René O'Deay gBlog

Let's talk about Gaza, now that it captured the world's attention AGAIN!
ALAH: Arab Lesbians Against Hate: The Gazan slave trade: "The Gazan slave trade- the situation for ALL women in Gaza is so much worse than you can imagine.

Firas Press has an article on how Gazans are taking advantage of poor Egyptian families. Acting as middlemen, Gazans offer to smuggle underage Egyptian girls through tunnels to Gaza to get married to weathy Gazans. Yes, there are many wealthy Gazans. For this service, they charge $1000. Once the girls come over, they are married as second or third wives to Gaza men who treat them as maids for their extended families. Others are forced into prostitution or to work for drug dealers. One smuggler who was interviewed is getting so wealthy from the slave trade that he has bought a house in Rafah to facilitate the smuggling of more Egyptian girls. The article claims that hundreds of girls have been taken advantage of this way, and they cannot afford to pay to escape back to Egypt."

NEW ORLEANS (May 06, 2010- The Times-Picayune)—The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, New Orleans chefs, seafood dealers and grocers united in shouting one message from the rooftops: Louisiana seafood is safe to eat.

"Louisiana seafood is alive and well and healthy and safe, " said Harlon Pearce, who owns Harlon's LA Fish, chairs the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and is on the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council.

Seafood is a $2.4 billion industry in the state, with Louisiana providing a third of the domestic seafood in the contiguous 48 states, Smith said, noting that the state is the nation's No. 1 producer of shrimp, oysters, blue crabs, crawfish and alligator, and the No. 2 producer of finfish.

"From the seafood supply end of it, things are not as bad as we may have expected, " Montero added on Tuesday.

While south Louisiana residents wait in limbo for the next developments, Smith has a suggestion: "The best way consumers can help us right now is go out and dine or go to the store and buy Louisiana seafood, to help shore up the markets that we're taking a 23 percent hit on."

see full story: Despite oil spill, Louisiana's seafood catch is fine, officials say

Have a Merry New Year, With Richard and MimiFarina song and this

Texas Woods Dance on Vimeo

Texas Woods Dance from mira cook on Vimeo.

Delightful,

René O'Deay

A Basiji from Iran, recently involved in the post-election abuse ordered by the Supreme Leader, has escaped to the UK, requesting refugee status.

This Basiji gave an anguished interview with the new World News Channel 4.

A defecting member of the infamous Basij militia, the men who wounded and killed in the aftermath of the Iran elections in the summer, talks to Lindsey Hilsum about what he witnessed.

"I've lost my world and I've lost my religion" - the words of a former Iranian Basij militia member who says he witnessed killings and tried to stop rapes during the uprising that followed the disputed Presidential election in June.

<!-- -->

There are videos of the interview in Farsi, along with the translation. You can hear his anguish, even if you cannot understand the language.

Perhaps the most shocking is that pre-planning, premeditation of these crimes against the people of Iran by the present leaders of the regime.

Tags: Crime | Protesters | violence | World | Tehran | Ahmadinejad | rape | Basiji | Khamenei | Iran Elections

From an email:
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc.. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method. (Gargling with warm salt water kept me from being sick, after I got that tell-tale tickle in my throat. YEAY!....Della)

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
(A Neti pot with saline solution cleared up my chronic sinus infection this fall, after suffering for years. Even antibiotics didn't heal it.....Della)

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

I suggest you pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it.

One of our friends here on NowPublic has been bemoaning the lack of concern for his countrymen for awhile, and the presence of the Taliban in his country along with their partnership with Pakistan forces in oppressing them.

From 2003:

Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan, and reports have confirmed a major training camp for Taliban is located there.

Some bits of advice from in-country:

Habib Jalib Baloch, a former senator and leader of the Baloch National Party, said, "America should have selected to crush Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan, rather than go to war in Iraq."

He said he was sure that the Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, and his top commanders were all in Pakistan, protected by their links to the Pakistani establishment.

"You need to cut the funding," he said. "You will not kill them with a hammer. You must cut the funding and the connection."

<!-- -->

Tags: USA | Afghanistan | World | Asylum | Taliban | Pakistan | Insurgents | quetta | Baluchistan | hideout | Pakistan forces