Comfort Women aid project ENDS

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Monday April 02, 2007 · 7:14 AM PDT

2007/04/02 · 07:14

The Asian Women’s Fund is Japan's unofficial fund to help 'Comfort Women' from WWII. On March 31, 2007 it ended funding any projects.

A semiofficial relief organization for former World War II sex slaves is to be disbanded at the end of this month after disbursing some 1.7 billion yen in total -- 565 million yen from individual donors and 1.12 billion yen from state coffers -- to support the women, euphemistically called ''comfort women'' in Japan.

This fund was founded in 1995, it is privately funded and operated, but, it was the closest thing that Japan, officially, has done to help surviving 'comfort women'.

Back grounder on Comfort Women by Amnesty International

more after the fold

jeff3

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Friday March 30, 2007 · 7:30 AM PDT

2007/03/30 · 07:30

During the summer of 2006, right around the time that North Korea was staging it's rocket show, some of the silo's that house the US missile defense were flooded. 25% of the silo's needed repair, luckily none of these silo's had the intercepter missiles in place at the time. It will take 4 months to 14 months to repair them (from a 7/20/2006 report)

One had 63 FEET of water in it.

More after the fold

jeff3

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Thursday March 29, 2007 · 7:14 AM PDT

2007/03/29 · 07:14

In early March, Janet Rogan (title: Britain's consul general in Tel Aviv) was part of an economic British delegation led by Ed Balls, the British economic secretary to the Treasury. This delegation arrived at the Jerusalem office of the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, when they arrived, She, Janet Rogan, was ordered to undergo a "physical search".

Even though she has full diplomatic immunity... the guards strip searched her.

More after the fold

jeff3

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Tuesday March 27, 2007 · 6:52 AM PDT

2007/03/27 · 06:52

Poppy growing/Opium production is, at least, 50% of Afghanistan's economy. Last year 6,100 tons of opium were harvested. $3 Billion dollars were generated in Afghanistan from it's sale. 90% of the world's illegal opium supplies come from that harvest.

Something must be done about it, right? Something like preventing the poppies from being planted, right?

Well... there's major problems with that type of plan. To the farmers of Afghanistan, poppies are a way of life and if you try to stop them from planting the crop, they will resist that action. With Force.

So, is there some other plan?

Well, maybe... Let's try to use that opium in a legal way?

More after the fold

jeff3

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Monday March 26, 2007 · 7:29 AM PDT

2007/03/26 · 07:29

One of the common themes about the corruption in Iraq is Oil Smuggling.

"I would say probably between 200,000 and 500,000 barrels a day is probably unaccounted for in Iraq," Mikel Morris, who worked for the Iraq Reconstruction Management Organization (IRMO) at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, told KTVT, a Texas television station.

How, given the violence and chaos in Iraq, do you smuggle that much oil? The oil tanker trucks/rigs that you see on the highway hold approx 4,000-5,000 gallons. A barrel of oil is 42 gallons, so, 200,000 barrels of oil is approx 2,000 tanker trucks worth of oil.

How do you hide that much oil?

More after the hold

jeff3

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Sunday March 25, 2007 · 7:22 AM PDT

2007/03/25 · 07:22

On 25 March 1807, the Abolition of Slave Trade 1807 was passed.

Chile in 1823 ended slavery there. (The first European ruled country to do so.) Britain in 1834. The US in 1865. Brazil in 1888. Saudi Arabia in 1962. Mauritania in 1981 (The last nation in the world to outlaw slavery.)

So slavery does NOT exist, right?

No.

Stories like this still exist:

"I was born a slave" - Matalla tells his story from March 21, 2007.

I was born a slave.

"My masters were a warrior group of Arabs, the Reguibat. I worked as a shepherd of camels. When I was little, I looked after goats. I also made charcoal.

"As far as I know ... all my family, all my ancestors were slaves of that group ... My aunt, my brothers are still slaves with them. I've had no contact with them (since I escaped).

More after the fold

jeff3

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Saturday March 24, 2007 · 7:23 AM PDT

2007/03/24 · 07:23

Chaos continues in Somalia. Recently the AU placed some Ugandan peacekeeping troops in the city of Mogadishu. They have not been welcome with flowers.

Yesterday, in Somalia a Russian-made plane crashes on third day of Mogadishu fighting

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A plane carrying 11 people helping African peacekeepers in Mogadishu burst into flames and crashed on Friday during a third day of fighting in an insurgency many fear could plunge Somalia back into civil war.

Local private radio Shabelle said the plane, a Russian-made Ilyushin used in the region to transport both cargo and troops, was hit by a missile as it took off from Mogadishu.

more after the fold

jeff3

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Friday March 23, 2007 · 7:42 AM PDT

2007/03/23 · 07:42

This is an update on my diary:
Musharraf Fires Pakistan's Supreme Court Justice

On March 9, 2007, President General Pervez Musharraf virtually suspended the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and appointed the available senior-most judge, Justice Javed Iqbal, as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

That action has caused a storm of protest in Pakistan. Lawyers have fought riot police by the hundreds. Senior Judges and others have resigned in protest.

It has given the opposition to Musharraf a new, fresh way to attack him. And, even more important, given them fresh support, even from the US, against his policies.

More after the fold

jeff3

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Thursday March 22, 2007 · 5:06 PM PDT

2007/03/22 · 17:06

In 2005, Congress began to require that the US Military give it a report of Sexual Assaults (and related) crimes that occur within the Military.

The report for 2006 is here: Signed DoD Report of Sexual Assaults in CY2006 (warning 17 page PDF)

Some stats: 2947 sexual assaults were reported last year, up from 2374 in 2005 and up from 1700 from 2004.

Sigh, I do have to include an asterisk on the above stats:

This is the third year the military has compiled sexual assault statistics. The reporting methods have changed each year, however, making comparisons of the annual reports difficult.

more after the fold

jeff3

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Tuesday March 20, 2007 · 7:01 AM PDT

2007/03/20 · 07:01

This is a followup on my diary: Iranian Nuclear Reactor Good/Bad News which I published on Feb 20, 2007

From that diary:

Iran, with Russian technical support, is building a nuclear reactor at Bushehr.

The plans were for the Russians to deliver the nuclear fuel in March 2007, for the reactor to be finished by November 2007.

At the time of that dairy, the argument was over did or did not Iran pay Russia the money to build the reactor.

Now, though, according to this article Russia Gives Iran Ultimatum on Enrichment Russia says NO more help on the reactor until Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the UN.

jeff3

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Monday March 19, 2007 · 7:34 AM PDT

2007/03/19 · 07:34

this dairy is based on this article: Teachers Skip Past Sex Cases

How are things like THIS happening!?

Education officials at every level do not know how many teachers have been investigated for sexual abuse or how many they have sent back to classrooms.

To find out, the Herald-Tribune reviewed the results of more 14,000 teacher investigations going back as far as 1997.

The analysis shows that more than 300 teachers have been punished in recent years for sexual misconduct - molesting students, seducing them, having them pose nude or lavishing them with unwanted attention. Nearly 450 more physically attacked or verbally terrorized their students.

More than half of those teachers kept their license to teach. At least 150 are teaching in Florida classrooms today.

More after the fold

jeff3

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Sunday March 18, 2007 · 5:04 PM PDT

2007/03/18 · 17:04

On March 7, 2007 Opinion Research Business surveyed 5,019 Iraqi's between Feb 10-22, 2007.

Their press release is at the link.

The full 76 page PDF is here: opinion poll

There is massive amount of info in that poll. some highlights;

Despite the violence only 26% preferred life under Saddam

49% prefer life under the current political regime of Noori al-Maliki

But, to me the stats that stand out are:

26% Iraqi adults have had a family relative murdered in the last three years

23% of those living in Baghdad have had a family/relative kidnapped in the last three years

More after the fold

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Comfort Women aid project ENDS

US Missile defense... Rained Out

FEMALE British consul strip searched at Israeli PM's office

NATO to Legalize Afghanistan's Opium?

Oil Smuggling in Iraq: How it works

200 years ago the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed

Rocket brings down airplane in Mogadishu fighting

President Pervez Musharraf VS the Supreme Court

Sexual Assaults in Military Increase

Russia Makes Threat to Keep Nuclear Fuel From Iran

Florida Teachers: sex with students NOT a problem!

Iraq Poll: 26% Iraqi adults have had a family relative murdered in the last 3 years