All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Hunger strike reaches crisis point – World – NZ Herald News

“Defence lawyers have tried to engage in constructive dialogue but we have been met with resistance and silence,” explained US Army Captain Jason Wright, a lawyer who described seeing his client Obaidullah, now a 52kg “bag of bones”, a few days ago as “extremely distressing”.

“When I walked into the room he was demonstrably changed. He said, ‘They won’t treat us with dignity, they are treating us like dogs’. There is an urgency. It is clear that if this hunger strike continues there will be deaths. These men are going to die in this prison for nothing. It is an absolute outrage,” said Wright.

The protest began when, according to lawyers, the new administration decided to end “an era of permissiveness” and take a more punitive approach, in contravention with the Geneva Convention, which calls for preventative detention. Guards confiscated all “comfort items” but what inflamed inmates most was a search of their Korans, an act the administration denies.

First-hand reports reveal that most prisoners are now being held in solitary confinement in empty, windowless cells just 3.5m by 2.5m. Clean water is rationed, they say, and they have been stripped of all possessions.

They complain the air-conditioning has been turned up to an icy level, guards deliberately disturb prayer times and turn up throughout the night to take them for showers.

via Hunger strike reaches crisis point – World – NZ Herald News.

Egyptian Aak. Week18

Nervana

Week 18 image

(Photo: May Day protest in Cairo, via Daily News Egypt)

Main Headlines

Monday

Tuesday

 Wednesday

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The Story Of Owning a Pet in Lebanon

Carry on Katniss in dreams and memories if no place else…

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

The journey of a thousand miles starts with the inception of the idea… with your mother. “I’m getting a cat” was what I said. A stern look that breathed of “no” was how she replied. Message received. My dad automatically referred me back to my mother. No luck on that front. I had my work cut out for me.

Soon enough, I got the pet. My mom will cave in under the pressure, I figured. I entered the house with that white ball of fur in my arms. I had already decided to name her “Katniss.” And I probably hadn’t seen something cuter in my life. Katniss, however, was absolutely terrified. So the first thing she did when I stepped over the threshold was to go and hide beneath the sofa. No amount of food or trickery could get her out of there. It could have been that the…

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Cameron to woo back lost voters by pledging to wear blazers and be racist more often

Wearing blazers? OMG! The racism will not be new…

Pride's Purge

(satire – possibly)

The Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to win back former Conservative supporters who have defected to UKIP by pledging to wear blazers more often and trying harder to be much more openly racist and homophobic.

In an interview with the BBC, the prime minister said:

We need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support a party of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists and that’s why I am pledging to do more to win back our core voters by telling racist jokes while wearing a blazer and drinking beer from an engraved silver tankard down my local pub more often.

As results were announced in the elections for the 35 county councils in England and Wales, the Prime Minister also pledged to work harder to distance himself from himself, the Prime Minister and Mr Cameron’s own policies.

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Related articles by Tom Pride:

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Superpower “Laxative Nut” Tree Could Solve Egypt’s Fuel Crisis | Green Prophet

(Amazing that people can talk themselves into importing plants from other continents and assume that they may do no harm and only good.)

 

Also, while some crops are water intensive (and Egypt doesn’t have much H20 to share), the Jatropha tree is said to be a low maintenance species that requires very little water to thrive.

The wood is strong and can be used for building projects, and essential oils can be used to make candles, soap and glycerine.

“The tree can be planted twice a year, at the beginning of spring and autumn,” Khaireddine explained to Al-Shorfa in a recent interview.

Plus “… it can be planted densely in desert areas, with one tree per every two metres, and it does not require any sort of pesticide or organic and mineral fertilizers, especially if irrigated by treated wastewater.”

She adds that a forest of Jatropha trees could stave off desertification by acting as a wall that prevents wind from sweeping away the desert sands.

Through her land reclamation company Al-Wadad, Khaireddine has raised some money from private sources in order to develop a pilot project that will prove to potential investors and the Egyptian government that Jatropha is a viable solution for Egypt’s energy and pollution crisis.

It can also provide a host of jobs in a country that has at least a 13 percent unemployment rate (though we suspect those numbers are a lot higher.)

But she is still looking for land, which she hopes to acquire under the government’s land reclamation scheme.

via Superpower “Laxative Nut” Tree Could Solve Egypt’s Fuel Crisis | Green Prophet.

Co-Director Johanna profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine

Grow Dat Youth Farm

Johanna
C
o-Director and Founder Johanna Gilligan was recently profiled in St Charles Ave magazine in a piece by Lindsay Mack.

“According to Gilligan, the most rewarding aspect of her job is the chance to work with young adults. She feels that teens are an untapped resource, and Grow Dat helps them become their best selves. Furthermore, the program encourages students from all over the New Orleans metropolitan area to work together, forging friendships among students from many different public and private high schools. Lastly, both Gilligan and the students love the opportunity to work with their hands and spend a great deal of time outdoors.”

Check out the full article on MyNewOrleans.

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