opposing the approval of these crops, the agency recently extended its decision-making timeline. Despite the outcry, however, Monsanto has plowed full speed ahead, planting and spraying these crops in large, field-sized “Ground-Breaker” demonstration plots in North and South Dakota and in research plots in undisclosed locations.

Farmers, as well as other concerned citizens, are particularly worried about pesticide drift, crop damage and health harms that would likely accompany planting and spraying of dicamba- and 2,4-D-resistant crops.

Most at risk are fruit, nut and vegetable growers around the country, whose produce is highly susceptible to severe damage from 2,4-D and dicamba — herbicides known to volatilize and drift for miles. In one incident in California’s San Joaquin valley, 2,4-D drifted 100 miles from where it was applied, damaging 15,000 acres of cotton and a pomegranate orchard along the way.

via Monsanto’s new GE crops already in the ground? | Pesticide Action Network.

Uncategorized

Arabic is Dying in Lebanon

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

We’ve all tossed around the idea of the Arabic language meeting a slow but sure demise in Lebanon. It was only very recently that a friend and I figured we should strive to lessen mixing languages during our day to day discussions. This has proven to be especially difficult seeing as our day to day discussions stem from elements in our lives where Arabic is as dead as dead goes.

As an example at the top of my head, there are next to no Arabic words that I’m aware of with which I can describe what goes on at the hospital. So I simply revert to the language that makes such descriptions easier. It’s a simple matter of convenience.

However, there are now tangible numbers as to the state of the Arabic language today. Out of more than 61,000 brevet students, only 33.7% managed to get the required 30/60 to…

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environment, pandemic

WHO | Frequently Asked Questions on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

MERS-CoV has recently been found to be genetically related to a virus identified in bats from Southern Africa. But there is no definitive evidence that MERS-CoV originates in bats.

via WHO | Frequently Asked Questions on Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

(Such viruses can be easily spread from animal to animal via urine, feces and saliva. And it may be possible that enough virus carrying material has been deposited in and around the hundreds of thousands of date palms grown in the area of Saudi Arabia with the most cases reported. If there was an increase in area planted or more dates in past year – population of bats would increase and so would exposure.)

environment, Frankenfood, planetkillers, urban farm

US: Crop-damaging fruit pest found in North Dakota

Ah – the benefits of globalization and lack of good inspection of plants and produce entering US ports!

A pest that feeds on fresh fruit has been found in North Dakota for the first time, officials said. The spotted-wing drosophila was found in cherries from the Carrington Research Extension Center in Eastern North Dakota’s Foster County. The North Dakota State University Plant Diagnostic Laboratory in Fargo found larvae and one adult female in the fruit.

“This insect is capable of causing serious damage, and growers and gardeners should be on the lookout for the larvae in seemingly healthy fruits,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said Thursday. “It can be confused with the common fruit fly, but it prefers fresh fruit while the fruit fly prefers rotting fruit.”

The spotted-wing drosophila is about 3 millimeters long, yellowish brown in color with prominent red eyes. Males have dark spots on their wing tips. The pest is native to Asia. It was first found in the US in 2008 in California, and has since spread to other parts of the country. It was first detected in Minnesota last Summer.

via US: Crop-damaging fruit pest found in North Dakota.