World People’s Blog

also called Sallah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

Linked with Must He Die? Meet A Muslim Dissident, with Choudhury speach to IFLAC’s writers’ symposium,
and with BLiTZ (the english online Version).

SALAH UDDIN SHOAIB CHOUDHURY is EDITOR & PUBLISHER of BLiTZ, THE ONLY ANTI-JIHADIST NEWSPAPER in Bangladesh.

His country wants to hang him, and this could happen within the next few months. Sallah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a Bangladeshi journalist, publisher and peace activist who has left the fold of Jew hatred and Muslim supremacy that is infecting his country in recent years. For that, he is accused of ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘hurting the image of Islam’ … (full text, August 14, 2008).

… Mr. Choudhury, who calls himself a “Muslim Zionist,” was arrested in Nov 2003 at the Dhaka airport for the “crime” of responding to an invitation to travel to Israel to address the Hebrew Writers Association on the subject of peaceful relations between Muslims and Jews in the Middle East. Mr. Choudhury was charged with blasphemy, sedition, treason, and espionage on behalf of Israel, any one of which is punishable by death in Bangladesh … (full text, August 20, 2008).

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Sallah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury - Bangladesh

Irwin Cotler Joins Shoab Choudhury’s Defence, December 08, 2006).

… Choudhury’s aborted speech needs to be read (on Interfaith Strength). In passionate yet surprisingly serene tones, he confronts the irrational hatred primarily directed against Jews and Israel that is inflaming the Muslim world, including its semi-religious belief in Holocaust Denial.  Choudhury commends Israel’s democracy and progress, and proposes creating what he calls a Culture of peace’ with justice and tolerance for all people as opposed to the culture of death. His stated mission is to take personal responsibility to break down the firewall of lies and ignorance that separate one people from another, using his talents as a writer and publisher.  Are you hearing echoes of Reagan’s famous command, Tear down this wall. You should … (full text, Aug 13, 2008).

Tackling the global fertilizer crisis, Aug 24, 2008.

He fired the first salvo in 2003 and has been sticking his thumb in Islamist eyes ever since.  Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury describes himself as a “Muslim Zionist.” He is unabashedly pro-US, pro-Israel, and anti-Islamist. More importantly, he remains all of that from within the Muslim world, which he refuses to leave.  I have fielded any number of asylum requests for him, and he declined them all.  Retreat is not in my vocabulary,” he says, for he believes that if he were to leave his country, his credibility would be gone, and Islamists would claim victory; a satisfaction he refuses to give them.  “Bangladesh is my country,” he says.  “Let the radicals leave!” … (full text).

Bangladesh’s Consolation Prize Dead in the Water, Aug 20, 2008.

Un journaliste bangladeshi accusé de “crime contre l’humanité” pour dénoncer le suprématisme musulman, 19 août 2008: Son pays veut le pendre, ce qui pourrait se produire d’ici quelques mois. Sallah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury est un journaliste, un éditeur et un activiste pour la paix qui a renoncé à la haine des Juifs et au suprématisme musulman qui infecte son pays depuis ces dernières années. Cela lui vaut d’être accusé de ‘crimes contre l’humanité’ et de ‘ternir l’image de l’islam’ … (texte entier, 19 août 2008).

Pro-Israel editor goes on trial in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh authorities have violated both their international undertakings and their own domestic constitution – Irwin Cotler, MP, Aug 20, 2008.

Repeal Bangladesh’s Racist Vested Property Act, Aug 01, 2008.

Despite promises, Bangladesh authothorities have not stopped the “judicial” process against freedom fighter journalist Salahuddin Shoaib Choudhoury, who angered them because of his opposition to Islamist extremism and his support for Israel. Lacking evidence, the government has dragged the process out for several years with endless continuations and a never-ending supply of new court dates … (full text, March 12, 2008).

Time to change old attitude, July 24, 2008.

The kafkaesque trial of Bangladesh dissident Sallah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury continues, March 12, 2008.

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Linked with Civil Society International CSI.

Holt Ruffin is the founder and executive director of the Civil Society International. “He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA, 1966) and the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University (MPA, 1975). Mr. Ruffin’s work experience includes six years in the Economics/Policy Research Department of Bank of America and in the International Division of Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. Articles by Mr. Ruffin have appeared in the Seattle Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Freedom Review, Money Manager, Crisis, and other publications. Most recently, he was lead editor or author of The Post-Soviet Handbook: A Guide to Grassroots Organizations (revised edition, 1999), Civil Society in Central Asia (1999, co-edited with Daniel Waugh), and Internet Resources for Eurasia (2001). The Post-Soviet Handbook and Civil Society in Central Asia were each co-published with the University of Washington Press. “Mr. Ruffin was a short-term research fellow at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, in 2000; he also participated in a six-week seminar on the theme of civil society, held at Boston University under the leadership of Dr. Peter Berger in 1994 … (full text).

… At present, Mr. Ruffin is guiding CSI through the process of expanding its focus to countries where democracy and civil society are most repressed. He received an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs at Princeton University in 1975, and a B.A. in Political Philosophy and Modern History from Stanford University in 1966. Colleagues comment that Mr. Ruffin is someone with “perseverance and ability to hold a vision” who “provides leadership that brings practical results.” His proposed project is “The Globalization of Philanthropy”. (full text).

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Holt Ruffin - USA

download: The Globalization of American Philantrophy, 48 pages, Oct. 2003.

The Global Review of Ethnopolitics, 2 pages, March 2003.

The Who’s Who in International Organizations, Volume 6, published by the Union of International Associations.

The Post-Soviet Handbook: A Guide to Grassroots Organizations and Internet Resources in the Newly Independent States, April 1996, 392 pages; also on Arrowbead Library System.

Book-Review: Civil Society in Central Asia, 331 pages, ISBN: 0-295-97795-7:

• - … with the insights of individuals who have been on the front lines of the struggle for civil society in Central Asia itself–representatives of organizations such as Counterpart, Internews, and the Kazakstan International Bureau for Human Rights. Topics addressed are as diverse as the legal framework for independent associational activity, grassroots movements for environmental protection, the resurgence of Islam and the viability of the Soviet-era collective farms. A 75-page appendix provides a guide to many of the most significant projects being carried out by local and international NGOs in the region. M. Holt Ruffin is executive director of Center for Civil Society International, based in Seattle, and Daniel C. Waugh is Associate Professor of History and International Studies, University of Washington. A co-publication of Center for Civil Society International and the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. (full text).
• - on Googles download book (display will be limited);
• - REVIEWED BY AMYN B. SAJOO, 6 pdf-pages;
• - by UW Press;
• - listen the audio: OSI Forum: Whither Civil Society in Central Asia? September 28, 2005 in NY.

Find him and his publications on amazon; on Barnes and Noble; on allbookstores.com; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Group-search.

… This time, the American co-chairman of the conference, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Society International (Seattle, WA) Holt Ruffin stressed the amazing pace with which Russian printed media have developed their home pages on the Internet. There were about two hundred Russian Web newspapers and magazines from across the country on the list disseminated among the participants. At the time of the first conference, the Web-version of the Ural’s largest regional newspaper Uralskii Rabochii (http://ur.etel.ru/) didn’t exist. Now the paper and the head of its computer department, Alexander Kenin, hosted the conference at the new Internet lab of the Urals university … (full text).

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Linked with Reflections on Twenty-First Century Socialism.

James Petras is a retired Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, SUNY, New York, U.S., and adjunct professor at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who has published prolifically on Latin American and Middle Eastern political issues … (full text).

… He’s also a prolific author of hundreds of articles and dozens of books, including his newest due out in late August: “Zionism, Militarism, and the Decline of US Power” to be discussed on a future program. Petras writes extensively on the Middle East, the power of the Israeli Lobby, and the possibility of war on Iran to be discussed during the hour … (full text).

He argues: … “The use of paramilitary death squads promoted/financed and protected by the Uribe regime to murder and ‘disappear’ popular leaders serves several strategic political goals” … (full text, Aug. 22, 2008).

The James Petras webwsite. (his essays are available there also in spanish).

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James Petras - USA

James Petras speech at ‘Axis for Peace 2005′ conference,  11.51 min, Nov 18, 2005.

… ‘Ammunition’ for imperialists? Petras charges that “the effect of Castro’s anti-FARC articles has been to provide ammunition for the imperial mass media to discredit the FARC.” He attempts to answer the Cuban leader by presenting a glorified picture of the guerrilla group. “Marulanda’s prolonged guerrilla war strategy relied on mass grassroots organizing based on close peasant ties with guerrillas, based on community, family and class solidarity, building slowly and methodically a national political-military people’s army,” Petras writes, whereas “Castro’s guerrillas were recruited from the mass of urban mass organizations, methodically organized prior to and during the formation of the guerrilla foco in 1956-1958.” “Marulanda built, over a period of 40 years, a bigger guerrilla army with a wider mass base than any Castro-inspired guerrilla force from the 1960s to 2000,” he says … (full text, August 25, 2008).

Inflation and the Spectre of World Revolution, Aug. 06, 2008.

His Bio on flickr.com.

Colombia, Laboratory of Witches: Democracy and State Terrorism, Aug 12, 2008.

… Presidential candidates competed with each other in swearing their total and unconditional servility to Israel, swearing their utmost to back any and all past, present and future Israeli military attacks. Hillary Clinton promised to implement the equivalent of twelve holocausts against Iran’s 70 million citizens in her rant to ‘obliterate Iran’ if it endangered Israel. Obama backed the ultra-orthodox Jewish demand to give Israel sole control over Jerusalem, and joined John McCain and Clinton in promising to bomb Iran if it continued its uranium enrichment program (which they equated with a nuclear weapon – despite the objections of the IAEA and the US intelligence community) … (full text).

Racism and Genocide: Lies of Our Times, Aug 06, 2008.

China Bashing and the Loss of US Competitiveness, Oct 22, 2005.

Stephen Lendman’s review of his book: The Power of Israel in the United States, Oct 29, 2006.

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Terry Glavin (born 1955) is a Canadian author and journalist. Born in the United Kingdom to Irish parents, he emigrated to Canada in 1957. Glavin has worked as a journalist and columnist for The Daily Columbian, The Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail, and The Georgia Straight. Glavin’s writing covers a wide range of regional and global topics from natural history and anthropology to current politics. His first book, A Death Feast in Dimlahamid (1990), dealt with the struggles of the Gitksan and Wet’suwe’ten peoples, drawing on an account of the oral traditions of Dimlahamid, also known as Temlaham, (sorry, this link leads to Gispwudwada) an ancient city said to have existed in that region. His second book, Nemiah: The Unconquered Country (1992), a cultural and historical account of British Columbia’s Chilcotin District, included some of the Tsilhqot’in people’s perspective on the Chilcotin War of 1864. Among his best known works is The Last Great Sea: A Voyage Through the Human and Natural History of the North Pacific Ocean (2000), which was nominated for the Bill Duthie Prize and the Roderick Haig-Brown Prize, and was the winner of the Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. In 2006, Glavin came under fire from some progressives and from anti-war activists for a Georgia Straight column in which he had expressed support of the American and Israeli positions in the July 2006 invasion of Lebanon. He is also a signatory of the Euston Manifesto … (full text).

… His several books traverse anthropology, natural history and cultural geography. They include A Death Feast in Dimlahamid, This Ragged Place and The Last Great Sea: A Human and Natural History of the North Pacific Ocean. His latest book is Waiting for the Macaws (and Other Stories from the Age of Extinctions), which argues that environmentalism is inadequate to the task of accounting for the global vanishing of animals, plants and languages. Terry is the editor of Transmontanus, an imprint of New Star Books; he teaches part-time at the University of British Columbia … (full text).

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Terry Glavin - Canada

His blog: Terry Clavin, Chronicles and Dissent.

A Day In The Life of Tylere Couture: Soldier, Activist, And Fellow CASC Member, July 11, 2008; followed by ‘An Excellent Sad Post from Terry Glavin’: Terry Glavin’s frustrations with former allies gets some pretty clear expression in this post … (full text, Aug 13, 2008).

The video: Terry Glavin-Waiting for the Macaws-author interview, 6.27 min, Feb 28, 2007.

Audio-Interview with Terry Glavin, April 13, 2006 (click on listen).

He writes: To say what we think without fear of repercussion, to walk down the streets without fear … it is our responsibility to spread this freedom all around us, and around the world. Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Canada Day, 2007 Nikolai Tsyrempilov can’t say what he thinks without fear of repercussion. He can’t walk down the street without fear. He would like Canada, and other western democracies, to do something about it. I recently met Mr. Tsyrempilov in Ulan Ude, the capital of Buryatia, an impoverished Russian republic of about a million people that shares a border, a language, a Buddhist heritage and a great deal of history with Mongolia … (full text, July 12, 2007).

Inside The Cult That Runs The “Mobilization Against War and Occupation”: Part II, February 07, 2008.

He writes also: Things started at a July 18 demonstration in Montreal, when a small group of young Lebanese showed up with a sign that read “Peace for Lebanon and Israel”. They were shouted at and shoved around and driven off. Their sign was torn up. The event then proceeded, with people carrying placards that bore the flag of the fascist organization Hezbollah and pictures of Hezbollah’s rabidly anti-Semitic leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Before the month was out, you could fairly mark July 2006 as one of the most squalid months in the history of the “left” in Canada … (full text, August 3, 2006).

Canadian Member of Parliament “medal” for Terry Glavin, May 13, 2008.

He knows: “We have figured out ways to colonize every ecological niche on earth. We will survive. So there’s hope”, (in The Lost & Left Behind).

Photos from Day 20, Terry Glavin + Fred Bass speak to CUPE 391 Vancouver City Library Workers Strike, (Photos taken on 01 jan 1980).

He claims: We are living in a time of loss, claims Canadian journalist Terry Glavin. A ‘sixth great extinction’ is upon us, during which one animal species perishes every 10 minutes. Languages and traditions are also disappearing fast. Glavin discusses this bleak picture at Millers Academy of Arts and Science on 22 October. The talk is not without optimism, however, as Glavin ‘uncovers the hidden story of a long human struggle to conserve the living things in the world, and finds hope in unexpected places’. (on talks of the town, Oct. 22, 2007).

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Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from Delaware and the presumptive Democratic Party candidate for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, running alongside presumptive Presidential nominee Barack Obama. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and is currently serving his sixth term … (full long text on wikipedia, last modified on 23 August 2008, at 08:29. See also Wikipedia’s Biden disambiguation).

See also:

• 110th Congress;
• Judiciary Committee;
• FRC;
• His Political positions;
• His official Senate website;
• His blog;
• His Bio on the US Congress;
• His voting record on the Washington Post;
• Positions and Quotes;
• His profile on Source Watch;
• Interest Group Ratings.

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The Video: Joe is Right, 1.34 Min, added November 16, 2007.

His positions on Civil Rights: See also 20 full quotes on Civil Rights; and background on Civil Rights:

• 1978: opposed busing except for gov’t-intended segregation. (Jul 2007)
• 1968: Wilmington riots failed at conversation between races. (Jul 2007)
• Nobody asks if you’re gay in a foxhole. (Jun 2007)
• Civil unions ok; gay marriage is probably inevitable. (Apr 2007)
• Voted NO on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
• Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
• Voted YES on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
• Voted YES on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
• Voted YES on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
• Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
• Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
• Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
• Voted NO on Amendment to prohibit flag burning. (Dec 1995)
• Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)
• Rated 60% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
• Issue a commemorative postage stamp of Rosa Parks. (Dec 2005)
• Rated 78% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
• Rated 100% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
• Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment. (Mar 2007).

Joe Biden: The perfect foil for Barack Obama: At first glance Senator Joe Biden looks like the perfect foil for Barack Obama on the Democratic Party ticket, 23 Aug 2008.

Senator urges Guantanamo closure, 6 June, 2005

His expertise in this area could help Senator Obama defend himself against Republican attacks that he is not ready for the role of commander-in-chief … (full text, 23 August 2008).

Joe Biden on Bhutto’s Assassination, 3.34 min, December 27, 2007.

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… It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, beloved mother to Mervyn Jones II, sister to Barbara L. Walker, dear colleague, loyal servant and friend to all … Her death followed a full day of activities, including planning for an upcoming forum on electoral reform and other administrative duties yesterday. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was scheduled to travel to Denver on August 24, 2008 to attend the Democratic National Convention as a superdelegate … (full text).

… “She dedicated her life in public service to helping others and will continue to do so through organ donations. Please keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time” … (full text).

Tributes to Tubbs Jones roll in.

Her Biography: short on the Directory of the US Congress, full long on wikipedia.

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Tubbs Jones - USA (1949 - 2008)

Stephanie Tubbs Jones - Photos and Memories on Ohio daily blog.

… The civil rights and voting rights community has lost a heroine in the fight for equal justice, but her legacy will and must continue. PFAW will honor Rep. Jones in continuing to fight for what she always stood for, equality under the law. We express our deepest condolences especially to her son Mervyn Leroy Jones, II, her family, friends, and colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and throughout Congress. (full text).

• Her official campaign site;
• Jones voted against the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War;
• Votign record;
• Interest groupe ratings;
• Black Biography: Stephanie Tubbs Jones;
• Memories of Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

Positions and quotes; Stephanie Tubbs Jones’ voted:

* Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
* Voted NO on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006)
* Voted NO on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
* Voted NO on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
* Voted NO on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
* Voted NO on constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration. (Jun 2003)
* Voted NO on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
* Ending racial profiling is part of fight for justice. (Jan 2001)
* Constitutional Amendment for equal rights by gender. (Mar 2001)
* Rated 92% by the ACLU, indicating a pro-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
* Issue a commemorative postage stamp of Rosa Parks. (Dec 2005)
* Rated 100% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
* Rated 97% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
* Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment. (Mar 2007)
* Supported legislation on violence against women & safety. (Jul 1999)
* Supported funding for women’s and disadvantaged businesses. (Jul 1999)

Read more on Civil Rights: 16 full quotes on Civil Rights, and background on Civil Rights.

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Linked with Impeachment Begins, with Kucinich gets his day, and with Bruce Fein - USA.

Dennis John Kucinich (born October 8, 1946) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 elections. Kucinich currently represents the 10th District of Ohio in the House of Representatives, which he has been serving since 1996. His district includes most of western Cleveland as well as suburbs such as Parma and Cuyahoga Heights. He is currently the chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee … (full huge long text on wikipedia).

He says on Gun Control:

• “We have babies dying in the streets; ban handguns. (Jul 2007)
• Ban sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns. (Nov 2006)
• Require background checks, licensing, and fingerprinting. (Jan 2004)
• Voted NO on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (Oct 2005)
• Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003)
• Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. (Jun 1999)
• Rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record. (Dec 2003)”.

The video: ALL of Dennis Kucinich’s replies @ 11-15-07 Dem. debate, 8.41 min, Nov 16, 2007.

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Dennis John Kucinich - USA

His Impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney.

His Plan to ban handguns.

Bush Impeachment Articles Introduced.

His website: the page for signing the impeachment petition.
His personal homepage.
His official U.S. House website.

Electoral history of Dennis Kucinich.

The Kucinich Resolution.

He writes on his website: September 10th, the day before the world changed, could be the day WE change the world! Send a history-making message to Congress: 1,000,000 signatures for impeachment. On September 10, 2008, we want to deliver ONE MILLION signatures to Congress urging them to exercise their Constitutional authority and mandate to hold this President - and all future Presidents - accountable. Please sign NOW! And ask everyone you know to sign. The power to change the world is in your hands! His message. The latest Impeachment News.

His Biography on vote smart.

His Plan for Iraq (on wikipedia, the page having been last modified on 21 August 2008, at 01:37): On January 8, 2007 Dennis Kucinich unveiled his comprehensive exit plan to bring the troops home and stabilize Iraq. His plan includes the following steps:

• Announce that the US will end the occupation, close the military bases, and withdraw.
• Announce that existing funds will be used to bring the troops and the necessary equipment home.
• Order a simultaneous return of all US contractors to the US and turn over the contracting work to the Iraqi government.
• Convene a regional conference for developing a security and stabilization force for Iraq.
• Prepare an international security peacekeeping force to replace US troops, who then return home.
• Develop and fund a process of national reconciliation.
• Restart programs for reconstruction and creating jobs for the Iraqi people.
• Provide reparations for the damage that has been done to the lives of Iraqis.
• Assure the political sovereignty of Iraq and ensure that their oil isn’t stolen.
• Repair the Iraqi economy.
• Guarantee economic sovereignty for Iraq.
• Commence an international truth and reconciliation process, which establishes a policy of truth and reconciliation between the people of the US and Iraq.

OnTheIssues: his positions and quotes.

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Linked with Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit RMMRU.Net.

Sumaiya Khair is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and an Instructor at the Department of Clinical Legal Education Programme. She has a Ph.D. from U.K. and has obtained her LL.B.(Hons.) and LL.M. degrees from the University of Dhaka. She holds executive positions in a couple of University-based research bodies and is also actively associated with other research and advocacy initiatives outside of the University. Her areas of interest and specialisation include human rights, child rights, gender issues and governance. She has written extensively on law, justice and human rights and has to her credit a number of articles and publications in both national and international journals and books. She has also served as a consultant for international and domestic agencies on legal and policy issues. (zoomInfo, Nov. 18, 2007).

Dr. Sumaiya Khair, Department of Law, University of Dhaka, member of the Advisory Council, British Standard School.

She is Researcher on Development Research Center DRC for Migration, Globalisation and Poverty.

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Sorry, no photo found for Sumaiya Khair - Bangladesch

Her book: Child domestic workers in Dhaka city, 2004.

download: Philanthropy and Law in South Asia, Recent Developments in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, prepared by the PALISA group, September 2007, 60 pdf-pages. Same on SSRN, December 2007.

She is Syndicate and Academic Council of the Atish Dipankar University, Dhaka.

She cooperates with biiss.org, and its research projects.

Bibliography: Sumaiya Khair, ‘Taking Children’s Rights Seriously: Areas of Concern’ in Towards Gender Equity, Poverty, Rights and Participation, Report of the Regional Workshop, 15-18 February, Dhaka, 1998; UNICEF, Children of Bangladesh and Their Rights, Dhaka, 1997 (scroll down).

Find her and her publications on pipl; on ; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search.

Chapter 7 in the Google-download book: Reconsidered the employment of the girl child in the Bangladesh garment industry, page 119.

… In addition, she also offers consultancy to various committees commissioned by ILO, and various projects sponsored by UNICEF, The Asia Foundation, CIDA, etc. Dr. Khair has participated in a dialogue on ‘South Asia and the US after the Cold War’, 1994, at Dhaka. (full text).

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Josephine Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 23 April 1947, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland), also known as Bernadette Devlin and Bernadette McAliskey, is a Socialist republican political activist. She served as a Member of Parliament at Westminster from 1969 to 1974 for the Mid Ulster constituency … (full long text).

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (born 1947) was a student at Queen‘s University, Belfast, when the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland took to the streets in 1968. Bernadette became its radical icon and she was elected to the House of Commons in 1969. Having lost that seat in 1974, she campaigned for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) hunger strikers in 1980/81. In recent years, she has opposed the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998 on the grounds that it cemented British rule and Irish partition … (1000peacewomen 1/2).

She says: “Many people who have come through 30 years of struggle have found themselves isolated, disowned at the most personal level. The post revolutionary period has no time for enlightened criticism”.

Read: Chapter 12 from her book: ‘The Price of My Soul’, by Bernadette Devlin (1969).

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Josephine Bernadette Devlin McAliskey - England

She works for the Irish Republican Socialist Party IRSP.

Listen her on this video: Bernadette McAliskey - James Connolly commemoration, 4.58 min, May 23, 2008.

… She was saying jokingly that “between the pomposity of Bew and the extravagance of McCann, I might look like the sane one”. (full text, August 2, 2008).

Find her and her publications on Google Video-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search.

… Her radical left-wing politics resulted in conviction of incitement to riot in December 1969. She had actively engaged, on the side of the residents, in the ‘Battle of the Bogside’, which is widely marked as the beginning of Northern Ireland’s 30 year “Troubles”. She served a short jail term. After being re-elected in the 1970 general election, Devlin declared that she would sit in Parliament as an Independent Socialist … (full text).

Biography Research Guide.

(1000peacewomen 2/2): … “So, people now want much more than they would happily have settled for. If, instead of beating our heads on 5th October 1968, the government had given us housing and votes, we would probably all have gone home and left it at that,” says Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.

After the murderous ambush on herself and her husband by loyalist killers in 1981, Bernadette understandably does not welcome strangers to her home in the town of Coalisland. It is most surprisingly to see how much she had aged and how careless she had become about her appearance, the girl in the mini skirt who had slapped a British Home Secretary in the House of Commons.

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… Bret Benjamin is an associate professor of English at SUNY Albany, author of Invested Interests: Culture, Capital, and the World Bank, and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus … (full text).

… His most recent work is in transnational cultural studies, studying in particular various aspects of globalization and alter-globalization social movements. His current book project, Invested Interests: Culture, Capital and the World Bank, develops a cultural critique of the World Bank. The project argues that the Bank must be understood as a cultural institution-an institution that not only affects global cultures, but also one that, given its role in the post-war mapping and remapping of the globe, has been intimately bound up in the construction of “culture” as a theoretical category, and “cultural studies” as an academic discipline. Contrary to assessments of the Bank that figure the institution as a metonymic stand-in for “globalization,” this book reads the Bank as a protean institution that has undergone a series of transformations during its sixty-year history, in which we can see the World Bank maneuvering to contain resistance and manage crises … (full text).

His teachings; his vita; his projects.

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Bret Benjamin - USA

World Bank Literature … Under Control, reading the facts ans FAQs of population control, page 201.

He signs the Open Letter Opposing War in Iraq.

The book: A Guide to On-Line Writing, by Daniel Anderson, Bret Benjamin, and Bill Paredes-Holt. Ed. Allyn and Bacon, 1998.

Find his publications on AddAll; on bookfinder; on amazon.

Book-review - Invested Interests, Capital, Culture, and the World Bank, 304 pages, 2007:

• … by Bret Benjamin:Benjamin maps the (World-) Bank’s contemporary rhetorical maneuvering in the wake of ever-intensifying protests, offering close readings of the World Bank’s corporate literature, the activities of the antiglobalization World Social Forum, and the writings of prominent Bank critic Arundhati Roy, including her novel The God of Small Things. Deftly investigating the World Bank’s ideological struggles over six decades, Invested Interests develops a conceptually and politically nuanced critique of the Bank as a cultural institution deeply enmeshed in the last century’s historical transformations of imperial power and anti-imperial struggle. (full text).
• by Phil Wegner;
• by books xyz; BOOK SYNOPSIS: Despite the World Bank’s profound impact on economic, political, and social conditions during the post–World War II era, cultural critics who rigorously theorize other institutions of colonialism and globalization have largely ignored the institution. Working to correct this blind spot, Bret Benjamin’s Invested Interests presents the first extended cultural analysis of the World Bank … (full text);

World Social Forum Pictures.

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Linked with The Janusz Korczak International News, with JKB Korczak Prize in Burundi: Encouraging peace, and with Center for the Protection of Children, Bishkek.

Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit (July 22, 1877 – August 1942):

• (he) was a Polish-Jewish children’s author, pediatrician, and child pedagogue, known as Pan Doktor (Mr Doctor) … (the whole wikipedia full text).
• Janusz Korczak Biography: The King of Children: The Life and Death of Janusz Korczak, by Betty Jean Lifton.
• Who was Janusz Korczak?
• He was born in Warsaw in an assimilated Jewish family. His mother Cecylia Głębicka was the daughter of prominent Kalisz Jews and his father Józef Goldszmit was from a family of proponents of the haskalah … (wikipedia /Biography /Russian Empire).
• He is the subject of Andrzej Wajda’s movie Korczak, stage play Korczak’s Children by Jeffrey Hatcher, and the opera Korczak’s Orphans by Adam Silverman (music) and Susan Gubernat (libretto). (wikipedia /Popular culture).
• Pedagogical influence.
• Themes in the children’s books.
• Chronological photographs of Korczak.
• More photos on Holocaust Survivors and Remembrance Project.

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Janusz Korczak alias Henryk Goldszmit - Poland (1877 - 1942)

The video: Story of a Hero, Janusz Korczak … , 3.32 min, Added: May 19, 2007.

A voice for the child.

King of children, July 23, 2008.

From 1911, Janusz Korczak led the orphan house, Dom Sierot. He developed the ideas of a peaceful and classless society. In 1919, he created another children’s house called, Nasz Dom, which means “our house.” Janusz was always fighting for a better community and education for the children. He was a principal for the children houses, a doctor, a publisher of a children’s newspaper, as well as an author. Korczak was also an expert witness in the district court of minors. In this position, he always sided with the children … (full text).

Yad Vashem marks 66 years since the murder of Janusz Korczak and the children, August 6, 2008.

Find him also on the polnish wikipedia; on about.com; on Britannica Online Encyclopedia; on Warsawghetto; as Dr Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak) 1878-1942; as stamp (scroll down): Dr Henryk Goldszmit (Janusz Korczak) 1878-1942; on Encyclopedia /Henryk Goldszmit; on Science surf; in the book: The King Of Children, as Henryk Goldszmit.

Find him in other languages:

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Linked with Muslim Women: The Dangerous Triangle, with Indian Muslims And The Media, and with ISLAMIC VOICE.

Nigar Ataulla is the Associate Editor of the Bangalore-based magazine Islamic Voice.

She writes: … Muslim representation in the Indian media is dismal, while Muslims’ share in media ownership is even more pathetic. Muslims do not have any considerable hold over the media. In northern India, several Urdu newspapers owned by Muslims have gradually closed down or rapidly lost circulation. In contrast, Urdu dailies from centres like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Kolkata and even Bangalore are doing well and look professional. Muslims are yet to have any major presence in TV channel ownership, though the two or three that exist today devote a large share of time to religious issues, rather than on other social-economic issues facing the community … (full text).

Struggle Against the Odds: The Story of a Muslim Youth, January 13, 2008.

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Sorry, I found no photo of Nigar Ataulla - India, Bangalore

Calligraphy: art works from the heart, 25 June 2007.

She writes also: The Quran and Sunnah are the two primary sources of the religion of Islam. Sunnah narrations are known as Hadith. Hadith stands for what is transmitted by a chain of narrators as Prophet Muhammad’s (Pbuh) words, deeds, what bore his tacit approval, or the description of his person … (her review of the book Fake Pearls).

Non-Muslim Voices Speak for Muslims, April 2003.

And she writes: It was a perfect picture of peace and harmony, as eminent intellectuals, social workers and human rights activists-all non-Muslims stood up in one voice in favour of the Muslims and the riot-hit victims in Gujarat. VOICES, an NGO in collaboration with ActionAid India, organised a seminar on “Gujarat, Governance and the Media” recently. Ashish Sen, Director, VOICES, put across a very pertinent question-how many publications really carry items that are of relevance to the common man-like death of the tribals, oppression on minorities? … (full text).

She reviews books in children’s corner, October 2001.

Find her name and her publications on Google Group-search; on Google Scholar-search; on Google Blog-search.

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Linked with Is Africa A Cold War Battleground;

Sam Akaki is Executive Director, Democratic Institutions for Poverty Reduction in Africa DIPRA (no own website found).

He has said (he is cited by Fred Khumalo): … ““The first step is to recognise that liberal democracy, which they are enjoying in the UK today, did not happen overnight, but it took centuries, during which King Charles was beheaded. Therefore, it is totally unrealistic to expect Africa, which is only 50 years old, and Zimbabwe, which is just 28 years old, to practise perfect Western liberal democracy” … (full text, July 15, 2008).

… Mr Sam Akaki, the FDC International envoy to the United Kingdom and the European Union said, “I have heard with deep sorrow the tragic death of Dr Kiggundu who passed away this morning. He was a towering monument of national unity who proved wrong those who have claimed that politics has divided Ugandans on tribal and religious lines. He was a Muslim while I am a Christian, and he was a Muganda while I am from Lango. But in Dr Kigundu, I and millions of Ugandans from religious and tribal backgrounds found a kind and loving brother, unlce, father and a friend. It was Dr kigunddu who introduced me to Abu Mayanja who was another unifying Ugandan. Inalilahi Wa Inalilahi” … (full text of ‘FDC’s Sulaiman Kiggundu is Dead‘, June 20, 2008).

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Sam Akaki - Uganda

Sam Akaki Quotes.

He writes: … I congratulate Sunday Vision for the interview with ANC leader Jacob Zuma titled, “No racism in South Africa.” The interview will send a clear message to the British and other Western countries that they are not going to use the crisis in Zimbabwe, which they created, to divide either the African National Congress (ANC) or the African Union so to control Africa again. The West, especially the British, had been trying to push Zuma to swallow their bait by publicly criticising Robert Mugabe thus driving a dangerous wedge between him and President Thabo Mbeki who has been pursuing quiet but fruitful diplomacy to defuse the problems in Zimbabwe … (full text, 27th July, 2008).

Sam Akaki says the tragedy in Zimbabwe blinds us to worse calamities afflicting other African nations, July 15, 2008.

For Mr Akati, the solution to all this unfair and nasty bullying of the Mugabe regime is the return of a Conservative government: … “Only with the Conservative Party in power in the UK can that country hope to salvage its rapidly deteriorating relationship with Zimbabwe and Africa. Isn’t it now plainly clear that the British relationship with Zimbabwe in particular and Africa in general will not improve until the Conservative Party takes over in the United Kingdom” … (full text, 03 June 2008).

We’re not making poverty history, April 26, 2007.

He comments: … Recently, Africa Progress Panel (APP), headed by the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, issued a report, “Africa Progress Panel responds to the G8 Summit in Hokkaido” which said: “G8 countries have done little to show how they will fund the shortfall of US$ 40 billion in programmable aid and debt relief identified by the Africa Progress Panel last month…The G8 has yet to present clear timetables outlining future aid provision or to provide increased transparency required to improve the quality of aid”. (full text, 13 - 20 August 2008).

South Africa: Tutu And Sentamu a Disaster for Africa, July 9, 2008.

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Linked with China - Olympics - Capitalism - Naomi Klein.

Paul Jay is a Canadian journalist who is currently chair of Independent World Television - The Real News, a project to establish an independent news and current affairs network without government or corporate funding TheRealNews.com The network will be supported by its viewers … (full text).

He says: …”We’re fundamentally about being able to speak to a mass audience. We’re not trying to be another source that supplements the kind of information sources that already exist for very politicized people. If you’re very political and you’re at all web-savvy, there are actually a lot of places you can go to get information right now. In the final analysis, that’s not our target audience. Of course we want those people to be with us, and we’re very much going to depend on them for financial support, for spreading the word, for helping us get angles on stories, and even for citizen journalism. But we want to get to that thirty, forty, or fifty million who know there’s something wrong, who know the television news they’re getting is bad, who know the country is headed in a very dangerous direction — not just the country, the world. In the U.S. there are at least forty or fifty million people out there who do not believe Saddam was connected to 9/11, who don’t think that weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. If you look at the polls, 40% or 50% of the country is quite clear on the issues. We want to be big enough to make an impact” … (full interview text).

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Paul Jay - Canada

Video: Paul Jay, CEO of The Real News Network, is interviewed by Daljit Dhaliwal, host of PBS Foreign Exchange, on RealNews.com, 9.10 min, August 10, 2008:

The Real News CEO and Founder Paul Jay interview at NCMR07

Paul Jay Speaks about The Real News Mission.

Jay was also the creator and executive producer of CBC Newsworld’s flagship debate program counterSpin.

In the final segment of the interview, Paul Jay summarizes the current situation and asks Professor Sahimi: “Where do we go from here?” Watch the interview on The Real News Network. See also on j films.

Movie search for Paul Jay.

Jay is also: the founding chair of ‘Hot Docs‘, the Canadian international documentary film festival.

Reviews: of Hitman Hart, wrestling with shadows; of Return to Kandahar: on Macleans review, on Globe and Mail review, on Ottawa Citizen.

The REAL News: Paul Jay talks to Eric Margolis.

Find his name also: on Google Video-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Blog-search. (As Paul and Jay are common names, you may find works of other persons in these links - mainly in all kind of book-searches).

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Linked with The Tragic Last Moments Of Margaret Hassan.

Margaret Hassan (also known as Madam Margaret), born April 18, 1945 was an aid worker who had worked in Iraq for many years until she was abducted and murdered by unidentified kidnappers in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 59. She was born Margaret Fitzsimmons in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland, to parents Peter and Mary Fitzsimmons. However, soon after the end of World War II her family moved to London, England, where she spent most of her early life and where her younger siblings were born. At the age of twenty seven she married Tahseen Ali Hassan, a twenty-nine-year-old Iraqi studying engineering in the United Kingdom. She moved to Iraq with him in 1972, when she began work with the British Council of Baghdad, teaching English. Eventually she learned Arabic and became an Iraqi citizen, as was required of foreigners under Saddam Hussein’s government. She remained a Roman Catholic throughout her life and never converted to Islam as was widely reported after her death. A requiem Mass was held for her, after her death was confirmed, at Westminster Cathedral by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor … and: Aftermath: … At least eight other women kidnapped by insurgents during the conflict were released unharmed by their captors (Simona Pari, Simona Torretta, Florence Aubenas, Giuliana Sgrena, Teresa Borcz Khalifa, Hannelore Krause, Marie Jeanne Ion, and Jill Carroll) … and: … It is unclear why Margaret Hassan, who was opposed to the war, was killed; the kidnappers did not identify their group nor their aims … (my comment: for me the revenge of a secret US-ultra right wing commando makes the only real sense, just because she was against war) … (full text).

It is said: “Margaret’s loss is not only to her family but also to the Iraqi people for whom she worked tirelessly and for whom she gave her life”.

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Margaret Hassan - Ireland-England-Iraq (1945 - 2004?)

Sister in plea over Hassan’s body, June 4, 2006.

UK tactics ‘led to Hassan death’, June 4, 2006.

… Downing Street has declined to respond to Mrs Hassan’s call for British troops to stay out of Baghdad and quit Iraq … (full text, October 22, 2004).

… Arab network Al-Jazeera reported, “Al-Jazeera has obtained a video showing a masked militant shooting a blindfolded woman, who was referred to as Margaret Hassan, in the head using a handgun. Al-Jazeera decided to wait on reporting the news until it confirmed the authenticity of the tape” … (full text, Nov. 17, 2004).

Mystery remains over who killed Margaret Hassan.

… Mrs Hassan was snatched by gunmen two weeks ago. She has since been shown on videotapes pleading for Britain to withdraw troops from Iraq. Zarqawi’s Tawhid and Jihad group, believed to number up to 500 militants, is suspected of the direct kidnapping and beheading of a number of Westerners in Iraq, including Mr Bigley last month. Many of the killings have been videotaped and broadcast over the internet. Mrs Hassan, 59, was born in Dublin and has family in Kenmare, County Kerry although her sisters Deirdre and Catherine Fitzsimons now live in London. Mrs Hassan, who has British, Irish and Iraqi nationality, was seized on 19 October by unidentified kidnappers. A Foreign office spokesman would not comment on the latest events, saying the government’s position of not negotiating with kidnappers had been made clear … (full text, Nov. 2, 2004).

A fourth man has been arrested over the kidnap and killing of 59-year-old British aid worker Margaret Hassan, the UK embassy in Iraq has said … (full text, May 2, 2005).

Find her name on Google Video-search; on Google Group-search; on Google Book-search; on Google Blog-search.

… On seeing Margaret, thin, stressed faces, broke into wide smiles, children ran and hugged her round the knees chanting: “Madam Margaret, Madam Margaret” … (full text, Oct. 22, 2004).

… Patients of an Iraqi hospital (where her work had some effect) took to the streets in protest against the hostage takers’ actions. On October 25, between 100 and 200 Iraqis protested outside CARE’s offices in Baghdad, demanding her release. Prominent elements of the Iraqi resistance, such as the Shura Council of Fallujah Mujahedeen, condemned the kidnapping and called for her release … (full text).

Linked with mindfully.org, with Food policy and Globalization, and with Indian Food Policy IFP.

Devinder Sharma is an Indian journalist, writer, thinker. He is well-known and respected for his views on food and trade policy. Trained as an agricultural scientist, Sharma has been the Development Editor of the Indian Express, the largest selling English language daily in India at that time. He quit active journalism to research on policy issues concerning sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and intellectual property rights, environment and development, food security and poverty, biotechnology and hunger, and the implications of the free trade paradigm for developing countries. He has been a Visiting Fellow to the International Rice Research Institute, in the Philippines; Visiting Fellow at the School of Development Studies at the University of East Anglia, Norwich/UK; and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge/UK … (full text).

He says: … “Before 1995, it was not a dead world, we had seen trade for the last 10,000 years and trade is always between equal partners. Today’s model tells us whether you have surplus or no surplus, you must buy. But that was not the pattern earlier. All this is owing to misplaced priorities. There is no frontal attack on eradicating poverty. We are trying to remove poverty by trade. Somebody someday will stand up and say this is not what we want. People’s voice is the ultimate power to attaining equality and justice. Today it’s the dream of a few companies which is controlling the global agenda. I am sure people would understand and the process has already begun, and now we realize the strength in numbers. (full interview text, Jan. 07, 2004).

Displacing farmers: India Will Have 400 million Agricultural Refugees, Neoliberal Reforms Wreak Havoc.

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Devinder Sharma - India

… His recent works include, three books: GATT and India: The Politics of Agriculture; GATT to WTO: Seeds of Despair; and In the Famine Trap. Among the forthcoming titles is Keeping the Other Half Hungry, an incisive analysis of how the globalisation is accelerating the process of marginalisation of farmers in the Third World … (full text). See his Bio on Food-Security.

Famine as commerce, August 2002.

World Food Summit 2002 — The hungry will have to wait, July 06, 2002.

Bt cotton fiasco — Pushing farmers into a `booby’ trap, Nov 14, 2003.

GM Food and Hunger, a view from the South, Nov. 01, 2003.

Charity In The Name of Science, Nov. 25, 2003.

India’s New Farm Policy SERVING THE AMERICAN INTEREST, July 2000.

Dr Sharma criticised: Unless we bring out a price structure - a structure of our own, we cannot bail out Indian farmers from the prevailing crisis, said Dr Devinder Sharma of Forum for Biotechnology and Food Security, New Delhi … and:
In the name of ‘rising productivity,’ the total scenario is being mechanised. By 2050, there will be only robots in the world to perform the works which are presently handled by human beings. In the name of green revolution, the money power of rural areas have been taken to urban areas … (full text, December 20, 2007).

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Linked with The Black Alliance for Educational Options BAEO.

He is college administrator; school administrator; founder … (full long bio and work).

… While well-known in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as a long-time proponent of better educational opportunities for the city’s minority student population, and as a high-profile superintendent of the city’s public schools from 1991 to 1995, Fuller also has achieved national stature for his forceful and eloquent advocacy of fundamental education reform … Since 1995, Fuller has been a distinguished professor of education at Milwaukee’s Marquette University, where he also is the founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning. Prior to his tenure as Milwaukee schools superintendent, he served in a number of public service positions, including director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, and dean of general education at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. He has received numerous awards and recognition over the years, including three Honorary Doctorate Degrees. When the third annual symposium for emerging black leaders convened in Milwaukee in early March this year (2001), it was attended by more than 600 educators and activists from 35 states. At the opening session on March 2, Fuller delivered a passionate speech on “The Continuing Struggle of African Americans for the Power to Make Real Educational Choices” … (full text, including an abbreviated version of his speech on the same page).

His video: Dr. Howard Fuller - Black Alliance for Educational Options, 9.17 min, Added October 10, 2006.

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Howard L. Fuller - USA

Read: No Child Left Behind: A Debate on the Privatization of Education, March 12, 2004.

He says: … “I never realized back then, as they obviously did, the importance of having choices for my education. Today I am fighting to make sure that children from low-income and working-class families in Milwaukee, indeed all over this country, have the same opportunity. The term “choice” is often misunderstood by well-meaning people or distorted purposefully by people who want to discredit it. Choice is often equated only with vouchers. Vouchers are indeed one form of parental choice—a very important form. However, parental choice involves more than just vouchers. It means providing families with the .capacity to choose from a wide range of learning environments” … (full text, fall 2002).

Community Voice or Captive of the Right? A Closer Look at the Black Alliance for Educational Options, not dated.

He writes: … In fact, since 1965 Wisconsin taxpayers have spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help students attend private, religiously affiliated colleges. More than $100 million in taxes supports tens of thousands of children at private day care and in child development centers, many religiously affiliated. More than 100 public high school students are taking taxpayer-financed courses this year at religiously affiliated colleges and universities. They do so under a 12-year-old state program that was expanded in 1991 to include private universities. If students may use taxes to attend religiously affiliated colleges and early childhood programs, why haven’t our constitutional pillars crumbled? Because these students and their parents do so voluntarily, with no state coercion … (full text, June 12, 1998).

Find him and his publications on answer.com; and by oogle-search, with other Howard Fullers, on Google Book-search.

He writes also: … After hearing and seeing decades of philosophizing about the need to protect the traditional public school system’s funds and institutional prerogatives, and looking past the expressed concerns about a Jeffersonian separation of church and state, it is clear that the real issue in America is not choice—it is who has it! … (full text,

Google download-book: Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child’s School with Confidence, 464 pages, 2004.

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Danilo Dolci (Sesana, June 28, 1924 – Partinico, PA, December 30, 1997) was a social activist, sociologist, popular educator and poet. He is best known for his opposition against poverty, social exclusion and the Mafia on Sicily and is considered to be one of the protagonists of the non-violence movement in Italy. He became known as the “Gandhi of Sicily” … Antimafia: Dolci became aware of the stranglehold of the Mafia upon the poor in Sicily. He did not attack the Mafia at first but he did come up against them at once challenging their monopoly of water supply with the project of the Iato River dam. Later he became too well-known in Italy and abroad to be dealt with without too much adverse publicity. He began his crusade against the Mafia by claiming that government officials were receiving help in their elections from Cosa Nostra. Rather than making his accusations only in Sicily, he would travel to Rome to participate before the Antimafia Commission to ensure that his worries about the Mafia in Sicily were heard. His willingness to stand up to the Mafia in his quest to improve the living conditions of Sicilians helped him to gain the confidence of the locals … Legacy: Dolci has been proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize, denounced by the Cardinal Archbishop of Palermo; he has won the support of many Communists and some Jesuits, been threatened by the Mafia, and been prosecuted for obscenity by the Italian government for his book Inchiesta a Palermo (Report from Palermo). Dolci was a great writer. His books are remarkable accounts of the society he surveys, and their accuracy and insight have helped to give a realistic basis to any schemes for improvement. Above all he has given a voice to the abandoned, forgotten, despairing, nameless, suffering people of Sicily. Unforgettably he enabled peasants and fishermen, mothers and prostitutes, street urchins, outlaws and bandits, police and mafiosi to tell their stories … (full long text).

The Obituary for Danilo Dolci, by Andrew Gumbel, Jan 1, 1998.

Danilo Dolci, Vivid Voice Of Sicily’s Poor, Dies at 73, by JOHN TAGLIABUE, December 31, 1997.

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Danilo Dolci - Italy (1924 - 1997)

Danilo Dolci by Jaclyn Welch; by Frank Walker; by Vincenzo Salerno.

He said: “I had never heard the phrase ‘conscientious objector’, … and I had no idea there were such persons in the world, but I felt strongly that it was wrong to kill people and I was determined never to do so” … (full text).

The website Danilo Dolci.com.

The video: Danilo Dolci, 5.00 min, added March 25, 2008.

He said also: “It is senseless to speak of optimism or pessimism. The only important thing to remember is that if one works well in a potato field, the potatoes will grow. If one works well among people, they will grow. That’s reality. The rest is smoke” … (Ohio Citizen.org).

Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Dolci, Danilo.

Sanctity is hard to explain—even when it is present. Saints have often been impossible people who undertook impossible tasks and succeeded in highly improbable ways. Such a one is Danilo Dolci, a 41-year-old Italian who for 14 years has headed a volunteer movement designed to lift a few Sicilian villages out of a squalor unmatched in Europe and to raise the inhabitants from the torpor of despair. Dolci (TIME, April 9, 1956) has been proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize, denounced by the Cardinal Archbishop of Palermo; he has won the support of many Communists and some Jesuits, been threatened by the Mafia, and been prosecuted for obscenity by the Italian government for his book Report from Palermo … (full text, April 08, 1966 ).

Dolci and the Mafia, May 12, 1977.

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Linked with Amy Goodman - USA, with Parecon and Aspirations,

with Mandisi Majavu - South Africa, with Participatory Economics, with again Alternative Economy, with the parecon idea, with ParEcon - A Participatory Economy, with Which Way Venezuela, with the London Project for a Participatory Society LPPS, with Social Reports 2005 and  with Life After Colonialism. Michael Albert (born April 8, 1947) is a longtime activist, speaker, and writer, is co-editor of ZNet, and co-editor and co-founder of Z Magazine. He also co-founded South End Press and has written numerous books and articles. He developed along with Robin Hahnel the economic vision called participatory economics. Albert identifies himself as a market abolitionist and favors democratic participatory planning as an alternative. During the 1960s, Albert was a member of Students for a Democratic Society, and was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement … (full text).

Michael Albert is one of the nation’s leading authorities on political economy, U.S. economic policies, and the media. A veteran writer/activist, he currently works with Z Magazine and the website Znet.

He says: … “Capitalism is a horrific system. Capitalism is a system that breeds an environment in which dignity is robbed, in which people are out—nice guys finish last, in the words of a famous American baseball coach, or in my more aggressive formulation, garbage rises, meaning it’s a competitive environment in which you care about others, you suffer. If you violate others, you advance. It’s an environment in which there’s about 30 million poor people. There’s about seven million homeless people and seven million empty hotel rooms. There’s war, and so on. And the question for me was always, starting right at the beginning in 1968, ‘67: what do we replace it with? If we’re about changing this fundamentally, then we have to be about not just better values, people controlling their own lives, equity, justice, diversity, solidarity, we have to be about institutions that would make those values real. So parecon or participatory economics is a model” … “Yes, and it’s not a brilliant choice, I’m told. It’s an economic system, a set of institutions to accomplish production and consumption and allocation, stuff that makes up economics, and to do it in a way that the act of doing it gives people control over their lives, gives people solidarity with others, gives people an equitable share of the social output, gives people a range of options that’s fulfilling” … (full long interview text, April 17, 2007).

His personal website