February 17, 2012

The West Bank's Bobby Sands

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khader-adnan-the-west-banks-bobby-sands-6988943.html

Khader Adnan: The West Bank's Bobby Sands

Khader Adnan's two-month hunger strike has made him a hero among Palestinians outraged by Israel's policy of arbitrary detention

It was only after talking with lucidity and animation for an hour about her husband's 61-day hunger strike that Randa Jihad Adnan's eyes, visible though the opening of her nekab, filled with tears. Until then, this articulate 31-year-old graduate in sharia law from Al Najar University in Nablus, the pregnant mother of two young daughters aged four and one and half, had described with almost disconcerting poise the two months following the arrest of her husband, Khader Adnan, on 17 December.

He was seized at 3.30am by some of the scores of Israeli military and security personnel who surrounded the family home in a West Bank village south of Jenin, and is now being held in the Israeli Rebecca Ziv hospital in Safed. On Wednesday she was allowed to visit him with the children and her father-in-law. (more)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khader-adnan-the-west-banks-bobby-sands-6988943.html

(and if you are asking "who was Bobby Sands?" He was an Irish poet and activist who died in a hunger strike in 1981 in prison during "the troubles" in Ireland) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Sands

February 17, 2012

Why I Fought in the Libyan Civil War

http://blog.matthewvandyke.com/2012/02/17/why-i-fought-in-the-libyan-civil-war-2/

Why I Fought in the Libyan Civil War
by Matthew VanDyke

If I die, please tell your friends about me. On February 25, 2011 when my friend Muiz made this request, the revolution against Gaddafi had been going on for a week. On the streets fighting…fighting with hands…but we have no guns…people dying for Libya. His brother in law had already been killed, and Muiz was resolved to die as well. You have to know something, we Libyans aren’t scared to die anymore. I love Libya and I don’t want anything to happen to it. I will die for it.

I never imagined having such a conversation with a friend on the internet. The last time I saw Muiz in Tripoli he was happy, smiling, and carefree, a computer engineer and fellow motorcycle enthusiast with his whole life ahead of him. Now his city was under siege by the mad man Gaddafi, one of the worst dictators of our time, and Muiz’s world was being destroyed.

Muiz was part of a group of a dozen Libyan bikers who had become good friends of mine during my time in Tripoli in 2008. Hitem was their leader, a heavy-set, jovial biker with a heart of gold and smile always on his face. He was a master mechanic, and lived and breathed motorcycles. I asked Muiz if he had talked to Hitem. He said he tried to call him but there was no answer. ~more~

February 14, 2012

Combined Systems Inc. hacked by Anonymous

Hackers Claim Attack on American Tear Gas Company

February 14, 2012 (AP)

Hackers loyal to the Anonymous movement say they've broken into the website of a U.S. tear gas company whose ammunition has been used against demonstrators in Egypt and elsewhere.

In an Internet statement, the hackers alleged Combined Systems are war profiteers who sell "mad chemical weapons to militaries and cop shops around the world."

The hackers also claimed to have stolen and published personal information belonging to clients and employees of the Jamestown, Pennsylvania-based firm.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hackers-claim-attack-american-tear-gas-company-15579671#.TzpK8oHxsyJ


they left them the following message:
http://www.cyberwarnews.info/2012/02/14/combined-systems-webservers-defaced-and-wiped-rmd-by-anonymous/

February 13, 2012

The scale of the Universe

cool graphic

http://images.4channel.org/f/src/589217_scale_of_universe_enhanced.swf

February 11, 2012

incredible bravery and one lucky little boy

Tweet from Andy Carvin @acarvin
Syria: Incredible bravery. One lucky kid. Man rescue a child today from sniper bullets

February 10, 2012

"Here... humanity stumbled"

Tweet from Andy Carvin of NPR. @acarvin

Large protest in Syria with a giant map of the country painted on the ground. It reads "Here... humanity stumbled".

February 1, 2012

$6.25

We all know Romney's family does not believe in serving in the military, nothing wrong with that, unless you are a hawk that fully supports a war that others have to fight. Civil War, WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq 2, Afghanistan. No Romney has ever served.
In 2007 when asked why his 5 healthy trust fund sons did not fight in the war he supported, he answered with the stupid Winnebago comment, but ALSO that he "personally contributed $25,000 to "various organizations that support military personnel". Keep in mind, Romney makes that much by 10:00 am EVERYDAY in interest.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/questions-about-romneys-sons-and-military-service/

By 2007, when he made the statement, nearly 4000 US troops had died in Iraq, not including Afghanistan.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/iraq-casualties.htm

$25,000 divided by 4000 comes to about $6.25.

February 1, 2012

Romney in Eagan today at 1 pm

protests planned

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/959460/396/Romney-brings-campaign-momentum-to-Minnesota-

"Demonstrations are planned for outside the event by those who oppose Romney and his views. Eagan Mayor Mike Macguire and Minneapolis Mayor and DNC Vice Chair RT Rybak will stage their own rally at noon outside Freightmasters, and a group of seniors from AmericansUnited will protest with signs that read "Keep your Mitt(s) Off My Medicare."