Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Marshall: GEBE has difficulties supplying ?reasonable? service

~ Says grid project stagnated ~

PHILIPSBURG--Interim Director of GEBE Paul Marshall blamed the November 10 island wide black out on another short circuit and ominously reported that until GEBE is "allowed" to finalize a new high voltage transmission grid, "it will be extremely difficult to comply with the supply of reasonable service to our consumers."

According to Marshall, trenching for this grid project between the power plant and Pondfill, reached as far as the Prins Bernhard Bridge and has been stagnated for over a year. Marshall did not elaborate on why the project is stagnated or who or what is not "allowing" GEBE to proceed. Additionally, Marshall did not indicate if the general public should expect more rolling blackouts as the high season approaches.

He said: "of late we have been plagued by the main supply transmission grid being overloaded. It was foreseen that with the growing demand for electricity that this main high voltage transmission grid which supplies power in bulk to the substations on the Eastern side of the island with time would become overloaded."

He further explained that with this in mind, plans were initiated in 2007 to install a new high voltage transmission grid. It should be noted that this is the first time that GEBE has mentioned the lack of the grid as a cause for the blackouts and intermittent power outages, even in the past year that Marshall said the project has been stagnated.

It should also be noted GEBE on October 27 publicly announced that the spare parts to repair one of its new 11.3mw generators had arrived on island and would "normalize production capacity" at GEBE after it goes back online in three weeks from the end of October. "With the 11.3MW engine once again online, GEBE will be able to perform scheduled maintenance on other units and be in a better position to meet peak demand during the upcoming high season," the GEBE press release read at the time.

Whether the problems with the high voltage grid will negate any positive developments with the generator going back online remains unclear and Marshall did not provide answers to follow-up questions on Friday night.

As for the island wide blackout on November 10, a short circuit in the aforementioned grid triggered the protective devices on the production units, resulting in a total shut down around 6:45pm. Marshall said GEBE personnel "quickly" isolated the faulty section after which the start up procedure commenced and power was restored around 8:12pm to the first district. Power was restored to the last district around 9:55pm.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22464-marshall-gebe-has-difficulties-supplying-reasonable-service-.html

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Prices have increased 0.3 per cent between August and October, 2011

PHIIPSBURG--Consumers have had to dig deeper into their pockets for certain commodities between August and October. 

  The Department of Statistics STAT announced on Wednesday that the consumer price index for St. Maarten has increased by 0.3 per cent in October in comparison to August. STAT said when comparing average consumer prices over a twelve month period (October 2010 to October 2011), an increase of 3.9 per cent was recorded compared to the same period a year earlier. The rate of inflation has shown steady growth since April 2011. The price index recorded in October 2011 is 117.8.

Expenditure categories

  In October 2011, six of the nine expenditure categories have become more expensive, whilst two expenditure categories have become cheaper.

  Items that have become more expensive are food (+5.5 per cent), beverages and tobacco (+2.5 per cent), clothing and footwear (+1.4 per cent), household furnishing and appliances (+0.7 per cent), Medical Care (+0.8 per cent) recreation and education (+0.2 per cent) and miscellaneous (+0.4 per cent). Items that have become ?slightly cheaper? were housing (-0.6 per cent) and transport and communication (-.5 per cent).

A Closer Look

  The categories with the largest influence in the basket were food (10 per cent), housing (39 per cent) and transport and communication (20 per cent).

Even though the expenditure category ?Food? has the third largest weight factor; it recorded the largest price increase (+5.5 per cent) in October compared to August 2011 and had the largest overall influence on the total index.

  The expenditure category ?clothing and footwear? has a less significant impact (7 per cent) on the total index; however, it recorded the second largest price increase (+2.5 per cent) in October compared August 2011.

Food

  Within the expenditure category - Food, it can be noted all the nine food groups became more expensive. The following increases were recorded in each food group; grain (+2.6 per cent), meat and fish (+7.7 per cent), fats and oils (+2.7 per cent), dairy products (+4.5 per cent), potatoes, vegetables and fruit (+9.9 per cent), sugar and chocolate (+2.4 per cent), pre-cooked dishes (+0.4 per cent) eating-out (+3.8 per cent) and other food resources (+3.8 per cent).

  More specifically, the following products largely influenced the total price change within the food group: grains largely influenced by: brown bread (+12.6 per cent), biscuits (+18.9 per cent), pasta (+4.8 per cent) and cereal (+3.4 per cent).

  The food group ?meat and fish? was largely influenced by: beef (+12.3 per cent), Steak (- 0.6 per cent), boneless pork meat (+13.9 per cent), pork loin (+25 per cent), ham (-3.3 per cent), chicken and chicken organs (+3.5 per cent), pigtail (+11.7 per cent), fish (+58 per  cent), salted fish (+17.4 per cent) and other shellfish (+33.4 per cent).

  The food group ?fats and oils? was largely influenced by cooking oil (+3.5 per cent). The food group dairy products was largely influenced by canned milk (+6.9 per cent), milk powder (+4.7 per cent), cheese (+3.7 per cent) and eggs (+18.1 per cent).

  The food group potatoes, vegetables and fruit was largely influenced by: cabbage (+12 per cent), legumes and green beans (+38.6 per cent), carrots (-7.5 per cent), onions and garlic (+13.7 per cent), tomatoes (+26.6 per cent), paprika (+6.6 per cent), other vegetables (56.7 per cent), frozen vegetables (+11 per cent), apples and pears (+19 per cent) miscellaneous citrus fruit (+118 per cent), other fresh fruit (+10.5 per cent) and raisins (+9 per cent).

  The food group sugar and chocolate was largely influenced by: sugar (+5.2 per cent).

Housing

  Three of the five product groups within the expenditure category ?Housing? became more expensive whilst one remain unchanged and one became cheaper.

  Amongst the more expensive were the product groups Dwelling cost (+0.4 per cent), and House maintenance (+0.2 per cent), Garden maintenance (+18.2 per cent) whilst, Energy expenses (-5.0 per cent) became cheaper.

  The products Electricity (-6 per cent) largely influenced the total price percentage change recorded in the product group Energy Usage. The product group Garden Maintenance was largely influenced by fertiliser and soil (+65.5 per cent).

Transport and communication

Within the expenditure category Transport and Communication two of the four product groups became cheaper whilst two remain unchanged.

  The product group ?Vehicle Expenses? decreased by 4.8 per cent and ?Communication? decreased by 0.5 per cent. The price change in Gasoline (-12.4 per cent), Diesel (-7.7 per cent), Motor Oil (-2.9 per cent) and Grease (+36.2 per cent) largely influenced the total price change within the product group Vehicle Expenses. The product group Communication was largely influenced by: Mobile phones (-22.9 per cent).

Long-term inflation

  The 12 month average of consumer prices was 3.9 per cent higher in October, 2011 than in October, 2010. This represents an increase in the inflation rate of 2.63 per cent within the mentioned period.

  All nine expenditure categories recorded inflation in October, 2011. Housing at a rate of 4.4 percent, which is the category with the largest influence (39 per cent), Transportation and Communication at a rate of 4.0 per cent, which is the second largest category (20 per cent) and Food prices inflated at a rate of 6.8 per cent, which is the third largest category (10 per cent) STAT stated. 

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22825-prices-have-increased-03-per-cent-between-august-and-october-2011-.html

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Lending a hand to start-ups in the UAE

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up 95 percent of the UAE business community, employ 42 percent of the Dubai workforce and contribute 40 percent of the UAE?s GDP. They are cited by many as the backbone of the economy and have proved a much more resistant sector during the recent downturn.

It?s important to encourage these kind of business because it nationalises the local economy
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/lending-hand-start-ups-403428

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Couple with fake passports treated leniently at PJIA

~ Reportedly linked to Trinidad assassination plot ~

PHILIPSBURG--Two Israeli citizens arrested in Trinidad and Tobago with "fake" passports and allegedly connected in some way with a plot to assassinate the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister and some members of her cabinet reportedly were treated leniently by Immigration officials here in St. Maarten.

The Trinidad Guardian newspaper reported earlier this week that the couple had escaped from their hotel in Trinidad under mysterious circumstances last week, five months after having been placed under tight security in the twin-island republic.

According to the newspaper, the two ? Robert (34) and Anastasia (28) ? were arrested first in St. Maarten after raising the suspicions of local airport authorities, but were allowed to board a plane to Trinidad and Tobago.

"St. Maarten did not do anything with them, so they came here (Trinidad)," the Trinidad Guardian quoted a source as saying.

The report also stated that the couple's arrest had been made possible thanks to an early warning received by the Trinidad and Tobago security services from the St. Maarten authorities.

They landed in Trinidad and Tobago on June 6 and were detained the next day while attempting to board a CAL flight to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When contacted separately by The Daily Herald Tuesday about the Guardian report, neither Minister of Justice Roland Duncan nor Head of Immigration at Princess Juliana International Airport Geronimo Juliet had any recollection of an incident involving an Israeli couple.

Minister Duncan said he wasn't aware of such a case, but believed that if such an incident had occurred, a report would have been filed. He also explained that while he couldn't recall the exact process involved, in cases in which persons with fake documents were intercepted here, they all eventually were repatriated to their countries of origin.

Juliet said the term "St. Maarten authorities" did not specifically point to Immigration and while he couldn't recall the particular case, he was almost certain that he had not made any passport-related calls to Trinidad and Tobago.

Both Duncan and Juliet said they needed time to research the reports and to review exactly why the persons had been released, if such an event had occurred.

Meanwhile, according to the Guardian, which said the Trinidad and Tobago authorities were looking into suspicions that the Israeli couple "were somehow involved in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and four members of her cabinet," when asked how the couple had managed to escape it was told by its source: "We don't know how they absconded. Knowing that they have been under watch for this length of time and are well financed, it would have been easy for them to corrupt someone. That is my suspicion."

Another fact adding to the mystery associated with the couple is that they escaped on November 20, days before Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that police had thwarted a plot to assassinate her and four members of her cabinet.

The couple, whose pictures appeared in the Trinidad Guardian report, told Ynet (an Israeli online news site) on Tuesday that their passports had been stolen from their home in Rishon Lezion about half a year ago.

About a month later, the husband received a surprising phone call from Ben-Gurion Airport's passport control. "They told us that someone tried to board a plane with our passports and that the people were arrested. That's the first time we realised that our passports had been stolen," he said.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23006-couple-with-fake-passports-treated-leniently-at-pjia-.html

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dnata handles record cargo volumes at Dubai World Central

dnata?s cargo operations at its terminal at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) have reached record volumes as growth and expansion continue. After increasing steadily for some months, during the month of October cargo volumes rose by a record 59% with aircraft movements at DWC also registering a growth of 33% to 280 movements in October against the previous month?s frequency. The dnata-operated air cargo terminal ? known as FreightGate-8 - which handles local and sea-air export and import cargo as well as tra

dnata
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/dnata-handles-record-cargo-volumes-dubai-world-central-403452

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Crystal Pineapple Awards Ceremony

page1a157St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) honoured its long time president with the title of Person of the Year during the sixth annual Crystal Pineapple Awards Ceremony in Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino on Friday night. This year marks Lee's 10th year as SHTA president, one of the longest tenures for the head of a tourism association in the Caribbean. Members of the SHTA executive board said he deserved to be honoured for his relentless dedication to industry. Crystal Pineapples were given out in 20 categories spanning hospitality, trade, community service and special categories. A full report on the awards will be published in a subsequent edition of The Daily Herald's. In photo: Some of the evening's winners. (Alita Singh photo)

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22685-crystal-pineapple-awards-ceremony-.html

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Budget passed, Grero crosses over

The second reading of the Budget was passed in Parliament a shortwhile ago with 151 voting for and 60 against the motion.

UNP MP Mohanlal Grero who voted with the Government crossed over to the government side at the end of voting.

Source: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13405:budget-passed-grero-crosses-over&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=547

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Police recapture escaped convict

page1a142DUTCH QUARTER--Anthony R. Spencer (41) who escaped from the Pointe Blanche prison Sunday morning, was found and arrested in Dutch Quarter around 6:30pm Monday.

He was captured by members of the Police Zero Tolerance Team led by Police Acting Chief Commissioner Carl John and Inspector Bloeiman.

Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson reported that Spencer had been found at a location on Quilletor Drive in Dutch Quarter.

He said Spencer had resisted arrest when officers closed in and the arresting officer had needed to use force to ensure Spencer's capture. As a result, Spencer sustained injuries and had to be transported by ambulance to St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment.

Spencer escaped from the Pointe Blanche prison on October 30 at 5:30am while serving a 20-year sentence for the 2010 murder of Christian Lloyd.

According to a press statement from the Pointe Blanche prison, Spencer had been unlocked and taken to the kitchen around 5:30am Sunday to carry out his daily duties of preparing breakfast for the prison inmates. Finding an opportunity for escape, he climbed onto the roof of the kitchen, ran across and jumped onto the roof of the prison command central, then jumped off the roof and climbed over the fence of the prison and ran away.

Prison Director Rudsel Ricardo said at the time that when Spencer was captured he would have to stand before a judge and receive sentencing for escape from the prison.

Lloyd was found lying dead in a pool of blood on his bed at his home on Watermelon Road in St. Peters and Spencer was sentenced to 20 years on October 12 for Lloyd's murder. The judge ruled it "legally and convincingly proven" that Spencer was responsible for the murder, because traces of his DNA had been found on a roll and a piece of duct tape that had been found under Lloyd's body.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22123-police-recapture-escaped-convict.html

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Marine Trades informs yachters about immigration policy changes

SIMPSON BAY--St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA), in preparation for the upcoming high season, has begun informing the yachting community about changes to the immigration policy of St. Maarten as announced by Justice Minister Roland Duncan in the past months.

Similarly, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) has informed its members about the Immigration changes, so they can better equip their travel representatives and other stakeholders. Having information in advance will hopefully ensure that visitors planning to experience destination St. Maarten are not hampered in their travels.

Nationals from countries such as newly-added Guyana and Jamaica, who require visas to enter St. Maarten, are exempt from obtaining a visa to enter by air or sea, when they are in possession a Dutch Caribbean Visa, a multiple-entry visa for the US, Canada, or the European Schengen region, a residence permit for the US, Canada, the Schengen region or the United Kingdom, a residence permit for French St. Martin or a residence permit for Bonaire, St. Eustatius, or Saba.

For professional yacht crew on the visa-required list without one of the stated visas, entry is granted with a Seaman's Discharge Book and an Agent Guarantee Letter that a local agent will prepare.

For yacht guests on the visa-required list without one of the stated visas, a 48-hour transit exemption to go from the airport to the vessel or from the vessel to the airport can be arranged with a local Agent Guarantee Letter.

St. Maarten Marine Trades Association hopes that this new change will encourage yacht crews and yachting tourists from around the world to visit St. Maarten and enjoy what the island has to offer.

The changes come just in time for Spotlight St. Maarten, a month-long celebration of education and recreation which begins November 11 and continues until December 17.

Numerous exciting events are planned, from seminars to concerts and various outings as well. Spotlight St. Maarten also offers island-wide discounts at participating marinas, chandleries, restaurants and more. "So come to St. Maarten and start the season with a blast."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22124-marine-trades-informs-yachters-about-immigration-policy-changes.html

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dnata handles record cargo volumes at Dubai World Central

dnata?s cargo operations at its terminal at Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) have reached record volumes as growth and expansion continue. After increasing steadily for some months, during the month of October cargo volumes rose by a record 59% with aircraft movements at DWC also registering a growth of 33% to 280 movements in October against the previous month?s frequency. The dnata-operated air cargo terminal ? known as FreightGate-8 - which handles local and sea-air export and import cargo as well as tra

dnata
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/dnata-handles-record-cargo-volumes-dubai-world-central-403452

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Employers given seven days to apply for BTA renewals

~ No applications after November 29 ~

PHILIPSBURG--Employers have been given one week to submit their applications to renew the Brooks Tower Accord (BTA) permits of their employees in Category II (2009).

Authorities said in a press release issued on Friday that renewals had begun for Category II. In an earlier press release it had been stated that employers would be called for appointments to renew their employees' applications.

It was stated in Friday's release that employers with workers with Category II permits should visit the Labour Affairs Department on W.J.A. Nisbeth Road (the Pondfill) "before Tuesday, November 29." Office hours are from 8:30am to 3:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Only 30 applications will be processed daily. While it is not clear how many renewal applications remain to be processed, the timeframe available (seven working days including November 29) and the number that will be processed daily mean that the department will be able to process a maximum of 210 applications.

Employers have been advised to take along their labour registration for 2011, a valid copy of the applicant's passport, a copy of the applicant's valid residence permit and employment permit, a valid labour agreement between the employer and employee signed by both parties and valid proof of medical insurance.

Authorities said no applications for renewals would be processed after the deadline of November 29.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22679-employers-given-seven-days-to-apply-for-bta-renewals-.html

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Volkswagen Middle East encourages everyone to ?Think Blue?

Volkswagen Middle East announces ?Think Blue?, the car manufacturer?s environmentally conscious campaign, shortly to be launched in the Middle East. ?Think Blue? embodies Volkswagen?s goal of creating environmentally friendly products and solutions, encouraging the public to be more eco-conscious and contribute to a sustainable future. ?Think Blue? is a concept that encourages being more responsible on the road, and more environmentally conscious in everyday life.

Think Blue
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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/volkswagen-middle-east-encourages-everyone-%E2%80%9Cthink-blue%E2%80%9D-403368

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Heavy rainfall likely to continue today

~ Disaster Management advises caution ~

PHILIPSBURG--Heavy rainfall is expected to continue today, Monday, and the Department of Disaster Management ODM is advising South-side residents (Philipsburg, Pointe Blanche, etc.) in particular to be extra cautious on the road.

The Meteorological Department of Cura�ao (MDC) forecast on Sunday moderate to heavy showers that could cause street or urban flooding. Weather conditions deteriorated Sunday due to a mid- to upper-level trough coming into the area that is forecast to continue to influence the weather today. From all indications, the periods of rainfall will be intermittent and therefore today is a normal business and school day.

Persons should be on the lookout for possible flooding in low-lying areas, street flooding and rock falls due to possible persistent, heavy rainfall that is expected to continue today.

The Fire Department surveyed the districts yesterday and no major problems were discovered. The Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI has opened the Great Bay Channel to allow water from Fresh Pond to flow into the ocean.

ODM is advising the public that in case of heavy rainfall today, they should avoid low-lying areas, look out for possible street flooding and, if the rainfall is persistent, watch out for rock falls while driving along hillsides. If they do not have to be on the road, they should remain at home. If it is necessary to go to work, driving cautiously is advised.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22936-heavy-rainfall-likely-to-continue-today-.html

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Scores killed in Syria as AL set to impose new sanctions

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilian death toll reached on Saturday to 27 people, mostly in Homs. In addition, at least 22 members of the security apparatus were killed in clashes with dissidents. There are reports about fierce clashes between the army and dissidents him in the southern town of Dara'a.

Syria
� 2011 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/news/scores-killed-syria-al-set-impose-new-sanctions-402764

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America's Aid for Israel's Political 'Continuum'

By Clive Hambidge

A Military Conquest

'… We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours … When we have settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do will be to scurry round like drugged roaches in a bottle.' (Rafeal Eitan)

A ‘moral articulation’ by successive American administrations as to the primary reason for their unilateral support of 0.001% of the world’s population, namely Israel, is not standing up to international law or American scrutiny. The perpetuated myth of an Israel surrounded by mortal enemies, battling heroically for its democratic rights against all odds fades as the world of right mindedness recognises in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip the daily abuse and horror for Palestinians under illegal occupation in Israel’s ‘battlefield’ to test new weaponry. That abuse, brought into sharp focus by the U.S Department of State in early 2004, is systematic; perpetrated by Israel in 2011 and paid for by U.S tax payers’ dollars in the form of indiscriminate, unwise and illegal aid according to America’s own laws. The reason? Unquestioning support for Israel’s militarised political continuum, where de jure occupation became de facto annexation, and where, according to Special Rapporteur Falk “the unbridled assault upon Palestinian rights” continues.

If one consciously moves in time backward and forward, that is in American/Israeli time, one finds the same pattern no matter the date. There is no change no progress. It is like watching a film, a play no matter where you cut, what montage you see, what curtain is lifted and what scene you view, it is the same film, the same play, the same day, from the same violent script. It is a continuum of brutal actions designed to oppress Palestinians enough to make them leave their own land. Pick a date at random and one finds the paradox of continuum. Israel is waiting for Godot:

“Estragon: All the dead voices.
Vladimir: They make a noise like wings.”

Matt Bowles, writing for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, makes plain the facts: America for decades allowing Israel to place “US aid into its general fund, effectively eliminating any distinction between types of aid. [means] Therefore, U.S. tax-payers are helping to fund an illegal occupation, the expansion of colonial-settlements projects, and gross human rights violations against the Palestinian civilian population.” Facts continually denied by Israel, as it ruthlessly pursue ‘the doctrine of politics free from law’.

Israel’s persistent but illusory claim that its ‘international human rights treaty obligations do not apply in the OPT’ has been, according to Amnesty International, ‘rejected’ by the U.N Human Rights Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Against Women, the Committee Against Torture, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the International Court of Justice’, and every conscionable citizen on the planet.  

So to February 2004, the U.S Department of State in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices makes clear the egregious human rights violations and status of Israel in the OPT 2003, “The international community does not recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over any part of the occupied territories.” All accredited missions are to be found rightfully, and legally, in Tel Aviv. “Israel’s overall human rights record in the occupied territories remained poor and worsened in the treatment of foreign human rights activists.” These abuses came in a fiscal year 2003 where Israel received from the U.S “a foreign military financing grant of $3.1 billion and a $600 million grant for economic security.” (Jewish Voice for Peace - JVP); U.S dollars used in the advancing of Israel’s policy of ‘continuum’ namely the illegal colonisation of Palestinian lands, the tormenting of its people and those that would assist them.  Lest we forget, it was in March 2003 that Rachel Corrie, an American citizen performing a fundamental rule of law principle by campaigning for human rights in the OPT, lost her life under the tracks of a caterpillar bulldozer: ‘Made in the U.S.A’.

The U.S Department of State found in the bloody year of 2003 that amongst other violations of international law:

• “Israeli soldiers placed civilians in danger by ordering them [Palestinians] to facilitate military operations.”

• “Israeli forces sometimes arbitrarily destroyed, damaged, or looted Palestinian property”.

• “Israeli security forces often impeded the provision of medical assistance to Palestinian civilians.”

• “Israeli security forces harassed and abused Palestinian pedestrians.”  

• “Israel conducted mass, arbitrary arrests in the West Bank during military operations, summoning and detaining males between the ages of 15 and 45”

• “Israel carried out policies of demolitions, strict curfews, and closures that directly punished innocent civilians … Israel often demolished homes after suspects had already been killed or arrested.”

• Israel “maintained” according to the Department of State “that such punishment of innocents would serve as a deterrent against future terrorist attacks.”

These insidious patterns have been sustained by all Israeli administrations and represent a ‘continuum’: a calculated militaristic policy of intimidation and worse toward the innocent civilians of Palestine.  This being so, I must add my concerns to the  concerns of the Rachel Corrie Foundation that “the State Departments Country Reports on Human Rights systematically exclude the State Departments own analysis of Israel’s failure to perform a credible investigation into the killing of Rachel Corrie,” and further concerns that “reports generated by international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which noted a pattern of negligence in Israeli investigations into civilians killed by the IDF, were ignored in the creation of the Country Reports.”

In recognition of the illegality of American Aid to Israel, the Rachel Corrie Foundation in its submission to the U.N Universal Periodic Review called upon the U.S to “enforce 22 U.S.C. 2304 (1994), protocol on Human Rights and Security Assistance, and the “Leahy Amendments” to the Foreign Operations Appropriations and Defence Appropriations Acts (e.g. P.L. 105-118 570), which prohibit the provision of security assistance to countries and military units that engage in a pattern of gross violations of human rights.” Where, according to JVP, “Massive military aid promotes militarism, which has led to a reliance on military, rather than diplomatic means to work for a solution to this ongoing conflict.”. The planned aim of ‘continuum’.

The Continuum

“Zionism is a colonising adventure and therefore it stands or falls by the question of armed force. There is no other ethic” (Jabotinsky)

The U.N Mission Report (UNMR) on the Israeli operation in Gaza between December 27th 2008 and 18th January 2009 highlights that all Israel’s operations must be viewed not as isolated moments in history where Israel feels threatened and then responds but, operation[s] that decidedly fit “into a continuum of policies aimed at pursuing Israel’s political objectives with regard to Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a whole.” Reel back, fast forward, press hold, you find ‘continuum’: “After we become a strong force, as the result of the creation of a State, we shall abolish partition and expand to the whole of Palestine.” (Ben Gurion)

“The continuum is evident most immediately with the policy of blockade that preceded the operations [i.e Cast Lead] and that in the Mission’s view amounts to collective punishment intentionally inflicted by the Government of Israel on the people of the Gaza Strip.” (UNMR). Further, the Mission found “An analysis of the modalities and impact of the December-January military operations [also] sets them, in the Mission’s view, in a continuum with a number of other pre-existing Israel Policies with regard to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The progressive isolation and separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, a policy that began much earlier and which was consolidated in particular with the imposition of tight closures, restrictions on movement and eventually blockade, are among the most apparent.”  ‘The plan that never changed’ is the continuum that ever is, until God forbid "There is no more Palestine. Finished . . ." (Moshe Dayan)

Nothing has changed since 2004, nothing has changed since 1948. And nothing has changed in 2011. Pick a date between 1948 and 2011 and one finds systematic abuse, atrocities, and deaths of Palestinian civilians. One might pick Operation ‘Defensive Shield’ 2002, Operation ‘Summer Rains’ 2006 or ‘Autumn Clouds’ November 2006, I have picked December 2008/January 2009 and ‘Cast Lead’ from Israel’s seasonal slaughter. Here’s a U.N Report of 2009.

The 2009 Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict concluded, “The Mission found numerous instances of deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects (individuals, whole families, houses, mosques) in violation of the fundamental international humanitarian law principle of distinction, resulting in deaths and serious injuries. In these cases the Mission found that the protected status of civilians was not respected and the attacks intentional, in clear violation of customary law reflected in article 51 (2) and 75 of Additional Protocol 1, article 27 of the Four Geneva Convention and articles 6 and 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In some cases the Mission additionally concluded that the attack was also launched with the intention of spreading terror among the civilian population.” 

In addition, the Mission found all of this was planned meticulously by Israel, “legal opinions and advice were given throughout the planning stages and at certain operational levels during the campaign. There were almost no mistakes according to the Government of Israel. It is in these circumstances that the Mission [concluded] that what occurred in just over three weeks at the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 was a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its local economic capacity both to work and to provide for itself, and to force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability.”

One would remind Israel’s planners of Article 7 of the Draft Code of Crimes Against the Peace and Security of Mankind (1996), “The official position of an individual who commits a crime against the peace and security of mankind, even if he acted as head of State or Government, does not relieve him of criminal responsibility or mitigate punishment.” And of these compassionate words thundering through the centuries from Caliph Abu Bakr to “the first Moslem Arab Army invading Christian Syria:

‘Do not commit treachery, nor depart from the right path. You must not mutilate, neither kill a child or aged man or woman. Do not destroy a palm tree, nor burn it with fire and do not cut any fruitful tree.’” (634 A.D)

After Cast Lead, Adalah, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, reported that “During and after “Operation Cast lead”, human rights organizations asked the Attorney General (AG) to open an investigation based on prima-facie evidence of gross-violations of international law; the AG rejected our request. Previous requests to the Military Advocate General (MAG) to open investigations into numerous other cases were also denied.” Adalah further found “petitions filed to the Supreme Court against the MAG and AG’s policy of not opening criminal investigations into the killing of Palestinians remain pending years later. It also appears that the Supreme Court’s inaction has resulted in a brake on the submission of petitions by human rights organizations.”

“Israel cannot build a society based on the principles of democracy, human rights, and compliance with international law while brutally occupying another people and their land. The United States is currently paying for that occupation with its annual aid,” (JVP, Statement on Peace, U.S Military Aid and Israel, 2004.) and further, “When Palestinian doctors remove bullets from the bodies of Palestinian children, the bullets are typically stamped. Made in the U.S.A.” Nevertheless, and, in remorseless fashion the United States defies international opinion, its own law and international law in providing massive military aid to its client state Israel. America supplies the boots that fit the feet that press on the necks of Palestinians.

Massive Military Aid for Continuum

“The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as war” (Ben Gurion)

The Congressional Research Service Report (CRSR) of 16th September 2010 U.S Foreign Aid to Israel reported, “Almost all U.S. bilateral aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance.” The Bush Administration unsurprisingly sanctioned an increase of 6 billion dollars in U.S military assistance to Israel in August 2007. And the Obama Administration, also unsurprisingly, responded to the Bush Neo Con reverberation by requesting $3 billion U.S in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to Israel for fiscal year of 2011. So, add those figures in your moral mind space to this cumulative ‘conservative estimate’ given by the U.S organisation ‘If Americans Knew’ of “total direct aid to Israel [1949 to 2008] of $113. 8554 Billion. Massive by any standards.

Decades of murder and mayhem began with a trade loan in 1949 of $100.000. God only knows when and how it will end. Today the billions of US taxpayers dollars that pour through the ‘aid funnel’ are used to buy arms and equipment such as caterpillar bulldozers made in the U.S; indeed a stipulation by the U.S is that Israel uses “75% of its military aid from the U.S. It funnels this money to more than 1,000 U.S arms suppliers, which in turn lobby for policies that benefit them at the expense of peace in the Middle East.” (JVP).

According to the CRSR, by giving unconditional aid to Israel, America seeks to and “maintains …[Israel’s] qualitative military edge over potential threats, and prevent[s] a shift in the security balance of the region.” in fact that aggressive ‘military edge’ keeps Palestinians locked down in interminable suffering and the region a tinderbox. And make no mistake the ‘qualitative military edge’ is not for Israel but for The United States of America and its continued hegemonic ambitions through its proxy, Israel.

U.S blood money was/is for “a militarized Israel that will serve the U.S. interest of controlling the Petroleum reserves of the Middle East … policy debate in elite circles takes for granted, on all sides, the goal of maintaining U.S. control over Middle East petroleum resources and the flow of petrodollars.”  (Chomsky, Fateful Triangle). If we take a sordid trip down Israel’s blood soaked memory lane we find U.S Aid increasing in direct proportion to Israel’s military aggression, perceived success therefore usefulness to American interests. Israel’s continuum is vital for American control over the oil reserves of the region.

Stephen Zunes, The Strategic Functions of U.S. AID to Israel, shows how U.S Aid shoots up after Israeli military successes and its long term strategic cooperation with America. From the “spectacular victory” in the 1967 war, through the Civil War in Jordan 1970-71 and the countering of ‘attacking Arab armies’ in 1973, to the “fall of the Shah, election of the right wing Likud, and the ratification of the Camp David Treaty in 1979”, through the years 1983-84 “when the United States and Israel signed memoranda of understanding on strategic cooperation and military planning.” U.S Aid kept rising 450%, 800%, increasing, sevenfold, quadrupling, as did Israel’s aggression. America force feeding Israel with military aid through the ‘aid funnel,’ whilst Palestinian children can scarcely keep mind, spirit, and body together.

Then came Clinton, Bush, Obama, all maintaining Israel’s ‘qualitative edge’, all maintaining Israel’s brutal military occupation.  All, letting down the Palestinians’ lawful drive for legitimate Statehood. All U.S Aid equated with destruction, acquainted with death. The long suffering Palestinians sold out with ‘no objections’ from the ‘liberal left of America.’ 

Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Senior, Clinton, Bush “I’m doing it for my daddy” junior, and Obama, all preserving ‘Continuity Of Government’ (C.O.G.) indeed, all cogs in the all consuming gas guzzling American machine. It will all end in tears and it won’t be Palestinian tears, for they have wept too much and for too long for their lost freedom and their lost children. 

O Captain My Captain

"Our American friends offer us money, arms, and advice. We take the money, we take the arms, and we decline the advice." (Moshe Dayan)

Questions are being asked of Captain America from unlikely and likely quarters. Walter Pincus of the Washington Post, “The question for the Obama administration, Congress and, in the end perhaps the American public, is given present economic problems, should the United States supply the money to make up for the reductions the Israelis are making in their own defence budget.” A financial question of course. A superior question, because a moral one, is if, the American public, who should be asked first, were informed of the extent, nature and illegality of U.S Aid to Israel,  would the American public then sanction any military aid to Israel at all?

As Hassan Fouda of Northern California Friends of Sabeel reminds, “Congress is planning deep cuts in social security, unemployment compensation, educational grants and other programs that help vulnerable Americans. Transferring billions of taxpayer’s money to Israel now is immoral. Americans need to speak up and be heard.

Valuing Human Rights

Special Rapporteur John Duggard stated, “It is pointless for the Special Rapporteur to recommend to the Government of Israel that it show respect for human rights and international humanitarian law … in these circumstances, the Special Rapporteur can only appeal to the wider international community to concern itself with the plight of the Palestinian people.” (2006). After the end of the Israeli military operation Cast Lead 2008-2009 in Gaza, John Ging the UNRWA Director of Operations recalled a discussion that he had with a teacher in Gaza about ‘strengthening human rights education in schools’. One would assume that the teacher had for obvious reasons a sceptical view of such an undertaking. In fact, recounts Ging “the teacher unhesitantly supported the resumption of human rights education.” She said, “This is a war of values, and we are not going to lose it.” 

- Clive Hambidge is Human Development Director at Facilitate Global. Contact him at: clive.hambidge@facilitateglobal.org. (This article was contributed to PalestineChronicle.com)

Source: http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17280

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Transport key to UAE?s growth

If there is one sphere of activity ? apart from oil and gas ? rooted firmly in the country?s past and integral to its future, it has to be the ports and all the logistics operations that move seamlessly into and out of them.

Yes, geography has been quite kind in creating a maritime industry out of the multiple locations that were there and create deep-water hubs for the global movement of trade. But to get to that point, ample foresight and planning had to be in place to go with the undoubted quality of the natural resources on the ground.

Risk premiums have firmed up on some Middle East specific routes, though this has so far not been reflected on ships calling in at Dubai ports
� Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2011. All rights reserved.

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/transport-key-uae%E2%80%99s-growth-403049

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The ?Che Guevara? of Bkirki

Cardinal Sfeir said that making a visit to Syria during his term as Patriarch would have meant an acceptance from Bkirki of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon.� But in May 2005, and two years after the US invasion of Irak, Patriarch Sfeir visited President Georges Busch.� The following two paragraphs reveal true facts about the Iraqi war.A survey published on October 11, 2006� by the Lancet journal, estimated 695000� deaths related to the Iraqis war.� The US and UK governments rejected the researchers? conclusions but the John Hopkins Bloomberg school of Public Health who participated in the study, urged the Lancet to publish their data to alert the international community. Unfortunately, the war in Irak evolved into sectarian violence that has targeted Iraqis Christians.� And Cardinal Sfeir visited President Georges Busch a second time in March 2008, despite a US state department report on international religious freedom that has shown that the number of Iraqis Christians has dropped to 700.000 from 1.4 million in 1987.�Cardinal Sfeir is no longer holding a position of influence.� And the newly-elected Patriarch Rai made a U-turn on the visions of his predecessor.I attended three meetings given in the honor of Patriarch Rai during his recent visit to Los Angeles.� The most interesting gathering was the lecture he gave on Sunday morning October 16 at the Grand Hayat hotel during breakfast time.The Patriarch spoke at length about the history of the Maronites.� He added that the geopolitics of Lebanon in 2011 is different from what it was in the 70?s.�� And that we need to adapt our visions for the Christians of the East in a rapidly changing Middle East.� He then said that during his visit to the South of Lebanon, he stopped by a Christian?s village and learned that Hezbollah protected the inhabitants from armed Palestinians incursions.Then someone in the audience asked him: ?what happened during your meeting with French President Sarkozy??� He said to Sarkozy that the Western powers intentions to establish a democracy in Irak has caused unnecessary killings, sectarian violence against minorities and a massive exodus of the Christians from Irak.� He added that the failure of the West to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israel is threatening the existence of the Christians in the Middle East such as the Copts in Egypt.Patriarch Rai told the French President, that the Leader of the Christians of the East, can no longer follow the failed policies and interferences of the West on the internal affairs of the Middle East.�He concluded with a request that we (Lebanese living in the US and other Western countries) do everything we can to influence the US and Western administrations to rethink their policies in the Middle East to protect the existence of the Christians of the East.� My impression is that the man in charge of Bkirki is fearless when he expresses his convictions.� He reminds me of a peaceful ?Che Guevara?.� He is rebelling against the Lebanese establishment responsible for the increase rate of poverty in Lebanon.� But his difficult journey goes beyond the Lebanese frontier where he deserves our support to keep the roots of Christianity in the Middle East alive.Ralph Watchi,M.D.�

Source: http://www.tayyar.org/Tayyar/News/PoliticalNews/en-US/bkerkeh-cheguevara-rahi-zek-486.htm

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Foundation opposes proposal for amusement park at Wilson Estate

Page1A143~ Local and Kingdom heritage threatened ~

PHILIPSBURG--Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF) is again urging Government to pursue all legal and financial means necessary to realise its commitment to secure Emilio Wilson Estate as the island's first land-based protected area and National Park.

The foundation, in a press statement Tuesday, drew attention to a proposal from November 2010 to develop the estate into "Golden Rock Park," an amusement park for primarily (cruise ship) tourists, featuring zip-lining, chair-lifts to the top of the hill and rock climbing.

Having followed Rain Forests Adventure's "Golden Rock Park" proposal presentation, and having reviewed the documentation provided at that time, EWEF decided not to support the proposal for Emilio Wilson Estate.

The then-Island Council of St. Maarten first approved an Island Resolution aimed at protecting Emilio Wilson Estate on September 20, 2005, as a result of widespread public pressure to do so. From 2005 through 2008 government implemented a number of basic measures towards the protection of the estate, including placing the entire area on the monument list. However, the estate is still very much under threat of commercial and residential development.

According to EWEF, the Golden Rock Park proposal entails large scale construction of infrastructure and facilities on the hillside, top and ridges of Sentry Hill, as well as the alteration of the natural rock formation at the top of the hill. Plans include permanent structures above Sentry Hill's 200-metre altitude line.

St. Maarten's Hillside Policy was drafted "to conserve the green hillsides, protect and if needed restore their natural value for the benefit of the environment, the tourist industry and quality of life in St. Maarten." The Golden Rock Park proposals are in violation of the country's hillside policy, which states that "no building should occur on hilltops, ridges, and above the 200-metre altitude line."

The area above 200 metres is the most ecologically significant area of Sentry Hill/Emilio Wilson Estate. The proposed activities would have a permanent and undesirable impact on the flora and fauna of the area, both during and after construction.

EWEF also said the proposed project did not provide for educational activities regarding Emilio Wilson Estate's history and its importance as a unique aspect of St. Maarten's, the Dutch Kingdom's and the Caribbean's shared heritage. It is focused on the commercial, mass exploitation of Emilio Wilson Estate in the form of an amusement park, with no noteworthy conservation initiatives and no regard for the cultural significance of the area and the slaves who toiled on the estate for generations.

"Government has made commitments to the people of St. Maarten to protect the entire Emilio Wilson Estate, which is now officially a recognised national monument. The foundation is therefore surprised to have been informed that Minister Theo Heyliger is supporting Rain Forest Adventure's Golden Rock Park proposal and that the plan is now being reviewed by relevant government departments.

"It would set an unwanted precedent if government were to even consider supporting the Golden Rock Park proposal on Emilio Wilson Estate, which has been formally established as a National Monument and is clearly a part of the people's patrimony," stated EWEF in its press statement.

The foundation noted its own efforts to ensure protection of the estate, which include repeatedly petitioning Government to take measures to protect the estate and even purchase it. The foundation hired consultants to compile a business plan for Emilio Wilson Estate Ecological and Historical Centre and has applied to a number of Dutch and International funding agencies over the past six years for financing to purchase the estate.

"While the cultural and ecological value of the estate for St. Maarten, the Kingdom and the Caribbean is undeniable, the aforementioned applications have all failed, due to the absence of financial and legislative support from St. Maarten's Government for the protection of the island's heritage," said EWEF's press statement.

Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF) was established in 2005 to give voice and structure to the overwhelming outcry of opposition amongst the population to plans for the development of a gated residential area on pristine and historic Emilio Wilson Estate. Its goal is to turn the estate into Emilio Wilson Estate Ecological and Historical Centre and Protected Area, much like Cura�ao's Christoffel Park, Aruba's Parke Arikok and Puerto Rico's many protected areas.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22155-foundation-opposes-proposal-for-amusement-park-at-wilson-estate.html

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Oman's residential rents showing signs of stability

Residential rentals in the Sultanate did not change significantly in the third quarter of 2011, after several industry sources have put the average residential rental decline in Oman in the first half around 10-15 percent, according to a report by Global Investment House. The study further notes that apartment monthly rents ranged between RO330 and RO750 in the third quarter in line with second quarter and down from RO350 and RO800 in the first quarter, reflecting the lower demand for higher end properties versus affordable housing.

The office market in Oman continued to witness a declining trend as demand slowed following the pattern that started since 2008
� Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC 2011

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/omans-residential-rents-showing-signs-stability-402785

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Emotional Parliament meeting on resort workers ends rowdily

~ Angry crowd of workers confronts Jules and Roy ~

 

page1b156By Judy H. Fitzpatrick

 

PHILIPSBURG--An emotional Parliament meeting on the dismissal of more than 100 Simpson Bay Resort and Marina (former Pelican Resort) employees ended with an angry crowd of workers confronting two Members of Parliament (MPs) outside Parliament House on Thursday evening.

  The rowdy workers, who had walked out of the meeting minutes earlier, first confronted MP Roy Marlin (DP) as he exited the building when the meeting ended. They hurled angry remarks at him and accused him of lying during the meeting when he said a National Alliance (NA) motion presented and voted down was based on ?hearsay,? not facts. ?Why did you lie?? one worker shouted.

  The workers became louder and more vociferous when MP Jules James (UP) was leaving the building surrounded by security officers and other persons. The workers walked behind James as he left the meeting and expressed their frustration with his position on their dismissal.

  James is also the General Manager of Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) and had sent the workers home verbally several weeks ago. Although the security officers tried to keep the crowd at bay and away from James, a plastic sack containing unknown items was thrown at him.

  ?It won?t end this way,? one visibly upset worker said in the midst of the fracas.

  ?We should have a national strike,? suggested another.

  ?We have to go and thief now because we have no jobs,? said another.

  The crowd of angry workers, at least one in tears, remained outside Parliament House long after the meeting ended, expressing their frustration among themselves and with some NA MPs and United People?s (UP) party MP Romain Laville, who remained to listen to their concerns.

  Some of the workers were visibly upset with what they said was Laville?s mixed messages at the meeting, but told him that once he had their backs, they would have his.

  The workers had stormed out of the public meeting earlier after a motion presented by the NA calling for their reemployment and for Parliament to stand in solidarity with them had been voted down six for and seven against.

  A second similar motion calling for government intervention was presented by Laville on behalf of the governing coalition. However, Laville did not vote for the motion he had presented and it was not carried, as seven MPs voted for it while eight votes were needed for it to be carried.

  Laville had left the hall just before the voting after making remarks that cast a cloud over his political future and his ties with UP (see related story), and saying that he had tied his own shoelace last night. He returned later with some of his fellow UP members, but abstained from voting on the NA motion ? the first to be tabled for voting. After being told that he could not abstain and that he had to vote ?for? or ?against,? he left the room and did not vote on either motion.

  James had told The Daily Herald in December 2010 and again in January this year when faced with conflict of interest accusations that he would not vote or take part in any deliberations as an MP on any issue that might present a conflict of interest in relation to the resort issue. However, he voted on both motions presented on Thursday.

 

Emotional

  The meeting turned emotional when NA MP Louie Laveist had to stop in the middle of his presentation in the second round after breaking down in tears. Laveist was responding at the time to earlier statements by DP MP Roy Marlin that such a meeting should not run on emotions and politics should not be played with the resort matter.

  An emotional Laveist said his sister was one of the over 100 workers who had been dismissed and that he loved his sister and this was not an issue with which he could play politics. ?No mas [no more],? Laveist said repeatedly during the meeting.

  Many of the workers in the public meeting were seen crying during Laveist?s presentation. An equally emotional Laville, who was overcome with emotion later in the meeting, was seen giving napkins to the weeping workers. Workers who were not weeping wore sad faces.

 

The motions

  The Parliament meeting began shortly after 2:00pm with NA MPs Laveist, Dr. Lloyd Richardson, George Pantophlet, Hyacinth Richardson and William Marlin, and independent MP Frans Richardson denouncing the dismissal of the workers. Some MPs alluded to James position in the matter, with some calling it a blatant conflict of interest and a discredit to Parliament.

  Some of them called for the speedy handling of the NA draft amendment to the civil code to stem the abuse of short-term labour contracts, which DP MP Roy Marlin said later in the meeting would have his support.

  William Marlin who spoke after his other NA colleagues and Frans Richardson (independent) ended his presentation by presenting a motion asking Parliament to stand in solidarity with the dismissed employees and their struggle to secure continued permanent employment with the resort.

  The NA contended in its motion that James had verbally dismissed the workers immediately following the recent court ruling ?without giving them a valid reason and due notice in writing,? which the NA said was ?a clear violation of the labour laws.?

  The NA also contended that workers, some of whom had worked for the former Pelican Resort for more than a decade in permanent service, had been told that to remain employed they had to sign six-month contracts immediately, before they left the premises, and this had been ?clear examples of excessive abuse of power? on James? part.

  In the motion NA called for Parliament to denounce James? actions in his capacity as General Manager of SBRMC and in particular the verbal dismissal of about 100 unionised workers and the replacement of these permanent employees with casual workers via so-called employment agencies.

  The motion also called for the resort and SBRMC to maintain all of the resort?s employees in their respective positions, pending the final ruling of the Supreme Court on the case between the Simpson Bay Resorts and Marina and Workers Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL). It also called on government ?to use whatever influence, powers and authority it might have to intervene on behalf of the dismissed workers ? in the general interest of proactively maintaining peace, law and order in St. Maarten.?

  The NA said if James stuck to ?his decision? to dismiss the unionised workers, at the start of the 2011-2012 tourist season ?this can lead to social and labour unrest in the country, which in turn can have a negative impact on the overall economy.?

  The meeting was adjourned after William Marlin?s presentation for MPs of the governing coalition to discuss changes to the motion and whether they would support it.

  When the meeting resumed Laville, who had been supporting the workers since the resort issue began months ago, said he was not at the meeting to throw his colleague [James, ed.] under the bus, because as UP leader he had a responsibility to do ?his best? and to do what was ?right? for the UP members. However, he said he could not ?sit by and see the wrong that was being done to my people every single day and night.?

  Laville said he believed what was happening to the workers was not right and he had to stand for what was right. He said it was the responsibility of the owners of the former Pelican Resort to take care of issues such as pension payment for the workers and he asked where the owners were. He asked whether the issue involving the workers would go away if James decided to sever ties with SBRMC.

  He said too that after meeting with NA and perusing its motion, it had been decided that care had to be exercised when presenting motions to Parliament, as accurate information was needed. He said most of the information was not accurate. He said too that the NA had been asked to put a motion together with the governing coalition, but had refused.

  He then presented a draft motion signed by the eight members of the governing coalition present ? Laville, James, Johan ?Janchi? Leonard, Silvia Olivacce-Meyers and Gracita Arrindell of UP; Roy Marlin and Leroy de Weever of DP; and independent MP Patrick Illidge.

  In the motion the coalition also called for Parliament to stand in solidarity with the workers and said any labour unrest at this time would not bode well for the economy. The coalition called for government to use whatever influence, power and authority it had to intervene and mediate with the management of the resort and union to ?bring back labour rest? to the resort. It also demanded that the tripartite committee agreement signed in March continue until the legal issues over the resort were resolved.

  Roy Marlin had said the NA motion was not geared towards protecting the workers, but towards government, business and Jules James. ?Do not let yourself be fooled by a motion that states that the actions of Jules James are clear violation of the labour laws of St. Maarten,? Roy Marlin said.

  He said no General Manager in a store or a shop in St. Maarten could take any actions that were in violation of the labour laws of St. Maarten, because if a company did something in violation of the labour laws, it could be challenged in the court of law.

  The NA accused the coalition later of plagiarising aspects of its motion and presenting it to protect James, not the people of St. Maarten. However, the coalition said this wasn?t the case.

  After the voting on the NA motion the workers walked out of the public meeting. They were followed by NA MPs and Richardson, after which the confrontation took place outside Parliament House.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/22641--emotional-parliament-meeting-on-resort-workers-ends-rowdily-.html

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Emirati-Korean Nuclear joint program to cost the UAE about $30 billion

The Emirati-Korean Nuclear joint program will cost the UAE about $30 billion namely Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp and Korea Electric Power Corp.

As for financing, spokesman for Emirates Nuclear said that it may be split into one third equity and two third debt. As for the Korean company, it stated that information about cost should remain confidential.

Nuclear development
� 2011 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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Source: http://www.albawaba.com/business/emirati-korean-nuclear-joint-program-cost-uae-about-30-billion-402797

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Self-Education: Story of a Palestinian Prisoner

By Ben Lorber and Khalil Ashour

On the third floor of the Nablus Municipality Library, there sits a room of over 8,000 books set apart from the rest. Many of these books are very old and tattered; many of them, in lieu of a normal face, are adorned with images taken from old National Geographic or Reader’s Digest magazines. Some are laboriously written by hand. The spines of the books show a variety of languages, from Arabic to English, French and Spanish. ‘The New English Bible’ is flanked by ‘The Great American Revolution of 1776’ on one side and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ on the other; across the aisle, Edward Said’s ‘Orientalism’ and ‘The Greek Myths’ look on silently, next to ‘Elementary Physics’ and a study of ‘The Chinese Road to Socialism’.

One day in 2008, Italian artist Beatrice Catanzaro became fascinated with this section of the Nablus Library. “I would return day after day”, she related, “to pour over every detail- how the work was sown, the notations, the drawings.” A librarian, seeing her fascination, told her a story:

“A few years ago an old man asked me for a specific book. [She picks up and shows me a thick hard covered grey book with old yellowish pages.] He started to explore the perimeter of the cover with his fingers, searching in the bookbinding gap. When [I] asked him what he was searching for, the man looked at [me] with a discouraged expression: ‘in prison I use to hide my embroidering needle in the binding of this book’.”

What fascinated Beatrice about this collection? This 8,000-book collection is no ordinary collection, but the Prisoner’s Section of the Nablus Library. Here are gathered books that lived with generations of Palestinian prisoners behind the bars of Israeli prisons. The shelves are adorned with weathered tomes of economic theory, slim volumes of poetry, well-worn novels, textbooks on mathematics and physics, classic works of philosophy and history, and much more. Personal and political annotations, scribbles and drawings adorn these pages, which captivated the hearts and minds of decades of Palestinian prisoners before finding their way, after the closure of two ex-Israeli military detention structures in 1996, to this library.

PFLP leader Abdel-Alim Da’na, who was imprisoned for a total of 17 years between 1970 and 2004, spearheaded PFLP educational programs behind bars to spread the philosophy of resistance to less experienced prisoners. He explains the foundation of prison pedagogy- “everyone, when they enter the prison, must learn to read and to study. Some people, when they enter the prison, cannot read or write, and we put an end to their illiteracy. Some of them are very famous journalists now, some are poets, some are writing in the newspapers and doing research in the universities, some are men in the Palestinian Authority, some are activists!”

Khaled al-Azraq, a refugee from Aida Refugee camp who has been a political prisoner for the last 20 years, testifies that “through the will and perseverance of the prisoners, prison was transformed into a school, a veritable university offering education in literature, languages, politics, philosophy, history and more...Prisoners passed on what they knew and had learned in an organized and systematic fashion. Simply put, learning and passing on knowledge and understanding, both about Palestine and in general, has been considered a patriotic duty necessary to ensure steadfastness and perseverance in the struggle to defend our rights against Zionism and colonialism. There is no doubt that the Palestinian political prisoners' movement has played a leading role in developing Palestinian national education.”

Khalil Ashour was a Palestinian political prisoner from 1970 to 1982. Years later, he became Director of the Ministry of Local Government for the PA in Nablus until his retirement in 2005. He was also a central figure in Beatrice Catanzaro’s aptly-titled exhibit in the Prisoner’s Section of the Nablus Municipality Library, ‘A Needle in the Binding’.

In conjunction with the exhibit, Khalil Ashour wrote a moving personal testimony called ‘The Palestinian Detainee and the Book’. In accordance with the wishes of Ashour and Catanzaro, it is reproduced here in full ..

The Palestinian Detainee and the Book

By Khalil Ashour

The tragedy of detention is the deprivation of freedom of choice, or the limiting of this freedom to the minimum. If someone imposed their rules on you and oppressed you, you are their subject even if you are not a prisoner. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have lived this tragedy in the Israeli detention centers starting from the year 1967 until now, and the ugliest image of this tragedy was when Palestinian detainees were prohibited from reading and writing. They were allowed only to write letters of ten lines to their families, and if they were to write more than ten lines by one word or more, the prison administration used to tear up the letter. During this period Palestinian detainees used to spend their time in narrating stories they knew and films they had watched before detention.

I recall that a detainee narrated for us the story “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo, in several chapters. He used to narrate one chapter a day, until he finished the story after two weeks. We used to wait anxiously everyday until nighttime to listen to a new chapter. We all felt as if “Jean Valjean” the hero of the novel, was living among us. The last night we were so sad, as “Jean Valjean”  was leaving our detention center, knowing that we were never to meet him again. And when the moment of separation arrived, a sorrowful silence fell upon us all.

This was our situation in Asqalan prison in the years 1970-1971. However, in Biet Led, in 1972, the prison administration allowed three things: the first one was to allow the “Jerusalem Post” Newspaper into the prison, which is published in English. One of the detainees who is fluent in English used to translate articles and news relevant to our interests as detainees for freedom. The second was distributing Israeli books which explain and defend the Zionist Movement, the Jewish right to Palestine, and that the Palestinian Organizations are a group of “terrorists” who are going to fail, in order to inject detainees’ minds with the Israeli version of the situation, bring despair to their hearts and smash their morale. The third one was that every detainee’s family is allowed to buy two books every month for their detained family member, however, these books were to be approved by the prison’s administration first, in addition to the fact that they should remain in the prison if the detainee is released or transferred to another prison. This is how the first library was established in Beit Led prison.

However, cultural life in Nablus prison was rather different. The prison was managed by the Jordanian Police before 1967, there was a small library of tens books in this prison. Most of the books were novels, poetry and few school books that talk about the Jordanian History. However books that address philosophy or politics were originally prohibited in the Jordanian Reign. A remarkable improvement occurred during one of the Red Cross’s visits near the end of the year 1972, the delegation handed us a long list of the books that are allowed and approved by the prison’s administration. The list was distributed to the detainees to choose whatever they wanted, it included books about Marxism, Leninism, Communist theory, and Socialist thought. It was a golden opportunity for the Popular Front and democratic front organizations’ members, as their leaders say that they are leftist organizations that defend laborers’ rights, and lead the proletariat revolution from the inside of the Palestinian national movement and Arab nationalism. This was the first time that the communist books were seen in prisons.

Every time a delegation from the Red Cross used to visit the detainees, the number of red books increased, as well as religious books, especially those authored  by Hassan Al-Banna, Sayed Qotob and his brother Mohammed Qotob, as well as Mohammed Al-Ghazali.  Those authors were the founders and poles of the Muslim Brotherhood that was established in Egypt in 1928.

Based on these books, the thoughts that lie within their pages, and according to their viewers and readers, three intellectual trends appeared and spread among detainees. 1. A patriotic and national movement 2. A communist and socialist movement 3. A religious and Salafi movement. Fruitful and rich discussions and debates occurred between these three parties, which improved the intellectual and cultural level of the detainees. These movements also influenced residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as its ideas spread among the populace, especially amongst university students and educated people. When the communist and socialist movements disintegrated as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union after the year 1989, the leftist parties and organizations suffered from a sever tremor, and a deep shock, as they started flopping aimlessly searching for an identity, which resulted in the spread of the Religious and Salafi movement's values, thus gaining more popularity, as it found itself more free to compete with the national movement.

In addition, books’ spread in Israeli prisons, and the variation in its genres and subjects, opened new horizons for the detainees; even those who were illiterate, mastered reading and writing. Detained students completed their education, became Tawjihi degree holders, and joined universities after they were released. Those who were interested in language learned Hebrew, English and French. Those with little knowledge read books about geography, history, economy, politics, philosophy, astronomy, religion, and literature. This is how Palestinian detainees turned prisons, through reading and writing into active and living workshops, as a room in any prison used to be calm at time allocated for reading and noisy when holding sessions and conducting debates, regardless of the number of inmates. In order to test erudition and level of knowledge, they used to conduct a weekly “question & answer” tournament, and award the winning team. As a result of this tournament, the spirit of competition spread among detainees, they started reading more, and copying books to send to other prisons that lacked them. It is known that copying books helps in memorizing more than reading. Translations also became common from Hebrew or English into Arabic. Detainees used to hold a special meeting to listen to translated articles’, which used to be read by the translator himself. They even held meetings in order to listen to translated literature.

One of the cultural activities also was that a group of detainees worked on preparing and distributing magazines, where they would hand write their articles in notebooks. Here one can see how the desire for learning, reading new books and self-education, was spread amongst detainees, as it was their priority. Books played a pioneering role in the significant change in detainees’ lives and hearts, and the clear evidence was that detainees were different when they were released; different than how they were several years ago when they were arrested. They occupied important and influential positions in society after they were released, in fact, some of them were top students at universities, and some of them went on to complete their MA and PHD degrees.

It is natural for detainees to pursue any mean in order to free themselves from imprisonment, and search for a way to escape from their harsh and bleak reality. Those who are deprived of bread dream of bread, and those who are deprived of freedom seek freedom. The Palestinian prisoner resorted to books in order to dream and free themselves through words as well as to escape to an alternative to their lived reality. If the book was a novel, the prisoner lives with its characters and moves amongst them from one place to the other, eavesdrops on their discussions, experiences their feelings, and walks around in their homes. This feeling creates another life for the prisoner, another world, and another reality.

Hence, books transferred and freed prisoners, even if it was temporary, it is the path to their salvation, as it also brings new ideas to the reader, and new beliefs, it introduces us to different lived experiences, which leads to a widening of horizon and an openness towards difference. The more books a human reads, the more minds he tackles and deals with, the more he enriches his knowledge.

A book is a spring of knowledge that quenches the intellect's thirst for learning, blessed are those minds that are forever thirsty.

A book is a new world – we add to the world we know a space for another. The book is a transformation tool from a state to a better one, if we listened carefully to what it says and comprehended what it means. A book does not redeem humans from illiteracy, ignorance, delusion and myth only, it redeems one from corruption, bad manners, bad behavior, narrow mindedness, and bias.

Books reveal your true self, guide you to what you will become, and illuminate your world just like the sun lights your day. There are two truths in this world, the first is God which is a permanent truth, and the second; the world, is temporary. We came to this life to read the second truth in order to understand the first, and those who do not know are the ones who do not read.    
 
- Ben Lorber is an activist with the International Solidarity Movement in Nablus. He is also a journalist with the Alternative Information Center in Bethlehem. He contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com. He blogs at: freepaly.wordpress.com. And Khalil Ashour was a Palestinian political prisoner from 1970 to 1982. Years later, he became Director of the Ministry of Local Government for the PA in Nablus until his retirement in 2005. Lorber contributed this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

Source: http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=17275

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