War is War... Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - by a concerned human being

Israel, a nation full of history, culture and constant conflict. If you look at the map (below) You can see Israel marked in pink.

For years there have been great debate even severe conflict over Gaza and which nation it belongs to.

Ive noticed how the world responds to these attacks recently by Israel on Gaza. People are going crazy, but hello... this fight has been going on for more that a decade with casualties on both sides piled up by the hundreds. Some were some how there is a conspiracy brewing. How can you tell, you may ask me... well lets look at it. In 2000 attacks by Hamas (Hamas, a known terrorist organization founded by Islamic Palestine) on Israel in response to their occupying Gaza and West bank. Many were killed and Hundreds injured as well as hundreds of children suffering from PTSD as a result of the bombings ( "Sderot traumatic stress center sees steep rise in new patients". Ha'aretz. 21 May 2007.).

Now as a Christian, I may feel a certain allegiance to Israel, but war is war no matter which countries are involved... This makes me think of the movie 300, its sequel started of with a narrative by the Spartan Queen Gorgo starts by explaining war begins, like any other war, with a grievance. Now Like I said at the top of this post Israel has always been in conflict, but they managed to come to some sort of peace with the surrounding conflicting nations but not with Palestine, this conflict goes back to bible days. Both sides have been attacking bombing and being all sorts of nasty to each other over many many years. 

What annoys me most is this suddenly became so public... pictures of dead children, graphic bloody pictures that were heartbreaking have flooded every social networking site. One individual even stated that Israel should not exist... they all should be wiped out... that same individual stated that this isnt war... its murder! 

Hello people... war and murder, death, innocent people dying, they go hand in hand. I have never heard of a war were people havent been killed... have you? Has there ever been a peaceful war?

Its heart breaking when people who are innocent have to lose their lives both in Israel and in Palestine. But saying one nation should be eradicated, citizens and all... now that murderous talk...

Some Facts...

According to BBC News (Jan 2006) When the Islamic party Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election, gaining a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council, the conflict between Israel and Gaza intensified. Israel sealed its border with the Gaza Strip, largely preventing free flow of people and many imports and exports. Palestinians have been shooting Qassam rockets at Israeli settlements located near the Gaza borders, and have staged cross-border raids aimed at killing or capturing Israeli soldiers. In one such raid, on 25 June 2006, Palestinians captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, leading to massive retaliation by the Israeli army which included air strikes against Hamas targets.

So on the news there has been comments on how Israel controls Palestines movements... But from what the news and books published on said subject states that Israel prohibits movement passed their own borders. Which according to public opinion is so wrong... they should not do that... but hello many countries restrict free movements of people from neighboring countries into their own...

I took some time to read up on the developments and conflicts between Palestine-Israel, which is also known as the conflict between Gaza-Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict. 

Before i conclude... dear people... don't make this a religious war! It is so offensive to do so... 

- Humanity is Failing

Arctic 30 : What happened?

After many months of appealing to the Russian government and the countless number of people rallying together in support of the release of the Arctic 30, the Russian government finally let the A.30 go. According to Green Peace,
"The final chapter in the legal ordeal of the Arctic 30 began as the group was asked to attend a meeting at Russia's Investigative Committee, where the criminal case against them is being dropped en masse".

On the 26th of December 2013 the final foreign captives were returned home.

Below is the video of gratitude to all of us who stood, prayed and supported them through those few months of hell.

Death of an Icon: Madiba

It was a sad day 5 December 2013 following the death of South African National Icon, former president and national hero Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (aged 95).

For those of you who don't know much about this powerful man, here is a small summery of his big life.

On 18 July 1918, he was born to a Thembu royal family, through his life he studied hard attending the Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand, where he studied law. Joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League, he became involved in anti-colonial politics. 

Apathied was a doctrine enforced by the South African National Party when came to power in 1948, Apartheid id the separating of races. White supremacists believed they were above those of darker skin color and that is when the injustice and mistreatment of all non-white citizens began, that is when he rose to prominence in the ANC's 1952 with a  Defiance Campaign. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961 in association with the South African Communist Party, leading a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government.

In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial. Mandela served 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife. Mandela published his autobiography and opened negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory. As South Africa's first black president Mandela formed a Government of National Unity in an attempt to defuse racial tension. He also promulgated a new constitution and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Continuing the former government's liberal economic policy, his administration introduced measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty, and expand healthcare services.

Other things he has done to impact lives, Internationally, he acted as mediator between Libya and the United Kingdom in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, and oversaw military intervention in Lesotho.

Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a Marxist terrorist by some US conservatives, he nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Bharat Ratna. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata ("Father"); he is often described as "the father of the nation".

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” — Nelson Mandela 

Supporting a cause: Save the Arctic and Free the Arctic 30

On September 18, 28 activists and two freelance journalists have been arrested following a peaceful protest against oil drilling. Being brave, they took a stand and two of them climbed an Arctic oilrig to hang a banner, to bear witness to the injustice and draw global attention to the issue. 

According to Camila, a 21 year-old activist from Argentina, describes the action in a blog post.  
Four inflatables leave the Arctic Sunrise heading towards Gazprom's oil platform, the Prirazlomnaya. Activists attempt to climb and establish themselves on the outside structure of the platform to protest against imminent drilling.
They are here to peacefully protest against the Arctic oil rush, which threatens grave harm to the Arctic environment, as well as extracting more oil that humanity cannot afford to burn. The Prirazlomnaya is the first oil rig to start oil production in the ice-filled waters of the Arctic. Safety culture on the rig is a joke.
The nearby Russian Coast Guard ship quickly responds by launching inflatables manned with agents masked in balaclavas. They proceed to ram and slash the Greenpeace inflatables, threaten activists at gun and knife point and fire warning shots from automatic weapons. Further, the remaining crew onboard the Arctic Sunrise count 11 shots fired across the bow from the Coast Guard vessel's artillery cannon.
 

They were arrested. The Greenpeace ship was seized. All 28 activists and two freelance journalists have been charged with piracy. They are facing 15 years in jail if the charges stick.

Want to help? 

Take a stand for peaceful protest. Send a letter to the Russian Embassy to free the Arctic 30

Currently they are still detained with no sign of release. Russia's Investigative Committee announced that it will apply for a three-month extension to the detention of the Arctic 30. 

 

SAVE THE ARCTIC 

 

The Arctic is majestic, extreme, and extremely fragile. Companies like Gazprom and Shell want to drill for oil, putting the entire planet at risk. Now 30 men and women are imprisoned in Russia for trying to stop this destruction and protect the region. ACT NOW to Save the Arctic and Free the Arctic 30: Greenpeace.org_Arctic 30

Update:

Week 9 (Nov 13 - Nov 19)
Week 8 (Nov 05 - Nov 12)
Week 7 (Oct 30 - Nov 05)
Week 6 (Oct 23 - Oct 29)
Week 5 (Oct 16 - Oct 22)
Week 4 (Oct 09 - Oct 15)
Week 3 (Oct 02 - Oct 08)
Week 2 (Sept 25 - Oct 01)
Week 1 (Sept 18 - Sept 24)

Lulzsec, Sentenced.

This article is atleast a few years old, but viewing the recent events, I decided to share the interest.

2011- Hacker group LulzSec disbands after attacks on CIA, Sony and others

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A publicity-seeking hacker group that has left a trail of sabotaged websites over the last two months, including attacks on law enforcement and releases of private data, said unexpectedly on Saturday it is dissolving itself.

Lulz Security made its announcement through its Twitter account. It gave no reason for the disbandment, but it could be a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations. Rival hackers have also joined in the hunt, releasing information they say could point to the identities of the six-member group.

"At just after midnight (BST, UT+01) on 26 June 2011, LulzSec released a "50 days of lulz" statement, which they claimed to be their final release, confirming that LulzSec consisted of seven members, and that their website is to be shut down" (Wiki).

 

One of the group’s members was interviewed by The Associated Press on Friday, and gave no indication that its work was ending. LulzSec claimed hacks on major entertainment companies, FBI partner organizations, the CIA, the U.S. Senate and a pornography website.

Kevin Mitnick, a security consultant and former hacker, said the group had probably concluded that the more they kept up their activities, the greater the chance that one of them would make some mistake that would enable authorities to catch them. They’ve inspired copycat groups around the globe, he noted, which means similar attacks are likely to continue even without LulzSec.

“They can sit back and watch the mayhem and not risk being captured,” Mitnick said.

As a parting shot, LulzSec released a grab-bag of documents and login information apparently gleaned from gaming websites and corporate servers. The largest group of documents – 338 files – appears to be internal documents from AT&T Inc., detailing its buildout of a new wireless broadband network in the U.S. The network is set to go live this summer. A spokesman for the phone company could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the documents.

"The release included accounts and passwords from many different sources. Despite claims of retirement, the group committed another hack against newspapers owned by News Corporation on 18 July, defacing them with false reports regarding the death of Rupert Murdoch. The group helped launch Operation AntiSec, a joint effort involving LulzSec, Anonymous, and other hackers" (Wiki).

In the Friday interview, the LulzSec member said the group was sitting on at least 5 gigabytes of government and law enforcement data from across the world, which it planned to release in the next three weeks. Saturday’s release was less than a tenth of that size.

In an unusual strategy for a hacker group, LulzSec has sought publicity and conducted a conversation with the public through its Twitter account. Observers believe it’s an offshoot of Anonymous, a larger, more loosely organized group that attempts to mobilize hackers for attacks on targets it considers immoral, like oppressive Middle Eastern governments and opponents of the document-distribution site WikiLeaks. LulzSec, on the other hand, attacked anyone they could for “the lulz,” which is Internet jargon for “laughs.”

© The Canadian Press, 2011

2013- LulzSec hacker gets prison in Sony Pictures attack

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

LOS ANGELES – A 25-year-old hacker with the group known as LulzSec was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison and ordered to pay $605,663 in restitution for an attack on Sony Pictures computers that began in late May 2011.

 

One of the members pleaded guilty last April to the attack, in which hackers breached the Sony Pictures website, stole personal data including the names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of tens of thousands of Sony customers and distributed it over the Internet.

 

Another member, a 20-year-old who also pleaded guilty to the attack in October, is to be sentenced May 16. 

Yes, I am well aware that stealing information is bad especially personal information of innocent people. I do however see the bigger picture when it comes to hacking, i mean most of these group (serious ones) hack major organizations and act as an informer to the public, by making confidential info public. Obviously that can lead to bad things happening but when the public is being kept in the dark about things that affect them then... people benefit... 

 

Anti-Gay march in France

Yesterday, thousands of people opposing the passing of the bill, to legalize gay marrage in Paris boulevards, France. (source)

Tens of thousands of French gay marriage opponents protest before expected passage of law

By Staff, The Associated Press

 

Anti-gay marriage activists hold flags and banners as they take part in a demonstration of the anti-gay marriage movement "La Manif Pour Tous" (Demonstration for all!) on April 21, 2013 in Paris. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images

The march wound its way across the Left Bank and was expected to culminate in a gathering on the vast Invalides esplanade Sunday evening. 

A heavy police presence was deployed along the route. Previous anti-gay marriage protests in recent weeks have degenerated into violence. A counterdemonstration by those in favour of the bill was organized across the Seine river on the large Bastille square.

Polls have shown a narrow majority of French support legalizing gay marriage, though that support falls when questions about adoption and conception of children come into play.

© The Associated Press, 2013

Trending: Standing up for what you believe is right

Its about the principle behind it all, personally i don't believe in evolution, i am no descendant of some primate but i would also be a bit on the mad side if my teachers, because of some Act passed, decided to throw out science text books and replaced it with supplemented material. Students don't go to science class to learn about the teachers beliefs, they there to learn science. 

How 19-year-old activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for Louisiana’s creationists

 George Dvorsky

For Zack Kopplin, it all started back in 2008 with the passing of the Louisiana Science Education Act. The bill made it considerably easier for teachers to introduce creationist textbooks into the classroom. Outraged, he wrote a research paper about it for a high school English class. Nearly five years later, the 19-year-old Kopplin has become one of the fiercest — and most feared — advocates for education reform in Louisiana. We recently spoke to him to learn more about how he's making a difference.

Kopplin, who is studying history at Rice University, had good reason to be upset after the passing of the LSEA — an insidious piece of legislation that allows teachers to bring in their own supplemental materials when discussing politically controversial topics like evolution or climate change. Soon after the act was passed, some of his teachers began to not just supplement existing texts, but to rid the classroom of established science books altogether. It was during the process to adopt a new life science textbook in 2010 that creationists barraged Louisiana's State Board of Education with complaints about the evidence-based science texts. Suddenly, it appeared that they were going to be successful in throwing out science textbooks. (read more) by io9

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Justice: What happened to being JUST?

Came across an article today about Aaron Swartz a 26 year old American computer programmer, writer, archivist, political organizer, and Internet activist.

This guy for as young as he is accomplished alot:

Swartz was a member of the RSS-DEV Working Group that co-authored the "RSS 1.0" specification of RSS,^[2] and built the website framework web.py and the architecture for the Open Library. He also built Infogami, a company that merged with Reddit in its early days, through which he became an equal owner of the merged company. Swartz also focused on sociology, civic awareness and activism. In 2010 he was a member of the Harvard University Center for Ethics. He cofounded the online group Demand Progress (known for its campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act) and later worked with U.S. and international activist groups Rootstrikers and Avaaz.

On January 6, 2011, as a result of a federal investigation, Swartz was arrested in connection with systematic downloading of academic journalarticles from JSTOR.^[3][4] Swartz opposed JSTOR's practice of compensating publishers, rather than authors, out of the fees it charges for access to articles. Swartz contended that JSTOR's fees limited access to academic work produced at American colleges and universities - Wikipedia 

On January 11, 2013, Swartz was found hanged in his, Brooklyn apartment. Following his death, federal prosecutors in Boston dismissed the charges against him. 

Personally I think alot of important people felt threatened because of his involvement in a campaign to prevent the passing of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill that sought to monitor the Internet for copyright violations and would have made it easier for the U.S. government to shut down websites accused of violating copyright. I think he believed in the freedom that is the internet, its an entity that cant be confined. According to Wikipedia, Following the defeat of the bill, Swartz was the keynote speaker at the F2C:Freedom to Connect 2012 event in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2012. His speech was titled "How we stopped SOPA"^[29] and he informed the audience:

"There's a battle going on right now, a battle to define everything that happens on the internet in terms of traditional things that the law understands... [Under SOPA], new technology, instead of bringing us greater freedom, would have snuffed out fundamental rights we'd always taken for granted".

Conspiracy... okay he was caught downloading logging into JSTOR, a database of scholarly articles, and rapidly downloading those articles with the intent to make them public, which is piracy, and is illegal. but he did it under principle. whats the use of a copyright when authors werent getting commission for their hard work but the publishers were... 

An article in Care2 "Aaron Swartz Faced a More Severe Prison Term Than Killers, Slave Dealers and Bank Robbers" by  ThinkProgress, explains how Swartz would have faced 50 years in prison. Not even some federal crimes including, manslaughter, Selling Child Pornography, Helping al-Qaeda Develop A Nuclear Weapon etc., is punished so severely.

Read more from Care2

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