Tuesday, December 12, 2006

News flash

Hi everyone (I mean the 3 or 4 people out there that actually read what I write...), I have been way too overloaded in the past weeks to be able to keep up with life, but now I should be able to take a little break and finally play catch up again...

Let's start off again with something "simple"... some news from around the world that kind of caught my attention...

First, and foremost, news from the IHT, that left me puzzled on my flight to Dubai, reporting as follows:

The massacre at Srebrenica 11 years ago is one of the most shameful failures in history of international peacekeeping. Those who were entrusted with protecting this Bosnian Muslim enclave failed in the most comprehensive way possible. The events at Srebrenica in July 1995 are well chronicled. Almost 8000 were killed when Bosnian Serb forces overran the settlement. The Dutch peacekeepers surrendered and even assisted with the evacuation. The Serbs shot the men and boys in cold blood and buried the bodies in mass graves. This massacre could, and should, have been prevented. It beggars belief that the Dutch government has now awarded medals to the troops who so abjectly failed. Even though the ignominy was shared with the U.N., it was primarily the reputations of the Dutch troops and the Netherlands that was tarnished by Srebrenica.
COMMENT: The Dutch clearly failed to defend, but why? They were sent in such a low number of troops, they were simply overwhelmed and outnumbered and clearly feared for their own lives. So it was a failure of who sent them there in such a state. I was told they suffered great psychological difficulties once back, as everyone pointed at them for that failure. Suicide amogst troops was high. Tragedy in the tragedy. However, awarding them a medal is wrong, just like sending them there outnumbered and outweaponed, and 2 wrongs normally dont make one right.

I read on the Corriere.it that finally the French (not all of them, of course!) have gone to court to attack the validity of last July's world cup final lost against Italy. As you all remember, it was the infamous game were Materazzi made some comments about Zidane's sister after a heated exchange of words (which happens in every game!!), and Zidane was red carded following him headbutting Materazzi as retaliation (Zidane had a long history of bad gestures like this one...).
COMMENT: After the final, Zidane was suspended 3 games for the gesture and Materazzi 2 for the words. It is unheard that anyone has been suspended for such a thing, let alone retroactively. Thanks to the two top FIFA people, the Swiss J. Blatter and the French (surprise surprise!) M. Platini. They set a very dangerous precedent, I want to see everyone red carded and suspended 2 games as soon as they insult someone. Always. And as for the French going to trial to try to invalid the result, only 2 words: Sour Losers!!!

Reading on the Budapest Post that an entire nation, Hungary, is mourning its beloved football hero Puskas. Puskas played the best part of his career with Real Madrid, in exile from troubled Hungary, repressed by USSR at that time. At the funeral are expected representatives of the clubs where he worked for, and the estimated costs are 932.000 US$.
COMMENT: Puskas was a football hero, but no HERO. He didn't stop the USSR invasion, he didn't free Hungary, he simply kicked a football around for a fat paycheck. That he was in exile, was true, but it was a golden one compared to thousands of people who left Hungary to go and try to get a simple job and democracy in freezing Iceland or Canada. And with Hungary on the brink of bankruptcy, I personally would have a better way to spend a million dollars.

You all have heard about the poisoning of former KGB spy Litvinenko. It's been quite something, using the radioactive material Polonium 210 to dispose of him. Sources say the Kremlin could be behind this killing, just like behind others involving prominent people openly opposing Putin.
COMMENT: While we need evidence to accuse someone, it's clearly a job ordered from high above, just like the others. Putin, a former KGB colonel himself, wouldn't stop in front of anyone to achive what he wants, and infact, he hasn't stopped. If police will ever be able to prove who did it and how all this happened, it's another story. On the other hand, it looked like I was watching a MI movie. It's been a while since reality surpassed fiction in a spy matter.


Read on the South China Morning Post that police in China is cracking down on prostitution, and the in up-and-coming southern city of Shenzhen police arrested a good deal of prostitutes and pimps and then paraded them in the main square naming them in front of a large crowd to shame them before being locked up in jail without trial. Outcry from many Chinese have been reported as this was something done during the violence of the cultural revolution and recalls parts of the past that many Chinese would like to forget.
COMMENT: What was the mayor of Shenzhen thinking? Was he thinking at all? Who is without sin throw the first stone. I guess no stones thrown, am I right? Anyway, most prostitutes are forced to do that kind of life, having been lured away from home with the promise of a highly paid job. Did the police arrest the rich and famous who actually use these women? I say it again: did the police arrest any of the powerful and criminal who "enjoy" the services of these women? Of course not, they are scared as shit. So next time, parade your fears to do your job well, mr. Mayor and mr. head of Police. Morons.

Read on the Gulf News that the first case of child slavery since the 1960s has been reported by police in Hong Kong. The auntie purchased an 11 year old girl from her brother for HK$ 1000 (about 100 euros, my friends, that's all a child is worth) to do unpaid household jobs from 5am to 10pm. When police discovered her, tipped by some neighbors, they reported that she was beaten up daily by her auntie and 3 cousins, and it took her a month in hospital to recover. The auntie has been prosecuted and the child returned to her family in China.
COMMENT: auntie, hope you get locked up for life. The child returned to her family? Ok, it was under strict supervision, but under no circumstances a father should ever sell her own daughter. Lock him up for life too. Child? Take her to a rich family somewhere nice, send her to school and let her build a good life, she deserves it.

Seen on CNN, probably the last speech of Kofi Annan before stepping down as Secretary general of the U.N.. Some of the people saw it as an indirect attack to the U.S. foreign policies. He denied that, but those people didn't see it wrong, as the U.S. basically didn't apply any of the following. He said he has learned 5 valuable lessons while in office, all of them interconnected with each other, whereas President Bush cleraly didn't. Here are the lessons learned by mr. Annan:
1- Security comes from guaranteeing security for everyone else too
2- We are all responsible for each other's welfare
3- Need for respect for human rights and the rule of law
4- States and governments must be accountable for their actions
5- Need for working together through multilateral institutions.
COMMENT: Nice words, mr. Annan. I agree with them. But shall we first discuss now the Iraq food for oil program's scandal where your son was directly involved and implicated and was so quickly "forgotten" ?

Read on the internet, total death toll so far in the Iraq war is in the excess of 65.000.
NO COMMENT.

1 Comments:

Blogger Steven said...

Guess I am one of the 3 or 4. Amen to what you say, man.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006  

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