Category Archives: human rights

Reverse Thunder (prayer)

I hear thunder in the distance rolling onward like the waves gaining power it surges  forward and like a child I am afraid flash and pounding ever stronger seconds now and it will hit dark the clou…

Source: Reverse Thunder (prayer)

Israel’s chief rabbi urges building Jewish temple on Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif | +972 Magazine

“In that place, by the way, in the same place where it was, there’s room for Jews, there’s room for Christians, there’s room for Muslims, there’s room for everybody,” Rabbi Lau continued. “It won’t take up the entire Temple Mount — take a look at its measurements.” Rabbi Lau’s argument that there’s room for all three monotheistic religions on the Temple Mount will hardly assuage the fear that messianic Jews plan to destroy one of Islam’s holiest sites. For those who fear such a disaster, any minor change that Israel makes in the Western Wall Plaza below is enough to stoke paranoia, and the extensive archeological tunneling Israeli groups are performing in the area add another layer of fear regarding a monopolistic view of history and religious attachment.

Source: Israel’s chief rabbi urges building Jewish temple on Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif | +972 Magazine

Dutch woman held in Qatar after making rape complaint – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) “Steer clear of Gulf – they look like 21st century but treat women like 17th!”

A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed the arrest but said the young woman, whom she named as Laura, has not been charged. Daphne Kerremans added that “the enquiry is ongoing” and that Dutch authorities were in regular contact with Laura. The woman’s lawyer said the case concerned a trip his client made in March to a Qatar hotel where the consumption of alcohol is allowed. “She went dancing but when she returned to the table after the first sip of her drink, she realised that [she had been drugged],” Mr Lokollo said. “She felt very unwell.” The young woman remembered nothing more until the following morning when she woke up in a totally unfamiliar apartment “and realised to her great horror, that she had been raped”, Mr Lokollo said. The suspected rapist was also arrested but insisted that their night together had been consensual and the woman had even asked for money. “She completely denies these accusations,” Mr Lokollo said. A court hearing is set to take place on Monday and the Foreign Ministry hopes a decision on whether to charge the Dutch woman will be made. A 24-year-old Norwegian woman who brought a rape complaint against her boss was jailed for 16 months in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates in 2013 for so-called indecent behaviour, perjury and alcohol consumption. She was later pardoned by the authorities.

Source: Dutch woman held in Qatar after making rape complaint – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Italian paper offers readers Hitler’s Mein Kampf – The Local

“Know it in order to reject it” was the justification given by conservative tabloid Il Giornale, which is owned by Paolo Berlusconi, brother of former premier Silvio Berlusconi. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi quickly denounced the initiative on Twitter, writing: “I find it sordid that an Italian daily is giving away Hitler’s Mein Kampf. I embrace the Jewish community with affection. #neveragain” It was also denounced by Italy’s 30,000-strong Jewish community, which is one of the oldest in Europe.

Source: Italian paper offers readers Hitler’s Mein Kampf – The Local

Boys will be boys, and other uttered nonsense. | Rebelle Society

Suggesting that the Stanford rapist’s actions were a mistake caused by alcohol is to suggest that every man has an inner rapist, and that there is a line — perhaps 5 drinks, or perhaps 10 — that, when crossed, turns men into animals incapable of self-control. This is the gravest insult to female and male victims everywhere; it is an insult to me, to Brock’s victim, and to all the wonderful men in the world who would never dream of violating someone’s basic human rights in such an abominable way.

Source: Boys will be boys, and other uttered nonsense. | Rebelle Society

Rio 2016: Studies find ‘super bacteria’ in Olympic venues, top tourist beaches – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Scientists have found dangerous drug-resistant “super bacteria” off beaches in Rio de Janeiro that will host Olympic swimming events and in a lagoon where rowing and canoe athletes will compete when the Games start early August. Key points: Super bacteria found in five of Rio’s beaches, in the Olympic Lagoon, and in a river Federal police are investigating whether Rio’s water utility Cedae is committing environmental crimes Bacteria lie dormant but attack when a healthy person falls ill for another reason The findings from two unpublished academic studies concern Rio’s most popular spots for tourists, and heighten concerns that the city’s sewage-infested waterways are unsafe.

Source: Rio 2016: Studies find ‘super bacteria’ in Olympic venues, top tourist beaches – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Drug Maker’s Former Employees Accused of Shady Dealings With Doctors – The New York Times

Greed wins – we lose!

One top speaker, according to Mr. Roper’s indictment, was paid $147,245 in speaking fees in 2014 and accounted for about $1.2 million in prescriptions of Subsys that were reimbursed through Medicare. Another doctor singled out in the complaint was paid $112,340 in speaking fees in 2014 and prescribed $1.4 million worth of Subsys that was paid for by Medicare, according to the indictment. The doctors were not named in the indictment. Approved in 2012, Subsys is a form of fentanyl that is sprayed under the tongue and is approved for use only in patients who have cancer and experience pain even though they are already on round-the-clock painkillers. Fentanyl can be deadly if it is prescribed in large doses to someone who has not already become tolerant to opioids. Despite the drug’s tight restrictions, sales of Subsys have been strong, taking in $330 million in 2015. Although Insys was an early favorite with Wall Street, it has struggled as it has faced questions about its marketing practices. Its stock is down more than 50 percent in the last year, and fell more than 12 percent on Friday alone.

Source: Drug Maker’s Former Employees Accused of Shady Dealings With Doctors – The New York Times

Israeli leaders vow revenge after Tel Aviv attack | The Electronic Intifada “Revenge produces more revenge, which produces more revenge… – dumb, fruitless, cruel…”

Israeli forces have already raided Yatta and closed all its entrances, preventing Palestinians from freely moving in and out of the town. Approximately 100 high school students from Yatta were briefly detained by Israeli forces on Thursday as they tried to leave the town to attend their final exams. Israel meanwhile froze more than 83,000 permits allowing Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza to enter Israel and occupied East Jerusalem to visit family and pray at al-Aqsa mosque during the month of Ramadan, which began a few days ago. Two additional army battalions including “hundreds” of infantry and elite intelligence units are reportedly being deployed to the West Bank following the shooting attack. Lieberman also ordered the suspension of the return of slain Palestinians’ bodies to their families and has reportedly asked the attorney general “to look into the possibility of shortening the legal process to allow faster home demolitions of terrorist homes,” Haaretz reported. Such punitive demolitions of the homes of relatives of suspects are a form of collective punishment Israel uses exclusively against Palestinians.

Source: Israeli leaders vow revenge after Tel Aviv attack | The Electronic Intifada

Can Farm-to-Table Tortillas Help Sustain Mexico’s Corn Heritage? | Civil Eats

Mexico, particularly the southern state of Oaxaca, is known as the birthplace of corn. “Mexico has been producing corn for 12,000 years,” Gaviria says. The country has as many as 59 landraces, or locally adapted, traditional varieties of corn, according to Martha Willcox, Maize Landrace Improvement Coordinator at CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), who has helped Gaviria with his project. “Maize is the culture in Mexico,” she says. “Everyone eats maize every day, and there are 2000 culinary applications.” Within those 59 landraces, Gaviria says there are “tons of varieties” of corn, including many colors such as white, blue, red, and yellow. “There is a huge amount of diversity in the landraces,” Willcox says. Masienda sources its corn from Oaxaca, whose corn varieties are among the most rare and diverse in Mexico. Gaviria buys the corn from the region’s smallholder farmers who have been growing these corn varieties for generations. “These farmers are custodians of a very precious commodity,” says Alan Tank, former assistant vice president of the National Corn Growers Association and an adviser to Masienda. “The value it represents to them and to the world is nothing short of phenomenal.” As an Iowa farmer, Tank appreciates the value of Mexico’s corn heritage. “Being part of family farm, I understand the need for biodiversity and preserving it,” he says. Provides Needed Income to Farmers The average size of the smallholder farms range from about 2 to 12 acres. Oaxaca’s farmers are poor with 62 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Masienda’s purchase of the farmers’ excess corn—most of the corn they need for food—provides the farmers with income they would not otherwise receive. “We are providing a fair price to the farmers for growing the corn and having a big impact on rural communities there,” Gaviria says. “It’s a way to provide markets with good prices for farmers who have continued to grow these landraces,” Willcox says. This year Masienda is working with 1200 farmers after starting with 100 in 2014. Willcox and CIMMYT helped Gaviria identify the best corn varieties, connect with the farmers, source the corn, and pay the farmers. Masienda imports 10 to 15 different landraces. According to the company’s website, this is the first time in history these corn varieties have been available outside of the remote, indigenous communities of Oaxaca. Masienda supplies corn to about 100 restaurants, mostly in the U.S. with a few in Canada. One of those restaurants is Taquiza in Miami, Florida. Owner and chef Steve Santana uses blue and white bolita corn varieties to make masa flour, which is then made into tortillas and chips. Santana is enthusiastic about Masienda’s corn. “Visually it’s really cool looking, and the flavor is unmatched,” he says. Santana could buy much cheaper U.S. domestic corn but he prefers the heirloom varieties. “I like knowing that farmers are getting treated well throughout the supply chain,” he says. “We are preserving a little history; this is pure food in its natural state.”

Source: Can Farm-to-Table Tortillas Help Sustain Mexico’s Corn Heritage? | Civil Eats