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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Protests which began Monday escalated to a riot on Wednesday consisting of over 10,000 people in Chi?in?u, the capital of Moldova, protesting the results of Sunday’s 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election, which showed an apparent, narrow victory for the Communist Party (Partidul Comuni?tilor din Republica Moldova, PCRM). Demonstrators claim the victory was the result of electoral fraud.

The demonstration escalated to a “flash mob” of between 10,000 to 15,000 communicating via online tools like email, micro-blogging tool Twitter, and social-networking website Facebook. “We sent messages on Twitter but didn’t expect 15,000 people to join in. At the most we expected 1,000”, said Oleg Brega of the activist group Hyde Park.

Police deployed tear gas and water cannons, and fired blanks into the crowd. The rioters threw stones at the riot police and took control of the parliament building and presidential office. A bonfire was built out of parliamentary furniture and all windows below the 7th floor were broken.

Approximately one hundred protesters and 170 police officers are reported as injured. There have been conflicting reports as to whether a female protester died during the altercation.

193 protesters “have been charged with looting, hooliganism, robbery and assault,” said an Interior Ministry spokesperson. This announcement sparked another protest by those demanding the release for those detained.

There is wide speculation about who was to blame for the rioting.

President Vladimir Voronin has expelled the Romanian ambassador from Moldova, blaming Romania for the violent protests. “We know that certain political forces in Romania are behind this unrest. The Romanian flags fixed on the government buildings in Chisinau attest to this” said Voronin. “Romania is involved in everything that has happened.“ Voronin also blamed the protests on opposition leaders who used violence to seize power, and has described the event as a coup d’état.

Protesters initially insisted on a recount of the election results and are now calling for a new vote, which has been rejected by the government. Rioters were also demanding unification between Moldova and Romania. “In the air, there was a strong expectation of change, but that did not happen”, said OSCE spokesman Matti Sidoroff.File:Dorin Chirtoaca.jpg

“The elections were fraudulent, there was multiple voting” accused Chi?in?u mayor Dorin Chirtoac? of the Liberal Party. “It’s impossible that every second person in Moldova voted for the Communists. However, we believe the riots were a provocation and we are now trying to reconcile the crowd. Leaders of all opposition parties are at the scene,” said Larissa Manole of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) proclaimed the PCRM to have won 61 seats in initial counts, enough to guarantee a third term in power for Voronin, who has held the position since 2001. But the Central Election Commission has received evidence of election violations, according to RIA Novosti, and upon recounts conducted of disputed polls, the commission reported that the Communists achieved 49.48% of the Moldovian vote, giving them 60 parliamentary seats — one short of the total needed to win the presidential election. “The electoral commission also granted opposition parties permission to check voter lists, fulfilling one of their chief demands,” said Yuri Ciocan, Central Election Commission secretary.

Voronin will step down in May, however his party could elect a successor with 61 parliamentary seats without any votes from outside parties as well as amend the Constitution. With the PCRM garnering 60 seats, the opposition will have a voice in the presidential election for a new successor.

The western part of Moldova was a part of Romania from the Romania’s independence until the region was detached by the USSR in 1940 to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. On independence in 1990 the country sought union with Romania but the eastern, Russian- and Ukrainian-inhabited areas of the country declared themselves independent from Moldova and formed the state of Transnistria and movement toward union was halted.

Moldova is Europe’s poorest country, where average income is less than $250 (£168) a month. The country’s neighbours are Romania and Ukraine. Romania is a European Union (EU) state.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Friday was when, according to earlier event plans, millions of people were to storm Area 51, a classified facility within the United States Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, and the world was to finally learn of its secrets. In the end, an estimated one-to-two hundred people showed up at the gates, and the classified area was not stormed.

It all began on June 27, when Matty Roberts posted a event invitation on social media site Facebook. More than two million people replied they would attend and an additional million-and-a-half expressed interest in the event. Roberts says his event, “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”, was posted as a joke. Roberts is about 20 years old and from Bakersfield, California.

The event description read, “We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry […] If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens.” Area 51 has for decades been rumored to be a facility for UFO and extraterrestrials research. Naruto is a Japanese cartoon ninja character who runs with his arms behind his back.

As the event turned viral, both media and authorities took notice. The nearest settlement to Area 51 is Rachel in Lincoln County. It is a remote desert town with a population of around fifty people. The Little A’Le’Inn is the only business offering food and accommodations and the town has no gas stations. County sheriff Kerry Lee told the BBC even one percent of Facebook users attending “would be more overwhelming than we can handle”. The Air Force issued warnings against attempts to enter the restricted zone of the base, saying it was dangerous.

The sheriff’s office arranged for reinforcements from across Nevada. Fewer than two hundred showed up at the gates of the base, but no one tried to storm the military base. Sheriff Lee said they arrested one person for urinating in public, technically indecent exposure. They arrested three for “suspicion of trespassing” and another for an incident related to alcohol. Over a thousand were reported to have reached Rachel, but most did not make the final trek to the base.

Meanwhile, other events popped up seeking to capitalize on the notoriety of the Storm Area 51 event. In nearby Hiko, a “Storm Area 51 Basecamp Experience” was underway with music and other entertainment. Thursday night, “Alien Stock” was held in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada with involvement of original poster Matty Roberts.

Bob Lazar was reputedly responsible for creating much of the folklore surrounding Area 51 which is not an official name. A 2018 documentary film titled Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers may have spurred recent interest.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

This past Sunday, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law a bill known as “Rocky’s Law” that requires Illinois high schools, through the local school district, to buy catastrophic injury insurance up to US$3 million or medical costs for up to five years, whichever one comes first, that covers student athletes. The insurance must cover student athletes while they are competing.

The legislation was named after Rasul “Rocky” Clark. In 2000, the Eisenhower High School football player became paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a tackle during a game. His school based health insurance covered the costs of his medical treatment. A legislator sponsoring the bill noted that the need for this type of insurance is rare. Clark’s mother attended the legislation signing. Her son died last year.

Before parents can claim money from school insurance, they first must pay out US$50,000. Schools have until January 1, 2014 to comply with the law. Schools cannot charge students more than US$5 to defray the cost of insurance. If a school district already requires student to be covered through private health insurance, they are exempted from this law.

Monday, August 1, 2005

Poland has called for the EU to assist curtailing what it has called human rights abuses in Belarus. Belarusian papers describe this as a ‘dirty political game’, and part of a ‘cold war’ waged on president Alexander Lukashenko.

The Belarusian Riot police with guns and dogs seized the headquarters of the Union of Poles in Belarus, an association representing the 400 thousand ethnic minority Polish people living in western areas of Belarus that were part of Poland until World War II.

Earlier this year, Amnesty International reported a “pattern of deliberate obstruction, harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders” in Belarus. Reporters Without Borders recently accused the Belarusian authorities of hounding and arresting journalists from the country’s Polish minority. Lukashenko has recently closed the country’s main Polish newspaper, printing a bogus paper instead with the same name that praised his regime. Lukashenko accused Poland of an attempt to overthrow his regime by stirring up a peaceful revolution in Belarus like the “orange revolution” in [[Ukraine last year.

The dispute between Poland and Belarus escalated further as Poland responded by recalling its ambassador from Belarus for indefinite consultations and called on the European Union to impose sanctions on the Belarusian leadership.

Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld said a clampdown is under way, aimed at destroying “all elements of political pluralism and independence” in Belarus. France expressed her solidarity with Poland on the issue of human rights in Belarus a day after the EU said it was worried about the situation in the country.

The European Union will finance radio and TV programs to be broadcasted to Belarus.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

An 8.6 magnitude earthquake occurred off the Indonesian coast at 08:38:37 UTC today, causing a tsunami watch to be issued over the entire Indian Ocean.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at a point 308 miles (495 km) southwest of Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, located on the northern extremity of the country’s Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km). Local media reports suggest that people in Sumatra fled from their homes and offices in fear. The 8.6 quake was followed by a quake measuring 8.2 on the Richter Scale.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) advised authorities to “take appropriate action”, stating that they were not aware whether a tsunami had occurred yet. The earthquake, initially believed to be 8.9 on the Richter Scale was later revised to be an 8.7 and finally an 8.6 quake. In reaction to the earthquake, the Indonesian disaster management agency noted that power had been shut down in Aceh. Moreover, people were being warned by sirens of the danger and were going to higher ground. Agency spokesman Sutopo said: “The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere.”

In its report, the PWTC issued a tsunami watch for 28 countries, including, but not limited to Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Bangladesh, miscellaneous Indian Ocean islands, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa and Mozambique. They mentioned that “[e]arthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin.”

The tsunami warnings were initially issued for Indonesia after the 8.6 earthquake and later issued for a further two hours after the 8.2 earthquake hit the Aceh province. The watch was lifted for Myanmar, Australia and Malaysia. Later, India too ended its tsunami watch, with a scientist at the Indian tsunami warning center noting that “the danger has passed”.

Earlier, the tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok in Thailand and south India, particularly in Bangalore and Chennai. According to locals, people left their buildings in Bangalore on feeling the tremors. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service issued a red high-level warning for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The southeastern coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were put on lower warnings. According to Sky News, people residing near the coast were asked to move away from the sea in India. The tremors there reached upto the northern city of Kolkata. Kolkata and its surrounding areas felt tremors, also felt in North 24 Parganas and the town of Siliguri in the same state. Several people rushed out of their office as windows and doors rattled due to the quake, while some buildings developed cracks. Metro Rail services were suspended in the city, and people were asked to leave the stations.

Similar warnings were issued by the governments in Sri Lanka, where mild tremors were experienced at Colombo. The tsunami warning was however lifted after 6 p.m. local time. But the government advised people not to go close to the sea. Smith Dhamasoroja, of the National Disaster Warning Foundation, predicted that Thailand would have to face a tsunami as the earthquake was so powerful. Thai Meteorological Department deputy chief Somchai Baimoung however stated that no warning had yet been issued. Later a warning was issued in the country and subsequently lifted. In Bangladesh, two tremors were felt. But the authorities stated there was no fear of a tsunami.

Amy Vaughn of the U.S. Geological Survey told Sky News that because the earthquake was so massive, “a large body of water is disturbed by the movement of the fault”. Therefore, since the epicenter was so close to the west coast of Sumatra, “it could be devastating for the region.” In Malaysia, high-rise buildings shook for over a minute.

Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a major earthquake belt. On December 26, 2004 a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in the same area triggered massive tsunami waves, killing almost 220,000 people.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

North Korea’s 007, a currently very popular short movie by some Chinese netizens, mocks Kim Jong Il and his secret agent buying Hennessy XO wine from Chinese black market.

As of 3:27 AM, January 20, 2007, China Standard Time, the movie has been watched 1,993,567 times on a single site (6rooms.com) and received 1620 comments.

The talks between the North Koreans are in English; the talks between the agent and the Chinese are in Chinese (now featuring English subtitles). The story part situated in China is as follows:

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The agent first went to a grocery where he didn’t find XO, then to a wine store which sells XO, but he complained about the price being much more expensive than the price quoted on the Internet. His accent surprised a girl who recognized his North Korean identity and the saleswoman rejected his buying due to “resulting UN security council penalty.” The agent left the store and a white-coated fat man (a black market wine seller) and a black-coated man followed.

The agent checked in at a hotel and received 3 phone calls; one from his commander urging him forward on the mission, one from a whore offering “special service” (to whom the agent replied with “Yes, I need, I need a bottle of XO!”), and one from the fat man asking him to go to a disco bar for XO trading. He went to the bar and watched the fat man dancing to “We Were Forced to Be Gangs” (the music is Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”). The fat man found the agent’s money was fake (which the agent explained was because North Korea wanted to “ease the pressure that the hostile West put on China for currency appreciation”) and a fight ensued. The fat man was defeated and said “Your country is not based on honesty” while the agent said in his mind, “No honesty for your revisionist country.”

The agent is about to cross the China-North Korea border and the black-coated man caught up and defeated him by breaking his “Kim Jong Il medal” (which is a devastating psychological strike to North Koreans). The black-coated man revealed himself to be George W. Bush and some Chinese bystanders questioned him on why he hung Saddam (“One Saddam is down but a million Saddams will be up!”) and drove him away. The curious Chinese bystanders accidentally broke the agent’s XO which resulted in another devastating episode. The white-coated fat man reappeared and said he saw the whole event and was impressed by the agent and gave away another bottle of XO to him.

The agent returned to North Korea and presented the XO to Kim Jong Il (on their way to Kim’s residence their eyes were covered in order not to “give the Americans a chance to pinpoint Kim’s precise location”). Kim immediately died because the wine was faked and poisonous.