Praising Bush
Here are a couple of quotes about the US administration policies in Africa
” Mr. Bush has done more than any other president so far.”
“This is the triumph of American policy really. It was probably unexpected of the man. It was expected of the nation, but not of the man, but both rose to the occasion.”
Guess whom these statements are coming from… No, not from Cheney…Not from Laura Bush either…and no, not from Ann Coulter. It is coming from Mr. “Save Africa” Bob Geldof - the guy I enjoy to (diplomatically) bash for his shortsighted view of African nations and their progress.
I like President Bush. I completely disagree with him on Kosovo, Kyoto protocol and couple of other issues. Bob Geldof I do not like. I think he was a mediocre musician, and he is a mediocre activist for Africa (or anything else for that matter). But when he’s right, he’s right.
Via WaTi
Bob Geldof in Rwanda gives Bush his props
KIGALI, Rwanda — Bob Geldof has parachuted into the White House travel pool here in Rwanda, and will join us on the flight from Air Force One to Ghana tonight.
He’s going to interview President Bush for Time magazine and several European outlets, such as Liberacion, about aid to Africa for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and business development.
Mr. Geldof is an Irish rock and roll singer and longtime social activist who has helped, along with U2 rocker Bono, raise awareness about need in Africa. His most well known achievement is organizing the Live Aid concert in 1985, which raised money for debt relief for poor African countries.
But Mr. Geldof has remained closely engaged with African affairs since then, and he spoke off the cuff to reporters today who were waiting for a press conference with Mr. Bush and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Mr. Geldof praised Mr. Bush for his work in delivering billions to fight disease and poverty in Africa, and blasted the U.S. press for ignoring the achievement.
Mr. Bush, said Mr. Geldof, “has done more than any other president so far.”
“This is the triumph of American policy really,” he said. “It was probably unexpected of the man. It was expected of the nation, but not of the man, but both rose to the occasion.”
“What’s in it for [Mr. Bush]? Absolutely nothing,” Mr. Geldof said.
Mr. Geldof said that the president has failed “to articulate this to Americans” but said he is also “pissed off” at the press for their failure to report on this good news story.
“You guys didn’t pay attention,” Geldof said to a group of reporters from all the major newspapers.
Bush administration officials, incidentally, have also been quite displeased with some of the press coverage on this trip that they have viewed as overly negative and ignoring their achievements.
Belarus - Editor Released
Good news coming from Belarus. Remember this ordeal when Alexander Sdvizhkov, the editor of “Zgoda” paper (now closed) was jailed to 3 years in prison for reprinting Muhammad cartoons? Back then WD posted that this sentence was purely political, and the authorities simply needed to put this guy away for opposing the dictatorial rule of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.
CPJ reports that Belarusian supreme court orders the release of Alexander Sdvizhkov
New York, February 25, 2008—The Belarusian Supreme Court has ordered the early release of Aleksandr Sdvizhkov, former deputy editor of the now-shuttered independent newspaper Zgoda, who was sentenced in January to three years in a high-security prison for reprinting controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2006.
“We’re relieved at the Belarusian Supreme Court’s decision to grant early release to Aleksandr Sdvizhkov, but he should not have been jailed in the first place,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. “We remain concerned that the court did not overturn this politically motivated conviction.”
Sdvizhkov’s lawyer, Maya Aleksandrova, told CPJ that the court cut the sentence to three months after reviewing the journalist’s appeal on Friday. The journalist, arrested in November, had already served that length of time. Aleksandrova said the court reduced Sdvizhkov’s sentence due to “exceptional circumstances,” citing the journalist’s deteriorating health, his good behavior in prison, and his elderly mother’s poor health.
…
Sdvizhkov’s paper reprinted the controversial cartoons in Zgoda in February 2006, prompting authorities to begin an investigation into possible “incitement to religious hatred.” But journalists said the prosecution was motivated less by religious sensitivity than a desire to silence a critical newspaper in the weeks before a presidential election.The paper, which had drawn official ire for covering an opposition candidate in the March 2006 presidential election, was shuttered about a week before the vote. Sdvizhkov fled Belarus after the cartoon incident to avoid imprisonment, but he returned in November to attend his father’s funeral. While in the country, the Belarusian Security Service, known as the KGB, arrested him.
And We’re Back
Dear Readers,
After the longest absence in the short history of World Divided we are finally back “on air”.
The completion of the new website’s design is a work in progress but the moment we felt that it allows us to return maintain the regular posting schedule, we did so.
So what is new? First of all, there will be a Featured Article (like this one) on top of the Home page . In the sidebar on the right you can see different browsable sections, including the Recent Posts, Popular Articles and Sections (categories) this website is posting under.
The new Video block can be found right under the Featured Post. Music, Stand up comedy, Political and Religious leaders’ appearance - we are not shy of posting any of these.
In the near future the tabs of the most popular categories - Israel, Middle East, Politics, Religion - will be found in the middle of the homepage. This will enable an easier browsing through the content. Please note that these are changeable and depend on the popularity of the categories in the media.
Finally, there will be new graphic additions to the posts. This feature is something we are still working on, so keep tuned and you will see it coming up in a couple of days!
Overall, we’re still testing the new layout, but it looks like something we’re going to stick to for a long time. The credits for this design can be found on the bottom of the page.
Featured Video
No Politics Sunday
We renew the following note to our readers: the website might be down for restructure in the next day or two. Apologies for that, but we’ll have a strong comeback with a completely new layout.
And, in No Politics Sunday:
India to create 8 new tiger sanctuaries
NEW DELHI - Conservationists welcomed an Indian government plan to create eight new reserves to protect the country’s dwindling tiger population, and called Wednesday for more action to prevent illegal trading in tiger parts.
It will take five years to set up the new reserves, which will cover an area of more than 11,900 square miles at a cost to taxpayers of about $153 million, the government’s Tiger Project announced Tuesday. Private groups will also contribute funds.
And…
Personally, I am fascinated by astronomy and space. Those who frequently read my posts on Sunday notice that I often publish pictures (made by Hubble Telescope) of Nebulas. Today is no exception. The Crab Nebula
Earthquake In Israel And What Caused It
Earlier today we had an earthquake here in Israel. Although nothing major - 5.3 on Richter scale - still the strongest in the last 10 years. When our authorities published that the epicenter was in Lebanon, I knew right away what made the Earth shake.
Yesterday Hizballah buried an arch terrorists Imad Moughniya, whacked by who knows whom (may be Mosad, may be CIA, may be Syria) in Damascus. I guess the Earth doesn’t want this scum inside and was trying to get him out of the system.
Gaza - Christians Attacked (Again)
Whenever I hear the rant of some Western and Muslim leaders about a peaceful and complete the life of the religious minorities under Islam is, I feel the urge to refer these people and their listeners to the example of how the Bahai and Druze minorities were systematically slaughtered in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt by the Islamic rulers.
With emergence of a new Islamic State in the Middle East - Gaza - the old practices of Islamic “freedom of religion” come to present. This time the target is Arab-Christian minority:
Bomb destroys YMCA library in Gaza
GAZA CITY (AFP) — A gang of gunmen attacked the Gaza City premises of the YMCA before dawn on Friday and blew up its library, the head of the centre said.
Eissa Saba said the attack on the Young Men’s Christian Association centre, which left thousands of books burned, was carried out by 14 masked men who overpowered two security guards and tied them up.
He said the men also broke into the YMCA office and stole a computer before placing another bomb, which did not explode.
The guards were later taken to the northern Gaza Strip, where they were freed.
The Gaza YMCA, which is also open to Muslims, also contains a school, a sports club and a hall for weddings.
The overwhelmingly Muslim-populated Gaza Strip has a small Christian minority of around 3,500 people, mostly Greek Orthodox.
