Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Former co-worker: Zimmerman lost security guard job after he ‘snapped’ | The Raw Story
The neighborhood watchman who in February shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was once fired from his job as a security guard for “being too aggressive,” according to a new report.
An unnamed former co-worker told the New York Daily News that George Zimmerman was paid under-the-table for providing security for illegal house parties between 2001 and 2005, but was let go because his anger issues “became a liability.”
“Usually he was just a cool guy,” the former co-worker explained. “He liked to drink and hang with the women like the rest of us. … But it was like Jekyll and Hyde. When the dude snapped, he snapped.”
A plea for Libya’s rape victims by Nafissa Assed| Libya Herald
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| Nafissa Assed |
A plea for Libya’s rape victims
By Nafissa Assed.
T.S. Eliot once wrote: “There are some things about which we can say nothing, but before which we dare not keep silent.”
I heard of Kashmiri girls who were gang raped by the Indian army, Bosnian girls gang raped by Serbs, girls violated in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, America but I had never heard of girls in Libya who were assaulted, violated and raped by their own Libyan brothers. The knowledge makes me feel that It does not really take much for men to turn into beasts.
Rape is a sensitive topic worldwide and it also carries a stigma, but in a conservative — though I see it in this case as “hypocritical” conservative — country like Libya, it can be deadly and even more of a taboo. In Libya, when rape occurs, it is considered a stain on the honor of the whole family, tribe or town and thus victims can very likely be deserted not only by their families but by the whole community. In some cases, the victim may even be killed by her own brother, father or family member — or just left in the desert to die on her own. Heaven will be a comfort after what they have been through but life is not living.
A number of demonstrations have taken place urging the Libyan government to support and help those Libyan women who were brutally raped. The government should provide intensive treatment and care as well as providing them with financial, legal and counseling support. I mentioned earlier in one of my articles a moving speech by Ms Suad Yacoub, a lawyer who holds a master’s degree in international law and who is a member of the Women’s Modern Association. She presented the idea that the Libyan girls who were assaulted and raped by Qaddafi’s brigades and mercenaries should be taken care of.
LRA attacks on the rise in Central Africa
A Congolese woman, displaced by LRA attacks, carries a bag of non-food items distributed by UNHCR in Dungu, DR of Congo. Photo: UNHCR/M.Hofer
UN agency warns of increasing attacks by Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa
30 March 2012 – The United Nations refugee agency today spoke out about an increase in the number of attacks in recent weeks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in central Africa, leading to the displacement of thousands of people.
The attacks have taken place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Melissa Fleming, told reporters in Geneva.
She said that since UNHCR’s last update on 6 March, there have been 13 attacks in the DRC, which resulted in two killings and 13 abductions, and the displacement of 1,230 people mostly from the Dungu territory in the country’s north-east. In CAR, LRA attacks have resumed after a lull since April last year, with 11 attacks recorded this year.
The LRA was formed in the 1980s in Uganda and for over 15 years its attacks were mainly directed against Ugandan civilians and security forces, which in 2002 dislodged the rebels. They then exported their activities to Uganda’s neighbouring countries, with practices that include the recruitment of children, rapes, killing and maiming, and sexual slavery.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
NATO in Afghanistan - Race against corruption
Afghan youth are racing, literally, to protest corruption in their country, ranked the 3rd most corrupt country on the planet. Time to end that dubious ranking.
NATO in Afghanistan - Race against corruption
Spc. Dennis Weichel, U.S. Soldier Dad Of 3 Kids, Dies Saving Afghan Girl
Flags were lowered at half staff in Providence, R.I. for a soldier who died saving an Afghan girl.
While riding in a convoy in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan Thursday, Spc. Dennis P. Weichel Jr., 29, and his unit, noticed children collecting shell casings on the road ahead, ABC reports.
The soldiers urged the children to get out of the way, but one girl ran back to pick up more casings underneath a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle -- a truck that can weigh more than 16 tons.
To protect the girl from the massive vehicle, the Rhode Island National Guardsman lifted the girl out of the way, but the armored truck ran him over.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Spc. Dennis Weichel, U.S. Soldier Dad Of 3 Kids, Dies Saving Afghan Girl
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
FROM RESOLVE: Perspectives from communities currently affected by LRA violence
Perspectives from communities currently affected by LRA violence
People from all across the United States – and indeed, around the world – have weighed in with their views on the Kony 2012 phenomenon and the historic attention Joseph Kony has received over the last 10 days. However, despite the more than 90 million views of the Kony 2012 film online, the dozens of articles and interviews by mainstream news outlets, and the hundreds of blogs that have been written on the subject, there remains a critically important aspect of this story that has been left untold by the mainstream: perspectives from those who currently living in the midst of LRA violence.
Voices from communities in regions of DR Congo, South Sudan, and Central African Republic where the LRA continues to kill, abduct, and displace thousands of innocent civilians are notably absent from the public conversation. While frustrating, this is no surprise. As Resolve has noted on many occasions, Kony chooses to prey on communities in the most remote and marginalized areas of central Africa, where news of LRA atrocities rarely reach the outside world. These areas lack basic communication infrastructure and technology.
For the past six years, many religious and civil society leaders in these communities have been calling for assistance from their own governments and from the international community to help protect civilians targeted by the LRA and apprehend Joseph Kony and his top commanders. Their input formed the basis of the policy recommendations for the KONY 2012 campaign. It would be tragic if – in a moment of such incredible attention to their plight – views from affected communities continue to go unheard.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Invisible Children's Legacy Scholarship Program for North Ugandan Youth
Invisible Children provides merit-based scholarships and mentoring to motivated and talented secondary and university students from northern Uganda who were affected by the conflict with Kony's LRA. Currently supporting 590 secondary students and 250 university students, the program is educating the next generation of leaders in northern Uganda.
Monday, March 26, 2012
BBC: Senegal poll 'example for Africa'
People on the streets in Dakar celebrate Senegal's election result
Senegal's presidential election, which saw the incumbent concede defeat peacefully, has been hailed as a "great victory for democracy" in Africa.
President Abdoulaye Wade has accepted that he was defeated by Macky Sall in Sunday's run-off.
The African Union said Mr Wade's concession showed "maturity" in the country's democracy while the European Union called Senegal a "great example".
Mr Sall addressed thousands of cheering supporters in the capital, Dakar.
He promised to be a president for all Senegalese people.
The president-elect, 50, said the poll marks a "new era" for the country.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Senegal poll 'example for Africa'
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Prominent Kuwaiti Muslim scholar says ‘freedom comes before Shariah’
Prominent Kuwaiti Muslim scholar says ‘freedom comes before Shariah’
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Kuwait Islamic scholar Tariq al-Suwaidan said it was liberals who eradicated slavery in Islam and not the Islamists. (File photo)
DEEPSEA CHALLENGE Blog -- National Geographic
Cameron Now at Ocean’s Deepest Point
As of 5:52 p.m. ET (7:52 a.m. on Monday, local time), James Cameron has arrived at the Mariana Trench‘s Challenger Deep, members of the National Geographic expedition have confirmed.
His depth on arrival: 35,756 feet (10,898 meters)—a figure unattainable anywhere else in the ocean.
Reaching bottom, the National Geographic explorer and filmmaker typed out welcome words for the cheering support crew waiting at the surface: “All systems OK.”
Read the full National Geographic News story here.
James Cameron begins 7-mile dive - CBS News
(AP) HONOLULU - Director James Cameron began his journey Sunday to someplace only two men have gone before — to the Earth's deepest point.
The director of "Titanic," "Avatar" and other films is using a specially-designed submarine to descend nearly seven miles to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, an area 200 miles southwest of the Pacific island of Guam.
He began the dive at 5:50 a.m. Monday, local time, according Stephanie Montgomery of the National Geographic Society, where Cameron is an explorer-in-residence.
"RELEASE, RELEASE, RELEASE!" were the last words Cameron uttered before beginning the dive, according to a Twitter post from the expedition.
The scale of the trench is hard to grasp — it's 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon and more than a mile deeper than Mount Everest is tall. It was expected to take Cameron 90 minutes to reach the bottom aboard his 12-ton, lime-green sub called "Deepsea Challenger." Once there, Cameron planned to spend six hours collecting samples for biologists and geologists to study. The return trip to the surface was forecast to take 70 minutes.
There's considerable wiggle room built in, however, as the submarine Cameron helped design has the capability to support life for a 56-hour dive.
Deepsea Challenge (Official project website)
A file photo taken during testing in Australia of the Deepsea Challenger submersible, in which explorer-filmmaker James Cameron will descend to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
(Credit: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic) NY Times: Engaging African Voices on Kony
Engaging African Voices on Kony
By LINDSAY BRANHAM and JOCELYN KELLY
Lindsay Branham/DTJA boy who was abducted by the LRA and escaped several months later.
A critical perspective has been missing from the conversation resulting from the Kony 2012 campaign: that of those currently living in Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) affected areas.
The voices of affected individuals and communities should be at the center of this swelling chorus of opinions. If they were, perhaps the clamor of criticism could quiet long enough to hear what is being asked of humanitarians, academics, policy makers, and global citizens.
A women’s association leader in a community in LRA affected northeastern Congo who cares for children who have escaped from the LRA said, “People in the LRA are killing our own children. We need peace. Advocate on our behalf.”
Are we?
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Child soldiers: A worldwide scourge | Human Rights Watch
Child soldiers: A worldwide scourge
- A fourteen-year-old member of the AUC in MedellÃn.© 2002 Marcelo Salinas
Joseph Kony, Thomas Lubanga and Charles Taylor are just the tip of the iceberg. The use of children as soldiers extends far beyond Africa.
Last week in The Hague, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, found the Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga guilty of recruiting and using child soldiers in the armed conflict in that country, sealing his fate as the court's first convicted war criminal.
At the same time, the viral video "Kony 2012" has seemingly achieved its goal of making Joseph Kony, another rebel commander facing an ICC arrest warrant, notorious for his alleged crimes, including the abduction of an estimated 30,000 children for his Lord's Resistance Army. Millions of people have viewed the video, with millions more learning about Kony, who is still at large, through mainstream media coverage of the campaign.
Kony, Lubanga and Charles Taylor could be regarded as the three most infamous child soldier recruiters in the world today. Taylor, the former president of Liberia, is awaiting a verdict from the Special Court for Sierra Leone on charges of recruiting child soldiers and other crimes.
Together, the three may bear responsibility for forcing tens of thousands of children into brutal and deadly wars.
But the use of child soldiers extends far beyond Central and West Africa. Today, child soldiers are fighting in at least 14 countries, including Colombia, Myanmar (also known as Burma) and Afghanistan. In most of these cases, there have been no arrest warrants, no trials and no convictions for those responsible.
The United Nations has identified more than a dozen "persistent perpetrators," governments and armed groups that are known to have used child soldiers in active conflict for more than 10 years.
The United Nations has identified more than a dozen "persistent perpetrators," governments and armed groups that are known to have used child soldiers in active conflict for more than 10 years.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, rebels in Colombia, for example, have recruited children as young as 7 and forced them into combat. They execute fighters who try to desert.
FILM: The Great Mosque of Paris that saved Jews during the Holocaust-HAARETZ
The Great Mosque of Paris that saved Jews during the Holocaust
Focusing on the tale of Algerian-born Jewish singer Salim Halali, a new French film looks at the little-known, and hard to confirm, efforts of the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris to save Jews during World War II.
By Ofer AderetSalim Halali was a huge star in France and Morocco in the mid-20th century. The Jewish singer, who was born in 1920 into a poor family in Algeria, came to France when he was 14. Within a few years he became known far and wide as the best “Oriental” singer in Europe.
Now, seven years after his death,
 | Benghabrit (right) at the Elysee Palace in 1935 |
| Photo by: Getty Images |
Halali’s persona is back at center stage in a new French movie. The film, “Les hommes libres,” is being screened at the French film festival that is taking place at Cinematheques across Israel until April 5th.
The plot of the film centers on a heroic rescue tale, the details of which have yet to be studied fully by scholars, having to do with the Great Mosque of Paris having provided sanctuary and refuge to Jews, Halali among them, during the Holocaust. The film has sparked a renewed public debate over whether the honorific “Righteous Among the Nations” should be accorded to the mosque’s rector, who is depicted as one who placed Halali and other Jews under his protection.
 | French actor Michael Lonsdale (left) depicting Benghabrit, as he greets a German Nazi officer, in the film 'Les hommes libres.' |
“The film pays homage to the people of our history who have been invisible. It shows another reality, that Muslims and Jews existed in peace. We have to remember that − with pride,” the film’s director, Ismael Ferroukhi, said in an interview with the New York Times.
The mosque at the center of the film is housed in an impressive fortress-like building with a striking green roof, which occupies an entire street on Paris’ Left Bank. The French government built it in 1926 in honor of the Muslim soldiers who were killed fighting for the country in World War I, and to bolster the bond between the state and its Arab immigrants − and through them with their countries of origin.
NY TIMES: In wake of viral video, African Union to launch new military push targeting Kony's rebels
The operation, which aims to bring together 5,000 troops from four African countries each victimized by the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, will tap from troops already deployed to fight the group. But officials said the force will be more cohesive and disciplined.
“We’re on a mission,” an African Union envoy, Francisco Madeira, told reporters on Friday. “We need to stop Kony.”
Friday, March 23, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
POLITICO: Joseph Kony captures Congress’ attention - Scott Wong
Joseph Kony captures Congress’ attention
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
National Review: Standing Your Ground and Vigilantism
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Trayvon Martin, RIP |
Florida has some of the strongest laws pertaining to armed self-defense in the United States. Not only did the state begin the trend of “shall issue” concealed-carry laws in the late 1980s, but it more recently enacted a “Stand Your Ground” statute, meaning that when a person faces a threat of death or great bodily harm in a public place, he has no duty to retreat from his attacker before using lethal force in self-defense.
However, a commitment to armed self-defense requires a second commitment: to the principle that those who bear arms must act responsibly. It is still not clear whether Florida “neighborhood watch” vigilante George Zimmerman broke the law when he chased down and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. And that’s a problem, because Zimmerman acted inappropriately in the moments leading up to the shooting, and Martin would still be alive if Zimmerman had behaved as he should have. Supporters of pro-self-defense policies should roundly condemn Zimmerman’s actions, and Florida should change its laws to prevent this incident from repeating itself.
However, a commitment to armed self-defense requires a second commitment: to the principle that those who bear arms must act responsibly. It is still not clear whether Florida “neighborhood watch” vigilante George Zimmerman broke the law when he chased down and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. And that’s a problem, because Zimmerman acted inappropriately in the moments leading up to the shooting, and Martin would still be alive if Zimmerman had behaved as he should have. Supporters of pro-self-defense policies should roundly condemn Zimmerman’s actions, and Florida should change its laws to prevent this incident from repeating itself.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Standing Your Ground and Vigilantism
SOME HISTORY WORTH KNOWING: Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth
LEARN WHAT HAS REALLY BEEN GOING ON IN CENTRAL AFRICA. KONY IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth
Crisis In The Congo: Uncovering The Truth
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Mauritania 'agrees to Senussi extradition'
Abdullah al-Senussi is also wanted in France and by the ICC in The Hague [Reuters]
Mauritania has agreed that Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, arrested in Nouakchott last week, can be extradited to Libya, Libya's deputy prime minister has said.
The decision, if implemented, sets Libya on a collision course with France and the international war crimes court in The Hague, which also want to extradite Senussi, Gaddafi's right-hand man before the Libyan leader's overthrow and death in a popular revolt last year.
"I have met the president of Mauritania and he agreed to the extradition of Senussi to Libya," Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour wrote on Twitter on Tuesday in a comment confirmed as official by a Libyan government representative.
A Mauritanian security source said a deal was close but acknowledged pressure from Paris.
"We agreed to study their request favourably. It's almost a done deal but one should be careful. The French are applying lots of pressure," the source said on condition of anonymity.
"They say their claim takes priority because their arrest warrant went in first and because they helped with the arrest."
'Crimes against humanity'
Senussi, whose whereabouts had been unclear for months, was arrested at Mauritania's Nouakchott airport late on Friday when he stepped off a flight from Morocco.
A senior Libyan delegation to Mauritania feted President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz for his "brave stance" in arresting Senussi and during talks at his presidency stressed that Senussi should be extradited to Libya.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE: Mauritania 'agrees to Senussi extradition'
BBC: Kony victims back online campaign
Joseph Kony victims back online campaign
Some South Sudanese have already taken up arms against Kony and the LRA
With a controversial US film putting the spotlight on Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army, the BBC's James Copnall reports on those in South Sudan and Uganda who believe he must be captured or killed at all costs.
In a refugee camp in the shade of giant mango trees, a Congolese man called Jean-Roger is calling for US soldiers to capture the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony.
"We need a military intervention. [President Barack] Obama must make an effort to finish with Kony," he says in a firm voice.
"The LRA has killed a lot of people, and raped a lot of women, and they kidnap children to train them to become like them. They must be stopped."
The recent Kony 2012 film, which has been viewed millions of times, has attracted criticism for simplifying the problem of the LRA.
But Jean-Roger and other victims believe the only thing that matters is to stop the rebel movement.
There are more than 5,000 refugees in the Makpandu camp in South Sudan, the majority from the Democratic Republic of Congo, others from the Central African Republic.
Those are the two countries where the LRA now operates, though its fighters - many of whom are children - sometimes launch raids into South Sudan too.
'World must act'
Another refugee, Modeste, a grey-haired man with a bright floral shirt, also wants foreign troops to help out.
His four daughters, aged between five and 14, were kidnapped when the LRA attacked his village in DR Congo.
"I think they must be dead," he says simply, perhaps not wanting to voice the other, horrifying prospect - that they have been kept as sex slaves.
"I want governments all over the world to act, we must finish the LRA. The world should get enough forces to attack, and kill all of them," he says.
Kony film breathes life into hunt - FT.com
Kony film breathes life into hunt
By Katrina Manson in Nairobi
For years, Joseph Kony has taken the remnants of his Lord’s Resistance Army around the borderlands of four countries, hiding in thick forest in an area the size of California. Despite a 2005 charge of war crimes from the International Criminal Court, he has evaded repeated attempts at capture and reneged on several peace deals.
When last week a film by the campaign group Invisible Children went viral, attracting more than 76m viewings (and counting) on YouTube and the support of a host of celebrities, it breathed life into the hunt for Mr Kony, whose forces are notorious for abducting children and forcing them to fight, as well as hacking off the lips and noses of their victims.
But on the ground there are other signs the pressure is growing. Uganda’s chief of defence forces on Tuesday flew to Kinshasa to meet his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Colonel Felix Kulayigye, a spokesman for the Ugandan army.
LA TIMES: 'Kony' creator Jason Russell flooded with notes of support
'Kony' creator Jason Russell flooded with notes of support
Invisible Children filmmaker Jason Russell, who created the viral "Kony 2012" video, has been flooded with notes of encouragement and support since his bizarre encounter with police last week.
The organization's chief executive, Ben Keesey, said in a statement that the "messages and encouragements and notes people sent us last ... have been incredible."
He said some of the messages have said "We're standing with you" and "We're in your corner now more than ever."
Keesey said "these last two weeks have been tough" as the video received global attention and millions of views.
He said the pressure "was hard for all of us, but it was especially hard for Jason because the story was so personal for him and his family. That pressure took a serious toll on him, and unfortunately the whole world saw that."
Russell, 33, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon by San Diego police after neighbors reported him running naked in the streets of the Pacific Beach neighborhood, pounding his fists on the sidewalk and shouting incoherently. Police took him to a mental health facility for observation.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Gerri Lutaaya // I Am the Fourth Estate
This video premiered at The Fourth Estate. It highlights one of our Team Leaders from this fall's Frontline Tour, Gerri Lutaaya. Her parents grew up in Uganda, before moving to Canada and starting a new life abroad. Gerri's story of being so deeply connected to our work both in America and Uganda exemplifies who and what The Fourth Estate strives to be.
To learn more about Invisible Children: http://invisiblechildren.com
To learn more about Invisible Children: http://invisiblechildren.com
Jewish Communtiy High School Seniors Planting Trees In New Orleans (quick video)
After taking a tour of the Lower 9th Ward, the JCHS seniors in New Orleans jumped right in to work on Wetlands Restoration with the non-profit Common Ground Relief.
JCHS Seniors Planting Trees In New Orleans
JCHS Seniors Planting Trees In New Orleans
PUTIN THE HYPOCRITE: Russian Anti-Terror Troops in Syria
Russian Anti-Terror Troops Arrive in Syria
A Russian military unit has arrived in Syria, according to Russian news reports, a development that a United Nations Security Council source told ABC News was "a bomb" certain to have serious repercussions.
Russia, one of President Bashar al-Assad's strongest allies despite international condemnation of the government's violent crackdown on the country's uprising, has repeatedly blocked the United Nations Security Council's attempts to halt the violence, accusing the U.S. and its allies of trying to start another war.
Now the Russian Black Sea fleet's Iman tanker has arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus on the Mediterranean Sea with an anti-terror squad from the Russian Marines aboard according to the Interfax news agency. The Assad government has insisted it is fighting a terrorist insurgency. The Russian news reports did not elaborate on the Russian troops' mission in Syria or if they are expected to leave the port.
FOR THE FULL ARTICLE WITH VIDEO CLICK HERE: Russian Anti-Terror Troops in Syria
Sunday, March 18, 2012
BBC: Cuban protesters held in Havana
Cuban opposition activists arrested in Havana
Members of the Ladies in White tried to march to the centre of Havana
Cuban police have arrested dozens of opposition activists, a week ahead of a visit by Pope Benedict XVI.
Most of those detained are members of the protest group Ladies in White, who are demanding the release of political prisoners.
Many were stopped as they staged their silent weekly protest march along an avenue in the capital, Havana.
The group says the country's Communist authorities have increased pressure on them in recent days.
The government says they are paid by the US to undermine Cuba's revolution.
The Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) usually attend Mass together and then stage a protest march outside calling for the release of all political prisoners.
Civil Leaders in CAR, DRC, and South Sudan Speak on LRA Violence
Joseph Kony and the LRA are currently active in the bordering countries of Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan. Civil leaders speak about the violence that is affecting their countries what it will take to resolve it.
100 Million Viewers Can't Be Wrong - By Adam Finck
While Kony 2012 was being released, I was working with Invisible Children staff and community leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on civilian protection initiatives. I was astonished to see the view count climb into the millions. None of us expected that a 29-minute film about Joseph Kony would go viral -- or that the backlash would include criticisms that Invisible Children was unaware of the current location of his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), when, in fact, our work has extended into currently affected regions of central Africa over the last two years.
What was perhaps most surprising to see in the wake of Kony 2012 was the misperception that the LRA are still in Uganda. Kony 2012 does portray the LRA's movement away from Uganda into the DRC, the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan (minute 15:01), and a quick look at the LRA Crisis Tracker leaves no doubt about the LRA's current area of operation. Yet somehow the message in the film fell short of getting the point across. Perhaps it was due to the focus on a young Ugandan who was affected by the conflict, or perhaps it is driven by the unfortunate fact that only 20 percent of viewers actually watched the entire film, and the rest may have missed a few crucial details.
There has been much discussion about the video's impact in the days since Kony 2012 launched, but unfortunately almost none of the opinions have come from the three countries currently affected by the LRA. The insight of local leaders in the DRC, the CAR, and South Sudan has been largely excluded from the broader conversation, as has their viewpoint on the apprehension of LRA leadership in 2012, and it is clear that the discussion needs to expand.
To the Invisible Children Family
To the Invisible Children Family from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
To the Invisible Children Family from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
“Thank you to everyone concerned with Jason and his health. Jason has dedicated his adult life to this cause, leading up to KONY 2012. We thought a few thousand people would see the film, but in less than a week, millions of people around the world saw it. While that attention was great for raising awareness about Joseph Kony, it also brought a lot of attention to Jason—and, because of how personal the film is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal, and Jason took them very hard.
Let us say up front- that Jason has never had a substance abuse or drinking problem, and this episode wasn’t caused by either of those things. But yes, he did some irrational things brought on by extreme exhaustion. On our end- the focus remains only on his health, and protecting our family. We’ll take care of Jason, you take care of the work.
The message of the film remains the same: stop at nothing.”
-Jason's wife on behalf of the Russell Family
To the Invisible Children Family
NATO General Discusses Libya and International Cooperation | C-SPAN
General Bouchard discusses how NATO implemented its mission in Libya (video)
NATO General Discusses Libya and International Cooperation | C-SPAN
NATO General Discusses Libya and International Cooperation | C-SPAN
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Notorious Rwandan Rebel Leader Surrenders in Congo
A top Rwandan rebel leader Lieutenant Colonel Idrissa Muradadi today has surrendered to the joint forces of the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) and the Congolese national armed forces (FARDC).
Reports say that at the joint military offensive, Lieutenant Colonel Muradadi's three bodygoards also turned themselves to the joint forces.
Lt. Col. Muradadi is considered a "big fish" in the rebel group called Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda or the FDLR.
Muradadi was a leader in the 2nd battalion of the Rwandan Hutu militia known by its French acronym FDLR. The FDLR has terrorized eastern Congo for years by launching brutal attacks on civilians.
 Paramedic officers of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) evacuate one of the victims of a massacre committed by the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), to a military hospital in Goma. UN Photo/Marie Frechon |
The Congolese government has been unsuccessful to eradicate the group, which crossed into Congo after Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
"This is excellent news. "- Manodje Mounoubai, spokesperson for MONUSCO
Muradadi is reportedly sent to a disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, rehabilitation, and repatriation camp after his surrender and will soon be sent to Rwanda, according to MONUSCO.
The MONUSCO spokeperson stresses that Muradadi's surrender will have a demoralizing effect on others FDLR rebels in eastern DR Congo.
Friday, March 16, 2012
THE WORLD IS WAKING UP TO ITS POTENTIAL!
THE NEW PARADIGM! (after the advertisement that is!)
"The world, not just the United States, is waking up to their potential. They're realizing that we are transcending politics, we are transcending borders and saying that we are human beings and we're going to protect each other no matter what."
"The world, not just the United States, is waking up to their potential. They're realizing that we are transcending politics, we are transcending borders and saying that we are human beings and we're going to protect each other no matter what."
Jason Russell
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