Wednesday, March 14, 2012

It is a human rights violation. No one is attacking Syria. There is no reason for Syria to continue to receive munitions.



MOSCOW
WEDNESDAY 14 MARCH 2012

Russia insisted yesterday that it would not halt arms shipments to Syria even as evidence mounts that the regime is committing crimes against humanity, with a rights group today releasing a sickening dossier of the torture inflicted on those who oppose President Bashar al-Assad.

The comments by Russia's Deputy Defence Minister, Anatoly Antonov, that existing contracts will be adhered to despite reports of up to 8,000 dead, come as activists prepare to mark a grim year since their call for reform descended into bloodshed. Mr Assad's tanks continued to roll into dissident areas, with the army reported to have recaptured the rebel stronghold of Idlib near the Turkish border, until now held by army defectors fighting for the Free Syrian Army. Activists said dozens of people had been killed in the assault, their bodies dumped in local mosques.

The tens of thousands trying to flee the country face the added danger of landmines that Human Rights Watch says have been laid along Syria's borders with Turkey and Lebanon....

There will be a man missing today at the meetings of two great countries in the USA and Great Britain.

Richard Holbrooke

I would not underestimate Newt Gingrich. Silly thought, huh?


Analysis (click title to entry - thank you)
Before Newt Gingrich emerged Tuesday night in Birmingham to address supporters following his losses in Mississippi and Alabama, his wife Callista introduced him as "the next president of the United States."
At this point, you have to wonder if even she still believes it.
Gingrich has won just two states in this primary process, and on Tuesday night he lost the two contests that he needed to win to have any chance to rejuvenate his campaign. Rick Santorum has now unambiguously claimed the mantle of consensus conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, and the race has now been transformed into a two-man battle for delegates, with Gingrich and Ron Paul on the outside looking in....
This primary is going to the convention.  Newt Gingrich is by far the most seasoned statesman of any of them excluding Ron Paul.  I congratulate Ron Paul for his voracity, very commendable.


But, Newt Gingrich has the toughest group of supporters that know how to work the floor and bring about the resolve they are looking for.  They are not backing Newt because he is a dear friend, it is because they have an agenda they want respected.  So, I wouldn't count Newt out as a sincere nomination to the candidate unless he decides to withdraw.  Up to that point, he has political clout.  


I also believe the people surrounding the Gingrich campaign are having a good time and that is the way it is supposed to be.

It is good to know Mr. Romney has taken all these conservation issues seriously enough to receive the 9 delegates.



These are the lives of the citizens of American Samoa. They are important lives. American Samoa is also very important to the Climate Crisis community because the air quality reflects primarily untainted as a measure of the group of Mauna Loa Laboratory Data. So, American Samoa is not a minor territory to the USA, it is an extra ordinary place.


If one is to receive delegates to become President of the United States of America, I would expect the recipient to be aware and sensitive to the issues presented to them by those seeking representation.  Seriously.

The Cooperative Forestry Programs (click title to entry - thank you) are administered and implemented through a partnership with the Territory of American Samoa Community College/Community & Natural Resources Forestry Department; DPA Fire Department, the USDA Forest Service, and several other private and government entities.  These programs are designed to promote the health and productivity of American Samoa’s forestlands, educational system and rural economies.  Emphasis is placed on public education and tree planting, agroforestry, water resources, coastal stabilization, community beautification, wildlife, and conservation practices.  The goals are to help maintain and improve the health of American Samoa’s community trees, rainforests, and to conserve all natural resources.
These programs are effective because they:
· Are culturally sensitive to the values and decision-making processes of American Samoans
· Reduce costs through the use of partnerships
· Raise awareness about the values of forests and natural resources and,
· Are voluntary and use non-regulatory approaches.
· An avenue that brings people together to share and explore other opportunities in forestry and resource management....

A National Park in America Samoa. Beautiful place.




Many-colored Fruit Dove (Manuma)  is dependent on the Banyan Tree in American Samoa.  Is the coloring of this bird incredible or what?


Romney picks up 9 delegates on islands half way between the USA and Australia, IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN.


PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — Mitt Romney (click title to entry - thank you) won the Republican caucus in American Samoa, picking up all nine delegates.
About 70 Republicans in the U.S. territory located 2,300 miles south of Hawaii met in caucus Tuesday. The six delegates selected at the meeting and three superdelegates to the Republican National Convention all said they would support Romney....

12 of the most influential Catholics in America. Really?


...It might have been a good idea for Prothero to first outline what he means by the word “influential.” He views influence as meaning primarily political influence, with one entertainer and one prelate thrown in. What of all the Catholics in media, news, and the larger culture? Or better yet, what of all the Catholics who are quietly influencing the lives of those around them through lives of prayer and service?...

Stephen Prothero’s List of 12 Most Influential American Catholics
1-6. Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor
7. Speaker of the House John Boehner
8. Vice President Joe Biden
9. Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
10. Cardinal Timothy Dolan
11. Stephen Colbert
12. Andrew Sullivan
...As Christians, we believe in a supernatural world, a world we cannot see. I would argue that the most “influential” American Catholics are those who are people engaged in that world, not just this one. They are people of prayer, people of sanctity, people of self-sacrificial service. They are people who take up their Cross daily and are willing to die to self. That’s what it means to be Catholic. Being Catholic doesn’t mean getting the most notice by the news media. Anyone with enough money to hire a public relations firm can get noticed....