Shirin Ebadi, a human rights lawyer, has been a thorn in the Iranian regime’s side for most of its 30-year existence.

Dr Ebadi, 62, was raised in Tehran, studied law at Tehran university and became her country’s first woman judge and president of the Tehran city court. But after the revolution of 1979 the Islamic regime decided that women were unsuitable to be judges and demoted her to a legal assistant. She resigned. It was like turning “the president of a university into a janitor”, she said.

Dr Ebadi started her own law practice later and began fighting for the rights of women and children. In 2000 she was arrested and sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of defaming the Iranian authorities. The sentence was reduced, but she spent three weeks in Evin prison, Tehran.Shoes Mbt    Mbt Chapa    Mbt Sport

With the end of her spoon she carved on her cell wall: “We are born to suffer because we are born in the Third World.”

She founded Tehran’s Human Rights Defence Centre, has written 11 books, and earned international renown as a scholar and lawyer.

She is married with two daughters, who are pursuing PhDs in Britain and America. Dr Ebadi was also a surprise winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.Shoes Mbt   Mbt sport white   Mbt walking shoes

The Nobel committee said that “as a lawyer, judge, lecturer and writer she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country” and paid tribute to her courage, saying she “never heeded the threat to her own safety”.

She said: “The duty of life is to fight in a difficult situation, as there is in Iran.”

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) – Victoria Police have warned the parents of a primary school child that they can no longer discipline their child with a wooden spoon.

Teachers at Yea Primary School notified authorities after the student told a teacher she was smacked with a wooden spoon.

The Acting Inspector of the Child Abuse unit, Lauren Callaway, says there is a fine line between discipline and assault and it is the job of police to find out when that line has been crossed.

“In a 12-month period police will investigate nearly 4000 cases of child physical assault,” she said.

“Each case has to be dealt with on its individual merits.”

“When we look at an assault, we look at what the defences might be and one of them includes where a parents is lawfully chastising a child,” she said.

Acting Inspector Callaway says there is no definitive rule on what can be used to discipline a child, but the amount of force that is used is of concern and needs to be assessed by police.

“We do not have a checklist as such… we look at the level of injury inflicted… we also look at if there is any history of a family violence,” she said.

She says many parents are not charged.

“Parents should be confident that the police are able to make a sound judgement on each and every individual case.”

Police say parents need to make a judgement on what is reasonable force and what is not.

Source: Parents warned over wooden spoon smacking

In this undated 2008 photo, Bill Sparkman speaks to a 7th grade class during a lesson about sound waves.

AP—A Kentucky census worker found naked, bound with duct tape and hanging from a tree with “fed” scrawled on his chest killed himself but staged his death to make it look like a homicide, authorities said Tuesday.

Bill Sparkman, 51, was found Sept. 12 with a rope around his neck near a cemetery in a heavily wooded area of the Daniel Boone National Forest in southeastern Kentucky. Authorities said his wrists were loosely bound, his glasses were taped to his head and he was gagged.

Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski said an analysis found that “fed” was written “from the bottom up.” He was touching the ground, and to survive “all Mr. Sparkman had to do at any time was stand up,” she said.

“Our investigation, based on evidence and witness testimony, has concluded that Mr. Sparkman died during an intentional, self-inflicted act that was staged to appear as a homicide,” Rudzinski said.

Authorities said Sparkman alone manipulated the suicide scene. Rudzinski said he “told a credible witness that he planned to commit suicide and provided details on how and when.”

Authorities wouldn’t say who Sparkman told of his plan, but said Sparkman talked about it a week before his suicide and the person did not take him seriously.

Friends and co-workers have said that even while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, Sparkman would show up for work smiling with a toboggan cap to cover his balding head. They said he was punctual and dependable.

$600,000 in life insurance
Sparkman had recently taken out two accidental life insurance policies totaling $600,000 that would not pay out for suicide, authorities said. If Sparkman had been killed on the job, his family also would have been be eligible for up to $10,000 in death gratuity payments from the government.

Sparkman’s son, Josh, previously told The Associated Press that his father had named him as his life insurance beneficiary. Josh Sparkman said earlier this month he found paperwork for the private life insurance policy among his father’s personal files but wasn’t sure of the amount.

The Census Bureau suspended door-to-door interviews in the rural area after Sparkman’s body was found, but a spokesman said normal operations would resume in Clay County next month.

Anti-government sentiment was initially one possibility in the death. Authorities said Sparkman had discussed perceived negative views of the federal government in the county.


More @

After the supervision ruth and I set off to the emergency unit. It is Susan´s birthday, and we had promised her to visit her. Janet stayed at home with our individual case adviser, a person who is especially assigned by the youth welfare office to help children and their families to cope with different problems in education, at schools and with authorities. Janet would not be able to manage the situation of meeting her sister, as she had to cope with her own problems.

Susan showed some appreciation of the presents we brought for her: some new pieces of clothing and a portable radio-cd-player. She had already attended us and welcomed us cordially. We were spending about twenty minutes in her room which she was sharing with another girl. Still, she was not willing to leave the unit with us, although the wardens would have allowed us to do so. She seemed to feel protected in some way in the emergency group. After all, maybe she felt just embarrassed by the situation and guilty, although we did everything not to give her any reason for that. Everybody tried not to talk about any critical topics, so you could really call it small talk. How are you doing, have you made any new friends, what about school. What else could we have mentioned without hurting. Susan did not show any signs of distress due to the fact that Janet did not accompany us. We only mentioned that she is not well.

Susan told us that her room mate had visits by boys and smoked in her room; something which really irritaed us. Asthma had been diagnosed with her since the very day when we took custody of the girls. The warden had noticed what was going on and put an end to it.

The social worker in charge for Susan told us that Susan had been beaten by a class mate. Otherwise she was calm and adapted well to the group.

On the way home we tried to explain the situation to each other. What we had not wished for had now taken place. Susan was now in the company of youngsters who had been taken into custody for different reasons, and were spending sometimes only a few days in the emergency unit. Was anything going wrong at her school? Was she well? What did she feel and think about? For the first time, we noticed that we were not responsible any more and didn´t have any influence. Back home, I would have contacted her school immediately and would have put everything right. We were out of power now and not any more part of her development. We were happy that her social worker in charge was reacting very professional, as well as sensitive, also in relation to ourselves.

What stayed was a vague feeling and the certainty of not being able and not being allowed to do the best for Susan.

People.com

It will be at least a couple of more months before authorities decide whether to arrest Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician who treated Michael Jackson before his death.

“A decision (on whether to prosecute) will be made in 2010. It is not going to be made this year,” LAPD Commander Patrick Gannon tells PEOPLE.

Although Jackson’s June 25 death was ruled a homicide by the county coroner, which found lethal levels of the toxic anesthetic propofol in his body, and Murray admitted to administering propofol at Jackson’s bedside to help him sleep, authorities have to determine whether Murray was solely responsible, and to what extent any negligence can be considered criminal.

According to a search warrant unsealed Friday, Murray “said he was not the first doctor to introduce Jackson to propofol. … Jackson referred to it as his ‘milk,’” and Jackson had several doctors locally and abroad who gave him propofol.

Police are being careful, and consulting with other agencies including the state medical board and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, which will ultimately decide what charges to file, if any, Gannon says.

“We have taken our time with this to make sure it’s done correctly,” Gannon says.

Michael’s sister, Janet Jackson, and other family members say they blame Murray for Jackson’s death, but the doctor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

This post doesn’t require a lot of explanation I don’t think. The suggestion is to do whatever we can in the war against child pornography – I agree 100% and will do whatever I can. Report it to the authorities at every opportunity and every time.

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 639

Apologies for the delays, which may continue for some days, as I am attending the UN Internet Governance Forum meetings in Sharm el Sheikh/Egypt with a busy schedule, in a different time zone, and then traveling back to Phnom Penh. I try to be timely as much as possible.

Norbert Klein

“According to a broadcast of a radio station based in Washington D.C. in the United States yesterday, about strong illegal logging of luxury wood in protected forested areas in a national park in Ratanakiri, bordering on Yuon [Vietnam], carried out by merchants colluding with some persons in the local authorities, an official, who asked not to be named, claimed there is collusion to open a Khmer-Yuon [Cambodian-Vietnamese] border crossing illegally to export luxury wood from Cambodia to be sold to Yuon merchants.

“According to this source, a Ratanakiri official, anonymly spoke about collusion to open an international crossing between the Ou Ya Dav district in Cambodia and a province’s district on the Yuon [Vietnamese] side of the border, during the first six months of 2009, leading to estimation that over 400 trucks transported trees, cut the Khmer natural forest, were transported by merchants and illegal business networks, to be sold to Yuon merchants who wait at the border.

“As an example of continuing loggings of luxury wood, a case was mentioned where merchants hired villagers to cut trees in Taveng district in Ratanakiri.

“The Phav village chief in Taveng Krom commune, Taveng district, Mr. Pel Hin, was quoted as saying that he noticed that merchants came to villages and hired poor villagers to cut valuable trees in the forest, and they then bought them from villagers. The village chief expressed concern about forest destruction, forests being resources of the state, and that the destruction might spread to the Vireakchey National Park, established by Royal Decree at the Kantuy Neak [dragon tail] region, bordering on Laos and on Yuon.

“The village chief said, ‘I am really concerned. When I attended some meetings, I told the meetings that there are companies buying and selling wood in my village.’

“The secretary of thhe Taveng Krom commune, Mr. Boeung, recognized that there are illegal loggings and then the transport of luxury wood, but he claimed that this had happened only during the last few months. He said, ‘I saw much luxury wood at Taveng Krom commune brought from Taveng Leu commune. Merchants brought it here to sell it.’

“The Taveng district’s military police chief, Mr. Keo Vichet, expressed regrets, as he has very few forces, and therefore he does not know such cases.

“However, according to direct monitoring by Radio Free Asia late last week in Phav village about illegal wood transactions, workers were seen transporting luxury wood; some had 10 cm by 15 cm width bars, 1 meter long, being transported from the village to the river, to be loaded in motor boats of merchants for exports.

“A worker said that he was hired by a local Chinese merchant in Vern Sai district, Nhok Thong, an illegal luxury wood merchant who hires poor villagers to enter to cut trees in the forest.

“The Taveng district governor, Mr. Kim Toeu, recognized that there are illegal wood businesses.

“Regarding this issue, Taveng Forestry Administration official in Ratanakiri recognized that there are such activities, involving merchants and some evil officials. He said about the loss of trees, ‘As for the activities and crimes in any specific district, those districts have to be responsible respectively.’

“Poor villagers from different villages, like Sieng Soy, Taveng Leu, Dambouk villages… have been contacted by merchants who have relations with some evil officials, using money to hire them to cut valuable trees in the forest and sell them to those merchants who go to buy trees in villages, such illegal activities happened repeatedly during recent months, as they are not afraid of the law.

“Those sources said also that many cubic meters of luxury wood were found, piled up at many places in areas near the Yuon border, in order to facilitate the transport in order to sell the wood to Yuon merchants who wait near the border crossing.

“The official of the province, who asked not to be named, was quoted as saying that the illegal transport of wood is most actively done during the night. According to his estimation since June 2009, the luxury wood cut by hired poor villagers was loaded onto more than 400 trucks, to be transported for sale to Yuon merchants.

“They cannot understand why forest crimes destroying state resources still exist, even though Prime Minister Hun Sen had promised in 2001, with words like swearing an oath, that he would give up leading the government, if his government was not able to crack down on illegal logging and illegal transport starting from 1 January 2002.

“This seems difficult to understand, and observers notice that even Oknha Try Pheap, an advisor of Prime Minister Hun Sen, had been frequently accused by people in communities at different provinces, such as Pursat, of hiring poor people to cut valuable trees to be transported and sold to merchants from outside of the country.” Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #531, 17.11.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #338, 17.11.2009

• The Head of the Government Shook Hands for the First Time with President Obama in Singapore [both leaders agreed to intensify relations in order to promote economic and social development in Cambodia]
• China Has Invested More Than US$6 Billion in Cambodia within 15 Years

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2100, 17.11.2009

• Cambodian and Siamese [Thai] Troops at the Border Move towards Friendship [Thai army commanders had told the Khmer army commanders that they will be seek confrontation with the Cambodian troops]
• Cambodia Has Received Investments Amounting to More Than US$1.5 Billion from Vietnam [in aviation, banking, oil, gas, agriculture, and tourism - according to the Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr. Tram Bac Ha]
• UN Commissioner [Dr. Nafis Sadis]: Other Countries Should Learn from Cambodia about the Fight against AIDS [Cambodia reduced the occurence of AIDS from 2% in 1998 to 0.9% in 2006]
• ASEAN-US Ties Become Closer with the Historic Summit [the USA promised to step up its cooperation with ASEAN, described as one of its important partners, to promote peace and security in the region]

Khmer Amatak, Vol.10, #676, 17.11.2009

• Thaksin Shinawatra Warned to Fly from India to Cambodia on 19 October 2009 Crossing Siamese [Thai] Airspace, while Bangkok Prepared to Arrest Him

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #531, 17.11.2009

• Officials and Evil Merchants Collude to Open a Border Crossing to Transport Wood to Vietnam
• Protesters against the Suspension of Mr. Sam Rainsy’s Immunity [by 24 Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarians and supporters] Marched in Front of [Prime Minister] Hun Sen’s Residence [in Phnom Penh]
• [Thai Prime Minister] Abhisit Vijjajiva Considers Dissolving the Parliament to Hold New Elections while Yellow Shirt Demonstrators Are Accusing Thaksin Shinawatra as a Traitor, Selling National Territory

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6807, 17.11.2009

• The National Assembly Suspended Mr. Sam Rainsy Immunity over the Removal of Border Markers at Chantrea District [in Svay Rieng]
• A M79 Shell Exploded among Yellow Shirt Demonstrators [government supporters], Injuring Twelve People [Thailand]

Phnom Penh Post [Khmer Edition], Vol.1, #47, 17.11.2009

• Cambodia Allowed a Thai Official to Meet the [Thai] Man Accused of Spying [by copying documents about the flight schedules of Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to be sent to Thailand] while There Is Still No Solution for the Diplomatic Disputes
• Mr. Obama Stated that the United State and China Do Not Need to Be Adversaries [during their political history, they had been, but then got on with each other. They got on in some sectors, but not in all]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #5049, 17.11.2009

• Thailand Rejected Indonesia’s Role to Solve the Dispute with Cambodia
• Cambodia Is Worried about Khmer Workers in Thailand, but the Thai Ambassador Said that There Is No Problem
• Mr. Obama Encouraged Myanmar to Release Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi [Burmese elected democracy leader]

Have a look at the last editorial – you can access it directly from the main page of the Mirror.
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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 637

Several mails I had received during the week requested what this week’s editorial should be about. Agreed. The visit of Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra to Cambodia has more than any other recent event received wide international attention – at the same time it resulted in bringing a range of different and opposing issues to the surface, beyond the straightforward political tensions.

The disparities start with the wording, how the visitor is called in national and international media: the possibilities extend from the fond description of Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra as an “eternal friend” by Prime Minister Hun Sen, to the more neutral description when referring to the “former Thai prime minister ousted by a military coup,” to the references – and this not only in part of the Thai press – to the “convicted fugitive, because of corruption, and who finally violated the bail requirements and fled the country to avoid going to prison.”

This is the first controversy.

The Cambodian government did not only refuse to live up to the Cambodian-Thai extradition agreement, “considering the prosecution and legal process against Thaksin Shinawatra as a politically motivated proceeding,” and therefore even handed back the Thai documents submitted to seek Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra’s extradition. On the other hand, the Thai government and part of the Thai media felt that already that extending an invitation and offering the function to be an adviser to the Cambodian government were an insult to the legal system of Thailand.

As a public reaction in Thailand, the popularity of the Thai Prime Minister, Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, almost tripled, with appruval rates of 24% in September to 69% recently, according to a poll.

The interpretation of Prime Minister Hun Sen, that the present Cambodian-Thai dispute is basically a personal dispute between the two prime ministers, was not shared in the international press. More fundamental problems were touched upon: What does it mean for the international standing of a country when a search warrant by Interpol can be dismissed, after the fugitive, who is being sought under a “red alert” warrant, after a bail violation, and after a criminal conviction for corruption in dealing with the sale of valuable public property to a family member, up to the grotesque $60,000 event of the mysteriously mistaken box of chocolate.

How would such events be dealt with under a Cambodian anti-corruption law, due to be adopted by the National Assembly since a decade ago? If actions of corruption are committed in combination with political ones, are they then no longer subject to criminal prosecution?

There were several rumors and denials – that Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra would fly together with the Cambodian Prime Minister to the APEC meetings in Singapore.

Surprising also, that the Cambodian Prime Minister compared him to Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. In an interview with Times Online, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra said: “There are some similarities there, but not really everything. The similarity is we won elections, we rule the countries. We’ve been ousted by the coup d’etat and we come from the people. We are democratically elected leaders and we come from the majority of the people – a big majority, not just a small majority. She’s under house arrest, I’ve been kicked out of the country.”

The Cambodian government has never found such strong critical words against the ruling military in Myanmar. Will the Cambodian government also accept such advice and change its position? The statement “I’ve been kicked out of the country” contrasts with the fact that the self imposed exile abroad started with breaking bail arrangements with the Thai law enforcement authorities, traveling abroad without the promised return.

But the invitation to Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser may lead to a second kind of controversies.

Press reports in Cambodia were not enthusiastic about his speech in front of 300 selected economists. The Cambodian Daily said that his address “primarily dealt in generalities and contained little that Cambodian economists will not already know.” Not only that: Some of his advice runs contrary to some of the traditional approaches of Cambodian economic practice.

Thakshin Sinawatra became the favorite politician among a majority of the rural population in Thailand because of his new policy of favoring them directly, with debt relief and village loan funds administered by the local communities themselves. The revenue of the public and the private sector should, first of all, be directed towards the poorest sector of society, is his advice. Large scale land leasings to big companies in favorable relation with the government, leading to considerable groups of the rural population losing their land, coming to demonstrate in Phnom Penh, asking for justice, as happens so frequently in Cambodia, are not compatible which the vision of Thaksin Shinawatra’s economic policies.

Surprising is also his emphasis on the need of reconciliation and good neighborliness between Cambodia and Thailand, in order to foster Cambodia’s economic development, including the promotion of Thailand and Cambodia together for international tourism, presenting themselves as a “joint destination.” This runs against many recent antagonistic trends: the Thai government had proposed to submit Preah Vihear together with the Cambodian government to the World Heritage Committee, which was flatly rejected by the Cambodian side. During the last year there were even plans discussed in Cambodia to create an international airport 500 meters below the mountain range where Preah Vihear is situated, which is conveniently accessible from the north, from Thailand. This plan, to exclude the natural access to Preah Vihear – and therefore tourism via Thailand, was soon given up again as economically completely unreal. The public outcry some years ago, when Bangkok Airways had named one of its airplanes Angkor Wat – while other planes are named according to other international destinations, promoting tourism to these places – has no place in this context. The Cambodian Daily reported his emphasis on the need for cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia, as the two countries’ economic fortunes are inextricably linked – adding: “Of course, not all my compatriots see it that way right now.” Those who see it differently in Thailand are assumed to suffer from being shortsighted, driven by false patriotism.

One may ask whether the anti-Thai actions of 2003, when the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was ransacked because of a baseless rumor, resulting in further arson so that the hardware damage alone of that night was estimated at US$56 million, and the tensions before and after the designation of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site, would also fall under a similar verdict by Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, that a false patriotism is in the way also in some of the Cambodian attitudes and actions.

It is surprising to consider how future suggestions of the new economic adviser of the Cambodian government will be handled, while land conflicts in rural areas continue, further large scale leasings of land are under consideration inviting countries from the Middle East to start agro-business ventures, and Japanese companies are considering to create new large tree planting schemes in Cambodia.

Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra’s suggestions may not only be unwelcome in his own country. They run counter to major trends of present day Cambodian big business.

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Sunday marked the penultimate lesson in our Vital Signs series.  (Yes, I just used the word “penultimate” – it makes me feel smart.)  Just as there are vital signs a doctor checks to measure physical health, there are vital signs God checks to see whether or not you’re spiritually healthy.

The Principle to remember is this: “Maximum freedom is found under God’s Authority.” Most people don’t associate freedom with submitting to authority.  I don’t know a lot of people who like to be told what to do.

Authority is like an umbrella in the rain: You need to be under it to keep dry.  If my umbrella’s in the closet, it’s not doing me any good.  If I know what God wants me to do but don’t submit to him, my knowledge isn’t doing me any good either.  Likewise, I shouldn’t be surprised to get arrested if I steal a computer from Best Buy even though I know stealing is against the law.

Romans 13:1-2 says,”Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”  God has given us worldly authorities to serve as a mirror, as a reminder that ultimately we need to obey God’s authority.  If we refuse to listen to human authorities, we’ll probably reject God’s authority too.  But as we respect and listen to human authorities we’ll learn more about what it means to follow and honor Jesus Christ.  Authorities aren’t simply here to “keep the peace” but to give freedom.

Remember:

1. Human Authority is given by God
2. Life is a mirror: As you submit to authority you’ll learn more about submitting to God.
3. Maximum freedom is found under God’s authority.

We all have people we need to listen to.  Parents, Teachers, Principals, Coaches, Pastors, Bosses, Police Officers, Politicians and other Government Officials, and others.  But what if an authority figure tells you to do something God wouldn’t want you to do?

When I was a senior in high school my football team got a new coach.  Now I wasn’t a great football player, but I was good enough to be a starter on the defensive line.  A few weeks into the season the coach instituted Sunday morning practices from 10-12… I had to choose whether or not I’d go to practice or church.  I chose church.  Shaking in my cleats, I approached the coach after practice and told him my decision, I clearly remember him saying, “You do what you have to do; I’ll do what I have to.”  I never started another game in my senior year.

So here’s the principle for dealing with ungodly authority:

1. Be open about your intentions to not obey… but present an alternative.
2. Willingly accept the consequences

I wish I had presented an alternative.  I could’ve gone to the first worship service at church so I only showed up 45 minutes late to practice and maybe the coach would’ve let me stay late to run extra laps or to lift weights after most people had left.  I also wish I had talked to the Athletic Director (appealed to a higher authority) and told him what was going on.

As Andy Stanley write in The Seven Checkpoints: “You can’t be in rebellion against God-appointed authority and be in fellowship with God.”

Today I was fingerprinted, had the names of my father and grandfather recorded, required to sign a sheaf of documents, charged Rs. 1100, made to sign a document attesting to my future good behaviour, had my photo taken, and handed over a copy of my passport.

No. I was not arrested. The Nepali government has not looked on Travels in my Drawing Room as seditious. In fact the only reason I was put through this thorough examination was that I had the temerity to ask for a Nepali phone sim-card.

It started so well. I arrived and found no queue and a fully manned counter. I was handed a form to fill in by the guardian of the sim cards: a small, stout Nepali woman, with the look of Atilla the Hun and the attitude of Ghengis Khan. This was where I encountered my first problem. I do speak a fair bit of Nepali, and I have just started to learn the intricacies of writing it. However, I have never tried to manage bureaucracy with it. It wasn’t so much that the entire form was in Nepali script that was difficult, it was that they wanted all the answers in the same style that caused problems. In the end I wrote a vague approximation of my name in Nepali at the top and then put various bits of English in what seemed like the right place. I was hard to judge whether I was right though- although it didn’t seem logical writing out my address twice, this might have just been a bureaucratic idiosyncracy- I am slightly concerned however that my DOB may have been recorded as London and my home city as “John Mirifield Cohen”- ah well, on the plus side it will give the officials something to untangle.

At this point an ink pad was produced. The woman behind the counter took an alarming relish in siezing my thumb, dragging it under the glass screen towards her (nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process), and ramming it onto the indelible purple ink. I now look like I’ve voted. Several times. She repeated this process for both hands before putting my fingers on the form in various boxes. Ironically whilst her counter is now covered in my fingerprints, the form (being made of the equivalent of loo paper) simply wicked up the ink into various round blotches).  According to this official record, my fingers have the appearance and consistency of sausages. Having had her suggestion that I should wipe the ink off my hands on my hair rejected this gallant defender of the Nepali phone network then set to work on my identity.

I handed over ID documents etc which the charming lady took great delight in laughing at. Then she summoned her colleagues. They all had great fun laughing too. With my ego feeling really pumped, my form was returned to me complete with several stamps and signatures. I was then sent to another desk to collect my card. Another Atilla the Hun lookalike gazed at my form, eyed me suspiciously, took my money, eyed it suspiciously, got some change, eyed it suspiciously, produced a sim card with a look the could have curdled butter and applied several more stamps before, OH JOY!, handing me my sim card.

Ah well, as long as I can string out the credit for a while all should be well- I just hope they don’t require a DNA sample to use it…

RSD, Other Districts Close Schools Monday – New Orleans Weather …
BELLE CHASSE, La. — As Hurricane Ida makes it way through the Gulf of Mexico, some area schools have decided to close Monday. Monday, November 9, 2009.

Hurricane Ida school closings and evacuations | Gulf Coast Hurricanes
SCHOOL CLOSINGS MONDAY NEW ORLEANS Recovery School District schools and the central office will be closed. Operations and security personnel will report the the districts Welcome School at 2239 Poydras Ave. Charter schools supervised by …

Baldwin County officials consider evacuations, school closings as …
al.comBaldwin County officials consider evacuations, school closings as Ida nearsal.com(NOAA)National Hurricane Center map shows Ida’s possible path over the next five days. The storm could be south of Baldwin County at …and more »

Shelters set up in Escambia County « Emicus Blog
Escambia County officials declared a state of emergency this evening, anouncing school closings Monday and Tuesday and opening shelters. The county is also calling for voluntary evacuations, starting at 7 a.m. Monday, in low-lying areas … Pet Friendly Shelter: Molino Park Elementary School, 899 Highway 97, Molino, FL 32577-5018. – The Emergency Operations Center will activate at 7 a.m. Monday for Hurricane Ida. The Citizens’ Information Line will open then, 471-6600. …

Hurricane Ida school closings and voluntary evacuation orders …
SCHOOL CLOSINGS MONDAY ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS All archdiocesan elementary and high schools NEW ORLEANS RECOVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT schools and the central office will be closed. Langston Hughes Academy, a charter school supervised by …

Northshore Blog with Sheri Sable Campbell » Blog Archive …
Hurricane Ida school closings. St. Tammany Parish. – Public schools will dismiss three hours early. – Northlake Christian, early dismissal. – The Upperroom Bible Church Preschool and Academy. – Lake Castle, no extra-curriculars after …

Hurricane Ida school closings and evacuations (New Orleans Times …
Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans is closed Monday.

School Closings Hurricane Ida | Hurricane Ida Closings
School Closings Hurricane Ida | Hurricane Ida Closings – Escambia County, Florida Public Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday due to Hurricane Ida. Schools will also be closed on Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day. …

School Closings Hurricane Ida Pictures
the eye of Hurricane Ida · High school. BREAKING NEWS: Hurricane Ida · School Closings: Full List · Hurricane Ida hits Nicaragua · Ida Reaches Hurricane Force · The National Hurricane Center · Hurricane Ida rips into …

Romans 13:1-7

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. Romans 13:1

Jamaicans were recently concerned that their country’s murder rate was nearing an all-time high. Debate was lively as good citizens sought solutions.

Typical of two common approaches came in letters to the editor of one Jamaican newspaper. One writer said, “Unless our scholars. . . . policymakers and political representatives seriously seek answers, the future of our nation is dire.” Another observed, “It is time we address the heart of the problem — that the people of Jamaica go . . . not to the Minister of National Security but to God Himself.”

One problem, two views: The totally secular proposal, which leans on the wisdom of man alone; and the divine approach, which depends on God and those who love Him.

We need both: God-ordained government to care for the people (Romans 13:1-7); and people who have  a proper view of God and His guidelines for life (Proverbs 14:33).

No matter where we live, we must pray for those in charge, asking God to provide direction. Then we must also work and pray that individuals — one by one — see their need for Jesus and their dependence on the Lord.

By combining the two views, we can make a difference. —dave branon

It’s always easy to complain and say that government’s unfair, but God’s Word says we should give thanks and lift our leaders up in prayer. —hess

Through prayer, the public business of the nation can become the private business of the Christian.

PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKINGS
These are a boon to many people, in many ways.
Unfit politicians are favoured by appointing them as chairman of PSUs.
These institutions are used for appointing “our men”.
Money is made by placing bogus “purchase orders”. I was told, there are companies having three offices in the same house, with different Boards and windows, because three quotations are required, for accepting a purchase order, as otherwise Audit will object !
Of course, pilferage is the most awesome trade causing loss of millions of rupees, coal and oil being in the forefront, in this category.
Once, a daring hero of an inspector in the Railway Protection Force (we call it Ration Pani Free), hid himself under a waggon in the transhipment platform at Agra railway station, where coal is transferred from broad guage to metre guage waggons. In the night, he saw trucks lining beside the coal carrying trains and people fillng the trucks with coal. When challenged by our hero, they opened fire. In the shoot out, a goonda was killed.
Instead of awarding a medal to him, the inspecotor was charged with murder by the railway authorities.
The same is the case with oil pipelines, in which holes are made for etxracting and filling trucks.
In Gujarat, potash etc. are filled in truks, parked outside the wall of the factory, producing the chemical.
In one field office in railway, I noticed  brass bearings, weighings a few kilogramas, being issued too frequently for maintenance; but we, in Audit, cannot object merely on suspicion, without proof.
In this electronic age, it is possible to make suitable software for linking all transactions and finding the actual stock at any time, which can be verified, if those entrusted with the task, are honest.
Here is a big IF
All such things are known to the authorities. Who cares ?

The Tories have announced that they intend to raise the entry requirements for would-be Primary School teachers. I expected, on reading this title, that they would require higher A Level results, more UCAS points. But no – the proposal is to raise the GCSE requirements in English and Maths from a C grade to a B grade.

This issue has been addressed before, but universities showed little enthusiasm for the proposed reform, and it was dismissed as being too potentially damaging to primary recruitment. Universities assess candidates on a case-by-case basis, interviewing them and taking a lot of  factors into account to decide whether they are suitable for the course.

There has been a huge increase in applications for teaching courses so the universities are being increasingly selective anyway, so perhaps the government should leave them to make their decisions on which candidates are suitable. I highly doubt that raising the GCSE requirement by 1 grade is going to vastly improve standards of teaching.

In addition to this requirement, they also propose that candidates for PGCE courses would need to have a minimum 2:2 degree, as opposed to the current requirement of any degree pass. While it is true that subject knowledge affects teaching quality, there is no research to indicate that someone with a 2:2 pass makes a better teacher than someone with a 3rd.

I passed the core subjects at GCSE with A grades so it doesn’t really affect me either way. My only comment would be that if they are going to raise the entry requirements for teaching, that the salary should be raised to reflect this! :p

While pushing forward the endeavour of gathering information from all sources to follow the series of articles relating to State provided subsidies, I have tumbled against a wall made out of tough steel and concrete: silence. If was my purpose to question policy makers, directors of audiovisual institutions, institutes of cinematography as well as filmmakers, directors, producers, distributors, actors, etc .etc.

The task would not be easy to start; I suspected that already, but with rare exceptions I was rebuffed as if I were a thief or at least a poisonous threat to the status quo of their jobs and life earnings. Without going further naming names, Cultural Authorities of different European States and Latin American countries, after reading (or not) this small blog, simply denied flatly to give any sort of interview by email, phone or whatever means offered. The position is that the law is the law and questioning these laws is unlawful. Waving the flag of the law as if those had no relation whatsoever to the reality and fairness to the people. I have to remind these ladies and gentlemen that once upon a time, slavery was also lawful and it was unlawful to question it. Would anyone dare to do it now?

Few producers came forward (some of them bravely offering to make their names and positions public) but yet, the absolutely majority simply would not discuss the issues of digital distribution, subsidies for online production and the new reality of content production for the Internet (broadband) era. No interest for pretty obvious reasons.

But why all the fear and self imposed law of silence? What evil can be brought upon humanity to talk about what is already reality, a given fact?

In order to clarify the situation, to open a call for all the interested parts to answer questions the society itself is posing and the public authorities and the others refusing to answer, I’ve decided to make public the questions I sent to them. Four simple questions that remain without answers:

1) Considering that the numbers of online viewers of audiovisual contents multiply, at least, ten times the number of movie theatres audiences in each and every country, is it fair to have the State (which should represent the interests of the people) subsidise film productions with a non-negotiable condition that the films shall be presented and released in movie theatres?

2) Why do you insist to impose criteria that are not up-to-date with the public’s interests ignoring their own culture consumption habits?

3) While audiovisual works available for free to all users are ignored by the public authorities and denied subsidies while audiovisual works intended for theatre or TV releases which constitute under all lights the construction of private propriety (copyright and commercial exploitation) with public funds- continues to be hailed by the state cultural authorities as the only valid option. Don’t you plan to revaluate this unfair situation and leverage to the real world situation of the cultural consumers of your respective countries introducing a fair system of public subsidies?

4) The public has the right to decide when, how and which cultural product wish to use. And in fact, they have done it already. Don’t you consider that the public funds spent in cultural production must reflect the public demand? And given that situation, leverage the social players in fairness, namely the creators/authors/producers of online content?

It is absolutely comprehensible that people will ignore reality as far as they see it possible in order to keep their own status and privileges. My question is: until when will possible to remain in denial?