Barack Obama

I feel moved by this historic moment.  I think that Barack Obama will represent a change...  I never thought that I would live to see a Black American President.  The ramifications of this fact are staggering.  This moment will be perceived by many as the realization of Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech.  Some will equate this moment to reparations for slavery and the Black Holocaust.  And of course many will downplay the significance of this moment, some even booing as did the John McCain concession speech crowd, but none will deny that history is being made.  

Now I will sit and watch CNN, eagerly awaiting Barack Obama's speech in Chicago.

A. T. King

Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America

I think that it is high time we, the citizens of the planet Earth, have a change in the way politics is conducted in the White House.

R. I. P. Brenda "Myrtle" Williams

10 May 1951 - 2 November 2007

Although not in the physical, your memory lives with us forever. We know that you are in a better place now, free from pain and suffering. We all miss you.

update

I apologize for the unusually long gap in my blogspot posting. It's just that facebook ...well, if you've ever used facebook then I'm sure you know what I'm talking about ...lol ...stay tuned!

facebook

...on facebook.com, and loving every minute of it!

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'Open Day' in Amsterdam's red-light distrinct

Quoted from msnbc.com:

Dutch red-light district’s open day draws crowd
Hundreds of visitors flood Amsterdam's famed sex clubs, peep shows

AMSTERDAM - Amsterdam’s sex workers came to work early on Saturday to offer a free look at the city’s famed red-light district.

Hundreds of wide-eyed visitors queued in the sunshine to enter the dimly-lit sex clubs and peep shows that draw thousands to the city and to snoop around prostitutes’ neon-lit boudoirs.

“I think the open day is a great idea,” said Love, an erotic dancer at Amsterdam’s Banana Bar, who was on hand to answer questions and pose for photographs in fluorescent negligee.

“It is especially interesting for women. If they learn what we do here they will realize it is not a big deal if their husbands or boyfriends want to come here.”

Organizers staged the open day to counter bad publicity surrounding the 800-year-old district after harrowing reports of forced prostitution, human trafficking and organized crime.

More than 30 brothels are fighting closure after officials revoked their licenses last year over suspected links to money laundering and drug dealing.

But tourism authorities say the district — a warren of narrow alleys and canals lined with sex shops, brothels and neon signs — is as big an attraction as Amsterdam’s art museums and coffee shops, where marijuana is freely smoked and sold.

‘Some things have definitely surprised me’
Every night visitors throng the streets, agog at scantily clad women sitting behind huge red-lit windows, and who sell their services for as little as $66.

“I am here because my wife was interested in coming along,” said 63-year-old Evert Rijnders from Haarlem.

His wife Jos added: “This has been a chance to look behind the scenes, and some things have definitely surprised me.”

Organizer Jacco Wanders displayed a typical prostitute’s bedroom, usually concealed behind red velvet curtains and fitted with an emergency alarm bell in case a client turns violent.

He laughed as visitors posed in the tall street-facing window or bounced around on the mattress.

“This day is to help break down taboos around prostitution and to create more understanding and respect,” he said.

‘They deserve respect’
The “open day” concludes with the unveiling of a statue to an unknown sex worker, intended to honor those employed in the industry world-wide, including those without the same protection found in the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal.

Amsterdam’s window-prostitutes are self-employed taxpayers, hiring their own windows at around $130 per night.

“People who work in the sex industry don’t get enough respect,” said Mariska Majoor, a former prostitute who now runs the red-light district’s information center.

“There are millions of them and many are in trouble. Some are abused by clients or pimps and it is important for them to know that they deserve respect.”

A $777 Trillion Disgrace

Quoted from thestar.com:

'This is a disgrace'
March 28, 2007
Royson James







LONDON–Steps from the Queen, spitting distance from Prime Minister Tony Blair, and with his voice ricocheting off the hundreds of statues and monuments in one of Christendom's most famous edifices, a lone protester yesterday halted Britain's national service marking 200 years since the end of the slave trade.

As the commemorative service entered its most solemn portion in Westminster Abbey – coronation court to monarchs and burial ground to 3,300 of Britain's finest citizens – the protester struck, bringing the event to a halt.

Security and church officials hesitated, afraid to escalate a public relations disaster.

Which white man wanted to be photographed hauling a black man out of church in handcuffs on the day the nation came to seek forgiveness for a practice the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, had just called "this atrocity" and "universal sinfulness"?

So, Toyin Agbetu had a royal audience – and he gave them a piece of his mind.

"This is a disgrace to our ancestors," he shouted, jabbing his finger at the Queen, sitting beside Prince Philip. "Millions of our ancestors are in the Atlantic," he said, a reference to the massive losses at sea aboard slave ships.

"`Sorry' is so hard for you, sir," he screamed at Blair.

Everyone present knew Blair had refused to pronounce an official apology for Britain's central role in the trade that enslaved as many as 20 million Africans in the colonies' cotton, tobacco and sugar plantations.

"This is an insult. We should not be here. All you Christians who are Africans should walk out of here," the man said before being eased out beneath the soaring 31-metre-high arches.

He was greeted outside the abbey by a small group of protesters, chanting: "1807 to 2007, nothing's changed." Then he was arrested.

Some 2,000 eminent Londoners – royals, diplomats, politicians, church leaders, and descendants of African slaves and British slavers – had poured into Westminster Abbey yesterday, seeking forgiveness and healing from the horrors of the slave trade.

Most passed through the Great West Door, where statues of 10 great world figures, Martin Luther King Jr., among them, look down on visitors to this, the Queen's church.

Along the north and south aisles, through the choir section, Poets' Corner, tombs of monarchs, memorials, effigies, plaques and monuments, the invited guests paraded past the pride of Britain – the martyrs and saints and knighted lot bearing silent witness. At almost every step, feet trudged on the graves of countrymen – William Wilberforce, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, George Frederick Handel, Laurence Olivier. Over there is the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton, over here the likenesses of past prime ministers. Not to mention the kings and queens and courtiers buried in shrines and tombs long looted for their treasures.

Near noon, with the organ that the incomparable Henry Purcell once played (it's been repaired) soaring above the congregational hymn "Praise My Soul the King of Heaven," the procession took the archbishop, leading clergy of other denominations and the Queen up the south aisle, right past a row of journalists – past a descendant of Wilberforce, the great abolitionist; another reporter; and finally, a "reporter" wearing a traditional African print shirt.

Queen Elizabeth, to the right of Prince Philip, walked within inches of this man on her way to the Sacrarium, the rostrum where her gold and burgundy chair rested.

The music was heavenly.

Relatives of Wilberforce carried in a copy of the Act of Parliament of 1807 that ended the slave trade, directly behind three escorts bearing the first edition of Olaudah Equiano's book, Interesting Narrative of a Slave, which brought the first-hand account of slavery's horrors to Britain in the 1700s.

Poignant and moving, the moment was captured by the Adventist Vocal Ensemble singing the traditional negro spiritual, "There is a Balm in Gilead," with such pathos and drama that the massive structure seemed to heave and exhale as the harmonies settled on the words "sin-sick soul."

Wilberforce's parliamentary speech from 1789, a spiritual, scripture and orchestral pronouncement took the archbishop to the pulpit for his sermon.

The national commemorative service was to be the high point of events marking the bicentenary. It also underscored the conundrum the event created for the Church of England, the monarchy and Britain.

Of all the European countries that benefited from the slave trade, Britain is doing the most to face up to its past. Some £30 million are being spent on the bicentenary – in displays and museum exhibits, dramatic shows, commemorations and development of a school curriculum.

But Blair, fearing any statement of apology might fuel attempts to seek reparations, has skated around the issue, angering some.

The Church of England owned hundred of slaves, branded them like cattle on plantations in Barbados and, of course, made money off the evil. The church has apologized and is studying what to do about reparations.

The Queen, meanwhile, has been mum on the subject. The monarchy, too, was deeply involved in the early slave trade. Queen Elizabeth I invested in the early voyages of John Hawkins, loaned him her armed 700-ton ship, Jesus of Lubeck, as a slave vessel, made money from the investment, and knighted Hawkins for his efforts.

Other royals followed suit.

A few years ago, Rastafarians from Jamaica wrote Queen Elizabeth II seeking reparations. Her response, lawyerly, skirted the issue this way:

"Under the statue of the International Civil Court, acts of enslavement committed today do constitute crimes against humanity. But the historic slave trade was not a crime against humanity or contrary to international law at the time when the U.K. government condoned it."

Nick Hazelwood, in his book The Queen's Slave Trader: John Hawkyns, Elizabeth and Trafficking in Human Souls, writes: "In their simplest form the Hawkins voyages were exercises in turning a quick profit: for the Queen, for himself, and for the group of rich London merchants and royal courtiers who had invested in the expedition."

If all that weighed on Archbishop Rowan Williams, he did not shrink.

"We are born into a world already scarred by the internationalizing and industrializing of slavery ... and our human inheritance is shadowed by it," he told the Queen and her guests.

"We who are heirs of the slave-owning and slave-trading nations of the past have to face the fact that our historic prosperity was built in large part on this atrocity; those who are heirs of the communities ravaged by the slave trade know very well that much of their present suffering and struggling is the result of centuries of abuse."

It is true that other European countries, as well as Arab and Asian nations, share the stain of slavery, today and in the past, he said. "But today it is for us to face our history; the Atlantic trade was our contribution to this universal sinfulness.

"Slavery is not a regional problem in the human world; it is hideously persistent in our nations and cultures."

With that said, the service moved to the most solemn portion, Confession and Absolution.

As the Dean of Westminster led the audience in prayer, starting with "Let us therefore confess our sins in penitence ..." the "reporter" in the African print shirt stood up and walked to the bottom of the steps, below the Queen.

For a moment it seemed part of the program.

Stunned security and church officials hesitated, then grabbed him, and he stumbled to the ground, shouting, staccato: "Let. Go. Of. Me." Several black guests moved in to calm the protester.

Johnny Hogg, a descendant of Wilberforce, was one seat over when the protester rose.

"This is a public relations disaster on a day like today," Hogg said afterwards. "Four white people wrestling a black guy to the ground is not what you want (in news clips and pictures)."

Toyin Agbetu, 39, it turns out, is a writer and founder of a non-profit organization and website called Ligali, which challenges negative stereotypes of people of African descent in the media. He had obtained a media pass to be present in the abbey.

Hogg and descendants of William Clarkson, the other white abolitionist who supplied Wilberforce with much of his ammunition, say Agbetu injected a dose of raw reality into a dignified, carefully scripted service.

"These things run very deep," said Saphie Clarkson.

"He's got a point," said Caroline Roots, a Clarkson descendant. "When I saw him, I thought, `Blimey, how did that happen?' He snuck under the wire."

"If nothing else, it makes us realize this is still such a big issue that still makes people angry today," Hogg said.

Outside the abbey, the Queen later laid a wreath at the Innocent Victims Memorial in honour of all those who suffered and still suffer from slavery.

Leo Muhammad of the Nation of Islam wasn't impressed.

"Crocodile tears," he said. "The Queen is complicit; the monarchy is complicit. All this you see around here was built on slavery."

Penitence notwithstanding, this is a historic hurt that courses deep in the psyche, 200 years later.

Cybercrime

Quoted from msnbc.com:

Cyber-attacks 'more aggressive than ever'

Nearly one-third of all malicious activity comes from inside the U.S.

By Herb Weisbaum

MSNBC contributor

Updated: 4:49 p.m. ET March 19, 2007

[...]

It’s not quite the Mafia, but there is an entire underground economy in place to deal with all the stolen information up for sale. Cole calls them “fraud communities.”

“It’s surprisingly professional these days,” he says, “with specialization and going market rates that are fairly well respected.”

This information is traded like any other commodity in an underground marketplace. There are even marketing promotions to entice buyers, such as volume discounts.

Symantec says the going rate for an active debit or credit card account number right now is anywhere from $1 to $6. A full stolen identity, including bank account information, date of birth and Social Security number, sells for $14 to $18. So you can see, to make any money, the identity thief has to keep stealing from new victims.

There’s a target on your home computer

According to the new Internet Security Report home computers are now the prime target for cyber-thieves. In fact, during the last half of 2006, 93 percent of all targeted attacks were aimed at home machines. ID thieves know many of us store sensitive data, such as banking information, on our computers. They also know we often get careless when it comes to security.

Dave Cole tells me it takes too much effort to break into big financial institutions. The online thieves know they have a much greater chance of success stealing that information from you.

They want your account numbers and passwords, but they’re also after your log-ins to online services — banks, eBay, PayPal, or any other place where there’s something of value. If they can snag your e-mail contact lists, they can sell that information to spammers.

[...]

Modern Day Slavery

Quoted from thestar.com:

Mega church launches an audit TheStar.com - News - Mega church launches an audit

Prayer Palace also hires PR firm in wake of questions over its spending practices

March 13, 2007

Jessica Leeder
Dale Brazao
StafF REPORTER

A Toronto mega church whose spending practices were questioned in a recent Star investigation has hired a public relations firm specializing in "crisis communication" and launched an internal financial probe, a spokesman said yesterday।

The Prayer Palace, which annually takes in about $3 million in cash and other donations, hired an auditor to "show everything is above-board and there is no money being laundered anywhere," said Frank Fernandez, a church member who spoke on behalf of the Prayer Palace during local radio station AM640's morning broadcast.

The church's newly appointed public relations consultant, Strategic Communications Solutions' Peter Turkington, said in a news release the church has hired a "forensic accounting firm to show that the Star's innuendos are entirely incorrect." Turkington later told the Star the audit will be conducted by Toronto accountant Bruce Armstrong, a member of LECG Canada Ltd.

The audit launch comes one week after the Star published a story on the Prayer Palace as part of an ongoing investigation into Canadian charities. With a 3,000-member congregation, the Prayer Palace is one of the largest churches in Canada, but spends only a small fraction of its income on charitable work. Instead, some of the charity's most highly touted programs are paid for by many of the church's working class members, whose lifestyles stand in sharp contrast to those led by church leaders.

Head pastor Paul Melnichuk and his twin sons, junior pastors Tom and Tim Melnichuk, each own multi-million dollar estates north of the city, they share a waterfront vacation villa in Florida and drive luxurious cars, including Porsches, a Lexus, a Mercedes-Benz and BMWs. The pastors have refused repeated requests for comment. Reporters were told that written questions submitted to the pastors via the church regarding their properties and other possessions were "not related to charities."

No further explanation was given.

The Star was unable to access the Prayer Palace's internal documents, so it could not determine if money donated to the church went into the pastors' houses.

Since the article's March 4 publication, reporters involved in the story have been inundated with phone calls from angry Prayer Palace members.

"You have touched God's anointed! Be careful! Be careful that you don't drop dead one of these days," shouted one caller who identified himself as Roger.

Other callers said that to ignore their warnings would be to invite tragedy into reporters' lives, including leprosy and possible physical harm.

One caller issued a death threat; another called a reporter a "Mormon ... a racist."

The Star also received hundreds of calls and emails from readers concerned about the Prayer Palace's finances.

Dozens of callers told the Star they planned to log specific complaints with the Canada Revenue Agency, which regulates charities, in hopes the agency would launch its own probe.

The CRA does not discuss specific charities and would not say whether the Star's articles have prompted an agency review of the Prayer Palace.

The public relations firm hired by Prayer Palace, Strategic Communications Solutions, is based in Oshawa and Oakville. According to its website, the company helps clients respond to crises such as allegations of impropriety. The auditor hired by the church is a member of LECG, a company that provides expert testimony and analysis to clients around the world, according to its website.

The Star's investigation, based on government property and financial documents, interviews with three dozen current and former church members, contractors who worked on church and Melnichuk family building projects, and family associates, also uncovered a deal Melnichuk made with a construction company to pave his own King City driveway instead of paying rental fees it owed the church.

In his radio interview yesterday, Fernandez addressed the driveway deal, saying the pastor "didn't ask for any specific deals. He says somebody went out for him and asked for the driveway to be done," Fernandez said, adding: "There is no hidden agenda here with respect to money."

Last week Marek Tufman, a lawyer for the Prayer Palace, threatened to bring an injunction against the Star unless the newspaper agreed to stop publishing stories regarding the Prayer Palace. The Star responded, saying such agreements run contrary to the paper's policy.

In response, Tufman told Star lawyers: "Your clients have been warned. We trust that they will understand the wisdom of conducting themselves properly."

Email the reporters at charity@thestar.ca

A Case for the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) and Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

The following events took place today ...some details have been omitted to protect the identities of those involved:

My mother made an appointment for me to see Dr. C. at 2:45 p.m. today. When I arrived at the doctor’s office, I was asked to provide my health card. I did so and was told that my health card had expired. I told the receptionist that it had been less than a month since my card had expired. I told them that my mother, [name omitted], was a patient there, that she had booked my appointment, and that she was a senior business advisor at the [bank] located adjacent to the doctor’s office in the same plaza. I also pulled out $40 cash and dropped it onto the counter, telling the receptionist that I was sick and urgently needed to see a doctor. The receptionist then told me that I had not visited their office in seven years and that she would have to create a new file for me. She abruptly handed back my health card and money, while rudely commanding me to “sit!”

I took a seat, put on my headphones, and began to read in preparation for my exam. After about 15 minutes had transpired, the receptionist called me to the front counter and told me that the doctor was refusing to see me – I was told to go to [name omitted] in order to have my health card renewed. Indignant, I asked 'what about the Hippocratic Oath’? The receptionist ignored my question and told me to leave, saying that she would call the police if I did not comply. I asked her why the doctor had refused to see me and was told that it was because my health card expired and because I had not visited in seven years. I told the receptionist that I was really sick and asked to speak with my doctor, but was told that she was busy attending to other patients and besides that, I had been rude. She even went on to say that I had swore – I DID NOT swear once during my visit.

I left the office, but returned to ask one of the other patients for their contact information because she had witnessed my having been asked to leave; she said that she would not give me her information, because "she did not want to get involved." It was at this point that one of the receptionists picked up the phone and called the police; at the same time, I called my mother and told her that the receptionists were denying me access to see our family doctor. Again, I asked to speak to [Dr. C.], as I was skeptical in regards to her having actually told the receptionists to tell me to leave in the first place. Then one of the other patients waiting behind me in line, who had just arrived, offered to provide his contact information to the receptionists, saying that he would bear witness in their favor. The other receptionist then came from behind the counter and started shoving me towards the door. I told receptionist to take her hands off of me, and that I felt they were discriminating against me. I told them that I was not trying to be rude, but that I felt extremely ill and needed to see a doctor. The same receptionist that had been shoving me replied that my assumption was invalid because she "has black cousins." Ironically, I never mentioned anything about race until after her assumption/inference that I was referring to discrimination in a racial context. At which point I left the office, calling the receptionists each ‘a racist’ and ‘a bigot’.

I have never felt so humiliated and discriminated against in my entire life. I left the doctor's office completely devastated and distraught. After sitting in my car for awhile, in shock, I drove around aimlessly for about an hour, and then went to the police station to report the receptionist’s having assaulted me; however, the officer on duty informed me that I was unable to make a statement because I was on private property and that it was within their rights to eject me by force. The officer did suggest that I get in contact with the Ontario Medical (or Physician’s) Association. I thanked the officer for his time, went home, and then began writing this statement.

I have not yet been able to see a doctor and I feel much worse than I did before this experience. I have an exam tomorrow that is worth 50% of my mark; additionally, I have a 2500 word essay due on Friday. I think that the receptionists working at the time of my visit should be fired, and that the office should be forced to pay punitive damages for the pain and suffering that they have caused me. I feel completely marginalized, disaffected, and alienated by today’s events. I am outraged that such an incident could occur right here in Canada, in 2007! No one should be made to feel as I have been made to feel. I was talked down to as though I was a second class citizen because my health card had expired. I was made to feel inferior and of less import that the other patients.

Mulatto

Mulatto mutants;
mutuis animis
amant amantur.
Mixed mongrels,
mysterious women,
and some blackamoors.

Willie Lynch - 'How to keep a man down'

In the words of Willie Lynch in 1712, there are many ways in which you can keep control of your "slaves". His wisdom of 295 years has not changed. It's time to wake up Black America!

GENTLEMAN:

I greet you here on the bank of the James River in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twelve. First I shall thank you, the Gentlemen of the Colony of Virginia, for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies where I have experimented with some of the newest and still the oldest methods for control of slaves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program is implemented. As our boat sailed south on the James River, named for our illustrious King James, whose bible we cherish, I saw enough to know that your program is not unique. While Rome used cords of wood as crosses for standing human bodies along the old highways in great numbers, you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion.

I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are not only losing valuable stock by hangings, you are having uprisings, slaves are running away, your crops are sometimes left in the fields too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional fires, your animals are killed, gentlemen...you know what your problems are; I do not need to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problems, I am here to introduce you to a method of solving them.

In my bag here, I have a fool-proof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee everyone of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple, any member of your family or any overseer can use it.

I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves, and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies, and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little test of differences and think about them. On the top of my list is "Age", but it is there because it only starts with an "A"; the second is "Color" or shade; there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantations, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, South, have fine or coarse hair, or is tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action--but before that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust, and envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration.

The Black Slave, after receiving this indoctrination, shall carry on and will become self refueling and self generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands.

Don't forget, you must pitch the old Black vs. the young Black male, and the young Black male against the old Black male. You must use the dark skinned slaves vs the light skinned slaves, and the light skinned slaves vs. the dark skinned slaves. You must use the female vs. the male, and the male vs. the female. You must also have your servants and overseers distrust all Blacks, but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect, and trust only us.

Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control, use them. Have your wives and children use them. Never miss opportunity. My plan is guaranteed, and the good thing about this plan is that if used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful.

Quoted from AfricanImages.com.

A Somali Jihadist: We're Not Al-Qaeda

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007

Fighters loyal to the Islamic Courts Union load up on trucks to head to the front in December 2006. - Abukar Albadri / EPA

Said Ali, 21, is a volunteer fighter for the Shabab militia, the feared enforcers of the Islamic Courts Union. The U.S. brands the organization as an ally of al-Qaeda; in reality, it is also a nationalist anti-warlord movement that contains many Muslim moderates and has no international ambitions. He was 11 when he left his village in southern Somalia and traveled to Mogadishu to look for an education. But all public education had collapsed with the last functioning government in 1991, leaving private school the only option. And Said Ali, like most of his generation, was unable to afford the fees. Instead, he found a job as a porter, and then graduated to selling shirts and kikoi wraps by the side of the road. In time, he was given a job inside a clothes store in Bakara Market, where he earned about 10,000 Somali shillings (80 cents) a day. But often he would be forced to hand over his earnings to armed militias blocking the roads on his way home. He came out of hiding in central Mogadishu to meet TIME's Alex Perry.

TIME: How did you join the Shabab?

Ali: I was very angry with the militias. I decided to go to the training camps because I was tired of being robbed at roadblocks. At that time, before the Courts came to power, you could see someone kill a friend of yours, you could see a friend of yours robbed, the situation was as bad as that. The Shabab were good people. They trained you to defend your people ... . There were reserve troops and frontline troops. And after 2004, we fought against the warlords and thankfully we were successful

Full article at Time.com.

UML Sequence Diagram Editor

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Some Carl Jung Quotations that I find to be just too true...

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."

"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves."

Quoted from The Lexical Review.

Arrest Made In Two York U Attacks

Police have a suspect in a pair of attacks on women in the York University area and now they're trying to get in touch with the victims.

Authorities won't say if the man arrested Wednesday shortly after two assaults on women on Sentinel Road near York U are connected to two sex attacks that occurred in the same area late last month, but he is considered one of several persons of interest in that investigation (see composite).

[...]

Lynch did not confirm this suspect is also the man police believe is responsible for the sex attacks last month.

[...]

Police said another attack also occurred Wednesday, shortly before the assault witnessed by the Good Samaritan. Investigators also want to speak to the victim in that incident.

Despite the arrest, authorities are still warning women in the York University area to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

"I would highly suggest that we remain vigilant at this point in time," Lynch said. "As I stated, this gentleman is one of many persons of interest."

Quoted from citynews.ca.

Quoted from uyublog.blogspot.com.

Astrological Overview/Horoscope for 21 December 2006

General Daily Overview
The Sun enters ambitious Capricorn at 7:22 pm EST, marking the Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere and the Sun's gradual return over the next six months. Our willingness to set long-term goals and work diligently now determines our future success. But a tense square from red-hot Mars to electric Uranus can trigger an unexpected cascade of events over the next few days. We must stand firm, yet remain open to change in a moment's notice.

Today's horoscope (in order from eldest to youngest house of the zodiac):

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19)

It's your astrological birthday month, giving you a much-needed energetic boost. But this isn't about a free lunch; rather it's a reminder to work for what you want. The problem is, however, that your needs may suddenly change, which can upset your previous plans. A little give-and-take now can make your life more interesting.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

It's time to build upon what you started during these past few weeks. You are becoming more interested in acquiring things and although you might not become a materialist overnight, it's okay to accumulate a few valuable items now. Choose what you buy with great care. It's not that you shouldn't get things for your own enjoyment, but you'll feel better if they are actually useful.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

You aren't amused by silly love songs or meaningless jokes, for serious communication is always quite important to you. These are especially ponderous times and you must be patient to make certain that your words and actions convey exactly what you mean. It's vital to you that others take you as seriously as you feel.

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22)

The Sun is now traveling through your 4th House of Roots, emphasizing your private emotional life and your own childhood memories. You must, however, keep up appearances at work and at home, creating times of great stress. Regardless of your responsibilities, don't forget about your own needs. Give yourself the chance to settle into your own world, for you will return to your obligations later with renewed vigor.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22)

You feel more comfortable in your own skin with the Sun moving through fellow earth sign, Capricorn. There are many things you want to accomplish and now it's time to move forward with your goals. Allow yourself to experience a newfound confidence, for you have been preparing for what's ahead long enough. Let go of your fears and enjoy yourself, for a bit of relaxation can help you be even more productive.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22)

The cautious Capricorn Sun can be difficult for you, unless you figure out ways to feel okay about yourself without being on center stage. You are in a phase of needing to do the hard work without necessarily receiving much recognition for what you do, even if you truly deserve it. Take care of business without trying to take care of yourself. Set your personal needs aside for a while and get to work.

Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22)

Your focus is shifting from work into the realm of one-on-one relationships as the Sun slips into your 7th House of Partners. If you are married, this may now become the main event. If not, your talents are still strengthened by working with others. Don't try to set off on your own course. Instead, develop companionship with someone else to make your journey easier.

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 20)

Though normally light-hearted, you Geminis may think that it's time to be more serious about your life. With the emphasis on your 8th House of Shared Power, you can use this time successfully to delve into psychological issues that involve your relationship to others. Seek meaning wherever you can find it to transform your life into something more complete.

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20)

The week ahead bodes well for you as horizons expand and new ideas can positively impact your life. You feel energized, yet not scattered, for the Sun's illumination of Capricorn is compatible with your earthy nature. Use this time to think about your goals, without losing your head in the clouds or spending the month lost in dreams. Visualizing a path toward your own success can bring you closer to the happiness you want.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19)

You may mean well, but living up to your promises may be a source of unending stress for the next few weeks. You are sincere about performing your duties, but they can stand between you and your personal expression. It's not that you are lazy, but you think life could be so much better if you didn't have to work. Choose what's most important, for your responsibilities will prevent you from doing everything you want.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)

The Sun in your 11th House of Groups can encourage you to join others in political action, spiritual communion or just plain fun. Still, you might feel like an outsider because you aren't so confident of your communication skills. This is a great time to develop friendships by filling up your social calendar and surrounding yourself with friends. Playing by the rules and following tradition can enrich your life and your self-esteem in the days ahead.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)

Another astrological year of development is coming to fruition as the Sun enters your 12th House of Spiritual Mysteries. All that is still hidden can now catalyze your life by suddenly transforming your spiritual beliefs. Bring your awareness into the shadows and listen to your dreams. There is much to harvest from the unknown.

Quoted from tarot.com.

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Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict

Further to an email received from Eugene, I decided to give SamsonBlinded.com a link.

Quoting from the email...

Obadiah Shoher's blog. Obadiah - an anonymous Israeli politician - writes extremely controversial articles about Israel, the Middle East politics, and terrorism.
Shoher is equally critical of Jewish and Muslim myths, and advocates political rationalism instead of moralizing.

Google banned our site from the AdWords, Yahoo blocked most pages, and Amazon deleted all reviews of Obadiah's book, Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict.

Nevertheless, 170,000 people from 78 countries read the book. Various Internet providers ban us periodically, but you can look up the site on search engines. The mirror www.samsonblinded.com/blog currently works.

Read a few pages from his blog and you'll soon see why they're blacklisted ...the truth shames the devil!

Wei renmin fuwu : Serve The People

Just another "[i]ntelligent [r]ant space on news, politics and social issues as seen by a low income single mom."

Click here to visit Erika Klein's blog.

Now the CAS is stealing your tax dollars too!

Corruption. Hmmm? And I thought that the Children's Aid Society (CAS) was supposed to be about saving the babies, not about driving around in fancy cars. Banking executives, okay, I can see that, but CAS executives? I mean, c'mon?!?!?! Oh well, I guess that just gives us students all the more incentive to finish up school and join 'em. Eh?

Check out this article from Citynews.ca:

Ont. Auditor General's Report To Highlight Irregular CAS Spending
Tuesday December 5, 2006

They're taxpayer dollars meant to help some of the province's most vulnerable children.

But according to leaked portions of the provincial auditor general's report, due out Tuesday, that cash has been going to something completely different, namely, luxury vehicles and foreign trips for executives at Ontario Children's Aid societies.

The provincial government has so far refused to comment on the apparent irregular spending, details of which first surfaced last week. Aside from trips and cars, it's believed money was also spent on gym memberships. Premier Dalton McGuinty promised he'd come up with an "action plan" to deal with the problems.

"Upon receiving the information, the minister of children and youth services began immediately to put together a plan," McGuinty told the legislature.

"She met with representatives of Children's Aid societies, and she's going to make that plan public (Tuesday)."

Opposition Leader John Tory slammed the Liberals for not dealing with the issue sooner.

"My suspicion is that they knew about this a long time ago, and they had done nothing until it broke in the media, and then the decided they better have an action plan," Tory said.

"I think it's a scandal that money meant for vulnerable children should be spent on gym memberships and trips and expensive cars."

NDP Leader Howard Hampton also criticized the province, calling the "action plan" little more than damage control.

But Children and Youth Services Minister Mary Anne Chambers dismissed Hampton's charge, assuring that the plan has been weeks in the making.

Auditor General Jim McCarter's annual report will focus on the spending habits of 11 different provincial agencies and programs including the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), Hydro One and the Ontario Power Generation.

It's the first time McCarter has had the authority to investigate the CAS, hospitals and school boards in addition to government ministries and agencies.

For more information on this topic, please visit the following sites:

• www.cbc.ca
• heatherrainbow.blogspot.com
• torydrroy.blogspot.com
• afterfostercare.blogspot.com
• forthesakeofthechildren.blog-city.com

From "The Manifestation of the Highest Form of Matter: Man"

"Now back to the beginning that never began. In the thought hat the mind produced, a desire to manifest was pre-eminent. The self wanted to know self! So the thought had to manifest. Alla that that was to come into being had to come from self, because there was nothing else. No space, no air, no sun, no planets etc. All that was, was self! The self began to look into itself and began to vibrate rates of energy. All that is real fall into one of the two fundamental divisions. One corresponds to a mode of reality that is lacking in form - (And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life, and man became a living soul, Gen 2:7. When I have fashioned him in one proportion and breathed into him of my spirit fall ye down in obeisance unto him, Holy Qu-ran Surah 15 Ayat 29). We will call this division of "chaos" the subjective realm. The other division corresponds to the mode of reality in which energy/matter has been "ordered" into forms. This division is called the objective realm, due to the fact that it is in it that object's physical components are formed. The being that is the primary factor behind all the above mentioned realms in the MIND! The thoughts produce the manifestation and the reality of the manifestations are carried out by the atoms."

- Written by Amar Ankh Perfection Allah of Medina (year unknown)

Quoted from Sha-King Allah's blog Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil.

York Security issues sexual assault bulletin

The Toronto Police Service is currently investigating an incident which occurred on Monday, Nov. 27, 2006 at approximately 9pm, south of York University’s Keele campus near the intersection of Sentinel Road and Murray Ross Parkway, York Security Services said yesterday.

At that time, a female reported being assaulted by an unknown male assailant.

[...]

The assailant indicated to the victim that he had a handgun in his possession.

Should you have any information with respect to this incident you are asked to contact Toronto Police Service directly at 416-808-7474.

York Security Services responds to all community calls for service and can be contacted directly at 416-736-5333

York University provides the following campus security services:

* 24/7/365 campus security patrols
* goSAFE Transportation Service
* Escort - foot patrols
* 24/7/365 monitored CCTV coverage
* Network of emergency “Blue Light” telephones

See the York Security Web site for more information or further updates: http://www.yorku.ca/security

For information regarding previous York sexual assault, please click here.