nomad9 - news_and_the_world

History of failed Peace in the Middle-East

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:40:00 +0200

in the challenge of keeping track with all the diverse news in the world, i stumbled across an excellent report by the BBC on the history of 40 years of failed peace in the middle-east. in the context of conflict resolution and it history, i think that it is more than viable to share this piece of information with the community, if you haven't already found out by yourself while surfing the net.
i'll just post the first few introductory words of the article and will place a link for your convenience. mind you that i am not responsible for the contents of the link provided herewith. thanks for that.

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History of failed peace talks
In the 40 years since the Middle East war of June 1967, there have been many peace plans and many negotiations.

Some of these have been successful, including those between Egypt and Israel and Israel and Jordan, but a settlement has still not been reached in the core conflict, the dispute between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The BBC News website is publishing a series of articles about the attempts to achieve peace and the main obstacles. To start the series, Paul Reynolds looks at the main peace proposals since 1967 and what happened to them.

SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 242, 1967
This was passed on 22 November 1967 and embodies the principle that has guided most of the subsequent peace plans - the exchange of land for peace.

The resolution called for the "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict", and "respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force".

The resolution is famous for the imprecision, in English, of its central phase concerning an Israeli withdrawal - it says simply "from territories".

The Israelis said this did not necessarily mean all territories, but Arab negotiators argued that it did.

It was written under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, under which Security Council resolutions are recommendations, not under Chapter VII, which means they are orders. Many peace proposals refer to 242.

Resolution 338 is usually linked to it. This called for a ceasefire in the war of October 1973 and urged the implementation of 242 "in all its parts".

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please visit BBC to read more and to downloand the different treaties and much more

brought to you by globalnomad

identity politics

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sun, 20 May 2007 17:10:00 +0200

The latest numbers from the Census Bureau show that 100 million Americans come from an ethnic or racial minority group. Katie Couric discusses the implications of this population milestone. (CBSNews.com)

check it out at youtube.com (TM): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N3iCYAXGnM

brought to you by globalnomad

all-african amputee tournament

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:17:59 +0100

I have to share this information with the world and my fellows.The first All-African Amputee Football Tournament is taking place in Sierra Leone. Many players lost their limbs as a result of atrocities during wars, gun-shot wounds or land-mines.Sierra Leone are the experienced favourites, but Ghana and Liberia have been training hard and could cause an upset. The winners go throught to the world cup, later this year.

Please check out this wonderful event through pictures at the BBC web-site. click here

edited by jose pascal da rocha

liberia

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:23:14 +0100

ah! finally, good news.---- we need them!

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Female peacekeepers reach Liberia

The first all-female unit of United Nations peacekeepers has arrived in Liberia's capital, Monrovia.
The group of more than 100 police women from India will stay in Liberia for six months, helping to train the local police force.

They will also carry out security duties in forthcoming local elections.

The UN currently has 15,000 peacekeepers deployed in Liberia, which is struggling to recover after a 14-year civil war.

The unit is made up volunteers drawn from across India and are experienced in battling insurgencies in Kashmir and the north-east.

UN police advisor Mark Kroeker, who has served with the Los Angeles Police Department for more than 30 years, says the presence of women in UN missions enhances their access to vulnerable populations.

"It also sends a message to the post-conflict societies where we work that women officers can have any position and play any role in a police organisation," he said.

provided by BBC

g8 and eu-presidency: expectations for germany

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:59:37 +0100

This New Year's Day, Germany took on the rotating presidencies of both the European Union and the G-8. This chronological alignment presents Chancellor Angela Merkel with a unique opportunity to steer international affairs. The long shadows of history, though, mean no one is more reluctant to accept German leadership than the Germans themselves.

The timing also doesn't seem fortuitous, with the EU in apparent limbo until the French pick a president in May and Tony Blair hands over the keys to 10 Downing Street to Gordon Brown. But waiting for national power shifts before asserting oneself at the EU stage isn't wise for Berlin. Think back to the hope brought with the victory of Chancellor Merkel, who soon found that domestic issues required more attention than a stagnant eurocracy. Why would a President Ségolène Royal or Nicolas Sarkozy be any different?

On the global stage, the G-8 baton finally passed from Russia's awkward grip while U.S. President George W. Bush enters his twilight years, weakened by Iraq and political setbacks. This leadership crisis could not have come at a more dangerous moment. The world faces the imminent threats of a nuclear Iran, a proliferating North Korea and an Iraqi quagmire with no magic solutions on the horizon.

Given the distracted or weakened position of the other major Western powers, Germany can step up to the plate. It already takes a more proactive posture in international affairs, with its soldiers deployed from Kosovo to Afghanistan to Congo. Germany's foreign minister plays a key role in Iran and Central Asia and the Caucasus.

But German engagement still falls short of true leadership, not least at home. Senior policy makers even now refuse to engage the public in a serious discussion about foreign affairs, content to be seen as playing a "constructive" role. Yet as Afghanistan is demonstrating, being constructive from the back seat is difficult. Germany is coming in for sharp criticism because of its refusal to accept greater operational risks in the south of the country, where its NATO allies are doing the real fighting against the Taliban.

No one expects Chancellor Merkel to get her soldiers involved in Iraq. That doesn't mean she couldn't try to use her presidency to push regional and other European players to engage there. The EU has already given some €720 million to Iraq since 2003, and recently opened offices in Baghdad. Much more could be done. For example, Germany should push for expanding the rather limited advisory role the EU has played so far in the field of police training and security sector reform. No matter what one thought about the decision to go to war in 2003, Iraq is everybody's problem now.

Aside from Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and the situation in the Palestinian territories all demand utmost attention from the EU. Germany should use its contacts to help the EU play a more active role in bringing the current crisis within the Palestinian Authority under control, act as an intermediary with nations that the U.S. is unwilling to talk to (as the U.K. is currently doing with Syria), and work to get the Gulf Cooperation Council and other Arab states more involved in resolving the stalemates in Iran and Iraq.

As an honest broker, Chancellor Merkel should take a greater lead in European initiatives rather than waiting, as past chancellors used to do, for a French lead to follow. Ms. Merkel could use the opportunity to follow up on her pro-American sympathies and take a more active lead in remolding the trans-Atlantic agenda. She has already called for a new grand debate about NATO's strategic purpose. If she is serious, now is the time to sell this to other European allies.

Germany will not be able to completely fill the leadership vacuum in Europe and beyond. But the world is looking like an increasingly dark place, and Germany's new leader can shed a bit of light.

restless horn of africa?

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:50:09 +0100

Hunt for Somali peacekeeper force

Kenya's president has sent delegates to seven African countries to try to find peacekeeping troops for Somalia.

Mwai Kibaki, head of a regional body, is hoping for an 8,000-strong force.

It would replace Ethiopian troops who helped Somalia's government oust an Islamist militia but whose presence, analysts say, may hinder lasting peace.

A delegation from the African Union has arrived in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, with the deployment of peacekeepers also high on its agenda.

Aids effect

Mr Kibaki, who chairs the East Africa regional group known as Igad, has sent ministers to Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, Tunisia and Algeria, asking for troop support.

So far only Uganda has offered troops - 1,500 - although it needs parliamentary approval.

BBC Africa editor Martin Plaut says African leaders are concerned about becoming bogged down in a quagmire.

Our correspondent also says that Aids is eroding the continent's ability to provide troops for peacekeeping operations at a time when its many wars are placing increased demands on armies.

The disease has left armies with vacant posts and units operating below strength, he says.

Ethiopia wants to withdraw its soldiers from Somalia within weeks.

However, the nation remains dangerously volatile with remnants of the Islamist militia still at large.

Mogadishu is also still awash with weapons.

It became one of the world's most dangerous cities following the ousting of former leader Muhammad Siad Barre in 1991 although the Union of Islamic Courts' six-month rule restored some order.

The interim government and Ethiopian troops are continuing searches for weapons in the capital.

African Union officials are in Mogadishu to discuss peacekeeping at the invitation of Somalia's interim government.

It is unlikely members will agree to send peacekeepers unless fighting has halted, analysts say.

On Saturday, Somalia's parliament voted to declare three months of martial law.

MPs sitting in the provincial town of Baidoa voted 154 to two to ratify Prime Minister Ali Mohamad Ghedi's plan to restore order.

Martial law will allow the president to issue decrees on matters of national security, bans unlawful demonstrations and outlaws the spreading of propaganda.

the press in morocco

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:45:00 +0100

the latest events happening to a journalist in morocco, who also happens to be related to one of my best friend, and his fate made me share this article to you all. provided by bbc and a link to other featured articles related to this event. the media and the press itself - a difficult situation in morocco

Laughter, freedom and religion in Morocco

By Richard Hamilton
BBC News, Casablanca

Two journalists in Morocco - Driss Ksikes and Sanaa al-Aji - stand accused of defaming Islam and outraging public morals. The case refers to an article about religious jokes which appeared in their magazine, Nichane, and judges are soon to deliver their verdict.

Courtroom number eight in the Casablanca High Court is an imposing place.

Two portraits hang on the wood panelled walls above the seats reserved for the presiding judges.

The pictures are of the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI and his now deceased father, Hassan II.

The one of Mohammed, a shy but fairly genial young man, shows him smiling.

The one of Hassan shows him frowning.

The pictures tell the story of Morocco over the last half century.

While the seven years of Mohammed VI's rule have seen modernisation, liberalisation and reform of the media, the days of King Hassan were ones of fear.

They are known in Morocco as the "years of lead" - lead because of the heaviness in people's hearts, the lead of the darkness they saw around them and the lead of the bullets that shot them.

Blasphemy trial

King Hassan was not a man who tolerated dissent.

Thousands of people disappeared in those days.

Even today, very little is known about what really happened to them. They were simply airbrushed out of history.

It is thought many of them died lonely deaths in secret prisons and interrogation centres.

In the "years of lead" no one spoke out of turn and everyone had respect for their monarch... but not many people laughed.

Humour and jokes were in short supply.

But on Monday the judge did something incredible. He read out a joke about King Hassan.

It went along the lines of: "Did you hear the one about the king, God and Heaven and Hell..."

The joke was written down by Sanaa al-Aji and edited by Driss Ksikes, but they did not invent the joke.

It has been heard in streets and cafes up and down the country.

This and other gags were the evidence presented against the two journalists in what is in effect a blasphemy trial.

"What made you want to write this joke?" asked the examining judge.

"Is nothing sacred? Do you not love your country?"

Defending laughter

In Morocco there are two things that are potentially risky to comment on: the king and religion.

By telling jokes about both, the journalists are pushing the boundaries of their newly-won press freedom.

But once you let the genie of freedom of speech out of the bottle, it is impossible to put it back in.

Morocco has come a long way since the time of Hassan II and the fact that these jokes are made at all suggests that society has changed irrevocably, whether the courts like it or not.

The editor and his reporter faced the panel of judges and told the court that laughter was permissible again in Morocco.

To make jokes was not something to be ashamed of, they said.

"People laugh and they go to pray," they continued, "there is no contradiction in that. There is a time to be serious and a time to have fun.

"If these jokes are already well known, is it not hypocritical to punish us for merely recording them?" they asked.

"We are journalists, we simply look at what goes on and try to understand ourselves better through what makes Moroccans laugh, but the jokes do not reflect our personal beliefs."

Joking aside

Driss Ksikes said that laughter told us a lot about what made a society tick.

It revealed its neuroses, its fears and its aspirations.

Besides, he said, Morocco was a funny place.

It was at this point that something changed in the atmosphere of the court room: grim looking security guards leaned forward with a glint in their eyes, the previously bored clerks looked up from their files, and the judge himself could not suppress his own laughter.

The room suddenly seemed a lot lighter and less imposing.

The journalists had let the laughter back in.

But the prosecuting lawyer did not see the funny side.

He curbed the laughter with a voice that boomed off the wooden walls and concrete ceiling.

He reminded the court that there must be limits to freedom of speech, that some things are better left unsaid.

In short, what was sacred should not appear in magazines.

In the Koran it says there should be no image or personification of Allah.

The jokes were doing just that, he said.

National dilemma

He recommended prison sentences of five years, a £6,000 fine ($11,500) and for the journalists to be banned from their profession for life.

So now the judges in particular and Morocco in general have a choice. And it is not an easy one.

Do they side with liberal values and win the admiration of Western democracies, or do they uphold their Islamic traditions and receive the backing of most of the Arab world?

But laughter, like freedom, the journalists said, could not be suppressed.

If it was, that might take Morocco back to the "years of lead", to the days of the king who would not smile and his subjects who dared not laugh.

for more, click on bbc

edited by nakawashi9

mobbing (german)

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:20:00 +0100

Mobbing am Arbeitsplatz

Mobbing gibt es nicht erst seit gestern. Aber Mobbing ist in den letzten Jahren zu einem großen Problem geworden. Rund 1,5 Millionen Menschen erleben diesen Psychoterrror jeden Tag am Arbeitsplatz.

Was ist Mobbing?
Was sind die Ursachen?
Was sind die Folgen?
Welche rechtlichen Möglichkeiten haben Betriebs- und Personalräte?

Was ist Mobbing?

Von Mobbing wird gesprochen, wenn eine Person oder eine Gruppe am Arbeitsplatz systematisch von anderen Arbeitnehmern oder Vorgesetzten belästigt, schikaniert, beleidigt, ausgegrenzt oder mit kränkenden Arbeitsaufgaben betraut wird, diese Handlungen häufig und wiederholt auftreten und sich über einen längeren Zeitraum erstrecken. Das Resultat von Mobbing sind extreme psychische Belastungen bzw. Erkrankungen, die ihre Ursache in dem betrieblichen Umfeld des einzelnen Arbeitnehmers haben.

Was sind die Ursachen?

Grundsätzlich hat es diese Form der Diskriminierung am Arbeitsplatz immer in irgendeiner Form gegeben. Die Zunahme von Mobbing in den letzten Jahren scheint jedoch in den tief greifenden Veränderungen der Arbeitswelt und der Gesellschaft ihren Grund zu haben. Die Arbeitsumstände und Rahmenbedingen haben sich stark gewandelt.
Die Arbeitsbelastung und der Konkurrenzdruck untereinander ist gestiegen. Der wachsende Leistungsdruck, die physischen und psychischen Belastungen und die Gefahr des Verlusts des Arbeitsplatzes sind ein idealer Nährboden für entstehende Frustrationen und Konflikte, die in persönliche Spannungen und Psychoterror gegenüber Einzelnen münden können. Isolation und Ausgrenzung sind die Folge.

Was sind die Folgen?

Für alle Beteiligten wirkt sich diese Situation negativ aus. Der bei den Betroffenen ausgelöste Stress kann Krankheiten und dadurch eine verminderte Arbeitsfähigkeit hervorrufen. Der wirtschaftliche Schaden bei Mobbing durch eine steigende Fehlerquote, Unfallhäufigkeit, krankheitsbedingte Fehlzeiten, verminderte Leistungsfähigkeit und sinkende Produktion ist enorm.
Es ist daher wichtig, das Thema Mobbing nicht zu ignorieren und in jedem Einzelfall dagegen anzugehen. Vor Mobbing schützen allgemein eine große Arbeitszufriedenheit und ein entspanntes Arbeitsklima. Unter diesen Voraussetzungen wächst auch die Bereitschaft, Konflikte im Job fair zu lösen, und die Arbeitsqualität steigt insgesamt.

Welche rechtlichen Möglichkeiten haben Betriebs- und Personalräte?

Die Verantwortung für ein positives Arbeitsumfeld liegt bei allen Beteiligten. Um dies zu erreichen, sollten Vorgesetzte, Mitarbeiter und Betriebs-/Personalrat konstruktiv zusammenarbeiten. Trotz der oftmals schwierigen Beurteilung von Mobbing haben Betriebs- bzw. Personalräte verschiedene Möglichkeiten, bei der Lösung derartiger Konflikte mitzuwirken.
Der Betriebs-/Personalrat kann bereits vorbeugend aktiv werden, indem er Konflikte analysiert und die Arbeitnehmer über Mobbing aufklärt. Er kann an der Gestaltung der Arbeitsplätze mitwirken (§ 90 BetrVG/§ 75 BPersVG) und sollte auf das Beschwerderecht nach § 84 und § 85 BetrVG hinweisen sowie seine Unterstützung anbieten.

Dem Betriebs-/Personalrat obliegt nach § 80 Abs. 1 BetrVG (§ 68 Abs. 1 BPersVG) eine Überwachungspflicht. Dieser folgt, gerade im Hinblick auf die Einhaltung der Grundsätze nach § 75 BetrVG (§ 67 BPersVG), ein Kontrollrecht hinsichtlich der Behandlung von Betriebsangehörigen. Nach § 99 BetrVG (§§ 75, 76, 77 BPersVG) hat der Betriebs-/Personalrat Mitwirkungsrechte, die er beim Verdacht auf Mobbing verweigern kann.

Der Betriebs-/Personalrat hat die Möglichkeit, Initiativen zu ergreifen und kann Maßnahmen beantragen, welche die Spannungen und Konflikte aus dem Umfeld des Arbeitsplatzes beseitigen und so dem Betrieb und der Belegschaft dienen (§ 80 Abs. 1 BetrVG/§ 68 Abs. 1 BPersVG). Hinzuweisen ist hier auf die Möglichkeit einer freiwilligen Betriebs-/Dienstvereinbarung nach § 88 BetrVG (§ 75 Abs. 3 Nr. 11 u. Nr. 15 BPersVG) zur Vermeidung von Mobbing am Arbeitsplatz. Insofern steht dem Betriebs-/Personalrat ein Initiativrecht nach § 80 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 BetrVG (§ 70 Abs. 1 BPersVG) zu.

Der Betriebsrat kann bei einem Verstoß gegen § 75 BetrVG nach § 23 Abs. 3 BetrVG die Unterlassung von Mobbing durch den Arbeitgeber beim Arbeitsgericht beantragen. Auch hat er nach § 104 BetrVG (vgl. § 77 Abs. 2 Ziff. 3 BPersVG) die Möglichkeit, die Versetzung oder Entlassung von Mobbingtätern zu verlangen.

(Redaktioneller Stand: April 2006)

bei Bedarf, Kontakt unter mediator

Diskriminierung - Gleichbehandlung (german)

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:13:28 +0100

Geschlechtsbezogene Diskriminierung und neues Gleichbehandlungsgesetz

Rechtsgrundlage: § 611 BGB, §§ 2 und 3 AGG
Gericht: Landesarbeitsgericht Berlin vom 19.10.2006 (2 Sa 1776/06); Pressemitteilung LAG Berlin Nr. 45/06
Orientierungssätze:

Die bloße Tatsache, dass eine Arbeitnehmerin zum Zeitpunkt einer dem beruflichen Aufstieg dienenden Bewerbung schwanger war und ein männlicher Mitbewerber vorgezogen wurde, ist kein genügendes Indiz dafür, dass das Geschlecht wenigstens mitbestimmend für diese Entscheidung war. Das gilt auch, wenn der zuständige Vorgesetzte im Zusammenhang mit dem Bewerbungsgespräch auf die durch die Schwangerschaft bzw. die bevorstehende Geburt entstehende familiäre Situation der Bewerberin Bezug genommen hat.
mehr zum Rechtsstreit und zum Kommentar unter Gleichbehandlungsgrundsatz.rtf

rechts- und soziallage 2007 (german)

noreply@blogspirit.com (nomad9) — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 23:07:33 +0100

Das neue Jahr hat mit neuen Vorgaben und Umwälzungen begonnen - auch im sozialen Bereich. Viele Dinge kommen auf uns alle zu, und damit der allgemeinen Info-Pflicht Genüge getan wird, so sind auch hier meine Infos:

Das ändert sich 2007

Ab 1. Januar 2007 treten wieder einige gravierende Veränderungen für die Bürgerinnen und Bürger in Kraft. Wir dokumentieren die wichtigsten im Überblick:

Die Beiträge zur Arbeitslosenversicherung sinken von 6,5 auf 4,2 Prozent des Bruttolohns. So fallen bei einem Bruttoeinkommen von über 5.250 Euro (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) statt 341,25 nur noch 220,50 Euro an.

Die Beitragsbemessungsgrenze in der Sozialversicherung steigt in Ostdeutschland von 4.400 auf 4.550 Euro. In Westdeutschland bleibt sie bei 5.250 Euro.
Weitere Informationen dazu unter www.sopo.verdi.de

Das Erziehungsgeld wird in ein einkommensabhängiges Elterngeld umgewandelt. Es handelt sich um eine Lohnersatzleistung, deren Höhe sich am bisherigen Einkommen des betreuenden Elternteils orientiert. Sie beträgt 67 Prozent des letzten Nettolohnes, maximal 1.800 Euro.
Weitere Informationen dazu unter www.elterngeld.com

Für Langzeitarbeitslose werden die Regelungen bei "Pflichtverletzungen" (z.B. Ablehnung einer Arbeit) drastisch verschärft. Nach der zweiten Pflichtverletzung wird die Regelleistung um 60 Prozent gekürzt. Bei jeder weiteren Pflichtverletzung entfallen alle Leistungen für drei Monate.
Für die Rentenversicherung werden Alg II-Empfänger/-innen vom Bund nur noch 40 statt bisher 78 Euro eingezahlt. Entsprechend sinken die künftigen Rentenansprüche.
Weitere Informationen dazu unter www.arbeitsagentur.de

Die Mehrwertsteuer wird von 16 auf 19 Prozent erhöht. Es bleibt aber beim reduzierten Satz von sieben Prozent u.a. für fast alle Lebensmittel, für Bücher, Zeitungen und den öffentlichen Nahverkehr.

Die Pendlerpauschale (30 Cent je km als Werbungskosten berücksichtigungsfähig) wird erst ab dem 21. Kilometer zwischen Wohnort und Arbeitsplatz gewährt. Bus- und Bahnfahrer erhalten nur noch die maximale Entfernungspauschale von 4.500 Euro.

Für Top-Verdiener wird eine sogenannte Reichensteuer erhoben. Betroffen sind Einkommen über 250.000 Euro (Verheiratete 500.000). Hier wird ein Zuschlag von drei Prozent auf die Einkommensteuer erhoben. Wegen "verfassungsrechtlicher Risiken" werden 2007 aber alle Gewinneinkünfte von Selbstständigen und Freiberuflern ausgenommen.

Die Beiträge zur Rentenversicherung steigen von 19,5 auf 19,9 Prozent.

Der Sparerfreibetrag sinkt von 1.370 auf 750 (Ledige) bzw. von 2.740 auf 1.500 Euro (Verheiratete). Für Anleger kommt eine Werbekostenpauschale von 51 bzw. 102 Euro hinzu.

Die Versicherungssteuer steigt von 16 auf 19 Prozent. Von der Steuererhöhung ausgenommen sind Lebens-, Renten- und Krankenversicherungen.

Der Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen errechnet aus diesen Veränderungen eine volkswirtschaftliche Belastung von knapp 36 Milliarden Euro. Hinzu kommen noch höhere Belastungen für die Bürgerinnen und Bürger in Folge der gestiegenen/steigenden Energie- und Entsorgungskosten. Dagegen stehen Entlastungen in Höhe von rund 12 Milliarden Euro (u.a. durch die Senkung der Arbeitslosenversicherung). Unter dem Strich bleibt eine Mehrbelastung pro Kopf von ca. 300 Euro.

für weitere Hilfe und Beratung, click hier: mediator