civilisationReview

Pressure is mounting on the Washington Redskins to change their name because of the offence it causes Native Americans. But will a club steeped in tradition ever buckle? It's one of the most famous names in American sports, with a logo recognised the world over. But even fans of the Washington Redskins are facing up to a belief that it might all have to change. For many years, some people have questioned why the football team has a name that Native Americans find offensive. bbc It is very interesting as to why the Washington ‘Redskins’ were named ‘Redskins’.  The term ‘redskins’ is very obviously derogatory as it was used to refer to, and reduce, a truly naturist people to nothing more than a contradistinguishable colour of skin, and oftentimes used in a demeaning context - as evident in many racist westerns and white colonisation history of the lands now unfortunately known as the United States of America.  

(the term ‘naturist’ is used to refer to whites who, being divor...

Every September 11, we are reminded that it was ‘terrorism‘ that brought down the Twin Towers in New York.  We are fed with a barrage of documentaries that 3-dimensionalises the victims and heroes of the tragedy.  The twins who died there, the lovers who died there, the heroic firemen, the parents who grieved, et cetera , et cetera , et cetera .  I suppose it is easier to sympathise and empathise with people even more when they are presented upfront and personal.  I mean, that is why we are always glad when the baddies get killed in terrible ways in american movies because the victims are oftentimes presented as more than just faceless victims.  
 
But that does not happen with, say, the close to half a million children who died in Iraq thanks to u.s. Sponsored medical embargoes over 10 years, which, the u.s. Ambassador, Madeline Albright, said, ‘was worth the price’.  I don’t see documentaries dedicated to the twins who died, or the dreams of some of the c...

People now, dance to forget life.  People back then, danced, to Celebrate Life. An incessant 'boom! boom! boom!' never brought a smile to anyone's face, or opened one's heart to any other.  ed

One in 5 Children bullied online 
Almost one in five children who use social networking sites suffered a negative experience last year, research by children's charity the NSPCC shows....

The NSPCC also said a "large number" of users of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were under the minimum age of 13. A full report of the survey of 1,024 11 to 16-year-olds from across the UK will be published in November. The survey also showed that the most common bad experiences among children were bullying and trolling. This involves insulting or intimidating others, usually under a pseudonym, to provoke a reaction....


Earlier this month, 14-year-old Hannah Smith, from Leicestershire, was found hanged. Her father said she had been sent abusive messages on social networking site, ask.fm. Claire Lilley, NSPCC safer technology expert, said: "It's unbearable to think any young person should feel there is no other option but to end their life because of bullying on social networkin...

Spain is considering a 50 euro (£43) fee to cross its border with Gibraltar, amid a row over an artificial reef. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told a Spanish newspaper the proceeds would "help fishermen affected by the destruction of fishing grounds". The latest tensions come after the British territory began work on the concrete reef, which Spain claims infringes the rights of its fishermen. The UK Foreign Office said it was "concerned" at the minister's comments. Britain has governed Gibraltar for 300 years but Spain disputes UK sovereignty over the rocky outcrop on its southern tip. bbc Q&A 

In terms of length of rule, you could say that it belongs to the Moorish Muslims as they controlled it from 711ad to 1462, and did much to enhance its intellectual and cultural evolution - without them, the European renaissance, scientific revolution, etc, would probably not have happened.

 You could say that it belongs to the Spanish. But what is...

A woman has been fined for taking her horse into a McDonald's restaurant in Greater Manchester. Police said the woman, who has not been named, was in the saddle when she was initially turned away from the drive-through kiosk on Bury New Road. The woman then led the animal inside, where it "ended up doing his business on the floor", a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesman said. "The incident caused distress to customers and disruption for the restaurant, and the police issued the woman with a fixed penalty notice." She added: "The health and safety of our customers and staff is our top priority, and for this reason we are unable to serve pedestrians, bicycle riders or customers on horseback through the drive-thru." - bbc Why should MacDonald’s view a horse in a drive-through as compromising ‘health and safety’ as opposed to a car.  I dare say that a horse’s ass presents less of a hazard than the exhaust pipe of a car. And anyway, I don't know wh...

Boston Bomb accused Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Denies Charges Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all charges in his first court appearance, as blast victims looked on. Mr Tsarnaev, 19, faces 30 counts of using a weapon of mass destruction in the two 15 April blasts that killed three, including an eight-year-old boy. He appeared in shackles and an orange prison suit, and replied "not guilty" as the charges were read to the court. - bbc * following comments from bbc news facebook Dawn Greenhouse: It's was a white flag bombing everyone knows it !! No one ever questions the real culprits !! Research the evidence ! It's even been seen that there were staged injuries ! Yahya Kushtuban: CIA is guilty. They planted the bombs to scare people and keep them under lockdown. USA citizen are made to sheep so that Obama the Führer can control them better. Have fun! Alyson Vernon: I am not saying the guy on trial is guilty. The law will decide. What I...

Radical cleric Abu Qatada is being held in a high security jail near the Jordanian capital Amman, after being deported from the UK. His plane left RAF Northolt at 02:46 BST for his home country, where he appeared in court to be charged with terror offences, which he denies. Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "delighted" at his removal. Abu Qatada was first arrested in the UK over alleged terror connections in 2001 and has fought deportation since 2005. bbc I don't get this 'terrorism' thing. Wasn't it an 'act of terror' when u.s. sponsored embargoes killed close to half a million children in Iraq? Is the colonial, 'we are white ergo right' still going on? Going by many comments here, it seems to be the case. The best way to get rid of terrorism is to not incite it with terrorism. I don't understand how people can kill people and call them terrorists when they retaliate. Gross self-absorption and arrogance perhaps. Most times, terroris...

photograph, video, music, by ed just a thought: The uncanny thing about this video that i first shot the video, and then did the music for it without knowing how long the video was going to be.  Thereafter, i threw the clips together in the video-editing software, stuck in the music, and they matched in timing - the music ends at the end of the video.  Sweetly strange. ed

click image for larger view I did this shot to test the handheld quality of shots on the Canon SX50.  Well, I suppose it is not just the image stabilisation that matters but the stability of the shooter as well.  Shot in Manual Mode, handheld, and only with optical zoom. I'll post up the video which i shot handheld as well soon.  Interesting little camera.  For its 1200mm zoom range, certainly a useful complement to my dSLRs (Nikon F4-F6, D700) ed