So ACTA has just been signed by some countries in Tokyo. How does it look like in my country?
Poland’s PM and one of the ministers keep saying there was no way to postpone the signature, which is an absolute lie, because the actual deadline is in 2013, whereas politicians are talking about they “willingness” to discuss ACTA with entire society until planned ratification next year. They are ignoring people’s voice without even hiding it, saying “we’re not going to get blackmailed”.
However, what is really important, this is the first time since 1989 when a serious situation brings masses to the streets and make them say “no” aloud. It’s been like this for last week and it’s going to continue. I’m attending one of these demonstrations tonight in my city. This should have happened much, much earlier, and not because of internet censorship. Yet I’m still glad something finally woke most of people up…
I think this says everything we need to know about America. Peaceful protesters are now terrorists.
George Orwell was a genius and there needs to be a statue dedicated to him in every city.
so sad
FUCK YOU VERY MUCH IF YOU THINK A 12 YEAR OLD CAN STAND UP TO A CULTURE THAT COMPLETELY DEVALUES & DEHUMANIZES SURVIVORS!
I have to say this as a kid who survived sexual abuse & who knew I had no hope of protection. I do. The next motherfucker to open their mouth with a “Why didn’t the kids tell someone?” is getting cussed the fuck out & might get the shit beat out of them. There are things that happened to me that I still can’t talk about & I am 35 years old. No not even to a therapist. Because some things you just don’t tell people. There is a look that they get that I have no desire to see. And yes, people who do know have looked at me differently. Think about that.
I have had people sit in my face & talk about how they’d never let someone who had been molested watch their kids because that’s too much of a risk. Think about that for a second. (And before someone starts spouting that bullshit ass stat to me, let me point out that most cases are never reported. So kindly stow your thoughts about percentages of abused kids who go on to abuse. No one knows how many of us there are in the first fucking place.)
That’s before we get into how invested people are in denying that their favorite coach, teacher, cousin, grandparent etc could do such a thing or (and this argument is my favorite way to tell someone is a worthless sack of shit), how often people decide that the kids weren’t really hurt by what happened because the abuser was attractive or the child was sexy or whatever the fuck else they’re saying while I’m calculating how easy it would be to push them out a high window. 15 grown fucking men knew what was happening & they didn’t do shit about it. Judge them. Leave the survivors the fuck alone.
The riots in the capital. On Independence Day. Poland, I’m ashamed for you.
Jon Stewart took to The Daily Show last night to talk about the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal, and gave a serious commentary about how people knew of Sandusky’s abuse and didn’t do anything, as well as the recent student rioting over the firing of coach Joe Paterno.
A flight from Newark, New Jersey, makes an emergency landing at Warsaw, Poland’s Frederic Chopin International Airport.
Jesus H. Christ, people.
shortformblog:cognitivedissonance:
Police pen up and mace female “Occupy Wall Street” protesters
In a disturbing scene from today’s “Occupy Wall Street” protests, a group of peaceful female protesters were rounded up in an orange-colored mesh pen by police and subsequently sprayed with mace without any provocation.
In spite of multiple reported incidents of possible police violence, major media outlets seem to be content to let the protests go by completely unreported, following the same “who-cares” attitude they have taken toward recent revelations that the NYPD has violated the Constitutional rights of American citizens by spying on them as possible terrorists and enemies of the state despite a complete absence of evidence of any crimes.
This is absolutely disturbing. Penning people up to mace them is police brutality. Period. What will it take to get the mainstream media to pay attention? If you follow the #OccupyWallStreet, you’ll find out that at least 80 were arrested today. AP and Wall Street Journal mentioned the arrests briefly today.
Here’s a longer video that shows slightly more context. Literally, the macing of these protesters came out of nowhere. “I was on the ground sobbing and couldn’t breathe,” said Chelsea Elliott, one of the victims of the macing, who the New York Times actually interviewed in their front-page story on the protests. Elliott claimed she was arrested after shouting “Why are you doing that?” after another protester got arrested. What the heck is this? Why was this reaction called for?
hijacking this reblog to share the glorious news:
Putin accepts nomination for Russian presidential run
Vladimir Putin has agreed to run for the presidency of Russia again in a move that could see him lead the country until 2024.
In what could be the ulimate political job swap, his United Russia party also approved his proposal that the current president Dmitry Medvedev will take over Putin’s role as prime minister.
Putin ruled Russia as president for two terms 2000 to 2008 with a steely command that was widely criticised in the west as a retreat from democracy.
Constitutional rule changes have subsequently extended the presidential term from four years to six, Putin, if he won the election, could be in power for 12 years from next year. It would also mean he would have lead the country for almost quarter of a century…
life:
Wow, talk about drastic measures — A man sets himself on fire outside a bank in northern Greece. The 55-year old man had entered the bank and asked for a renegotiation of the overdue loan payments on his home and business; the bank, reportedly, refused. (Note the gasoline falling from his right hand.)
Feast your eyes on more great photos from the past week: Photos of the Week
wow
A story missing from our media: Iceland’s on-going revolution
27 August 2011
by Deena StrykerAn Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. We may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.
As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here’s why:Five years of a pure neo-liberal regime had made Iceland, (population 320 thousand, no army), one of the richest countries in the world. In 2003 all the country’s banks were privatised, and in an effort to attract foreign investors, they offered on-line banking whose minimal costs allowed them to offer relatively high rates of return. The accounts, called IceSave, attracted many UK and Dutch small investors. But as investments grew, so did the banks’ foreign debt. In 2003 Iceland’s debt was equal to 200 times its GNP, but in 2007, it was 900 percent. The 2008 world financial crisis was the coup de grace. The three main Icelandic banks, Landbanki, Kapthing and Glitnir, went belly up and were nationalised, while the Kroner lost 85% of its value with respect to the Euro. At the end of the year Iceland declared bankruptcy.
Contrary to what could be expected, the crisis resulted in Icelanders recovering their sovereign rights, through a process of direct participatory democracy that eventually led to a new Constitution. But only after much pain.
Geir Haarde, the Prime Minister of a Social Democratic coalition government, negotiated a two million one hundred thousand dollar loan, to which the Nordic countries added another two and a half million. But the foreign financial community pressured Iceland to impose drastic measures. The FMI and the European Union wanted to take over its debt, claiming this was the only way for the country to pay back Holland and Great Britain, who had promised to reimburse their citizens.
Protests and riots continued, eventually forcing the government to resign. Elections were brought forward to April 2009, resulting in a left-wing coalition which condemned the neo-liberal economic system, but immediately gave in to its demands that Iceland pay off a total of three and a half million Euros. This required each Icelandic citizen to pay 100 Euros a month (or about $130) for fifteen years, at 5.5% interest, to pay off a debt incurred by private parties vis-a-vis other private parties. It was the straw that broke the reindeer’s back.
What happened next was extraordinary. The belief that citizens had to pay for the mistakes of a financial monopoly, that an entire nation must be taxed to pay off private debts was shattered, transforming the relationship between citizens and their political institutions and eventually driving Iceland’s leaders to the side of their constituents. The Head of State, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, refused to ratify the law that would have made Iceland’s citizens responsible for its bankers’ debts, and accepted calls for a referendum.
Of course the international community only increased the pressure on Iceland. Great Britain and Holland threatened dire reprisals that would isolate the country. As Icelanders went to vote, foreign bankers threatened to block any aid from the IMF. The British government threatened to freeze Icelander savings and checking accounts. As Grimsson said: “We were told that if we refused the international community’s conditions, we would become the Cuba of the North. But if we had accepted, we would have become the Haiti of the North.” (How many times have I written that when Cubans see the dire state of their neighbor, Haiti, they count themselves lucky.)
In the March 2010 referendum, 93% voted against repayment of the debt. The IMF immediately froze its loan. But the revolution (though not televised in the United States), would not be intimidated. With the support of a furious citizenry, the government launched civil and penal investigations into those responsible for the financial crisis. Interpol put out an international arrest warrant for the ex-president of Kaupthing, Sigurdur Einarsson, as the other bankers implicated in the crash fled the country.
But Icelanders didn’t stop there: they decided to draft a new constitution that would free the country from the exaggerated power of international finance and virtual money. (The one in use had been written when Iceland gained its independence from Denmark, in 1918, the only difference with the Danish constitution being that the word ‘president’ replaced the word ‘king’.)
To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections.
Some readers will remember that Iceland’s ninth century agrarian collapse was featured in Jared Diamond’s book by the same name. Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable, as confirmed yesterday by the new head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde to Fareed Zakaria. The people of Greece have been told that the privatization of their public sector is the only solution. And those of Italy, Spain and Portugal are facing the same threat.
They should look to Iceland. Refusing to bow to foreign interests, that small country stated loud and clear that the people are sovereign.
That’s why it is not in the news anymore.
Please take a moment to read this. Please take a moment to reblog this.
Candles in front of Arena-2000, the home venue of the Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslav in Yaroslavl early on September 8, 2011 after the team was involved in an air crash. At least 44 people were killed on September 7 when a Russian jet carrying hockey players of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to their first match of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) season crashed on takeoff in the latest blow to the country’s tainted air safety record. Czech players Josef Vasicek, Jan Marek and Karel Rachunek were on Yaroslavl’s roster this season along with Stefan Liv of Sweden and Slovak Pavol Demitra. Canadian manager Brad McCrimmon was coaching Lokomotiv this season
Photos by Rodolfo Gonzalez, Jay Janner, Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN and Terry Hagerty BASTROP ADVERTISER
Fire crews continue to battle several fires across Central Texas Tuesday. Winds are expected to be lighter today, but low humidity could help flames spread quickly, forecasters say. There is no chance of rain.
SEND US YOUR WILDFIRE, DAMAGE REPORTS
Bahrain [September 03, 2011]
U.S. to sue banks over mortgages: This oughta be fun. The list includes a over a dozen names, such as Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. “The suits will argue the banks, which assembled the mortgages and marketed them as securities to investors,” the article says, “failed to perform the due diligence required under securities law and missed evidence that borrowers’ incomes were inflated or falsified. When many borrowers were unable to pay their mortgages, the securities backed by the mortgages quickly lost value.”
Big freaking news.
