Posts Tagged ‘2010’
Six Hundred And Thirty-Nine Antisemitic Incidents.
The CST has released its report on Antisemitic Incidents on 2010.
This is the PDF.
As they point out:
“it is 17% more than the 2008 figure of 546 antisemitic incidents, and continues the decade-long trend of rising antisemitic incident levels.”
A must read for anyone really committed to anti-racism.
A Billionaire, Mine Owners And Unpaid Wages.
The billionaire President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, has been milking the pain and suffering of the 33 miners that were trapped underground for all that it is worth.
But the carefully crafted photo-shoots with Sr. Pinera, all smiles, hides a deeper reality, other mineworkers at the San Jose mine have not been paid for two months.
Imagine, you are already short of money and then you don’t get paid for two months, that’s what the mineowners inflicted on the San Jose mineworkers.
These consequences of the accident largely go unreported, except for two small pieces on the BBC:
“But their colleagues have taken to the streets in protest because they haven’t been paid since the accident, which happened two months ago.”
And the returning miners face a grim future:
“Many have returned to poverty in the hardscrabble neighborhoods that climb the hills around Copiapo, the Atacama region’s gritty capital. Some have strained relationships with the families who held vigil, praying for their survival. All face a search for work since the mine that employed them has filed for bankruptcy.
Miner Carlos Mamani lives in a small green wooden house on an unpaved road in Padre Negro, a neighborhood on a hill where the glittering street lights of Copiapo stretch out like a carpet. But Padre Negro’s 38 houses lack access to sewers and running water. Mamani and his neighbors must walk for blocks to two public taps to get water and then carry it back up the hill.
“This area is dangerous at night. Drugs are sold here and there is theft. I’ve lived here for a while and I still have to be careful to avoid problems,” said one of Mamani’s neighbors, 15-year-old Jose Vadillo.
Some miners live closer to central Copiapo, in a neighborhood where gangs mark their territory with old sneakers hanging from electricity poles. Bugueno is among those living in Tiltil Bajo, a neighborhood of wood and tin houses that lack sewage connections.”
Miners And Chile.
Most of us, we can barely imagine what it must be like to be a miner.
To carve lumps of rock, extract the minerals where possible and work hundreds of metres underground in cramped conditions, surrounded by rock, sweating, breathing in the dust and all to benefit other people.
That’s what miners do.
We shouldn’t forget what price is often paid by miners themselves and their communities.
Pneumoconiosis is just one illness that miners face.
Even today miners in Russia and China often face numerous and unnecessary dangers.
The CNN reports:
“Coal helps fuel China’s surging economy. The country tripled its annual output of coal from 1 billion tons in 1999 to 3 billion tons in 2009, according to the state-run China Daily.
Accidents killed 2,631 Chinese coal miners in 2009, according to China Daily. The most dangerous year on record was 2002, with 6,995 deaths.
In China, poor safety conditions, a lack of training and the flouting of laws contribute to the high number of deaths.
By comparison, the United States had 34 mining deaths in 2009, a record low for the country. In 2008, the United States had 53 mining deaths, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
A typical Chinese miner works 21 shifts a month, for 12 hours a shift, according to the state-run newspaper.
“It felt like hell,” one miner said of his first time down in a maze of mine tunnels.
Wang Gang, a 24-year-old miner, gave his account to China Daily.
“Given a choice, I would never work in a mine,” said Wang, whose father and grandfather were miners.He turned to mining in March 2009 only after starting a family. He became a miner at the Wangping Mine Co. in northern Shanxi province, a state mine where his father once worked.
Wang’s wife stays up till he returns from work safely, among many such concerned family members in the coal-rich province.”
And that’s only part of it.
Update 1: BBC World Service has a good programme on the Chilean Miners, Waiting for Omar – The Rescue of A Chilean Miner.
Uganda.
From the PA:
“Suicide bombers linked to al Qaida killed more than 60 people in attacks on crowds watching the World Cup final on TV in Uganda.
Explosions targeted a rugby club and a restaurant in the capital Kampala.
Police suspected the Somali militant group al-Shabab was behind the attacks, as Uganda’s president declared on Monday: “We shall get them wherever they are.”
The blasts came two days after an al-Shabab commander called for attacks in Uganda and Burundi, two nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.
At least 64 people died and a US aid group said one of its American workers was among the dead. Ethiopian, Indian and Congolese nationals were also among the victims.
There were signs that the simultaneous attacks were by suicide bombers. Blood and pieces of flesh littered the floor among overturned chairs at the scenes.
The attack on the rugby club, where crowds sat outside watching a large-screen TV, left 49 dead. Fifteen others were killed in the restaurant .”
On A Lighter Note.
Sometimes, maybe sometimes I should cover lighter topics, with the new World Cup coming up I thought I would ask my readers to contribute their football (that’s soccer for American readers) picks.
I would freely admit I know next to nothing about modern football, but I do enjoy quality international sports.
I shall be supporting Argentina, for a number of complex reasons. 🙂
Update 1: Here’s a list of the World Cup groups.
Update 2: FIFA has done a good chart of the fixtures.
Update 3: A TV guide for Brits, Ireland, Europe and bits of North America.
47 Seats.
According to the Beeb nearly all the votes are counted in the Hungarian election and it seems that the neofascists in the Jobbik Party will have about 47 seats in the new parliament.
With approximately 12% of the vote they have a sizeable bloc in the Hungarian political system.
One can only wonder how this will galvanise neofascism in Eastern Europe. How depressing.
The Other Election.
Meanwhile over in Hungary the up-and-coming election might have dire results, as the Irish Times reports:
“HUNGARY’S centre-right Fidesz opposition party is expected to win a landslide victory in tomorrow’s general election, but the headlines could be stolen by nationalists who stand to make startling gains.
The far-right Jobbik party is vying for second place with the ruling Socialists, whose support has been decimated by scandals, corruption and an economic crisis that forced Hungary to seek emergency help from the International Monetary Fund.
Jobbik has enjoyed a boom in popularity thanks to vigorous local campaigning across Hungary, but above all because of its pledge to bring patriotism back into politics and crack down on crime – particular the “gypsy crime” it claims is blighting the nation.
Jobbik’s many critics at home and abroad denounce the party as a group of dangerous extremists who are using demagoguery to turn a frustrated country’s anger against a vulnerable minority, and rights groups report an alarming rise in fatal attacks on Roma in recent years.
“For 500 years, gypsies have not been able to adopt the cultural norms to live in peace with the majority,” Jobbik candidate Andras Kisgergely told a recent rally.
“Nine out of 10 criminals are gypsies . . . We need to end that. We need to improve public safety and create jobs. Make them work. We need to tie welfare to community work.”
Jobbik is also regularly accused of using anti-Semitic rhetoric and is closely linked with the Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary group that wears uniforms and uses emblems reminiscent of those associated with Hungary’s wartime fascist regime.”
12% Too Many.
As the final results of the recent regional elections tallied up it becomes clear that the French National front have advanced.
Apparently, they have about 12% of the vote, which is an incredible figure. To think that French neofascism would be able to convince some 12% of the voting electorate that they were a valid and reasoned choice is disturbing.
Jim at the Daily (Maybe) points to Le Monde’s breakdown. He has done a good job of analysing the results, thus far.
12% in my book is 12% too many.
Update 1: The election-politique site has much more on the results, remembering there is a second round on Sunday.
National results, but worse is the fact that Le Pen achieved 20.29 % in the region of Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur.
Labour Video Of The Year.
Fancy yourself as another François Truffaut, Guy Richie or even Steven Spielberg (without the big budget)?
Then this is your chance, LabourStart is sponsoring a Labour Video of the Year competition, according to the site:
“open to trade unionists and film-makers from around the world.
Videos submitted must be on the web, and less than 10 minutes long. They must focus primarily on work, workers or worker’s issues.
You do not have to be the owner or producer of a video to nominate it.
Please submit your nominations before midnight GMT on 15 February 2010.
Our international panel of judges will prepare a shortlist, with voting expected to take place in March 2010.
Winners will be announced after two weeks of online voting and winning films will screened at the LabourStart conference in July 2010.
There will be prizes for the winning videos, to be announced soon.”
China and Gay Pride.
The authorities in China have cancelled the first Gay Pride Festival there, according to the BBC:
“A Chinese gay pageant, said to be the first held in the country, was ordered by police to close an hour before opening, organisers say.
The Mr Gay China event was thought to mark a new openness toward the gay community in China.
Organisers said police informed them it could not go ahead because they had not applied “according to the procedures”.
Homosexuality was illegal in China until 1997, and officials described it as a mental illness until 2001.
The event’s organiser, Ben Zhang, said he had been hoping the event would mark another step towards greater awareness of gay people in China.
One of the judges, Weng Xiaogang, told the AFP news agency: “In my opinion, I believe it [the cancellation] had something to do with the issue of homosexuality.” “
Update 1: Sydney Morning Herald has additional coverage.
ModernityBlog 