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_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Hi there everyone,

After a couple of requests, some consideration and my own rather curvaceous tangent on the thread for the Russian families of the school massacre… I decided to start a thread dedicated to interesting issues in the daily news (or even the daily news itself, anything news-related really… you get the idea).

I’ve done a search and while there’s hundreds of threads for individual news stories, I couldn’t find one for an ongoing discussion of what’s happening in the world around us.

I know lots of people don’t follow the news, but many do, and my opinion is that discussion on current events gives people a better understanding of nations, races and ‘humanity’, for want of a better word.

HoP is in the enviable position of having a really global audience – there can’t be many websites with regular posting members from right across the world, covering such a wide spectrum of cultures, ideas and beliefs. We have the ability to look at events from many different viewpoints, so I thought we should use it.

Anyways, I was thinking we could post, or draw attention to, some of the main stories that affect us on a daily basis…

Btw, I really don’t want this to become an America-bashing thread (or any other type of bashing). I think most of us share the view that the American government are fairly appalling at the minute, and while criticism will definitely happen, I don’t want any Americans on the site to feel victimised or that pro-Bush types feel their views aren’t valid. Try to keep all the views considered and, if possible, sourced.

So anyways, let me know what you think…

A couple of interesting stories I picked up on today were:

Indonesia has become the latest nation to join the war on terrorism following the car bomb at the Australian embassy which killed 9 people and injured 180… I heard an Indonesian government official (I think it was the spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry) say they are 'now ready to join the war on terror', after it was alleged the ‘militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah’ were responsible. (sorry, am about to leave work and couldn't find a source... will try to get it tomorrow).

Also, US secretary of state Colin Powell has declared the situation in Sudan a genocide:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3641820.stm

It seems the countries are busy arguing over the term ‘genocide’ as opposed to actually getting out there with aid and peacekeeping forces.

Anyways, I’d be interested to hear anyone’s opinions on these stories… as well as anything else you’d like to bring up…

Thanks
take care
Clare xox

Getting to the other side smile

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Sometimes we all become upset at things going badly for us...

So how would it be if you had worked hard to become the best in the country at your chosen profession, and then due to your success, your mother was kidnapped for a ransom...

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4347711.stm

Getting to the other side smile

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Also today... a judge in San Francisco has ruled that a ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional biggrin

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4349201.stm

Getting to the other side smile

linden rathenGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,942 posts
Location: London, UK

Posted:
yay go that judge

*grins* while i find most descrimination stuff to be bueocracy some of it does stop hypocrasy and stupidtiy so go that judge biggrin

back

linden rathenGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,942 posts
Location: London, UK

Posted:
pls excuse spelling :P im mathsy not writyeyeyeyeyyyy

back

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Lol, I'm completely un-mathsy biggrin All things in balance biggrin

Getting to the other side smile

linden rathenGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,942 posts
Location: London, UK

Posted:
lmao indeedy :P

back

Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom

Posted:
As i'm sure all UK people probably already know...

Budget 2005

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Nice one Pink... yes indeed, the Labour government desperately scramble about for the votes of first time buyers and OAPs.

The rest of us are stuffed rolleyes

In other news:

Bush elects neo-conservative to horrendously powerful job over the world bank:
https://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1439191,00.html

Senate heads for Alaskan oil:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4355871.stm

Funnily enough, on the same day oil prices hits new heights:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4355715.stm

Italy to pull out of Iraq:
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4355009.stm

Possibility of another quake in SE Asia?!
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4354217.stm

Bob Geldolf has a go at the media biggrin
https://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1438946,00.html

And as we all knew... scientists prove that women (their DNA especially) are 'special'
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4355355.stm

Getting to the other side smile

Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom

Posted:
good one for the DNA. smile

And quite scary about the possibility of another Quake! Another tsunami would be fatal for that region!

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

SpitFireGOLD Member
Mand's Girl....and The Not So Shy One
2,723 posts
Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada

Posted:
The potential for quakes in the Sumatra region will always be there because of the geology of the region. That area sits on the Ring of Fire, where you have plates moving against one another.

While an earthquake does release stress and strain on a fault segment, when a rupture (quake) happens, other parts of the fault or system of faults (plate boundaries in this case, as well) have stress and strain added or removed depending on where they are relative to the initial rupture.

It's all quite cool stuff, to be honest.

SF, slipping into GeoGeek Mode once again.

(Ps...note that they didn't say when such a quake would occur. Also..a tip to those visiting the area....if the sea receeds a LOT, then seek high ground quickly.....that's a sure sign of a tsunami.)

Solitude sometimes speaks to you, and you should listen.

vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Posted:
not true that "all" tortishell cats are female - about 1 in 10,000 is male. A male tortishell is always sterile as far as I know though, since his calicoe/tortishell coloring comes from a genetic anomoly (he has XXY instead of just XY).

so that leads to the point that more genes is not necissarily better - down's syndrom comes from from extra chromosomes, as does the sterility of male tortishell cats.

extra genetic info is not always good - sure it can mean increased resistance to disease, but it can also mean increased likelyhood of inherited genetic disorders too...

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom

Posted:
With the Uk government being so PC about racism, how can they let this happen?

School banning "white" girl from having braids

In happier news: (well ok so not necessarily that happy, still nice to award someone)
First Victoria Cross in over 20yrs

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
I heard about that braids ban earlier - madness!! What on earth could have been the motivation behind it?!! I realise that the school has rules, but why would it be different for one pupil over another?

And yes, it's good that someone has been rewarded for their bravery... but with all the negative publicity surrounding Iraq it's about time the army had a PR victory.

I saw a film recently Duel, although I think it has another title, but there was a similar message - we're getting our asses kicked and moral is low, let's give the people a hero.

Take care and have a good weekend
xx

Getting to the other side smile

Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom

Posted:
Firstly a funny story:

Pork Pie wedding Cake

Nice to see the government actually paying attention to other people -
Government planning to change school dinners to become healthier after Jamies School dinners

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

Fine_Rabid_DogInternet Hate Machine
10,530 posts
Location: They seek him here, they seek him there...

Posted:
Ha! U see! I told u Jamies School Dinners had something right (well, no i dednt, but i thought about it tongue )

Anyways, that news was on one of the latest shows... I wish jamie wud come to our school and fix us up with decent food. Our stuffs nasty *thinks of schhols excuse for pizza and vomits*

The existance of flamethrowers says that someone, somewhere, at sometime said "I need to set that thing on fire, but it's too far away."

vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Posted:
well, it could be the fact that white people look ridiculous with those kinds of braids...

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
I agree... but I think she wanted to be like all her friends.

Getting to the other side smile

Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom

Posted:
frown Teenager shoots 9 people, in school in America



What makes people do this? It's not like it's an isolated incident either. It's happened before. What can America do to stop this from happening again?

Surely they realise something is wrong, when this keeps happening?



Timeline of School Shootings in America

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

flidBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,136 posts
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom

Posted:
Written by:

Surely they realise something is wrong, when this keeps happening?



Exactly, when will they learn that they should once and for all ban all video games, tv and all non country'n'western music! I'm sure it has nothing to do with guns being readily available
Fine_Rabid_DogInternet Hate Machine
10,530 posts
Location: They seek him here, they seek him there...

Posted:
frown frown frown hugs to them frown

This is wht gun use shud be limted more. I know its hard in america, but there must be some way of controlling who has them...

The existance of flamethrowers says that someone, somewhere, at sometime said "I need to set that thing on fire, but it's too far away."

spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA

Posted:
The boys grandfather was a police officer. I think that entitles him to carry a gun.

I think a lot of it relies on parents. They need to be the ones to educate their children about gun safety and that a weapon is not a toy.

It sounds like this child was just sick of others at school picking on him. He lives in one of the poorest areas of the state. That Indian reservation has 40% of the population living below the poverty line. So, in this particular instance, I do not think there was anything the parents/grandparents could have done regarding the guns. The child was determined, hurt, and upset at his school and classmates. He was sad that people judged him based on what he wore instead of who he was. Maybe people ignored his pleas for help?

Now, I don't in any way condone what he did, but I don't think the blame lies on America and how we handle guns entirely either.
_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
I agree Spritie... but I do think it is a combination of all of those things. His sadness, and the US gun policy...

It has to be a combination of all those factors... otherwise you would get school shootings in schools around the world - and you don't.

Tis very sad.

Getting to the other side smile

spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA

Posted:
So what about US gun policy would you want changed?

The boys grandfather should be able to have guns around. He was a police officer after all.
vanizeSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,899 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Posted:
yeah - they have had multiple school shootings in germany too, where the gun laws happen to be very strict, so obviously we can immediatly conclude that america's laws are to blame for this.



Or perhaps we can conclude that america is a bad influence on the whole world, and if there were stricter gun control laws there, there would be no school shootings in germany?



Or perhaps people just want to jump to conclusions about things very quickly given their preconceptions about america instead of looking for the real problems behind these tragedies?

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
I don't think anyones jumping to conclusions based on preconceptions.

The real problems behind such a tragedy can often be found in poverty and isolation, which can be found in even more extreme cases around the world - but without the availability of a weapon.

Spritie, yes true... he was a police officer... but does that necessarily mean he needed 'guns'? (maybe all the guns weren't his grandfathers, but he did manage to get access to them somehow)

You can, after all, only shoot one at a time (unless you're crazy, in which case you have no right to possession of a gun at all, in my opinion).

The police are armed in Northern Ireland too... I have a number of uncles in the police and they have a gun... but it is one handgun, it is kept locked in a drawer, and anything else they need is kept locked in the station.

I'm not having a go at America... however, I strongly disagree with it's gun policy (maybe that comes from living in a country where there are FAR too many illegal guns in the wrong hands - but even with the paramilitaries, arms are usually kept in dumps, not in the family home)

Getting to the other side smile

spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA

Posted:
Good point, vanize. biggrin

It does seem like a lot of people are making undue judgements just because it's in America.
ado-pGOLD Member
Pirate Ninja
3,882 posts
Location: Galway/Ireland

Posted:
maybe its just the media coverage van.

but the fact is that exact media coverage reaches a world audience and so carries responsibility.

maybe they should stop reporting the killings so america doesnt get such a bad name?

the gun laws are only the start of the problem. You could have no gun laws at all if you had people responsible enought to handle them safely and educate people that guns kill people (i always thought tht was obvious but it doesnt seem to be).

i think the media and the news could do alot to help. killings are sensationalised and thats sick.

Love is the law.

ado-pGOLD Member
Pirate Ninja
3,882 posts
Location: Galway/Ireland

Posted:
Written by: Firepoise


(maybe that comes from living in a country where there are FAR too many illegal guns in the wrong hands - but even with the paramilitaries, arms are usually kept in dumps, not in the family home)



Conscientious Terrorists.

Thats kinda fun and kinda sary all at the same time.

Love is the law.

_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)

Posted:
Stop reporting the killings?!

Righto, so your child is killed in a school shooting and you wouldn't want it mentioned on the media... just forget about it?

Can we please not blame the media this time, it is such a trivial, simplified argument that I have argued a hundred times in this forum... (and in this thread!)

I am not blaming anyone... the child felt isolated, sad. He had access to guns and he followed a very tragic impulse.

My point was that if the guns weren't so available, maybe it would have been harder for him to do.

rolleyes

Getting to the other side smile

spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA

Posted:
Firepoise, like I said, even if his grandfather had kept the guns locked or unloaded or used a safety, there are still plenty of ways the boy could have gotten to them. I'm sure the boy knew exactly where his grandfather kept such a key if he had one. Every law enforcement official is required to have a gun. Most of them bring them home with them because they can be called while off-duty.

Different guns have different purposes. Some are for shooting game, others can be more lethal in different ways and to different individuals.

You should also know that many places in the US have started using tazers (sp?) by their police force as well. However, these don't seem very cost effective or an adequat deterrant for criminals. They really don't care so much that they have just been shot by a tazer even though it does stun them.
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