Solstice Moon is a poetry book full of imagery about love, relationships, life and death. Author Jessica Jimerson expresses the random but yet profound thoughts of a young woman. Through it’s thirty pages, the poems are divided into five parts which are accompanied with the author’s notes on some of the selections in the book.

The first four parts of the book are named for the four seasonal moon phases which occur throughout the year. In Vernal, the poetic theme is about the beginning of things and how one grows. The poem “Thy Self” not only expresses the statement of “Know Thy Self” but also shows that the writer is fine with being her self and that readers should be themselves. Jimerson knows who she is.

The cycle continues with Estival. The poems within this part of the book flow gently like the summer breeze. The poetic theme is being young and free. In the poem “Youth,” the writer states that “Time is short, make the best. Young years are not forever.” In the poem Summers Gift, the seeds of love continue to grow and expand.

Autumn falls upon us with the cycle of Autumnal. The theme of the poems within this part of the book deal with the beginning of the end of a relationship and life. In the poem “Who/What Are You?” there’s the questioning of the relationship, of who a person is. Are they the same person or have they changed?

The cycle concludes with Hibernal, when life and a relationship have finally come to an end. The poem “Life’s End” questions the reader as it asks “Are you happy with all the memories, you tend?” The poem reminds readers that life is precious and we must cherish it and not waste it. We must live everyday to the fullest as though it is our last. In the poem Perspective Change, the writer reflects on what has been and what she has learned from her experiences. Even though winter is the end of the cycle, we learn valuable lessons that help us as the new cycle begins anew.

In the fifth part of the book, entitled Synthesis Etymology, the writer reflects on her thoughts: though they are random they are profound. There is a deep philosophy to the questions that Jimerson asks about love, life and death. There is much wisdom to take away from the poems such as deep thought and considering the universe.

Solstice Moon is an excellent poetic book which expresses freely the lessons learned and wisdom gained from the seasonal cycle of love, life, and death.

The article Solstice Moon Speaks Volumes through Its Cycles of Expression appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer Ray Douglas Bradbury passed away at the age of 91. He was best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951). Bradbury was one of the most celebrated among 20th century American writers of speculative fiction.

Bradbury’s journey as a writer started when he was a boy. As a child, an aunt read him short stories and throughout his youth, Bradbury was an avid reader and writer who spent much of his time in the Carnegie library in Waukegan, Illinois, reading such authors as H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and his favorite author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote novels such as Tarzan of the Apes and The Warlord of Mars. He loved Warlord of Mars so much that at the age of twelve he wrote his own sequel. Bradbury was also influenced by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. What impressed Bradbury most about Poe was his ability to draw readers into his stories and poems.

Bradbury’s love of the library and books can be seen in many of his works. He used this library as a setting for much of his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, and depicted Waukegan as “Green Town” in some of his other semi-autobiographical novels such as Dandelion Wine, and Farewell Summer as well as in many of his short stories. As he grew older, libraries continued to play an important part in Bradbury’s life. When he graduated from high school, Bradbury did not attend college and sold newspapers instead. In discussing his education, in a 2009 interview with the New York Times Bradbury stated,

“Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

The writer’s lifelong habit of writing every day can be attributed to two incidents during his childhood in which he wrote about in a column on his website titled ‘In His Own Words’ in 2009 and 2012. The first of incident occurred as a three year old when his mother took him to see Lon Chaney‘s performance in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The second incident occurred in 1932, when a carnival entertainer, called Mr. Electrico, touched the young man on the nose with an electrified sword, that made his hair stand on end, and shouted, “Live forever!” Bradbury remarked, “I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico…[he] gave me a future…I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago.”

Writing every day proved to be extremely productive for Bradbury as he is credited with writing 27 novels and over 600 short stories. More than eight million copies of his works, published in over 36 languages, have been sold around the world and many of Bradbury’s works have been adapted into television shows or films. Bradbury’s legacy will continue to live on in the many writers, artists, teachers, scientists, comic book readers, sci-fi lovers, and in all people who were influenced and continue to be influenced by him and his work.

The article Celebrated Author Ray Bradbury Dies at the Age of 91 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

As ‘Desperate Housewives’ heads into its final episodes, the series dealt fans a major blow as one original character met his untimely demise.

At the end of the March 11 episode, titled ‘You Take For Granted’, Mike Delfino, played by James Denton, was gunned down on his porch following a confrontation with a mobster in the previous episode. Mike lay dying in the arms of his wife Susan, played by Teri Hatcher, as the show flashed back over memorable scenes involving the couple from throughout its 8-year run.

The episode had begun with a warning from narrator Mary Alice Young, voiced by Brenda Strong, that one of five characters would die within a few days, and throughout the episode all five had various brushes with death until, finally, it was Denton’s character who failed to survive.

Denton’s exit from the show had been teased by ABC earlier this year, when it was announced that a major character would die before the final episode, however, it was during a testimony from executive producer George Perkins that the identity of the deceased character was revealed.

Perkins’ was testifying in the high-profile court case between ‘Desperate Housewives’ show-runner Marc Cherry and former star Nicolette Sheridan, who is suing Cherry over her dismissal from the series in 2009 and for an alleged physical altercation which took place onset several months earlier, and which Sheridan claims was what precipitated her exit from the show.

When Sheridan’s attorney asked Perkins if any other major characters had been killed off, likely in an attempt to establish whether Sheridan had been singled out for firing following the alleged altercation, Perkins revealed that plans had been made to have kill off Denton’s character. Due to the public nature of this trial, Perkins’ revelation was soon picked up on by various news outlets, and ABC’s ‘murder mystery’ suspense for the March 11 episode was spoiled.

Speaking to EW.com about his exit from the series, Denton expressed no bitterness about his departure from the series, saying:

I think it’s really funny because through all the interviews, all the talk shows, people would ask what I wanted on the show. I’d say: “I just want to live. Just don’t kill me. Whatever it takes, just don’t kill me.” And I made it with six episodes to go — I almost made it. Delfino gets this really big exit, and I’m free for pilot season. It’s ironic. It ends up it’s the best gift I could have gotten.

Denton, however, will make one further confirmed appearance on the show in next Sunday’s episode for “the funeral and some flashbacks, and that’s it.” Desperate Housewives continues to air Sundays at 9pm for the remainder of the season, with its last-ever episode scheduled to air in May.

The article ‘Desperate Housewives’ loses a Husband appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Despite being only 7 kilometers apart, citizens of Villarejo, Segovia have three times less the voice in the Spanish general election than their neighbors in Somosierra, Madrid. Interestingly enough, a vote in Villarejo is equivalent to 3 votes in Somosierra.

This is possible owing the particular electoral system that Spain adopted into its constitution in 1978. Despite the bicameral system, the legislative power is nowadays mainly held by the Congress with 350 deputies selected during general elections.

For this purpose, the country is divided into 50 provinces each one granted with minimum two deputies just for the matter of being a province and two autonomous cities, both in Morocco coastline, with one deputy. So from 350 total deputies, 102 are fixed among provinces and 248 are divided equally between all the provinces by their number of registered voters.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Madrid is granted two deputies per province plus 33 deputies for its 4.5 million registered voters while Segovia has two deputies plus one for its 124,000 electors. A deputy must obtain over 128,000 votes to be elected in Madrid — far more than the whole total amount of registered voters in Segovia, where only around 40,000 votes can decide a deputy. Sometimes it gets worse — like between Barcelona and Teruel were differences are even bigger.

This makes the voting system bipolar; on one side, regional parties always campaign for their own province’s welfare, obviating the needs of other parts of the country and targeting only potential voters living within the same region. They therefore reach a very limited number of deputies.

On the other hand, the main nationwide political parties, Partido Popular (PP) and Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), target citizens throughout the country and have obtained the bulk of deputies so far. In Spain since 1982 there have been eight general elections where both PP and PSOE together obtained between 80 and 92 percent of the 350 deputies while remaining in positions covered by minority regional parties and other minority nationwide parties.

This system made a lot of sense when it was approved back in December 1978, only three years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. By that time, the dictatorship had centralized all power and control in Madrid to make it easier to oversee what was going on and rule the entire nation.

But when the democratic process began, many regions started to claim autonomy. The dictatorship had severely repressed the desire of autonomy in regions like Catalonia and Basque Country, abolishing antique fiscal privileges and suppressing the recognition of Basque and Catalan as official languages.

Regions have been struggling for more independence after Franco´s death and while dismantling the old regime structure and creating a democratic one, the makers of the constitution feared a national partition into several independent countries — or a new civil war. In order to avoid this, they developed a voting system to support more power in regional minorities.

Nowadays, all Spanish regions have obtained more authority on such matters as education, health, transportation, economy, public security and so forth, transferred by the central government over three decades. They have gained an autonomous status with their own regional elections and parliament.

Moreover, the central government has given many other authorities to Brussels after the admission to the European Union. So what is the point of maintaining the system unchanged if regional minorities today have gained most of their demands? For instance, Izquierda Unida (IU), a political party whose ideals rest between communism and socialism obtained at the last general elections almost a million votes — but only obtained two deputies.

Meanwhile, Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV), a seeker for independence of Basque Country, received merely 300.000 votes but gained six deputies. Obviously, the vote to deputy ratio does not hold. Imagine that someone decides to create a new party supporting gay and lesbian rights and gains support in the community.

Unfortunately, the gay community is considered a national minority; in aggregated numbers there are several hundred thousands but divided by provinces, their numbers are limited, as low as 3 percent, and not enough to obtain a deputy to represent them. Project this to other national minorities like environmental activists, communists, immigrants with the right to vote, pacifist and so on. Under this system they will never be able to obtain a chair in the Chamber of Deputies.

In 2008, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there were 98 different political parties. Nevertheless, two parties obtained more than 90 percent of deputies, effectively holding the legislative right og Spain without effectively representing the diversity of the nation.

The last opinion poll dated September 2011, just two months before the polling day, shows the same scenario for next general elections. A scenario where the PP and PSOE will obtain over 75 percent of the total votes. Either the Spanish citizens are quite homogeneous or there is a fake democracy in place where plurality has no effect.

Democracy is not only the right to vote once every four years, nor the right to do it freely and secretly. Democracy must encourage dialogue, space for confrontation between ideas and ideals, space to be heard and a space to defend your rights.
Natursports / Shutterstock.com

The article The Death of Spanish Democracy? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The death of two 18-year-old boys, while partying at the end of August, was reported by the National Police in Getafe, Madrid. Another boy was hospitalized. After the investigation, police concluded that the boys died due to an overdose of a new drug composed of alcohol, speed, and a plant called Datura Stramonium.

The consumption took place in a remote and derelict old monastery where an underground rave party was taking place. Some thought that a 23 year-old male, nicknamed Cabe, must have been involved in the partiers’ deaths. According to party-goers, Cabe had offered free samples of his homemade drug to people.

As Cabe reported to the police “We [Cabe and his girlfriend] handled it for free to lure people to try it and open new markets.” Both Cabe and his girlfriend were arrested and charged of offense against public health and negligent homicide. Three days after Cabe’s public statement and arrest, an unrelated group of adolescent, intrigued by the media coverage of the incident, decided to experiment with the same toxic plant just for fun.

But the euphoria caused bizarre behavior of the boys.  Witnesses reported that one of the guys, at night in the middle of a crowded street, started to suffer hallucinations, was incapable to focus his vision, and was moving his arms as if he was trying to catch something in the air. He was unable to answer questions and only murmured indecipherable words.

A girl observing the scene decided to call the emergency service with her cell phone. Unfortunately the operator on duty did not believe her claims. It took the girl several calls to get an ambulance to come to the scene. Upon arriving, the ambulance was unequipped to care for the drugged up boy and drove him straight to the hospital – the boy was in a deep coma.

Datura Stramonium is an ancient plant with very toxic seeds and leaves that contains atropine, a drug with a wide variety of effects. Among others it can be listed as: delirium, hyperthermia, tachycardia or photophobia. There is not a maximum dose per person because it depends on the physical characteristics of the consumer so any quantity can be lethal.

The plant is also known as devil´s weed, devil´s trumpet, moonflower or Jamestown weed. Many are questioning whether the media should raise alarm concerning this drug. Last time there was a similar reported case in Spain, was during 2004 in Valencia; a Danish man was offering a beverage made from Stramonium to whoever wanted it and five people consumed the dangerous substance.

A week later, four more were intoxicated during a Gay Pride Parade due to the same media luring effect.

The article Devil´s Weed Kills Again in Spain appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Troy Davis’ appeal. Davis was killed at 11:0PM EST  in Georgia. Troy Davis’ case was long and complicated. Davis has been scheduled for execution four times, appealing the decision successfully each time.

Although Davis was scheduled to die at 7 PM EST on Wednesday night, a last minute plea by Davis’ lawyers to the Supreme Court, caused a delay in his execution while the Supreme Court weighed in on the controversial case. Troy Davis reportedly was strapped to a gurney waiting to die for four hours.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the jail while dozens of riot police officers barricaded the jail and arrested those that crossed the line. During the lengthy delay, Davis’ family remained quiet outside the jail. The slain officer’s family waited inside to watch the execution. Laura Moye, an organizer with Amnesty International, was on prison grounds all evening long.

“We are just profoundly saddened and upset,” Moye said. A prayer circle had formed around the Davis family earlier in the evening and remained through the execution. “We knew that it was a long shot,” Moye said. “Troy Davis has always had difficult odds. He’s faced executions three times…We always held on to our hope.

We got this far by believing in the power of human rights. Now it seems there’s nothing that can intervene to stop this execution.” “People are trying to rally around this family. Everybody wants to be there standing in support of the Davis family,” Moye explained. “A lot of people standing in disbelief.”

All around the world, protesters held demonstrations. Residents around the world tweeted, “Dear Georgia,” reminding the state that the world is watching their decision. Earlier in the day, many people weighed in on the impending execution. Moye said that the support Davis’ case has received from the public has been very moving. ”What is a miracle in this case is so many people have raised their voices,” Moye said.

Troy Davis was convicted of the 1989 killing of an off-duty police officer, primarily of witness testimony. Since that time, Davis has maintained his innocence and the majority of witnesses have recanted their testimony. A group of former death row wardens wrote to Georgia authorities calling on them to halt the death sentence due to doubts about Davis’ guilt.

Among the group was the former warden in charge of the Georgia death chamber. ”While most of the prisoners whose executions we participated in accepted responsibility for the crimes for which they were punished, some of us have also executed prisoners who maintained their innocence until the end,” the wardens wrote in a press release.

“It is those cases that are most haunting to an executioner.” Meanwhile, the family of the murdered officer and the case’s original prosecutor have argued strenuously for Davis’s execution, and have asserted that there is no doubt that he is guilty of the murder.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/death_penalty/

The article Anthony Troy Davis Executed appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Officials in Pakistan received a letter stating the Taliban’s plot to kidnap a high-ranking government official with the intention of exchanging him or her for bin Laden’s family. U.S. Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden, former terror chief, in May during a helicopter-borne raid in north-western Pakistan. The raid took place in one of bin Laden’s homes where he was hiding.

Focused on killing bin Laden, the U.S. Seals took his dead body from the compound but left at least two of his wives and several children in the home. Soon after the family members were detained by the Pakistani authorities, according to the Associated Press. Pakistan’s interior ministry received the letter, which warned of the kidnapping plot, on August 23.

An AP reporter obtained a copy of the letter, stamped “secret” on Friday. The letter said that the kidnapping warning was reliable. No information on specifically which Pakistani official the Taliban plans to kidnap was given. The letter did say that the kidnapping plot would most likely take place in one of Pakistan’s four provincial capitals – Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

The letter was received by Pakistan just three days before Shahbaz Taseer, the son of a weathly provincial governor, was killed by Islamist militant on August 26.

The New York Times reported that Shahbaz’s father and former governor of Punjab Province, Salman Taseer, was killed in January in Islamabad. The assassin, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, who was one of Salman’s security guard, later said the killing of Salman was because of the governor’s opposition to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws.

The deaths of Taseer father and son are not the only recent high-profile kidnappings that have taken place. Another abduction occurred in Lahore in August. The AP reported that on August 15, gunmen seized 70-year-old American aid expert, Warren Weinstein, from his house. Weinstein remains missing. The police declined to speculate on who may be holding the man.

Minister Rehman Malik said that there is no clear connention between the recent kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer’s and the plot on to free bin Laden’s family. This is not the first time Pakistan has dealt with serious kidnapping plots by the Taliban. Pakistan has reportedly released Taliban prisoners before in exchange for kidnapped government officials as well as army officers, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, The Huffington Post reported that Pakistani police are preventing foreign journalists and other visitors from getting close to the house of bin Laden ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Danish Ambassador to Pakistan and his wife as well as two French journalists, were among several people detained this week in Abbottabad – the town where bin Laden’s last hideout was located.

They were held briefly before being allowed to leave.  Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel said he asked security officers at a checkpoint on the road to bin Laden’s house whether he and his wife could get in viewing range of the compound and “they said ‘we are sorry, no,’ and we shook hands and said ‘have a nice day’.”

The Huffington Post reported that Wolffhechel and his wife were held for around two hours while officers checked their papers. Karim Khan, Abbottabad police officer, said the authorities were preventing journalists and foreigners from visiting the compound because it is regarded as evidence in investigations into how bin Laden lived there and how the CIA found him.
Asianet-Pakistan / Shutterstock.com

The article Taliban Plots to Kidnap High-Profile Pakistani appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Founder of Project Gutenberg, and the man commonly credited for making the first ebook, died September 6 in Urbana, Ill – Michael Hart was 64. Hart died in his Urbana home. The cause of death was not reported. Project Gutenberg, which Hart began in 1971, offers over 36,000 free ebooks for download to individuals’ PC, Kindle, Android, iOS and other portable devices.

The Declaration of Independence was the first ebook Hart made in 1971, the same year he started Project Gutenberg. Hart was a student at the University of Illinois at the time. Among the 300 books he typed out and posted to the internet were the Bible and the works of Homer, Shakespeare and Mark Twain, according to The Telegraph.

Today, volunteers scan works to the Project’s website which are available in more than 60 languages. The Project’s website includes an obituary which calls Hart “an ardent technologist and futurist.”

“Michael S. Hart left a major mark on the world.” The obituary said. “Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy. Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.”

According to The Telegraph, when Hart was a student at the University of Illinois he was given an account with privileges to unlimited computer access at the Materials Research Laboratory. The internet was two years old at the time and was used only by academic and military researchers. Hart spend his time online downloading historic texts. He wanted to make these works accessible to the public.

By 1987 he had typed a total of 313 books. “I want a world where you can walk into a public library and get 90 per cent of the information you need copied on a disk that you don’t have to return,” Hart said at a symposium.

According to The Project’s website, Hart was frugal and resourceful man:

“Michael glided through life with many possessions and friends, but very few expenses. He used home remedies rather than seeing doctors. He fixed his own house and car. He built many computers, stereos, and other gear, often from discarded components.”

Hart will be “remembered as a dear friend, who sacrificed personal luxury to fight for literacy, and for preservation of public domain rights and resources, towards the greater good,” the obituary concluded. Hart was born in Tacoma, Washington, on March 8, 1947. He was unmarried.

The article Michael Hart, Creator of E-Book & Founder of Project Gutenberg Dies appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

On 12th January, 2010 Haiti experienced a new drama. An earthquake seven points of moment magnitude shocked the country leaving after it a trail of devastation and worst of all a stealth battle of ruthless numbers.

At the beginning of 2011, one year after the disaster, the Haitian government increased the initial death toll from 220.000 over 300.000 while the international community set a number lower than 100.000. They did it unexpectedly, without any previous comment and not defining the parameters and methodology used for the estimation.

Maybe they thought two hundred were not enough to boost international aid, and a bigger new headline of misery would have helped them to raise more funds. The math is obvious for Haitian rulers: higher victims mean more pity and shame which tends to increase international aid flowing into the country.

According to Inter-American Development Bank the earthquake caused damage estimated near 14 billion dollar, more than the country GDP, and somehow they need to put pressure on international donors both to increase the amount pledged, 5.3 billion dollars, and to speed the deliver into the country up.

It is believe that Haitian government had added into earthquake victims, among other, the subsequent 200.000 cholera infected and 4.000 dead. A rate that is still growing as of March 2011 rises to 300.000 with 5.000 deaths reported by WHO.The first cholera case appear months after the earthquake, it was reported on 14 October 2010 in the department of Artibonite, the country largest department located in the north-west side of the island, from where the disease quickly spread through Artibonite Rive affecting other departments.

Cholera is an infection of the intestine caused by a bacterium that causes diarrhea and vomiting which in severe cases can lead to death by dehydration due to an untreated patient may produce 10 liters of diarrheal fluid a day. The last cholera epidemic in Latin America started Peru in 1991, during the 7^th pandemic and after reach other countries but not Haiti, a country with none recorded cases previous 2010.

The earthquake caused massive population movements inside the country as in Cité l’Eternel, a neighborhood in Port-Au-Prince, home for tens of thousands of families who live crammed together in tiny shacks with no running water or proper sewage facilities. The mounds of garbage and the open sewers full of human waste are breeding grounds for cholera, typically transmitted by either contaminated food or water.

After a rapid spread the worst part took place between mid November and January, usually with more than 10.000 cases per week throughout the country, uncontrollable sometimes like the first week of the year when 14.000 cases just in Port-Au-Prince were reported.

While all this misery happens in Haiti, in the neighboring Dominican Republic were just 200 reported cases during the whole year, confirmed along the borderline, a gap which can be explained by their citizens’ wealth.  The GDP per capita is eight time higher in Dominican Republic than in Haiti, where just 96 dollars per year an person can be spent in health care.

Thus creating a risk profile for cholera within a population where 60 percent suffer from prevalence of undernourishment, 40 percent has no access to improved drinking water and just 20 percent has access to improved sanitation before the earthquake. The World Health Organization states also that cholera is one of the key indicators for social development.

While the disease no longer poses a threat to countries with minimum standards of hygiene, it remains a challenge to countries where access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation cannot be guaranteed. Almost every developing country faces cholera outbreaks or the threat of a cholera epidemic. As it can be imagined Africa nations head the rank.

With this outlook after the earthquake just NGOs were able to contain the epidemic, but it should be emphasized that dying by cholera is not easy with a minimum sanitation care. Around 75 percent  people infected do not become ill, but when illness does occur, 80 to 90 percent of episodes are of mild or moderate severity which can be treated with a simple treatment of oral hydration solutions, mere sugar and salt mix to be ingested costing about 10 cents the sachet.

For severe dehydration cases intravenous rehydration is necessary with mortality rate lower than 1 percent but untreated it raises over 50 percent. Moreover currently in the market two preventive vaccines are available; Dukoral and Sanchol, both with a protection close to 8o percent for the first two years and a cost between 1.50 to 5 dollars a dose.

Still, the cruel reality is that there is no money for everything and priorities have to be done. That is why some experts argue that a vaccination campaign would be neither feasible nor cost-effective, and advocating putting forth other measures. According to UNICEF NGOs have been deploying several initiatives to prevent, contain and reduce the epidemic.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health they are working to raise awareness about cholera through radio, television and text messages targeting at least 80 per cent of the population.

Through neighborhoods they have been putting up posters to help teach people how to protect themselves and giving information about the disease in schools, health centers, market and even door to door, with an aim to ensure that households have at least one person who knows how to prevent cholera and what to do in case symptoms occur.

Furthermore they install public water points where water tankers provide free and pure potable water where water purification tablets and soap are free handing out too. Without this facilities cholera spreading would have been unstoppable because in water kiosk 5 gallons of drinkable water cost up to one dollar when most of the population is surviving with less than a dollar per day, so is unaffordable for almost everybody.

A complete sanitation and potable water system for 1000 people during a year costs 18.000 dollars or more, so many times is too expensive as well. That is why they seek for other sustainable alternatives like wells, another effective and cheap way to allow easy access to safe water. After the well is constructed the NGOs put in charge a different committee for each site to makes sure it keeps running effectively.

Owing to the lack of resources NGOs try to do their best in a very difficult situation. Now that media focus has been diverted to the nuclear crisis Japan and Somalia famine the donatives have been critically reduced and foreign aid tends to displace to hot points. Under these circumstances nobody can be sock by the macabre game played by Haitian government.

Headlines are more important now than ever to keep the attention over a country where still 600.000 people live in displacement camps and 40.000 new cholera cases per month. Unfortunately more people are dying by starvation in Africa and like in a Machiavellian chain this triggers off mass media interest; giving television, radio and press space.

The chain continues with international donors, as foundations or governments seeking for recognition or NGOs seeking for promotion, increasing their efforts in the hot spot and therefore reducing staff and money from other projects. Likely the organizations in Haiti will be able to steadily reduce the monthly cholera cases and deaths into a situation under control, but not capable of eradicating it.

The country is struggling right now against a new endemic disease, they can win or they can lose and resign themselves to counting dozens of deaths per month. Everything depends on international help, Haiti is totally crippled, but these days developed countries are bailing banks out with tons of dollars used to make up a financial balance instead constructing a well for potable water that actually could save lives.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishredcross/

The article Cholera Crisis in Haiti appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After a Malaysian journalist was shot to death while on a mission trip in Mogadishu Friday, the Prime Minister urges the public not to point fingers. “Let’s not play this blame game,” Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (Najib) said Sunday, in a media conference at the Royal Mayasian Air Force base in Subang. “The most important thing for us is to take stock of what has happened.”

The deceased journalist, Noramfaizul Mohd Noor, 39, worked as a cameraman for the Malaysian National News Agency, Bernama. He had a wife and two children. Najib spent time consoling Noramfaizul’s family.  According to Bernama, Noramfaizul “was shot while travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with other Malaysian media personnel covering the humanitarian aid mission to Somalia by the Putera 1Malaysia Club.”

Officials said that a clash between the African Union (AU) troops and other gunmen resulted in Noramfaizul’s death. Another reporter was severely wounded. A security official told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that initial reports indicate that AU peacekeepers were responsible for opening fire on the cameraman’s vehicle. Further investigation of the incident is being conducted.

Adbukarim Ali, a security official with the AU-backed government army, reported to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the shooting occurred at a busy area, which was Kilometer Four, in Mogadishu. “The men were hit by bullets when they were in their car, as they apparently were returning to their hotel,” said Ali.

In an article by Reuters, Muhideen Mohamed, a volunteer with the Malaysians described the deadly scene.“Two bullets hit the journalist, one in the head and another on the shoulder. He died on the spot,” Mohamed said. Mohamed also reported that the second reporter suffered a bullet wound to the arm.

All 54 members of the Putera 1Malaysia Club mission flew back to Subang on board the aircraft carrying the remains of Noramfaizul, reported Bernama. “There’s a limit to what you can prepare for any eventuality,” Najib said. “Isyallah (God willing), we’ll try our level best in the future to prevent such a thing from happening again.” Najib also said, “this deadly shooting is part and parcel of journalism.”

According to the BBC, as the Somalia’s food crisis has intensified. There has been an increase in the number of foreign aid workers and journalists traveling to region to help.

In July, The Washington Post reported that the famine in parts of southern Somalia had already killed tens of thousands of people, mostly children. Humanitarian aid officials described the situation as the “worst humanitarian crisis in the troubled country in two decades.”

On August 30, an article in Bernama said that a group representing the Putera 1Malaysia Club, which included Noramfaizul, had arrived in Mogadishu.Atuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, mission chief and club president, said that their humanitarian work would focus on five areas in Somalia; Magadishu being the first stop.

The mission aimed to distribute 250 tones of food and provide medicine to approximetly 45,000 families.The report by Bernama concluded with the statement that, “Bernama TV reporter Khairulanuar Yahaya and cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Noor are among the media crew taking part in the mission.”

The BCC said that the crisis in Somalia was “severely aggravated by civil strife.” According to AFP, “Clashes between rival militia groups happen regularly in Mogadishu, a city that has been battered by a bloody insurgency as Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels fight to unseat the Western-backed government.”

Such tumultuous conditions make humanitarian aid missions, like the work of Putera 1Malaysia Club, particularly dangerous. Noramfaizul is not the first individual to be killed while trying to better humanity in Africa.

Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rank Somalia as the deadliest country in Africa for media personnel, with 23 media workers killed since 2007.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/oxfameastafrica/

The article Malaysian Prime Minster Speaks on Journalist’s Death in Somalia appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Shammi Kapoor died Sunday morning at the age of 79 years old. The Indian movie star and director appeared in over 100 films. Kapoor died of chronic renal failure at approximately 5 AM at Breach Candy hospital. According to BBC News, the funeral was held on Monday at the Ban Banga Crematorium in his hometown, Mumbai.

In 2006, Kapoor had been at the hospital for a week, and later announced that he was frequently undergoing dialysis treatments. Instead of allowing the disease to depress him he consistently spoke about being thankful for the life he had lived.

The actor was born on October 20, 1931 to a unique lifestyle and a career that was already laid out for him. Kapoor was no stranger to the spotlight. His face was everywhere in the Indian film industry from the 50’s to the 70’s and Bollywood was always in his blood. He is the eldest of three sons who all went on to be actors, like their father Prithviraj who was famous on screen and at the theater.

A handsome and versatile actor, Kapoor has been called the best actor in Bollywood. He stood out for not only his name, but also his looks, sense of style, and positive attitude.

Shakti Sharma, a director who worked with the actor on several occasions,  said, “I found Shammi to be a thoroughly good man. He was humble.”

Kapoor was six feet tall with green eyes and light skin, fairly uncommon for Indian actors. He became an icon after three consecutive box office hits: “Tumsa Nahi Dekha” (1957), “Ujala,” and “Dil Dil Deke Deko” (both 1959). The movies are considered to be classics. He won many Indian film awards including a Lifetime Achievement Prize at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2001.

Imran Khan, a current Bollywood superstar, tells The Hindustan Times that he was “a man with a heart of pure gold.” When Khan’s grandparents (also actors) could not afford to get married, it was Kapoor who held the wedding at his own home and paid for all the clothing and jewelry.

As time went on and Kapoor started to lose his youthfulness, he directed two movies that did not do as well as the classics that he starred in. In the following years, he remained relatively off the scene while raising his family.

Kapoor’s last performance was in “Rockstar” (2011), alongside his brother’s grandson, Ranbir Kapoor.Kapoor met his first wife, Geeta Bali, on a movie set in 1955. She had worked with his brother and father in the past and tried to keep their love a secret until they married, just four months later with only one witness.

The couple co-starred in the hit “Miss Coca Cola.” They had two children together: a son, Aditya, in 1956, and a daughter, Kanchan, in 1961. Unfortunately, Geeta died of Small Pox while filming.

Kapoor was nowhere to be seen for two months until he returned to the set to continue filming, according to The Hindustan Times. Khan tells the newspaper that the first day back on set included a love song titled “Tumne Mujhe Dekha,” meaning “You saw me.” The young actor tells the newspaper “the pain on his face in that song brings me to tears…that’s more than just acting.”

Kapoor married again in 1969 to member of the formal Royal Family, Neela Devi Gohil. Many Bollywood actors have been tweeting their condolences and memories of the actor:

Film star Amitabh Bachan said, the “flamboyance and joie de vivre of the industry is lost.”

Actress Saira Banu who starred in a film with him said Kapoor was “a wonderful human being. He is eternal.” Khan goes on to explain that when he, himself, first became successful, it was “Shimmy Uncle” who wished him luck and reminded him to “never forget what’s really important…friends and family. Everything else is temporary.”

His success, legacy and values will not be forgotten.

The article Shammi Kapoor Dead: Bollywood Loses A Legend appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Yesterday’s tragic death of Grammy-winning singer Amy Winehouse adds another name to the infamous 27 Club.

The number 27 has become a symbol for lost talent in music history – many great musicians have died during this age. This has led to the creation of the club known as the 27 Club.

More than 30 musicians have been added to the list over the years and and yesterday the Club  added another great singer.

Being part of this club for some can mean gaining status as a legend, for others its their natural end of their lives.

The 27 Club includes several artists that have made a remarkable impact on the music world. The original musicians usually referred to when speaking of the club are Rolling Stones man Brian Jones, pioneering guitarist Jimmi Hendrix, singer Janis Joplin, Doors front man Jim Morrison and the face of Seattle grunge Kurt Cobain.

Neil Young once said “it’s better to burn out than to fade away”, this phrase was found in the suicide note of Kurt Cobain. The burn word on this phrase emphasizes the idea of leaving a mark on this world rather than just being forgotten.

These great musicians ended up leaving this world at the height of their musical creativity, leaving an imprint that will never wear out through their bands — The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and Nirvana.

What all of these legendary musicians have in common besides their musical brilliance is the tragic way in which they died. Their deaths differ but most of them have been associated with drug abuse. It’s also said that with the exception of Janis Joplin, a confirmed suicide, all of these deaths have been suspicious in their own way.

Is 27 the age we should fear? Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, try to answer this question by explaining: “Of course late twenties is not that old, but we spend an awful lot of our twenties defining ourselves with our jobs, with our relationships. When we reach 27 we’ve been trying so hard to reach certain goals – fame, money, success – that we might suddenly realize for the first time that we’re not that happy after all. And we are supposed to be grown-up and responsible, and we don’t feel ready.” The age represents the final step into adulthood and enforces the thought of growing up and leaving behind the carelessness of youth.

Some would say Amy Winehouse´s death was unavoidable while some are in shock. The responses coming in through twitter speak of both sadness and predictions – many from the music industry have expressed their deepest condolences to her family.

The only thing left by the legends lost at 27 is their music which will live on in our minds and their lyrics which will never be forgotten.

The article Amy Winehouse Adds Another Name to The Infamous 27 Club. appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The 27-year-old troubled British Singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in North London today, according to The Metropolitan Police. The Black to Black crooner was most recently through a very public relapse of her drug and alcohol addiction and was forced to cancel her European tour dates after disastrous performances and bad publicity. She had earlier this week been attending her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield’s performance at the iTunes festival where she failed to join in for the song Mama Said but grabbed the mic, urging the crowd to buy her protegé’s album.

The London Ambulance Service was called to the flat this afternoon, shortly after 4PM, GMT but the arriving officers found Amy Winehouse dead at the scene. The police is treating her death as ‘unexplained’ according to the Daily Mail, a British newspaper and the circumstances are currently being investigated.

It is unknown whether the singer’s closest family have been informed of her death.

Amy Winehouse recently cancelled her European come-back tour after an embarrassing concert in Belgrade, Serbia where she staggered on stage and gave a incoherent performance that was cut short because of her state and the audience’s anger. She has battled addiction for years and had a stint in rehabilitation as late as May this year. Earlier today, Tim Gatt from Sky News tweeted that Winehouse was withdrawing from all scheduled performances until further notice, according to her manager. The statement seems ironic in the face of her death.

She first rose to stardom at age 20 with her debut album Frank, but it was the Black to Black album from 2006 that earned her worldwide acclaim and winning her five Grammy Awards.

UPDATE:

Tim Gatt informs that Amy Winehouse’s father now knows of her death. Her father Mitch was on his way to a Jazz Festival in New York but according to singer Michelle Gayle “Mitch does know. He’s arrived in New York…They are devastated.” In an interview in 2008, Winehouse’s mother Janis said she would be ‘unsurprised’ if her daughter died before her.

Image provided by megamusicbox

The article Amy Winehouse Found Dead in Her London Home appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Sean Hoare, former News of the World reporter and first to blow the whistle on the endemic phone-hacking at the paper, was found dead at his home on Monday, according to British media. Hoare, who was fired from NoW for alcohol and drug abuse, also went on the record to the New York Times, saying that Andy Coulson, former communications chief for the British prime minister and editor at NoW while Hoare was employed there, not only knew about the phone-hacking but actively encouraged the practice. Coulson has so far denied any knowledge of the matter.

The tragic news of Sean Hoare’s death is another shocking turn in the media scandal that has already engulfed the Murdoch media empire and threatens the stability of the British government. His body was found at his home in Watford near London, UK. According to local police, who has yet to confirm Hoare’s identity, “Upon police an ambulance arrival [...], the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.” Despite unexplained cause of death, the police does not suspect foul play.

His death is another bombshell in the unfolding events, arriving just after the high profile resignation of two top policemen of the Scotland Yard. Questions have been raised about the cosy relationship between NoW and the police department and whether it led to negligence on behalf of the official effort to get to the bottom of the phone-hacking scandal which has been years under way.

Hoare was the first reporter to officially confirm the claims of phone-hacking. He described in an interview with the BBC that he was personally asked by Andy Coulson, his editor at the time, to tap into phones – which makes Coulson’s insistence upon ignorance ‘a lie’, according to Hoare. Last week, he revealed to the New York Times that NoW reporters had access to police technology that locates people by using their mobile phone signals. The service was allegedly provided in exchange for payments to police officers. The use of “pinging” can pinpoint the location of a person using calculations of distances between phone masts.

The Guardian was able to publish further details about ‘pinging’ as Hoare explained the procedure of obtaining the target location. A reporter would ask a news desk executive about a person and “within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say ‘Right, that’s where they are.’”

“The chain of command is one of absolute discipline, and that’s why I never bought into it, like with Andy [Coulson] saying he wasn’t aware of it and all that. That’s bollocks,” told Hoare.

The unexpected death of Sean Hoare has come at the most critical time for the UK. British Prime minister David Cameron is under considerable pressure and has cut a 5-day-trip to Africa short to attend a special sitting of parliament Tuesday for an emergency discussion on the scandal. Opposition labour party members are accusing him of extreme failure of judgement when it came to hiring Coulson and some MP’s have even called for his resignation.

Rupert Murdoch, his son James Murdoch and former chief executive of News International, Rebekah Brooks are expected to appear at the parliament hearing as well. Considering the pressure, the exchange could turn out to be very dramatic.

Former colleagues have been remembering Hoare today through public statements and social media updates. David Yelland, former editor of the British tabloid the Sun tweeted “Sean Hoare was trying to be honest, struggling with addiction. But he was a good man. My God.”

Image by Mig_R

The article News of the World Whistleblower Found Dead, Cause Still Unknown appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In terms of relationships, we are all beginners. For those who are waiting to watch a story that portrays realistic situations and the plot grabs the watcher by making him feel identified as the main character.

I advice you to go to the cinema and enjoy a great movie full of emotions.

Once again, Mike Mills, the director of the movie, Thumbsucker. Brings again a great story, intertwining drama and comedy, Beginners. The story demonstrates a paradox, whereas life can be amazing, fun and transforming, even in the most serious moments.

Ewan McGregor, (with a Golden Globe nomination) portrays the main character, Oliver Fields. A character with a personality that wants to explore all kinds of feelings, and is situated in a difficult position with all types of feelings mixings, such as confusion, humor, and love.

After his father’s death, interpreted by (Christopher Plummer, Oscar nominated ) He meets Anna (Mélanie Laurent), a woman with a unique and surprising character.

Experiencing this new love, Oliver starts thinking more about his father’s life, and the decisions that he took in his life. The story gives a twist when the father after being 44 years married; he decides to be sincere and brings the truth out, by admitting that he was homosexual. With 75 years old, the father thought it was never too late, to feel truly free, and to admit his sexuality in order to live his gay life.

It is amazing how after this huge truth, the relationship between father and child takes a turning point. Providing a great story where a relationship take a new and fresh start, instead of fading apart, becomes more strong and honest than ever.

It is never late to begin a certain path in our lives. Even if we know there can be great consequences but if it makes ourselves happy, that is the only thing that matters. You cannot play with the heart, and sometimes the mind numbs the feelings to bring a little bit of rationality, but at the end the heart is always stronger.

The article Mike Mills Movie: Begginers, “This Is What Love Feels Like” appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Honduras can be categorized as one of the most dangerous countries in Latin American in regards of performing a Journalist career. Since March 2010, eleven journalists have been murdered, and no justice has been made in order to fight against violence and corruption that the country is suffering.

The past Tuesday, journalist Héctor Medina Polanco, was shot to death while he was going to his home. He was a journalist form the Morazán province in Honduras. Two men followed him on a motorcycle, which shot him few meters away from his house. He received four shots, one in his arm and three in his back. With his death, Honduras has summed up to eleven murders to journalist, since the president Porfirio Lobo Sosa assumed his position the 27^th of January 2010.

Honduras is facing a lot of instability and impunity. The death of several journalists leaves the impression of insecurity and corruption. Where the truth wants to be hidden. The violence started to have severe repercussions since 2009, when the president at that time, Manuel Zelaya was thrown out of power threatened with guns.

The family of the reporter claimed that Medina was threatened several times. His figure as a journalist was known nationally. He was the coordinator from the news local channel Omega Visión. He denounced several corruption cases where many functionaries of the town hall were involved. As well as irregularities committed by farmers, who were having land disputes, and also the alleged abuses made by mafias.

Mauricio Handal, the mayor of Morazán, claimed: “It is Illogical”. He assured that he had a friend relationship with the reporter, and he affirmed that he would insist the authorities to investigate the case.

On the other hand, the family just asks that the crime follows consequences and that the investigations do not stop. The reporter brother, Carlos Medina has asked the Presidential Government for some protection, safeness and security for the family.  He also notified that the family has also made a denounced to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Juan Darte, the local police official claimed: “There is nothing clear, about this murdered, there are several versions”.

The director of Reveistazo.com, Claudia Mendoza expressed her position toward these cases of impunity, where several colleges of her have been murdered, and no justice has been made. Her disappointment, and helpless feeling were emitted though these words: “ The impunity is the perfect ally for both authorities: the entrepreneurs and the politics, whom form part of the powerful groups that manage, in any way they please, the justice, the country’s finances, and allow the violation of human rights in Honduras, as well as the liberty of expression and press”.  She also stated that Medina had previously made denounces  in regard of harassment to the authorities, but he continued without any response.

The article Eleven Journalists Have Been Killed in Honduras, Since 2010 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The golf legend leaves this world with an age of 54. Early this morning Seve passed away in his home in Pedreña, located at the North of Spain, near Santander. His loves ones were present by his side in the last minutes of his life. Severiano Ballesteros, with Spanish nationality was battling with a brain tumor since 2008; he was diagnosed after losing conscious at Madrid Airport that year.  He passed through four operations in order to remove the tumor, and was following the specific chemotherapy treatment.

The church in his home village Pedreña, will be the place where the funeral ceremony will take place, this coming Wednesday.

His talent was remarkable. He started his notorious career, and remarkable performance with the age of 19 where he won his first European Circuit tournament. Then by the age of 22, he made a stupendous roll and won the first big Tournament, the British. By 31, he won his third and last British. It was not until he turned 50 that he decided to retire from the golf world.

In one of his lasts Public Interventions, the golfer claimed simply: “ I am the best sportsman of Pedreña”. His talent was not only known in his country but he got an enormous admiration in the United Kingdom, where his reputation characterized for being considered of the most remarkable sportsman of the history.

The day that he retired from his professional carrier, in the Scottish field of Carnoustie, days before the 2007 Open started the spoke these words: “ I felt much love, overprotected, by the British audience. Thank you, but now I’ve realized that I have other priorities: my friends, my three children, my private life, and my business. I want to enjoy the childhood and youth that I never had.”

The only thing is left to say is that his work and exceptional achievements in his life, left just one thing to his fans and love ones. Which is pride. His figure will always be remembered with admiration and example for the next golf players who want to follow his steps, and see him as a role model.

The article Golf Legend Severiano Ballesteros Passes Away After Long Fight with Brain Tumor appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.