All posts by nedhamson
Ireland denies suicidal rape survivor an abortion and forces her to undergo a C-section
As Jessica notes, the horrific ordeal shows how inadequate even this small exemption to the country’s strict anti-choice law really is. A member of Ireland’s Doctors for Choice said, “We predicted it would be a bad law, that it was going to be trouble and quickly that’s been proven.” Part of the problem is that the law requires examination of the pregnant person’s mental state by up to seven different doctors, a process which will “not only be overly invasive, confusing and distressing emotionally, it will also be time-consuming.”
It’s also probably no coincidence that this young women, like Halappanavar, is an immigrant. While middle-class Irish citizens can often go to England to end their pregnancies, poor women — who lack the funds — and immigrant women — who lack the papers to easily travel — are often out of luck. The young woman might have been able to get authorization to travel to England under the law and advocates are demanding to know if she was informed of her rights.
As Sarah McCarthy, a spokesperson for Galway Pro-Choice, says, the case “illustrates quite clearly that women are treated as little more than incubators under Irish law.”
via Ireland denies suicidal rape survivor an abortion and forces her to undergo a C-section.
Quote of the Day: “My past is littered with the bones of men…”
Meet the new head of the NBA players union, Michele A. Roberts. A former public defender, Roberts will be the first female leader of a major North American professional sports union. But, she says, “I don’t live my life saying, ‘What ceiling am I going to crack tomorrow?’” Instead, her advice “is not to worry about whether you’re the only one, but worry about whether you’re the best one.”
via Quote of the Day: “My past is littered with the bones of men…”.
Liberia getting multiple hits – Indians stuck in Ebola-hit Liberia as airlines cancel services – The Times of India
Kenya Airways is the latest carrier to suspend its flights to the Liberian capital of Monrovia and Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The airline will stop flying its planes to Liberia from Tuesday.
At present, only Brussels Airlines is operating. British Airways, Emirates, pan-African airline ASKY and smaller regional carrier Arik Air have restricted flights in the region.
Adding to the woes of the local and expatriate population is the escalating cost of essential commodities. The price of one particular variety of parboiled rice popular in Liberia — imported from India and the US — has doubled.
“We used to get a 25kg bag of parboiled rice at US$14. A month ago, it was $18; now it has touched $28,” says Shamshuddin, a garment businessman from Karnad, Mulki. According to him, the prices of rice and other commodities have increased because there are no vessels bringing them to Liberia.
via Indians stuck in Ebola-hit Liberia as airlines cancel services – The Times of India.
Afghan Women’s Writing Project | War
To buy his family’s safety, your father spends every Afghani
he has saved for the last 30 years. Your mother sells
her jewelry so she can feed you and your brothers and sisters.
Your brother gives up his beloved car, and you
give up your education because you have no other option.
Gunfire and rockets, like the devil screaming,
wake you in the middle of the night.
The explosions vibrate through your heart.
Nothing can calm you, not even the arms
of your mother.
You see torn bodies on the TV.
Mothers lie crying over their sons’ corpses.
Widows weep for their children:
Who will feed them today?
War means living in fear, with families torn apart.
Flowers lose their color, become gray.
Dark circles under your eyes, your skin pale,
you see everything in black and white,
cannot feel the sun’s warmth, the wind’s breeze,
see how bright the moon and stars.
Your best friend flees to another place—you
miss her, become lonely, isolated. She was the one
you shared your secrets with and played with.
You don’t feel safe without her, not even in your own room.
War means poverty. People kill for food.
Parents sell their children. Children sell opium.
Girls marry old men. Teenagers take responsibilities
that are too big. They feel old, begin to be cruel,
see things they shouldn’t—do things they shouldn’t.
You see women killed. Of course, they have been raped first,
because they are honored by the enemies.
And yes, you see yourself used as a tool of war,
and sold because no one can protect you.
War makes the warlord thirstier and thirstier.
He cares only about himself, seeks to drink power,
becomes blind, deaf, a liar. With no laws, no rules,
you make no goals anymore for your unknown future.
You become cheap, worthless.
War means nightmares for you, your family,
your world. Every single sound scares you.
War tastes as terrible as it is. You have no appetite,
not even for your favorite meal.
By Marzia
WHO: Full Report Of Ethics Committee On Experimental Drugs For Ebola
{Unintended consequences abound after use of experimental drugs on Ebola given ethical OK by WHO}
The intent was to allow a handful drugs and vaccines currently under investigation for the treatment of Ebola – those with at least some reasonable expectation of being effective – to be given a “compassionate use” waiver so they could be used outside of a clinical trial.
On Friday, in an attempt to dial back some of the excessive media hype over what are unproven and untested drugs, we saw the WHO Warn Of `Unrealistic Expectations’ Over Experimental Ebola Drugs.
Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, almost immediately we began to see reports of everything from herbal remedies to homeopathic `cures’ to `Nano Silver’ ( even holy water) being offered as potential treatments or preventatives for Ebola.
Last week the FDA warned consumers about fraudulent Ebola treatment products and the WHO began to aggressively discount these `cures’ on their twitter account.
via Avian Flu Diary: WHO: Full Report Of Ethics Committee On Experimental Drugs For Ebola.
Economics, Democracy, and the New World Order
star gifts
A Gratitude Prayer
Let Yourself Off the Hook.
It’s OK to unplug and disengage from the news of the day, from the horror, genocide, war, poverty and sickness that seem to be everywhere. We aren’t terrible people if we need to sit and look at the sky, silently counting clouds, feeling the wind as it shifts. We aren’t selfish or awful or lacking compassion if we take time to care for ourselves, as best we can.
What’s Good? What’s Right About the World?
No matter how bad we feel about what’s happening in the world, feeling bad will not make others feel good. Only by making small choices to focus on what’s good, what’s right, what’s important — moment by moment by moment — can we ever hope to change things. Only that will foster the kind of life condition that will allow us to energetically shift and shape our future.
Use…
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Margaret Thatcher’s father – a paedophile?
(not satire)
A 15-year-old girl who used to work in a grocery shop owned by Margaret Thatcher’s father said that he had regularly molested her.
In 1997, the girl told a journalist from The Independent:
“He was a bad one. He came round and put his arms around me, feeling my breasts. He used to put his tongue in my mouth. I got quite frightened. I didn’t like it and I’d push him away.“
She also said Thatcher’s father used to regularly molest other teenage girls who worked in his shop:
“He’d say nothing and go, but then he would come back again. He used to chase other girls round the counter.“
Looks like abusing helpless people was a bit of a family trait in the Roberts family.
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