2005.9.16=5[#259]:8.13=#(60x3+40)[US#40] Pic./Blog. Emails done. #0.Dutch files, 1.KParker photos, 2.Clinton-H poverty fight, 3."Enemy", 4.ME, 5.USSR

Google's Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/support/ Google's blog search: http://blogsearch.google.com The Mercury News: http://tinyurl.com/daxc3 Fair cool to mild: Up 7:20, 2 sons also then off, hair bath, 8:40 Mei back then off to class, back 11:15 lunch then off to work from noon, I have finishing [G] at last, now 12:19pm, USP Bush is speaking at a press conf w. RFP Putin. Mei back 3:50, talks about putting grass on front yard of rental house for $500, I object as our tenant has expressed his non-desire, although we had planted grass and also paid to have water-sprinkling arrangement, and we have rather heated argument. 6:25 Mei off to drive Jun home, then fries fish etc, as she very often does, supper. 8:15 finish emails at last! Check mails etc. 12pm in, bed 12:50sm. #0. "Dutch to Open Electronic Files on Children", Tue Sep 13, 6:36 PM ET http://tinyurl.com/9fzm6 "" AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Dutch government plans to open an electronic file on every child at birth as a tool to spot and protect the troubled kids of the future. Beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all citizens will be tracked from cradle to grave in a single database — including health, education, family and police records — the health ministry said Tuesday. "" #1. Kenneth Parker: http://tinyurl.com/8ch7q photographs: http://www.kennethparker.com/ #2. Fighting Poverty: Sir Tom Hunter [[ http://tinyurl.com/cmjkt ]] & FUSP Clinton [[ UFO? http://tinyurl.com/8t3ge ]] 1. "Tycoon invests in poverty fight", BBCNews, Thursday, 15 September 2005, 10:23 GMT 11:23 UK: http://tinyurl.com/bfxko "" Sir Tom said he wanted to 'empower' developing countries One of Scotland's wealthiest tycoons has joined forces with former US president Bill Clinton in a drive against global poverty. Sir Tom Hunter has pledged an initial $100m (£60m) to The Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative to support developing communities. "" 2-1. "Bill Clinton joins Tom Hunter in war on poverty", CALUM MACDONALD, The Herald, September 15 2005: http://tinyurl.com/aspep "" SIR Tom Hunter has joined forces with Bill Clinton and donated $100m of his personal wealth to create a project aimed at fighting Third World poverty. The Scots entrepreneur and philanthropist will appear with the former US president in New York today to launch the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI), which will initially fund projects in two of the world's poorest countries. "" "" The pair have met on a number of occasions since 2001, most recently when they toured Africa together last July. The CHDI aims to create a new model of poverty intervention for the most under-developed countries. Pilot projects will involve training teachers and healthcare workers as well as encouraging entrepreneurship in an attempt to create sustainable development. "" 2-2. "The friendly philanthropists", CALUM MACDONALD, The Herald, September 15 2005: http://tinyurl.com/8lr86 "" IT is the unlikeliest of friendships, but its legacy could be the alleviation of suffering for millions of the world's poorest people. The son of an Ayrshire grocer and a working-class boy from Arkansas who went on to hold the most powerful office on Earth are, between them, attempting not only to lift millions out of poverty, but change the way aid is delivered to the world's most under-developed countries. Their backgrounds could not be more different. However, when Sir Tom Hunter and Bill Clinton met four years ago on a gloomy night in Glasgow, a friendship flourished. "" "" BILL CLINTON Established the William J Clinton Foundation after leaving office. The foundation has launched a special project, the Clinton Global Initiative, which campaigns for an end to extreme poverty, good governance and the promotion of democracy, a halt to climate change and the resolution of religious conflict. Raises funds for HIV/Aids programmes and campaigns for better treatment and access to drugs for people living with the virus in the developing world. The foundation created the Clinton Small Business Initiative which supports the expansion of opportunity and economic growth in deprived urban communities in the US. "", #3. 1. "TODAY, PADILLA. TOMORROW, WHO?", By William Fisher, Saturday, September 10, 2005: "Thomas Paine's Corner...a forum for those dedicated to the affirmation, defense, and pursuit of civil liberties, social justice, human rights, and intellectual freedom": http://tinyurl.com/ayqgh "" Media coverage of Hurricane Katrina all but drowned out what may well be one of the most consequential court decisions in American history – and one that should focus even more attention on the ideological composition of the Supreme Court. Last week, A three-judge federal appeals court panel ruled unanimously that President Bush has the authority to detain as an enemy combatant an American citizen who fought United States forces on foreign soil. "" 2. "Court upholds detention without trial for U.S. Citizens", by Reuters http://tinyurl.com/9urr9 3. "Jose Padilla and The Death of Liberty", by Mike Whitney: "The very core of liberty secured by our Anglo-Saxon system of separated powers has been freedom from indefinite imprisonment at the will of the Executive." Judge Antonin Scalia http://tinyurl.com/7kddy #4. "The 50 Years War - Israel & The Arabs (2000)", DVD, US Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/9rxoa "50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs (Full Screen)", Canada Amazon.ca: http://tinyurl.com/docot 1. [I]R blog: "The Fifty Years war": "" I hadn't realised that the original documentaries - all five of them, each an hour long - are now available on DVD. They were originally made by the BBC - by a small team that uses a standard "template" to produce exemplary historical documentaries - a combination of archive footage and "talking heads" interviews with the main shapers and movers, each of whom gets to tell their side of the story, and explain the unfolding story. What tends to be amazing about this series (not just the one about Israel, but the other similar ones made by the same team as well) is how frank the "talking heads" usually are. Former heads of state who - now they're retired - don't have to toe the party line any more, and can "come clean". A lot of dirty washing previously hidden away gets revealed. Previous protestations of innocence are dropped. "" / "" editorial control was shared between two academics - one Palestinian, one Israeli - either able to veto each other's contributions "" "" it is clear the network undertook to present a serious, careful history. That is a refreshing change, and all too rare in today's media coverage of Israel and the Middle East." (which from them is rare praise indeed) They complain that stuff got left out, which they think ought to have been included, like... " A lengthy segment on Deir Yassin, for instance, despite including a questionable claim of Israeli atrocities, offered a more historically nuanced portrayal of the battle than is usually provided in media accounts about this oft-cited episode" And that's kind of ironic. The events of the Deir Yasin massacre are a matter of record, and of personal eye-witness recollection. Problem is, that the official records all got classified top secret. Israeli historians awaited their automatic declassification after 25 years had passed with keen anticipation. They requested the documents from the archives and were told "you can't see them". They cited their legal rights to do so, the Israeli government's lack of any legal right to withhold them, and went to court. They won their case. And the government - within minutes of the judgement - held an emergency cabinet meeting, and... changed the law. Under the new law, the documents would continue to remain classified. Suppression of evidence doesn't exactly inspire confidence. That particular instance is kind of illuminating - it happens to be the Israelis at fault in that case, but could equally well be the Palestinians. See: http://world.std.com/~camera/docs/oncamera/oc99pbs.html http://www.ii-pt.com/web/reviews/bbc.htm for the two reviews. Confronted by what comes as close as you get to real objectivity, both sides wind up looking distinctly uneasy.Both have become so habituated to the idea of blaming everything on the other side and exonerating themselves of any guilt, that an independent - and meticulously documented - review of the case finding BOTH sides to blame contradicts the entire structure of their propaganda, and exposes he hollowness of their own claims to objectivity. "" 2. "" Editorial Reviews: Amazon.com: The conflict in the Middle East between Israel and its neighbors is given comprehensive treatment in this two-video set produced by PBS. Using archival footage and extensive interviews with participants, the production begins by explaining conditions in Palestine at the end of World War II and the crisis created by the exodus of European Jews who went to the Middle East after the Holocaust. The withdrawal of the British, who had controlled Palestine for decades, is detailed, as is the creation of the state of Israel. Much of the region's history is complex, with the local struggles being conducted at times as a part of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but these videos do an admirable job of explaining the complexities of the situation. The segment on the Six Day War, for example, is masterful, with the scenes shifting from Israel to Egypt to Washington to Moscow, the story developing before the viewer's eyes. The 50 Years War is often a tale of mistrust and betrayal, but this production strives to present a balanced view of history, and is not only impressive for its command of the facts but for its skillful and often dramatic presentation of history. --Robert J. McNamara --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. Description: Leading statesmen, generals, terrorists and others who made the headlines in one of history's most bitter and enduring struggles tell the story of the Arab-Israeli conflict in The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs. Opening with the U.N decision to partition Palestine in 1947, the program charts the ensuing half-century of enmity, warfare, mediation and negotiation. ""/ 3. Canada: Amazon.ca: In addition to the above "2": [[ No reviews at UK Amazon.co.uk ]] "" Synopsis: PBS home video documents the bitter 50-year war between the Israelis and Arabs. This program begins with the 1947 decision of the U.N. to partition Palestine. In 1948 and 1967, Arab armies were defeated as Israel struggled for statehood. The film follows the development of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The final episode features the 1973 Yom Kipper War, the 1978 Camp David Peace Accord, the 1987 Palestinian uprising, the 1993 Oslo Agreement, and continuing attempts to solidify this unstable relationship. Featured in this documentary are Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Shamir of Israel; King Hussein of Jordan; Yasir Arafat from the Palestine Authority; Hafez al-Assad of Syria; Jafaar Numeiry of Sudan; and American Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Jimmy Carter. The 50 Years War: Israel and the Arabs follows a half-century of war, struggles, and negotiations. ~ Beth Deki, All Movie Guide "" 4. My response to '' 1. [I]R blog: "The Fifty Years war" '': "" [Tsai 05.9.16=5 #1] This is good for us all to be more objective. So I have major quotes in my blog today: "" then "1". #5. USSR's Collapse: From "4", R answered: "Re: [IRandPolitics] #0-0. New"Cold War"-Israel #100rw+2sides [ The Fifty Years war. ]": "" As a matter of (purely academic!) interest, I checked out the EMule/Edonkey peer-2-peer network. The documentaries are available for (illegal) download as .AVI files. Not that anyone on this forum would do such a thing, naturally....! But if they did, they'd wind up with a 5 hour intensive course in Middle East history, where the "lecturers" are former presidents, ambassadors, ministers of defence...all providing an "insiders" view of 50 years of history. It's my belief that the team who made this series (and several others) will be revered by future historians of the 20th century, for compiling an unparalleled archive of top-level eye-witness accounts. My favourite in the series was called "Messages from Moscow", and documented the steady collapse of the USSR from the late 1960's onwards. In the couple of years immediately after the implosion of Communism - the Yeltsin years - Russia and Russians were unsure of what their future held - they simply knew that the Cold War was over. Put an unobtrusive camera crew in front of them (people like the former deputy head of the KGB) and they talked.... almost relieved that they no longer had to keep hold of their secrets. That "window of opportunity" stayed open for a short time before the Yeltsin era ended and the Putin era began. The documentary crew got there just in time. One of the most interesting things about the whole series is the stripping away of "ideological propaganda". People who actually KNOW the truth TELL it. And they reveal that a lot of the things we thought we knew (and which they'd told us previously) weren't true at all. I guess it's an aspect of old age and retirement. They're addressing "History"... not a political audience. And they know that right after they've spoken to the camera, others will do likewise. If they lie... it's going to show up. The documentaries are, as a result, deeply unpopular with ideologically-motivated spin-doctors. For the "Russia" series, a lot of the major Russian players are now dead... But if you examine films of Brezhnev and Kruschev, you keep on seeing the same faces in the background. Private secretaries, personal bodyguards, translators. They may not have contributed directly to the making of major political decisions.... but they witnessed the debates - even the most secret ones - from mere feet away. And the film crews tracked them down, and interviewed them. The result is possibly more objective than an interview with their former political masters would have been. ""