There was a TV interview on Channel 4 news (UK) a couple of nights ago with the Ambassador of PRC government in the UK. I have to say she seemed a very likable person - she was somebody I found very easy to listen to and accept what she said. I guess those are the qualities of a good ambassador of any kind.One of the things she was asked about was whether the PRC government was putting any press
I hate when politics interfere with the greater good of its people (LINK). But then again Burma or as they say, Union of Myanmar (LINK) is not a democratic country.I guess thanks are in order that I am lucky to be living in a democratic country where even though its being governed by imbeciles - at least I can sleep peacefully in the night with the thought that I was the one who voted to get them elected in the first place.So, did you vote lately?Tags: POLITICS, BURMA CYCLONE, FOREIGN AID
In recent years, sovereign democracy has become a key ideological tenet in Russian politics and society. As the ideology for the party in power - United Russia - sovereignty is perceived as a precondition for democracy. In my recent report on the state of democracy in Russia, Ryssland - en suverän demokrati? (Russia - a sovereign democracy?), this theme is addressed from the perspective of constitutionality and funtionality, to ascertain whether Russia's specific model of democracy has any essence.In current Russia, the political elite has chosen the path of sovereign democracy. The argument goes as follows: The precondition for democracy is sovereignty in terms of state capacity. Without the capacity to rule oneself, no real democracy can exist. Democratic decisions can be made, but if t
President said in 2001 that he had looked Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the eye and ``was able to get a sense of his soul.'' Senator John McCain says he looked into Putin's eyes ``and saw three letters: KGB.''McCain, 71, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, favors expelling Russia from the Group of Eight club of industrial powers. He calls for forging a ``League of Democracies'' to confront Putin and hand-picked successor Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over tomorrow, on Russian threats against former Soviet republics and rollbacks of domestic freedoms.The candidate's approach to Russia signals that he has aligned himself with hard-line foreign-policy advisers who favor democracy promotion above all and rejects advocates of doing business with authoritarian regimes when it suits
This is a subject of great importance — political party donations. Do they belong in a democratic society? Probably. Who and what should be able to give, and how much?
“The NDP also received about $586,000 from corporations, $165,000 from trade unions,…”
As a member of a union, I find that to be a big misuse of [...]
Thailand President Samak Sundaravej joked with Myanamar’s visiting president that denying the right of opposition leaders to participate in the upcoming referendum on a proposed new constitution for Burma suggested: “This is the way of a 50% democracy.” There was no visible verbal or physical response from the Burmese general other than a blank stare. [...]
The professor at my Government and Politics in South East Asia course came up to me a few weeks back and told me it was her impression that I’ve very opinionated regarding the issue of democratization in East-Asia, especially that of Taiwan’s, and asked me whether I would be willing to review and critic [...]
It may sound like a bad joke, but the sad truth is that Africa’s short-lived experiment with democracy faces hard times.
From Nigeria to Zimbabwe, Kenya to the Ivory Coast and Uganda to Cameroon, the writing is on the wall. The experiment with democracy has sadly taken a dangerous nosedive.
Recent political events point to a [...]
You know, there’s political stupidity, and then there’s… Well, this guy:SOUTH BEND, Ind. (April 23) - A congressional candidate is defending his speech to a group celebrating the anniversary of Adolf Hitler's birth, saying he appeared simply because he was asked.
Tony Zirkle, who is seeking the Republican nomination in northern Indiana's 2nd District, stood in front of a painting of Hitler, next
Self-government (the equality of rulers and ruled, government of the people by the people instead of government of the people by an elite sprung from the people) is an important value because it gives people control over their own lives. Most people want to be masters of their own lives and want to be involved [...]
Do we have a constitution of this country that says nothing more than the House of Commons may do anything it forced to do by the executive? Including subcontracting the powers we have invested in it? If we have such a constitution it is no more than a constitution for dictatorship.
A democracy regards and must regard all people as equally valuable (the equal worth or the equal dignity of the human being, see art. 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). A citizen of a non-democratic society can be considered as more or less valuable than other citizens because of his or her family, [...]
The ruling Justice and Development Party(AKP) of Turkey is pushing through Constitutional amendments aimed at bolstering democratic procedures and rights in the nation. The package of rights includes creating an ombudsman who will have power to inspect state agencies to ensure human rights and ethics are being respected. One amendment is aimed at the current [...]
Think the old Pink Floyd “we don’t need no education” line only replace it with democracy and that’s what you’ve got here in Germany, folks. If you trust these latest survey results, that is (which I don’t, nicht wirklich). Hey, that was from The Wall, wasn’t it? How ironic.
Anyway, according to the Leipzig Institute for Market Research, only 60 percent of Germans surveyed have confidence in the democratic system as it is practiced today in the Federal Republic of Germany (in the eastern part of Germany it’s less than half at 44 percent). But when it comes to authority, the survey says that 85 percent of Germans trust authority figures, like their police.
Don’t get me wrong, I think trusting the police is a good thing. But how does all of this fit together? On the one
Track Listing:01-Better.mp302-Irs.mp303-There was a time.mp304-Catcher in the rye.mp305-Chinese democracy.mp306-Blues.mp307-Madagascar.mp308-Rhiad and the bedouins.mp309-Oh my god.mp310-Silkworms.mp3Code:-_Chinese___2007.rarPassword: under9round.org
Of course it is a sad and damming comment on the whole EU system that one small interest group of Irish Farmers can hold such power over the outcome of the Lisbon treaty that will affect over 500 million people. It is indicative of the whole antidemocratic system that the only thing standing between the EU plans for the destruction of 27 nation states is the Irish Constitution
Nicaragua’s right-wing opposition has “started to organize against what it claims is President Daniel Ortega’s similar [to Venezuela] intentions to consolidate power in this country” according to a recent Tim Roger’s article “Nicaraguan opposition resists Chavez’s expanding ‘revolution…’”
Rogers writes, “Mr. Ortega, an ally of Venezuela’s president, has promised to implement his own version of ‘direct [...]
It just so happens that when it comes to democracy and human rights, Europe knows what it’s talking about.José Manuel Durão Barroso
President of the European Commission.
Shame the EU does not practice it instead of just talking about it!
LINK
Similar Posts:Concern expressed over EU Democracy
Anything to declare, Mr Barroso?
We Should Not Fool Ourselves
The Truth will [...]
What is particularly striking about Shavit and what distinguishes him from his colleagues at MR is his worldview - more precisely his take on the Middle East and the West, and on the roots of and solutions to the raging conflict between them. This he spells out in his newly released book - based on his PhD thesis and other writings - The Wars of Democracy; The West and the Arabs from the Fall of Communism to the War in Iraq (published in Hebrew by TAU's Moshe Dayan Center). - Your book deals with whether the clash of civilizations is inherent or whether it is politically motivated. Is there or is there not a real difference between Arabia and the West? - There is a difference, but is it inherent? No. Do things have to be in the future as they are now? No. What I try to show in
Why not Parties in Russia?: Democracy, Federalism, and the State (Paperback)By Henry E. Hale
Buy new: $29.99$29.9911 used and new from $25.89 First tagged “parties” by Henry E. Hale Customer tags: russian [...]
If you ever wondered how undemocratic the EU can be, then just reflect on how they simply HATE referendums. They much prefer the dodgy types like Berlusconi, a man who can win elections even if half the state prosecutors want him in jail!So the EU mandarins have turned their gaze towards Ireland, where a referendum is to take place on the Constitutional Treaty that is supposed to be something else! They have helped to try to fix the outcome by "suggesting" it would be a good idea if Bertie Ahern went before the poll took place. Daniel Hannan poses this on his Telegraph blog.Why did Bertie Ahern stand down as Ireland’s Prime Minister? Alright, because he is facing corruption allegations, but why did he resign now? The Guardian’s Henry McDonald, who knows a thing or two about Irish polit
Did the word "Democracy" lost it's meaning today? What started as an idea to give the power to the people, today forms as an idea to take away all the power from the people.
Democracy is having troubles growing in [...]
The one thing holding up release at this point is money with production said to be estimated at a whopping $13 million dollars. The label is negotiating with Rose over the money and rights to the album, which I’m sure will be settled by the time I start cashing in my 401k
¿Qué se debe sentir al terminar algo que has estado haciendo durante 14 años? Una gran felicidad supongo, y un gran vacío también. Se lo preguntaremos a Axl Rose porque según publica NME, los Guns 'N' Roses, ¡por fin!, han terminado Chinese Democracy. Bueno, ya se que esto se ha dicho más veces, pero esta vez parece ser definitiva. Geffen Records la compañía que distribuirá el disco ha
Asmaa Abdol-HamidAfter much hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing, the Danish parliament decided that democracy is a pretty good thing. The parliament's board of governors ruled that the hijab is permitted in its hallowed halls. Headscarves OK in Parliament The Copenhagen Post It was a victory for the Red-Green Party's Asmaa Abdol-Hamid and a bitter defeat for the Danish People's Party on Tuesday when parliament's board of governors ruled that MPs may dress as they wish in parliament, so long as they can be recognised by their colleagues. The decision was specific taken up in response to the issue of women wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf. Abdol-Hamid is a parliamentary candidate for her party, and she said she would continue wearing her headscarf should she become an MP. The Danish P
President of the EU Commission is very concerned about Democracy freedoms and the wishes of the people.
EU chief concerned about Zimbabwe election delay
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says he is very concerned by delays in the release of results of Zimbabwe’s presidential election. He told reporters in Brussels that one thing [...]
President of the EU Commission is very concerned about Democracy freedoms and the wishes of the people.
EU chief concerned about Zimbabwe election delay
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says he is very concerned by delays in the release of results of Zimbabwe’s presidential election. He told reporters in Brussels that one thing [...]
President of the EU Commission is very concerned about Democracy freedoms and the wishes of the people.
EU chief concerned about Zimbabwe election delay
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says he is very concerned by delays in the release of results of Zimbabwe’s presidential election. He told reporters in Brussels that one thing [...]
The American system of primaries and caucuses is not necessarily based on a level playing field. Far from it. It is often open to manipulation, armtwisting, and, in places, downright fraud. Americans seem to take all this in their stride. They've grown up with pork-barrel politics and smoke-filled deal-making rooms. How much longer are they prepared to put up with it?Sean Wilentz, writing on salon.com, poses this theory - "Why Hillary Clinton should be winning". Apparently, under a winner-take-all primary system, Hillary Clinton would have a wide lead over Barack Obama -- and enough delegates to clinch the nomination by June. The Democrats in primary states choose their nominee on the basis of a convoluted system of proportional distribution of delegates that varies from state to state and
Democracy means continuous confrontations between a maximum number of different opinions coming from a maximum number of levels of society, all of which have to be treated equally, with the same respect and attention. We have to listen to and take into consideration every opinion on an equal basis. This confuses, complicates and extends the [...]
The Last CallLast call to awaken the slumbering promise of our Constitution - or to watch our freedom slither away forever. Corporate media has enabled tyranny to prevail over the truth, because they value profits above all else. This is a wake-up call to save us from the final descent into an Orwellian world from which we will not be able to return.American Fascists Part 1American Fascists Part 2Mainstream media corporations like CNN, Fox, and NBC (General Electric) together with giant telecoms like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T have become administration pawns in a well-organized effort to hijack America.A warning for all Americans the media has become a docile lapdog of government while failing at keeping us informed. Those who stay tuned to Fox News, CNN or any other corporate-owned n
Planet Gossip says “Axl Rose & Co. have recently been letting people, music industry honchos, tastemakers and so forth, listen to six new tracks, according to a music executive who has heard the songs“.
They say Axl’s voice sounds great and exactly the same as years ago. They don’t provide an release dates, but [...]
Over at the Volokh Conspiracy (an unbelievably smart clan of politically astute lawyers) there is a growing series of posts about a recent UN Human Rights Council resolution. The resolution is being condemned by all commentators there for being...against human rights.Which, in fact, it is.The resolution urges the member states of the UN (not just the ones who voted for this measure) to use legislative and police means to prevent any incitement of hatred or violence against a race or religion. This provision in and of itself would not likely be abused too badly by strong democracies. In the US, the government may act against hateful speech if it seems likely to cause actual violence. A legitimate threat enables the government to go against free speech to preserve the more fundamental ri
The EU Propaganda Minister has now updated her Blog to cover yesterday’s announcement of a further Plan D initiative.
From the measures undertaken so far with Plan D and the measures intended with this new proposal one can safely conclude that all them are propaganda initiatives.
But according the spin Plan D was regarded it as a [...]
In 1991, when the EPRDF took over power in Ethiopia, most Ethiopians were introduced to a new word - DEMOCRACY.
Once the people learned what democracy meant, they had tried to apply it in everything and sometimes in a wrong way.
Democracy in a third world, like Ethiopia, can be as dangerous as war itself if the [...]
I think this site is an excellent addition to our democracy and local government politics. Can't think why more are not using it? Afraid of publicity or maybe they haven't heard of it? Pass the word around!Votewise.co.uk
EDem2008 - E-Democracy ConferenceDanube University Krems (Austria)29.09.2008 - 30.09.2008„E-Democracy“ has managed the jump from trendy “e-word” to reality. Following recommendations issued by the European Council, studies and projects conducted in Europe are starting to provide initial findings and results.We are looking for contributions on all areas and levels of electronic democracy and participation systems, precedence will be given to those contributions which include national and/or international experiences. Concrete projects can also be submitted, and, if accepted, would be presented as examples of “hands-on” demonstrations of E-Democracy and E-Participation.Papers and projects can be submitted in English or German, the tracks in German and English language will be hel
Are we redundant as an Electorate?
Its the economy, stupid. Is this the most truthful and accurate summary of politics ever captured in four words? The Labour government is on the ropes right now, they are by no means down, but they are on the ropes. We have had unpopular wars, repeated stories [...]
¿Qué apuestas a que Guns N'Roses no saca disco?Una marca regalará refrescos a todos los estadounidenses si el grupo publica su prometido nuevo álbum en 2008ELPAIS.com - Madrid La marca de bebidas gaseosas Dr. Pepper, una de las más vendidas en Estados Unidos, ha desafiado a la banda Guns N' Roses. Si el grupo de Axel Rose y Slash consigue, de una vez por todas, publicar su anunciado álbum este 2008, la empresa propietaria de la marca regalará a cada estadounidense una bebida.La irónica propuesta de Dr. Pepper fue anunciada por la empresa ayer, mediante un comunicado que rezaba: "Dr Pepper anima a Axl Rose a publicar por fin su obra maestra (...) Chinese Democracy, en 2008. En un impulso de solidaridad sin precedentes con Axl, todo el mundo en Estados Unidos, excepto los antiguos g
Why do I say the EU is anti-democratic, it is worrying that so many do not know or do not care about basic democratic principals that the question could even be posed - Abraham Lincoln defined the fundamental characteristic of democratic government in his Gettysburg address;
it must be - of [...]
The EU an Anti-democracy Organisation
My standpoint of opposing the European Project is based on one single fundamental issue and that is the whole project is constructed on and supported by its being anti- democratic. Anti- democratic, because it is designed to remove the power of the people from any influence. Other than [...]
UNA DR. PEPPER POR PERSONAEn este blog, abogamos por el no-linchamiento público al que es sometido axl rose,por la aun-no-salida del disco chinese democracy... y abogamos por la debida PACIENCIA necesaria por el que debe ser el disco que mas ha tardado en crearse... ya que son casi 15 años desde que se concibio el proyecto... casi una docena de canciones (que supuestamente formarian parte de este disco) filtradas al público, y una millonada en su creacion, aun no hay una fecha clara para su salida.De esto ha aprovechado (con una gran vision merchandetera) el fabricante de la gaseosa Dr. Pepper (popular gaseosa conocida en usa, pero no por estos lares) para ofrecer darle una de sus bebidas carbonatadas a todos los norteamericanos SI ES QUE el album chinese democracy ve la luz este año;
The people of Zimbabwe must be concerned as they lined up by the millions to vote because President Mugabe said he would accept the decision of the electorate. the Zimbabwe ecnomy has collapsed due to the disastrous policies of Mugabe, millions have fled the nation, and an election is going on. Why would Mugabe, who [...]
The next administration, with Dmitry Medvedev as president and Vladimir Putin remaining at the helm as prime minister, may evolve into something different from Putin’s current rule. But the expectations of liberalization that Medvedev’s rhetoric and non-KGB background might have raised in some circles are wishful thinking.Medvedev’s campaign was hardly a demonstration of adherence to democratic principles. And his rhetoric, while somewhat softer than Putin’s, is barely an indicator of change. Throughout his presidency, Putin repeatedly spoke of the need for the rule of law, free media and other democratic virtues. Yet his policies were increasingly at variance with these principles, and by the end of his presidency the gap between the official rhetoric and reality reached almost So
Greek and Chinese antiques history has both had a wise and kind, or arrogantly powerful leadership. However, unlike Greece, China has always been imperial. Emperor or Chairman, all rules come from within the walls of the forbidden city and must be obeyed, or shame, pain, and death will follow you and your family into the [...]
Greek Antiques heroes, like later American heroes, have always been of a sort who were more a Jefferson or a Lincoln in mind and soul. They seemed to rise to the occasions of most dire need for their times, and speak their truth so clear and clean and pure that all could remember and [...]
Kevin Smith The Green Left Weekly - 14 March 2008 Original URL Carbon trading and offsets distract attention from the wider, systemic changes and collective political action that needs to be taken in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Promoting more effective and empowering approaches to climate change involves moving away from the blinkered reductionism of free-market dogma, the false economy of supposed quick fixes and the short-term self-interest of big business. The concept that underpins the whole system of carbon trading and offsetting is that a ton of carbon here is exactly the same as a ton of carbon there. That is, if it’s cheaper to reduce emissions in India than it is in Britain, then you can achieve the same climate benefit in a more cost-effective manner by
UDJ ReporterUnity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) has launched its signature collection activities by dispatching its members to regions in eight groups as of March 25, 2008. Out 0f the 31members dispatched, 26 are parliamentarians. KNASSO PR will have detail information and public relation projects in the coming daySouthern EthiopiaGroup I South Shewa – Awassa GroupMuluneh EyoelKibret Henle(P)Group II Wolayta – Arbaminch – Jinka GroupAlemayehu YenenehKifle Haile Mariam (P)Northern EthiopiaGroup III Wolo–Woldia GroupAhmed Abegaz (P)Tamrat TarekegneSeyed Mohammed (P)Mekin Seyed (P)Gashu Getahun (P)Alebachew Ayelew (P)Group IV Gojam – Gonder GroupAlemero Awoke (PYitayew Shiferaw (P)Tilahun Abebe (P)Bazezew Bezie (P)Libay Abebe (P)Andualem Ayalew (P)-Syum Mamo (P)Agbaw Setegn (P)Bay
The people over at Dr Pepper either a) have too much time on their hands or b) really love Guns n’ Roses. Perhaps it’s a combination of the two that sparked some dim-witted soft-drink junkie to approach Axl Rose with this bright idea: release the decade-in-the-making Chinese Democracy and we’ll give everyone in America a free can of Dr Pepper
C-Span gives us the goings-on in Washington and is as close to providing primary sources on current happenings for all Americans as one can get. Important issues are discussed in a way everyone can understand and thus even participate in the discussion at some point. So is that good enough for us, or do we need even more information?
I am a 75-year old American who has been coming to Nepal in every twelve months for the last 21 years, usually staying...
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Brisk voting was underway on Monday for the first ever parliamentary elections in Bhutan, marking the end of the 100-year-old monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom. “The enthusiasm is tremendous with heavy polling recorded so far till midday in all the 20 districts. This is a historic moment for all of us,” said Bhutan's Chief Election Commissioner Dasho Kunzang Wangdi. Elections are being held for the 47-member National Assembly or the lower house in parliament with 318,465 registered voters eligible to exercise their franchise in the largely Buddhist nation of about 600,000 people. Bhutan's first elected prime minister will be from among the National Assembly members. ~ read on... ~
Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy (BK Currents) # Author: Ted Nace # Format:PDF 1.0MB# Page Count:#300 pages# Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (July 2003)# Language: English# ISBN-10: 1576752607# ISBN-13: 978-1576752609Surpassing even the state and the church, the corporation has become the core institution of the modern world, exercising might and muscle without regard to the often destructive effects on individuals, the environment, society, and the world. How did this happen? In this compelling expose, noted entrepreneur and activist Ted Nace scrutinizes the legal framework of the corporation and untangles questions about how and why the corporation evolved as it did. Nace traces the evolution of this institution through the behind-the-sce
The secluded kingdom of Bhutan has introduced new tensions for its people by holding the first ever election in which political parties can run candidates. Butan has long been a holdout from the modeern world and was run by a Bhuddist king who finally broke down in 1999 and allowed Internet and televisioin to become [...]
By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Embattled President Pervez Musharraf hailed the start of a “new era of real democracy” in Pakistan and vowed Sunday to support an incoming government led by foes bent on diminishing his powers.
“The journey toward democracy and development we started eight years ago is now reaching its destination,” [...]
The Department of Government is recognised as one of the leading Political Science departments in the UK. It has a thriving postgraduate community and can provide research supervision across a wide...
The diamonds and gemstones sought by Sir Walter Raleigh was all and more worthy of the highest compliments since he was stealing from the evil Spanish on the Spanish Main. Here winds would blow home the ships laden with diamonds, gemstones, gold, silver for the high living luxury enjoyed by the court of Spain.
This [...]
This is a site I found cruising around the web today… I found it through Entrecard… see, another benefit to Entrecard, I am finding very interesting sites.
It’s called Sustainable Democracy. And it caught my eye… mainly because I’m a democrat, though democracy does not mean democrat (something I had to grasp when I [...]
Former British ambassador to Russia, Rodric Braithwaite, writing in the Moscow Times, explored the issue as to whether the Russian people are ready to enjoy a democratic form of government. He believes President Putin’s approach is based on the assumption his people are no yet ready for true democracy and achieving that goal must be [...]
Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, has co-authored a piece calling for the European Union to defend the rights of Cuban to democracy:PRAGUE — Five years ago, the European Union was on the verge of fulfilling one of the aspirations of the Velvet Revolutions that swept across Central and Eastern Europe by expanding from 15 to 25 members through the accession of several post-communist states. Yet, while the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain may have fallen into the dustbin of history, others vestiges of the Soviet era remain firmly in place. Certain areas of the world have been transformed for the better, even as others have been suspended in time to fend for themselves. One place that has not changed is Cuba, despite Fidel Castro's decision to retire and hand the reigns o
Khaled HamzaMarc Lynch over at Abu Aardvark writes of the Muslim Brotherhood's attempts to become part of the democratic process, but is stymied by the Egyptian government, which has rolled back democratic reforms, and the passive, if not negligent stand, taken by the US government.Check out this sidebar on the Muslim Brotherhood from columnist Mona Eltahawy.MB and Democracy, AgainOne of the main axes of debate has long been the (Muslim) Brotherhood's commitment to democracy, both as a process and as a normative ideal. I've argued throughout that at this point, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood - to say nothing of Islamist movements such as the AKP - have done pretty much everything they could reasonably do to demonstrate their commitment to the democratic process, often paying heavy costs
The news today may have been historic. As an earlier brilliant light of early America, Emerson noted while he and his friend Thoreau would read and discuss the ideas of the ages, others would shout loudly about another train derailment. Or there was an uprising in the west, and other events that make the headlines [...]
Hantu Laut
This has nothing to do about politics in Malaysia. This is about a bizarre official guidelines for sentencing of desperate criminals in the United Kingdom. A new official guidelines for judges to give lighter sentences to burglars and thieves who steal to fund their addiction to drug, gambling and booze even if they target vulnerable victims.
The recommendations were issued by the
The United Nation’s special envoy to Myanmar met detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi before wrapping up his latest trip to the military-ruled nation. The nation’s military junta leaders refused to meet with the UN representative. Ibrahim Gambari met twice with the leader of democratic forces in Burma but the chariman of the munta, [...]
European Union and American observers are being excluded from examining the validity of the March 29th election in Zimbabwe. Apparently, those nations do not yet grasp the meaning of an election held under the rule of Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi informed the world, “Clearly those who believe that the only free and [...]
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade,...
The USS Cole is now off the shores of Lebanon.The US demonstrates its firepower by bringing in its big guns off the shores of Lebanon in an apparent signal to Hezbollah that the US will not tolerate Hezbollah's alleged interference in Lebanon’s struggle to elect a president by parliament. Oh, and as John Robertson points out in War in Context, Hezbollah is “a legitimately constituted, democratically elected political party in Lebanon’s political structure.” Hezbollah, by the way, gained 10 percent of the seats in the 2005 parliamentary election - an election process endorsed by the US to further democracy. When Bullies ConvergeBy John Robertson War in Context28 and 29 February: the US parks the USS Cole off the shore of Lebanon. Uh-oh. 1 March: Israeli forces launch a major opera
Yesterday, for the umpteenth time squared by as many, India’s parliamentarians stalled proceedings in Parliament. Like always, they rushed with aggressive intent to the well of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, shouted like drunk men in a seedy bar do over loud music, and made sure that no business could be conducted. Yesterday too, after decades of being in Parliament, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, got enlightenment, not quite like the Buddha, no not West Bengal’s Chief Minister, but the original one who had got it more than 2,500 years ago. Sitting in the Speaker’s chair, he at last saw what the whole nation, indeed the world, has been seeing for years with shame and disgust respectively. Indian politicians are the most ill behaved, irresponsible and
A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Alexis de Tocqueville
All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
Alexis de Tocqueville
America is great because she [...]
Congratulations to Phil for nailing this one: "The point really is that it's not the wisdom of the crowds, it's a gentle dictatorship of the chaperones" - which is slightly more pointed than the Chris Wilson/Slate article he cited. He only noted "the wisdom of the chaperones". He, in turn was referencing a multi-authored paper (PDF), "Power of the Few vs. Wisdom of the Crowd: Wikipedia and the Rise of the Bourgeoisie" by Ed Chi and colleagues. To be fair, Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, is supposed to have said it first; he is quoted as saying, "most of the work on Wikipedia is done by a small number of users" in 2004 [URL no longer active].Does this affect our view of a major Web resource? Should it?Possibly. Those of us who have been advocating its use have mostly based our arguments
Democracy Now! provides students with access to people and perspectives rarely covered by U.S. media, including independent journalists and ordinary people from around the world who are directly affected by U.S. foreign policy.
There has been a lot on the news recently about democracy:forthcoming elections in Pakistan;disputed elections in Kenya;weird and wonderful elections in the USA;criticism of China;slide into cold-war think in Russia;... and so on.The USA and UK often (at least in our media) seem to take a lead promoting democracy. There is no one model for democracy, and I'm not sure how easy it is say what passes and what fail the democracy test.For sure, elections by themselves are no guarantee of democracy.The essence of the thing seems to be that a country is run for the benefit of the people living in that country, with informed choice by the people of what it is that they want.A country, like Burma, run by a clique mostly for the benefit of that clique clearly falls outside the bounds. But a govern
We, the Indians take huge pride in the claim that India and USA are the two greatest democracies in the world - one country has the oldest democracy while the other has the largest. But differences between these two democracies have never been this acute, as in recent times.In one country, a huge democratic process is going on to select the Presidential candidate. And the whole world media is going gaga about it. Hundreds of Party men are voting to choose the person, who is going to lead them in the elections and every person in the party are given the option to have their say.But in the other country, one high powered committee of the party decides the Prime Ministerial Candidate. [Read Indian Party declares PM Candidate.] Even this looks democratic, when it is compared to the sele
Montesquieu’s most influential work divided French society into three classes (or trias politica, a term he coined): the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the commons. Montesquieu saw two types of governmental power existing: the sovereign and the administrative. The administrative powers were the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. These should be separate from and dependent [...]
After I spent almost a month in New Hampshire I went to Las Vegas, Nevada to work on the Kucinich campaign. As most of you may know Nevada has a caucus system, and not a primary. Because Nevada had a caucus my tactics in trying to get support for Kucinich were different than New Hampshire. I had never been to Las Vega before until now, and before I continue let me say that Las Vegas may be one of the worst places to campaign in the country because it's very hard to distinguish tourists from residents. Because of this obstacle I spent most of my time on the phones speaking to potential caucus goers instead of staying on the streets. Around the time I arrived in Las Vegas the campaign got notice that Dennis Kucinich was going to be excluded from the NBC debate after he was originally inv
“A Better Democracy” welcomes citizens from all over the world who wish to learn about democracy and the ideals it represents. Democracy can always be improved.
Ancient Greece and 1776 America both brought democracy yet it had its faults. In neither instances did women have political power, nor was slavery abolished. Thus, [...]
Quick post/poll thingy: Would you guys prefer:A. - A regular Photoshop/OtherMagic challenge, where I choose a picture and give guidelines for digital manipulation (as usual and more or less)or B. - A combination of Photoshop/Whatever and real-world art supplies?Please let me know in the comments section by Sunday aft (N.Am. time), so I can set something interesting or fun or tedious up.
Now that Mwai Kibaki of Kenya is a full-fledged dictator, Kenya’s few “Democratic Gains” in the last few years are headed for the dustbin.
Prof. Ali Mazrui asks: “Who killed democracy in Africa?” “This is a question I ask myself often. A string of suspects have merged from history.”….”Let me personify four forces at work.”… [...]
Have you ever wondered WHY all those bureaucrats at the EU exist? Well...Cox is reading a fascinating book at the minute detailing every minutiae of the inception of the EU which importantly answers the "why" as well as they "how".A quick summary of the first few chapter tells us that during the battle of Verdun in WW1 the French soon learned that military strength was directly related to economic power (mainly coal and steel) . Germany was by far the more efficient manufacturer and industrially superior - pasting the French in the majority of encounters on the battle field.In the aftermath, those responsible for creating the EU realised that if economic power was placed under a supranational authority, conflict would not only be undesirable, it would logistically impossible.The problem was that the supranational authority had to be composed of people whose sole loyalty was to the institution and not to any nation i.e they had to be above the interests of individual nations. So, heads
There has been a few more articles written this Month on the entire Home Town Democracy debacle or as we can call it now a battle.
What I find interesting is that most local citizenry in North Florida areas, especially the Greater Tampa Bay Area, do not even know the truth about this issue. The main reason for this is, that the opposition campaign is being run like a political campaign and has from the very onset of this issue.
Just check out this latest article File Attachment: Costly Home Town Debate.pdf (94 KB)
They (the opposition to Home Town Democracy- FSG) do not want you or I to have our say over continued growth in the State of Florida. They have since changed their tune a little. At the beginning they did not want to even let us participate in any votes for growth anywhere in Florida. They, the Businesses want to control everything. Then as they realized that their was an opposition, they concocted an amendment that they say gives you choice, only under total control by
Q. What is the difference between Indian and American democracy?
A. In India you can pee in public but you can't kiss in public. In America you can kiss in public but you can't pee in public!
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ESPERA QUE DESESPERADecepcionas una vez mas axl, una vez mas fallaste a quienes confiamos en ti, prescindiste del gran slash de izzy o del amado-odiado duff, habras ganado ese juicio por el nombre de gun's and roses pero NO ES TUYO, ¿ ME LEES ?, Gun's and Roses nos pertenece a todos los millones de fanaticos que estamos esperando por la version final del Chinese Democracy, necesito tener ese disco en mis manos, la ansiedad mata y encima la pagina oficial no se actualiza desde hace meses, ¿ es una estrategia publicitaria ?... axl, noticias para ti... NO LA NECESITAS !Y esta no es una carta abierta, no, es una demanda, exijo que liberes ese disco ya, los fanaticos no podemos seguir ingeniendonos de una y mil maneras para conseguir los demos y las versiones "sin terminar" de las nuevas canciones, aquellas que "misteriosamente" se filtran al publico, ¿sera que es otra estrategia publicitaria? again... NO LA NECESITAS !Debo reconocer que mi exaltación llego a un punto high al escucha
- You break the law On Elections… You break the Law On Elections!
As a matter of fact they simply tried to make the complaint - the authorised representative of the “Apple” (”Yabloko” - opposition party) and two candidates. Half an hour of wrangles has ended with a police squad. By the way, on this polling [...]
Not disposable electorate
Experiment on meself: correspondents of one opposition newspaper could vote in Moscow twice. The selective commissions allowed wishing to support party-winner repeatedly.
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“Do you know what Home Town Democracy is ? It’s about Voters, yep you and me, having our say on what and how we want to Develop Florida. The initiative on the ballot concerning anti-growth that many of us signed. The Florida Hometown Democracy’s citizen initiative would amend Florida’s Constitution to allow Floridians to give themselves a vote on growth plans.”
This is an article that I wrote about back in September after having received a letter from a Florida Politician turned Lobbyist who calls him self Honorable. Yep I am referring to the lying lobbyist John Thraser.
The Home Town Democracy Issue has hit a stumbling point by a circuit Judge in Tallahassee. This Judge sided with the Developers. Of course you may have missed this in the morning fish wrapper yesterday as the St. Pete times conveniently buried this on page 1B. Oh yea it was the first page of the Local & State section. This should have been on page 1A instead of the lame article about Hulk Hogans
Ed Stelmach’s Traveling Circus of a government continued its trend of controversial and/or embarrassing acts this month with the nomination of one Craig Chandler as their candidate in the Calgary-Egmont riding. With plummeting popularity never before experienced by Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives, added to the toxic public image of a governing party with a weak leader, the last thing the P.C.s needed was another controversy to hatch. Oddly, this one is much like the majority of other goofs and bloopers by the Stelmach-led government in that it is the party itself that is causing such dismay.I should state right here and now that this isn’t a rant against Craig Chandler or his victory in the nomination process. The Alberta papers and television news shows are filled with anti-Chandler rhetoric and garbage, and I’ll gladly leave that line of opinion to them (including some previously unabashed pro-Tory scribes). My point is quite the opposite.Photo courtesy of craigchandler.c
There is bad news in Paris today as, for the second day, youths in the suburbs are rioting. According to the BBC, the apparently accidental deaths of two Algerian youths sparked a violent reaction from the young in several Parisian suburbs. This is a shame, and I hope that there is some resolution to this situation soon, but that is not what I would like to discuss today - let's call it a springboard. What this calls to mind, albeit an extreme example, is the vast difference between the French and American peoples. Specifically in how we act in response to perceived injustice on the part of the authorities.I've lived here all my life, I have never traveled to any part of Europe. Nor have I ever had the opportunity to get to know a French person. My information on the character of the French has come from the American media, extensive reading on the Crusades and an introductory French class. I have heard for years the anti-French rhetoric through the media. This sentiment is us
~Snooper~This is my take...I am just an old warrior, a grunt...This post herein is a repost of two pieces I penned many moons ago at my Townhall blog, then the Wordpress blog and, finally, at the Blogspot blog, since merged with A Newt One. I have elected to combine the two pieces into one in preparation of the posting at Digital Journal. I have also taken the liberty, as the originating author to make the appropriate changes and corrections to the pieces in the process of combing the original piece as posted here.Feel free to correct me, if you are able and/or leave comments...I am all ears...What is democracy? What is Liberty? We hear all kinds of references to both these days, don't we? The terms get thrown away and I fear that the majority of Americans haven't a clue, really, what either term means. We won't even get into the terms Federal Republic or Democratic Republic and related terminology, at this point. According to the Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, democr
Well folks, Al Jazeera’s People & Power program recently take a shot at answering the above perplexing question. One of their guest personalities was none other than our very own Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. I have provided the videos (come in two parts) down below and you folks should go and view it. Part I Part II One of my top online past times is to read letters submitted by common Malaysians to MalaysiaKini and I can see that everyone basically knows what democracy should provide for any democratic countries. The ideas are there but maybe nobody is listening at the top and you should know who that is. :-) One thing I do know for sure that there is no chance that a true democracy can be established here if you folks continue to give Barisan Nasional the mandate to rule this blessed
By: John m http://www.lookaroundireland.com noted with interest the recent General Election in Poland. And why would we be doing that you might well ask? Should we not be noting items of interest in this fair land of Ireland? Is this not our mission statement? What has Polish politics got to do with Ireland?Well quite a bit, actually. Not the minute details of the cut and thrust of a foreign election, but the manner in which it is carried out and its relevance to Ireland.In this case the connection to Ireland is very strong. Since EU movement and working restrictions were lifted in 2003 thousands of Poles have come to work in Ireland. Most are working in the construction industry or the hospitality sector and they account for the largest proportion of foreign workers in Ireland either from EU or non-EU countries.As most employers will testify, the Polish workers are good employees. They have a good work ethic and are considered diligent and fair in their dealings. They are good tenants
Is Islam compatible with democracy?Who rules? 8:20. O you who believe! Obey Allâh and His Messenger, and turn not away from him (i.e. Messenger Muhammad ) while you are hearing. 33:36. It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.22:41. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) order for Iqamat-as-Salât. [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salât (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakât and they enjoin Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islâm has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur'ân as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allâh rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures). How is dominion obtained? 24:55. Allâh ha
