http://www.russiansentry.com/Russians Entry - russiansentry.comhttp://www.russiansentry.com/pix/logo.jpghttp://www.russiansentry.com/http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2405                              Tradition or act of cruelty? Spanish or Catalan custom? These two questions were answered today by the people of Catalonia - or rather, by their Parliament, the result of a petition taken to the legislative assembly with 180,000 signatures calling for the abolition. The result has brought about mixed feelings in Catalonia in particular and Spain in general.Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:58:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2404                              The recent meeting of the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in Lisbon, Portugal was focused on a new role for women and the media in solving problems in facilitating dialogue and breaking down social barriers, such as hate-fuelled stereotypes as a first step towards meaningful dialogue with practical results.Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:54:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2403India's telecom revolution is bearing fruit, propelling this South Asian giant to new frontiers as a pioneer of worldwide digital inclusion, furthering equal opportunities, creating the conditions for every child to have access to knowledge and the chance of an education - as a birthright.                           India's new machine is a low-cost computing and access device, unveiled on Thursday in New Delhi. At an initial cost of just Rs 1,500 (35 USD), a figure which could fall as low as 10 dollars in the near future, according to the Indian Ministry of Education. Based on the Linux operating system, the prototype includes an Internet browser, a PDF reader, touch screen, videoconference capacity and the design permits the user to add new functions.Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:52:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2402                        Dilma Roussef, backed by Lula   Ever since President Lula won the first of his two Presidential elections in 2002, Brazil has grown from strength to strength, while his social policies targeted the poor, bringing millions out of poverty and from welfare to workfare, contributing towards the economy. Today Brazil has proudly announced that it has surpassed the average world GDP per capita. Do we pay attention to the sunshine today or the clouds on tomorrow's horizon?Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:38:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2401                                    What exactly is going on in the Gulf of Mexico? When there are reports of media blackouts, then the natural reaction is to start investigating, and in the current environmental catastrophe, the more stones one turns, the more horrific the potential scenario becomes. While scare mongering is as pointless as it is dangerous, the truth remains that the media have the duty to inform.Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:54:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2400              The United States Senate has called for Britain to hold a full and independent enquiry into whether BP lobbied for the release of the Libyan held in Scotland over the Lockerbie bombing. This position reveals two things: ignorance (the jurisdiction was not a British question, but a Scottish one) and arrogance (suppose the Senate held an independent inquiry into the Iraq War as Britain has done?)Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:52:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2399                The ten UN judges at the International Court of Justice who supported the opinion that Kosovo's Declaration of Independence on February 17, 2008 does not violate general international law are, at best, incompetent charlatans; at worst, they are towing the line of the gray, malevolent forces which wish to create a Kosovo Mafia State in the Balkans. And after all, anyone can declare himself the King of Saturn and issue certificates selling its rings... The "ruling" of the International Court of Justice on the status of Kosovo's independence holds as much influence over international law, creates as much jurisprudence, as the "opinion" of a first-year law student opining on some hypothetical case in an academic debate. Today's "ruling" is in fact no more than a non-binding statement after a "hearing" among 14 judges at the ICJ. A "hearing" whose results had to be postponed because of the severe degree of disagreement among those involved.Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:38:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2398                            An alarming truth coming out of the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna is that women's voices are not being heard, women are not participating at the same level as men in decision-making processes to find sustainable solutions. Gender exclusion norms were mentioned as the main reason by almost 80 per cent of those polled.Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:14:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2397As the count-down to August's great kick-off in Europe gets under way, after South Africa's FIFA 2010 World Cup, who is going where, and for how much? Does the factor of financial crisis come into play in Soccer, the great Communicator? It seems not....read on.                                 Amir Farha, from Sao Paulo, writes in his column in Brazil's  IG website, that "In times of financial crisis, in most leagues, few clubs have the financial conditions to make big buys, however a small and powerful group can, these being mainly English clubs along with the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona". Outside this clique, only Italian astro-clubs like AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus can get a look-in. Have money, can buy.Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:01:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2396Last week an Unidentified Flying Object disrupted traffic at Xiaoshan Airport in the PR China. The incident happened late last Wednesday night, July 14. 18 flights, involving 2,000 passengers were affected by the apparition, which was seen by several eye-witnesses (see photo) but which did not show up on the airport's radar system.                               China Daily reports that the UFO incident which occurred last week over Xiaoshan Airport, Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang Province, more specifically at around 20.30 on Wednesday July 14, has still not been solved. The airport was closed after an airport official saw "a shimmering object" over the airport at 20.30. The alert was given and the airport was closed fifteen minutes later.Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:26:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2395              No more tears at the doctors, no more promises "It's only a little prick" or "This won't hurt". The feared annual flu jab is about to be replaced by microneedles, similar to a nicotine patch. No needle, no pin-prick, no bleeding...and, say scientists, the results are far more effective.Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:22:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2394In the last twenty-four hours, seventy-one people have died in Russia as a result of the heat. The record temperatures felt across the country, but mainly in Moscow, have caused people to take risks swimming in unfamiliar environments. So far in July, 1,244 people have died, almost three hundred of these last week as the country faces its worst drought in 130 years.                               The deaths have all occurred as a result of drowning, when people tried to escape the heat wave by swimming in water tanks, waterways and rivers. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, just in the last 24 hours, seventy-one persons have drowned in all the territory of the Russian Federation.Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:19:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2393              From the Ivory Coast to Guinea, from Nigeria to Angola, around 60 per cent of the fishing vessels are illegal. According to the local agencies, the prime suspects are the Chinese and the European Union. Does this illegal catch, stolen from African waters, come into the European Union through lax control centres in Spain's Canary Islands?Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:50:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2392The continent which produced imperialism, slavery and Hitler now produces Geert Wilders. Belgium and France ban the burqah, a British MP has stated he will refuse to speak to constituents who refuse to reveal their face and Dutch Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders declares his aim to launch his Stop Islam movement in five countries. It is Europe, not the Moslems, who are seeking a culture clash.                         Europe never ceases to amaze with its abject arrogance, its imperious imperialistic policies and its disgusting demagogy. The continent which produced, imperialism, slavery and Hitler now produces Geert Wilders. The victims this time are not the Jews, but Muslims and as was the case with Hitler, the horrific, racist, genocidal Nazi movement was not only endemic to Germany but had its metastases spring up all over the Continent in similar movements.Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:43:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2391Whether we like it or not, whether we label it a conflict or clash of civilizations, the fact remains that the banning of the burqah and the internationalisation of Dutchman Geert Wilders' Stop Islam movement are producing hot debate in Europe, as indeed was the case with yesterday's article Islamophobia Sweeps Europe in PRAVDA.Ru.                             Not wishing to flog a dead horse, after writing about the burqah and after deriding Wilders as a dangerous xenophobe, I had intended to move on today to another topic. However such was the debate produced on our front page, I feel compelled to address some of the issues. Firstly, Pravda.Ru front page is a place for open debate, dialogue and discussion and people's opinions are welcome, whether they agree with the author's personal opinions or not and I thank you all for having your say, whichever side of the argument you supported. However I would request in future that the vitriol released did not include swear words and would thank the readers for respecting this.Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:40:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2389                                For those of us in positions of symbolic or actual control, those of us in our fifties and sixties, the truth dawns upon us that we have collectively failed to take advantage of what we inherited, namely a welfare system which provided public services, and that what we leave to our children is a shambles, a deteriorating downward spiral of abject misery for your average twenty-one-year-old with no job prospects, no chance of buying a house, no future and no life. We created the generation of 500 dollars.Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:46:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2388Carbonated Drinks: Learn the Truth!   A study by a Brazilian Professor from Matto Grosso Federal University has revealed the shocking truth about the effects of having a can of a carbonated drink. Learn what happens inside your body in the sixty minutes after you glug down your refreshing sizzling drink...and think carefully!   After just ten minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your body, 100% of the daily recommended dose. You do not immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because the Phosphoric acid in the drink cuts the taste.Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:43:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2387"The confession by the highest military official of the NATO war in Afghanistan [Gen. Stanley McChrystal] that it is a monstrous crime against the civilian population was not considered a news theme". It is with "news criteria" like this from the mainstream press in this world that imperialism shapes the social conscience of the people.                         The war in Afghanistan continues to make many victims. The most numerous are those about which less is said: the Afghan population. In February the Dutch government fell after the prime minister refused to meet his campaign promise to withdraw troops. Weeks later the German President resigned, after confessing the truth in public: the participation of Germany aims to defend the "interests" of the great German capital. Now was the resignation of the commander in chief of NATO troops in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal.Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:37:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2386                      Moroccan police have allegedly beaten up and verbally abused a female activist from Western Sahara who claimed her right to her passport, seized by the invading Moroccan authorities, so as to be able to travel. Aminetu Ameidan was beaten on the morning of July 13 in El Aaiun, the capital of Occupied Western Sahara. Hillary Clinton, where do you stand? The Saharawi human rights activist, Aminetu Ameidan, was attacked yesterday morning, July 13, by a group of Moroccan police when she demanded that her passport be handed over at the police headquarters in the Moroccan city of El Aaiun, the occupied capital of Western Sahara, informed the Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations committed by the Moroccan State (AVGHRV).Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:14:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2385These are difficult times because people choose to make them difficult and could be simple, common-sense times if the media chose to talk sense instead of hyperbole. Just because a woman wears a burqah does not mean she is going to blow herself up in a metropolitan train. Is death by stoning a savage and barbaric practice or should it be relegated to the realm of local custom and tradition?                                 We are facing difficult times. We have an insurgent Islamist movement called Al-Qaeda, we have ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we have a situation of growing confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have a confrontation of values in the heart of Europe, where in two countries the burqah (the full-body covering of the Islamic woman) has been banned.Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:13:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2384From the beginning (June 11) to the end (July 11) of the FIFA 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, the world came together in a fantasy of football (soccer), friendliness, goodwill,  sportsmanship and love for our adversaries. It also scrutinised (South) Africa and made its judgement: It's time for Africa.                                       From Shakira's wonderful opening ceremony performance, both on the stage and off (her charity work now projecting her to the status of a world champion of human rights) to the closing ceremony, South Africa 2010 proved to be a resounding success in terms of organization, in terms of efficiency. Naturally, because anyone who knows anything, also knows that FIFA sends an army of officials right from the application process, this army growing by the minute until the end of the process. However, South Africa was up to it and proved that the media reports flying around the Net and the controlled press were no more than attempts to perpetuate the idea that Africa is a dark place with dark people who are prone to gloom and doom stories.Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:39:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2383                                  The British network Sky News reported on the courageous statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury stating that "the invasion of Iraq has caused tremendous damage to the region."                 By Pedro Valls Feu Rosa The British network Sky News reported on the courageous statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury stating that "the invasion of Iraq has caused tremendous damage to the region." Criticizing the actions of Britain and the United States, which he branded as "imperialist," the archbishop went on to say that in Iraq, "the Western definition of humanity is not being observed." Colonel T. E. Lawrence of the British Army, horrified by the barbarity imposed on the Iraqi people, also attended the press to give his testimony and protest many years ago. Here are his statements, published by the newspaper "Sunday Times": "The British people fell into a trap in Mesopotamia. We can hardly get out of there with dignity and honor. It is being constantly deceived by the concealment of the truth. The Baghdad communiqués are outdated in relation to events, they lack sincerity and are incomplete. The reality is worse than what we have been told. Our government is more inefficient and more bloody than that which we describe. It is unworthy of our imperial history and will prove very briefly abject to ordinary treatment. We are on the verge of a disaster." In the same interview, the Colonel reported extremely serious facts: "Whole cities were razed by British aviation. In four months, 10,000 people died. The tanks, by land, forcing people into a panic towards the open where they could exterminate them better." Courageous people, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Colonel T. E. Lawrence. They deserve recognition for being good men. But more important than these two interviews are the dates on which they were given. The dates of the newspapers should be cause for reflection for us all, as we show below. The Archbishop of Canterbury has condemned the invasion of Iraq in an interview published by the network Sky News on November 25, 2007. Colonel T. E. Lawrence ordered the invasion of Iraq in an interview published in "Sunday Times" on October 22, 1920. Yes, 1920! 87 years before! In fact, this "Colonel T. E. Lawrence" becomes the famous "Lawrence of Arabia", featured in many films, and walked around the area of "1001 nights" at the beginning of last century. The greater the outrage when we realize that all these raids were made on behalf of the good, and people who call themselves well-meaning. To them, the words of Victor Hugo: "No one is bad, and how much evil was done." All these raids were made by people who call themselves religious. To them, the words of Voltaire: "The great war is that each general has to bless their flags and solemnly invoke his God before he exterminates his neighbour." All these raids were made by people who claim to be moralists. To them, the words of Bertrand Russell: "Humanity has double standards: one who preaches but does not practice, one who practices but does not preach." All these raids were made by people who call themselves civilized. To them, the words of Auguste Rodin: "Civilization is, in short, only one layer of paint that is washed away by any drizzle". All these raids were made on behalf of Justice and by people who claim to be fair. To them, the words of Thomas Jefferson: "I fear for my species when I think God is just."  All these invasions, finally, were made in God's name. Those which determine, devote the words of Blaise Pascal: "Never a human being does evil so completely and with as much pleasure as when you do so in religious conviction."   PEDRO VALLS FEU ROSA is Senior Judge of Brazil, rapporteur of the First Criminal Chamber of the Court of the State of Espirito Santo and Chairman of the Regional Electoral Court of the State of Espirito Santo.  Tue, 6 Jul 2010 01:26:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2356The now infamous Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, tragically killing 11 workers, on April 20. Amid the understandably growing tension over the looming environmental catastrophe, the arguments and incriminations now predictably center around money and where a lot of money is involved, common sense is sometimes elusive. Making sense out of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, first and foremost, the tragedy is the loss of the lives of the eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon rig, the tragedy is the growing list of casualties in the animal world, including dolphins, turtles, birds and the entire ecosystem along the four US Gulf States and the tragedy is the livelihoods of the thousands of people in the area who make a living from the sea. If Hurricane Katrina was Mother Nature's scourge, this is Mankind's follow-up. And how.Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:16:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2355As the world gears up for Friday's World Cup Finals kick-off in South Africa, the continent's first, and as a global pandemic of Soccermania promises once again to engulf the international community, the United Nations Organization is aiming to channel public enthusiasm for sport into awareness about other more pressing social issues.Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:11:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2354Is it too late to shed those extra pounds before the beach season? No, it isn't and yes you can enjoy a healthy, weight-watching diet and continue eating those carbohydrates, free from those dull, colorless regimes which leave you feeling hungry. According to Dr. Chris Iliades* you can diet and eat carbs, indeed you must because "carbohydrates are all about energy". The question is, to eat the "good" carbs and not the bad. The report by Dr. Iliades reviews Dietary Guidelines for Americans and a study made by Dr. Donna Logan, dietician at the University of Texas Medical School, Houston.Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:08:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2353The Portuguese national soccer side is the mirror image of its coach, Carlos Queiroz: lacking in charisma, but hard-working and with an occasional flash which raises the eyebrows. This was the result of Portugal's last performance before Friday's World Cup kick-off, a 3-0 win over Mozambique. Portugal finely-tuned its creative machinery, hoping that this time around the team can go one better than the semi-finals and consequent fourth place in Germany, 2006. Portugal's naturalised Brazilian backbone constituted by Bruno Alves (Brazilian father) in defence, Pepe and Deco in midfield and Liedson up front, playing alongside a talented group of players including Simão Sabrosa, Cristiano Ronaldo (Best Player in the world two seasons ago), Chelsea stalwarts Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira in a star-studded line-up representing Europe's major leagues, hopes to provide that special mix which makes the difference.Wed, 9 Jun 2010 02:22:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2352From practically every window across this great African nation drape the colours of the South African flag, the most sought-after item here in the run-up to Friday's opening of the FIFA World Cup Finals, Africa's first. Once again, sport brings the multiple ethnic groups of South Africa together. As we saw in the movie Invictus, sport is a great builder of nations. Just as South Africa came together for the World Rugby Championship in 1995, today fifteen years later, Soccer is the powerhouse moving the various sections of South Africa's society together in a growing sense of nationhood.Tue, 8 Jun 2010 19:47:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2351The US movie industry is dangerous. It creates xenophobic national or cultural stereotypes creating images of an external threat, the "them" which justifies the "us", in this case the U.S. The latest outrage against Russia is MGM's remake of Red Dawn. Red Dawn was an infantile, jingoistic, gung-ho flick catering to provide an adrenalin rush for culturally challenged simpletons, made in 1984 (predictably), portraying the USSR and Cuba as the villain and the United States of America as the hero. This time around, the villains are the People's Republic of China, and of course the eternal threat, Russia.Tue, 8 Jun 2010 19:41:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2350Will Israel perpetrate another massacre? Will there be another act of piracy on the high seas? Will Tel Aviv torpedo the MV Rachel Corrie, an Irish ship travelling to Gaza under the auspices of International Law (UN Resolution 1860)? Is Israel planning another USS Liberty incident? For Israel's information, the UN Resolutions are legally binding under international law and how can Israel, as a UN signatory state, refuse to abide by them and further to that, massacre those who uphold them? The logical outcome should be Israel's expulsion from the United Nations Organization, for to be a member of the international community, you have to act like one.Thu, 3 Jun 2010 21:47:00 +0400http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=2348June 1 is celebrated in several countries around the world as International Children's Day and in many of them it is a national holiday. Instead of enjoying a day off work let us reflect on some serious issues to translate actions into words so that these International Day commemorations can actually mean something. International Children's Day was proclaimed in 1925 in Geneva, Switzerland, where it was decided to dedicate June 1 to the theme of children and children's rights. It was especially celebrated in the Communist Bloc and remains today an important national holiday in many countries.        Wed, 2 Jun 2010 01:55:00 +0400