| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"maff" |
| Date: |
07 Jun 2007 04:52:05 AM |
| Object: |
OT: More than just moonshine |
More than just moonshine
Neil Spencer
June 7, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/neil_spencer/2007/06/more_than_just_moo=
nshine.html
The discovery by Sussex Police that full moons coincide with unruly
and criminal behaviour should come as no surprise. Numerous scientific
experiments have long come to the conclusion that life on planet earth
is profoundly entangled with the movements of our nearest celestial
neighbour. An even more extensive body of folklore makes much the same
point, if in more fanciful terms.
While not mentioning werewolves, the Sussex Police study is as no-
nonsense as you would expect from the upholders of law and order.
After comparing a graph of full moons with a graph of last year's
violent crimes, Inspector Andy Parr commented: "There is a trend,
people tend to be more aggressive."
Lose the IVF delusion
Yvonne Roberts
June 7, 2007 8:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/yvonne_roberts/2007/06/fertility_treatm=
ent_for_the_ov.html
Money can't buy you love and, more often than not, it can't buy you a
baby either - at least not one that you can carry in your forty year
old womb. Still, there's no keeping a good market down. So, it's not
much of a surprise that the number of women undergoing fertility
treatment in their forties has increased tenfold in fifteen years
according to figures released by the government's fertility watchdog,
the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
In numbers, the impact is more modest. In 1991, fewer than 600 women
in their forties were given in vitro fertilisation (IVF). By last
year, the figure had risen to 6,000. All will have forked out between
=A33,000 to =A38,000 per cycle, since IVF on the NHS is only available to
women who are younger.
Faith and foreign policy
Alex Bigham
June 7, 2007 7:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/alex_bigham/2007/06/faith_and_foreign_p=
olicy.html
It's not difficult to get the collective head veins bulging when you
start a debate about religion - witness the huge number of comments on
Madeline Bunting's recent piece on the New Atheists, or the
intemperate way in which the discussion about the cartoons of the
prophet Muhammad panned out.
When you add the potentially toxic ingredient of foreign policy to the
mix, there's a danger of provoking the kind of megaphone debate that
doesn't progress the arguments much further.
Scooter Libby, the perfect firewall
Marcy Wheeler
June 6, 2007 10:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/marcy_wheeler/2007/06/scooter_libby_the=
_perfect_fire.html
On Tuesday, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff was
sentenced to 30 months in prison, a relatively tough sentence for
obstructing the investigation into the outing of the CIA spy, Valerie
Plame.
At his sentencing hearing, Scooter Libby stood up to say a few words
to the judge. In the American justice system, this is when those about
to be sentenced voice their regret, a key part of any leniency from
the judge. They admit their crime and their remorse for having
committed it, and in return, the judge considers a lighter sentence.
Putin's popularity
Dilip Hiro
June 6, 2007 9:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/dilip_hiro/2007/06/why_putin_is_popular=
..html
Russian president, Vladimir Putin's threat to point his military's
nuclear missiles at European cities if US president, George Bush,
extends the present California-Alaska anti-missile defence line to
Poland and the Czech Republic, is the latest example of the Kremlin's
growing confidence.
Putin's stance stems from two sources: the soaring wealth being
created by the extraction of Russia's enormous hydrocarbon reserves,
and the continuing popularity he is enjoying among Russians, who are
putting a high premium on security and showing scant interest in the
rights to free expression and association.
Bodies, bombast and bombs in the Balkans
Ian Williams
June 6, 2007 8:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ian_williams/2007/06/bodies_bombast_and=
_bombs_in_th.html
Right on cue, just as the UN Security Council moves to consider the
independence plan for Kosovo, news reports from Belgrade announce the
opening of a mass grave where authorities suspect the bodies of some
500 Kosovars whom Milosevic's Serb forces killed were dumped in a
quarry.
Towards the end of the war, the Serbian army and police conducted a
macabre exercise, digging up already rotting bodies and smuggling them
into Serbia. The largest such was a cache of 800 bodies reburied under
a police training ground near Belgrade. The beginning was the
discovery of a freezer truck with 86 bodies, men, women and children,
found in the Danube.
1967: A shared, if distant, goal
Nick Stadlen
June 6, 2007 8:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/nick_stadlen/2007/06/a_shared_if_distan=
t_goal.html
After 10 days in Israel and the West Bank to interview Shimon Peres,
Hannan Ashrawi and Ghassan Khatib, what left the deepest impression
was the extent to which ordinary daily life for Palestinians in the
West Bank is dominated and circumscribed by the Israeli occupation.
The West Bank is divided into zones with different rights of movement
and access for Palestinians, which makes travel between and even
within them uncertain and often difficult. This is exacerbated by
routine as well as random checkpoints and unannounced blocking off of
roads. The advent of the wall with its crossing points controlled by
Israeli soldiers has cut off several Palestinian communities from
agricultural land on which they depend for their livelihood.
Start talking
Matt Phillips
June 6, 2007 7:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/matt_phillips/2007/06/start_talking.html
The government officials are still embroiled in final negotiations.
Observers of G8s over the years have marked a change from the
patrician club of the rich world personified by Chirac's Evian G8 in
2003, to a more politicized G8 where there are still things to
negotiate as the leaders land.
Some of the G8 countries hate it this way and want the cosy club back
that talks about their common interests. But the fact is the public in
their countries will no longer accept a G8 that doesn't tackle world
poverty and climate change.
Flocking to the fence
Sasha Simic
June 6, 2007 7:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_simic/2007/06/flocking_to_the_fen=
ce.html
We woke up early this morning and followed careful instructions to get
to the village of Admannshagen, 10 minutes out of Rostock and much
nearer Heiligendamm. We were going to blockade the G8. There was no
way we were going to stop it, our action was to be purely symbolic,
but we were going to carry out a well-organised blockade of the G8
summit which was going to get as near to the exclusion zone around
Heiligendamm as possible. And it was going to be peaceful.
Yesterday evening a group of us went up to Camp Rostock - the huge
campsite on the edge of the town - for training in non-violent
resistance. There are two huge circus tents on site surrounded by
hundreds of individual tents laid out on a grid that's bisected by
"Via Rosa Luxembourg" and "Via Guliani" and "rue Durrutti". Yesterday
the last groups of hundreds were trained in impressive sessions in non-
violence in those tents. Tied between two trees is a huge, rudimentary
map with our target, the excluded town of Heiligendamm, marked as if
it was Mordor from Lord of the Rings.
Rules of engagement
Brian Brivati
June 6, 2007 6:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_brivati/2007/06/rules_of_engageme=
nt.html
The full filming of proceedings at the Iraq Commission will be up
within 48 hours on this web site.
Today, day two of the Iraq Commission, some of the issues raised by
people on yesterday's blog came up in evidence. The issue of the 2.2
million who have fled the country was perhaps the most important issue
to surface today. Within this group the place of Christians and
Palestinians was raised by Human Rights Watch. Rosa Davis has blogged
on this here today. It is a crucial issue and something both concrete
and practical that the UK government can do - provide aid for Syria
and Jordan who are dealing with the bulk of the exodus, re-examine our
asylum and immigration procedures and, most tellingly, allow entry for
people who fled Iraq because they have worked for the British in some
capacity and are therefore targets.
Stand up and be counted
Patrick Watt
June 6, 2007 5:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/patrick_watt/2007/06/stand_up_and_be_co=
unted.html
The prosperous, ordered gentility of the German Baltic coastal resort
of Heiligendamm, where this year's gathering of the Group of Eight
industrialised countries starts today, feels far removed from the
setting in which most of Africa's people carry on their daily lives.
It's a truism that decisions taken at major international summits like
the G8 affect the lives of millions of people far removed from the
official talks. But even so, this is what will happen. By default or
by design, the deliberations of Bush, Blair, Merkel, Sarkozy et al
over the coming three days will have big implications for Africa's 800
million inhabitants.
At the moment, the G8 appear to be beating a strategic retreat from
the pledges made at Gleneagles two years ago. Back then, Tony Blair
announced a turning point in the rich world's relationship with
Africa, centred on a promise of an extra $50bn a year in aid by 2010.
Yet the G8 is moving in the opposite direction to the one they set
themselves, with an $8bn shortfall in aid alone for 2006. When Angela
Merkel identified Africa, alongside climate change and the global
economy, as a key plank of this year's summit agenda, it was clear
that the G8 would have to muster the will and the cash to rescue the
Gleneagles pledges from oblivion.
Why Giuliani could win
Michael Tomasky
June 6, 2007 5:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/michael_tomasky/2007/06/why_giuliani_co=
uld_win.html
If you put a gun to my head and made me choose, I'd say today that
Rudy Giuliani will not win the Republican presidential nomination.
He's too at odds culturally with most Republican voters. Not just his
positions on abortion and gay rights and so forth - although they're
certainly big problems that I don't think will go away, especially
when the time for television attack ads arrives. It's also that he
completely lacks the fake piety that Republican voters have seemed to
demand in recent years.
The heat is on
John Sauven
June 6, 2007 4:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/john_sauven/2007/06/the_heat_is_on.html
There are many variables in predicting future changes to the climate,
but it was acknowledged in the most recent report by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published earlier
this year, that staying below a 2C global average temperature rise
would require at least a 50% reduction in global emissions by the
middle of this century. Allowing for some growth in emissions in the
developing world, which is both reasonable and unavoidable, and taking
into account the overwhelming historical responsibility of the G8
countries for the climate problem we now face, a cut of 80%-90% by
2050 from the G8 countries is what is needed.
Five thousand guys named Mo
Ed Husain
June 6, 2007 4:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ed_husain/2007/06/five_thousand_guys_na=
med_mo.html
Jack is the only name that beats Muhammad in a list of the 10 most
popular names for baby boys in Britain, with Thomas in third place and
then Joshua and Oliver. Jolly good news, I say.
Worry not - this isn't a Muslim takeover of the great British Isles.
Far from it. Muslims number only 3% of the British population and
we're giving our sons the name Muhammad, as my parents gave it to me,
as a gift to remind them of their heritage. A heritage, I dare say,
that is as much British as it is Muslim. The name, with all its
various spellings, was given to 5,991 newborn boys in Britain last
year.
Leader takes all
Jackie Ashley
June 6, 2007 2:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jackie_ashley/2007/06/dont_believe_the_=
deputy_leader.html
Watching the deputy leadership elections you could be forgiven for
thinking a thousand policy flowers have bloomed. From Brighton to
Manchester, the bold candidates have spoken out - not following the
party script for once, but delightfully off-message. But there's a big
dishonesty here that needs to be exposed. It's basically that so many
candidates are striking leftwing positions in the sure and secure
knowledge that none of it matters, because Gordon Brown won't allow it
anyway.
Much of it is aimed at wooing the union members whose votes make up a
third of the electoral college; only Alan Johnson, who has already
been disowned by his own union and is much disliked in union circles,
has stood against the tide.
What she would have wanted
Nicola Norton
June 6, 2007 2:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/nicola_norton/2007/06/what_she_would_ha=
ve_wanted.html
A pop song I was listening to on the radio was interrupted by some
breaking news. Princes William and Harry's private secretary had
written to Channel 4 to request that photos of their mother Diana
receiving oxygen from a French doctor as she lay dying in Paris be
removed from a documentary to be aired tonight.
The images were "redolent with the atmosphere and tragedy of the
closing moments of the Princess's life", wrote the private secretary,
and thus inadvertently pinpointed the central reason why the public
must see them.
Debts of shame
Open Thread
June 6, 2007 1:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_thread/2007/06/holding_the_baby_ph=
otographer.html
New measures, which will see absent parents who fail to pay child
maintenance "named and shamed", have been announced today with the
publication of the new child maintenance and other payments bill.
The bill will replace the Child Support Agency (CSA) with the Child
Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC), which will have tough
new powers including the ability to deduct money from the absent
parent's bank account, remove their passport, impose curfews and
publish the names of those who refuse to pay on the CSA website.
Sarkozy's big debut
Simon Tisdall
June 6, 2007 1:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/06/sarkozys_big_debu=
t=2Ehtml
Nicolas Sarkozy makes his presidential debut on the world stage today,
buoyed by a post-victory surge in public support and the prospect of a
thumping majority for his UMP party in Sunday's parliamentary
elections. But his political honeymoon may prove short-lived as the
passionate pledges of the campaign trail come hard up against the
ambiguities and limitations of power.
France's little big man is determined to make his mark. His "mandate
for change" has raised expectations to levels akin to those that
accompanied Tony Blair into Downing Street in 1997. As for Mr Blair
then, there is a moment of opportunity for Mr Sarkozy now to take the
lead internationally as well as at home. But there is also the
familiar danger that ambition will outstrip performance. The G8 summit
is the first test of his mettle.
1967: Israel's miracle
Josh Freedman Berthoud
June 6, 2007 12:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/josh_freedman_berthoud/2007/06/1967_isr=
aels_miracle.html
When my dad was 17 and doing his A-levels, there were a number of Jews
in his class. When the Six-day War broke out, their hearts and minds
turned east as they worried about what would become of Little Israel,
the Jewish state that had only just celebrated its 19th birthday. By
sunset on the first day of the war, with the destruction of the
Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian air forces, my dad and his classmates
were already celebrating. Israel had seized the initiative and taken
control of its own destiny. The Jewish state had battled for its
existence once again and hammered out a resounding victory. My dad and
his friends spent their break times over the next five days chalking
up the specific details of Israel's triumphs on the classroom
blackboard.
In less than a week, Israel Hakatantonet - Little Israel - had become
a big man; a force to be reckoned with. The victory united the nation,
and Jews the world over shared in their pride. Many made Aliyah -
"elevated" themselves to become Israeli citizens and live in the
Jewish state.
The toffs are back in town
John Hooper
June 6, 2007 12:04 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/john_hooper/2007/06/the_toffs_are_back_=
in_town.html
A few days ago on these pages I found myself writing about one Luca
Cordero di Montezemolo. This dashing gentleman may not be known to all
Comment is free's readers.
Those of you who follow motor racing will realise he is the same man
who managed Ferrari's magnificent turnaround in the 1990s. Those of
you who read the financial pages may know him as chairman of Fiat, or
perhaps as president of Confindustria, the Italian bosses' federation.
Why I'm not interested in integration
Sunny Hundal
June 6, 2007 11:34 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sunny_hundal/2007/06/why_im_not_interes=
ted_in_integration.html
It seems the I-word is back on the agenda. Communities secretary Ruth
Kelly and immigration minister Liam Byrne, in a pamphlet for the
Fabian Society launching later today, have made a raft of suggestions
to help migrants integrate.
Although I'm not a big stickler for politically correct terminology (I
prefer to judge people's intentions), I propose it's time we dropped
the term "integration". It serves absolutely no purpose. But before
explaining why, it may be useful to separate out a few overlapping
debates covered in the pamphlet.
1967: Where to now?
Faiza Wannas
June 6, 2007 11:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/faiza_wannas/2007/06/1967_where_to_now.=
html
Having worked with children for many years, I've noticed that they
often get to the heart of the matter before we do. In an arts workshop
I helped organise a few days ago, a 12-year-old drew Palestinians
forced out of their cities and villages in 1948, and again in 1967. He
then drew a picture of the current displacement from our homes in Nahr
el-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon, writing beneath it in large capital
letters: "Where To Now?"
The drawing touched me, steadying me at a time when I've been rushing
so much, unable to reflect upon things. It made me realise that,
although the naksa was supposed to be over 40 years ago, we are in
fact living it right now.
More than a photo-op
Larry Elliott
June 6, 2007 10:33 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/larry_elliott/2007/06/more_than_a_photo=
-op.html
The last time the G8 held a summit in Germany it was an idyllic
affair. The sun shone in Cologne, protesters came from all over Europe
to press the leaders of the west to offer debt relief to the world's
poor, and the peaceful protests delivered.
It was, however, the end of an era. The meeting of the World Trade
Organisation six months after the Cologne summit marked the start of a
period in which all international gatherings were the scene of often
violent mass demonstrations.
Atheism is pretentious and cowardly
Theo Hobson
June 6, 2007 10:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/theo_hobson/2007/06/atheism_is_pretenti=
ous_and_cow.html
For years I wished that the intelligent media would show a bit more
interest in religion. Be careful what you wish for. The resurgence of
the discussion of religion has come, sort of, but forgive me for
failing to rejoice in it. How odd that there seems to be an endless
appetite for militant atheism. How odd that anyone over 17 admires
these angry ageing men, scowling at us indignantly, and competing with
each other in tough-talking God knocking. How odd that they get such
an easy press, that their (usually female) interviewers are so
fawning. Now it is Christopher "Hitch" Hitchens' turn. Behold the
jowly prophet, staring from endless features and book pages,
tremendous in his certainty, unflinching in his regard for his own
intellectual courage.
Surely Hitchens is a cut above Richard Dawkins - surely his literary
mind has more room for nuance? In most things, yes. In religion, no.
The same applies to AC Grayling, who is presumably a competent
professor of philosophy, but chooses to conceal the fact when in
militant atheist mode.
See no evil?
Cory Doctorow
June 6, 2007 9:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/cory_doctorow/2007/06/see_no_evil.html
People say bad things online. They write vile lies about blameless
worthies. They pen disgusting racist jeremiads, post gut-churning
photos of sex acts committed against children, and more sexist and
homophobic tripe than you could read - or stomach - in a lifetime.
They post fraudulent offers, alarmist conspiracy theories, and
dangerous web pages containing malicious, computer-hijacking code.
It's not hard to understand why companies, government, schools and
parents would want to filter this kind of thing. Most of us don't want
to see this stuff. Most of us don't want our kids to see this stuff -
indeed, most of us don't want anyone to see this stuff.
Time to take responsibility
Rosa Davis
June 6, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/rosa_davis/2007/06/time_to_take_respons=
ibility.html
As the death toll in Iraq continues to rise, and talk grows of pulling
British forces out from the region, the people who seem to have been
forgotten in all of this are the Iraqi civilians. It is estimated that
up to 50,000 Iraqis flee the country every month, seeking refuge
across the Middle East and in Europe. Jordan has closed its doors on
them, having granted residence to over 500,000 Iraqis since the war
began. Syria has also taken vast numbers of refugees, but is unable to
continue this policy. Countries such as Sweden have taken in tens of
thousands of refugees, effectively abandoning their immigration
policies in order to give solace to those fleeing the war. Yet the two
countries predominantly responsible for the situation that ordinary
citizens in Iraq face have yet to open their doors to more than a
handful of these people.
More than 90% of Iraqis who apply for asylum in Britain have their
applications rejected. It is estimated that approximately 4,000 Iraqis
who have had their claims for asylum rejected are currently homeless
in Britain - sleeping rough, or in temporary accommodation. They
cannot work here legally and receive no benefits, although the Home
Office claims that there is financial assistance available. It is
mainly through friends, family, and charities that these people manage
to survive to any extents within British territory. They have left a
war torn country and arrived to what they hoped was a relative safe
haven, only to find that access to schools, hospitals and shelter are
still being denied, despite the fact that these are basic rights
protected by international law. The cold welcome that Britain gives to
Iraqi refugees is little short of an absolute disgrace.
Oh, the irony of a perjury technicality
Conor Clarke
June 6, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/conor_clarke/2007/06/oh_the_irony.html
This morning, when the Guardian's Washington office took a straw poll
before Scooter Libby was sentenced, no one guessed that he would be
put in the slammer for more than two years. Sure, lies are bad things,
very bad things indeed. But Libby's actions didn't really fall inside
the pantheon of High Crimes: his obstruction wouldn't exist were it
not for an investigation into a crime that (apparently) didn't happen.
A year or two behind bars seemed like it would do the trick.
Well, we were all wrong. Libby got sentenced to 30 months in jail. He
got fined $250,000. He even - in a charming flourish - got slapped
with $400 in court costs.
There's one thing the US presidential contenders all have in common:
God
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2097067,00.html
With 17 months to go, the 2008 race is already well under way, and the
first signs are of a resentful, defensive America
Timothy Garton Ash in New York
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
We all know Christmas begins earlier every year, but imagine if it
were to begin in May. And that's May the year before. This is what's
happening with the presidential elections in the US. There are another
17 months until the actual vote next November, but the campaign is
well under way. On Tuesday, I watched a television debate between 10
Republican contenders, following a similar one between the Democratic
hopefuls last Sunday. At this rate, election fatigue will set in
before we've even reached election year. Candidates are not merely
nailing their colours to the mast; under media interrogation, they are
compelled to take up detailed positions that they'll then find
difficult to shift. This is not good for US policy.
These medical moralisers might as well try banning sex
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2097075,00.html
Denying surgery to drinkers and smokers goes against the ethos of the
NHS: to provide care on the basis of need
David Edgar
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
First it was the sensible point that if you're an alcoholic about to
receive someone else's liver, or a smoker someone else's lung, then
you should drop the booze and fags and stick to it. Then it was the
reasonable argument that if smoking (or drinking, or obesity) made an
operation significantly less likely to succeed, then you should be
asked to address that. Now, a primary health trust is considering a
policy of denying smokers routine surgery that has nothing to do with
smoking.
The battle over the media is about race as well as class
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2097076,00.html
The protests in Venezuela are motivated by more than a TV station. The
oligarchy fears it is losing its right to run the country
Richard Gott in Caracas
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
After 10 days of rival protests in the streets of Caracas, memories
have been revived of earlier attempts to overthrow the Bolivarian
revolution of Hugo Ch=E1vez, now in its ninth year. Street
demonstrations, culminating in an attempted coup in 2002 and a
prolonged lock-out at the national oil industry, once seemed the last
resort of an opposition unable to make headway at the polls. Yet the
current unrest is a feeble echo of those tumultuous events, and the
political struggle takes place on a smaller canvas. Today's battle is
for the hearts and minds of a younger generation confused by the
upheavals of an uncharted revolutionary process.
In defence of private equity
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2097073,00.html
Was my line of work really worthwhile, my kids demanded. I slept on it
before answering
Nicholas Ferguson
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
There has been considerable debate over the last week about private
equity - and I have found myself in the headlines. Do not, however,
misread my remarks: I remain very much an advocate of private equity
funds, the nature and impact of which are routinely misrepresented.
Private equity funds invest in the shares of companies in two ways -
in new or developing firms (venture capital), or in mature companies
(buyouts). The investment is usually long term, an average of 4.5
years, and unlike hedge funds, with which it is often wrongly
confused, normally involves taking control of the company concerned. A
sensible enough occupation, one might think, and on reflection one
that has been going on for hundreds of years. But in recent months it
has come under increased public scrutiny.
The G8 leaders are committing a passive genocide
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2096959,00.html
Politicians' failure to commit to aid in Africa is reminiscent of the
apartheid era, says Kumi Naidoo
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Madeleine Bunting rightly identifies the complexity of the aid debate,
one which has left Africans and people across the developing world
floundering for far too long (Bob Geldof too has a part to play in the
G8's broken promises to Africa, June 4).
However, the fault lies clearly at the door of the G8 leaders for back-
pedalling on their commitments rather than on the campaigners who
merely tried to hold them to account. Bunting says: "What Make Poverty
History didn't even attempt to explain to the generation it was trying
to recruit was that campaigns on global justice have to be counted in
decades, not months, let alone weeks." Although campaigning that
engages a wide range of age groups and interests often risks a certain
amount of watering down in the messages, many behind Make Poverty
History did keep the long-term challenge in focus and carried with
them many of the people who marched and petitioned so vociferously in
2005.
If you want to know about Britain, don't ask the government
A Stevens
June 7, 2007 8:38 AM
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/06/if_you_want_to_know_about_brit.ht=
ml
My wife recently took, and - I'm pleased to add, passed - the
government's Life in the UK test (more commonly known as the British
citizenship test). Under the government's "tougher" approach on
immigration, anyone seeking to remain in the country permanently must
take the test to demonstrate their knowledge of British society and
English language skills.
I won't bore you with the test itself but the government drums it into
anyone seeking to take it that they must buy the official state-
sanctioned Life in the UK handbook and learn it by heart.
We must avoid simplifying the Holocaust
David Herman
June 6, 2007 4:41 PM
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/06/we_must_avoid_simplifying_the.html
Why should the news of a newly discovered Holocaust diary ring alarm
bells? Surely, the discovery of a 60-page diary, chronicling the life
of a Jewish girl, Rutka Laskier, in the Bedzin ghetto, can only be a
good thing, adding further to our knowledge of life in the smaller
Polish ghettoes at that time?
After all, the Bedzin ghetto is not as well known as the larger Warsaw
or Lodz ghettoes, both of which have been the subject of recently-
translated eyewitness accounts. Rutka's diary offers us a view of
ghetto life in the very eye of the storm, Nazi-occupied Poland in
early 1943, just before the Bedzin ghetto was liquidated. Why
complain?
After Evo Morales: the movie, let's bring on more world leader biopics
Danny Leigh
June 6, 2007 2:05 PM
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/06/after_evo_pueblo_mimicry_seems.html
Call me old-fashioned, but I've always thought the right time for a
biopic of a great leader was some years after the subject's satin-
lined coffin had been weepingly paid tribute to by the masses and
lowered into the ground. Only then, I naively believed, would the
necessary gravitas have gathered around the project.
Clearly I'm behind the times. To wit, Bolivian president Evo Morales
is to be the subject of Evo Pueblo (Evo of the People), a biography
already shooting in the rural highlands and portraying his rise from
impoverished coca farmer to hero - or thereabouts - of the South
American left.
Jonathan Derbyshire is an atheist people of faith can engage with
Ben Marshall
June 6, 2007 12:33 PM
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/06/jonathan_derbyshire_is_an_athe.ht=
ml
The two main complaints against Christopher Hitchens' analysis and
demolition of religious faith, God Is Not Great, is that he resists
seeing any moral benefits in theism and that, because of this, risks
preaching solely to the converted. Much the same was said of Richard
Dawkins' The God Delusion last year. Even supporters of Dawkins and
Hitchens complain that their tone is so strident, angry and certain it
simply frightens the undecided away.
All in the best possible taste?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2096985,00.html
An English wine has beaten thousands of foreign competitors at an
international competition, but was its victory a fluke? Helen Pidd
convenes a panel of experts to put our homegrown vintages to the test
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
We already know, thanks to Tony Blair, that we live in the greatest
nation on earth. But can it really be true that we also make some of
the world's greatest wines? That, somewhat implausibly, was what the
results of a recent contest seemed to be suggesting. At the
International Wine Challenge in London last month, a fizzy wine from
Surrey beat off competition from thousands of foreign producers to
scoop a gold award, prompting headlines such as "Le vin anglais est
arriv=E9!" and "Sparkling day for Ch=E2teau d'Orking".
Dark side of the moon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2096988,00.html
The claim from Brighton police that crime rates rise when the moon is
full is nothing new - for centuries it has been blamed for inducing
all kinds of irrational behaviour. But is there any truth to it? Aida
Edemariam reports
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
There are some stories that hook right into our primeval suspicions,
that are unsurprising because they reinforce things we have believed,
in however woolly a way, all along. A recent discovery by the Sussex
police force, that incidents of anti-social behaviour rise
significantly whenever there is a full moon, is one of them. Inspector
Andy Parr, who has the unenviable responsibility of policing Brighton
at weekends, set the number of violent crimes his force had recorded
in the past year against the dates on which they had been committed
and found that they peaked on payday - and when the moon was full.
They now plan to beef up their patrols at full moon. "I'm aware that
this is just one of many things that can influence public disorder,
but if you speak to ambulance staff, they will tell you exactly the
same," he said.
Robin Hood a baddie? Lay off our legend, Hollywood!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2096981,00.html
Laura Barton
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Until a few years ago, it seemed there were certain indisputable facts
about Robin Hood: (a) he stole from the rich to give to the poor; (b)
he had a band of merry men; (c) he rode through the glen. But here
come the Hollywooders with a new Robin Hood film named Nottingham,
throwing into disarray all we believed to be true.
Reuniting the gladiatorial combo of Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott,
the new blockbuster will controversially take the perspective of the
Sheriff of Nottingham, arch-nemesis of Robin Hood, proposing that the
Sheriff was actually trying to keep the peace, while Robin was just
some young thug in a Lincoln-green hoodie.
Ethical shoppers may be boosting profits for the green movement, but
they aren't saving the planet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2096987,00.html
Catherine Bennett
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Could a yogurt save the planet? Of course it bloody couldn't. Not even
if it put on a sky-blue shirt and chinos and called itself Al Gore.
But this did not stop the normally sane and responsible producers of
the Today programme posing the yogurt question yesterday morning.
To be fair to Today, it did not waste time evaluating the redemptive
properties of any old brand of yogurt. Its listeners are
sophisticated: they know that a common-or-garden pot of Ski or M=FCller
Light takes about as much interest in planet stewardship as, say,
Richard Littlejohn. Instead we heard, exclusively, about the qualities
of Stony yogurt, courtesy of yogurt expert Gary Hirshberg, founder and
CEO of Stony yogurts, who happened to be over here supervising the
British launch of Stony yogurts (the range, Today reminded us,
"includes Sustainably Strawberry and Renewably Rasperry"). Hirshberg
(presented to listeners as "a long-standing friend of the former vice-
president Al Gore"), confirmed that his yogurt could, if not save the
world, "create an emotional connection with our consumer". And perhaps
that is just as good?
Bush under EU pressure to sign up on climate change
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g8/story/0,,2097194,00.html
=B7 US sticks by demand to include India and China
=B7 Bypass White House, urges Greenpeace
Larry Elliott and Patrick Wintour
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
George Bush was coming under strong pressure from the European Union
and Japan last night to sign up to a G8 target for cutting greenhouse
gas emissions after the White House's pledge to work through the
United Nations on climate change failed to satisfy its summit
partners.
With officials from the G8 meeting late into the night in an attempt
to secure a deal to check global warming, Mr Bush made it clear
yesterday that the US opposed plans for a specific climate change cut
to be agreed in Heiligendamm.
Olmert calls for peace with Syria as rumours grow of secret talks
http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,2097306,00.html
=B7 Israeli PM seeks to calm fears of war breaking out
=B7 US blessing being sought for dialogue, say reports
Ian Black, Middle East editor
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Israel's prime minister said yesterday that his country does want
peace with Syria but warned President Bashar al-Assad to beware of
misreading the strategic picture and launching an attack to regain
occupied territory.
In remarks which were sure to be closely scrutinised in Damascus and
across the Middle East, Ehud Olmert sought to calm recent fears of a
conflict - and fuelled speculation that a new peace initiative might
be developing behind the scenes.
Polls predict huge majority for Sarkozy in parliament election
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,,2097201,00.html
=B7 Landslide would boost president's reform plans
=B7 Bickering Socialists face further humiliation
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Nicolas Sarkozy is forecast to win a huge majority in forthcoming
French parliamentary elections, handing him a free rein for his
"economic revolution" in a country he claims is no longer ashamed to
be rightwing.
The latest poll in today's Le Point news weekly shows France turning
firmly right in what is already being called a pro-Sarkozy "blue wave"
that will sweep the country, delivering the final humiliation to a
Socialist party in meltdown.
Palestinian civilian shot dead in raid on family home
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2097239,00.html
Rory McCarthy in Hebron
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man and seriously injured his
wife yesterday in a night-time raid on a house in Hebron.
It was the latest in a series of military operations across the
occupied West Bank in recent weeks in which militants and - according
to Palestinians - civilians have been arrested and killed.
Edinburgh leads moves to axe Mugabe honours
http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,,2097220,00.html
=B7 Zimbabwe leader stripped of honorary doctorate
=B7 US universities poised to follow suit after pressure
Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
International efforts to isolate Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe,
intensified yesterday after he was stripped of an honorary degree by
Edinburgh University and faced similar action by academics in the US.
The university said its senate had unanimously accepted a
recommendation by a panel of three senior professors to revoke the
degree because details of Mr Mugabe's links to atrocities in
Matabeleland in the early 1980s had emerged.
Edinburgh was the first of three leading universities to grant him an
honorary doctorate in 1984 for his "services to education in Africa",
two years after it was lobbied by the then Tory foreign secretary Lord
Carrington. But the university said yesterday that it would not have
granted the degree had it known then of his alleged role in the deaths
of up to 20,000 people in Matabeleland.
Ch=E1vez forced to deny dictatorship accusation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,2097312,00.html
Rory Carroll, Caracas
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Venezuela's president, Hugo Ch=E1vez, last night denied turning his
country into a dictatorship and said democracy was blossoming despite
an "imperialist conspiracy" to overthrow his government.
Mr Ch=E1vez spoke as street protests continued against his government's
decision not to renew the licence of the opposition television station
RCTV, which went off the air last month, prompting widespread
international condemnation.
Stung by the criticism, Mr Ch=E1vez softened his recent tone by
projecting a gentler side at a media conference at the presidential
palace, Miraflores. Aides said it was part of a charm offensive to
repair the damage to his reputation. "We have a wide, inclusive
political system. It's transparent, there is democracy in the economy,
in society, in education," he said.
One boy, fighting for his mother, wins hearts in immigration battle
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2097237,00.html
Pair become public face of debate as Congress prepares to vote on
guest worker bill
Audio slideshow: Ed Pilkington reports from the Adalberto United
Methodist church
Ed Pilkington in Chicago
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Saul Arellano is highly skilled at lucha libre, the free wrestling
style practised across Latin America. The eight-year-old has a stack
of lucha libre toys and carries his favourite around with him, waging
imaginary fights in the church.
For more than nine months Saul and his mother, Elvira, have been
engaged in a prolonged and all too real wrestling match. They have
become the public face of the debate currently consuming the US
Congress over what to do with the country's illegal immigrants.
Teacher to get retrial over internet porn
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2097252,00.html
=B7 Woman convicted of letting pupils see sex ads
=B7 Ruling follows campaign by computer experts
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
A US judge yesterday ordered a retrial of a schoolteacher found guilty
of computer porn charges after a sustained campaign by internet
specialists proclaiming her innocence.
Julie Amero, 40, was convicted in January of being responsible for a
series of sex advertisements that popped up on a classroom computer
and were seen by pupils, in a case that has caught nationwide
attention and raised important questions about content control on
computers.
The prosecution at the trial in Connecticut had claimed she must have
clicked on the websites for the adverts to begin appearing. But after
the trial, 28 computer science academics in the state sought to prove
that the rapid-fire sequence of pop-up sex advertisements could have
appeared automatically.
Corruption rife in world's schools and universities
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2096907,00.html
Read the full report (pdf)
Anthea Lipsett
Thursday June 7, 2007
EducationGuardian.co.uk
Bribery and graft in schools and universities is seriously undermining
education systems worldwide and costing governments billions of
dollars, according to a new report funded by Unesco.
The report, "Corrupt schools, corrupt universities: What can be
done?", by Unesco's international institute for educational planning
into ethics and corruption, says education is plagued by rigged calls
for tender, embezzlement, illegal registration fees and academic
fraud, among other corrupt practices.
It says in some countries, leakage of education funding from
ministries to schools can represent up to 80%, not counting salaries.
Iceman bled to death, scientists say
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2097192,00.html
Alok Jha, science correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Archaeologists think they have solved the longstanding mystery of how
Otzi, the world's most famous iceman, met his end: an arrow wound to
his shoulder caused him to bleed to death.
Otzi, a 5,000-year-old mummy, was found by German hikers on a glacier
in the Italian alps close to the border with Austria in 1991. The
body, preserved by ice, was carrying a bow, a quiver of arrows and a
copper axe. Despite several scientific tests since he was found,
archaeologists have been unable to agree whether he died from an arrow
wound, a sudden fall or freezing while climbing the high mountains.
Spain braced for wave of attacks as Eta calls off ceasefire
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,,2097248,00.html
=B7 Separatist group rearmed during hiatus, PM warned
=B7 Opposition parties hit out at failed peace process
Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Spain braced itself for a fresh terrorist attack by Basque separatist
group Eta yesterday as hopes of a lasting peace were shattered by the
ending of a 14-month ceasefire.
Police have warned the prime minister, Jos=E9 Luis Rodr=EDguez Zapatero,
that the group has several active service units in position and that
it rearmed and refined its bomb-making techniques during the
ceasefire, according to reports. The group had also established a
stable infrastructure in Madrid.
Robot aids wounded
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,2097200,00.html
James Randerson, science correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
The US military is developing a remote-controlled stretcher bearer to
rescue soldiers wounded on the battlefield.
The 1.8m robot, nicknamed Bear - for Battlefield Extraction-Assist
Robot - is designed to navigate bumpy terrain.
From arthritis to diabetes: scientists unlock genetic secrets of
diseases afflicting millions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/genes/article/0,,2097137,00.html
=B7 Huge study covers seven common illnesses
=B7 Hope of new cures for heart and bowel disorders
Alok Jha, science correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Scientists have made a major leap in unravelling the genetic causes of
seven common diseases, including diabetes, arthritis and high blood
pressure, by completing the largest analysis of the human genome. The
discoveries pave the way for improved treatments and possible cures
for the millions of people in the UK who develop the diseases every
year.
Using new techniques to examine the DNA of thousands of patients,
scientists also found common genetic links in heart disease cases. The
findings raise the prospect of improved medical treatment and
preventative work with people identified as carrying a genetic risk of
disease.
Over the top and over here: 'Disney World' of food opens first UK
store
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2097241,00.html
US chain takes on supermarkets in battle for =A31bn organic market
Hadley Freeman
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Whole Foods, the =A32.85bn organic and quasi-messianic American
superstore, took another step to realising its slogan - "Whole Foods,
Whole People, Whole Planet" - when it opened its first European outlet
in London yesterday. And judging by the crowds, it could be as big in
Britain as in the States.
"We have been interested in Europe for a long time and thought it
would make sense to start in Britain, which has been more advanced
when it comes to embracing organic foods than the United States," said
Jim Sud, executive vice-president of growth and development, surveying
the hordes with a smile yesterday as they milled through the roughly
7,500 square metre (80,000 square foot) three-floor store on
Kensington High Street.
Stem cell breakthrough paves way for tailor-made new treatments
http://www.guardian.co.uk/genes/article/0,,2097182,00.html
=B7 Pioneering research overcomes ethical issues
=B7 New technique does not involve harming embryos
Ian Sample, science correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Stem cells capable of making any tissue in the body have been created
from ordinary skin cells, a world first that paves the way for
revolutionary new treatments tailored to individual patients.
The pioneering research overcomes one of the most pressing ethical
issues faced by stem cell scientists today - that the most promising
variety of stem cells known can be obtained only from embryos, which
are cannibalised when the cells are collected.
Air passengers face more delay as US plans fingerprinting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/airlines/story/0,,2097218,00.html
Dan Milmo, transport correspondent
Thursday June 7, 2007
The Guardian
Millions of Britons leaving United States airports face mandatory
fingerprinting under new security guidelines.
Passengers travelling from the US will have to present their fingers
as well as their passports at check-in from the end of next year,
according to a senior security official. Virgin Atlantic, whose
customers may be forced to endure longer waits in terminals, has vowed
to oppose the move.
Michael Jackson, deputy secretary of the US department of homeland
security, said the procedure would apply to all passengers and
airlines flying out of the US as the country accumulates information
on every foreign national travelling through America. "We will need
biometric as well as biographical data," he said.
The genetic revolution
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2621813.ece
The discovery of genes responsible for seven of the most common
illnesses offers hope to millions of sufferers
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 07 June 2007
A groundbreaking study into the genetic basis of disease has opened
the door to new ways of understanding and treating common illnesses
affecting millions of people - from manic depression to heart
disease.
Scientists have announced the first results of the biggest and most
comprehensive investigation into the genes behind seven medical
disorders, using a revolutionary approach for analysing vast tracts of
the human genome.
Turkish troops 'chase Kurds in Iraq'
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2621819.ece
By Patrick Cockburn
Published: 07 June 2007
Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq in pursuit
of Kurdish guerrillas early yesterday. The incursion, though limited
in scope, gives the crisis in Iraq a new twist.
"It is not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the
tens of thousands," said an official in south-east Turkey where there
has recently been an upsurge in activity by the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) Turkish Kurd guerrillas.
An act of God leaves Giuliani isolated from his born-again rivals
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2621814.ece
By Leonard Doyle in Manchester, New Hampshire
Published: 07 June 2007
As a sign from the Almighty it could not have been clearer: God does
not like Rudy.
During a debate among Republican candidates at a small Catholic
university college here, "America's mayor", as Rudy Giuliani now calls
himself, was setting out his position on abortion. A bishop had
compared his stance on abortion to Pontius Pilate's position on the
crucifixion of Jesus: personally opposed to it but willing to allow it
happen.
Zimbabwe's terror: How I raped and tortured for Mugabe
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2621831.ece
Washington was a member of the secret police who committed unspeakable
crimes on behalf of the African dictator. He escaped - but continues
to be tormented by what he did
By Olly Bootle and Emeka Onomo in Windhoek, Namibia
Published: 07 June 2007
As Washington drove out of Harare, he didn't know that there was a
man, barely breathing, in the back of his car.
He was nearing the end of his training for Zimbabwe's notorious secret
police - the Central Intelligence Organisation or CIO - but already
his days as an agent were numbered. His mission had seemed simple
enough. "We were given a car, and there was a trunk behind in the boot
of the car," he recalled. "The briefing was to get to Lake Kariba.
There would be a boat tied to a tree." In the boat, he was told, they
would find the keys to the trunk, and instructions on what to do with
their cargo.
How the summit has cemented Merkel's standing
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2621829.ece
By Tony Paterson in Heiligendamm
Published: 07 June 2007
She may once have been dismissed as "the girl" of German politics, but
as hostess of the G8 summit, Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared on
course to secure her extraordinary position as one of her country's
most popular leaders on record.
It was Helmut Kohl, the veteran former "unification Chancellor" of
Germany who gave Angela Merkel her big break. Shortly after the fall
of the Berlin Wall in 1989 he gave the young East German pastor's
daughter a job as a press officer in his conservative party.
Indian diplomat tipped for top role
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2621818.ece
By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor
Published: 07 June 2007
India has named the career diplomat Kamlesh Sharma, the country's high
commissioner in London, as its candidate for Commonwealth secretary
general, setting off a two-horse race for the leadership of the 53-
nation organisation.
Mr Sharma faces only one serious competitor, the Maltese Foreign
Minister, Michael Frendo, whose country hosted the last Commonwealth
summit 18 months ago. But the Indian diplomat is widely expected to be
successful when the Commonwealth leaders meet in Kampala, Uganda, in
November for the summit at which which they will elect the successor
to Don Mc- Kinnon, a New Zealander.
Canada stops Winnie Mandela seeing her own opera
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2621812.ece
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 07 June 2007
The controversial life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela caught up with her
this week when plans for her to appear as guest of honour at a gala
fundraising dinner in Toronto fell apart after the Canadian government
refused to grant her a visa.
Organisers of the event, MusicaNoir, a group that promotes African
music and arts, said the ex-wife of former South African president
Nelson Mandela was unable to appear on Tuesday evening after
discovering on Monday while still in South Africa that her visa
request had been denied.
Russia tries to defuse crisis over missile plan
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2621890.ece
By Anne Penketh and Andrew Grice
Published: 07 June 2007
The Kremlin tried to defuse a transatlantic crisis after Vladimir
Putin's threat to re-target missiles in retaliation for a planned US
missile defence system in Europe triggered fears of a return to a Cold
War stand-off.
Speaking to journalists at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm yesterday, a
Kremlin spokesman played down the Russian President's comments at the
weekend. Dmitry Peskov said: "It was not some kind of threatening
statement on the part of Mr Putin. He was just asked by a journalist
if he would be ready, hypothetically to consider re-targeting... and
he confirmed that that would be one of the ways Russia could respond."
Leading article: An astonishing leap forward
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2621602.ece
Published: 07 June 2007
It is relatively rare that we learn of a genuine breakthrough in the
world of science. Progress is usually a matter of incremental
advances. Perhaps the last unexpected leap forward was the birth of
Dolly the cloned sheep in 1996. But today's published study that
reveals the genetic basis of a host of human diseases seems to be
another.
Two hundred British scientists from 50 research groups screened DNA
samples from 17,000 people over two years. Over two years, almost 10
billion pieces of genetic information were examined. The results have
been astonishing. This work has revealed new genetic links associated
with the development of bipolar disorder, Crohn's disease, heart
disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure.
Zachary Katznelson: In Guantanamo, men shadow-box for their lives
http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2621597.ece
Have your hopes dashed enough and you start to question if there is
ever a way out
Published: 07 June 2007
Imagine that this is your world: a 6 ft by 8 ft cell where everything
is steel - the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the toilet, the sink,
the bed. Walk two steps in any direction and you hit a wall. There are
no windows. The lights are on 24 hours a day. You are allowed out of
your cell two hours a day, sometimes at 6am, sometimes at midnight.
For those two hours, you are placed in a 6.5ft by 16.5ft outdoor cage
with a deflated football. You can go weeks without seeing the sun.
Imagine five and a half years away from your family, your wife, your
children. You can't call them. They can't visit. Mail takes months to
get through. When it does, it is heavily censored. Imagine being
beaten, stripped naked, humiliated, again and again and again. This is
the life of my clients in Guantanamo Bay.
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