The Web Josh Weaves- Spoiler Alert

This is a spoiler alert* Do not view this video if you don’t want to know in advance* View and and read at your own will and risk* Do not complain if you do go forward and view the video** You have been warned this is a live feed spoiler alert**

This Aricle is written and owned by: Arnelle Durocher

James has won the POV, so Sharon is on the block. Josh is planning to use the penalty nomination as a strategic move. Josh will eat and plans to use the Penalty nomination as a vice to stay in the house this week. The way Josh see’s it is that he would not be able to play HOH next week or Pov. The way Josh see’s it. There are two problems with Josh’s theory on this. First, if he goes through with it he will not get a penalty nomination he would receive an automatic penalty vote. As it stands now Adam and Ryan plan on voting out Josh, which cancels out his plan of having the vote tied and for Natalie to send Sharon packing. Second according to the BB Rule book, a HG cannot use the Penalties as a strategic move or to play the game. Josh you are screwed. See you at the Jury house. Natalie checked the BB9 rule book and discovered that a HG cannot use the penalty nomination

A great biggggggggg thank-you for the videos is sent out to Quirkydude once more. You rock dude!

Here are the video’s

If you would like more articles on Big Brother 9 go to Sirlinksalot!

The wheels of justice in Argentina

The wheels of justice in Argentina

Today is March 24th, 2008, the 32nd anniversary of the military coup in Argentina that resulted in the disappearance of 30,000 people and the extra-judicial executions of untold more. March 24th is now the national day of memory for truth and justice in Argentina. Throughout the country, there will be marches, demonstrations and cultural activities to mark the day, remember the disappeared and demand truth and justice.

Thirty two years after the coup, justice has never been closer in Argentina, and yet so far away. In recent years, the legal impunity that prevented Argentine courts from prosecuting human rights violators for most of their crimes was abolished. In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the Punto Final and Due Obedience laws, which provided blanket amnesties for the military and its accomplices, were unconstitutional. The court reasoned that the gross human rights violations committed in Argentina amounted to crimes against humanity, which do not prescribe and cannot be amnestied under international law, in addition the state has a positive obligation under human rights treaty and customary international law to seek the truth and bring justice to victims of gross human rights violations. Last year, the court used the same rationale in ruling that the pardons issued by a democratic president to the highest military and civilian authorities for their participation in such human rights violations, were also unconstitutional. There are now no legal impediments in Argentina to bringing human rights violators to justice.

There are, however, practical impediments. The wheels of justice move impossibly slowly in Argentina. Of the thousand criminal procedures that remain open, only a handful have reached the trial stage and some of these concerned figures relatively low on the totem pole of Argentine repression. Moreover, most of these trials have involved only one defendant at a time, which frustrates any expectation of celerity in the overall achievement of justice. Even worse, defendants have been tried only for the abduction, torture and murder of a very reduced number of victims, rather than the dozens or even hundreds or thousands for which they were responsible. There is an element of injustice when a human rights violator is not forced to account for all the violations he committed.

At this time, however, there is a movement to consolidate the open cases by clandestine detention centers, and try all those accused of committing human rights violations in a given center together. One such case concerns the clandestine detention center located in Infantry Regiment No. 9 of the province of Corrientes, and that trial seems to be proceeding without any serious problems. However, prosecutors and judges have warned that there is a bottleneck at the trial court stage and that this will slow down once again the wheels of justice. In particular, the ESMA case – based on the largest clandestine detention center in Argentina, through which an estimated 5,000 people passed before being killed – and the First Army Corps case, which concerns the task forces responsible for the detention and disappearance of people in the Buenos Aires and other provinces, may not reach the trial stage this year, as had been promised. One solution would be to reassign some of the cases to courts with a lighter workload. Another possible solution is to open another trial chamber. This has not yet been done.

It is said that justice delayed is justice denied. I am sure that many in Argentina would agree with that sentiment. There is a strong pressure by civil society on the Argentine government to take whatever measures are necessary to speed up the trials. Indeed, the recent announcement that judge Alfredo Bisordi was retiring from his post at the Cassation Court, after being accused of slowing down the repression cases, was greeted with cheers by both the government and the human rights organizations. But more pressure and more economic resources are doubtlessly needed if the victims – including the now elderly parents of many of the disappeared – are to find justice before they, or their victimizers, die.

Lack of speed is not the only problem that Argentine justice is facing, however. In September 2006, Julio López, one of the survivors and witnesses in the trial against Etchecolatz, the Police chief of the province of Buenos Aires during the dictatorship, was disappeared once again and his fate remains unknown. Other witnesses, lawyers and human rights defenders have also received threats. Meanwhile, a defendant linked to the ESMA and the theft of children, was found dead days before his sentence was read. It’s still not clear whether his death was a murder or suicide. Other mysterious deaths of accused human rights violators have human rights organizations concerned.

On a more positive note, the arms of Argentine justice are now extending to the time prior to the dictatorship and to the Actions of the Triple A death squad, responsible for hundreds of murders under the government of Isabel Perón. Perón herself is being investigated, and her extradition from Spain has been requested. In a first for Argentine justice, the government of the province of Mendoza has filed a demand against the Triple A for the murder of its own citizens.

The wheels of justice have also began to turn in other Latin American countries. Chile, with its Prussian efficiency, has already sentenced over 190 human rights violators and has more than 100 open cases. It is now concentrating on prosecuting civilian accomplices. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has rejected a proposed bill which would reduce the sentences of human rights violators and further accelerate the criminal procedures. Despite its 1986 amnesty law, there are several open cases being investigated and tried in Uruguay on charges of crimes against humanity, in particular those relating to the so-called “death flights,” through which Uruguayans detained and disappeared in Argentina were flown back to Uruguay. One former president and other top generals were jailed on such charges. Uruguay, moreover, has criminalized forced disappearances per se. Guatemala, meanwhile, has started its first trial on charges of forced disappearance and the trial of former president Fujimori for the disappearance and death of 9 students and one professor at La Cantuta university, is advancing with only minor difficulties in Peru. Honduras has also announced that it will re-open the cases of forced disappearances in the 1980s. On the other hand, the quest for justice in Colombia has taken yet another wrong turn after 11 prosecutors – including some working on key human rights cases such as that of the attack on the Justice Palace in 1985 – resigned after allegations of leaking information. And in El Salvador, civil society is still fighting for the derogation of the amnesty law which has left those responsible for the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity scot-free. Meanwhile impunity for human rights violations, including forced disappearances, is de rigeur in Mexico.

Mixed as the Argentine and Latin American experiences are, I think they have much to say to the world in terms of the importance of keeping the struggle for justice alive, of not giving up and working both in the political and judicial arenas, both national and international, to put an end to impunity.

http://www.humanrightsblog.org/archives/005578.html

Another boring night for BB9 fans with the Christ team!

This show is getting more difficult to watch and even to stay loyal to BB reality television. Can BB get anymore boring then this? BB9 was so boring tonight I do not even know where to begin!

This article is written and owned by: Arnelle Durocher

First, we have the Christ team! Please Big brother if fans want to go to church they will do it on their time and with their own violation. Seriously, when we tune in we do not expect to see a prayer fest. It is nice that people want to showcase their religion; however, that is not why the fans watch your show. Big Brother is a reality show that emphasis on will, cunning, wit, physical and mental stamina.

I really feel that when people start exploiting God to try to sail to the win that it is quite crass, crude and even vulgar. I tend to agree with Dick Donato and others who have said this God has better things to do then to watch over a reality show. Come on now, Big Brother making your show into a Holy Roller show is really getting to be ridiculous.

Then we have Natalie being stupid. She knows she cannot trust James, she knows that the men all have alliances with each other, yet she is going to try to wiggle her way into the men’s group. The women better start thinking on their feet and quickly or they will be given the Royal Heave Ho. As an added affect the fans got to watch Sheila blubbering once more and for an added bonus, Natalie and James cried as well. Whoopee! Hooray!

The whole show tonight was a big yawner and snooze fest. I think that in the history of big brother this is the worst season ever!

Talking to people around the blogs, many of them do not like one single houseguest. Many of them think that Big Brother is trying to champion James to the win. Many are yelling that the show is fixed. Some even think that Big Brother is trying to make fans feels sorry for James. It really is not working Big Brother. First, you have had your viewers angry with you ever since you put in the second twist that resulted in James coming back. The fans felt letdown and were quite perturbed that you had them waste their time to vote for whom they wanted to see come back in the house. The second twist should have never happened. You cannot ask your viewers to spend a week of voting and then kick them in the pants and slap them in the face after their effort. The bottom line is the majority fan vote should have stood. Your viewers voted by majority to see Alex go back in the house and that is exactly what should have happened.

Then tonight the fans were treated to watching the HG’s play hide and seek. How terribly boring to watch, whoopee! You call this reality television and a show. It is almost hardly worthwhile for your fans to make an effort to watch your show anymore.

Going around the blogs and the different forums, fans are grappling with what to discuss. They are so bored they seem to be grasping at straws of what to discuss about the show. This is a bad season Big Brother, if you have any decency you will do something for your disgruntled and unsatisfied fans. Wake up and smell the coffee Big Brother your fans count and you need to appease them at this point. Not well done this season at all Big Brother. Not well done indeed! BB you have totally failed to reach your viewers and peak and keep your viewers interest with your debut winter season.

If you would like more articles on Big Brother 9 go to Sirlinksalot!

Ozzie and James are the survivors to beat

Ozzie and James are the survivors to beat. If any other survivors want to try to win a million dollars their toughest competition are Ozzie and James. Although Cirie is in the background working her magic and using her brain and manipulating the game at times.

This Article is written and owned by: Arnelle Durocher

I would like nothing better then to see either James or Ozzie win Survivor.  I really feel both were screwed out of the million in their debut survivors. Ozzie should of won and didn’t because some bitter survivors like Johnathon  could not bring themselves to do the right thing and give Ozzie their vote.

In the Cook Islands survivor Ozzie was the prime breadwinner so to speak for food resources. You name it and Ozzie did it. He was outstanding. I thought it was a cruel awakening to how bitter and envious some people can be like Johnathon. I was not upset to see that Johnathon had to leave the show not by a longshot. I have never forgotten that he said he wasn’t going to let Ozzie win because of his age. What! If Johnathon could of got passed his bitterness he would of did the right thing. If he would of had a reason contrary to a generation gap for not voting for Ozzie I may of felt diffrent about his vote and his reason for denying Ozzie his much deserved win.

Likewise James also deserved to win survivor and like Ozzie he was primary if not the sole breadwinner, lodgings and primary giver for the survivors well being. Only in James case he did take a risk and a gamble and he should of played his Immunity Idol. As he said he rolled the dice one to many and he lost. The person that won Survivor China in my eyes was not deserving to win. However it is what it is, and nothing can erase history of the events and the winners of these two survivor shows.

So far both James and Ozzie are doing well, however both should be very weary of those they trust, after all, it is for a million dollars which is a life changing event for the person who wins it. If I were James and Ozzie I would not trust the ladies they have become involved with.  Parvati and Amanda have both proven that they will use and backstab those they are close to.  In my opinion both ladies are equallly dangerous and are quite willing to do what they must for one million dollars.

Speaking of which, Cirie has stepped up her survivor game this time. She is still putting on the persona of contrite and humble, and that she is not a threat to win or even survive. However,when she turned on Yau man and caused his ousting, it should have woken up the survivors that Cirie is dangerous in many ways and she has learned greatly from her stint on Survivor Panama. Cirie may not be the best at competitions but she is very observent and uses it to bring down her competition. Survivor is not all about bronze it is about brain, wit and cunning as well.  Cirie is using her brains over bronze and her experience from her debut on survivor the first time around. You go girl!

It will be very interesting to see who gets to the finish. Will any fan survive and win survivor, or will the fan favorites beat out the fans for a shot at a million dollars because of their experience. Some of those fans are not without their own cunning and deviance to beat out the fan favorites. It remains to be seen. If the fans will be able to overcome the favorites and if one of them are able to win one million dollars.

In ending I was personally glad to see the bully Joel blindsided and his demise from Survivor. His presence and character worked on my last nerve.  The way he tried to dominate, control and bully other survivors was disgusting. I was specifically disgusted at the way he treated Chet. True,  Chet was not the best in competition, but he did not deserve to be treated as inhumane as Joel treated him. It was absolutley disgraceful how Joel treated him and less then an animal was treated. Joel’s demise, made my night, it really did. I was gleeful to say the least that he did not see it coming and was surpised at the royal boot he received from the rest of the survivors. He was not controlling the game as much as he thought.

There is a diffrence between being competative and in degrading human dignity. My absloute favorite of the fans was Katheleen. I was sorry to see her go, but I understood that she is a kind spirit and even though she wanted the opportunity to try to win one million dollars, however the way you have to play survivor was not akin to her spirit or how she lives. I think that Katheleen making the choice to leave should be congradulated. She gave up a chance to win a million dollars in lieu of her family, friends, and her life as she knows it not what it would of become if she continued on Survivor. I also feel that if Katheleen would of stayed on she may of got a chance to win the one million dollars.

Having said that the three I would absolutley want to see win survivor is James, Ozzie or Cirie and I am throwing Cirie in there because she really is stirring the pot, making cunning and smart plays and making things happen.

If you would like more articles on Survivor Micronsia go to Sirlinksalot!

Human Rights Watch: Kosovo: Criminal Justice System Fails Victims

 

Kosovo: Criminal Justice System Fails Victims
Inadequate Witness Protection Key Challenge for Authorities

(Brussels, March 28, 2008) – Kosovo’s government should fully cooperate with the European Union’s newly deployed rule-of-law mission in reforming Kosovo’s criminal justice system that remains extremely weak, despite efforts to strengthen it over the past two years, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The EU mission (known as “EULEX”) is expected to lead justice reform efforts. The riots in Mitrovica on March 17, 2008, underscore the need for Kosovo to build a strong and effective criminal justice system to deter, investigate and prosecute any such acts of violence.

Kosovo’s criminal justice system is broken,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s in urgent need of fixing and that will take a real commitment by the government and the EU.”

 

Live Feed Update- Spoiler- Josh Spooked by Ghost Flash

This is another hilarious moment in bb9. Big Brother spent part of last night flashing a ghost to the HG’S. Josh jumped, screamed, squealed and hid behind James every time he saw the ghost. It was hysterical to see him hide behind James. Eventually Josh hides his eyes with a hat and seems to get a bit irritated at the flashes. My theory is that they are flashing it as an upcoming twist of perhaps “A ghost from the past”. Could there be a ghost from the HG’S past or is an evicted HG coming back. The ghost seems to have a mask on it. If this theory pans out, which HG would it be? What former HG would the remaining HG’S be frightened of coming back? If my theory is correct, do you think that Matt may come back? Matt’s eviction was the result of Big Brother throwing a second twist to fan voting which changed the face of the game. This is just a theory; however Big Brother is not known to do something without it being tied into a twist. Perhaps it is just for an upcoming HOH competition and nothing more.

Here is the video- Have fun with it folks. Namaste!

A great big thank-you goes out to Quirkydude for the video- Much appeciated

Click on this link if you would like to see Josh get his dancing groove on

If you would like more articles on Big Brother 9 go to Sirlinksalot!

Josh Parody Dance Videos

 Josh is a more flamboyant character on BB9. Often the BB camera’s catch him dancing and getting his groove on. This is another hilarious moment of the few in BB. Thanks goes out MinnCatLAWombat and chatroom14com~ Both did amazing jobs. Thanks so much, you are appreciated.

Josh Dancing with his stuffed animal Parody- Compliments of MinnCatLaWombat

Josh Getting his Boogie on-  Parody Video - Compliments of:  chatroom14com

Human Rights Watch- Missile combat off target

The Los Angeles Times

By Jennifer Daskal and Leslie Lefkow

On March 3 two Tomahawk missiles were launched toward Dobley, Somalia in the fourth U.S. airstrike aimed at individuals with Al Qaeda links in Somalia since January 2007. While missing its target, shrapnel from the missiles injured six civilians, a pattern that echoes previous U.S. strikes in Somalia. Such strikes inevitably turn ordinary Somalis against the United States, thereby bolstering support for militant groups, while the human rights and humanitarian crisis that terrorists feed off — and that U.S. policies exacerbate — is largely ignored.

http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=africa

A Call for the Human Rights Council to protect Freedom of Expression

 

31 civil society organisations call on the Human Rights Council to protect special mandate on Freedom of Expression

31 civil society organisations from around the world, the majority from member states of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference call on the Human Rights Council to protect the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and to reject the amendment to the mandate proposed by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Ahead of a crucial vote at the Human Rights Council, We the undersigned national and international human rights organisations and other groups defending freedom of expression call on member states of the Human Rights Council to protect the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression.

During the 7th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the OIC formally introduced an amendment to the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression which, if passed, would require the Special Rapporteur to “report on instances where the abuse of the right of freedom of expression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination, taking into account Articles 19(3) and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and General Comment 15 of the Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which stipulates that the prohibition of the dissemination of all ideas based upon racial superiority or hatred is compatible with the freedom of opinion and expression.” Member states of the HRC will vote on the proposed amendment and the mandate at the end of the week.

We, the Undersigned, are deeply concerned that the proposed amendment undermines the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, at a time when it most needs protection and strengthening.

The proposed amendment is particularly problematic for the following reasons:
1. It goes against the spirit of the mandate: The role of the Special Rapporteur is not to look at abusive expression, but to consider and monitor abusive limits on expression. There are several other United Nations bodies which have a specific role in relation to incitement to racial hatred, such as Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which has devoted a lot of attention to it.
2. It lacks balance: The amendment only focuses on restrictions to freedom of expression, rather than on the idea of an appropriate balance between the positive protection for the right to freedom of expression and the need to limit incitement to racial and religious hatred. This lack of balance is reflected, for example, in the opening language, as well as in the reference only to Article 19(3), which is about restrictions on freedom of expression, rather than to Article 19 as a whole.
3. It is unnecessary: It is inherent to the mandate that the Special Rapporteur should consider and comment on appropriate limitations to the right to freedom of expression, as the current post-holder Ambeyi Limbago has done many times before (as well as his predecessor). Furthermore, by focusing specifically on one type of restriction, the proposed amendment puts undue emphasis on it.
4. It can be misinterpreted: The convoluted wording of the amendment may leave international human rights law generally and the special mandate specifically open to various misleading interpretations.
• International law provides for a clear and carefully calibrated framework of standards in this area, found in Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which rule out incitement to hatred on the basis of nationality, race or religion but which protect criticism, including criticisms of politics, beliefs systems or religion. In particular, the provisions on protection of reputation contained in international human rights law are designed to protect individuals, not abstract values or institutions.
• While international law permits certain restrictions on speech to protect reputation of individuals, these restrictions are not extended to cover religions per se. International law does not entirely rule out restrictions on speech to protect religion but circumscribes the precise scope of such restrictions. Religious believers have a right not to be discriminated against on the basis of their beliefs, but religion itself cannot be set free from criticism.
• The equality of all ideas and convictions before the law and the right to debate them freely is the keystone of democracy. As international human rights courts have stressed, freedom of expression is applicable not only to “information” or “ideas” that are favourably received, but also to those that may offend, shock or disturb any or all of us. The current amendment may be understood as an attempt to undermine this well-established framework.

We, the Undersigned, are particularly troubled by the repeated attacks against the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, and freedom of expression.

In view of the recent global rise in intolerance, the Human Rights Council should instead insist that freedom of expression itself is one of the most effective recourses and tools against abuses of human rights, including abuses of the right to equality. It should invite all relevant UN mandates to strengthen cooperation amongst such bodies towards promoting a better understanding of the indivisibility of human rights and what that principle means in practice. The Human Rights Council should also urge all member states to reinforce the international protection of the human rights of every people and every person – in particular, the individual rights to life, equality and justice, as well as the rights of minorities, including religious minorities, against acts of hatred, oppression and violence.

Signatories:

ARTICLE 19, UK
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), Egypt
Adaleh Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan
Al-Haq, Palestine
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies, Egypt
Amman Centre for Human Rights, Jordan
Azerbaijan Journalists’ Trade Union, Azerbaijan
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Bahrain
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Canada
Cartoonists Rights Network, USA
Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies, Syria
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Egypt
Freedom House, USA
Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
Index on Censorship, U.K
International Pen, U.K
Iraqi Centre for Transparency and Anti-Corruption, Iraq
La Ligue Tunisienne pour la défense des Droits de l’Homme, Tunisia
Maharat Foundation, Lebanon
Massline Media Centre (MMC), Bangladesh
Media Institute of Southern Africa, Namibia
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Palestine
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Pakistan
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), France
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Thailand
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Indonesia
The Arabic Network for Human Rights (Egyptian)
The Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), Pakistan
The Network of African Academics for Media Policy and Regulation
The World Association of Newspapers, France

 http://www.humanrightsblog.org/archives/005591.html

Human Rights Update

As some of you know, that I mainly blog for human rights and to bring much needed awareness of breeches in humanity from are own immediate socities and communities and in global countries. We the people of this world must condition ourselves to do more then just talk about human rights for all people of all countries equally. If we don’t start talking, negotiating and doing something about it, then when does things change? I am proud to say I blog for human rights.

This Article is written and owned by: Arnelle Durocher