A large explosion struck outside the Italian Consulate in Egypt’s capital Cairo early Saturday, severely damaging the building and killing one civilian, and injuring four others, officials said. An Italian diplomat said the consulate was closed at the time and no staff members were wounded in the blast.
Monthly Archives: July 2015
Wimbledon 2015: Serena Williams Defeats Garbiñe Muguruza and Closes In on Grand Slam
Williams has won the first three major tournaments of 2015, and with a victory at the United States Open she would become the first woman since 1988 to win all four in a calendar year.
| Original enclosures: |
|
|
via Wimbledon 2015: Serena Williams Defeats Garbiñe Muguruza and Closes In on Grand Slam.
Greece and Grexit
Deadly Medicine
Just before the Eurogroup’s summit, several prominent economists appealed to Chancellor Merkel in an open letter, asking that she take the Greek referendum as an opportunity for a course correction in the policy toward Greece. Among the signatories are Jeffrey Sachs, whose shock therapy is being held responsible for the serious economic collapse in Eastern Europe in the 1990s, and former State Secretary in the German Ministry of Finances, Heiner Flassbeck. “The never-ending austerity that Europe is force-feeding the Greek people is simply not working,” write the economists. “As most of the world knew it would, the financial demands made by Europe have crushed the Greek economy … and made the external debt crisis far worse.” The “humanitarian impact” has been “colossal.” For example “40 percent of children now live in poverty,” the “infant mortality is sky-rocketing” because of the austerity policy. “The medicine prescribed by Berlin and Brussels has bled the patient,” write the authors, not cured the disease. “It is having an impact on those, who were not even born at the beginning of the crisis.”[2] This is why the austerity dictate must be ended.
An Important Partner
Washington has even become involved in the debate. Yesterday, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke by telephone to US Minister of Finances Jacob Lew and President Barack Obama. They spoke particularly about an accommodation loan, that Athens quickly needs, to bridge the gap until a third bail-out package begins, according to reports. Obama has “hopes” for an agreement that will definitely keep Greece in the Eurozone. Yesterday, Hillary Clinton also made similar demands. The EU must urgently “defuse” the crisis, says former Secretary of State and possible presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. “I want to see a resolution.” After all, Greece is “an important partner.”[3]
Geostrategic Bridgehead
For the USA, Greece is in fact an extremely important NATO partner. The political scientist Johannes Varwick has emphasized this point. According to Varwick, for the West, Greece serves as a “geostrategic bridgehead to the Middle East,” which was already “the reason” to have “Greece as a NATO partner in 1952.” To this date, “nothing has changed” in this respect, explains Varwick. It must be absolutely “avoided that there is a dislocation on NATO’s southeast flank,” explains the political scientist. “That means that as a prerequisite, for a stable opposite shore, the European realm must first of all, be stabilized, and therefore Greece …, even from a security policy standpoint, is a serious problem.”[4] Western allies’ support for Greece maintaining its expensive military budget is also due to its exposed geostrategic position. According to the SIPRI Institute in Stockholm, just last year, after the catastrophic cuts in pensions and social expenditures had long since been made, Greece invested a good 2.5 percent of its GDP in its military – much more than any of the other European NATO member countries. Last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared that this must continue to be the case: “That is important for all.” Military spending were “not the reasons for the financial crisis in Greece.”[5] The Tsipras government has agreed to maintain the higher-than-average military spending.
No Other Option
Sunday, the EU special summit will make its final decision on Greece’s future. The Tsipras government either will then comply with the wishes of the Greek population, or again be forced to submit to the German-EU austerity dictate – possibly a bit veiled cosmetically. Berlin, as yesterday’s Eurogroup summit has confirmed, leaves no other option open.
▶ Michael Franti & Spearhead – I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like) – YouTube
▶ Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams (with lyrics) – YouTube
How we made the Paper iPad app | App story
This app enables users to sketch, write, draw and visualise ideas on their iPad and has been downloaded more than 14m times
Here at FiftyThree we share a core belief that human beings are essentially creative. The trouble is, by the time people graduate, get a job and take on other responsibilities, they often believe they’re not creative. To me the phrase “I’m not creative” needs to be eradicated. As a species we’ve evolved with intelligent brains and dexterous hands, plus most of us have access to unlimited ideas and inspiration. Creating is what unlocks our potential. It makes business sense as well; innovation trumps efficiency in the long run.
The idea that anyone can be creative and benefit from doing so is a concept we took forward when we formed FiftyThree and developed our app, Paper, which enables users to sketch, write, draw and visualise ideas on their iPad.
Paul McCartney condemns ‘cruel’ proposals to bring back fox hunting | Music | The Guardian
The people of Britain are behind this Tory government on many things but the vast majority of us will be against them if hunting is reintroduced.
It is cruel and unnecessary and will lose them support from ordinary people and animal lovers like myself.
His sentiments echo those of Queen’s Brian May, who slammed pro-hunting activists on BBC’s Newsnight on 9 July. May criticised the Countryside Alliance, calling them “a bunch of lying bastards”.
“There is no justification for the hunting of foxes on the grounds of control of foxes,” said May. “They breed them to hunt; it’s all about people out there trying to catch foxes for fun. They like causing pain and this is what Cameron is endorsing.”
via Paul McCartney condemns ‘cruel’ proposals to bring back fox hunting | Music | The Guardian.
Brigitte Bardot: ‘I couldn’t wear Lagerfeld while feeding my goats’ | Fashion | The Guardian
What would you say in response to Karl Lagerfeld when he defends the use of animals by saying they are also exploited for consumption?
I doubt very much that Karl Lagerfeld eats much mink or fox or chinchilla. It is important not to mix things up; each battle must be waged in its own right. The farming of animals for their fur is absolutely dreadful.
Have you met Lagerfeld and worn his designs, and what do you think of him?
I live the life of a farmer. I don’t see how I could wear Lagerfeld’s designs while feeding my goats. I have respect for Lagerfeld as a man, but I would have so much more for him if he, in turn, respected animals. We do not live in the same world.
Despite the work done by such organisations as Peta and your foundation, fur is still popular in the fashion world. Why do you think this is?
Pride, stupidity or just plain ignorance have allowed this trend built on the lethal exploitation of animals to flourish once again. This is a war that we had won, or at least that we believed we had won, in the 1990s, since fewer people in Europe and in the US dared to wear real fur.
via Brigitte Bardot: ‘I couldn’t wear Lagerfeld while feeding my goats’ | Fashion | The Guardian.
Amah Mutsun Tribe to hold Prayer Ceremony and Protest against Junipero Serra
Prayer ceremony & protest set for Saturday at San Juan Bautista Mission
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CALIFORNIA— On Saturday, July 11, 2015, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Nation will hold a prayer ceremony and protest against the canonization of Juniero Serra at the San Juan Bautista Mission in San Juan Bautista, California.
The event begins at 9:00 am and ends at 5:00pm. The prayer ceremony and rally takes place in front of the Mission, and those who attend are advised to be prepared for the heat. Bring sunscreen, hats, lawn chairs (the grass is dry and hard due to the drought) and water. Lunch will be provided by the tribe and water will be available throughout the day.
The program will begin with a welcome and blessing by Mutsun Tribal Chairman Valentin Lopez and Vice Chairman, Paul Mondragon. Traditional Mutsun dancers and singers are scheduled to perform as well as traditional Miwok dancers. Mutsun Muwis Mak (women singers) will offer songs toward the end of the day’s events. Louise Ramirez, Tribal Chairwoman of the Ohlone Costanoan-Esselen Nation is scheduled to speak, as well as Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez. Noted writer Elias Castillo, author of “A Cross of Thorns” will deliver his thoughts about the history of Serra and the proposed sainthood by the current Pope. Former Catholic priest, Mathew Fox, author and educator will speak about his experiences and his opinions regarding sainthood. Dr. Donna Shindler, Mutsun Tribal psychiatrist and expert on historic trauma is also scheduled to speak. She has been working with the Mutsun tribe for two years, and has fifteen years experience in the area of historic trauma. Dr. Shindler has developed deep insight into its effect generationally. Dr. Lisbeth Haas, author of several books about the Chumash Tribe and a professor of History at UC Santa Cruz is also scheduled to present.
“This issue is extremely important to all California Indian Tribes. Most non-natives don’t know that the only place we had to live for many decades was on the several ranches where the owner’s were sympathetic to our plight. They let us stay on their property seasonally and when we needed a place to go,” said Valentin Lopez, tribal chairman.
“The San Juan Bautista Mission had the highest death rate of any mission in the system. 19, 421 Indians died at the San Juan Bautista Mission alone. Mission life was brutal and violent, and the true history of the impact of California missions on indigenous people has never been told truthfully. The last padre of the Mission system, Presidente Mariano Panyeras actually wrote that, ” All we have done is baptize and bury the Indians. We will be judged by this,” explained Chairman Lopez.
“Nothing has ever been said about the deaths, enslavements, beatings, rapes, and torture. The public has never been told the truth. It is unacceptable to our tribe that Serra be considered a Saint”.
The Amhan Mutsun endured two generations of the Mission system, beginning in 1797-1833. They then went through the period when Mexican nationals were given large land grants by the Mexican government, from 1823-1848. Because they had no one to work their ranches, the California tribes were once again rounded up and forced to work as laborers for these landowners. The next period was the American era, statehood, and the California gold rush, beginning in 1848. Executive orders legalizing kidnapping of youth and young adults (both women and men), selling them as slaves, paying for scalps taken, murder and genocidal policies became the norm for California’s native tribes. “We have endured five to six generations of trauma. This means that parents, grandparents and more could not pass on to their children tribal information, language, dances, songs, what it means to be a Mutsun”, said Chairman Lopez. “We would like the truth to be known regarding our history. That is important for healing not only us, but the entire state of California. When this doesn’t happen, the state and the people of California collude with perpetrators by continuing the lies,” said Chairman Lopez.
For more information and directions to San Juan Bautista Mission go to www.amhanmutsun.org
Nanette Bradley Deetz is of Dakota, Cherokee and German descent. She is a poet, writer, educator and sometimes musician whose poetry appears in several anthologies. The most current is “Turning a Train of Thought Upside Down,” published by Scarlett Tanager Press; “Turtle Island to Abya Yala, A Love Anthology of Art and Poetry by Native American and Latina Women,” Malinalli Press, and “Alameda Island Theme Poems, 2004,2005 & 2006.” She combines poetry and music in her band, Redbird Giving which performs at many Bay Area native and non-native venues. She is a correspondent for the Alameda Journal and Native News Online.
The post Amah Mutsun Tribe to hold Prayer Ceremony and Protest against Junipero Serra appeared first on Native News Online.
Greek parliament backs new debt reform plan
Greece’s parliament votes overwhelmingly in favour of authorising the government of prime minister Alexis Tsipras to negotiate with international creditors on the basis of a reform program unveiled this week.

You must be logged in to post a comment.