posted by machine: please go to www.dec.org.uk and make whatever donation you can.

Today sees the release of "The Day the World Gets 'Round" - a song written by George Harrison which has been rerecorded by Yusuf as a charity download in aid of the suffering children of Gaza. Please show your support for the innocents affected by the recent conflict by downloading the song from iTunes at the following link - you will need to have the iTunes application installed on your PC/Mac first. To download iTunes go to: http://apple.com/itunes/download And the song link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=303114064&s=143444 Proceeds > expand / read more...

It is with great sadness, that the Gorilla Organization received confirmation of the death of ranger Safari Kakule. Safari was at Mount Tshiaberimu with six other rangers during the evening of 8 January when they were attacked by rebel militia without warning. They defended their position, managing to detain a rebel officer, but the attack was extremely violent and the rangers were far outnumbered. As they retreated from their position, Safari was fatally hit by the attackers’ gunfire. Safari was an exceptional ranger, who had worked on the Gorilla Organization project at Mount Tshiaberi > expand / read more...

Posted by ROBERT I was devastated to hear today that a ranger, safari kakule, was killed on thursday at the station that i sponsored in the DR Congo. these amazing people put their lives on the line to protect the mountain gorillas. this is the UN year of the gorilla and we are planning a pan African gig/event to raise money and awareness later in the year. please help-donations and information at http://gorillas.org/ranger_killed_at_tshiaberimu > expand / read more...

Posted by ROBERT. photo from Saturday's march: The Hamas Government Should be Recognized Tanya Reinhart The Hamas government must be recognized, not only because recognition of Hamas would be good for Israel, as the former Mossad head Ephraim Halevy recently argued, [1] but because this is the right move by any criterion of justice and international law. The U.S. and Europe decided, despite Israel�s opposition, to permit the Palestinian people to hold democratic elections. According to Jimmy Carter�s report in the �Herald Tribune�, the elections were �honest, fair, st > expand / read more...

posted by ROBERT aintest glimmer of optimism coming from the obama camp-suggesting possible dialogue with hamas. and in case you were wondering... Tony Blair, special envoy to the Knightsbridge Armani store Kul ‘am wa intu bikhair! In these war times it is nice to know that we have skilled diplomats who work day and night to secure a ceasefire. Thanks to Mark Farha for allerting me to the story. Tony Blair, special envoy to the Middle East, has been spending Christmas and New Year with his family, only arriving in his Jerusalem office on Saturday, just in time to watch the land inva > expand / read more...

posted by machine: How Hypocrisy on 'Terrorism' Kills By Robert Parry January 01, 2009

"Consortium News"

Hamas rose to power in January 2006 through Palestinian elections, which ironically the Bush administration had demanded. However, after Hamas won a parliamentary majority, Israel and the United States denounced the outcome because they deem Hamas a "terrorist organization."

Hamas then wrested control of Gaza from Fatah, a rival group that once was considered "terrorist" but is now viewed as a U.S.-Israeli partner, so it has been cleansed of the "terror

although a fragile truce was observed-Gaza has always been blockaded and under siege,effectively cut off from the world- squeezed and rinsed in economic social limbo. the world's largest urban prison camp. on the eve of the us election the IDF killed 6 militants leading to heavy rocket fire into Israel. the refusal of European and US govts to hold talks with Hamas was only ever going to lead to violence. by re-using the "useless we don't negotiate with terrorism muzzle", no diplomatic solutions could ever develop. historically, when negotiating for peace or l > expand / read more...

posted by machine: Karma Nabulsi , The Guardian, January 3rd Last Saturday, the first day of massive air strikes on Gaza, I finally get through to my old friend Mohammed. We speak for a few moments, he reassures me he is OK, he asks about my now-delayed trip to Gaza, and suddenly I ask: "What is that noise?" It is a sort of distant keening, like the roar of approaching traffic, or a series of waves hitting a rocky shore. "I am at the cemetery, Karma", he says, "I am burying my family." He now sounds exhausted. He repeats, over and over again in his steady, tired voice as if it were a pray > expand / read more...

POSTED BY ROBERT: as the israeli bombardment of gaza continues, donations to unwra-oxfam and to hoping are more vital than ever. it's seems a long time since any wise men entered bethlehem. if memory serves-the ceasefire was broken on the eve of the US elections by the controlling power in the region. pray to your chosen god that the bloodshed is not politically motivated.. GO TO: www.hopingfoundation.org > expand / read more...