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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Zapatero defiende la subida del IVA: "Con ese dinero vamos a pagar el paro a 500.000 personas"

El Presidente confirma en RTVE la principal medida contestada por el PP
Afirma que desea el consenso, pero recuerda la necesidad de ingresos
"Me siento responsable de cada parado", ha admitido el líder del Ejecutivo
Ha descartado una próxima remodelación del equipo de Gobierno

Vídeos relacionados

Vídeo

Zapatero: "La consecuencia más grave de la crisis es la pérdida de empleo"

Noticias relacionadas

Zapatero sobre Venezuela: "No ricemos el rizo. Para informar hay que explicar"

Bruselas prevé que la subida del IVA este verano frené el inicio de la recuperación en España

Salgado cree que la subida del IVA en julio no provocará "crecimientos negativos"

DANIEL FLORES / MIRIAM HERNANZ - MADRID 08.03.2010 - 22:44h No habrá marcha atrás en la subida del IVA que entrará en vigor el próximo mes de julio, o al menos así lo ha recalcado el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, en una entrevista con RTVE, en la que también ha querido zanjar la polémica judicial con Venezuela y ha descartado una próxima remodelación del equipo de Gobierno.
El líder del Ejecutivo ha destacado que la recaudación adicional que se obtendrá hasta final de año gracias a la subida del IVA "podemos pagar la prestación por desempleo a 500.000 personas" durante esos seis meses, defendiendo la medida más contestada desde el Partido Popular, que ha llegado a supeditar a su anulación el acuerdo contra la crisis que impulsa el Gobierno entre todas las fuerzas políticas y que pretende alcanzar en un plazo de dos meses.
Pese a todo, Zapatero ha recalcado que "ese acuerdo dará confianza, es fundamental", negando que sea -como le planteaban los entrevistadores, las conductoras del Telediario 1 y 2, Ana Blanco, y el director de En días como hoy de RNE, Juan José Lucas - "más ruido que nueces" y ha pedido a "todas las fuerzas políticas poner el acento no en descalificar las propuestas de los demás, sino en escucharlas".
Zapatero ha recordado que la presión fiscal en España ronda el 30% del PIB, mientras que la media europea es del 38%: "Está es una de las vías que menos daño hace al crecimiento y tenemos uno de los tres IVA más bajos [un 18% cuando entre en vigor la subida] de la Unión Europea". Tras recordar algunas medidas que redujeron tributos, como la supresión del Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio o la deducción de los 400 euros, el Presidente ha insistido en que ahora toca "aumentar los ingresos".

Contradicciones

La crisis económica y la capacidad de Zapatero para reconducir la situación han centrado gran parte de la conversación, de forma que el Presidente del Gobierno ha salido al paso de las acusaciones de incoherencia en sus políticas, aunque ha reconocido que, con la crisis, "alguna contradicción es comprensible" entre sus ministros.

No entra en mis planes cambiar el Gobierno

En cualquier caso, Zapatero ha sido categórico al ser preguntado sobre la posibilidad de que ejecute una crisis de Gobierno una vez haya finalizado el semestre español de la presidencia de la UE: "No entra en mis planes".
Muy concienciado con la "responsabilidad que tenemos entre manos" y, a tenor de sus palabras, "plenamente consciente" de que "todo trabajo" que haga será "poco", Zapatero no tiene planes de cambiar a los integrantes de su equipo, dado el "gran esfuerzo" que están llevando a cabo.

"Me siento responsable de cada parado"

Las elevadas tasas de desempleo han provocado el gesto más serio del Presidente, que ha vuelto a fijar el horizonte de creación de empleo "cuando la economía vuelva a crecer, a finales de 2010 y sobre todo en 2011".
"La consecuencia más grave de la crisis es la perdida de empleo, me siento responsable de todas y cada una de las personas que han perdido su empleo", ha admitido el Presidente del Gobierno, comentando que su responsabilidad es "proponer medidas" contra la destrucción de puestos de trabajo: "El Gobierno ha tomado 137 medidas económicas que, si no las hubieramos tomado, el efecto habría sido mucho más grande", ha repetido en dos ocasiones Zapatero.

No pude prever la crisis y no es un consuelo para mí, pero siempre he sido sincero

Romontándose al inicio de la crisis y ante la pregunta de si había habido voluntad de ocultación de los problemas económicos, también se ha defendido: "No pude prever la magnitud de la crisis económica, como la mayoría de los Gobiernos del mundo, y no es un consuelo para mí, pero siempre he sido sincero", insistiendo en que eso "no ha impedido tomar medidas".

Protección social... pero cuidando el déficit

El líder del Ejecutivo ha insistido en una de las constantes de su política, el mantenimiento de la protección social -"hemos combatido a la crisis, pero con el máximo esfuerzo de protección social"- y ha vuelto a subrayar, preguntado por la reforma laboral y un posible abaratamiento del despido, que a su juicio "es posible facilitar las cosas a los empresas en la contratación sin perjudicar los derechos de los trabajadores".
También ha rechazado que el Gobierno haya endurecido su rigor presupuestario para contentar a los mercados financieros -"la caída de la Bolsa del 4 de febrero no respondía a razones objetivas", ha recalcado-, aunque ha indicado que "no podemos tener un déficit tan alto muchos años".
En este sentido, ha sido reveladora su explicación de por qué el Instituto de Crédito Oficial no ofreció antes los créditos de 200.000 euros que ahora pretende el Gobierno que conceda asumiendo todo el riesgo: "Es dinero público, del contribuyente, no se puede facilitar sin más. Ahora damos un paso con más riesgo", se ha justificado.

Defensa de Garzón y de Velasco ante Venezuela

Hasta en dos ocasiones se ha referido Zapatero a las acusaciones del líder de Mariano Rajoy de dejar a la deriva al juez Eloy Velasco, después de que éste emitiese un auto en el que veía indicios de colaboración entre ETA y las FARC y el Gobierno venezolano. "Exijo respeto para las instituciones judiciales y también para el ex presidente [del Gobierno, José María] Aznar", contra los que cargó el ministro venezolano de Exteriores, Nicolás Maduro.

"No considero razonables las críticas al juez Velasco por parte del ministro de Exteriores venezolano", ha sostenido Zapatero, quien ha anunciado que pedirá la colaboración del Gobierno de Caracas -"quien ha desmentido su relación con ETA y ha expresado su condena a los actos terroristas"- para que esta banda terrorista "no tenga quien le escuche y le apoye en el mundo".

Es mi obligación y responsabilidad defender a Garzón

"Es mi obligación y responsabilidad defender a Baltasar Garzón y su valentía en la lucha contra ETA y eso no supone ningún tipo de injerencia", ha defendido el líder socialista, que ya alabó el trabajo de Garzón en la lucha antiterrorista durante las últimas décadas.

Lucha antiterrorista y aborto

Con números también ha defendido Zapatero la política antiterrorista llevada a cabo en estos seis años de Gobierno, donde la cúpula de ETA ha sido descabezada hasta en cinco ocasiones. "La mayor aspiración de nuestra sociedad es ver el fin de ETA", ha defendido el líder del Ejecutivo.

La mayor aspiración de nuestra sociedad es ver el fin de ETA

"Con el anterior proceso de paz se pensó que nos rendíamos ante ETA, pero el tiempo ha demostrado que no fue así", ha hecho memoria Zapatero, que ha sacado pecho por su política antiterrorista en estos seis años para defender que "el camino para ver el fin de ETA está siendo muy favorable gracias al gran trabajo policial y judicial".
El Presidente del Gobierno se ha refiero también a la polémica sobre la nueva Ley del Aborto, criticando la "hipocresía" del PP, y recalcando el compromiso de que "ninguna mujer que se ec nuentre ante el dificil trance de abortar termine en la cárcel".

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful Life

Friday, March 5, 2010

La joven secuestrada durante 18 años, en EEUU, habla por primera vez en un vídeo doméstico

Jaycee Dugard, secuestrada con once años y que permaneció 18 años en cautividad, ha hablado por primera vez en público en un vídeo doméstico en el que aparece disfrutando de la vida cotidiana con su familia y en el que dice que aunque "está siendo un camino muy largo", está bien.

El vídeo, difundido hoy en exclusiva por la cadena ABC, muestra unas imágenes de Jaycee, de 29 años, con su madre, Terry Probyn, y su medio hermana, Shayna, de 19 años, con las que está cocinando galletas, montando a caballo y riendo juntas.

"Hola. Soy Jaycee" dice la joven a la cámara, vestida con vaqueros, camiseta negra y gorra rosa. "Quiero agradeceros vuestro apoyo. Estoy bien... Está siendo un largo camino, pero casi estoy llegando".

Esta es la primera muestra de la vuelta a la normalidad de la joven, después de que lograra escapar de sus captores en agosto del año pasado y pidiera ayuda en una comisaría en San Francisco (California, EEUU) tras estar retenida en un cobertizo durante dieciocho años.

Desde su liberación, Dugard ha estado viviendo junto con su madre y las dos hijas que tuvo en cautiverio, supuestamente con su captor Phillip Garrido, en un lugar en California que no se ha hecho público para proteger la privacidad de la familia.

Terry Probyn explica que han realizado este vídeo para que "vean lo felices que somos" aunque pide privacidad para que la familia pueda recuperar la normalidad.

"Como madre, ruego privacidad en esta historia tan pública", dice Probyn, de 50 años, que asegura que "cuando tengamos más información que compartir lo haremos".

Probyn agradece "todo el amor y el apoyo" mostrado en los últimos meses, pero insiste en que, ahora, es momento de estar solas "en este proceso de cura".

"Queremos compartir este milagro con el mundo pero tiene que ser en nuestros términos". "Por favor, dadnos tiempo para recuperarnos como una familia, sin los ojos curiosos de los fotógrafos y la prensa".

Dugard y sus dos hijas, Angel, de 15 años, y Starlit, de 11, vivieron recluidas durante su cautiverio en un cobertizo en el jardín trasero de la vivienda de su secuestrador, en Atioch, al este de San Francisco.

Garrido, de 58 años, y su esposa Nancy, de 54, fueron acusados de cargos múltiples por violación, actos lascivos y secuestro con objetivos sexuales contra Dugard, que fue raptada en la calle el 10 de junio de 1991, al sur de South Lake Tahoe, y ante los ojos de su padrastro.

Las niñas nunca fueron a la escuela ni visitaron un médico mientras duró el cautiverio, que finalizó el pasado 26 de agosto, cuando Dugard se presentó en una comisaría para identificarse y denunciar los hechos, después de un encuentro fortuito con la policía mientras se llevaba a cabo otra investigación.

Garrido fue condenado a 50 años de cárcel por una serie de agresiones sexuales en 1976, pero salió en libertad condicional en 1988, tras cumplir 11 años de condena.

En 1972, ya había sido acusado de violar a una niña de 14 años, pero se le retiraron los cargos por razones que no han trascendido.

MIDEAST: Occupation Turns Palestinian Women Into Breadwinners

By Mel Frykberg

Sawsan Daba is happy to have found some employment with the Women's Programme Centre in Gaza.

Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, with its ubiquitous closures, checkpoints, military raids and arrests, has decimated the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza.

The World Bank (WB) warned over a year ago that unless Israel eased its restrictions on movement and access in the West Bank the Palestinian economy would further deteriorate.

In February the WB released another report, ‘Checkpoints and Barriers: Searching for Livelihoods in the West Bank and Gaza, Gender Dimensions of Economic Collapse’. The report outlines the devastating impact Israel’s occupation has caused to Palestinians financially, and women in particular.

As many Palestinian men - the traditional breadwinners - have been imprisoned, killed or injured by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Palestinian women have been increasingly forced to find new and novel ways to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads.

"High rates of unemployment and poverty have forced many women to become the breadwinners for their families due to many Palestinian men being imprisoned for political offences and unemployed," says Reem Abboushi, executive director of Asala or The Palestinian Business Women’s Association.

"Many women have also been widowed with large families to raise. Earning money can mean the difference between starvation and survival for these women and their families," Abboushi told IPS.

Asala, based in the central West Bank city of Ramallah, was established in 1997 as a micro-financing organisation aimed at empowering Palestinian women through financing their business ventures.

"We specifically chose to help female entrepreneurs because otherwise over 90 percent of our loans would have gone to men who have more business experience," says Abboushi.

In Palestine’s patriarchal society many women find it hard to get loans from the commercial banks as they are unable to provide collateral and few have business experience. The ownership of homes, land and buildings is mostly held by men.

Palestinian women’s participation in the workforce is among the world’s lowest, but it registered a slight increase during the period most affected by economic decline and rising male unemployment, from 14 percent in 2000 to 16 percent in 2007.

This period coincides with the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising or Intifadah when Israel launched a security crackdown throughout the West Bank. Israel’s separation barrier, which cuts through Palestinian land dividing villagers and farmers from their agricultural land, was built during this period.

Hitherto, tens of thousands of Palestinian men worked as day labourers in Israel. Now the vast majority are unable to get the requisite security permits from the Israeli authorities to work inside the Green Line.

Palestinian women have resorted to a multitude of survival strategies which include searching for jobs in the public sector and the services industry.

Home industry, including food production and other goods, selling or bartering food coupons, borrowing from neighbours and volunteering with charitable organisations, has also grown.

The WB report states that many women - in particular middle-aged and those with little education - have also turned to a range of informal activities. These comprise petty trading in Gaza, grocery shop-keeping, sewing, agriculture, and livestock production.

The difficulties the women have faced include unequal pay in low-status and unprotected jobs. The inability to get loans from banks, limited education, business inexperience and the restrictions placed on women in a patriarchal society moving in traditionally male fields have all added up.

However, while it has been very tough for the women both financially and emotionally, for some it has brought a sense of empowerment and independence.

"Democracy and gender equality will be brought to Palestine and Palestinian women through employment opportunities and the chance for economic self-development.

"We don’t need international donors spending millions on human rights and democracy courses for Palestinians," Abboushi told IPS.

"We have carried out surveys amongst our clientele. Ninety-five percent of the women found that they become more assertive in decision-making regarding finances following their new role as the breadwinners.

"This can have a positive effect on the entire home as women often use the money to purchase better quality food, clothing and household items for their families," explains Abboushi.

The women also found they became more involved in other decision making, such as who their daughters would marry, which had traditionally been the exclusive role of male family members.

"A new independence is forced on them as they have to go out and buy raw materials, bring the merchandise home and promote their goods. Many of them report a more positive interaction with their neighours and more respect from their communities in general," says Abboushi.

The Women’s Programme Centre in Gaza city is funded by Oxfam in conjunction with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The centre trains and employs Palestinian seamstresses from the refugee camps and donates the clothing they make to Gaza’s poor and destitute.

The 30 women and 14 men in the Gaza city centre, and another centre in the Shati refugee camp, work six hours a day, three days a week, earning about 240 US dollars a month.

"The programme has helped women from poverty-stricken families, where there is no breadwinner, to take home a modest salary to help support their children and men folk, most of whom are unemployed," Oxfam’s Elena Qleibo told IPS.

Sawsan Muhammed Daba, 49, has seven children to support. Her husband lost his job as a construction worker due to spinal injuries while her son was laid off from a local factory due to the closure of many business and factories in Gaza following Israel’s economic embargo of the strip.

"Now I am able to help feed my family. Coming to work also helps me, emotionally and psychologically, to get away from the depressing atmosphere at home," Daba told IPS.

Vatikan Chorsänger und Platzanweiser im homosexuellen Prostitution Skandal

Ghinedu Ehiem, a Nigerian, was dismissed by the Vatican from a prestigious choir after his name appeared in transcripts of police wiretaps.

In the wiretaps, Mr Eheim is allegedly heard negotiating over the procurement of male prostitutes.

The wiretaps were carried out in connection with a probe into corruption in contracts to build public works, including the planned venue in Sardinia of last year's G8 summit.

Among four people arrested last month in the corruption probe was Angelo Balducci, an engineer who is a board member of Italy's public works department and a construction consultant to the Vatican.

Balducci is also a member of an elite group called "Gentlemen of His Holiness" – ushers who are called to serve in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on major occasions such as when the pope receives heads of state or presides at big events.

Balducci was arrested on corruption charges and the allegations of prostitution emerged only later.

Excerpts of the wiretaps and police documents published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica showed that Ehiem, 40, had been in regular contact with Balducci before Balducci's arrest last month and the subject of their conversation was gay sex.

A police document prepared for magistrates and published in part by La Repubblica said Balducci was in contact with Ehiem and an Italian who were part of what the police called "an organised network ... to abet male prostitution".

It was not immediately possible to contact Ehiem's lawyer.

A Vatican source said Balducci, who is still in jail, has been dismissed from the elite group of ushers and that his name would not appear in the next edition of the Vatican's directory.

"He obviously can't come back here after being accused of these things," the source told Reuters.

The latest black eye for the Vatican comes on the heels of major paedophilia scandals involving the abuse of children by priests in Ireland, Germany and the United States.

Balducci's lawyer, Franco Coppi, one of Italy's highest profile lawyers, said he had no comment on the newest accusations against his client, saying: "We have much more serious things to be concerned with right now," referring to the corruption charges.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

H.I.M. interview

Life In Theory And Practive

“This particular record is a funny one for me, because when I started working on the first songs, I kind of had lost hope in relationships altogether. I’m a bad boyfriend, let’s put it that way. But then, I kind of fell head over heels for somebody during the process, and I was documenting that process over the period of time working on the album. So for me, it’s really current and, because of that reason, it does have a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. But then again, it’s always the oncoming train, isn’t it?”Appearing: Saturday, April 9th at House Of Blues in Chicago.So explains Ville Valo of Finnish love-metal act H.I.M., in regards to his new and (comparably) optimistic outlook. It’s an almost-hopeful sentiment present on his band’s seventh album, Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice (Sire). It’s also surprisingly (and again, comparably) positive coming from a band with song titles like “Dead Lovers’ Lane,” “The Funeral Of Hearts,” “Join Me In Death,” and “Love In Cold Blood” and albums like Razorblade Romance and Greatest Love Songs Vol. 666 in its catalog. But then, as Valo explains, Screamworks aims for more than just the group’s previous doom-and-gloom ambitions.“For me, my goal was to make an album that would be somewhere between Depeche Mode and Guns N’ Roses, or Kraftwerk and The Cult, but having this pompous, baritone-voice fellow trying to be all Meatloaf, in between,” the frontman explains. “It was just kind of like a weird sonic sandwich, but I think that we brought . . . the European melancholy and the poetic sensibility into the more direct, straightforward, Foo Fighters-type of rock. That was the picture I had in my mind, and I think we succeeded extremely well in that. For me, it’s something really new, because I wanted the melancholy vibe still to have levity, and still to have this kind of punky, straight-in-your-face directness, which a lot of our stuff hasn’t — it’s been veiled and shrouded in mystery or whatever, vibe-wise — and I wanted this to be a bit more honest, and that could be interpreted as being a bit more poppy, as well.”“Poppy” is a surprisingly accurate description for Screamworks. Only one song eclipses four minutes (by a full second) and, sonically, the material is forthright and immediate, with Valo describing the record as “a rock ‘n’ roll version of the danceable tragedy.” It’s a description that easily applies to the electronic-tinged and morose “The Foreboding Sense Of Impending Happiness,” while the harder-edged “Like St. Valentine” would fit right in at modern-rock radio. Yet songs like the more pop-laced “Scared To Death” and power ballad “In The Arms Of Rain,” while instantly recognizable as H.I.M. fare, demonstrate an urgency and impact present in much of Screamworks and new to the group’s sound at large. No doubt the album’s newfound dynamic can be traced back to the band recording the album in Los Angeles, with production from Matt Squire (Panic At The Disco, Taking Back Sunday) and mixing by Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, Weezer). And according to a Billboard.com interview from December, Screamworks is the first album Valo has written entirely sober, a fact that plays into the album’s heightened directness, as well. Yet the reason for the singer’s sudden sobriety was (unsurprisingly) far from a happy one.“I’ve always written all the songs sober or having a hangover, but I wasn’t able to function or be creative if I was messed up, so basically, I was just getting out of my head at the end of each creative session, and I just kept getting worse and worse,” Valo admits. “My decision to stop being the rather weak party animal that I was, was the fact that I think that each individual, at one point, would get really bored of shitting and puking blood everyday. So that was kind of like the essential point: The doctors telling me that I’m going to have a heart failure if I don’t stop. I looked like a puffy, zombified version of the old me and, to be honest with you, I didn’t feel good. I think that the Bukowski mission I was on was well accomplished, but if I would’ve taken that further it would have destroyed the career or the passion, the number-one thing, which is music in my life.”In addition to being a very real and dangerous threat, the frontman’s risk of heart failure is hugely ironic, given the heavy and repeated use of broken and battered hearts in H.I.M.’s lyrics and imagery. In fact, the group’s most recognizable aspect is its “heartagram” logo, a design that combines a pentagram and a heart. The irony was not lost on the singer.“I think that musicians very, very rarely sing about the heart as a muscle,” he concedes when the comparison is brought up. “But yeah, it is [ironic]. And the first single from this album being ‘Heartkiller?’ So, you can find copious amounts of black humor in everything we do. And it’s good to remember, as opposed to taking yourself way too seriously.”A surprising sentiment from such a somber and sordid soul. Yet with the retreat from excessive drinking and the time spent among sunny, palm tree-laden landscape of L.A., is it any wonder Valo sees a light at the end of the tunnel, be it train or otherwise?“On a philosophical level, I think that the journey is way more important than actually getting there. I think that happiness is actually trying to get to happiness,” he states. “I don’t think that a psychological/mental/emotional equilibrium is heaven. That’s hell. Sitting on top of a cloud playing a harp for eternity, [is] definitely not my idea of paradise. That feels really repetitious and like a bad dream, so I think that happiness in itself for me is the fact that, I’m trying to go forward with the band, musically, I’m trying to become a better person, doing what I do, as everybody’s doing. “You’re making your mistakes along the way, just to be able to make new ones the next day. It’s not necessarily a not-painful way of going about, but, then again, it’s very colorful and memorable, at least for me. So, I’d rather see in that light, than try to,” he pauses, declaring, “Oof — that just sounds terrible, to be happy all the time. You have to have the lows to appreciate the happiness, and vice-versa. You have to look down at the abyss, and nearly hop down into the abyss, to be able to appreciate the little things in life that make it all worthwhile.”He continues, “I think successful comedians are the ones who commit the most suicides, and then the goth bands that sing about all dark stuff, they’re the ones that are the happiest, and enjoy the sunshine the most. I think we’re somewhere in between. So, I’m learning how to tie up a noose, but at the same time, enjoying my ice cream.”– Jaime de’Medici

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Gerichtsurteil: Nutzung von 0900-Nummern rechtfertigt fristlose Kündigung

Durch Zuspruch von Kartenlegern und Astrologen hatte sich ein Mitarbeiter einer öffentlichen Verwaltung psychische Stärkung erhofft - die hohen Kosten dafür rechnete er über die Behördenkasse ab. Für das Verwaltungsgericht Mainz war das Grund genug, eine fristlose Kündigung abzusegnen.

Mainz - Telefoniert ein Arbeitnehmer auf Kosten seiner Dienststelle mit teuren 0900-Hotlines, dann kann ihm auch ohne Zustimmung des Personalrates gekündigt werden. Dies entschied das Verwaltungsgericht in Mainz im Fall eines Beschäftigten, der selbst Mitglied im Personalrat, also der Arbeitnehmervertretung, war. Diese wollte der Kündigung nicht zustimmen.

Der Angeklagte hatte über mehrere Monate von Diensttelefonen 0900-Nummern von Kartenlegern, Astrologen und ähnlichen Diensten angerufen. Mehr als 1500 Euro der Telefonkosten bezahlte er von einem Konto der Behörde. Um sich zu tarnen, benutzte der Mann nach Angaben des Gerichts die Telefone anderer Bediensteter. Als der Dienstherr dem Beschäftigten kündigen wollte, verweigerte der Personalrat die Zustimmung.

Der Mann sei wegen privater Schicksalsschläge überfordert gewesen und habe deshalb Zuspruch bei den Service-Hotlines gesucht. Dieses Argument ließen die Richter nicht gelten. Das Personalratsmitglied sei auch trotz der geltend gemachten psychischen Ausnahmesituation in der Lage gewesen, sein Verhalten zielstrebig zu steuern und zu verschleiern.

Das Mainzer Gericht ersetzte nun die erforderliche Zustimmung des Personalrats durch sein Urteil. Die Richter erklärten, dem Arbeitgeber sei die Fortsetzung des Beschäftigungsverhältnisses nicht mehr zuzumuten. Insbesondere, dass der Mann von seiner "funktionsbedingten Möglichkeit, öffentliche Gelder zu veruntreuen, Gebrauch gemacht" habe, habe das Vertrauensverhältnis des Arbeitgebers zu ihm völlig zerstört.

Aktenzeichen: 5 K 1390/09.MZ

Monday, March 1, 2010

Homosexuality in Islam

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful

Traditional Muslim scholars interpret some verses of the Quran as a condemnation of homosexuality altogether. However, more recently there has been a new breed of liberal Muslims who have commented on the Quran in a slightly different manner to those held by most Muslims. To the vast majority of the Muslim gays and lesbians the threat of hell fire cited by the Shariah scholars is the main cause of their uneasiness, anxiety, and the utter denial of their homosexuality. The fear of God’s punishment in the Hereafter if a homosexual person is to get tempted and have sex with a member of his or her sex brings a huge amount of stress and conflict between religion and sexuality and consequently leads a lot of Muslims away from their faith altogether. The verses that are used to refer to homosexuality are those narrating the story of the people of Lot and their eventual annihilation by God because of their unrepentant transgressions and way of life.

We also (sent) Lut: he said to his people: "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you?”For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." And his people gave no answer but this: they said, "drive them out of your city: these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!" But We saved him and his family, except his wife: she was of those who lagged behind. And We rained down on them a shower (of brimstone): then see what was the end of those who indulged in sin and crime! (The Holy Quran, 7:80-84) "Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males, "And leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing (all limits)!" (26:165-166) “And Lot! when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination knowingly?

Must ye needs lust after men instead of women? Nay, but ye are folk who act senselessly.”(27:54-55)

And (remember) Lut: behold, he said to his people: "Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you. "Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? - and practise wickedness (even) in your councils?" But his people gave no answer but this: they said: "Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth." (29:28-29)

To the Muslim gays and some straight liberals, these verses are taken to mean that the people of Lut were not homosexuals per se but heterosexuals who raped men and indulged in gay sex as a pleasure and culture. They also quote the following verses from the Holy Quran and the Hadiths (or sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him)) to indicate that homosexuality is not illegal at all and that there are allowances for it in Islam:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss. (24:31)

It is said that Almighty God is referring to the Gay men with the words “or male servants free from physical needs”……However, many commentators of the Quran interpret the above mentioned words to mean old men who have passed age of sexual desires. They do so deliberately in order to avoid the word “homosexual”. To me this is very unreasonable as the following points indicate:Some people lose their sexual vitality and vigour as they grow older but many are sexually active even into the eighties! Remember prophet Ibrahim had both Ismail and Isaac with his wives Hager and Sahra respectively when he was very old. Also, the very old people are not usually employed as servants as their efficiency and ability to do jobs have greatly diminished with age. Therefore, the only logical interpretation of the above mentioned verse is that it refers to gay men.

“Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. He createth what He will. He bestoweth female (offspring) upon whom He will, and bestoweth male (offspring) upon whom He will; Or He mingleth them, males and females, and He maketh barren whom He will. Lo! He is Knower, Powerful.”(42:49-50)

And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast. (3:36)

Volume 7, Book 62, Number 13h: Narrated Abu Huraira: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! I am a young man and I am afraid that I may commit illegal sexual intercourse and I cannot afford to marry." He kept silent, and then repeated my question once again, but he kept silent. I said the same (for the third time) and he remained silent. Then repeated my question (for the fourth time), and only then the Prophet said, "O Abu Huraira! The pen has dried after writing what you are going to confront. So (it does not matter whether you) get yourself castrated or not." What does God Almighty mean when He said: "........Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female;............"?

The last Hadith is interpreted by some that Abu Huraira was referring to His homosexuality and that the Prophet allowed him to get castrated (to follow his homosexual instincts) if he wished.In one Hadith the prophet actually explicitly forbade the mutilation of the testicles!

Malik's Muwatta Book 51, Number 51.1.4: Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar disapproved of castration and said, "The completeness of the created form is in the testicles.

So in that sense the prophet (pbuh) might not have told Abu Huraira to cut off his testicles but rather to follow where his nature takes him. To be honest I do not completely understand the meaning of the word ‘castration’ in the context of the aforementioned Hadith but just compare the Prophet’s reply to Abu Huraira’s question with his stern reply to the other companions in those Hadiths. If Abu Huraira wasn’t gay then why would the Prophet (pbuh) allow castration for him and forbid it to the rest? Some people are of the opinion that even if homosexuality is natural thing that people are born with, it would be illegal to practice as the Quran expressly prohibits it and that the commandments inscribed in the Quran by Almighty God will not be affected irrespective of its nature. Many Muslims also cite the fact that life itself is a test and that everyone will have his or her test whether it is with health, wealth, family, or in this case sexuality. They say that the homosexual people are being tested by God to stay chaste as gay and lesbian sex would violate the laws of God and hence call for His punishment both in this World and in the Hereafter. But the opponents of the gay rights are clearly contradicting themselves. In their argument, they say sex between members of the same sex is a violation of the natural order of things as males and females are made for each other to reproduce offspring. On this basis Muslim gays and lesbians are often advised by their families and the wider Muslim community to get married in the traditional sense or not to have sex at all. What I found more absurd is that abstinence by a straight men or women is strongly discouraged by Muslim legal scholars. The reasons given for this stance are many but the most important one is that marriage forms half of one’s Imaan or faith according to the following authentic Hadith of the holy Prophet (pbuh).

Volume 7, Book 62, Number 11: Narrated Sad bin Abi Waqqas: Allah's Apostle forbade 'Uthman bin Maz'un to abstain from marrying (and other pleasures) and if he had allowed him, we would have gotten ourselves castrated. (1) Volume 7, Book 62, Number 13o: Narrated 'Abdullah: We used to participate in the holy battles led by Allah's Apostle and we had nothing (no wives) with us. So we said, "Shall we get ourselves castrated?" He forbade us that and then allowed us to marry women with a temporary contract (2) and recited to us: -- 'O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but commit no transgression.' (5.87) Volume 7, Book 62, Number 1: Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet asking how the Prophet worshipped (Allah), and when they were informed about that, they considered their worship insufficient and said, "Where we are from the Prophet as his past and future sins have been forgiven." Then one of them said, "I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever." The other said, "I will fast throughout the year and will not break my fast." The third said, "I will keep away from the women and will not marry forever." Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "Are you the same people who said so-and-so? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep and I also marry women. So he, who does not follow my tradition in religion, is not from me (not one of my followers)."

Moreover, when Muslims accept if at all that one is born gay, lesbian, or straight and cannot help but feel attracted to one’s own sex, some go on to say that gays, lesbians, or bisexuals should never reveal their sexuality to others as this will promote vice. In effect, they are arguing one to lie about one’s sexuality which is actually a violation of Islamic law as lies is strictly forbidden in Islam.

And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is). (2:42) Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while ye have knowledge? (3:71) To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and the Day that the Hour of Judgment is established, - that Day will the dealers in Falsehood perish! (45:27)

What is completely ignored though is that for a homosexual to have sex with a member of the opposite sex is a violation of his or her natural feelings and hence should incur God’s anger. Also what is not thought about when dishing out “religious advices” to homosexuals is that coercing them into marriage would almost certainly lead to friction and the eventual break up of that marriage for there is an absence of that sexual bond to sustain such a marriage. There is a wealth of evidence from married homosexuals that straight marriages lead to depression and a host of other problems not only for the homosexual but also for his or her straight partner in the ‘marriage’. These problems clearly undo the purpose for which marriage was instituted in Islam as the following verses indicate:

And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.(30:21)

They (wives) are garments for you, while you are garments for them. (2:187)

As according to the following Hadith found in the collections of Abu Da’uud, the prophet makes it clear the undesirability of divorce, wouldn’t it be hypocritical to push the gay Muslims into such actions hated by the prophets whilst advising the straight Muslims to avoid it by choosing the most suitable partners?! Of course a divorce is inevitable in most of the marriages involving one homosexual and one straight partner.

The most hateful of all lawful things, in the sight of Allah, is divorce.

And arguing the believers not to rush into divorces before exhausting all other options, Almighty God says in the Quran:

Live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike a thing while Allah brings about through it a great deal of good. (Qur’an 4:19)

If homosexuality is a “test” in life for some believers as many people claim, then we will have the problem of contradictions in the Quran since God Almighty mentioned in the Quran that there is relieve after every hardship as the following verse clearly demonstrate:

So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief (95:5)

So keeping in mind the meaning of the above verse; where is the relieve for the homosexual Muslim from the daily temptations that is brought on them directly as a result of his or her unconventional sexuality as the provision of marriage is not an option for them? Well, some people might argue that disabilities and other forms of misfortunes which are by the way a test of faith for the some people can also be life-long conditions too. But then let us not forget that disabilities do not necessarily lead one to temptation as does homosexuality which means that a disable person due to his or her disability does not have to fight Satan’s “whispers” as does a gay or lesbian due to their sexuality.In fact, homosexuality is not a short term “problem or a trial” at all but a life-long characteristic of a human being (or an animal as we all know) that is an enduring and natural as the attraction between males and females in the animal kingdom.There is also the other question that comes to mind when homosexuality is condemned: will the merciful Creator of all punish His creation for just following the natural order He ordained for them? If yes, then that means a large section of His creation is already doomed from its inception and so the doctrine of freewill in Islam becomes meaningless. According to the above mentioned arguments, it becomes manifest if the legal line of the traditional Islamic scholars is follows, there will be one set of laws for the homosexuals and another one for the heterosexuals. Since without a doubt Islam is a religion of reason, the current position of the Muslim jurists is unsustainable and an open and honest debate about the legal status of homosexuality and the homosexuals is paramount. In the end God will judge us all as only He knows the ultimate truth.

Malcolm Moore

Malcolm Moore is the Telegraph's Shanghai Correspondent. He arrived in China in July 2008 after three years in Italy as the Telegraph's Rome Correspondent. Before that, he was the paper's Economics Correspondent.

I wrote an article over the weekend headlined: “Apple admits using child labour”.

The article was based on Apple’s own investigation into the factories across the world that produce its range of computers, iPods, iPhones and accessories.

Apple admitted that it had found instances of child labour, excessive working hours, environmental abuses, and criminally low wages at some of its suppliers.
The company started the programme after being coming under fire in the media in 2006 for the poor working conditions at one of its iPod assembly plants in China.
Since then, as its business and supply chain has grown, the company has also expanded its audit: from 39 factories in 2007 to 102 last year.
The article attracted a great deal of criticism, and a number of commentators pointed out that Apple deserves credit for voluntarily investigating and publishing the shortcomings of its factories.
“Please name any other tech company that is actually working to ensure that the working conditions in the factories where these components are made are at least tolerable and the workers are not exploited? Please list what Nokia or Palm or HTC are doing to ensure the parts that go into their phones are not fabricated by exploited workers or child labourers?” asked one commentator.
In its report, Apple also gave itself a pat on the back for its work. “During most of our audits, suppliers stated that Apple was the only company that had ever audited their facility for supplier responsibility.”
I agree that Apple deserves credit for being transparent, and I also agree that its competitors, such as HTC, the makers of Google’s Nexus One phone, could do a great deal more to comfort buyers that their products have been manufactured ethically.
However, if you read through the series of annual reports that Apple has published (downloadable here), it becomes clear that the factories that the company is using are becoming worse, not better.
This year’s report highlighted 17 “core violations”, five more than last year and a proportionally greater number (accounting for the increase in the number of factories audited).
Some problems have got much worse. The percentage of factories that have the correct environmental permits and reporting systems has fallen from 73pc last year to just 57pc this year. The percentage of factories that are working to prevent occupational injury has fallen from 79pc to 61pc.
More factories are paying the right wages: 65pc compared to 59pc, and more factories are sticking to Apple’s guidelines on working hours: 46pc compared to 41pc. However, it is clear that when more than half of your suppliers are working their employees more than 60 hours a week (Apple’s guideline, which is already in breach of the widely-ignored Chinese labour law), there’s still work to be done.
And in terms of prevention of involuntary labour, emergency prevention, dormitory and dining conditions, ergonomics, chemical exposure and anti-discrimination, Apple’s factories are all scoring worse.
At the end of the report, Apple has put together a chart of how factories are improving, compared to last year and the year before. The problem is, the factories listed on the chart are different from the ones listed in last year’s report, and almost none of the examples tally.
The only factory which does seem to have been compared between reports (named as Facility I in the 2009 report, and Facility 3 in the 2010 report) has shown a deterioration.
It seems then, that while Apple is to be applauded for having reported on its factories, it is not doing enough to actually change what is going on at those factories. If the company really was dedicated to improving the lives of its workers, it would stop using factories that were found to be in breach.
In the 2010 report, Apple audited 102 factories. There were huge problems with many of them. A shocking 24 factories were found to not even pay their staff the minimum wage, of around 800 yuan, or £76, a month. But the company only terminated its contract with one plant, for falsifying its records. Until factories face more serious consequences, the only purpose of this report, in my opinion, is as a PR exercise.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Sex-chantaje: 15 años de prisión para los adolescentes

Anthony ŠTANCL en el juicio

Un tribunal de EE.UU. ha condenado a 19 años a 15 años en la cárcel porque tiene un perfil de Facebook falsa, de 31 de sus compañeros de clase fotos de desnudos o videos a escondidas - y chantajeados por sus víctimas de servicios sexuales.

Anthony ŠTANCL de New Berlin (Wisconsin) se había creado un perfil en Facebook, en la que se describió como una mujer joven ( "Kayla"). Con esta identidad, le preguntó a sus compañeros de clase en la escuela secundaria para la desnudez erótica.
Al menos 31 de ellos entre la primavera de 2007 y diciembre de 2008 con la petición. Después de ŠTANCL se dio a conocer y pidió a los estudiantes una elección: o bien la práctica de varios actos sexuales con él o él está dispuesto a publicar las fotos y videos en Internet. Un total de siete alumnos se han embarcado en el acuerdo. Las relaciones sexuales se ha ŠTANCL filmado con su cámara de teléfono celular.

La policía buscaba pistas, por último, el equipo de los 19 años de edad y se encontró cerca de 300 imágenes sexuales de sus compañeros de clase de la edad de 15 años. El miércoles después de que un tribunal condenó al acusado a una pena de prisión de 15 años, incluido el abuso infantil. El fiscal había solicitado antes de 30 años en prisión. Durante la sentencia ŠTANCL pidió disculpas a sus víctimas. Ahora entiende lo que les hizo a ellos, dijo el ex alumno.

Tras su liberación ŠTANCL será de 34 años de edad. Después de que él será capaz de disfrutar de otros 13 años en libertad condicional, la única libertad.

La red social Facebook ya ha empleado en el pasado los tribunales.
Sol era un hombre de negocios de Londres en 2008 por daños y perjuicios en la cantidad de 28.000 euros, porque estaba en el perfil equivocado significa, entre otras cosas, como homosexuales.

Selektive Moral

Some people do think it is easy to get asylum.

No. It isnt. Even when one is gay. Part of the reason I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that I have exhausted all the necessary steps to stay in Uganda, and only seek asylum as a very last resort.

This report of a Gay Ugandan asylum seeker is the one which has set me off.

Fact, I will need to have a very good reason for leaving Uganda to face the indignity that is described in this article. A reason like the loss of my life. Yes, I know, (sighhhhh!), another reason to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich. Dont worry, life is too precious for me to throw away. Inspite of the Bahati Bill.

Frank Mugisha talks about being Gay in Uganda, here. I havent watched the film. My link is too slow. But, I am sure he says all the good things....! Or the bad things, whatever your take. And, Julius Kaggwa on NPR radio.

But, since the topic is selective morality, let me get back to it.

You, of course have heard of Uganda's Gay Porn showing Pastor. If you havent, where have you been hiding? Come out, here is the feed. And, the reactions.

Did I point out that the Honourable minister for morals in Uganda, Minister of Ethics and Integrity, the Honourable James Nsaba-Buturo is a very close friend of the Gay Porn Show pastor? Maybe it did skip my mind. But, I wrote to the press, and had that letter copied to the Minister of Morals. As the 'Concerned Citizen' gug.

But, the Minister of Uganda's Morals is a very interesting guy. These days, he doesnt speak so much about the huge evil immorality of the homosexuals who he wants to forget about human rights, and surrender their right to life and liberty.

I think someone asked him to shut up. But, I may be wrong.

He still speaks about corruption.

Do you know who the Ugandan Public think are the most corrupt politicians? Museveni, Mbabazi, Muhwezi - Top Most Corrupt Politicians? They are effectively the dear President, the Minister of Defence, and the Minister for something. I think one or the other of those is related to the President.

Who defends the President? the Rt, Honourable Nsaba-Buturo.

However, the Minister in charge of instilling Ethics and Integrity, James Nsaba Buturo, dismissed the ACCU's findings as unscientific. "It is dangerous, wrong to make such bold statements about people of high authority basing on people's opinions which may not be informed. It is not a reliable measure in any way. ACCU needs to move to scientific methods of gathering evidence and needs to make wider consultations before making such accusations. They need hard evidence to make such a case. In which corruption case has the President been cited, for example?" Buturo asked.

Has enough been said without bringing the heavy eye of authority on me? It can be scathing. Burning.... but my beef is with the Minister of Ethics whose view of morality is very, err, selective.

But then, he is a politician, not so?

Intellectual Dishonesty. I dont speak English as a first language. Sometimes the words just fail to roll off my tongue.

I was looking for that particular duo, Intellectual dishonesty, and I did fail to get it. It was in relation to some people who vehemently support Ssempa, and his doings... the porn show plus. And, Bahati, who seems to be convinced that the bill he wrote will not kill me. Or, is that the exact translation and what I want to mean by 'intellectual dishonesty'? Telling a lie, for the lie's sake. Dishonouring ones own intelligence, to gain your way.

I have to go and think about that.

Me, when I am dishonest, I try to be a good hypocrite. Of course, I do tell lies....

Be well, and have a lovely day

Here, it is raining cats, dogs, and assorted other livestock. Be good.

PS.

One cannot talk about selective morality without mentioning some of our own pastors. Ugandan pastors, I mean. (Oups, I have mentioned one, havent I?)

Anyway, during the Pastor Wars, 5 pastors ganged up to accuse one of their colleagues of being a homosexual. So, the accusations stood for some time, and their fellow fought that war, and they found themselves on the back burner. According to the police report, these pastors had actually paid money to the men who were accusing the prominent pastor rival.

Are you with me?

Ok. Now, Benny Hinn is reported to be dealing with divorce papers. And, so says the red rug rubbish, sodomy on a trip to Uganda is cited. I hate not to be able to confirm things, but the red rug writes lies for the sake of selling the paper. Anyway, the red rug headline yesterday; 'Benny Hinn Sodomised Top Kampala Pastor.'

Today, one of the articles is that Male and Kyazze, two of the pastors that accused their rivals of sodomy take this as vindication. So, they took the chance to say they know the pastor who was so 'sodomised'

I think, soon is coming another episode in the Pastor Wars. If you want to really know more of those, search Pastor Wars on this blog.

And, yes, the selective morality of Uganda's 'Christian Pastors' is sometimes overwhelming. They do embarass even me, sodomite as I am. What intellectual incompetence! It is breathtaking. But, what have they done wrong?

Be well

Have a great day, chill and all.

Children that slip across borders | Southern Africa | Botswana Swaziland South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's still-limping economy can provide few essential services, so children living along the border cross into South Africa to attend school during the day or even to see a doctor, often at great risk to their personal safety.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) regional child protection advisor for East and Southern Africa, Cornelius Williams, said the movement of unaccompanied child migrants from Zimbabwe was one of the biggest problems confronting humanitarian agencies in the region. Between 3,000 and 15,000 Zimbabwean children are known to move into and out of their country every month.

"Unfortunately, governments continue to devote most of their resources to child trafficking, where much smaller numbers of children are involved," Williams told IRIN at a meeting of officials from 15 countries in Pretoria from 23 to 25 February to discuss ways of strengthening cross-border co-operation to protect children at risk.

We will probably see a flood of child migrants to South Africa, not only attracted by economic benefits but a chance to spot their football hero

William Duncan, deputy secretary-general of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the Netherlands-based world organization for cross-border cooperation in civil and commercial matters, said an even bigger issue was that "There is no central authority in Zimbabwe to contact to help repatriate the child."

The Chief Family Advocate in South Africa's Department of justice and Constitutional Development, Petunia Seabi, said a solution to the problem was being worked out. "We are in talks with the Zimbabwean authorities to set up protocols to protect these children."

She said neither of the governments would prevent children from accessing services across the border, but would rather try addressing the risks the children took while crossing the border unaccompanied.

Duncan pointed out that the numbers of Zimbabwean children moving around the region only underlined the need for close cooperation between child protection agencies and "between judges in different countries, and the Hague Children's conventions make this possible."

Many African countries have yet to ratify the Hague Conventions pertaining to children, which seek to standardize international legislation and provide a comprehensive legal framework to for the cross-border movement of children; more governments have ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Duncan acknowledged that most countries did not have the resources or the capacity to ratify the Hague Conventions, which include treaties on child abduction, inter-country adoption, protection of children and the international recovery of child support. He said the Hague Conference was trying to build capacity.

Delegates at the meeting said the discussion on the need for better cooperation between governments couldn't have come at a better time than on the eve of the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in South Africa in June.

"We will probably see a flood of child migrants to South Africa, not only attracted by economic benefits but a chance to spot their football hero," said Williams.

The South African government was gearing up for the challenge, he said. They were planning safe areas for unaccompanied child migrants around the various stadia, and an advertising campaign aimed at visitors, which, they hoped, would deter child prostitution.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Films from war-torn regions set somber tone at Berlinale | Environment & Development | Deutsche Welle | 20.02.2010

Films from war-torn regions set somber tone at Berlinale

Still from the documentary 'Still alive in Gaza' showing young man standing on a rocket with his arms up in the air
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The documentary "Still alive in Gaza" was shot in 2009
Despite the glitz and glamour of the Berlin Film Festival, the topics addressed by many of the films presented this year are dark and complex: War, conflict and disaster.

"We put down our guns in Gaza, instead we took microphones in our hands," raps the Palestinian group Darg Team in one of their songs. Swiss documentary director Nicolas Wadimoff met the rappers in 2009, a month after the end of the Israeli military attack on Gaza.

Living on after the worst has happened

Filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: "You could find the same stories in Haiti or Rwanda," said filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff

His documentary "Still alive in Gaza" ("Aisheen") focuses on a region that has suffered war and destruction for decades. Without allocating blame to either side, "Still alive in Gaza" shows what life is like in the aftermath of a disaster. The film presents people who don't give up amid grief, despair and destruction.

"It is about being human," Wadimoff said. "What I filmed in Gaza - you can see the same things in Haiti, Bosnia or Rwanda. After going through the worst, people want to live."

That is also the case in the small town of Burros, northwest of Ramallah. The local people simply wanted to continue leading their lives like their ancestors had for many generations. But in 2003, the Israeli government decided to build a security barrier between the West Bank and Israel. The fence was to cut right through the village of Budrus, and across the fields that provided the livelihoods of the local farmers.

The non-violent protests organized by Budrus village leader Ayed Morrar and his daughter Iltezam against the measure made international headlines. Local men, women and children as well as members of the rivalling Palestinian organizations Hamas and Fatah and various international and Israeli peace activists participated.

Finding common ground

Man climbing barbed-wire fenceBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The Isreali fence cuts through fields and villages in the West Bank

For five years, American documentary filmmaker Julia Bacha followed the developments in Budrus with her camera. Her film addresses many controversial issues and neither refrains from showing the aggressive reactions of Israeli soldiers to the protests nor the moments when Palestinian protesters and Israelis start to find common ground.

"I visited my father in prison many times, and all the Israelis I met there were very, very bad," 15-year-old Iltezam said in the film. "But now I know that not all the Israelis are the same. Some of them think that we should live together in peace."

Many films at this year's Berlin Film Festival take a multilayered approach in presenting ways of coping with conflict. And it's not about nostalgia or cloying sentimentality, but about critically analyzing the situation. Coming to terms with the past is meant to help understand the present better - in order to be able to shape the future constructively.

'Violence is no solution'

"Our film wants to show that violence is no solution," said Iraqi director Mohamed Al-Daradji.

His film "Son of Babylon" is set in Iraq, a few weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Ahmed, a bright 12-year-old Kurdish boy, sets off with his grandmother in search of his father who was arrested by Saddam's Republican Guard at the end of the Gulf War. As they travel along bombed out desert tracks they encounter others with similar quests, searching for a new beginning.

"Son of Babylon" was shot on location in Iraq and relies on a cast of nonprofessional actors. The female lead is played by a Kurd, Shezad Hussen, the only female witness to testify during the trial against Saddam Hussein.

During Saddam's regime, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, thousands of Kurdish villages destroyed and more than 1.5 million Kurds were forced to flee their homes in Northern Iraq.

Filmstill with boy and grandmother standing at uncovered graveBildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Searching for a new beginning in a country ravaged by terror

"I hope that in the future we will speak three languages in Iraq: Arabic, Kurdish and Turkmen," Al-Daradji said.

In the film, the boy's journey ends at the recently uncovered mass graves from the time of Saddam Hussein's regime. Yet Al-Daradji, like other filmmakers at this year’s festival show that even though the past is still very present, in a place ravaged by war, dignity and understanding are also possible.

Author: Silke Bartlick (ara)
Editor: Kate Bowen

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Snowboarder stuck six hours unnoticed in an armchair lift, he owes his night rescue to a few bank notes

A Munich Snowboarder stuck six hours unnoticed in an armchair lift. He owes his night rescue to a few bank notes.

Armchair lift

A few bank notes saved to a Munich Snowboarder in the armchair lift the life.

A few bank notes saved to him the life: A Munich Snowboarder caught in the armchair lift has burnt in the Zillertal for his rescue money. As the Austrian police reported, the 22 year-old man stuck on the night of Sunday with icy cold for hours on the put down solar jet lift in the Tirol skiing area of Cold brook-Hochzillertal.

A small beam of light

When with the mountain road the missing announcement came, a searching action with about 40 assistants which developed, however, because of the darkness difficultly started. Only when of the 22-year-old bank notes lighted, the driver of a runway caterpillar on the beam of light became attentive. How much money rose in smoke, was not known.

The man was caught in the upper third of the lift going up to 2360-metre height as the Austrian news agency APA reported. According to police had brought itself of the Snowboarder presumably even in his predicament: He got after closing hours into the armchair lift talabwärts because he did not credit with the departure probably himself any more. He was brought after the rescue with a light undercooling in a hospital which he left short time later again.

Clear roadblocks

According to the manager of the mountain roads Hochzillertal, Heinz Schulz, the lift was not admitted for drivings downhill at all. Roadblocks and signs made this also clear, said Schulz.

2010 mavericks surf competition - Crowd getting taken out by a wave

You were in the right place at the right time for that one. Shocking to watch really.

Translation