http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=opinion&article=016o1pol
Bajo la Lupa
Alfredo Jalife-Rahme
Brasil defiende a Irán y Baby Bush demuele a la AIEA de la ONU
El régimen torturador bushiano se ha caracterizado como el principal demoledor de la ONU con la que ha chocado en los temas universales en los que intenta imponer su patológico unilateralismo paleobíblico: invasión ilegal a Irak, el “cambio climático” que perjudica la agenda del Protocolo de Kyoto, su rechazo al Tribunal Penal Internacional, y ahora su obstruccionismo a la Agencia Internacional de la Energía Atómica (AIEA), de la ONU, sobre el enriquecimiento de uranio de Irán, quien insiste en su carácter “pacífico” .
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=opinion&article=002a2cor
Señala el derecho de Irán al uso de la energía atómica
Le asiste la razón, en derecho internacional, al presidente de Irán, el ingeniero civil Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Irán puede seguir enriqueciendo el uranio natural, para fines de generación de energía eléctrica. Igual que en Laguna Verde, aunque ahí México no enriquece, sino que compra al combustible nuclear. Empezábamos en los 80 a producir combustible nuclear, pero De la Madrid canceló toda posibilidad. No somos soberanos en ello, Irán sí quiere serlo. Es la AIEA de la gran ciudad de Viena, y no el Consejo de Seguridad –recordemos a Negroponte en vísperas de la invasión a Irak: ¿qué importa lo que México piense? (era Aguilar Zinser vs. Jorge Castañeda)– quien debe salvaguardar las instalaciones nucleares de Irán, y tampoco los belicosos George W. Bush y Dick Cheney, que están de salida.
Este equilibrio mundial en materia nuclear es debido al egipcio director de la AIEA, amigo de Salma Hayek y premio Nobel de la Paz, El Baradei, pero también a una mujer, y mujer mexicana, Ana María Cetto, directora adjunta en el organismo internacional de Viena y orgullosamente ex directora de la Facultad de Ciencias de la UNAM.
Atentamente
Rubén Mares Gallardo, Escuela Superior de Física y Matemáticas-IPN
Venganza política e ilegitimidad
La operación del Plan Colombia en México ya es un hecho, y ante la embestida de la militarización en el país se dan desapariciones políticas como la del compañero Francisco Paredes Ruiz, ex integrante del Movimiento de Acción Revolucionario (MAR), el cual participó en el aniversario al cuartel de Madera, Chihuahua, el día 23 de septiembre, y el día 26 en Morelia, cerca de su casa fue encontrada su camioneta con las puertas abiertas, en la salida a Salamanca. En ese mismo tenor se dan aprehensiones por delitos inventados por el Estado para castigar la protesta social: este es el caso del dirigente del Consejo Regional para el Desarrollo del Pueblo Ma Phaá Cándido Félix, acusado de motín por protestar contra el gobernador Zeferino Torreblanca.
Nosotros como familiares de desaparecidos políticos, hacemos un extrañamiento al señor gobernador Zeferino Torreblanca, porque se supone que los principios que deben regir y regular su conducta son el respeto a la libertad de expresión y a la vida humana, y parece ser que se está convirtiendo en un represor.
Eureka también protesta por estos hechos y exige al gobierno federal que presente con vida a Francisco Paredes y libere a Cándido Félix. En ese mismo sentido hacemos responsable al Estado de cualquier daño o atentado en contra de la integridad física, sicológica y moral de los compañeros.
Eureka: Rosario Ibarra, Claudia, Rosario y Carlos Piedra, Celia Piedra, Leticia Tecla, Jennifer Sánchez, David Sánchez, Matilde González, Daniel Rodríguez, Inti Martínez, Laura Gaytán, Sara Hernández, Tania Ramírez y Pável Ramírez, Luz Morales, Concepción Ávila, Priscila Chávez, Juan Macías, Mario Cartagena, Acela Ocaña, Hulda Soyano, Ofelia Maldonado, Elisa Gutiérrez, Georgina Tecla, Esperanza Galoz y Anabel Mañón
Ex niña de la calle invita a encuentro de poetas
Señores de La Jornada: Hola, ¿cómo están? Soy otra vez esta Leticia de 14 años, que antes era una niña de la calle y los felicité el otro día que fue su aniversario. Ahora quiero invitarlos a un encuentro de poesía que va a haber en la ciudad de México. Se llama Encuentro Latinoamericano de Poetas en el Centro Histórico-El vértigo de los aires. Van a venir invitados bien especiales de Cuba, Brasil y Argentina, entre otros y muchos muy buenos de aquí de México. Empieza este 30 de septiembre y termina el 13 de octubre y va a ser en el Museo del Estanquillo y el de la Ciudad de México y el Diego Rivera, entre otros. El programa está en: http://vertigodelosaires.blogspot. com, para que vayan, y también inviten a otros que quieran ir. No les he dicho que ya entré a la secundaria y que hay mucho por conocer y me gusta. Gracias a todos los que trabajan ahí. Les doy saludos a todos.
Leticia Duarte
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=politica&article=004n3pol
El PRD no evitará el gasolinazo, dice González Morfín
Ernesto Martínez Elorriaga (Corresponsal)
Morelia, Mich., 29 de septiembre. No habrá marcha atrás en el aumento a gasolina y diesel, advirtió el senador panista José González Morfín, quien aseguró que los legisladores del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD) sólo están lanzando verdades a medias, porque la escalada inflacionaria no fue por causa de la aprobación del incremento al combustible, sino por la inestabilidad de algunos productos en los mercados internacionales.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=politica&article=005n1pol
La radio y la televisión “no están atacando a nadie”
Innecesario, ombudsman de medios: ejecutiva de Televisa
A los anunciantes no les interesa, dice la directiva
Emir Olivares Alonso
La comunicación no necesita la figura del ombudsman de los medios, porque las televisoras y radios privadas “no están atacando a nadie”, además de que “el término estorba”, las audiencias tienen capacidad de crítica y exigencia, y en ese sentido las empresas de comunicación tenemos que atenderlas, aseguró Marcela Solares Delgado, coordinadora de Planeación Estratégica e Imagen Corporativa de Televisa.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=politica&article=007n1pol
El próximo sábado empieza trabajos el Consejo Nacional
Analizará AN existencia de grupos secretos en el partido
Los aspirantes a la dirigencia nacional empezarán a placearse
Georgina Saldierna
El próximo 6 de octubre el PAN instalará su nuevo Consejo Nacional, el cual empezará sus actividades con la lucha –ya desatada– por la dirigencia y con el análisis de polémicos temas, como la existencia de grupos secretos en el partido, entre los que se encuentra el Yunque.
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/09/30/index.php?section=politica&article=009n1pol
Detienen e interrogan a un miembro de la organización tras la ofensiva del EPR
Denuncia Procup nueva campaña de hostigamiento de la policía federal
Blanche Petrich
El colectivo de ex presos del Partido Revolucionario Obrero Clandestino Unión del Pueblo (Procup), integrado por una docena de guerrilleros que en los años ochenta, mientras purgaban sentencias en prisión, rompieron sus vínculos con la organización armada, anunció que iniciará una campaña de información para denunciar una nueva etapa de hostigamiento y presión por parte de la policía federal, a raíz de la nueva ofensiva del Ejército Popular Revolucionario (EPR). El pasado 14 de septiembre uno de sus integrantes, Hermenegildo Torres Cruz, fue detenido a punta de pistola en la calle, cerca del local de Izquierda Política Democrática, la organización en la que militan. Fue trasladado a la sede de la Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada (SIEDO) e interrogado toda la noche.
El presidente cubano hace revelaciones inéditas de una conversación entre Clinton y Aznar sobre Yugoslavia
Fidel Castro Ruz
Juventud Rebelde
El presidente cubano da a conocer nuevas revelaciones sobre la complicidad del ex presidente español con el gobierno de Estados Unidos en la guerra contra Yugoslavia. Concluye esta nueva Reflexión pidiendo "al señor Aznar que diga si es o no cierto que aconsejó al presidente Clinton el 13 de abril de 1999 bombardear la radio y la televisión serbias"
On
Greenspan finds friends in unlikely places
Andrew Clark in
Guardian Unlimited
In these days of economic angst, isn't any bit of free advertising welcome for any high-street retailer? Actually, no – not if it's from Fidel Castro.
The Cuban leader made a rare television appearance last week to offer words of wisdom on exchange rates, the credit crunch and the price of oil. For added gravitas, he was clutching a copy of Alan Greenspan's book, The Age of Turbulence.
Sharp-eyed bloggers noticed that Castro has an eye for a bargain – the book has a 30% discount sticker on it from the American bookseller Barnes & Noble.
Revealed: the identity of Puccini's secret lover
The composer's infidelities scandalised
Javier Espinoza
The Observer
Hundreds of letters and photographs found stuffed inside in a long-forgotten suitcase have thrown a tragic new light on the secret life of the great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini - and may also reveal a lost operatic composition.
The personal life of the creator of Madama Butterfly and La Boheme was dogged by scandal and tragedy which deeply affected his output as a musician. In 1909, Italian society was gripped by the shocking revelation that Puccini's wife, Elvira, had accused him publicly of having had an affair with the family's servant.
Burma's fight for freedom: Troops reclaim the streets as monks pray for a miracle
Published:
In the end, a week was all it took. In that time
Yesterday in
Columns of army trucks packed with soldiers patrolled the streets, with military police on nearly every street corner in a show of force which strangled efforts to revive the protests that had seized world attention all week. Soldiers stopped and searched young men walking around the city centre, ordering some to squat while they checked their papers, a calculated humiliation. In central
A bookseller stood in his shop doorway and watched the young soldiers stopping the passers-by. What did he think? "In this country, we are all blind and deaf," he said. "People have learned to keep quiet." The internet – restricted by the junta during the week to quell the protests – remained down, but
A heavy tropical rainstorm helped to douse tensions, but by mid-afternoon a small group of men tried to gather to the west of Sule Pagoda, clapping and chanting. A dozen dark-green army trucks packed with soldiers sped to the scene, accompanied by two trucks carrying the hated Swan Ar Shin plain-clothed paramilitaries, with a prison van bringing up the rear. The crowd dispersed.
But the monks, who led days of dignified demonstrations between the city's golden pagodas, were nowhere to be seen. Those temples are now military encampments, surrounded by concrete blocks and barbed wire. Soldiers have raided monasteries by night, arresting monks and forcing many back to their homes.
The conventional view was that the military wouldn't dare touch the monks. The generals are Buddhists too, and know in their bones that there is nothing more impious than to abuse the holy men. But the survival instinct trumps even that. Now the monks are treated with the same ruthlessness as the regime's other internal enemies, the ethnic insurgents in the borderlands.
From the perspective of the generals, last weekend was when the rebellion began to look menacing. For several days the pongyi, the monks, had been allowed to process through
For the first time the new vanguard of
Even more marched on Monday, providing the most stunning image of the rebellion – an entire, broad
Now people were braced for the worst. Some schools, government offices and businesses failed to open, anticipating trouble, and at last the other shoe dropped. The regime's minister for religious affairs came on television to demand the marches stop – or there would be unspecified consequences, "according to the law".
But on Tuesday tens of thousands turned out once more, converging on Sule Pagoda and Shwedagon Pagoda, the two great Buddhist shrines that had become the focus of the uprising. But there was a change of mood. Some monks carried the fighting peacock flag, emblem of the 3,000 protesters slaughtered at the culmination of the protests of 1988. It seemed they could be preparing for martyrdom.
Late in the afternoon, army vans toured the city centre, threatening to break up protests, which (megaphones declared) were illegal. Then units of the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) began pouring into the city centre. Hundreds took up position around Sule Pagoda once the thousands of peaceful protesters had gone home, getting ready to seal it off.
Wednesday was the ninth day of the uprising of the monks, and the day it began to go horribly wrong. Tens of thousands, monks and ordinary Burmese, were back on the street in defiance of the military; if the numbers were fewer than on Monday or Tuesday, it was only because the army had bottled up many monks in their monasteries. But now soldiers trailed them in lorries, finally resorting to arms – firing tear gas around Shwedagon Pagoda, firing rounds in the air to stop the crowds from entering the shrine's grounds, and shooting to kill. It was the same by Sule Pagoda.
The uprising saw its first fatality – at least one dead and several wounded. And monks who still stood in the soldiers' way were beaten and carried off. The taboo against harming the men in robes had fallen.
By Thursday the mood had darkened dramatically.
But the cruellest image of the week did make it out: the moment when Japanese video journalist Kenji Nagai was shot dead at point-blank range outside Sule Pagoda. The amateur video coverage of the killing quickly went round the world, infuriating the Japanese government and shaming the junta in the eyes of its few friends, such as the Chinese authorities. Soldiers went through the smart Trader's Hotel in the city centre, supposedly looking for foreign journalists covertly filming the crackdown.
On Thursday nine people were said to have died from gunshot wounds, and the word was of monasteries raided and hundreds of monks arrested, many beaten. By Friday, with no internet, rumours were rife about generals falling out among themselves; there was patchy, hit-and-run protesting on the streets. More people died, but it was impossible to know how many. Foreign leaders, including Gordon Brown, expressed the fear that the toll was far worse than the junta admitted.
Yesterday the news was that the UN envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, had finally been permitted to fly into the country. He was taken to a meeting with government officials and the Chinese ambassador to negotiate his itinerary. He will want to meet Ms Suu Kyi: the only photo of her in four years, until last Saturday, was taken with the envoy during his last visit. Now her street is barricaded with four rows of barbed wire and a sandbagged machine-gun position manned by a soldier.
Few believe Mr Gambari can achieve much, however:
"At some point, the soldiers have to go back to barracks and the monks will return to their monasteries," a Western aid worker pointed out. "The government can't keep a lid on this for ever."
Message boards and blogs from Monday 24 to Saturday 29 September brought the voices of
Monday "We are very insecure as we don't know what the government is planning. The government-controlled papers say the monks are trying to agitate the public. This can be an excuse to start attacking the monks. I hope there won't be any bloodbath"
Soe Soe,
Tuesday "Today the city is quiet and people go to work as normal. There are lots of rumours, but for the time being everything is calm. People are anxious to see what's going to happen. According to the government's warnings, today could be a big day."
Michel,
Wednesday "I have just talked to my sister who lives in
Anonymous Burmese woman
Thursday "There are many deaths on the streets of
Wai,
Friday "People seem to be determined to continue, despite the bullets, beatings and killings. Now is the time for the international community to take action."
Anonymous international resident,
Saturday "I just received a call from a friend in
Further reading: 'Letters from
The hidden scars of war: one in 10 British combat veterans suffers from mental illness
Longer tours of duty and fewer resources to help traumatised soldiers are creating a time bomb, says head of mental health charity
By Andrew Johnson and Jonathan Owen
Published:
As many as one in 10 soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan – a much higher proportion than previously expected – will develop a mental health problem due to the stress and horror of combat, according to the head of one of Britain's leading forces' health organisations.
Commodore Toby Elliott, the chief executive of Combat Stress, the mental health charity charged by the MoD with helping to treat traumatised servicemen, warned this week of a potential time bomb of casualties bearing mental scars. His comments came as The Independent on Sunday this week looks at the toll on troops' mental health as part of its ongoing campaign to see the Military Covenant honoured.
Current figures which show that about 6 per cent of soldiers develop some form of mental illness were likely to prove an underestimate, he said.
The brutal nature of life on the front line in
The private, who cannot be named, said: "There were numerous occasions that I saw people being shot dead. The terrorists would also use kids as human shields and they'd be shot or blown up as if they did not exist. I was also shot at on numerous occasions, again not thinking about it at the time due to the adrenalin.
"A friend was also killed after an accident when a barrier fell from a height, landing on his head. This really did wreck me at the time as we became very good mates which is what you need out there. I genuinely believe the start of all these problems was so many killings in such a short time and feeling helpless."
The soldier developed depression, mood swings and alcohol and drug problems. He ended up becoming homeless because his family couldn't cope and he was arrested several times for threatening behaviour. Eventually he was diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by Combat Stress. After seeming to respond to treatment he died of a heroin overdose earlier this year.
His case is typical, Combat Stress says. Commodore Elliott said: "A lot of the veterans on our books don't realise they have mental health problems until they have left the service. The average guy will not seek help for 13 years." One of the reasons is that soldiers are reluctant to talk about their problems because of the culture of the Army, and the male psyche, is not to complain or admit "weakness", Commodore Elliott added.
While veterans have the option to seek help on the NHS, many find it difficult to be treated in a civilian environment. In a PTSD support group, for example, a soldier's harrowing story can traumatise civilians who are there to talk about a car accident or sexual assault. This has the double impact of making the civilian's own trauma feel trivial and the soldier more isolated.
"Part of the problem is that a lot of these people are just not prepared to talk to civilians," Commodore Elliott said. "They need to be dealt with in a quasi-military environment."
A study by King's Centre for Military Health Research in
The MoD said it takes the issue of mental health seriously, with sufferers able to be treated at the renowned Priory Clinic if necessary.
A spokesman said: "Our mental health services provide community-based mental health care in line with national best practice."
Ruined lives: 'If you break a man, give him help'
Former Coldstream guardsman Justin Smith, 32, a married father of three, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he has been abandoned by the Army and told by the NHS that he would have to pay some of the costs towards his treatment. When he left the Army in 2005 after two tours of
"It's not as simple as getting help from a mental health team," he said. "They are trained in many things, but helping someone get over seeing their close friend shot in a war is not one of them. Soldiers need specialised help."
"I'm damaged goods now. The Army doesn't want me, and I don't want them. But [if you] break a man, get him help to fix him again, and then get rid of him. Don't just break him and leave him to pick up the pieces."
Further information: For advice on Combat Stress, email contactus@ combatstress.org.uk or call 01372 841600
To have your say on this or any other issue visit www.independent.co.uk/IoSblogs
No more Mr Nice guy: Howard Marks, poster boy for cannabis, doubts safety of drug
The man who made a career, in and out of prison, from cannabis has for the first time expressed concern about its links to mental illness in the light of reports in The Independent on Sunday. David Connett reports
Published:
Howard Marks, the one-time "King of Dope", is a living icon for campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis. But yesterday he admitted for the first time that he is concerned about links between cannabis use and schizophrenia. Marks, better known as Mr Nice – one of 43 aliases he used when running his worldwide drug empire and the title of his best-selling autobiography – said more medical research into the issue is vital. Marks admitted he was uneasy over growing evidence which suggested that being "stoned and being off your head" may be connected. By that, he meant the temporary high from the drug and long-term mental health illness.
Marks, speaking in a TV interview, said: "I think it is difficult to establish whether these two states are similar. If, as a result of smoking a lot of dope, one becomes schizophrenic, that's reason for concern. If being slightly schizophrenic makes you want to smoke some dope to ease you through the day, I don't think that's a cause for concern.
"To find out which of these is true will require research. One has to look into the action [of cannabis] on the brain and what happens."
He said that the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C in 2004 followed The Independent on Sunday's campaign to legalise the drug. Earlier this year, the newspaper abandoned its stance following growing evidence that cannabis use could lead to greater incidence of psychosis, including schizophrenia.
Marks's comments coincided with Gordon Brown's call for celebrities to speak out against drugs. The Prime Minister emphasised the need for sportsmen, pop stars and other public figures to act as role models for young people and denounce illegal substances. He also criticised celebrities who took a "very casual attitude" to drugs. "Those who think that their standing in the community makes them above the law on these matters is another area where I think we've got to send a very clear message. Not only that we will not decriminalise drugs but at the same time this is unacceptable behaviour."
The Government is carrying out a consultation on cannabis classification. Many groups are calling for the drug to be returned to class B status.
Marks, who was jailed for 25 years for masterminding a worldwide cannabis smuggling operation, has long been an advocate of drug legalisation. But he admitted that claims that smoking cannabis increases an individual's chance of developing a psychotic illness by 40 per cent gave him "genuine concern". The psychosis threat was especially acute in smokers under the age of 16.
Further research was also needed to discover whether the brain itself used chemicals similar to those found in cannabis in order to counter pain, he said.
Further viewing: Watch Howard Marks's interview on www.friction.tv
Robert Fisk: Dinner in Beirut, and a lesson in courage
Published:
Secrecy, an intellectual said, is a powerful aphrodisiac. Secrecy is exciting. Danger is darker, more sinister. It blows like a fog through the streets of
No parking. Is anyone fooled? When the Lebanese MP Antoine Ghanem was assassinated last week, the cops couldn't – or wouldn't – secure the crime scene. Why not? And so last Wednesday, the fog came creeping through the iron gateway of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's town house in Beirut where he and a few brave MPs had gathered for dinner before parliament's useless vote on the presidential elections – now delayed until 23 October. There was much talk of majorities and quorums; 50 plus one appears to be the constitutional rule here, although the supporters of
The food, as always, was impeccable. And why should those who face death by explosives or gunfire every day not eat well? Not for nothing has Nora Jumblatt been called the world's best hostess. I sat close to the Jumblatts while their guests – Ghazi Aridi, the minister of information, Marwan Hamade, minister of communications, and Tripoli MP Mosbah Al-Ahdab and a
In 2004, "they" almost got Hamade at his home near my apartment. Altogether, 46 of
"We have all made our wills," Nora said quietly. Even you, Nora? She didn't think she was a target. "But I may be with Walid." And I looked at these educated, brave men – their policies not always wise, perhaps, but their courage unmistakable – and pondered how little we Westerners now care for the life of Lebanon.
There is no longer a sense of shock when MPs die in
Scarcely 1,000 Druze could be rounded up for Ghanem's funeral. And even now there is no security. My driver Abed was blithely permitted to park only 100 metres from Jumblatt's house without a single policeman checking the boot of his car. What if he worked for someone more dangerous than The Independent's correspondent? And who were all those cops outside working for?
Yet at this little dinner party in
Well, we talked about death and not long before
What do you have to be to be famous in
And at one point Jumblatt fetched Curzio Malaparte's hideous, brilliant account of the Second World War on the eastern front – Kaputt – and presented it to me with his personal inscription. "To Robert Fisk," he wrote. "I hope I will not surrender, but this book is horribly cruel and somehow beautiful.
Maybe we should make a movie about these men and women. Alastair Sim would have to play the professorial Aridi, Clark Gable the MP Al-Ahdab. (We all agreed that Gable would get the part.) I thought that perhaps Herbert Lom might play Hamade. (I imagine he is already Googling for Lom's name.) Nora? She'd have to be played by Vivien Leigh or – nowadays – Demi Moore. And who would play Walid Jumblatt? Well, Walid Jumblatt, of course.
But remember these Lebanese names. And think of them when the next explosion tears across this dangerous city.
Greed will be the death of football
The Premier League is under threat from buccaneering foreign ownership
Will Hutton
The Observer
Too much money is toxic, as the children of the super-rich show us and as the English Premier League is discovering. Its worldwide television audiences ensure its 20 clubs gross an annual revenue of more than £1bn a year, but it has neither the values nor the structures to protect itself from the attentions of some of the most suspect billionaires in the world.
Instead of the profits being spread to the roots of the game and the communities in which the clubs are embedded, the Premier League has become the vehicle for financial engineering that makes private equity look honourable. In essence, clubs are being bought at astronomic prices, then the revenue they generate is used to pay back the debt their new owners incurred. The winners are the selling shareholders, the loser is football.
Democracy: the 10 big questions
More than a form of government, democracy has become a hallowed ideal - witness the crisis in
The Observer
My first lesson in democracy came in a
Northern Rock accused of bullying debtors
Customers of the troubled bank are fighting its practice of snubbing IVAs, writes Lisa Bachelor
The Observer
Northern Rock, which had to be bailed out by the Bank of England after it ran into difficulty, is refusing to help some of its own customers who struggle with debt, says a lawyer who is set to fight the bank in court over the issue.
Liverpool solicitor Ron Hutcheon, a partner at R James Hutcheon Solicitors, is defending actions brought by Northern Rock against two debtors in what he believes could prove a landmark case over the way the bank, and other lenders, treat customers who are in debt.
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