In Bangladeshi A 14 Year Old Girl Was Charged With Adultery And Was Lashed To Death Per Sharia Law! OMG This Is HORRIBLE!!! :*(

CNN

Only 14, Bangladeshi girl charged with adultery was lashed to death

written by Farid Ahmed and Moni Basu

Tuesday March 29, 2011

Shariatpur, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Hena Akhter's last words to her mother proclaimed her innocence. But it was too late to save the 14-year-old girl.

Her fellow villagers in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district had already passed harsh judgment on her. Guilty, they said, of having an affair with a married man. The imam from the local mosque ordered the fatwa, or religious ruling, and the punishment: 101 lashes delivered swiftly, deliberately in public.

Hena dropped after 70.

Bloodied and bruised, she was taken to hospital, where she died a week later.

Amazingly, an initial autopsy report cited no injuries and deemed her death a suicide. Hena's family insisted her body be exhumed. They wanted the world to know what really happened to their daughter.

Sharia: illegal but still practiced

Hena's family hailed from rural Shariatpur, crisscrossed by murky rivers that lend waters to rice paddies and lush vegetable fields.

Hena was the youngest of five children born to Darbesh Khan, a day laborer, and his wife, Aklima Begum. They shared a hut made from corrugated tin and decaying wood and led a simple life that was suddenly marred a year ago with the return of Hena's cousin Mahbub Khan.

Mahbub Khan came back to Shariatpur from a stint working in Malaysia. His son was Hena's age and the two were in seventh grade together.

Khan eyed Hena and began harassing her on her way to school and back, said Hena's father. He complained to the elders who run the village about his nephew, three times Hena's age.

The elders admonished Mahbub Khan and ordered him to pay $1,000 in fines to Hena's family. But Mahbub was Darbesh's older brother's son and Darbesh was asked to let the matter fade.

Many months later on a winter night, as Hena's sister Alya told it, Hena was walking from her room to an outdoor toilet when Mahbub Khan gagged her with cloth, forced her behind nearby shrubbery and beat and raped her.

Hena struggled to escape, Alya told CNN. Mahbub Khan's wife heard Hena's muffled screams and when she found Hena with her husband, she dragged the teenage girl back to her hut, beat her and trampled her on the floor.

The next day, the village elders met to discuss the case at Mahbub Khan's house, Alya said. The imam pronounced his fatwa. Khan and Hena were found guilty of an illicit relationship. Her punishment under sharia or Islamic law was 101 lashes; his 201.

Mahbub Khan managed to escape after the first few lashes.

Darbesh Khan and Aklima Begum had no choice but to mind the imam's order. They watched as the whip broke the skin of their youngest child and she fell unconscious to the ground.

"What happened to Hena is unfortunate and we all have to be ashamed that we couldn't save her life," said Sultana Kamal, who heads the rights organization Ain o Shalish Kendro.

Bangladesh is considered a democratic and moderate Muslim country, and national law forbids the practice of sharia. But activist and journalist Shoaib Choudhury, who documents such cases, said sharia is still very much in use in villages and towns aided by the lack of education and strong judicial systems.

Last month, the court asked the government to explain what it had done to stop extrajudicial penalty based on fatwa. It ordered the dissemination of information to all mosques and madrassas, or religious schools, that sharia is illegal in Bangladesh.

"The government needs to enact a specific law to deal with such perpetrators responsible for extrajudicial penalty in the name of Islam," Kamal told CNN.

The United Nations estimates that almost half of Bangladeshi women suffer from domestic violence and many also commonly endure rape, beatings, acid attacks and even death because of the country's entrenched patriarchal system.

Hena might have quietly become another one of those statistics had it not been for the outcry and media attention that followed her death on January 31.

Please click HERE to read the entire article...

Hamas Court Orders Execution Of 'Collaborator'

Hamas is a gang that DEMANDS OBEDIENCE and CONTROL over the population! Hamas doesn't GIVE A DAMN about the Palestinians!

*******************************************************

France 24 International news

Hamas court orders execution of 'collaborator'

written by AFP staff

Wednesday March 30, 2011

A Gaza military court has condemned a man to death and sentenced another to forced labour for collaborating with Israel, the Hamas interior ministry said on Wednesday.

"The permanent tribunal on Tuesday sentenced the accused to death by hanging for treason and complicity with murder," the ministry said in a statement which identified the condemned man only as a resident of the central Gaza Strip.

The second man was sentenced to 15 years of forced labour, the statement said, adding that both judgements were subject to appeal.

In April, Gaza's Hamas rulers executed two alleged "collaborators" in the first executions to be carried out since the Islamist movement seized power in June 2007.

It was also the first time executions had been carried out in the coastal enclave for five years.

Palestinian law defines collaboration with Israel, murder and drug trafficking as capital crimes.

It says the president must approve all execution orders before they can be carried out, but Hamas no longer recognises the legitimacy of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009.

Israeli security forces routinely use Palestinian informers to thwart militant attacks and assist in the assassinations of top militants.

History Repeats Itself In Burma – Dictatorship Rebrands Itself Again

Burma Campaign UK

History Repeats Itself In Burma – Dictatorship Rebrands Itself Again

written by Staff

Wednesday March 30, 2011

Burma’s Dictator, Than Shwe, has today officially disbanded the State Peace and Development Council, the body through which Burma’s dictators have ruled the country since 1997. However, Burma Campaign UK today warned that dictatorship remains alive and well in Burma, guaranteed by a new Constitution and a new political infrastructure.

The transfer of power from the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to a new all-powerful body, the National Defence and Security Council, is just the latest in a series of rebrandings since the establishment of the first dictatorship in Burma in 1962.

There are many parallels between the current rebranding, and that undertaken by General Ne Win between 1972 and 1974. Senior General Than Shwe has clearly taken these steps as a blueprint for his so-called roadmap to democracy.

Burma’s first dictatorship began in 1962, led by General Ne Win, under the name of the Revolutionary Council. At the same time he promoted the Burma Socialist Programme Party as a so-called grassroots political face for the dictatorship. Than Shwe has followed a similar path with the Union Solidarity Development Association, of which he was President, and which transformed into the Union Solidarity and Development Party ahead of the elections.

Like Ne Win, Than Shwe also drafted a new constitution designed to legalise his rule and give it a civilian face. Than Shwe also followed Ne Win’s blueprint in having a rigged referendum to approve that Constitution. Ne Win also held a sham election and created a rubber stamp Parliament, just as Than Shwe has now done. In another similarity Ne Win also had a handful of civilians in government positions in his dictatorship.

Following the introduction of the new Constitution in 1974, and a supposed transition from military to civilian dictatorship, Ne Win ruled for a further 14 years. 37 years later, there is still dictatorship in Burma.

This history helps to explain why most people in Burma are largely disinterested in the current political structures being created in Burma, as was shown by the low turnout in the election. They do not see any significant change. They have seen it all before. Excitement about these changes is largely confined to diplomatic circles, and those who are politically active in Rangoon. Understanding this history is also important in understanding the decision by the National League for Democracy not to take part in this sham process.

Whether or not the dictatorship brands itself the Revolutionary Council, the Central Committee of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the State Peace and Development Council, or, as now, the National Defence and Security Council, it is still a dictatorship. Whether or not it is led by Ne Win, Maung Maung, Than Shwe, or Thein Sein, it is still a dictatorship. Whether or not it contains a handful of civilians, or ex-military people, it is still a dictatorship.

The real facts on the ground are that there are no new freedoms, that human rights abuses continue, and that those ruling Burma clearly have no intention of introducing any genuine reforms to improve human rights or move towards democracy.

“What we are seeing in Burma today is a rebranding, not reform,” said Mark Farmaner, Director at Burma Campaign UK. “It’s groundhog day for the people of Burma, dictatorship is alive and well, and large parts of the international community seem to have been fooled by its shiny new branding.”

Water Ceremony with Dr. Masaru Emoto

Water Ceremony with Dr. Masaru Emoto

[source: EmotoPeaceProject]

Golbal Event - Please join us in prayer right from where you are - for a special Water Ceremony for the waters at the nuclear plants Japan. This Thursday at 12pm in YOUR time zone. Thank you for your love and support!

A letter from Dr Masaru Emoto...

To All People Around the World,

Please send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan!

...

By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas.

Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them.

Is there really nothing else to do?

I think there is. During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is.

Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness.

Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!!

The prayer procedure is as follows.

Day and Time:

March 31st, 2011 (Thursday)

12:00 noon in each time zone

Please say the following phrase:

“The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant,

we are sorry to make you suffer.

Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.”

Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position. Please offer your sincere prayer.

Thank you very much from my heart.

With love and gratitude,

Masaru Emoto

Messenger of Water

The Russian-Libyan Reproachment: What Has Moscow Gained? Just A Little Food For Thought As To WHY Russian TV (RT) Has Been the ONLY News Defending Gaddafi! INFORMATION IS KEY FOLKS!

The Middle East Council

The Russian-Libyan Reproachment: What Has Moscow Gain?

written by Mark N. Katz

In mid-April 2008, outgoing President Vladimir Putin went to Libya. He was the highest-level Russian official ever to visit this petroleum-rich North African country. A number of agreements were reached then, including a resolution to Libya’s Soviet-era debt to Moscow, a contract for Russian Railroads to build a railway line between two Libyan cities (Sirte and Benghazi), and a memorandum of cooperation between Gazprom and the Libyan National Oil Company. There were also reports that major Russian arms sales to Libya may be forthcoming. In addition, Gazprom appears set to become heavily involved in Libyan gas exports to Europe through a swap of some Gazprom assets in Russia in exchange for some of the assets in Libya of ENI, Italy’s multinational oil and gas company. In July 2008, Gazprom proposed that it buy all Libyan petroleum intended for export.

Gazprom’s growing Libyan presence has led some to fear that Moscow is attempting to dominate European gas imports not just from the east, but also from the south. This fear has only been furthered by Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qadhafi’s enthusiasm for a “gas OPEC” and, despite his recent rapprochement with Washington, for Putin’s confrontational approach toward America and the West. Far from presaging a Russian-Libyan alliance, however, the April 2008 Putin visit to Libya may actually have been an attempt to play catch-up with the West (especially Europe), which had benefited from the end of Libya’s isolation following the lifting first of UN and later U.S. sanctions against it. Nor is it clear that Gazprom’s offer to buy all of Libya’s petroleum exports will be accepted. Finally, as some Russian analysts have noted, the benefits that Moscow receives from improved relations with Tripoli may turn out to be relatively limited.

BACKGROUND

Although Libya was not as firm a Soviet ally as many Third World Marxist regimes were, Moscow developed close ties with the anti-Western regime of Qadhafi, who had overthrown Libya’s pro-Western monarchy in 1969. The number-two Soviet leader at that time, Aleksei Kosygin, went to Libya in 1975, and Qadhafi visited Moscow in 1976, 1981 and 1985. Soviet-Libyan trade volume during the 1970s and 1980s was approximately $100 million per year. During this period, Moscow also supplied $4.6 billion in weaponry to Libya, providing about 90 percent of that country’s arms inventory. According to Kommersant, “Libya was one of the Soviet Union’s few partners that paid in full for the military equipment it purchased from the USSR.” Libya, however, did run up a debt to Moscow during these years.

With Russian support, however, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Libya in 1992 (at the height of Yeltsin’s pro-Western foreign-policy orientation). Russian-Libyan trade dwindled to $1 million per year by the mid-1990s. Due to the UN sanctions, Libya claimed it was unable to repay its debt to Moscow.

In April 1999, UN sanctions against Libya were lifted. Yeltsin suspended Russian sanctions against Libya the following month, but America’s remained in place. It initially appeared that Russian-Libyan economic relations would resume. Aeroflot service between Moscow and Tripoli started up again in June 1999.7 A contract was signed for a Russian firm to build a 117-kilometer natural-gas pipeline inside Libya. In mid-2000, Promeksport began implementing contracts signed in 1999 and 2000 to sell ammunition to Libya and repair its Soviet-supplied armored vehicles and air defense systems.

BREAKTHROUGH

A breakthrough in Russian-Libyan relations occurred in December 2007. According to Rossiiskaya gazeta, it began when Qadhafi telephoned Putin to congratulate him on the victory of the pro-Putin political party, United Russia, in the Duma elections earlier that month. Shortly afterward, they reportedly agreed that Putin would visit Libya soon. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov went to Tripoli at the end of December to talk about Russian-Libyan military and economic cooperation, including Russia’s willingness to “provide assistance for Libya to realize its right for atomic-energy peaceful use,” the debt issue and the upcoming Putin visit. According to an unnamed Russian government source, the scheduling of Putin’s visit “depended, in particular, on the achievement of an agreement on settling the Libyan debt.”

As it turned out, the debt issue would not be resolved until Putin went to Tripoli in mid-April 2008. By then, Libya’s debt to Moscow amounted to $4.6 billion. This figure was reduced by $100 million to cover Libyan financial claims against Russia. Moscow agreed to write off the remaining $4.5 billion “in exchange for the signing of important contracts — not only in the area of military-technical cooperation, but also in the civilian realm. The money will be progressively written off as Russian enterprises start receiving payments from the Libyans under various contracts.”

During Putin’s visit, Libya signed a contract with Russian Railroads to build a 554 km rail line between Benghazi and Sirte worth 2.2 billion euros. According to Vremya novostei, about half this sum would count toward Libya’s debt obligation. In addition to signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in gas production with the Libyan National Oil Company, Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding with the Libyan Arab African Investment Group “about the possibility of setting up a joint venture for working in third countries in Africa.” The two sides also signed an agreement on developing friendship and cooperation, declarations of intent to cooperate in various fields (including the peaceful use of nuclear energy) as well as others.

Although not signed at that time (nor as of this writing), there were reports that Russia’s Technopromexport was hoping to obtain a contract to build power-generating facilities in Libya worth over $6 billion. There were also reports that Libya might buy $2.5 billion worth of arms from Russia. One optimistic Russian estimate claimed that Libya might actually buy $11 billion worth of arms from Moscow. An agreement on a major Russian arms sale to Libya, however, has not yet been reached.

Please click HERE to read the entire article... really long! But chock full of information.

Thailand Hit By Devasting Floods And Landslides! 11 People Dead Thousands Have Been Stranded :(

Channel News Asia

Thai flood toll reaches 11, thousands stranded

written by AFP Staff

Wednesday March 30, 2011

BANGKOK: Flooding across southern Thailand has killed 11 people and stranded thousands on storm-swept holiday islands as the navy's only aircraft carrier joins a rescue operation, officials said on Wednesday.

Victims were either swept away by the rising waters, or buried in mudslides as the unseasonably wet weather deluged the homes and businesses of around a million people in what should be one of the hottest months of the year.

Residents were left without electricity in many areas as the waters rose, while road, rail and air links to the southern region remain closed.

Thousands were stranded on the tourist islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand as ferries were cancelled in the rough weather.

Deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government had sent its only aircraft carrier to rescue around 1,000 people stuck on Koh Tao island.

"There are roughly one million people affected in many provinces. At first we thought the flood would last a day or two, but now it has already been one week," he told reporters.

Bangkok Airways said there were 2,000 people, mostly tourists, stranded on Samui island either at the airport or in hotels after the airline cancelled flights for two days in a row.

Some 800 passengers are also waiting in Bangkok to travel to the island.

Bad weather and a power blackout at Samui airport grounded over 50 flights on Monday and Tuesday.

The flooding, which began in southern Thailand a week ago, has killed seven people in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, three along the coast in Surat Thani and one in neighbouring Phatthalung.

In all, 80 districts of eight provinces have been declared disaster areas by Thailand's disaster prevention and mitigation department.

Devastating flooding across Thailand late last year left more than 220 people dead, damaging the homes or livelihoods of an estimated 8.6 million people in 51 of the kingdom's 76 provinces.

9 People Dead After IV Infections At 6 Alabama Hospitals! UGH! :/

The Associated Press

9 dead after IV infections at 6 Ala hospitals

written by Anna McFall

Tuesday March 29, 2011

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Nine Alabama hospital patients who were treated with intravenous feeding bags contaminated with bacteria have died and the maker has pulled the product off the market, state health officials said Tuesday.

Ten others who got the nutrient treatments that are delivered directly from the plastic bags into the bloodstream through IV tubes also were sickened by the outbreak of serratia marcescens bacteria, health officials said. All the patients were critically ill before receiving the IVs and officials have not definitively tied the deaths to the outbreak at six hospitals, State Health Officer Donald Williamson said.

"There is nothing to suggest the deaths were directly related to the bacterial infection," said Williamson who declined to give details on the patients including their ages and illnesses.

On March 16, two hospitals reported increased cases of serratia marcescens to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Officials linked the infection to TPN, a common nutritional supplement delivered through IVs.

A single pharmacy, Birmingham-based Meds IV, made the bags. Williamson said the company has notified its customers of the contamination, has discontinued production and was being very cooperative.

"We wouldn't be nearly as far along as we are without them," said Williamson.

Calls to Meds IV and its owner seeking comment were not returned.

Meds IV is registered to Edward Cingoranelli, who appears to have been involved in at least three other medical supply companies, according to the Alabama Secretary of State's office. Meds IV was incorporated two weeks after one of the other firms.

When Select Specialty Hospital in Birmingham learned one of its suppliers may have distributed bags containing the bacteria, it started investigating and stopped using Meds IV products, said the hospital's chief executive officer. Other hospitals also immediately stopped using the products.

"We are committed to high-quality patient care and are fully cooperating with government officials in their ongoing investigation of the supplier," said Jeffrey Denney.

Hospitals have very strict infection control for TPN. The supplement compound of several different nutrients, including electrolytes, is delivered daily in bags that are pre-mixed, not done in the hospital. The supplement is administered into a central line intravenously, going directly into the patients' blood stream. Patients are monitored carefully for symptoms of septic shock.

Serratia marcescens bacteria grow in moist areas and can settle in hospital patients' respiratory and urinary tracts. The bacteria is common and easily treatable if detected early. Patients with serratia sepsis may have fever, chills, shock, and respiratory distress.

Besides Select Specialty, other hospitals hit with the outbreak were Baptist Princeton, Baptist Shelby, Medical West and Cooper Green in the Birmingham area and Baptist Prattville, north of Montgomery.

The state health department, Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and the Food and Drug Administration are investigating.

Williamson said the risk of more patients being exposed to the bacteria has ended.

"There are no outstanding cases of this infection. It is contained and closed," says Williamson.

The CDC in 2005 identified the bacteria as causing blood stream infections in about a dozen patients in New Jersey and California that were treated with contaminated salt solutions administered through IVs from similar bags.

This Totally Sucks!!! Madonna Got SCAMMED By The Executive Director She Hired To Manage Her Raising Malawi Charity!

The New York Post

Madge eyes action on school

written by Staff

March 27, 2011

Madonna and her Raising Malawi charity are considering legal action after the foundation they set up to build a school for impoverished girls dramatically collapsed despite millions having been poured into it.

The superstar's plan to build a $15 million school for 400 girls in the African nation has been abandoned after the organization plowed $3.8 million into architects, design and salaries but never broke ground.

Raising Malawi Executive Director Philippe van den Bossche left in October and has been criticized in a report provided by the Kabbalah Center that read: "Philippe's level of mismanagement and lack of oversight was extreme . . . and the lack of success of the players on the ground is in large part a result of his inability to effectively manage project plans, people and finances."

Auditors reportedly found outlandish sums spent on salaries, office space, a golf-club membership, housing and a car and driver.

In a statement to Page Six, a rep for Madonna confirmed, "Raising Malawi is examining its legal options."

Madonna, who lent $11 million to the organization she founded with the Kabbalah Center's Michael Berg, is said to be furious about the school's failure. Her pals, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Alex Rodriguez, are said to be among the project's donors.

Madonna has had a difficult relationship with van den Bossche. We reported in 2009 that she fired her trainer, Tracy Anderson, after she became romantically involved with him. Van den Bossche moved to New York to be with Anderson, leaving Madonna furious that it could distract him from his work with the foundation. Anderson and van den Bossche broke up more than a year ago.

Van den Bossche didn't respond to e-mails, and his cellphone was disconnected. He earlier said he was bound by confidentiality agreements.

You Make My Dreams Come True... ♥

Here's a GREAT 80s CLASSIC feel good song to get our week started!!! Oh man this song is addictive... I keep wanting to replay it. lol :) Enjoy! :D

You Make My Dreams Come True ~ by Hall and Oats

What I want, you've got

And it might be hard to handle

But like the flame that burns the candle

The candle feeds the flame

What I've got's full stock of thoughts

and dreams that scatter

You pull them all together

And how, I can't explain

But You make my dreams come true

You make my dreams come true

On a night when bad dreams become a screamer

When they're messin' with the dreamer

I can laugh it in the face

Twist and shout my way out

And wrape yourself around me

'Cause I ain't the way that you found me

I'll never be the same

'Cause You make my dreams come true

You make my dreams come true

I'm down on the daydream

That sleepwalk should be over by now

I know that You make my dreams come true

One Moment In Time... ♥

omg, I heard a Whitney Houston classic played on the radio this evening titled "Saving All My Love For You". I hadn't heard that song in ages. It left me with a smile on my face, so I decided to share that song with my Facebook friends. Afterward, I went to search for more Whitney songs to listen to and share. I came across this song. wow! I was deeply touched by the lyrics. I totally forgot about this song. It brought me to tears.

Thank goodness her music lives on for us to enjoy. She's still one of the BEST singers throughout history. :)

BE INSPIRED!!! ♥

One Moment In Time ~ by Whitney Houston

Each day I live

I want to be

A day to give

The best of me

I'm only one

But not alone

My finest day

Is yet unknown

I broke my heart

Fought every gain

To taste the sweet

I face the pain

I rise and fall

Yet through it all

This much remains

I want one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel

I will feel eternity

I've lived to be

The very best

I want it all

No time for less

I've laid the plans

Now lay the chance

Here in my hands

Give me one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel

I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime

If you seize that one moment in time

Make it shine

Give me one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will be

I will be

I will be FREE

I will be

I will be FREE

Coworkers Compare Libya and Iraq

LOLOL!!!!!! I love the producers of these videos. :)

Courage Is...

I've had this message on my refridgerator for as long as I can remember. The messages I kept on my refridgerator were used to help me remain focused on what was really important to me and to give me strength through the tough times. I can't stress enough how important it is to surround yourself with positive messages. I no longer have to read them... I simply know them. That is the key!

**********************************************

Courage is...

Believing in yourself and fulfilling

your potential.

Showing you care and giving unconditionally.

Doing what you want and trusting yourself

to make the right decisions.

Sitting in the driver's seat and taking control of your life.

Making your own decisions and being honest

with yourself and others.

Accepting changes and flowing with them.

Dealing with your problems and asking for help.

Offering your opinions and communicating

your fears and doubts.

Accepting abundance and allowing

yourself to succeed.

Trying again and doing new things.

Loving yourself and others unconditionally.

The Courage To Be Myself...

Back in 1994 while on a skiing trip in Breckenridge, Colorado I ran across this poster in a gift shop. The title of it caught my attention. Curious, I began to read it. the message touched my spirit so profoundly that I had to buy it. The funny thing is that I had to lug that poster with me on the airplane back to Los Angeles, California. I didn't care, it was a long poster attached to cardboard backing. I didn't want to bend or roll it up because I wanted to hang it on my wall just as it was. I still have it hanging right next to the door frame of my bedroom. So everytime I exit my bedroom it's right there for me to see. I've had it for so long, I admit that I don't read it everyday. However, on occasion my spirit stops me and I unconsciously begin reading this message. I'm grateful that my spirit knows what it needs and at those times it's nourishment.

I hope this message touches you as it touched me. May it bring you peace, love, understanding and acceptance of who you are. Enjoy!

The Courage To Be Myself

By: Sue Patton Thoele

I have the courage to ...

Embrace my strengths ~ Get excited about life ~

Enjoy giving and receiving love ~

Face and transform my fears ~

Ask for help and support when I need it ~

Spring free of the Superwoman/man trap ~ Trust myself ~

Make my own decisions and choices ~ Befriend myself ~

Complete unfinished business ~

Realize that I have emotional and practical rights ~

Talk as nicely to myself as I do to my plants ~ Honor my own needs ~

Communicate lovingly with understanding as my goal ~

Give myself credit for my accomplishments ~

Love the little girl/boy within me ~

Overcome my addiction to approval ~

Grant myself permission to play ~ Quit being a responsible sponge ~

Feel all of my feelings and act on them appropriately ~

Nurture others because I want to, not because I have to ~

Choose what is right for me ~

Insist on being paid fairly for what I do ~

Set limits and boundaries and stick to them ~

Say "yes" only when I really mean it ~ Have realistic expectations ~

Take risks and accept change ~ Grow through challenges ~

Be totally honest with myself ~

Correct erroneous beliefs and assumptions ~

Respect my vulnerabilities ~ Heal old and current wounds ~

Favor the mystery of spirit ~ Wave good-bye to guilt ~

Plant "flower" NOT "weed" thoughts in my mind ~

Treat myself with respect AND teach others to do the same ~

Fill my own cup first, THEN nourish others from the overflow ~

Own my own excellence ~

Plan for the future, but live in the present ~

Value my intuition and wisdom ~

Know that I am lovable ~

Celebrate the differences between men and women ~

Develop healthy, supportive relationships ~

Make forgiveness a priority ~

Accept myself just as I am NOW!

I See You... ♥

I LOVE this song!!! :) I haven't heard this in a long while.
Beautiful... ♥ Enjoy!

I See You ~ by Leona Lewis

(from the Avatar soundtrack)

I see you

I see you

Walking through a dream, I see you

My light in darkness, breathing hope of new life

Now I live through you and you through me, enchanting

I pray in my heart that this dream never ends

I see me through your eyes

Breathing new life, flying high

Your love shines the way into paradise

So I offer my life as a sacrifice

I live through your love

You teach me how to see all that's beautiful

My senses touch a world I never pictured

Now I give my hope to you, I surrender

I pray in my heart that this world never ends

I see me through your eyes

Breathing new life, flying high

Your love shines the way into paradise

So I offer my life, I offer my love, for you

When my heart was never open

(And my spirit never free)

To the world that you have shown me

But my eyes could not envision

All the colors of love and of life evermore

Evermore

(I see me through your eyes)

I see me through your eyes

(Living new life flying high)

Flying high

Your love shines the way into paradise

So I offer my life as a sacrifice

And live through your love

And live through your life

I see you

I see you

Egyptian Revolution 2011 COMPLETE. World MUST Watch This. Freedom For All!

wow I'm not even half way through the video and I'm emotional feeling their need to break FREE from an oppressive government!!! I would be doing the same if it were to get that bad over here in the United States!

But I hope and pray that ALL of you in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lybia, Yemen, Jordan and Bahrain sincerely want FREEDOM for all people in your nations. Not freedom for a select group. That would make you NO DIFFERENT and JUST AS BAD as the regime you kicked out. You don't want to go from a dictatorship to a theocracy either!!! Because you will be jumping out of the frying pan and into the FIRE! Just take a good look at Iran! The Iranian/Persian people have had enough of the stranglehold that the Mullahs in Iran have over the people in their country. Saudi Arabia also controls their people with strict relgious laws. Women have no rights there either. It's bad enough women are FORCED to wear the burqa, covered from head to toe. But women can't even wear COLORED burqa's for heaven's sakes.

You do not want neither the Church (ANY RELIGION) nor the State (dictatorship, marxism, socialism, communism or even labor unions) to CONTROL you. There is NO FREEDOM with that kind of government. All of you should be FREE to practice whatever religion you want and respect each others beliefs. But don't IMPOSE those beliefs such as sharia law on the general public!!! Sharia law is OPPRESSIVE! Do not incorporate that in your constitution. Just stay focused on CIVIL RIGHTS and INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY for your own sakes! You should have GENERAL LAWS that protects ALL of your country's CITIZENS and NOT just a selective group.

Kitties Singing Joy-Joy-Joy!

lol omg thank you so much for sharing this video Patricia!!! It is so damn CUTE!!! Just what I needed. I'm totally feeling it! I hope this song puts a GREAT BIG SMILE on your face too! :D

I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW!!! God is AMAZING! :D

Inspirational Video: Turning Disappointment Into Joy: From Service Dog to SURFice Dog

OMG!!! This story brought tears to my eyes! Thank you to my dear friend Sandy for sending this to me. Please watch, I promise it will touch your soul too. ♥ I have taken the following from the youtube description:

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Join Ricochet on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/SurfDogRicochet - Kleenex alert! Each person who watches this inspirational video finds an individual message that touches them on many levels, & brings them to tears. It's about acceptance, adjusting expectations, & focusing on the "can do's" in life which allows for a celebration of amazing outcomes.

Ricochet is an internationally renowned champion surf dog at the center of media attention, who has become an inspirational phenomenon, motivational role model, internet sensation, fundraising marvel, goodwill ambassador, and muse to millions!

This video depicts her journey from birth to 15 months of age, as she goes through her service dog training, which is cut short due to her propensity to chase birds. Her role changed to SURFice dog & she started to fundraise for quadriplegic surfer, Patrick Ivison, who she met the night before this video was filmed.

The intention was for the two of them to surf a wave together on their own surfboards. At one point, when they surfed into shore, Ricochet jumped off her board, and onto Patrick's. It was her decision to surf tandem with him!

Once the video went viral, she turned it into a platform to help more people/animals & she's raised over $53,000 in the last year. She promotes kindness, charity, philanthropy, and social responsibility, such as her video about anti-bullying "You're amazing just the way you are!"

For more info on Ricochet, her surfing, her charitable causes, or to make a donation, go to http://www.SurfDogRicochet.com. To follow her on Facebook & Twitter: "Surf Dog Ricochet" This video is copyrighted 2009.

Calling ALL DOG LOVERS... Jetta Rose Needs To Be Adopted. Please Watch Her REMARKABLE STORY Of Recovery!!! And Pretty Please PASS THIS ON, Share With Your Friends. :)

Jetta Rose

To contact The Rescue Train, please send an email to the following address: info@therescuetrain.org or call: (323) 899-5640 Thank you for helping us help them. ♥

BREAKING NEWS! Dangerous Breach Suspected At Japanese Fukushima Nuclear Plant! :o

The Associated Press

Dangerous breach suspected at Japanese nuke plant

written by Tomoko A. Hosaka

Friday March 25, 2011

TOKYO (AP) — A suspected breach in the reactor core at one unit of a stricken Fukushima nuclear plant could mean more serious radioactive contamination, Japanese officials said Friday, revealing what may prove a major setback in the mission to bring the leaking plant under control.

The uncertain situation halted work Friday at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, where dozens had been working feverishly to stop the overheated plant from leaking dangerous radiation, officials said.

Suspicions of a possible breach were raised when two workers waded into water 10,000 times more radioactive than normal and suffered skin burns when the water splashed over their protective boots, the Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency said.

However, though damage cannot be ruled out, the cause remained unclear, spokesman Hidehiko Nishiyama told reporters.

"It is possible there may be damage somewhere in the reactor," he said, adding later that there was no data suggesting there were any cracks and that a leak in the plumbing or the vents could be to blame.

The confusion was yet another setback to the urgent task of gaining control of the Fukushima nuclear plant 140 miles (220 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo two weeks after a magnitude-9 quake triggered a tsunami that engulfed the facility and knocked out its crucial cooling system.

The plant has been releasing radiation, with elevated levels of radiation turning up in raw milk, seawater and 11 kinds of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower and turnips.

Tap water in several areas of Japan — including Tokyo — also tested with radiation levels considered unsafe for infants, who are particularly vulnerable to cancer-causing radioactive iodine, officials said.

The scare caused a run on bottled water in the capital, and prompted city officials to distribute bottled water to families with babies.

Officials are also grappling with a humanitarian crisis in the northeast, where hundreds of thousands of survivors remain camped out in schools and civic buildings two weeks after the tsunami swallowed up swaths of the coast.

Some 660,000 households do not have water and more than 209,000 do not have electricity. Damage could rise as high as $310 billion, the government said, making it the most costly natural disaster on record.

Police said the official death toll rose to over 10,000 on Friday. With the cleanup and recovery operation continuing and more than 17,400 listed as missing, the final number of dead was expected to surpass 18,000, taking into account overlapping figures.

In Fukushima, fires, explosions and spikes in radiation have hampered efforts to contain the nuclear crisis. High radiation levels have forced repeated evacuations, and more than two dozen workers have been injured, according to NISA.

Operators have been struggling to keep cool water around radioactive fuel rods in the reactor's core after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami cut off power supply to the plant and its cooling system.

Damage could have been done to the Unit 3 core when a March 14 hydrogen explosion blew apart its outer containment building.

This reactor, perhaps the most troubled at the six-unit site, holds 170 tons of radioactive fuel in its core.

Previous radioactive emissions have come from intentional efforts to vent small amounts of steam through valves to prevent the core from bursting. However, releases from a breach could allow uncontrolled quantities of radioactive contaminants to escape into the surrounding ground or air.

Some work was suspended Friday to check radiation levels, NISA said.

FYI Bahrain: The Iranian Thorn in Saudi Arabia’s Side

Frontline Magazine

Bahrain: The Iranian Thorn in Saudi Arabia’s Side

written by Stephen Brown

Friday March 25, 2011

The occupation of Bahrain by 2,000 Saudi-led Gulf troops in mid-March was just the latest manifestation of the largely unknown Sunni-Shiite conflict currently taking place across the Islamic world. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a struggle for supremacy among the Muslim faithful from Nigeria to Malaysia where Shiism, for example, is practically banned. While relations between Islam’s two largest sects are generally good in most Islamic countries, Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi doctrine contains a “virulent hatred” for Shiites.

This unstated war is based on the view that each regards itself as the representative of true Islam, while the despised other represents heresy. The conflict’s roots are political and concern a difference in belief about the Prophet Muhammad’s successors. But the dispute sometimes turns violent, even during the Hajj in Mecca and Medina, where riots by Shiite pilgrims, believed provoked by Iran, have resulted in hundreds of deaths.

Saudi Arabia decided to intervene in Bahrain after the island nation’s security forces appeared unable to handle the ongoing protests from the Shiite majority who make up 70 per cent of the country’s 500,000 population. A further 200,000 people live in Bahrain but are not citizens. The kingdom’s ruler, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, is a Sunni Muslim as is the country’s ruling elite. While technically a constitutional monarchy, the Bahraini parliament’s power is limited in favour of the king, the country’s real power broker.

Although Iran is accused of having a hand in the latest Bahraini demonstrations, which started in mid-February (after the Saudi military intervention, an Iranian imam called on demonstrators to continue protesting), the disturbances are still driven largely by economics, like those in Tunisia and Egypt. The Shiites are Bahrain’s poorest and least educated people. Despite the country’s oil wealth, they, like the rebels in Eastern Libya, rightly believe they have never received a fair share of the economic pie. As a result, Bahrain’s Shiites have been demonstrating for a true democracy to be established, which, like in Shiite-majority Iraq, would see them take power after the first election.

That scenario, however, represents 1001 nightmares to Saudi Arabia and to the other Sunni oil kingdoms of the Persian Gulf that constitute the occupation force. The fear here is that Shiite control of Bahrain would only result in Iran eventually realizing its long-held ambition of taking over the strategically-located island. Bahrain is just off of Saudi Arabia’s east coast and is linked to its neighbour by a causeway, across which lies the Saudis’ sensitive Eastern Province. This Saudi province not only contains Saudi Arabia’s Shiite population, but also the all-important oil, upon which America and other industrialised countries heavily depend.

This threat to the Saudi oil fields is also behind the Obama administration’s refusal to denounce the Saudi military venture. In the New York Times, White House spokesman Jay Carney was even quoted as saying that “this is not an invasion of a country.” The official American stance, however, has left the administration open to charges of hypocrisy, since it supported the demands of the unarmed demonstrators in Egypt and Tunisia and is backing the rebels in Libya with force.

The Saudis believe the Iranians’ game plan is eventually to use Bahrain as a stepping stone to destabilize this ultra-sensitive area. Already earlier this month, in imitation of Egypt’s revolution, there was a ‘Day of Rage’ in the Eastern Province that saw several hundred Shiites demonstrate against the Saudi government. Like in Bahrain, dissatisfaction among Saudi Arabia’s two million marginalised Shiites obviously exists and is open to possible exploitation.

Far from shy, Iranian politicians have openly expressed their desire to acquire Bahrain. Several times in recent years they have called it Iran’s 14th province, basing their claim on a time in the 1800s when Iran controlled the island. And although the shah’s government renounced this claim in 1969, Iran’s ruling mullahs obviously see things differently today.

Iran has also been backing up its claim to Bahrain with action. Only last year, Bahrain arrested hundreds of Shiites, some local and some foreign, who were involved in a plot to launch attacks in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Iran has also been accused of involvement in previous disturbances in Bahrain as well.

While Saudi Arabia appears to have won the struggle for Bahrain, at least for the time being, it has had less success in other areas in its proxy war with Iran. Iranian-backed Hezbollah recently became the political power in Lebanon, ousting the previous, Saudi-supported government. In the sectarian violence in Iraq, thousands of Sunnis were killed and tens of thousands fled as refugees. President Obama’s intention to withdraw American troops from Iraq by year’s end also contains the danger of an Iranian invasion that would most likely bring the two countries into direct conflict.

At the moment, this Iran-Saudi Arabia proxy war is probably most intense in Pakistan, which is a hotbed of Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence. An anti-Shiite political party, Sepah-e-Sahaba Pakistan once even tried to have Shiites declared infidels but was unsuccessful. A breakaway terrorist faction, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, patronized by Saudi Arabia, now simply kills Shiites, targeting their mosques and leaders. Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban, also deadly haters of the Shia, share in these sectarian murders.

Pakistani Shiites, who constitute 20 percent of the country’s 160 million people, retaliated by forming their own Iran-supported terrorist organization, Sepah Mohammad, which murders Sunnis. About 800 Sunni-Shiite sectarian killings occurred in Pakistan in 2009 with the number increasing every year.

Saudi fears of Iranian aggression also extend to its border with Yemen where the Iran-supported Shiite Houthi tribes, who make up 40 percent of Yemen’s population, are fighting a central government that is backed by Saudi Arabia. Since the intermittent Shiite insurgency is taking place on the Saudi Arabian border, the Saudis fear the area could become a launching pad for attacks on the kingdom.

In the last outbreak of violence in 2009, in which more than 1,000 people died, the Saudi fears were justified. The Houthis raided into Saudi territory, killing a Saudi border guard. The Saudis responded with warplane raids and massed troops on the Yemeni border, which intensified the fighting.

With American influence on the wane in the Middle East, a major political remaking of the area is underway, which will ultimately see the Sunnis and Shiites confronting one another with regional hegemony as the prize. Saudi Arabia fears Iran and has been making major weapons purchases for this perceived showdown. Indicating their preoccupation with the Shiite state, in 2010, the Saudis ordered $60 billion worth of arms, having purchased, in comparison, $50 billion in the years since 9/11.

In perhaps the most violent and destructive of Sunni-Shiite proxy wars, Saudi Arabia backed Saddam Hussein in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, in which a million people died. Iran always said it would seek revenge for those responsible for that conflict and, since Saddam Hussein fell, is reported in Wikileaks to have had its death squads murder 180 Iraqi pilots who dropped poison gas on its troops. Knowing Iran’s desire for revenge, expansion and hegemony, the recent Saudi-led occupation of Bahrain was principally a message to Iran. It was also probably the opening move in the new Middle East’s next Sunni-Shiite war.

Saudi Arabia Police Force Breaks Up Protest. They Arrested Protesters. They Put Them In Police Cars And Even Buses To Take Them Away! Held Without Trial!

CNN news

Saudi security breaks up protest, witnesses say

written by Staff

Sunday March 20, 2011

Security forces in Saudi Arabia arrested several people demonstrating at the Interior Ministry Sunday, putting them in police cars and buses to take them away, witnesses said.

Around 100 men had gathered to protest at the government office in the capital Riyadh, said activist Mohammed Al-Qahtani and another witness who did not want to be named to protect his safety.

The demonstrators were demanding the release of imprisoned relatives, the second such protest in as many weeks.

"They arrested a lot of people," said Al-Qahtani. "They started putting them in police cars and even buses to take them away."

Police dispersed the rest of the crowd, chasing some down alleyways, the two people said.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia has seen less unrest than many other Arab countries this year, but there have been a few small demonstrations amid growing dissatisfaction in the oil-rich U.S. ally.

Saudi King Abdullah promised a major package of reforms last week, but reform activists responded with disappointment Friday.

Other than a pledge to set up an anti-corruption agency, the activists said, King Abdullah promised little to meet their demands. Instead, the long list of new measures simply expands powers for the kingdom and the religious establishment.

"I feel disappointed, to say the least," said one Saudi activist who did not give his name for fear of reprisals. "I do believe after these decrees, instead of sweeping reforms, they'll start sweeping up the activists. I'm afraid there will be a crackdown on activists here."

After the king made his rare short speech, his spokesman went on the air for more than half an hour to announce the list of reforms -- one of which involves sanctions for any member of the media who does not respect the views of Muslim scholars and the Quran.

Other measures promise billions of dollars in housing for Saudi citizens, new hospitals and medical centers, and the refurbishment of public spaces.

Al-Qahtani, of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, said Friday the financial package was the easiest thing to propose.

"It's basically trying to buy out people so they won't go out into the streets," Al-Qahtani said. "It supports these repressive mechanisms."

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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (born August 1, 1923) is the current King of Saudi Arabia.

On August 1, 2005, he succeeded to the throne upon the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. Previously, as Crown Prince, he governed Saudi Arabia as regent from 1996 to 2005. He has been Commander of Saudi Arabian National Guard from 1962 to November 2010. He is one of the world's wealthiest royals.

In May 1982, when Fahd became King, Abdullah became Crown Prince the same day.

As Crown Prince, he had acted as de facto regent ruler of Saudi Arabia since January 1, 1996, when King Fahd was incapacitated by a major stroke.

King Abdullah's half brother Crown Prince Sultan is his designated successor. The apparent next in line is Sultan's full brother, Prince Nayef.

In 2006, Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council, a body that is composed of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. The council's mandate will not start until after the reigns of Abdullah and Sultan are over. It is not clear, however, what would happen if Sultan were to die before the end of Abdullah's reign, leaving a question as to whether the council would vote for a new crown prince or whether Nayef would automatically fill that position.

On November 2010, Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz chaired a cabinet meeting because of the deterioration of the King's health During the same month, King Abdullah transferred his duties as Commander of the Saudi National Guard to his son Prince Mutaib. Abdullah is credited with building up the once largely ceremonial unit into a modern 260,000-strong force that is a counterweight to the army. The Guard, which was Abdullah's original power base, protects the royal family. This was suggested as an apparent sign that the elderly monarch is beginning to lessen some of his duties. [source: wikipedia]

Peaceful Protests Planned Friday For Bahrain Despite Emergency Rule Ban Invoked By The Monarchy!

The Los Angeles Times

Protests Planned For Bahrain Despite Ban

written by Neela Banerjee

Friday March 25, 2011

The protests are aimed at defying emergency rule invoked by Bahrain's monarch, including the cordoning off Shiite neighborhoods and villages, a ban on marches and a curfew, a human rights worker says.

Reporting from Manama, Bahrain— Critics of the Bahrain government have called for widespread rallies Friday in defiance of the country's recent imposition of martial law, raising the possibility of further violence nine days after a bloody crackdown on protesters and opposition leaders.

Nine rallies are being planned around Manama, the capital, said Mohammed Meskati, president of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, which is serving as an information clearinghouse for organizers in hiding for fear of arrest.

The protests are aimed at defying key aspects of the three-month emergency rule invoked last week by King Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa, including the cordoning off of many neighborhoods and villages by security forces, a ban on marches and a curfew, Meskati said.

Demonstrators apparently plan to gather on main roads. Some plan to march on the capital's Pearl Square traffic circle, which served as a base camp in earlier protests; the Salmaniya Medical Complex, the small island nation's largest hospital; and the airport.

The youth society issued a plea to the government and protesters urging them to refrain from violence. Protesters have been asked to carry flowers and the Bahraini and Gulf Cooperation Council flags. But Meskati and other analysts said they worried that a heavy-handed government response could be met with violence by some protesters, who were largely peaceful, if sometimes provocative, in the weeks of demonstrations that roiled Bahrain starting in mid-February.

"I don't know if the demonstrations will be violent or not," he said. "They might turn violent if the security forces attack them."

The nation's Shiite Muslim majority, which feels marginalized by the Sunni-led government, has been rallying for weeks in favor of fundamental reforms. After weathering sporadic clashes between protesters and security forces and the shutdown of the country's financial center, the Bahraini government began its rout of the opposition early last week.

Saudi and other troops entered the country to bolster the Sunni monarchy and the emergency rule was established. Security forces were sent into restive, largely Shiite villages and protest hubs in the capital to disperse demonstrations and round up opponents of the government.

Bahrain's seven largest opposition groups do not back the rallies, for fear of worsening an already fraught situation, said a representative of Wefaq, the main opposition party, and it remains unclear whether many people will turn out. The call for protests has come instead from the Coalition for a Bahraini Republic, a union of hard-line Shiite opposition parties, and other smaller groups.

The seven major opposition parties have sought a transition to a constitutional monarchy from the royal family's absolute rule. The more radical opposition groups seek the ouster of the Khalifa dynasty.

Over the last week, the state clampdown has tightened, a worrying sign of how the government might respond to protests Friday, analysts and human rights advocates said. The national monument in Pearl Square was demolished.

Ski-masked soldiers in Humvees and police have blocked off roads leading into Shiite areas, scaring many people into staying home, employers said. Opposition leaders have been arrested and held without charge, and others are rounded up nightly, human rights groups said.

Clashes between residents and security forces occur almost daily in villages. The curfew, from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., remains in effect for parts of Manama.

Early Thursday night, automatic weapons fire broke out in the center of the capital near a Shiite area.

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King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa‎; (born 28 January 1950, Riffa, Bahrain) is the current King of Bahrain (since 14 February 2002), having previously been its emir (from 6 March 1999). He is the son of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the previous emir.

On the death of his father Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Hamad became Emir of Bahrain on 6 March 1999. As Emir, Hamad brought several political reforms to Bahrain. These included the release of all political prisoners, the dissolution of the State Security Court and the abolition of the 1974 Decree on State Security Measures. Additionally, many Bahraini citizens were permitted to return after several years in exile overseas. In 2002 he declared himself king. [source: wikipedia]

Pressure For Yemen’s President Saleh To Step Down Builds! President Saleh Has RULED For 32 YEARS!

The Washington Post

Pressure for Yemen’s Saleh to step down builds

written by Sudarsan Raghavan

Thursday March 24, 2011 at 8:34pm

SANAA, YEMEN — Outside Sanaa University, almost every inch of Justice Street is packed with tents, as is nearby Freedom Street. Doctors, teachers, students — anyone, it seems, who is against Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh — stay in tents, calling for his ouster day and night.

Only a week ago, many protesters were cleared from here by snipers and bloodshed. But they returned, emboldened, and now there is a collective feeling in this crowded patch of the capital that Saleh’s rule has entered its last days. Reports Thursday that Saleh was discussing the terms of his departure with a top military officer who recently joined the opposition only heightened that mood.

On Thursday evening, hundreds of once pro-Saleh tribesmen arrived in what is known as “Change Square” from Marib Province and marched through the boisterous crowds, the latest group to announce their defection to the populist revolution. “Welcome, Welcome,” an activist yelled over loudspeakers.

Pressure is building, seemingly from every corner of Yemen, for Saleh to step down immediately, even as the United States and its allies appear to favor a more gradual transition of power in a fragile nation beset by multiple emergencies, including a potent al-Qaeda presence.

But Saleh, one of the wiliest politicians in the modern Middle East, has survived for 32 years. Although many here hope he will step down peacefully, some fear he will stay and fight, further weakening Yemen and perhaps bringing civil war.

Officials align with foes

Over the past week, influential generals, tribal leaders, diplomats and ministers have either resigned or aligned themselves with his opponents. On Thursday, a prominent leader of Yemen’s largest tribe, the Baqeel, added his support for the uprising, joining Saleh’s Hashid tribe, which also backs the opposition.

In response, Saleh has received parliamentary approval to install emergency law for a month, a move that could give him wide powers to crush his opponents. He has also offered numerous concessions, including a promise to step down after a presidential election at the end of year, instead of in 2013, when his term ends. But on Thursday, Yemen’s major opposition bloc snubbed his offer, sensing that the embattled leader is losing his grip on power.

Outside the university, the engine of the uprising, tens of thousands from all walks of life have been protesting daily, unwilling to compromise.

“We will not accept any negotiations,” said Mustafa Ali Magudi, a student who traveled here from the northern city of Amran. “We will not accept any concessions from Saleh. He must go now.”

Late Thursday night, Saleh promised a peaceful transfer of power according to a statement by him on the al-Jazeera news channel, although he did not provide a timeline or conditions for stepping down. But on Yemeni state television, Saleh accused the opposition of refusing to negotiate a power-sharing deal. He also offered to pardon military officials who defected, suggesting that he had no plans to hand over power soon.

“I announce a general amnesty for those who committed foolishness before and after Monday,” Saleh said. “We consider it foolishness and a reaction to what happened on Friday.”

Last Friday, government security forces and Saleh’s loyalists fatally shot 52 protesters steps from the entrance to the university. That triggered the wave of defections from key political and military positions, a list that included Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Saleh’s half-brother, who is widely seen as the second-most powerful man in Yemen.

Reports swirled around Sanaa that Saleh and Mohsen were in negotations to step down. Yemeni officials with knowledge of the talks said that one possibility would be for the two men to resign simultaneously, perhaps in the coming days, and hand over power to a civilian-led transitional governing council.

Mohsen told Reuters that he had served for 55 years and had no desire for any power. “I have no more ambition left except to spend the remainder of my life in tranquility, peace and relaxation far from the problems of politics and the demands of the job.”

Psychological turning point

The violence was a psychological turning point, too. Within days, the tents on the streets outside Sanaa University multiplied to include dozens from the tribes, villages and families of the victims, considered martyrs by the protesters. Large banners rose up, depicting graphic images of the dead.

The al-Faqih tribe lost two of its sons, Nisham and Awad. So tribe members arrived in scores on Justice Street and erected their tent. They had a lot to lose: Many of their tribesmen were employees in the government apparatus.

“It didn’t matter anymore,” said Mohamed Hamid al-Faqih, a cousin of Nisham. “Now, we all support the revolution.”

He added that when the government, as per tribal custom, tried to compensate the tribe for the loss of its sons, it refused.

On Freedom Street, Abdul Rahman Guzeika, the grandson of a tribal leader whose subtribe is a member of the Baqeel federation, stood near its tent. He said that “70 percent of tribes in Yemen supported Saleh before Friday, but after the bloodshed, everybody turned against him.” They included his tribe.

Saleh has traditionally gained tribal loyalty by showering jobs, money and government positions on tribal leaders. That won’t happen again, Guzeika said.

“We have principles,” he said. “Our people will not be bought by money.”