The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal IssuesThe Impudent Observer - Global Liberal IssuesAnalyzes issues of liberal concern and gives readers a digest of what is reported in over forty newspapers world-wide to engage them in critical thinking issues. Articles
Czech Republic Rejects Anti-Dscrimination Law
2008-06-02 09:05:00 A few years ago, Petr Cina assumed the role of fighting for the rights of Roma citizens in the Czech Republic by walking into a ar and asking for service. After being ordered from the premises, he went on the offense by entering similar establishments in order to document discrimination against Romas. Although a ... More About: Politics , Europe , Human Rights , Social Justice
Terror Intensifies In Zimbabwe
2008-06-02 09:03:00 A top leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe was arrested and became the most senior members of MDC to be thrown into jail. Arthur Mutambara was accused of insulting President Mugabe whose wife several days ago charged the MDC as the group responsible for fostering violence in the nation. Mutambara was ... More About: Politics , Peace , Terror , South Africa , Britain
German Agent Brokers Mideast Peace
2008-06-02 09:03:00 A member of the German intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst(BND) has been responsible for brokering an exchange deal between Israel and Hezbollah on behalf of the United Nations. He has now enabled development of an official proposal which is on the table and the Israeli government will shortly decide whether or not to accept it. Gerhard ... More About: Politics , Islam , Peace , Agent , Military
US-China Clash Over Missile Systems
2008-06-02 09:00:00 One of the legacies of the Bush administration will be tensions it has created with Russia and now with China over creation of anti-missile defense systems. The United States is establishing an anti-missile defense system located in Poland and the Czech Republic which ostensibly is aimed at thwarting North Korean and Iranian missiles from attacking ... More About: Systems , Clash , Missile
Barack Obama Quits Church
2008-06-01 16:10:00 Senator Barack Obama has cut his ties with th e Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago that he has attended since 1992 due to continuing divisive statements by those preaching in its pulpit. In a letter to church officials, Obama and his wife noted: ‘Our relations with Trinity have been strained by the divisive ... More About: Politics , United States , Democrats
Is Scott McClellan Guilty Of Disloyalty?
2008-06-01 15:50:00 EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK Scott McClellan, former press secretary of President Bush is now being bashed by the right wing press for disloyalty because he revealed his thoughts and experiences serving in an administration that lied to the American people. Is one disloyal for bashing a former employer? Scott McClellan was a member of the ... More About: Elections , Iraq War , George Bush , Dick Cheney , Human Rights
Headlines Of The Week
2008-06-01 15:29:00 Each week we survey the world’s newspapers and offer interesting headlines that appeared in them along with our own commentary. Australia, The Age: “How To Disappear And Never Be Found” Just get charged with being a terrorist by the Bush administrationm. Sweden, The Local: “Conscript Shoots ... More About: Week , Headlines
Nobody Asked Me But,
2008-06-01 15:08:00 Each week, we present the personal observations of a 77 year old American who discusses the world without any attempt to offer anything other than his biased views. Nobody Asked Me But, I thought the FBI had me undesurveillance when I called home and a voice told me to check the number. I live on a street that ...
Britain Upset At Guantanamo Prisoner Conditions
2008-06-01 14:38:00 Prime Minister Gordon Brown is confronting increasing pressure to intervene in the case of a British subject who has been held at Guantanamo prison for six years without ever being allowed to have a fair trial. Binyam Mohamed claims to have suffred horrific abuse at the hands of his American captors including razor blade cuts ... More About: Britain , Conditions , Upset
Terroist Plot Or Summer Fantasies In Canada?
2008-05-31 14:38:00 According to Canadian prosecutors a group known as the Toronto 18 were part of a terrorist gang that was prepared to institute bombng activity and were in posssession of bomb makig material. The prosecutor spoke on the first day of testimony in which a boy, three other young men and 14 adults are being charged ... More About: Politics , Summer , Canada , Human Rights , Social Justice
Burma Military Junta?Let Them Eat Frogs!
2008-05-31 14:15:00 Burmese troops began evicting destitute families sheltered in cyclone relief centers and insisted there was no need for foreign relief foods because the Burmese people were perfectly capable of existing by hunting and eating “large edible frogs.” The New Light of Myanmar, the government mouthpiece, warned people that foreign relief workers would snoop inside ... More About: Military , Burma , Frogs , Military Junta
Children Are Unteachable Says British Educator!
2008-05-31 14:00:00 Chris Parry, chief executive of h Independent Schools Council of Great Britain told the Guardain newspaper that schools are being burdened with trying to educate unteachable children whose ignorant parents together with teachers who would rather be elsewhere make impossible attaining any success in the field of education. The former rear admiral, who most probably ... More About: Politics , Education , Children , Human Rights , British
The Rape Of Women-War?s Tragedy
2008-05-31 09:46:00 A recent study by the UN agency, UNICEF, revels that sexual violence is spreading like a disease in many parts of Africa where there is violence. Women are increasingly becoming the first casualties of war and are compelled to spend a live in shame because enemy soldiers physically abused them. n Darfu, janjaweed militia kidnapped ... More About: Islam , Military , Tragedy , World News
Who Really Were The Native Americans?
2008-05-31 09:33:00 Recent discoveries of a fluff of white hair in Greenland indicate the original inhabitants of the area were not Inuits or Indians, but people who migrated from the Aleutian islands. Due to modern technoloy it is now possible to trace back the hair and make the linkage to inhabitants of the Aleutian islands. The use ... More About: Peace , Asia , World News , Human Rights , Native Americans
Diversity Issues In Belgium Police Force
2008-05-31 09:32:00 Belgium, like many European nations is experiencing an influx of thousands of immigrants. The history of immigration is usually characterized by gaps between newly arrived people and existing power structures such as the police and judiciary systems. The European Union has launched a EUR 600,000 campaign which is aimed at increasing the number of immigrants ... More About: Belgium , Police , Issues , World News , Diversity
What?s That About Swedish Girls And Sex?
2008-05-31 09:20:00 A recent study conducted by an academic at the Sahalgrenska Academy in Gothenburg, eveals Swedish teenage girls are much more sexually active with other teenage girls than adolescent boys are with boys. Approximately, 440 seventeen year old boys and girls were questioned about sex relations with someone of the same gender. Of the girls, 6.1% ... More About: Girls , Human Rights , Social Justice , Gender issues
Bishop Tutu Urges Palestinian-Israel Peace
2008-05-31 09:17:00 Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu spent several days in Gaza exploring conditions and seeking to find a way that would bring together Palestinians and Israel is. The South African cleric, heading a team of UN human rights observers, gathered stories from Gazans about Israel attacks that had killed civilians, including many children. Tutu said the ... More About: Politics , Islam , Military
Obama Religious Supporter Mocks Hillary Clinton
2008-05-31 09:06:00 Barack Obama expressed his dislike of comments made by a guest minister in his church the past weekend in which Senator Clinton was mocked and derided by the Rev. Michael Pfieger. Obama said he was “deeply disappointed” by the tone and words used in the sermon. The Rev. Pfieger, a Chicago activist, also apologized for ... More About: Politics , Liberals , Elections , United States , Democrats
Is Medvedev Serious About Corruption In Russia?
2008-05-31 09:03:00 President Medvedev made it clear in many of his early speeches as head of the nation that issues of corruption in government were high on his agenda of reform. The Kremilin is now focusing on the issue of corruption by posting xcerpts of letters written by ordinary citizens regarding encounters with corrupt officials. The Kremilin ... More About: Politics , Human Rights , Corruption , Russia
Winnie Mandela Blasts Anti-Immigrant Riots
2008-05-30 16:06:00 Winnie Mandela, veteran activist with the African National Congress and a leader in the fight to create a free South Africa , sharply condemned recent anti-immigrant riots which have swept through the nation. She described the riots as “the wrose tragedy in the post-apartheid era” and said the government’s poor economic policies and lack of services ... More About: Politics , Peace , World News , Human Rights
Some Progress In Syria-Israel Talks
2008-05-30 15:25:00 In the latest rounds of unofficial discussions between Israel and Syria there are reports of some slight progress in resolving issues between the nations. A Syrain official who is close to the negotiations said that issues were being discussed along genral lines in preparation for future talks which hopefully would get down to specific ... More About: Politics , Islam , Peace , Military
US Army Suicides Set Record In 2007!
2008-05-30 15:04:00 American army officials revealed there was a record number of suicides in 2007 and that combat has filled the cups of many soldirs to the brim causing them to seek the way out of death. According to Col. Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatric consultnat to the Army Surgeon General, “the Army is very, very busy, and perhaps ... More About: Record
Emperor Bush Stands Naked In Eyes Of Friend
2008-05-29 15:22:00 Scott McClellan was a loyal follower of his employer, President George Bush , and never indicated that he doubted the brilliance of America’s leader. But, his new book, “What Happened: Inside The bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” is a 341 page dissection of the Bush administration that already has aroused the fury of ... More About: Eyes , Friend , Emperor
What Went Wrong Asks South Africa?
2008-05-29 14:55:00 The recent xenophobic violence which swept through South Africa resulting in the death of dozens of people and the destruction of homes and businesses of immigrants is causing South Africa ns to wonder if their nation has been too complacent about serious structural and economic issues. A special task force probing the violence concludes there ... More About: Politics , Peace , Human Rights
Amnesty International Presses Medvedev On Rights
2008-05-29 14:39:00 Amnesty International pressed newly elected President Dimitry Medvedev to initiate a “sea change” in his country’s attitude toward human rights. It noted “in your speech following your inauguration, you stated that human rights and freedoms are of the highest value to Russian society. Amnesty International looks forward to seeing this commitment made a reality.”An Amnesty ... More About: Rights , Amnesty
Hamas Leader Blames Israel For Region Problems
2008-05-29 14:25:00 Mahmoud Zahar, one of the founders of Hamas , told reporters(including one from the Jerusalem Post) that Israel is responsible for the current impasse about freeing an Israeli soldier held by his group. He idenitified the issue of how many Palestinian prisoners would be released in order to return Cpl. Gilad Schlit as a sore point ... More About: Problems , Leader , Region
Nepal To Abolish Monarchy
2008-05-26 15:39:00 The Nepal monarchy is not expected to be part of the nation’s ruling elite much longer than a few weeks as a newly elected Assembly meets to formally end the kingdom of Nepal which has been in existence for 239 years and proclaim a republic. The government has banned all demonstrations in and around the royal palace and the private homes of King Gyanendra in order to avoid any incident of violence against him by a population which has grown to distrust his rule. The radical Maoists won a surprise election in April during which they campaigned to remove the king. However, Dinanath Sharma, a senior leader of the Maoists said “we have urged the people to come to the st reets on that day(voting to abolish the monarchy) to celebrate the republic day.’ The Maoists have a day of celebration but then must turn to many problems that will face the new republic including dealing wth poverty and creating a viable democracy. More About: Monarchy
Russia And China Denounce US Missile Shield
2008-05-26 15:25:00 The decision of President George Bush to place missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic continued to arouse the anger of Russia . Newly elected President Dimitry Medvedev joined with President Hu Jintao in a statement sayng the missile shield was provocative and could only be interpreted as hostile to the interests of their nations. The statement did not identify the United States by name, but said “creating a global mssile defense system including a deployment of such a system in several regions of the world” was harmful to stabiity and arms control between nations. A US State Department spokesperson, brushed off the statement with the comment it was really the same as previous complaints. George Bush insists his aggressive foreign policy brings peace and security to the United States. It becomes increasingly clear of a growing friendship between China and Russia as both nationas respond to what they perceive to be hostile actions of America. Russia has now become ... More About: Shield , Missile
Is Japan Serious About Global Warming?
2008-05-26 09:56:00 The chief climate change official in the United Nations challenged the Japan ese government to clarify its commitment to pursuing a program that deals with global warming. Yvo de Boer wanted clarification about recent statements that Japan would focus on “industrial sectoral” approaches rather than focusing on a national program of dealing with environmental issues. “Recent statements in the Japanese media have made it less clear what Japan’s intentions are vis a vis sectoral approaches. There have been statements that sectoral approaooches are far superior to national goals and these create the impression that one is intended to replace the other.” Japan increasingly has been talking about halving global greenhouse emissions by 2050 but that far away goal does nothing to alleviate conditions in the coming two decades. De Boer sharply criticized the United States, Canada and Japan for being negligent about global warming and wanted to know “what ... More About: Global Warming , Global
Jimmy Carter Condemns Gaza Blockade
More articles from this author:2008-05-26 09:49:00 Former President Jimmy Carter blasted inaction on the part of the European Union and the so-called Quartet for its refusal end the blockade of Gaza . He termed the blockade “one of the greatest human rights crimes on Earth” and claimed many families in Gaza are eating only one meal per day. He urged the European Union to reassess its stance on Hamas if the group agreed to a cease fire. “Let the Europeans lift the embargo and say we will protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and even send observers to Rafah gate to ensure the Palestinians don’t violate it.” He termed the idea of refusing to talk with Hamas as unrealistic one and pointed out that Israel has been in contact with Hamas representatives and is cooperating with the Egyptian mediator, Omar Sulleiman, in trying to arrange a cease fire. Carter charged that Bush adviser, Elliot Arbrams, is the author of not talking with Hamas, a charge that is most probably not accurate. There are plenty of r... More About: Jimmy Carter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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