I meant to post this last night but time got the better of me...
Dr LEE Jong-wook passed away yesterday evening (Australian Time) somewhat unexpectedly perhaps best summarised by UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot
“With the passing away of Dr LEE Jong-wook, the world has lost one of its greatest forces for good health – a scientist, policymaker and leader of exceptional caliber and accomplishments."
"The loss of Dr Lee, a distinguished humanitarian advocate who gave long and devoted service to the United Nations, will be sorely felt by all those who had the honour to work with him. His commitment to help all people attain the highest possible level of health also reflected his personal determination to transform the AIDS response and help people affected by this epidemic. He will be greatly missed by us all.”
This post has less to do with human rights and more to do with pure hilarity. Why does the world have such a hate on for carbon dioxide? Carbon dioxide means life!*
US Judge throws out torture case in rendition programme
"The judge did not rule on the truth of the allegations, but said letting the case proceed might endanger security." CIA 'torture' lawsuit thrown out [BBC]
"In times of war, our country must often take exceptional steps to thwart the enemy." -Judge TS Ellis, US District Court, Virginia
So as noted before, I've been travelling and as a result, missed a whole bunch of shizzo that went on in the world. I continue to catch up.
One of the things was the 'Save Darfur Rally' in which an incredible amount of people marched in Washington DC to protest global inaction of genocide and human rights abuses in Sudan. [the banner link has been at the top of this blog for the past two months.]
Anyways, a gratuitous, and rather awkward, picture of George Clooney at the rally. Hug it out, George.
The anticipation is KILLING me!!!!!!! (not really, I'm just trying to be theatrical.) Lil' Johnny is going to OTTAWA! This absolutely THRILLING State visit will break all records of excitingness.* Conservative Ottawa can barely keep its pants on.**
"The purpose of the trip is to celebrate the policy similarities of the two countries," Australian High Commissioner Bill Fisher told the Toronto Star. "Australia and Canada are like twins separated at birth."
*No, I don't believe excitingness is not technically a word. But this is blogland, and we operate on our own dictionary. ** That was a joke. Conservative Ottawa always keeps its pants on. Even in the shower.
So after the main event of being pampered in Washington D.C. [note the 'intimacy' involved in the meeting. I feel dirty], our dear friend PMJH will travel to Ottawa.
"My visit to Ottawa, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, is an excellent opportunity to renew and strengthen Australia’s links with Canada. Australia and Canada have shared histories and values which provide a foundation for more intensive cooperation on common global challenges. I look forward to exploring with Prime Minister Harper ways in which our two countries can expand our bilateral links. I will also address a Joint Session of the Canadian Parliament. Separately, I will meet Canadian business leaders to advance the trade and investment ties between our two countries."
This is also an opportunity to look at the disturbing and somewhat curious trend of the PMO writing press releases in the first person. I'm not aware of this happening anywhere else... 'Look, it's a giant statement!' OK, I'm a nerd because I find this amusing. But, whatever. I never said I wasn't a nerd.
Anyways, back to PMJH. He will be addressing Parliament in Ottawa, and wow, that should be exciting. Almost as exciting as Stephen Harper himself. The competition will be intense.
UPDATE: An esteemed collegue has highlighted the similarities (first person aside) between PMJH and PMSH's statements.
From Howard's Release: "Australia and Canada have shared histories and values which provide a foundation for more intensive cooperation on common global challenges."
From Harper: "Canada and Australia have enjoyed a long friendship built on numerous similarities and shared values."
We may just see another addition to the twin, the treblemint trio?
Can you blame him? Who wouldn't want to be part of the club.
UPDATE #2:This just came up on Drudge, and it's too funny not to post.
CNN AIRS BUSH REHEARSAL LIVE; NETWORK CALLS MISTAKE: CNN aired President Bush rehearsing his immigration speech from the Oval Office on Monday night! The embarrassing images and audio [16 seconds total] captured the president starting and stopping his message, then looking at the White House media advisor for direction.
As Carla mentions below the Australian Prime Minister John Howard has ventured out of the country for yet another trip to the US, this time including Canada and Ireland on his schedule so it looks like he's doing something more than cavorting on Marine One.
One of Howards' "official" duties on his little vacation was to plant a tree with "new" old friend, President Shrub, I mean Bush... Watching the news reports I couldn't help but notice how similar the men's mindsets are, along with the similarity of their shirts and sportscoats...
Action shot maybe?
One more for good measure?
Perhaps Condi Rice said it best whilst toasting the horticultural highnesses' "(I am) able to say to them that any time the United States is on the front lines in the defense of freedom, Australians are by our side, and for that we thank you."
So my American friends do not fear... be it a senseless war...I mean defending freedom... or planting a tree or two... Australia will be there... as long as you ask politely... or just ask... well I guess if it's Howard of Costello in charge... just mention it in passing... or not... we'll find you anyway...
Oh and because I can... a picture of just how strong the hand holding... oops... alliance is... Photos take from here, here, and here
'We need to come together like people, not just hair stylists.'
Hello, hello. I've been travelling for three weeks, hence my absence from the blog. Anyways, getting back into the fray of reports and various news (note: travel is awesome). I'd also like to thank Bonyo for posting photos of George Clooney while I was away. You are a doll, love. Also, Mark has photos from a camping trip, UN style, which will be posted soon. And in case you were wondering about the title, god bless 'Blow Out' reruns.
I'll start with Australia's Prime Minister John Howard doing the cocktail circuit in Washington D.C. Now, I did the cocktail circuit three years ago, but whatever, Johnny is expanding his range. And that's great. Wonder if Wonkette and HuffPo will cover it. Probably not, they likely have more interesting people to write about.
"The President will also consult with the Prime Minister on critical regional and global issues. Australia stands as one of America's closest allies and partners, and continues to work with the United States toward the common goals of promoting peace, freedom, and prosperity through fighting terrorism, stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and promoting an open international economic order."
Note that the Prime Minister's trip to the United States is receiving ridiculously little press coverage, apart from the odd Adelaide paper.
p.s. D-8 Summit.... never really been front in the press. All of a sudden it is. How exciting. More later.
Dark-skinned foreigners in Russia blighted By HENRY MEYERASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
MOSCOW -- As a black man in Russia, Gabriel Anicet Kotchofa knows life means always being home by 9 p.m., never using public transit and hearing abusive remarks when he goes out in public with his white wife. "Sometimes I even go to the shop with my wife and we go separately, so nobody knows that we are together," the native of Benin says. Still, his experience has been milder than that of many blacks, Asians and dark-skinned Caucasians in Russia - he hasn't been killed, maimed or even attacked. "I'm a very lucky person. I have never been aggressed, because I know where to go, when to go and how to behave myself," said Kotchofa, an academic. Race-based attacks are rising sharply in Russia, a reflection of the xenophobia that was under the surface in Soviet times. In 2005 alone, 31 murders and 382 assaults were race-connected, according to the Moscow-based Sova human rights center. Already this year, 14 people have been killed in racial attacks. The attacks hit especially hard at natives of Third World countries who have come to Russia to study, because of the country's comparatively low tuition costs or because they are blocked from studying in the West by stringent visa regimes. A few months after arriving from Gabon in 1999 for studies at People's Friendship University in Moscow, Juldas Okie Etoumbia was shocked by the beating death of a Guinean student in their dormitory. The victim had refused to open the door for a cleaning lady in the early hours of the morning and she returned with several men who bludgeoned him with a hammer. Although he said he's never been attacked, he's lost count of the insults tossed at him. Once, traveling on the Moscow subway, he lost his grip and brushed the hand of a fellow-passenger - who demonstratively took out a handkerchief and wiped his hand clean. In the Soviet era, when the Kremlin was promoting the worldwide spread of Communism, the government strongly preached racial tolerance and offered generous scholarships that brought tens of thousands of Third World students to Russia to study. Kotchofa came in 1981 and says at that time, dark-skinned foreigners could go out day or night in perfect safety. Now a professor at the Gubkin Oil and Gas Institute, he laments the post-Soviet rise of nationalist politicians who openly spread xenophobic views. He suggests that certain "forces" have a vested interest in the proliferation of racial attacks. Some observers claim the Kremlin has encouraged the growth of nationalism in order to cast itself as a bulwark against the far-right as parliamentary and presidential elections loom in 2007 and 2008. "Our political leaders have an interest in this issue remaining prominent in the run-up to the election campaign," said Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Bureau of Human Rights. President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that xenophobia is a problem and the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi has lent its support to the anti-racism campaign. But prosecutions are rare, with many hate crimes treated as hooliganism, an offense that brings only short sentences. In one such case, seven teenagers were sentenced this year to terms of 1 1/2 to 5 1/2 years in prison in the stabbing death of a 9-year-old Tajik girl in St. Petersburg.
By Meg Clothier MOSCOW (Reuters) - Racist attacks happen with shocking regularity in Russia and the government is shirking its responsibilities and failing to confront the problem, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday. Anyone who does not look ethnically Russian is at risk, the report said, be they an African studying in St Petersburg or somebody from the Caucasus trying to earn a living in Moscow. Young Tajik children have also been targeted by gangs of young men -- and women -- with neo-fascist beliefs. Attacks on Jews also seem to be on the rise, it said. Anti-racism campaigners and even fans of rap or reggae music have also suffered, Amnesty said, because the "skinheads", as those with racist views are called in Russia, think they are "traitors". The report may make uncomfortable reading for President Vladimir Putin as he prepares to host leaders of Group of Eight rich nations in St Petersburg this July to showcase Russia's credentials as a responsible, modern state. "Russia's record on racism is incompatible with the country's place on the international stage and undermines its standing in the world," Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General, said in a statement. The chaos that followed the fall of the Soviet Union bred uncertainty about Russia's place in the world and anger at the perceived threat from immigration. Racist groups sprang up.
Ok....so what year are we in here? This definately scares me and it should scare everyone in this day and age. There is definately something wrong with this world! I have no more to say.
