Quoted from BBC News
Fighting in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia has caused death and widespread destruction. Georgian, Russian and South Ossetian forces have all been involved. There have also been clashes in Abkhazia, and Russian attacks on other parts of Georgia.
The separatist administrations in South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been trying to gain formal independence since breaking away in the early 1990s.
Tensions in both regions began to escalate after Mikhail Saakashvili was elected Georgian president in 2004, on a promise to re-unite the country.
The conflicts have remained largely frozen, despite occasional flare-ups, until this month.
What triggered the crisis?
A series of clashes between Georgian and South Ossetian forces in the summer of 2008 prompted Georgia to launch an aerial bombardment and ground attack on South Ossetia on 7 August.
Georgian forces controlled the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, for part of the following day.
Russia, meanwhile, poured thousands of troops into South Ossetia, and launched bombing raids both over the province and on targets in the rest of Georgia.
There have been unverified reports of war crimes on both sides.
Did the Russian forces enter South Ossetia before or after the Georgian attack?
This is unclear.
Georgia says it began its assault after learning that a large convoy of Russian armour was coming through the Roki tunnel, from North Ossetia into South Ossetia.
Russia says it acted to defend Russian citizens in South Ossetia, and its own peacekeepers stationed in the breakaway region.
How did the conflict develop?
Russian forces occupied parts of Georgia adjoining South Ossetia, including the town of Gori, a strategic town on the main road linking eastern and western Georgia.
They also moved from bases in Abkhazia into parts of western Georgia, and the Russian fleet went into action against the Georgian navy.
Abkhaz forces re-captured the Kodori Gorge - a region of Abkhazia taken under control by Georgian troops in 2006.
Who are the main casualties?
Large numbers of civilians have been driven out of their homes in South Ossetia. Many South Ossetians have crossed over to the Russian republic of North Ossetia.
Residents of Georgian villages in South Ossetia, and the town of Gori, have also fled.
The South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, is reported to be largely in ruins.
Why is Russia involved?
More than half of South Ossetia's 70,000 citizens are said to have taken up Moscow's offer of Russian citizenship. Russia says its actions were designed to protect those citizens.
Russia also has peacekeepers based in South Ossetia. Some of these were killed in the Georgian attack on 7 August.
Until recently, Russia said it respected Georgia's territorial integrity, and only wanted to look out for Russian citizens. But, following Georgia's military action, Russian PM Vladimir Putin said it was now unlikely that South Ossetia would reintegrate with the rest of Georgia.
Does Georgia have links to Nato?
President Saakashvili has made membership of Nato one of his main goals - and Nato agreed in April 2008 that Georgia would become a member of the alliance at some unspecified date in the future.
The country has had a close relationship with the United States - sending troops to join the US-led coalition in Iraq.
The US has helped to train and arm the Georgian military. It also helped Georgian troops return from Iraq after the Russian incursion into South Ossetia.
What is the status of South Ossetia?
South Ossetia has run its own affairs since fighting for independence from Georgia in 1991-92, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It has declared independence, though this has not been recognised by any other country.
Abkhazia is in the same position.
Why do Ossetians want to break away?
The Ossetians are a distinct ethnic group originally from the Russian plains just south of the Don river. In the 13th Century, they were pushed southwards by Mongol invasions into the Caucasus mountains, settling along the border with Georgia.
South Ossetians want to join up with their ethnic brethren in North Ossetia, which is an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.
Ethnic Georgians are a minority in South Ossetia, accounting for less than one-third of the population.
But Georgia rejects even the name South Ossetia, preferring to call it by the ancient name of Samachablo, or Tskhinvali, after its main city.
Hello, I have been communicating with many of you ! Those who are attending and those who unfortunately cannot join us in Quebec City. As the Virtual Congress Co-ordinator with TakingITGlobal I have been encouraging everyone to participate through the Virtual Congress.
This year, the organizers of the World Youth Congress 2008 have introduced a World Youth Virtual Congress. The overall goal of the World Youth Virtual Congress will be to provide excellent coverage of WYC actions, issues and events to ensure that youth unable to physically attend the
congress can remain updated on congress activities. Promote the Virtual Congress to your friends, peers and within your communities to participate!
I am excited to meet all the inspirational, passionate, energetic and innovative delegates coming to Quebec City in a few days !
Greetings everyone,
I will be attending WYC in August and I am anxious to meet all of you !
As the Virtual Congress Co ordinator, I am hoping that youth inspired ideas, actions and issues will be brought to the forefront of the congress and highlighted at the Virtual Congress. I wanted to know about your thoughts prior to the Congress.....
Today June 20th is World Refugee Day, it will go unnoticed by the majority of the world ... Many are running for their lives on this day or dying on this day. But whether it is noticed or not today stands as one of the most important days of the year. It is a day of respect and remembrance for the most vulnerable people in the world - Angelina Jolie, Goodwill Ambassador, UNHCR
Give refugees a hand!
Please take a moment to upload a video of you and your friends making the "protecting hands" symbol on Youtube. For each original video uploaded, our sponsors will donate $1 to help the
UNHCR protect refugees worldwide.
OR
Add Give Refugees a Hand application on Facebook and $.10 twill be donated o refugees across the world through the UN Refugee Agency. You could also take a picture making the "protecting hands" symbol and post it on the page and for every photo uploaded $1 will be donated to UNHCR.
Upon awakening from the disaster left by Cyclone Nargis, people watching the news are perplexed with why the government has seized the aid and is not responding quickly to the tragedy.
The people of Burma (Myanmar) have already suffered at the hands of the military junta and this incident will expose how the people continue to be failed by the government.
Yet, their governments are no the only one that should be held accountable for the atrocities that have been happening within its borders.
Canadians are as much responsible !
Why do 'some' people know about their rights and others are being denied of their rights? Why are the upholders of rights also the perpetrators of infringements on rights. On the eve, of the UDHR anniversary, these questions are pertinent to ask in order to move forward in the 'advancement' for Human Rights.
Human Rights belong to everyone who in essence are 'human'. Yet, the application of human rights has not been equal and cross-cutting globally. Is it because ' human rights' were essentially documented as a western concept not in the context of cultural relativism? I believe the definition of human rights and how 'accessible' they are by all needs to be changed. Whether we are all 'equal' or not is not the point, we are all human. Yes, we are all different but having differences does not make one lesser than the other.
Education, economics and globalization all play a vital role in reforming how human rights can be entitled 'equally' by all. Because without human rights.. you have... nothing...
Something shady is going on that affects every American's day to day life (if not citizens of most countries in the world). It's called food politics.
How and why have we arrived at a point where the government can fine a farmer for growing fruits and vegetables on his own privately-owned land instead of the govt-approved corn, wheat, soy, rice and cotton only?
Could it be the huge hand that companies for whom corn= lifeblood are the ones writing farm bills? Corn is found in a full 1/4 of the 45,000 items in an average American supermarket (and inedible items such as diapers, too.thpaste, drywall, paper, wax on fruits, glue, etc). Govt policies encourage farmers to grow more and more corn, even when there's so much of it on the market that prices fall. In such cases, the corn/cotton/etc is dumped on poor countries like Kenya and India, putting farmers there out of business and messing up the prices and supply for everyone.
And no, it's not a good source for alternative energy. It takes more fossil fuels to produce one gallon of corn-based ethanol than the energy that ethanol can produce itself!
And if your food isn't grown locally, that means fossil fuels have been expended to bring it to wherever you are.
As a person who cannot find a decent fruit or vegetable (that's not rotten, dented, or slathered in pesticides and packaging) at her local supermarket, I hope and pray that writers will continue to talk about these issues in language that's easy for the public to understand. Who cares about farm bills otherwise?
"But consumers who would like to be able to buy local fruits and vegetables not just at farmers’ markets, but also in the produce aisle of their supermarket, will be dismayed to learn that the federal government works deliberately and forcefully to prevent the local food movement from expanding. And the barriers that the United States Department of Agriculture has put in place will be extended when the farm bill that House and Senate negotiators are working on now goes into effect.
...The commodity farm program effectively forbids farmers who usually grow corn or the other four federally subsidized commodity crops (soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton) from trying fruit and vegetables. Because my watermelons and tomatoes had been planted on “corn base” acres, the Farm Service said, my landlords were out of compliance with the commodity program.
I’ve discovered that typically, a farmer who grows the forbidden fruits and vegetables on corn acreage not only has to give up his subsidy for the year on that acreage, he is also penalized the market value of the illicit crop, and runs the risk that those acres will be permanently ineligible for any subsidies in the future."
Wow. I was out of town for a couple days and come back to find Obama taking the lead, with Hillary's campaign manager and deputy manager resigned! McCain has promised no new taxes for his entire campaign, this just as the recession is looming, and the taxes in April will bring in less revenue than in years. The sub-prime mortgage crisis was not just a poor people's phenomenon- this type of behavior, of borrowing far more than one could ever expect to pay off, pervades the highest levels of government!
I have mixed feelings about MoveOn.org, but I really admire their new campaign "Iraq/Recession". They have a nice new email action that allows you to easily and automatically write an op-ed to your local newspaper (they send it, you write it) making the tie between the American recession and the Iraq spending. (A tie that is obvious, but few people actually realize!)
Some interesting facts:
"As of today, we've spent over $495 billion in Iraq.1 With the economy in the tank, think about what that money could do here at home: Cover millions of kids who don't have insurance, or help folks who're losing their jobs and homes.
Instead, it's supporting a failed occupation in Iraq.
More and more Americans are making the connection between the billions we've spent over there and the crumbling economy here at home. In fact, a new AP poll shows that most Americans think ending the war is the best way to help the economy.2 But pundits still talk about the war and the economy as two unrelated things.
* The recession is going to force states to cut back their budgets. Most likely, the cuts are going to affect the services that working families need and depend on.3
* Meanwhile, the war is costing Americans more than $338 million a day. 4 That money could be spent to help out the folks who're hurting most now. For less than what we're spending on the war, we could pay for affordable housing for hundreds of thousands of families, health care for children, or scholarships to help folks pay for education. 5
* Gas prices are close to double what they were before the war began. The cost of oil is still hovering around $100 barrel. 6
* We're borrowing $343 million every day to finance the war in Iraq. 7 Our skyrocketing debt will be a bigger and bigger drag on the economy—slowing recovery and burdening future generations.
If thousands of us write, we can get the media to stop ignoring the connection between the war and the recession. The opinion pages are the most widely read pages in the newspaper, so we can also make sure voters—who are growing increasingly concerned about the economy—know that any candidate who wants to stay in Iraq has no plan for the economy."
Gone are the days of boinking creatures on the head in Super Mario
Brothers. Today's popular games are all about gruesome murder and
violence.
I had the lovely experience of playing Halo, a video game which,
thankfully, I am terrible at, which involves killing people with guns,
lasers, nail-spewing killing machines, and other highly effective and
incredibly scary weapons. When you kill someone, your entire
controller shakes and vibrates much like, I imagine, a real machine
gun would do.
I can understand why this game is so popular with soldiers in Iraq and
Afghanistan. It must help them to dehumanize their colonial subjects,
and normalize the experience of killing. I can also see why it's
popular with American teens, who are inundated with graphic violence
through movies, television, and news networks. Ultimately it will lead
them to sign up, to "die for their country" and maybe kill off a few
Muslims here and there to boot.
To the point-
It seems the Church thinks this is a wonderful way to attract young
people to the church, and, in their words, to promote "fellowship."
Whatever happened to "Thou Shalt Not Kill"? Is non-violence pass??
In the world of business, a company can use another's design, approach, membership, and just about anything else, with little redress.
However in the world of non-profit, especially non-profit that seeks to eradicate poverty and embrace global activism, we work collaboratively toward common objectives.
Therefore it's quite sad that MTV has morphed from its once progressive, underground, and radical youth beginnings, into just another corporate giant focused on global advertising, consumerism,
and competition. It's dishonest that they copied TakingITGlobal and even proposed to collaborate with them in order to gain information on how they operate, and then built their own new, for-profit site, ThinkMTV. (As if we need another social networking site!)
No doubt MTV, especially Staying Alive Foundation, has done great good in the world, especially regarding AIDS. However time and again we see that it's going down the road of self-serving, competitive initiatives that proliferate in the youth world.
Such groups may have a lot of money, but some know next to nothing about the issues they champion (for example, see YouthAIDS Executive Director's blog in which she claims "throughout Africa there is a 30% prevalence rate")
I'm tempted to ask, what type of "civic engagement" can MTV really produce? The image I have in my mind is of superfluous paris-hilton type beauty queens who are hoping for "world peace." Is this
for-profit site going to achieve anything besides its advertising dollars?
The site is clearly geared toward US students who think it's cool to talk at the very most superficial level about global issues. To "Save" the Africans... It seems to have been written by Americans/ Westerners for Americans, yet claims to have a global scope. Their buzzwords that appear on the site are a dead giveaway- "Minority" presumably alludes to non-white populations (a.k.a. the majority of the world?) And the snippets from other sections focus on American celebrities such as Kanye West and on the health section, a feature on Jay Z.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of the site is the "Get Rewarded" section. It is an uniquely American ethos that material gain is the only incentive for looking outside of oneself. The site does little to promote sharing or community, but rather promotion of the individual in a meaningless world of interactive media overload.
Great news- New York has finally acknowledged that abstinence-only sex education may not be the best idea in a state with rising HIV infection rates, teen pregnancy, and STIs.
Why are the Catholics still saying that giving young people condoms will increase "promiscuity" when numerous studies show that comprehensive sex education actually causes young people to delay first intercourse and to use condoms when they do have sex? (1)
By JENNIFER MEDINA
The decision puts New York in line with at least 10 other states
that have decided to forgo the federal money in recent years.
Excerpt:
"Dr. Daines's announcement came the same day that the New York Civil
Liberties Union, which opposes abstinence-only education, released a
report detailing the number of such programs in the state. The report
stated that roughly half of the groups teaching abstinence in the
state were religious groups and that the state had done almost nothing
to monitor them."
Yet again forcing the Surgeon General of the United States to be the mouthpiece for the Bush Administration's lies, a report calling for action on global health was suppressed by the administration because Carmona kept it a-political.
Steiger, with absolutely no qualifications in global health whatsoever, pulled the report because it did not laud the United States for its action against global health crises such as AIDS, TB and Malaria.
What is there to laud? The United States, the wealthiest country in the world, ranks last in the amount of money it spends on global health from among industrialized nations as a percentage of its GNP/ wealth. (Citation: USAID)
Congratulations to Carmona for speaking out about how his freedom of speech has been curtailed.
By Christopher Lee and Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, July 29, 2007; Page A01
A surgeon general's report in 2006 that called on Americans to help tackle global health problems has been kept from the public by a Bush political appointee without any background or expertise in medicine or public health, chiefly because the report did not promote the administration's policy accomplishments, according to current and former public health officials.
The report described the link between poverty and poor health, urged the U.S. government to help combat widespread diseases as a key aim of its foreign policy, and called on corporations to help improve health conditions in the countries where they operate. A copy of the report was obtained by The Washington Post.
Three people directly involved in its preparation said its publication was blocked by William R. Steiger, a specialist in education and a scholar of Latin American history whose family has long ties to President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Since 2001, Steiger has run the Office of Global Health Affairs in the Department of Health and Human Services.
This is absolutely unbelievable! Bush pardoned Scooter Libby! Just look at the grin on his face- Justice evaded, one more time........
What is the lesson learned? Even if you're a diplomat and you question the Bush Adminstration's lies (by writing an op-ed that Iraq did not buy enriched Uranium from Niger), you and your family will be punished by the government. (They leaked the name of his wife, Valerie Wilson, for being an undercover CIA agent).
Bush is not pardoning Scooter, he's pardoning himself. With 18 months left in office, he can do whatever he wants pretty much, with no repercussion whatsoever.
Jesus now we've got the likes of Scooter Libby and Paris Hilton roaming free on the streets of America. Talk about dictatorships!
Sandra M. Kenley was returning home from her native Barbados in 2005 when she was swept into the United States’ fastest-growing form of incarceration, immigration detention.
...
Seven weeks later, Ms. Kenley died in a rural Virginia jail, where she had complained of not receiving medicine for high blood pressure. She was one of 62 immigrants to die in administrative custody since 2004, according to a new tally by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that counted many more deaths than the 20 previously known.
...
In the case of Ms. Kenley, a legal permanent resident of the United States for more than 30 years, detention interrupted her medical care for high blood pressure, a fibroid tumor and uterine bleeding. An autopsy attributed her death to an enlarged heart from chronic hypertensive disease. But a report by emergency medical services said that she had fallen from a top bunk, and that a cellmate had pounded on the door for 20 minutes before guards responded.
........
The inspector general in the Department of Homeland Security recently announced a “special review” of two deaths, including that of a Korean woman at a privately run detention center in Albuquerque. Fellow detainees told a lawyer that the woman, Young Sook Kim, had pleaded for medical care for weeks, but received scant attention until her eyes yellowed and she stopped eating.
Ms. Kim died of pancreatic cancer in federal custody on Sept. 11, 2005, a day after she was taken to a hospital.
“We spend $98 million annually to provide medical care for people in our custody,” Ms. Zuieback said. “Anybody who violates our national immigration law is going to get the same treatment by I.C.E. regardless of their medical condition.” (Jamie Zuieback, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security)
