From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:

 

If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.

 

The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.

 

As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…

 

When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).

 

Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.

 

After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).

 

Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)

 

Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.

 

My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)

 

This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.

 

The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.

 

After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.

 

The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.

 

This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)

 

So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.

 

From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).

 

After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.

 

With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.

 

Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.

 

On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.

 

Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.

 

She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.

 

After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.

 

We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.

 

After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.

 

If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.

 

As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.

From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:

 

If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.

 

The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.

 

As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…

 

When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).

 

Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.

 

After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).

 

Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)

 

Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.

 

My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)

 

This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.

 

The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.

 

After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.

 

The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.

 

This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)

 

So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.

 

From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).

 

After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.

 

With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.

 

Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.

 

On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.

 

Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.

 

She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.

 

After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.

 

We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.

 

After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.

 

If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.

 

As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.

Maryam Rajavi:

www.ncr-iran.org/fr/content/view/4795/1/

Il y a cinq jours, le mouvement de la résistance pour la liberté a écrit une page glorieuse dans l’histoire : l’adoption à l’unanimité et par consensus du décret retirant les Moudjahidine du peuple de la liste du terrorisme par les deux chambres du parlement britannique. Réveil des consciences, révolution étonnante du droit dans le monde qui tourne la page noire du passé. C’est ainsi que les remparts de la tyrannie religieuse se sont effondrés et qu’un véritable séisme a secoué le régime des mollahs.Les débats à la Chambre des Communes et la Chambre des Lords lors de l’adoption de ce décret, n’ont pas de précédent dans les événements concernant l’Iran. Le peuple iranien a vu de ses propres yeux comment au parlement d’une des cinq grandes puissances mondiales, on a défendu avec ardeur la Résistance au fascisme religieux.Un grand nombre de parlementaires, motivés par un sens des responsabilités admirable, imprégnés d’une noble humanité, de l’amour de la liberté et de la justice ont parlé de la nécessité de mettre fin à la politique catastrophique de complaisance et aux souffrances du peuple opprimé d’Iran.

Accuser injustement l’OMPI de terrorisme, nous a apporté une multitude de difficultés à nous et à notre peuple, ainsi qu’au peuple irakien et à ceux du Moyen-Orient. Depuis les grues pour pendre dans les rues en Iran jusqu’au terrorisme effréné, aux bains de sang au Liban, en Palestine et en Afghanistan.

Malgré tout, nous avons fait de cette injustice contre la résistance un sujet de lutte internationale en défense du droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et la démocratie.Dans une bataille de sept ans, nous avons montré aux peuples occidentaux, que ces gouvernements, contrairement à ce qu’ils prétendent, apportent la plus grande aide au développement du premier parrain du terrorisme d’Etat dans le monde. Durant des années, c’est justement de cette manière qu’ils ont barré la route au mouvement de la Résistance iranienne. Mais nous avons prouvé que cette résistance est légitime, juste et soutenue par le peuple iranien. Le tribunal britannique, d’après les parlementaires anglais, a souligné que les activités militaires de l’OMPI contre le régime iranien étaient le seul moyen de s’opposer à la dictature et à la répression en place. Le gouvernement prétendait qu’il avait en main des documents confidentiels contre la résistance. Mais nous, dans cette campagne, nous avons mis à mal les documents secrets des officines obscures et finalement, la justice britannique a déclaré que les documents secrets l’avaient davantage convaincue de l’innocence de l’OMPI. Nous avons déchiré le rideau épais du mensonge, de la tromperie et de la diabolisation. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes fiers que l’expérience de la résistance et ce qu’a enduré notre peuple aient permis à la communauté internationale de prendre conscience et d’y voir clair.Ceux qui pensent en occident que l’intégrisme islamiste ne menace que les peuples du Moyen-Orient et des pays musulmans, n’ont qu’à regarder le processus de cette inscription et la fabrication des dossiers pour voir comment les mollahs au pouvoir en Iran, armés du terrorisme, ont pris en otage le droit, la justice et la démocratie dans les plus grands pays européens. Et ceux qui s’inclinent devant une dictature sanguinaire intégriste, quelle compétence ont-ils pour défendre la justice et la loi ?C’est pourquoi nous disons que le retrait de l’OMPI de la liste, n’ouvre pas uniquement la voie à un changement démocratique en Iran. En plus de cela, il éloigne les gouvernements occidentaux de la trahison à la démocratie, à la justice et aux droits de l’homme. La suppression de cette étiquette peut mettre un point final à la stupidité chronique dont souffre la politique occidentale. Oui, après le décret du parlement britannique, on voit s’ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives.A présent il faut agir pour ramener l’Iran dans la communauté des nations. Le premier pas sera de faire passer l’Iran du stade de banque centrale du terrorisme à celui de banque centrale de la démocratie et de la paix dans cette région du monde et ce ne sera possible qu’avec un changement de régime. Désormais, un Iran non nucléaire est à portée de la main, mais en rejetant le fascisme religieux, c’est-à-dire le régime du guide suprême. A présent, un Iran désireux de paix, aspirant à la coexistence pacifique avec ses voisins qui remplacera l’ingérence et le terrorisme est possible mais en luttant pour nous débarrasser de la tyrannie religieuse. Oui, ce temps est venu.

Clore le dossier du 17 juin 2003 ;

Ces dernières semaines, le régime des mollahs a essayé à coups de chantage et de tromperie de pousser la France à soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI sur la liste noire. Le prétexte derrière cette tentative illégale, c’est l’affaire du 17 juin 2003. Tout le monde se souvient de cette affaire, de la vaste rafle dans les bureaux du Conseil national de la Résistance iranienne en 2003 qui était le fruit d’un accord direct entre le gouvernement Chirac-Villepin et le régime des mollahs. Le dossier qui a été ouvert à la suite, est un dossier vide et sans fondement qui à cause de l’absence de documents probants, a été constitué sur la base de la liste noire de l’Union européenne. Une liste qui d’un point de vue juridique, est aujourd’hui caduque et s’en servir comme justification est illégal.Nous disons que si, comme vous le prétendez, ce dossier n’est pas vide et infondé, eh bien, après cinq années d’esquive, il est temps de le régler. Et si comme votre attitude en témoigne, ce dossier est sans valeur, alors pourquoi en faire un prétexte pour maintenir l’étiquette du terrorisme ? C’est pourquoi je préviens que toute tentative pour soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI dans la liste est un énorme scandale qui éclaboussera la politique française qui va à l’encontre de son engagement international dans la lutte contre le terrorisme et l’intégrisme. D’autant plus que dans deux jours, la France prendra la présidence tournante de l’Union européenne.Je préviens qu’en vous pliant aux demandes du régime, vous commettrez la plus grande trahison des lois de la République française et des lois de l’Union européenne. De plus, vous rendrez les ayatollahs de Téhéran, ces ennemis de l’islam, encore plus arrogants. J’appelle ici le Conseil des ministres de l’UE à respecter le décret du Parlement britannique et à retirer l’OMPI de la liste noire. Le gouvernement qui est à l’origine de l’inscription de l’OMPI, s’est à présent écarté sur ordre de la justice et du parlement de son propre pays. Le Conseil des ministres n’a plus de prétexte pour maintenir l’OMPI sur sa liste. Mettez fin à cette inscription. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à renoncer à cette inscription injuste. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à vous résigner au droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et à renoncer à alimenter la machine de terreur des mollahs.

La liste noire américaine;j

Tout le monde sait que depuis le premier jour, qu’aux Etats-Unis, l’inscription de l’OMPI dans la liste noire du Département d’Etat visait à graisser la patte au mollah Khatami et aux charlatans intégristes. A cette époque, un haut responsable du gouvernement américain a déclaré : « cette inscription était un geste de bonne volonté à l’égard du nouveau président de la république iranienne Mohammad Khatami. » Ils pensaient qu’en donnant des gages et en montrant leur bonne volonté aux responsables du massacre des prisonniers politiques, ils pourraient modérer la dictature religieuse. Ils faisaient croire qu’une vipère pouvait accoucher d’une colombe. Mais c’est Ahmadinejad qui est venu au monde à sa place. Est-ce que la bonne volonté vis-à-vis des mollahs et du fascisme religieux ne signifie pas le plus haut degré de mauvaise volonté vis-à-vis du peuple iranien, des peuples du Moyen-Orient et des forces démocrates dans cette région du monde ? Au fait, pourquoi après toutes ces expériences, faut-il poursuivre la tradition de donner des gages aux mollahs ? Alors que les gardiens de la révolution et la force Qods du régime des mollahs sont sur la liste du terrorisme, pourquoi devez-vous continuer à exaucer les demandes des mollahs pour maintenir l’OMPI sur la liste noire ? Pourquoi les restrictions insupportables imposées aux « personnes protégées » de la Cité d’Achraf à la demande de ces mollahs et de leurs agents en Irak, doivent-elles durer ?

Ce mois-ci, 3 millions de chi’ites irakiens ont demandé l’expulsion d’Irak du régime iranien et de ses agents ainsi que la levée des restrictions de l’OMPI.La majorité du congrès américain par le passé, a soutenu à cinq reprises l’OMPI et le CNRI et a déclaré que cette solution était la seule manière de faire face à l’intégrisme.Une enquête de seize mois par neuf organes officiels américains sur chacun des Moudjahidine a montré qu’il n’existe aucun fondement pour accuser de terrorisme ne serait-ce qu’un seul membre de ce mouvement. Et si vous dites vous tenir aux côtés du peuple iranien pour la liberté, mettez fin à cette étiquette de terrorisme. Voilà, c’est la Résistance du peuple iranien avec ses 120.000 martyrs tombés pour la liberté. Par conséquent, ne privez pas le monde du levier le plus efficace pour affronter le fascisme religieux et le terrorisme.Thomas Jefferson, le troisième président des Etats-Unis et auteur de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine a parfaitement décrit la situation du peuple iranien et de sa résistance, quand il disait : «Quand on interprète mal les motifs de la patience, quand l’injustice persévère parce qu’on pense qu’elle sera supportée, alors la résistance devient moralité. » Et aussi, une citation tirée de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine : « chaque fois qu'une forme de pouvoir va à l'encontre de ces objectifs humains, les peuples ont le droit de changer ou d'abolir leur gouvernement et d'instituer un nouveau régime. » Or aujourd’hui, nombreux sont les chercheurs, les parlementaires et les personnalités aux Etats-Unis qui reconnaissent que la politique de rapprochement avec le régime des mollahs a porté énormément de tort à la sécurité nationale des Etats-Unis.Certes, nous l’avons toujours dit : allez-y, négociez autant que vous le voudrez avec ce régime

Mais aujourd’hui, beaucoup aux Etats-Unis et en Europe ont compris que se fixer sur le dialogue avec ce régime est une perte de temps, comme si on faisait cuire des pierres. Je dois vous rappeler que la résistance iranienne n’a jamais demandé aux Etats-Unis ni à aucun autre pays d’envoyer sa jeunesse à la guerre contre les mollahs. Nous leur disons juste de retirer l’obstacle de la marque du terrorisme et d’enlever les chaines de la liste terroriste des mains et des pieds de la Résistance du peuple iranien pour la liberté. Nous vous disons : après avoir parcouru un long chemin rempli d’erreurs à la recherche de modération, de réforme et de transformation de la dictature religieuse, il est temps de vous mettre dans le sens de l’histoire. Placez-vous du côté qui apporte la liberté au peuple iranien. Regardez l’expérience du gouvernement britannique : si la résistance et le sacrifice pour la liberté contre le fascisme religieux est un juste droit et si c’est le chemin par où passe l’histoire, il faut en tirer deux grandes leçons :La première leçon : l’étiquette terroriste collée à la juste résistance luttant contre la dictature et le fascisme religieux pour qui le suffrage universel n’a aucune valeur et qui est hostile aux élections libres, n’est source d’aucune fierté et ne fait que couvrir d’opprobre.La seconde leçon : qu’on le veuille ou non, les forces de la justice et de la conscience avec leur porte-parole, remporteront la victoire. Oui la liberté est à portée de la main et nous atteindrons notre destination glorieuse, la liberté.

Le soutien de 3 millions d’Irakiens

Au milieu des crimes et des événements terribles qui touchent de plein fouet chaque jour un Irak meurtri, il y a deux semaines, nous avons assisté à l’épanouissement d’un mouvement spectaculaire politique, social et culturel contre le régime des mollahs dans ce pays, qui s’est manifesté dans la déclaration de trois millions de chi’ites courageux. Trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui souffrent demandent la fin de l’ingérence et des crimes du régime des mollahs ainsi que son expulsion d’Irak. Ils demandent aussi la fin de l’injustice et la levée des restrictions imposées aux Moudjahidine du peuple d’Iran qui sont eux aussi des chi’ites. Ils demandent que cessent certains actes, comme l’assassinat des ouvriers de la Cité d’Achraf par des bombes posées dans leurs autobus. Ils demandent la fin du dynamitage de la station de pompage d’eau d’Achraf qui approvisionne aussi en eau 20.000 villageois des environs dans une chaleur infernale de 60 à 70 degrés. Ils demandent que cessent les enlèvements des Moudjahidine, comme deux de leurs membres qui avaient été enlevés à Bagdad. Ils demandent que cessent les attaques aux missiles contre Achraf, comme celle du 26 mai. Les mollahs au pouvoir prétendaient à coups de mensonges que les Moudjahidine avaient massacré les chi’ites irakiens.

Voilà que 3 millions de chi’ites soulignent dans leur déclaration : « L’OMPI se tient aux côtés du peuple irakien comme un contrepoids face au régime iranien et un barrage solide contre l’ingérence de ce régime. »

Le régime des mollahs a tremblé à Téhéran. Son socle d’infiltration, d’ingérence et de crime en Irak chancelle à l’extrême. On ne pouvait pas mieux repousser les mollahs qui font commerce des imams fondateurs du chi’isme. Avec sa politique de divisions et d’hostilités, le régime a reçu un coup stratégique majeur de la part des chi’ites. Manifestement, le Guide suprême des mollahs a vu tout son capital fondre en Irak. D’autant plus que les inspirateurs de cette déclaration historique ont préféré la rendre publique à la Cité d’Achraf.

Les agents salariés de la Force Qods en Irak qui répètent les paroles des mollahs de Téhéran ont criminalisé des millions d’Irakiens pour leur soutien à l’OMPI. Les mollahs étaient si furieux qu’ils n’ont pas caché leur intention d’exporter leurs châtiments inhumains en Irak. Ecoutez ce qu’ils ont annoncé : « Toute personne ou tout parti, organisation ou institution, irakien ou non, qui coopère en Irak avec l’organisation terroriste des Moudjahidine du peuple, tombe sous le coup de la lutte contre le terrorisme et sera livré à la justice. »

Ainsi, trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui ont signé cette déclaration seraient tous des criminels. 135 partis, groupes et associations qui ont proposé cette déclaration seraient criminels. Toute institution qui fournit aux Moudjahidine d’Achraf des médicaments, de la nourriture ou des vêtements, serait coupable d’un délit. De plus, les nobles représentants et les porte-parole libres du peuple irakien qui sont présents parmi nous seraient coupables. De même pour les hommes courageux et héroïques qui au parlement irakien ont dit être fiers, quel qu’en soit le prix, de se tenir aux côtés des opprimés et même Paulo Casaca qui au moment où la déclaration a été rendue publique, était sur place, sont eux aussi coupables et devraient être livrés à la justice. Il faut aussi ajouter Lord Slynn et de nombreux avocats et personnalités européennes et américaines, ainsi que les parlementaires qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Ils sont coupables. Oui, même Struan Stevenson, vice président du groupe PPE DE au Parlement européen, ou M. Vidal Quadras, le vice-président du Parlement européen, qui a envoyé de nombreux messages vidéo à Achraf, ils sont également coupables. Lord Corbett qui commence ses messages en saluant Achraf est donc lui aussi coupable. Tout comme nos voisins d’Auvers-sur-Oise qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Et nos compatriotes que j’ai vu scander : « nous sommes tous d’Achraf ». Alors nous sommes tous d’une certaine façon coupables. Car nous sommes tous des d’Achraf et nous en sommes fiers !

Oui c’est cela le fascisme religieux. Il condamne tout le monde, sauf lui-même. Il doit être livré à sa propre justice pour qu’elle lui troue la tête avec une perceuse et que son corps mutilé de manière à le rendre méconnaissable, soit jeté dans une fosse commune.

Et ceci se passe alors que le Comité international des juristes pour la défense d’Achraf (CIJDA) a adressé des lettres officielles aux autorités américaines et irakiennes pour annoncer à plusieurs reprises que l’OMPI et les résidents de la Cité d’Achraf accueillent favorablement leur comparution devant tout tribunal international en Europe ou en Amérique du nord afin que les accusations portées par le régime et ses agents à leur encontre en Irak, fassent l’objet d’une enquête. Le CIJDA a demandé avec insistance qu’une commission d’enquête internationale, un organisme crédible lié à l’ONU, soit l’organe compétent pour examiner de manière impartiale toute accusation contre l’OMPI. Le CIJDA acceptera son jugement pour barrer la route à la désinformation et aux campagnes de diabolisation du régime des mollahs.

Je reviens aux trois millions de chi’ites irakiens et à leur déclaration. Les réactions hystériques du régime iranien et de ses agents en Irak montrent avant toute chose, l’importance de cet événement.

Oui, c’est un tournant dans la lutte du peuple irakien pour bouter hors de son pays le fascisme religieux.

C’est un tournant dans l’émergence du soutien des Irakiens à l’OMPI comme un rempart solide face au fascisme religieux sous couvert de l’islam. Et c’est un tournant pour laver la tache noire du khomeynisme du front des chi’ites et de l’islam authentique. La dictature religieuse, qui est dans une impasse en Iran, voulait en dominant l’Irak trouver une voie pour sa survie. Mais aujourd’hui on voit que le mur de la politique d’ingérence et de terrorisme en Irak s’effondre tout entier sur le régime. On voit que le front des mollahs qui se brise en Irak avec son lot de défections, entraîne dans sa chute le siège de la dictature religieuse à Téhéran.

La Cité d’Achraf ;

Pendant que la justice britannique annulait l’étiquette de terroriste de l’OMPI, la Cité d’Achraf a été la cible d’une attaque au missile des mollahs. A présent que les chi’ites irakiens se sont levés contre ce régime, Achraf est à nouveau la cible de sa vengeance.

La voix de la Cité d’Achraf retentit dans le cœur des Iraniens comme le cri de la liberté et résonne aux oreilles des mollahs comme le tocsin de leur renversement inéluctable. Car Achraf est un sommet de la résistance dont les versants et la base s’étendent dans tout l’Iran. C’est Achraf qui bat au cœur des protestations incessantes de la jeunesse iranienne et des émeutes ouvrières et des grèves étudiantes.

Rendons hommage aux héros de la Cité d’Achraf et comme le dit Massoud Radjavi « heureux les résidents de la ville la plus limpide au monde, symbole d’une belle patience et d’une victoire inéluctable. »

Le dossier nucléaire

Aujourd’hui, le peuple iranien et les peuples de tous les pays victimes du terrorisme et de l’intégrisme souffrent de la politique des pays occidentaux qui encourage le fascisme religieux. Leur politique, pour reprendre les termes de la justice britannique, est perverse et revient à une trahison parce qu’elle porte tort à la paix et à la sécurité dans le monde.Regardons le dossier nucléaire. La Résistance iranienne a révélé en 2002 les sites atomiques du régime. Ces six dernières années, la Résistance a procédé à au moins 80 révélations de divers éléments relatifs à la fabrication de la bombe atomique par le régime. Elle a été le principal facteur de la prise de conscience du monde sur le danger nucléaire du fascisme religieux. Mais les gouvernements occidentaux ont seulement fait perdre du temps au monde, et fait gagner du temps aux mollahs.Oui, quatre années de négociations et deux années de politique de mesures incitatives, soit en tout, six années de reculs successifs ; Quand les mollahs ont brisé le silence sur leurs installations nucléaires et entamé l’enrichissement de l’uranium, les gouvernements occidentaux ont reculé en adoptant la politique des paquets de mesures incitatives.

- Quand le régime a refusé la suspension permanente de l’enrichissement, le groupe des 5+1 a reculé en proposant de limiter la suspension à la période des négociations.

- Quand les mollahs ont refusé, les gouvernements occidentaux ont accepté que les mollahs ne suspendent qu’en apparence.

- Ensuite, les 5+1ont encore reculé sur l’enrichissement en demandant qu’ils n’ajoutent pas de centrifugeuses. C’est ce que M. Solana a demandé il y a deux semaines à Téhéran.

- A un moment, ils ont souligné qu’ils n’étaient pas prêts à donner de garantie sur la sécurité au régime iranien, mais après ils ont même reculé là-dessus.

L’ironie c’est que, si comme le disait Ahmadinejad son engin nucléaire n’a ni boite de vitesses ni frein, l’engin de ces messieurs, lui, n’est équipé que d’une marche arrière.

Même pour les résolutions que le Conseil de sécurité adopte, le régime dispose d’un délai de deux à trois mois.

- Tout au long de ces années, les pays occidentaux ont accepté toutes les demandes des mollahs pour réprimer l’OMPI. Selon les diplomates impliqués dans ce dossier, c’était une priorité constante du régime.

- Et finalement, après avoir parcouru un long chemin de négociations et d’encouragement, ils ont tellement permis aux mollahs d’abuser de la tromperie et d’agir dans la clandestinité, que tout à coup aux Etats-Unis, ils ont découvert que les mollahs avaient arrêté leurs activités sur la bombe atomique il y a cinq ans. En fait, s’agissait-il d’un rapport d’enquête ou d’un tour de passe-passe et d’une arnaque ?

Ces mesures incitatives et ces concessions ont rendu les mollahs tellement arrogants, qu’il y a trois jours, le général des pasdaran Laridjani, le président du parlement des mollahs, a clairement menacé que son régime allait se doter de la bombe atomique. Il a dit que si l’occident ne s’entendait pas avec le régime des mollahs, il pourrait se retrouver devant le fait accompli. El Baradei, au début du mois, avait rapporté le message des dirigeants de l’Iran comme quoi s’ils ne recevaient pas suffisamment de mesures incitatives, ils pourraient dans un proche avenir fabriquer une bombe atomique.

A propos, est-ce que plus vous graissez la patte des mollahs, plus leur appétit pour la bombe atomique grandit ?

Non, ne croyez pas que les offres de mesures incitatives soient quelque chose de nouveau !

 

La stratégie des mesures incitatives a été également choisie pour l’Irak. D’abord avec le britannique Jack Straw comme intermédiaire, les bases de l’opposition iranienne en Irak ont été bombardées. Puis, les frontières ont été laissées sans surveillance et sans défense devant ce régime. Ensuite, les mollahs ont massacré hommes, femmes et enfants avec leurs bombes et détruit le pays. Ils n’ont même pas épargné les mosquées ni les mausolées sacrés. Mais les autorités n’ont pas voulu reconnaître cette simple vérité que tous ces attentats et tous ces massacres se sont faits sur ordre des dirigeants de l’Iran et de son guide suprême. Quant au Liban, à la Palestine et à l’Afghanistan, il y a partout cette politique d’encouragement et de complaisance qui ouvre la voie à l’infiltration et l’ingérence des mollahs. Les mollahs font la promotion de cette cruauté pour dissimuler la faiblesse de leur régime face au peuple iranien. Avec arrogance, ils disent avoir islamisé le Moyen-Orient. Mais qui ne sait que le cavalier seul de Khamenei et d’Ahmadinejad, sur le train de la complaisance a été rendu possible par la faiblesse et l’infamie. Oui, le monstre de l’intégrisme, grâce aux apologistes de la complaisance, s’est étendu d’un point à l’autre de la Terre.

 

Comme il est étonnant que certains n’aient pas encore compris que le fascisme religieux fuit tout changement, parce que cela l’entraînerait immédiatement vers son renversement. Aujourd’hui ces derniers donnent moins de prix à leur opinion mais imposent au monde une guerre et une catastrophe.

A ceux qui ont accepté le marchandage et la complaisance avec ce régime, ou qui ont peur et s’inquiètent de le voir changer, nous disons ceci : Vous avez fait quatre erreurs de calcul fondamentales.

La première c’est que vous avez cru aux illusions propagées par les mollahs. Ils mettent en avant leur terrorisme et leur sauvagerie comme un signe de la puissance de leur régime décrépit et vous avez peur de lui.

Votre deuxième grossière erreur, c’est que vous ne savez pas à quel point le peuple iranien hait ce régime, ou bien vous feignez de ne pas le savoir. Les lobbies du régime propagent l’idée que face à la fermeté de la communauté internationale, comme un boycott, la population soutiendrait les mollahs et vous, vous répétez cette contre-vérité. Ne savez-vous donc pas que le peuple iranien vit un enfer aux mains de ces pilleurs, de ces bourreaux qui manient le fouet et les grues de pendaison ?

Votre troisième grande erreur, c’est de ne pas voir la situation explosive de la société en Iran. Le régime et ses partisans veulent occulter le désir ardent des Iraniens pour un changement démocratique. Ils veulent utiliser le mouvement international pour la paix au service de la complaisance et de la paix avec le fascisme religieux.

Votre quatrième erreur, c’est de n’avoir pas pris en compte la véritable solution de la crise iranienne.

Avec leur campagne de diabolisation contre la résistance, les mollahs essaient de faire croire l’inverse sur sa crédibilité, sa légitimité et ses racines profondes dans la société, comme s’il n’existait pas de force capable de les renverser.Certes, la crise iranienne est un problème de taille. Mais il y a une main qui délie les nœuds et c’est la Résistance iranienne. C’est une résistance qui allume le moteur des mouvements sociaux et des grandes révoltes en Iran. C’est une résistance qui, en s’appuyant sur ces Moudjahidine du peuple, est considérée comme l’antithèse du fascisme sous le couvert de l’islam et du chi’isme, qui ces trente dernières années a anéanti les bases soi-disant islamiques de ce régime aux yeux du peuple iranien et qui a dénoncé sa démagogie. C’est une résistance qui porte l’étendard de la troisième voie et ce sont le combat et le dévouement de ses membres et sympathisants qui feront triompher la Troisième Voie.Une résistance dirigée par Massoud Radjavi qui a cristallisé l’idéal de la liberté du peuple iranien dans un mouvement puissant aux racines profondes et qui l’a renforcé au fil des tempêtes et des épreuves. De sorte qu’il a pu faire jaillir du cœur du fléau et des malheurs successifs de grands acquis, et qu’il a pu dans les circonstances les plus complexes des trente dernières années, faire avancer une ligne fondée sur des principes. Avec une patience remplie de souffrances, au prix du plus grand tribut, il a fait apparaître l’horizon de la victoire. Oui, il est vrai que dans le ciel du désespoir, il a fait briller l’étoile de l’espérance.

Permettez-moi ici de m’adresser à nos amis étrangers et particulièrement à nos chers amis français qui se trouvent à nos côtés dans le vaste front de la lutte contre l’intégrisme.

La situation en Iran ;

Cela fait trois ans que le fascisme religieux, avec l’arrivée d’Ahmadinejad a accentué de manière sans précédent la répression, les pendaisons et les amputations. La vie et l’état d’esprit de nos compatriotes sont rythmés nuit et jour par les rafles, les exécutions et les coups de fouet.

Cependant, il y a quatre jours, le mollah Chahroudi, chef du judiciaire du régime, qui se présentait lui-même auparavant comme un Irakien et président du Conseil suprême de la révolution islamique en Irak, a cruellement appelé à davantage de peines de fouet, en déclarant avec cynisme à la télévision d’Etat : « nous pouvons utiliser le fouet en de nombreuses occasions, malheureusement nos juges se laissent influencer par une certaine propagande formaliste et superficielle dans le monde contre ce châtiment. Il y en a beaucoup qui n’apprécient pas la méthode du fouet, mais je pense qu’un des meilleurs châtiments, un des châtiments les plus juridiques, les plus juste c’est le fouet… Il est dissuasif… une des options sur laquelle nous insistons dans le code pénal islamique, c’est le fouet et même de transformer les peines de prisons en équivalent de coups de fouet. »

Malgré tout, jamais la société iranienne n’a autant protesté. Ces trois dernières années, en moyenne, chaque année, il y a eu 4700 mouvements de protestation. Je rends hommage à tous ces soulèvements glorieux et à tous leurs martyrs, leurs prisonniers dans tout l’Iran.

Ces trois dernières années, le nombre de manifestants tués dans les rues et le nombre d’opposants politiques qui ont été pendus se montent à au mois 200. Les mollahs voient dans chaque adolescent et chaque jeune révolté un combattant dans la bataille pour renverser leur régime. L’an dernier, environ 300 personnes ont été victimes d’assassinats arbitraires commis par les agents de sécurité dans la rue.

Le nombre de ceux qui ont été emprisonnés pour cause de « troubles à l’ordre public », se monte, selon les autorités du régime, « entre 10 et 15.000 personnes ». Et le nombre de prisons clandestines se monte à plus d’une centaine. Oui, des milliers de prison, des milliers de salles de torture et des milliers de centres d’exécution sont le prix pour préserver leur pouvoir. La semaine dernière le mollah Dori Najaf Abadi, procureur général du régime a annoncé : « le pays est exposé au danger des tempêtes internationales. » Il a évoqué les « longues frontières de l’est et de l’ouest du pays » et a déclaré que « les responsables du pays doivent adopter des mesures afin de prévenir les incidents et les sources de préoccupations sociales » car « les ennemis de la république islamique ne veulent pas que l’Iran islamique connaisse la sécurité ». Mais nous disons aux tyrans au pouvoir : Attendez ! Le décret de l’histoire et la volonté des combattants du peuple iranien traverseront chaque prison, chaque mur et chaque rempart pour fondre sur vous.

Une crise économique aigüe:

Les mollahs sont en situation de renversement et sont dépourvus de toute légitimité politique et religieuse. Et ils sont encerclés par la colère populaire. Aujourd’hui, ils ne s’appuient que sur une infime minorité. Dans la farce électorale, selon les propres chiffres du régime, le plus grand nombre de voix remportées dans les grandes villes par ceux qui sont entrés au parlement, ne s’élevait qu’à 6 ou 14 %.

Mais la véritable base du régime, ce sont les gardiens de la révolution, les miliciens du Bassidj et les services de renseignements. Ce nombre constitue à peine 3 % de la population iranienne.

Voilà la réalité de la dictature religieuse. Une minorité de 3% !

Alors nous disons aux mollahs : Mais ne prétendez-vous pas que votre régime est soutenu par le peuple ? Alors, pourquoi refusez-vous les élections libres ? Et maintenant une journée, juste une journée, posez les fouets à terre et enlevez les grues à pendaison, pour que l’on voie clairement face au soulèvement de la population excédée combien de temps vous pourrez durer. Face à la vague de la colère populaire, vos gardiens de la révolution fuiront à toute vitesse. En moins d’heure qu’il n’en a fallu aux soldats du dernier chah d’Iran pour enlever leurs uniformes et s’enfuir en courant.

Cette situation, c’est-à-dire la phase terminale du régime, se manifeste aussi dans la crise économique actuelle. Cette année, sur les 100 milliards de dollars de budget public, environ 13 milliards ont été consacrés aux affaires militaires et 4 milliards à la sécurité et au terrorisme. Dans le budget de l’année en cours, 33 milliards de dollars, sous le nom de budget divers, ont été alloués au cabinet d’Ahmadinejad. Ce qui signifie qu’annuellement, un tiers du budget public part dans des affaires secrètes. Aux dires d’un ancien député du régime, sur les revenus de ces trois dernières années, la somme de 63 milliards de dollars a été perdue et nul ne sait où elle est passée. De 2006 jusqu’à présent, 32 milliards de tomans des revenus pétroliers ne sont pas rentrés au trésor public.

Le résultat de cette situation, c’est la faillite des secteurs industriel, agricole et des services. Le ministre du pétrole d’Ahmadinejad a déclaré : La situation du pétrole iranien aujourd’hui ressemble à celle de l’armée du chah en 1978 à la veille de la révolution. Le pain depuis l’année dernière est devenu deux fois plus cher.

Le prix du riz a triplé. 120 villes et 6000 villages ont des problèmes d’eau potables. Les ouvriers se font licencier par fournées entières, les femmes opprimées se suicident et s’immolent par le feu les unes après les autres, chaque soir 6 millions de personnes s’endorment le ventre tenaillé par la faim et 60 millions d’Iraniens vivent sous le seuil de la pauvreté. Une grave crise économique qui menace aussi gravement l’existence du régime. 10 millions de chômeurs, 8 millions d’habitants des banlieues des grandes villes et des millions de jeunes révoltés, forment la force pour renverser ce régime.

Le programme du CNRI pour l’Iran de demain:

Les mollahs crient qu’ils maintiendront pour l’éternité le fascisme religieux absolu au pouvoir. Les tenants de la complaisance nous disent que la liberté est un rêve qu’il faut oublier. Les apologistes du régime disent que le peuple ne veut pas s’engager à nouveau dans un changement de régime. Ils ironisent en nous disant que le sacrifice et la quête de la liberté sont des antiquités qui appartiennent l’histoire et disent que ces fleurs dispersées par le vent se sont sacrifiées pour rien. Mais nous disons qu’il existe une ferveur et une force au cœur de la société et de l’histoire de l’Iran et qu’il existe une soif ardente de liberté parmi les opprimés que la conception basée sur l’humiliation et la reddition ne comprend absolument pas. C’est ce flot d’énergie retenu et d’espoirs enchaînés, et cet amour infini de la liberté qui arrachera sur son passage toutes les chaînes comme un torrent.

Nous sommes convaincus de l’émergence d’une force que rien au monde ne pourra retenir.

Oui, C’est un soleil qui se lève, le ciel s’illumine lentement, et le soleil de la liberté pointe à l’horizon

Le jour viendra où chaque Iranien bénéficiera du droit à la vie, du droit à la liberté et du droit à la sécurité et où tous seront égaux face à la justice.

Le jour viendra où l’aube joyeuse de la liberté illuminera la vie du peuple iranien. La liberté d’expression, la liberté de pensée, la liberté de culte, la liberté de la presse, la liberté de vêtements.

Le jour viendra où la vie dans l’enfer du fascisme religieux deviendra la vie dans une société démocratique. Pour que chaque personne ait le droit de participer aux décisions concernant les affaires politiques les plus importantes de sa propre société et le droit de changer de régime.

Le jour viendra où à la place de ce désert brûlant, on verra éclore cent fleurs dans chaque coin d’Iran ; avec la liberté de chaque opinion, chaque parti, chaque assemblée et chaque formation et syndicat.

Le jour viendra où les gouffres sombres de l’obscurantisme se transformeront en vastes plaines verdoyantes de modération et de tolérance, où aucune religion n’aura de droit ni de privilège spéciaux et où personne pour sa croyance ou sa non croyance en une religion ne sera privé de ses droits et où la religion sera séparée de l’Etat.

Le jour viendra où les ténèbres de la répression et de la discrimination contre les femmes iraniennes disparaitront et où l’égalité des femmes et des hommes conduira la société iranienne vers un autre monde, et ce jour est très proche.

 

Ainsi donc, « Au nom du bonheur de la nation iranienne et dans le but de contribuer à la paix mondiale » et pour réaliser l’idéal du 20 juin 1981 et de la bataille de Lumière éternelle en 1988, j’appelle à développer la lutte pour le renversement du fascisme religieux.

 

jeudi, 03 juillet 2008

Maryam Rajavi:

www.ncr-iran.org/fr/content/view/4795/1/

Il y a cinq jours, le mouvement de la résistance pour la liberté a écrit une page glorieuse dans l’histoire : l’adoption à l’unanimité et par consensus du décret retirant les Moudjahidine du peuple de la liste du terrorisme par les deux chambres du parlement britannique. Réveil des consciences, révolution étonnante du droit dans le monde qui tourne la page noire du passé. C’est ainsi que les remparts de la tyrannie religieuse se sont effondrés et qu’un véritable séisme a secoué le régime des mollahs.Les débats à la Chambre des Communes et la Chambre des Lords lors de l’adoption de ce décret, n’ont pas de précédent dans les événements concernant l’Iran. Le peuple iranien a vu de ses propres yeux comment au parlement d’une des cinq grandes puissances mondiales, on a défendu avec ardeur la Résistance au fascisme religieux.Un grand nombre de parlementaires, motivés par un sens des responsabilités admirable, imprégnés d’une noble humanité, de l’amour de la liberté et de la justice ont parlé de la nécessité de mettre fin à la politique catastrophique de complaisance et aux souffrances du peuple opprimé d’Iran.

Accuser injustement l’OMPI de terrorisme, nous a apporté une multitude de difficultés à nous et à notre peuple, ainsi qu’au peuple irakien et à ceux du Moyen-Orient. Depuis les grues pour pendre dans les rues en Iran jusqu’au terrorisme effréné, aux bains de sang au Liban, en Palestine et en Afghanistan.

Malgré tout, nous avons fait de cette injustice contre la résistance un sujet de lutte internationale en défense du droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et la démocratie.Dans une bataille de sept ans, nous avons montré aux peuples occidentaux, que ces gouvernements, contrairement à ce qu’ils prétendent, apportent la plus grande aide au développement du premier parrain du terrorisme d’Etat dans le monde. Durant des années, c’est justement de cette manière qu’ils ont barré la route au mouvement de la Résistance iranienne. Mais nous avons prouvé que cette résistance est légitime, juste et soutenue par le peuple iranien. Le tribunal britannique, d’après les parlementaires anglais, a souligné que les activités militaires de l’OMPI contre le régime iranien étaient le seul moyen de s’opposer à la dictature et à la répression en place. Le gouvernement prétendait qu’il avait en main des documents confidentiels contre la résistance. Mais nous, dans cette campagne, nous avons mis à mal les documents secrets des officines obscures et finalement, la justice britannique a déclaré que les documents secrets l’avaient davantage convaincue de l’innocence de l’OMPI. Nous avons déchiré le rideau épais du mensonge, de la tromperie et de la diabolisation. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes fiers que l’expérience de la résistance et ce qu’a enduré notre peuple aient permis à la communauté internationale de prendre conscience et d’y voir clair.Ceux qui pensent en occident que l’intégrisme islamiste ne menace que les peuples du Moyen-Orient et des pays musulmans, n’ont qu’à regarder le processus de cette inscription et la fabrication des dossiers pour voir comment les mollahs au pouvoir en Iran, armés du terrorisme, ont pris en otage le droit, la justice et la démocratie dans les plus grands pays européens. Et ceux qui s’inclinent devant une dictature sanguinaire intégriste, quelle compétence ont-ils pour défendre la justice et la loi ?C’est pourquoi nous disons que le retrait de l’OMPI de la liste, n’ouvre pas uniquement la voie à un changement démocratique en Iran. En plus de cela, il éloigne les gouvernements occidentaux de la trahison à la démocratie, à la justice et aux droits de l’homme. La suppression de cette étiquette peut mettre un point final à la stupidité chronique dont souffre la politique occidentale. Oui, après le décret du parlement britannique, on voit s’ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives.A présent il faut agir pour ramener l’Iran dans la communauté des nations. Le premier pas sera de faire passer l’Iran du stade de banque centrale du terrorisme à celui de banque centrale de la démocratie et de la paix dans cette région du monde et ce ne sera possible qu’avec un changement de régime. Désormais, un Iran non nucléaire est à portée de la main, mais en rejetant le fascisme religieux, c’est-à-dire le régime du guide suprême. A présent, un Iran désireux de paix, aspirant à la coexistence pacifique avec ses voisins qui remplacera l’ingérence et le terrorisme est possible mais en luttant pour nous débarrasser de la tyrannie religieuse. Oui, ce temps est venu.

Clore le dossier du 17 juin 2003 ;

Ces dernières semaines, le régime des mollahs a essayé à coups de chantage et de tromperie de pousser la France à soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI sur la liste noire. Le prétexte derrière cette tentative illégale, c’est l’affaire du 17 juin 2003. Tout le monde se souvient de cette affaire, de la vaste rafle dans les bureaux du Conseil national de la Résistance iranienne en 2003 qui était le fruit d’un accord direct entre le gouvernement Chirac-Villepin et le régime des mollahs. Le dossier qui a été ouvert à la suite, est un dossier vide et sans fondement qui à cause de l’absence de documents probants, a été constitué sur la base de la liste noire de l’Union européenne. Une liste qui d’un point de vue juridique, est aujourd’hui caduque et s’en servir comme justification est illégal.Nous disons que si, comme vous le prétendez, ce dossier n’est pas vide et infondé, eh bien, après cinq années d’esquive, il est temps de le régler. Et si comme votre attitude en témoigne, ce dossier est sans valeur, alors pourquoi en faire un prétexte pour maintenir l’étiquette du terrorisme ? C’est pourquoi je préviens que toute tentative pour soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI dans la liste est un énorme scandale qui éclaboussera la politique française qui va à l’encontre de son engagement international dans la lutte contre le terrorisme et l’intégrisme. D’autant plus que dans deux jours, la France prendra la présidence tournante de l’Union européenne.Je préviens qu’en vous pliant aux demandes du régime, vous commettrez la plus grande trahison des lois de la République française et des lois de l’Union européenne. De plus, vous rendrez les ayatollahs de Téhéran, ces ennemis de l’islam, encore plus arrogants. J’appelle ici le Conseil des ministres de l’UE à respecter le décret du Parlement britannique et à retirer l’OMPI de la liste noire. Le gouvernement qui est à l’origine de l’inscription de l’OMPI, s’est à présent écarté sur ordre de la justice et du parlement de son propre pays. Le Conseil des ministres n’a plus de prétexte pour maintenir l’OMPI sur sa liste. Mettez fin à cette inscription. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à renoncer à cette inscription injuste. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à vous résigner au droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et à renoncer à alimenter la machine de terreur des mollahs.

La liste noire américaine;j

Tout le monde sait que depuis le premier jour, qu’aux Etats-Unis, l’inscription de l’OMPI dans la liste noire du Département d’Etat visait à graisser la patte au mollah Khatami et aux charlatans intégristes. A cette époque, un haut responsable du gouvernement américain a déclaré : « cette inscription était un geste de bonne volonté à l’égard du nouveau président de la république iranienne Mohammad Khatami. » Ils pensaient qu’en donnant des gages et en montrant leur bonne volonté aux responsables du massacre des prisonniers politiques, ils pourraient modérer la dictature religieuse. Ils faisaient croire qu’une vipère pouvait accoucher d’une colombe. Mais c’est Ahmadinejad qui est venu au monde à sa place. Est-ce que la bonne volonté vis-à-vis des mollahs et du fascisme religieux ne signifie pas le plus haut degré de mauvaise volonté vis-à-vis du peuple iranien, des peuples du Moyen-Orient et des forces démocrates dans cette région du monde ? Au fait, pourquoi après toutes ces expériences, faut-il poursuivre la tradition de donner des gages aux mollahs ? Alors que les gardiens de la révolution et la force Qods du régime des mollahs sont sur la liste du terrorisme, pourquoi devez-vous continuer à exaucer les demandes des mollahs pour maintenir l’OMPI sur la liste noire ? Pourquoi les restrictions insupportables imposées aux « personnes protégées » de la Cité d’Achraf à la demande de ces mollahs et de leurs agents en Irak, doivent-elles durer ?

Ce mois-ci, 3 millions de chi’ites irakiens ont demandé l’expulsion d’Irak du régime iranien et de ses agents ainsi que la levée des restrictions de l’OMPI.La majorité du congrès américain par le passé, a soutenu à cinq reprises l’OMPI et le CNRI et a déclaré que cette solution était la seule manière de faire face à l’intégrisme.Une enquête de seize mois par neuf organes officiels américains sur chacun des Moudjahidine a montré qu’il n’existe aucun fondement pour accuser de terrorisme ne serait-ce qu’un seul membre de ce mouvement. Et si vous dites vous tenir aux côtés du peuple iranien pour la liberté, mettez fin à cette étiquette de terrorisme. Voilà, c’est la Résistance du peuple iranien avec ses 120.000 martyrs tombés pour la liberté. Par conséquent, ne privez pas le monde du levier le plus efficace pour affronter le fascisme religieux et le terrorisme.Thomas Jefferson, le troisième président des Etats-Unis et auteur de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine a parfaitement décrit la situation du peuple iranien et de sa résistance, quand il disait : «Quand on interprète mal les motifs de la patience, quand l’injustice persévère parce qu’on pense qu’elle sera supportée, alors la résistance devient moralité. » Et aussi, une citation tirée de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine : « chaque fois qu'une forme de pouvoir va à l'encontre de ces objectifs humains, les peuples ont le droit de changer ou d'abolir leur gouvernement et d'instituer un nouveau régime. » Or aujourd’hui, nombreux sont les chercheurs, les parlementaires et les personnalités aux Etats-Unis qui reconnaissent que la politique de rapprochement avec le régime des mollahs a porté énormément de tort à la sécurité nationale des Etats-Unis.Certes, nous l’avons toujours dit : allez-y, négociez autant que vous le voudrez avec ce régime

Mais aujourd’hui, beaucoup aux Etats-Unis et en Europe ont compris que se fixer sur le dialogue avec ce régime est une perte de temps, comme si on faisait cuire des pierres. Je dois vous rappeler que la résistance iranienne n’a jamais demandé aux Etats-Unis ni à aucun autre pays d’envoyer sa jeunesse à la guerre contre les mollahs. Nous leur disons juste de retirer l’obstacle de la marque du terrorisme et d’enlever les chaines de la liste terroriste des mains et des pieds de la Résistance du peuple iranien pour la liberté. Nous vous disons : après avoir parcouru un long chemin rempli d’erreurs à la recherche de modération, de réforme et de transformation de la dictature religieuse, il est temps de vous mettre dans le sens de l’histoire. Placez-vous du côté qui apporte la liberté au peuple iranien. Regardez l’expérience du gouvernement britannique : si la résistance et le sacrifice pour la liberté contre le fascisme religieux est un juste droit et si c’est le chemin par où passe l’histoire, il faut en tirer deux grandes leçons :La première leçon : l’étiquette terroriste collée à la juste résistance luttant contre la dictature et le fascisme religieux pour qui le suffrage universel n’a aucune valeur et qui est hostile aux élections libres, n’est source d’aucune fierté et ne fait que couvrir d’opprobre.La seconde leçon : qu’on le veuille ou non, les forces de la justice et de la conscience avec leur porte-parole, remporteront la victoire. Oui la liberté est à portée de la main et nous atteindrons notre destination glorieuse, la liberté.

Le soutien de 3 millions d’Irakiens

Au milieu des crimes et des événements terribles qui touchent de plein fouet chaque jour un Irak meurtri, il y a deux semaines, nous avons assisté à l’épanouissement d’un mouvement spectaculaire politique, social et culturel contre le régime des mollahs dans ce pays, qui s’est manifesté dans la déclaration de trois millions de chi’ites courageux. Trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui souffrent demandent la fin de l’ingérence et des crimes du régime des mollahs ainsi que son expulsion d’Irak. Ils demandent aussi la fin de l’injustice et la levée des restrictions imposées aux Moudjahidine du peuple d’Iran qui sont eux aussi des chi’ites. Ils demandent que cessent certains actes, comme l’assassinat des ouvriers de la Cité d’Achraf par des bombes posées dans leurs autobus. Ils demandent la fin du dynamitage de la station de pompage d’eau d’Achraf qui approvisionne aussi en eau 20.000 villageois des environs dans une chaleur infernale de 60 à 70 degrés. Ils demandent que cessent les enlèvements des Moudjahidine, comme deux de leurs membres qui avaient été enlevés à Bagdad. Ils demandent que cessent les attaques aux missiles contre Achraf, comme celle du 26 mai. Les mollahs au pouvoir prétendaient à coups de mensonges que les Moudjahidine avaient massacré les chi’ites irakiens.

Voilà que 3 millions de chi’ites soulignent dans leur déclaration : « L’OMPI se tient aux côtés du peuple irakien comme un contrepoids face au régime iranien et un barrage solide contre l’ingérence de ce régime. »

Le régime des mollahs a tremblé à Téhéran. Son socle d’infiltration, d’ingérence et de crime en Irak chancelle à l’extrême. On ne pouvait pas mieux repousser les mollahs qui font commerce des imams fondateurs du chi’isme. Avec sa politique de divisions et d’hostilités, le régime a reçu un coup stratégique majeur de la part des chi’ites. Manifestement, le Guide suprême des mollahs a vu tout son capital fondre en Irak. D’autant plus que les inspirateurs de cette déclaration historique ont préféré la rendre publique à la Cité d’Achraf.

Les agents salariés de la Force Qods en Irak qui répètent les paroles des mollahs de Téhéran ont criminalisé des millions d’Irakiens pour leur soutien à l’OMPI. Les mollahs étaient si furieux qu’ils n’ont pas caché leur intention d’exporter leurs châtiments inhumains en Irak. Ecoutez ce qu’ils ont annoncé : « Toute personne ou tout parti, organisation ou institution, irakien ou non, qui coopère en Irak avec l’organisation terroriste des Moudjahidine du peuple, tombe sous le coup de la lutte contre le terrorisme et sera livré à la justice. »

Ainsi, trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui ont signé cette déclaration seraient tous des criminels. 135 partis, groupes et associations qui ont proposé cette déclaration seraient criminels. Toute institution qui fournit aux Moudjahidine d’Achraf des médicaments, de la nourriture ou des vêtements, serait coupable d’un délit. De plus, les nobles représentants et les porte-parole libres du peuple irakien qui sont présents parmi nous seraient coupables. De même pour les hommes courageux et héroïques qui au parlement irakien ont dit être fiers, quel qu’en soit le prix, de se tenir aux côtés des opprimés et même Paulo Casaca qui au moment où la déclaration a été rendue publique, était sur place, sont eux aussi coupables et devraient être livrés à la justice. Il faut aussi ajouter Lord Slynn et de nombreux avocats et personnalités européennes et américaines, ainsi que les parlementaires qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Ils sont coupables. Oui, même Struan Stevenson, vice président du groupe PPE DE au Parlement européen, ou M. Vidal Quadras, le vice-président du Parlement européen, qui a envoyé de nombreux messages vidéo à Achraf, ils sont également coupables. Lord Corbett qui commence ses messages en saluant Achraf est donc lui aussi coupable. Tout comme nos voisins d’Auvers-sur-Oise qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Et nos compatriotes que j’ai vu scander : « nous sommes tous d’Achraf ». Alors nous sommes tous d’une certaine façon coupables. Car nous sommes tous des d’Achraf et nous en sommes fiers !

Oui c’est cela le fascisme religieux. Il condamne tout le monde, sauf lui-même. Il doit être livré à sa propre justice pour qu’elle lui troue la tête avec une perceuse et que son corps mutilé de manière à le rendre méconnaissable, soit jeté dans une fosse commune.

Et ceci se passe alors que le Comité international des juristes pour la défense d’Achraf (CIJDA) a adressé des lettres officielles aux autorités américaines et irakiennes pour annoncer à plusieurs reprises que l’OMPI et les résidents de la Cité d’Achraf accueillent favorablement leur comparution devant tout tribunal international en Europe ou en Amérique du nord afin que les accusations portées par le régime et ses agents à leur encontre en Irak, fassent l’objet d’une enquête. Le CIJDA a demandé avec insistance qu’une commission d’enquête internationale, un organisme crédible lié à l’ONU, soit l’organe compétent pour examiner de manière impartiale toute accusation contre l’OMPI. Le CIJDA acceptera son jugement pour barrer la route à la désinformation et aux campagnes de diabolisation du régime des mollahs.

Je reviens aux trois millions de chi’ites irakiens et à leur déclaration. Les réactions hystériques du régime iranien et de ses agents en Irak montrent avant toute chose, l’importance de cet événement.

Oui, c’est un tournant dans la lutte du peuple irakien pour bouter hors de son pays le fascisme religieux.

C’est un tournant dans l’émergence du soutien des Irakiens à l’OMPI comme un rempart solide face au fascisme religieux sous couvert de l’islam. Et c’est un tournant pour laver la tache noire du khomeynisme du front des chi’ites et de l’islam authentique. La dictature religieuse, qui est dans une impasse en Iran, voulait en dominant l’Irak trouver une voie pour sa survie. Mais aujourd’hui on voit que le mur de la politique d’ingérence et de terrorisme en Irak s’effondre tout entier sur le régime. On voit que le front des mollahs qui se brise en Irak avec son lot de défections, entraîne dans sa chute le siège de la dictature religieuse à Téhéran.

La Cité d’Achraf ;

Pendant que la justice britannique annulait l’étiquette de terroriste de l’OMPI, la Cité d’Achraf a été la cible d’une attaque au missile des mollahs. A présent que les chi’ites irakiens se sont levés contre ce régime, Achraf est à nouveau la cible de sa vengeance.

La voix de la Cité d’Achraf retentit dans le cœur des Iraniens comme le cri de la liberté et résonne aux oreilles des mollahs comme le tocsin de leur renversement inéluctable. Car Achraf est un sommet de la résistance dont les versants et la base s’étendent dans tout l’Iran. C’est Achraf qui bat au cœur des protestations incessantes de la jeunesse iranienne et des émeutes ouvrières et des grèves étudiantes.

Rendons hommage aux héros de la Cité d’Achraf et comme le dit Massoud Radjavi « heureux les résidents de la ville la plus limpide au monde, symbole d’une belle patience et d’une victoire inéluctable. »

Le dossier nucléaire

Aujourd’hui, le peuple iranien et les peuples de tous les pays victimes du terrorisme et de l’intégrisme souffrent de la politique des pays occidentaux qui encourage le fascisme religieux. Leur politique, pour reprendre les termes de la justice britannique, est perverse et revient à une trahison parce qu’elle porte tort à la paix et à la sécurité dans le monde.Regardons le dossier nucléaire. La Résistance iranienne a révélé en 2002 les sites atomiques du régime. Ces six dernières années, la Résistance a procédé à au moins 80 révélations de divers éléments relatifs à la fabrication de la bombe atomique par le régime. Elle a été le principal facteur de la prise de conscience du monde sur le danger nucléaire du fascisme religieux. Mais les gouvernements occidentaux ont seulement fait perdre du temps au monde, et fait gagner du temps aux mollahs.Oui, quatre années de négociations et deux années de politique de mesures incitatives, soit en tout, six années de reculs successifs ; Quand les mollahs ont brisé le silence sur leurs installations nucléaires et entamé l’enrichissement de l’uranium, les gouvernements occidentaux ont reculé en adoptant la politique des paquets de mesures incitatives.

- Quand le régime a refusé la suspension permanente de l’enrichissement, le groupe des 5+1 a reculé en proposant de limiter la suspension à la période des négociations.

- Quand les mollahs ont refusé, les gouvernements occidentaux ont accepté que les mollahs ne suspendent qu’en apparence.

- Ensuite, les 5+1ont encore reculé sur l’enrichissement en demandant qu’ils n’ajoutent pas de centrifugeuses. C’est ce que M. Solana a demandé il y a deux semaines à Téhéran.

- A un moment, ils ont souligné qu’ils n’étaient pas prêts à donner de garantie sur la sécurité au régime iranien, mais après ils ont même reculé là-dessus.

L’ironie c’est que, si comme le disait Ahmadinejad son engin nucléaire n’a ni boite de vitesses ni frein, l’engin de ces messieurs, lui, n’est équipé que d’une marche arrière.

Même pour les résolutions que le Conseil de sécurité adopte, le régime dispose d’un délai de deux à trois mois.

- Tout au long de ces années, les pays occidentaux ont accepté toutes les demandes des mollahs pour réprimer l’OMPI. Selon les diplomates impliqués dans ce dossier, c’était une priorité constante du régime.

- Et finalement, après avoir parcouru un long chemin de négociations et d’encouragement, ils ont tellement permis aux mollahs d’abuser de la tromperie et d’agir dans la clandestinité, que tout à coup aux Etats-Unis, ils ont découvert que les mollahs avaient arrêté leurs activités sur la bombe atomique il y a cinq ans. En fait, s’agissait-il d’un rapport d’enquête ou d’un tour de passe-passe et d’une arnaque ?

Ces mesures incitatives et ces concessions ont rendu les mollahs tellement arrogants, qu’il y a trois jours, le général des pasdaran Laridjani, le président du parlement des mollahs, a clairement menacé que son régime allait se doter de la bombe atomique. Il a dit que si l’occident ne s’entendait pas avec le régime des mollahs, il pourrait se retrouver devant le fait accompli. El Baradei, au début du mois, avait rapporté le message des dirigeants de l’Iran comme quoi s’ils ne recevaient pas suffisamment de mesures incitatives, ils pourraient dans un proche avenir fabriquer une bombe atomique.

A propos, est-ce que plus vous graissez la patte des mollahs, plus leur appétit pour la bombe atomique grandit ?

Non, ne croyez pas que les offres de mesures incitatives soient quelque chose de nouveau !

 

La stratégie des mesures incitatives a été également choisie pour l’Irak. D’abord avec le britannique Jack Straw comme intermédiaire, les bases de l’opposition iranienne en Irak ont été bombardées. Puis, les frontières ont été laissées sans surveillance et sans défense devant ce régime. Ensuite, les mollahs ont massacré hommes, femmes et enfants avec leurs bombes et détruit le pays. Ils n’ont même pas épargné les mosquées ni les mausolées sacrés. Mais les autorités n’ont pas voulu reconnaître cette simple vérité que tous ces attentats et tous ces massacres se sont faits sur ordre des dirigeants de l’Iran et de son guide suprême. Quant au Liban, à la Palestine et à l’Afghanistan, il y a partout cette politique d’encouragement et de complaisance qui ouvre la voie à l’infiltration et l’ingérence des mollahs. Les mollahs font la promotion de cette cruauté pour dissimuler la faiblesse de leur régime face au peuple iranien. Avec arrogance, ils disent avoir islamisé le Moyen-Orient. Mais qui ne sait que le cavalier seul de Khamenei et d’Ahmadinejad, sur le train de la complaisance a été rendu possible par la faiblesse et l’infamie. Oui, le monstre de l’intégrisme, grâce aux apologistes de la complaisance, s’est étendu d’un point à l’autre de la Terre.

 

Comme il est étonnant que certains n’aient pas encore compris que le fascisme religieux fuit tout changement, parce que cela l’entraînerait immédiatement vers son renversement. Aujourd’hui ces derniers donnent moins de prix à leur opinion mais imposent au monde une guerre et une catastrophe.

A ceux qui ont accepté le marchandage et la complaisance avec ce régime, ou qui ont peur et s’inquiètent de le voir changer, nous disons ceci : Vous avez fait quatre erreurs de calcul fondamentales.

La première c’est que vous avez cru aux illusions propagées par les mollahs. Ils mettent en avant leur terrorisme et leur sauvagerie comme un signe de la puissance de leur régime décrépit et vous avez peur de lui.

Votre deuxième grossière erreur, c’est que vous ne savez pas à quel point le peuple iranien hait ce régime, ou bien vous feignez de ne pas le savoir. Les lobbies du régime propagent l’idée que face à la fermeté de la communauté internationale, comme un boycott, la population soutiendrait les mollahs et vous, vous répétez cette contre-vérité. Ne savez-vous donc pas que le peuple iranien vit un enfer aux mains de ces pilleurs, de ces bourreaux qui manient le fouet et les grues de pendaison ?

Votre troisième grande erreur, c’est de ne pas voir la situation explosive de la société en Iran. Le régime et ses partisans veulent occulter le désir ardent des Iraniens pour un changement démocratique. Ils veulent utiliser le mouvement international pour la paix au service de la complaisance et de la paix avec le fascisme religieux.

Votre quatrième erreur, c’est de n’avoir pas pris en compte la véritable solution de la crise iranienne.

Avec leur campagne de diabolisation contre la résistance, les mollahs essaient de faire croire l’inverse sur sa crédibilité, sa légitimité et ses racines profondes dans la société, comme s’il n’existait pas de force capable de les renverser.Certes, la crise iranienne est un problème de taille. Mais il y a une main qui délie les nœuds et c’est la Résistance iranienne. C’est une résistance qui allume le moteur des mouvements sociaux et des grandes révoltes en Iran. C’est une résistance qui, en s’appuyant sur ces Moudjahidine du peuple, est considérée comme l’antithèse du fascisme sous le couvert de l’islam et du chi’isme, qui ces trente dernières années a anéanti les bases soi-disant islamiques de ce régime aux yeux du peuple iranien et qui a dénoncé sa démagogie. C’est une résistance qui porte l’étendard de la troisième voie et ce sont le combat et le dévouement de ses membres et sympathisants qui feront triompher la Troisième Voie.Une résistance dirigée par Massoud Radjavi qui a cristallisé l’idéal de la liberté du peuple iranien dans un mouvement puissant aux racines profondes et qui l’a renforcé au fil des tempêtes et des épreuves. De sorte qu’il a pu faire jaillir du cœur du fléau et des malheurs successifs de grands acquis, et qu’il a pu dans les circonstances les plus complexes des trente dernières années, faire avancer une ligne fondée sur des principes. Avec une patience remplie de souffrances, au prix du plus grand tribut, il a fait apparaître l’horizon de la victoire. Oui, il est vrai que dans le ciel du désespoir, il a fait briller l’étoile de l’espérance.

Permettez-moi ici de m’adresser à nos amis étrangers et particulièrement à nos chers amis français qui se trouvent à nos côtés dans le vaste front de la lutte contre l’intégrisme.

La situation en Iran ;

Cela fait trois ans que le fascisme religieux, avec l’arrivée d’Ahmadinejad a accentué de manière sans précédent la répression, les pendaisons et les amputations. La vie et l’état d’esprit de nos compatriotes sont rythmés nuit et jour par les rafles, les exécutions et les coups de fouet.

Cependant, il y a quatre jours, le mollah Chahroudi, chef du judiciaire du régime, qui se présentait lui-même auparavant comme un Irakien et président du Conseil suprême de la révolution islamique en Irak, a cruellement appelé à davantage de peines de fouet, en déclarant avec cynisme à la télévision d’Etat : « nous pouvons utiliser le fouet en de nombreuses occasions, malheureusement nos juges se laissent influencer par une certaine propagande formaliste et superficielle dans le monde contre ce châtiment. Il y en a beaucoup qui n’apprécient pas la méthode du fouet, mais je pense qu’un des meilleurs châtiments, un des châtiments les plus juridiques, les plus juste c’est le fouet… Il est dissuasif… une des options sur laquelle nous insistons dans le code pénal islamique, c’est le fouet et même de transformer les peines de prisons en équivalent de coups de fouet. »

Malgré tout, jamais la société iranienne n’a autant protesté. Ces trois dernières années, en moyenne, chaque année, il y a eu 4700 mouvements de protestation. Je rends hommage à tous ces soulèvements glorieux et à tous leurs martyrs, leurs prisonniers dans tout l’Iran.

Ces trois dernières années, le nombre de manifestants tués dans les rues et le nombre d’opposants politiques qui ont été pendus se montent à au mois 200. Les mollahs voient dans chaque adolescent et chaque jeune révolté un combattant dans la bataille pour renverser leur régime. L’an dernier, environ 300 personnes ont été victimes d’assassinats arbitraires commis par les agents de sécurité dans la rue.

Le nombre de ceux qui ont été emprisonnés pour cause de « troubles à l’ordre public », se monte, selon les autorités du régime, « entre 10 et 15.000 personnes ». Et le nombre de prisons clandestines se monte à plus d’une centaine. Oui, des milliers de prison, des milliers de salles de torture et des milliers de centres d’exécution sont le prix pour préserver leur pouvoir. La semaine dernière le mollah Dori Najaf Abadi, procureur général du régime a annoncé : « le pays est exposé au danger des tempêtes internationales. » Il a évoqué les « longues frontières de l’est et de l’ouest du pays » et a déclaré que « les responsables du pays doivent adopter des mesures afin de prévenir les incidents et les sources de préoccupations sociales » car « les ennemis de la république islamique ne veulent pas que l’Iran islamique connaisse la sécurité ». Mais nous disons aux tyrans au pouvoir : Attendez ! Le décret de l’histoire et la volonté des combattants du peuple iranien traverseront chaque prison, chaque mur et chaque rempart pour fondre sur vous.

Une crise économique aigüe:

Les mollahs sont en situation de renversement et sont dépourvus de toute légitimité politique et religieuse. Et ils sont encerclés par la colère populaire. Aujourd’hui, ils ne s’appuient que sur une infime minorité. Dans la farce électorale, selon les propres chiffres du régime, le plus grand nombre de voix remportées dans les grandes villes par ceux qui sont entrés au parlement, ne s’élevait qu’à 6 ou 14 %.

Mais la véritable base du régime, ce sont les gardiens de la révolution, les miliciens du Bassidj et les services de renseignements. Ce nombre constitue à peine 3 % de la population iranienne.

Voilà la réalité de la dictature religieuse. Une minorité de 3% !

Alors nous disons aux mollahs : Mais ne prétendez-vous pas que votre régime est soutenu par le peuple ? Alors, pourquoi refusez-vous les élections libres ? Et maintenant une journée, juste une journée, posez les fouets à terre et enlevez les grues à pendaison, pour que l’on voie clairement face au soulèvement de la population excédée combien de temps vous pourrez durer. Face à la vague de la colère populaire, vos gardiens de la révolution fuiront à toute vitesse. En moins d’heure qu’il n’en a fallu aux soldats du dernier chah d’Iran pour enlever leurs uniformes et s’enfuir en courant.

Cette situation, c’est-à-dire la phase terminale du régime, se manifeste aussi dans la crise économique actuelle. Cette année, sur les 100 milliards de dollars de budget public, environ 13 milliards ont été consacrés aux affaires militaires et 4 milliards à la sécurité et au terrorisme. Dans le budget de l’année en cours, 33 milliards de dollars, sous le nom de budget divers, ont été alloués au cabinet d’Ahmadinejad. Ce qui signifie qu’annuellement, un tiers du budget public part dans des affaires secrètes. Aux dires d’un ancien député du régime, sur les revenus de ces trois dernières années, la somme de 63 milliards de dollars a été perdue et nul ne sait où elle est passée. De 2006 jusqu’à présent, 32 milliards de tomans des revenus pétroliers ne sont pas rentrés au trésor public.

Le résultat de cette situation, c’est la faillite des secteurs industriel, agricole et des services. Le ministre du pétrole d’Ahmadinejad a déclaré : La situation du pétrole iranien aujourd’hui ressemble à celle de l’armée du chah en 1978 à la veille de la révolution. Le pain depuis l’année dernière est devenu deux fois plus cher.

Le prix du riz a triplé. 120 villes et 6000 villages ont des problèmes d’eau potables. Les ouvriers se font licencier par fournées entières, les femmes opprimées se suicident et s’immolent par le feu les unes après les autres, chaque soir 6 millions de personnes s’endorment le ventre tenaillé par la faim et 60 millions d’Iraniens vivent sous le seuil de la pauvreté. Une grave crise économique qui menace aussi gravement l’existence du régime. 10 millions de chômeurs, 8 millions d’habitants des banlieues des grandes villes et des millions de jeunes révoltés, forment la force pour renverser ce régime.

Le programme du CNRI pour l’Iran de demain:

Les mollahs crient qu’ils maintiendront pour l’éternité le fascisme religieux absolu au pouvoir. Les tenants de la complaisance nous disent que la liberté est un rêve qu’il faut oublier. Les apologistes du régime disent que le peuple ne veut pas s’engager à nouveau dans un changement de régime. Ils ironisent en nous disant que le sacrifice et la quête de la liberté sont des antiquités qui appartiennent l’histoire et disent que ces fleurs dispersées par le vent se sont sacrifiées pour rien. Mais nous disons qu’il existe une ferveur et une force au cœur de la société et de l’histoire de l’Iran et qu’il existe une soif ardente de liberté parmi les opprimés que la conception basée sur l’humiliation et la reddition ne comprend absolument pas. C’est ce flot d’énergie retenu et d’espoirs enchaînés, et cet amour infini de la liberté qui arrachera sur son passage toutes les chaînes comme un torrent.

Nous sommes convaincus de l’émergence d’une force que rien au monde ne pourra retenir.

Oui, C’est un soleil qui se lève, le ciel s’illumine lentement, et le soleil de la liberté pointe à l’horizon

Le jour viendra où chaque Iranien bénéficiera du droit à la vie, du droit à la liberté et du droit à la sécurité et où tous seront égaux face à la justice.

Le jour viendra où l’aube joyeuse de la liberté illuminera la vie du peuple iranien. La liberté d’expression, la liberté de pensée, la liberté de culte, la liberté de la presse, la liberté de vêtements.

Le jour viendra où la vie dans l’enfer du fascisme religieux deviendra la vie dans une société démocratique. Pour que chaque personne ait le droit de participer aux décisions concernant les affaires politiques les plus importantes de sa propre société et le droit de changer de régime.

Le jour viendra où à la place de ce désert brûlant, on verra éclore cent fleurs dans chaque coin d’Iran ; avec la liberté de chaque opinion, chaque parti, chaque assemblée et chaque formation et syndicat.

Le jour viendra où les gouffres sombres de l’obscurantisme se transformeront en vastes plaines verdoyantes de modération et de tolérance, où aucune religion n’aura de droit ni de privilège spéciaux et où personne pour sa croyance ou sa non croyance en une religion ne sera privé de ses droits et où la religion sera séparée de l’Etat.

Le jour viendra où les ténèbres de la répression et de la discrimination contre les femmes iraniennes disparaitront et où l’égalité des femmes et des hommes conduira la société iranienne vers un autre monde, et ce jour est très proche.

 

Ainsi donc, « Au nom du bonheur de la nation iranienne et dans le but de contribuer à la paix mondiale » et pour réaliser l’idéal du 20 juin 1981 et de la bataille de Lumière éternelle en 1988, j’appelle à développer la lutte pour le renversement du fascisme religieux.

 

jeudi, 03 juillet 2008

Maryam Rajavi:

www.ncr-iran.org/fr/content/view/4795/1/

Il y a cinq jours, le mouvement de la résistance pour la liberté a écrit une page glorieuse dans l’histoire : l’adoption à l’unanimité et par consensus du décret retirant les Moudjahidine du peuple de la liste du terrorisme par les deux chambres du parlement britannique. Réveil des consciences, révolution étonnante du droit dans le monde qui tourne la page noire du passé. C’est ainsi que les remparts de la tyrannie religieuse se sont effondrés et qu’un véritable séisme a secoué le régime des mollahs.Les débats à la Chambre des Communes et la Chambre des Lords lors de l’adoption de ce décret, n’ont pas de précédent dans les événements concernant l’Iran. Le peuple iranien a vu de ses propres yeux comment au parlement d’une des cinq grandes puissances mondiales, on a défendu avec ardeur la Résistance au fascisme religieux.Un grand nombre de parlementaires, motivés par un sens des responsabilités admirable, imprégnés d’une noble humanité, de l’amour de la liberté et de la justice ont parlé de la nécessité de mettre fin à la politique catastrophique de complaisance et aux souffrances du peuple opprimé d’Iran.

Accuser injustement l’OMPI de terrorisme, nous a apporté une multitude de difficultés à nous et à notre peuple, ainsi qu’au peuple irakien et à ceux du Moyen-Orient. Depuis les grues pour pendre dans les rues en Iran jusqu’au terrorisme effréné, aux bains de sang au Liban, en Palestine et en Afghanistan.

Malgré tout, nous avons fait de cette injustice contre la résistance un sujet de lutte internationale en défense du droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et la démocratie.Dans une bataille de sept ans, nous avons montré aux peuples occidentaux, que ces gouvernements, contrairement à ce qu’ils prétendent, apportent la plus grande aide au développement du premier parrain du terrorisme d’Etat dans le monde. Durant des années, c’est justement de cette manière qu’ils ont barré la route au mouvement de la Résistance iranienne. Mais nous avons prouvé que cette résistance est légitime, juste et soutenue par le peuple iranien. Le tribunal britannique, d’après les parlementaires anglais, a souligné que les activités militaires de l’OMPI contre le régime iranien étaient le seul moyen de s’opposer à la dictature et à la répression en place. Le gouvernement prétendait qu’il avait en main des documents confidentiels contre la résistance. Mais nous, dans cette campagne, nous avons mis à mal les documents secrets des officines obscures et finalement, la justice britannique a déclaré que les documents secrets l’avaient davantage convaincue de l’innocence de l’OMPI. Nous avons déchiré le rideau épais du mensonge, de la tromperie et de la diabolisation. Aujourd’hui, nous sommes fiers que l’expérience de la résistance et ce qu’a enduré notre peuple aient permis à la communauté internationale de prendre conscience et d’y voir clair.Ceux qui pensent en occident que l’intégrisme islamiste ne menace que les peuples du Moyen-Orient et des pays musulmans, n’ont qu’à regarder le processus de cette inscription et la fabrication des dossiers pour voir comment les mollahs au pouvoir en Iran, armés du terrorisme, ont pris en otage le droit, la justice et la démocratie dans les plus grands pays européens. Et ceux qui s’inclinent devant une dictature sanguinaire intégriste, quelle compétence ont-ils pour défendre la justice et la loi ?C’est pourquoi nous disons que le retrait de l’OMPI de la liste, n’ouvre pas uniquement la voie à un changement démocratique en Iran. En plus de cela, il éloigne les gouvernements occidentaux de la trahison à la démocratie, à la justice et aux droits de l’homme. La suppression de cette étiquette peut mettre un point final à la stupidité chronique dont souffre la politique occidentale. Oui, après le décret du parlement britannique, on voit s’ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives.A présent il faut agir pour ramener l’Iran dans la communauté des nations. Le premier pas sera de faire passer l’Iran du stade de banque centrale du terrorisme à celui de banque centrale de la démocratie et de la paix dans cette région du monde et ce ne sera possible qu’avec un changement de régime. Désormais, un Iran non nucléaire est à portée de la main, mais en rejetant le fascisme religieux, c’est-à-dire le régime du guide suprême. A présent, un Iran désireux de paix, aspirant à la coexistence pacifique avec ses voisins qui remplacera l’ingérence et le terrorisme est possible mais en luttant pour nous débarrasser de la tyrannie religieuse. Oui, ce temps est venu.

Clore le dossier du 17 juin 2003 ;

Ces dernières semaines, le régime des mollahs a essayé à coups de chantage et de tromperie de pousser la France à soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI sur la liste noire. Le prétexte derrière cette tentative illégale, c’est l’affaire du 17 juin 2003. Tout le monde se souvient de cette affaire, de la vaste rafle dans les bureaux du Conseil national de la Résistance iranienne en 2003 qui était le fruit d’un accord direct entre le gouvernement Chirac-Villepin et le régime des mollahs. Le dossier qui a été ouvert à la suite, est un dossier vide et sans fondement qui à cause de l’absence de documents probants, a été constitué sur la base de la liste noire de l’Union européenne. Une liste qui d’un point de vue juridique, est aujourd’hui caduque et s’en servir comme justification est illégal.Nous disons que si, comme vous le prétendez, ce dossier n’est pas vide et infondé, eh bien, après cinq années d’esquive, il est temps de le régler. Et si comme votre attitude en témoigne, ce dossier est sans valeur, alors pourquoi en faire un prétexte pour maintenir l’étiquette du terrorisme ? C’est pourquoi je préviens que toute tentative pour soutenir le maintien de l’OMPI dans la liste est un énorme scandale qui éclaboussera la politique française qui va à l’encontre de son engagement international dans la lutte contre le terrorisme et l’intégrisme. D’autant plus que dans deux jours, la France prendra la présidence tournante de l’Union européenne.Je préviens qu’en vous pliant aux demandes du régime, vous commettrez la plus grande trahison des lois de la République française et des lois de l’Union européenne. De plus, vous rendrez les ayatollahs de Téhéran, ces ennemis de l’islam, encore plus arrogants. J’appelle ici le Conseil des ministres de l’UE à respecter le décret du Parlement britannique et à retirer l’OMPI de la liste noire. Le gouvernement qui est à l’origine de l’inscription de l’OMPI, s’est à présent écarté sur ordre de la justice et du parlement de son propre pays. Le Conseil des ministres n’a plus de prétexte pour maintenir l’OMPI sur sa liste. Mettez fin à cette inscription. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à renoncer à cette inscription injuste. La force de la justice obligera votre conscience à vous résigner au droit du peuple iranien à la liberté et à renoncer à alimenter la machine de terreur des mollahs.

La liste noire américaine;j

Tout le monde sait que depuis le premier jour, qu’aux Etats-Unis, l’inscription de l’OMPI dans la liste noire du Département d’Etat visait à graisser la patte au mollah Khatami et aux charlatans intégristes. A cette époque, un haut responsable du gouvernement américain a déclaré : « cette inscription était un geste de bonne volonté à l’égard du nouveau président de la république iranienne Mohammad Khatami. » Ils pensaient qu’en donnant des gages et en montrant leur bonne volonté aux responsables du massacre des prisonniers politiques, ils pourraient modérer la dictature religieuse. Ils faisaient croire qu’une vipère pouvait accoucher d’une colombe. Mais c’est Ahmadinejad qui est venu au monde à sa place. Est-ce que la bonne volonté vis-à-vis des mollahs et du fascisme religieux ne signifie pas le plus haut degré de mauvaise volonté vis-à-vis du peuple iranien, des peuples du Moyen-Orient et des forces démocrates dans cette région du monde ? Au fait, pourquoi après toutes ces expériences, faut-il poursuivre la tradition de donner des gages aux mollahs ? Alors que les gardiens de la révolution et la force Qods du régime des mollahs sont sur la liste du terrorisme, pourquoi devez-vous continuer à exaucer les demandes des mollahs pour maintenir l’OMPI sur la liste noire ? Pourquoi les restrictions insupportables imposées aux « personnes protégées » de la Cité d’Achraf à la demande de ces mollahs et de leurs agents en Irak, doivent-elles durer ?

Ce mois-ci, 3 millions de chi’ites irakiens ont demandé l’expulsion d’Irak du régime iranien et de ses agents ainsi que la levée des restrictions de l’OMPI.La majorité du congrès américain par le passé, a soutenu à cinq reprises l’OMPI et le CNRI et a déclaré que cette solution était la seule manière de faire face à l’intégrisme.Une enquête de seize mois par neuf organes officiels américains sur chacun des Moudjahidine a montré qu’il n’existe aucun fondement pour accuser de terrorisme ne serait-ce qu’un seul membre de ce mouvement. Et si vous dites vous tenir aux côtés du peuple iranien pour la liberté, mettez fin à cette étiquette de terrorisme. Voilà, c’est la Résistance du peuple iranien avec ses 120.000 martyrs tombés pour la liberté. Par conséquent, ne privez pas le monde du levier le plus efficace pour affronter le fascisme religieux et le terrorisme.Thomas Jefferson, le troisième président des Etats-Unis et auteur de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine a parfaitement décrit la situation du peuple iranien et de sa résistance, quand il disait : «Quand on interprète mal les motifs de la patience, quand l’injustice persévère parce qu’on pense qu’elle sera supportée, alors la résistance devient moralité. » Et aussi, une citation tirée de la déclaration d’indépendance américaine : « chaque fois qu'une forme de pouvoir va à l'encontre de ces objectifs humains, les peuples ont le droit de changer ou d'abolir leur gouvernement et d'instituer un nouveau régime. » Or aujourd’hui, nombreux sont les chercheurs, les parlementaires et les personnalités aux Etats-Unis qui reconnaissent que la politique de rapprochement avec le régime des mollahs a porté énormément de tort à la sécurité nationale des Etats-Unis.Certes, nous l’avons toujours dit : allez-y, négociez autant que vous le voudrez avec ce régime

Mais aujourd’hui, beaucoup aux Etats-Unis et en Europe ont compris que se fixer sur le dialogue avec ce régime est une perte de temps, comme si on faisait cuire des pierres. Je dois vous rappeler que la résistance iranienne n’a jamais demandé aux Etats-Unis ni à aucun autre pays d’envoyer sa jeunesse à la guerre contre les mollahs. Nous leur disons juste de retirer l’obstacle de la marque du terrorisme et d’enlever les chaines de la liste terroriste des mains et des pieds de la Résistance du peuple iranien pour la liberté. Nous vous disons : après avoir parcouru un long chemin rempli d’erreurs à la recherche de modération, de réforme et de transformation de la dictature religieuse, il est temps de vous mettre dans le sens de l’histoire. Placez-vous du côté qui apporte la liberté au peuple iranien. Regardez l’expérience du gouvernement britannique : si la résistance et le sacrifice pour la liberté contre le fascisme religieux est un juste droit et si c’est le chemin par où passe l’histoire, il faut en tirer deux grandes leçons :La première leçon : l’étiquette terroriste collée à la juste résistance luttant contre la dictature et le fascisme religieux pour qui le suffrage universel n’a aucune valeur et qui est hostile aux élections libres, n’est source d’aucune fierté et ne fait que couvrir d’opprobre.La seconde leçon : qu’on le veuille ou non, les forces de la justice et de la conscience avec leur porte-parole, remporteront la victoire. Oui la liberté est à portée de la main et nous atteindrons notre destination glorieuse, la liberté.

Le soutien de 3 millions d’Irakiens

Au milieu des crimes et des événements terribles qui touchent de plein fouet chaque jour un Irak meurtri, il y a deux semaines, nous avons assisté à l’épanouissement d’un mouvement spectaculaire politique, social et culturel contre le régime des mollahs dans ce pays, qui s’est manifesté dans la déclaration de trois millions de chi’ites courageux. Trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui souffrent demandent la fin de l’ingérence et des crimes du régime des mollahs ainsi que son expulsion d’Irak. Ils demandent aussi la fin de l’injustice et la levée des restrictions imposées aux Moudjahidine du peuple d’Iran qui sont eux aussi des chi’ites. Ils demandent que cessent certains actes, comme l’assassinat des ouvriers de la Cité d’Achraf par des bombes posées dans leurs autobus. Ils demandent la fin du dynamitage de la station de pompage d’eau d’Achraf qui approvisionne aussi en eau 20.000 villageois des environs dans une chaleur infernale de 60 à 70 degrés. Ils demandent que cessent les enlèvements des Moudjahidine, comme deux de leurs membres qui avaient été enlevés à Bagdad. Ils demandent que cessent les attaques aux missiles contre Achraf, comme celle du 26 mai. Les mollahs au pouvoir prétendaient à coups de mensonges que les Moudjahidine avaient massacré les chi’ites irakiens.

Voilà que 3 millions de chi’ites soulignent dans leur déclaration : « L’OMPI se tient aux côtés du peuple irakien comme un contrepoids face au régime iranien et un barrage solide contre l’ingérence de ce régime. »

Le régime des mollahs a tremblé à Téhéran. Son socle d’infiltration, d’ingérence et de crime en Irak chancelle à l’extrême. On ne pouvait pas mieux repousser les mollahs qui font commerce des imams fondateurs du chi’isme. Avec sa politique de divisions et d’hostilités, le régime a reçu un coup stratégique majeur de la part des chi’ites. Manifestement, le Guide suprême des mollahs a vu tout son capital fondre en Irak. D’autant plus que les inspirateurs de cette déclaration historique ont préféré la rendre publique à la Cité d’Achraf.

Les agents salariés de la Force Qods en Irak qui répètent les paroles des mollahs de Téhéran ont criminalisé des millions d’Irakiens pour leur soutien à l’OMPI. Les mollahs étaient si furieux qu’ils n’ont pas caché leur intention d’exporter leurs châtiments inhumains en Irak. Ecoutez ce qu’ils ont annoncé : « Toute personne ou tout parti, organisation ou institution, irakien ou non, qui coopère en Irak avec l’organisation terroriste des Moudjahidine du peuple, tombe sous le coup de la lutte contre le terrorisme et sera livré à la justice. »

Ainsi, trois millions de chi’ites irakiens qui ont signé cette déclaration seraient tous des criminels. 135 partis, groupes et associations qui ont proposé cette déclaration seraient criminels. Toute institution qui fournit aux Moudjahidine d’Achraf des médicaments, de la nourriture ou des vêtements, serait coupable d’un délit. De plus, les nobles représentants et les porte-parole libres du peuple irakien qui sont présents parmi nous seraient coupables. De même pour les hommes courageux et héroïques qui au parlement irakien ont dit être fiers, quel qu’en soit le prix, de se tenir aux côtés des opprimés et même Paulo Casaca qui au moment où la déclaration a été rendue publique, était sur place, sont eux aussi coupables et devraient être livrés à la justice. Il faut aussi ajouter Lord Slynn et de nombreux avocats et personnalités européennes et américaines, ainsi que les parlementaires qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Ils sont coupables. Oui, même Struan Stevenson, vice président du groupe PPE DE au Parlement européen, ou M. Vidal Quadras, le vice-président du Parlement européen, qui a envoyé de nombreux messages vidéo à Achraf, ils sont également coupables. Lord Corbett qui commence ses messages en saluant Achraf est donc lui aussi coupable. Tout comme nos voisins d’Auvers-sur-Oise qui se sont rendus à Achraf. Et nos compatriotes que j’ai vu scander : « nous sommes tous d’Achraf ». Alors nous sommes tous d’une certaine façon coupables. Car nous sommes tous des d’Achraf et nous en sommes fiers !

Oui c’est cela le fascisme religieux. Il condamne tout le monde, sauf lui-même. Il doit être livré à sa propre justice pour qu’elle lui troue la tête avec une perceuse et que son corps mutilé de manière à le rendre méconnaissable, soit jeté dans une fosse commune.

Et ceci se passe alors que le Comité international des juristes pour la défense d’Achraf (CIJDA) a adressé des lettres officielles aux autorités américaines et irakiennes pour annoncer à plusieurs reprises que l’OMPI et les résidents de la Cité d’Achraf accueillent favorablement leur comparution devant tout tribunal international en Europe ou en Amérique du nord afin que les accusations portées par le régime et ses agents à leur encontre en Irak, fassent l’objet d’une enquête. Le CIJDA a demandé avec insistance qu’une commission d’enquête internationale, un organisme crédible lié à l’ONU, soit l’organe compétent pour examiner de manière impartiale toute accusation contre l’OMPI. Le CIJDA acceptera son jugement pour barrer la route à la désinformation et aux campagnes de diabolisation du régime des mollahs.

Je reviens aux trois millions de chi’ites irakiens et à leur déclaration. Les réactions hystériques du régime iranien et de ses agents en Irak montrent avant toute chose, l’importance de cet événement.

Oui, c’est un tournant dans la lutte du peuple irakien pour bouter hors de son pays le fascisme religieux.

C’est un tournant dans l’émergence du soutien des Irakiens à l’OMPI comme un rempart solide face au fascisme religieux sous couvert de l’islam. Et c’est un tournant pour laver la tache noire du khomeynisme du front des chi’ites et de l’islam authentique. La dictature religieuse, qui est dans une impasse en Iran, voulait en dominant l’Irak trouver une voie pour sa survie. Mais aujourd’hui on voit que le mur de la politique d’ingérence et de terrorisme en Irak s’effondre tout entier sur le régime. On voit que le front des mollahs qui se brise en Irak avec son lot de défections, entraîne dans sa chute le siège de la dictature religieuse à Téhéran.

La Cité d’Achraf ;

Pendant que la justice britannique annulait l’étiquette de terroriste de l’OMPI, la Cité d’Achraf a été la cible d’une attaque au missile des mollahs. A présent que les chi’ites irakiens se sont levés contre ce régime, Achraf est à nouveau la cible de sa vengeance.

La voix de la Cité d’Achraf retentit dans le cœur des Iraniens comme le cri de la liberté et résonne aux oreilles des mollahs comme le tocsin de leur renversement inéluctable. Car Achraf est un sommet de la résistance dont les versants et la base s’étendent dans tout l’Iran. C’est Achraf qui bat au cœur des protestations incessantes de la jeunesse iranienne et des émeutes ouvrières et des grèves étudiantes.

Rendons hommage aux héros de la Cité d’Achraf et comme le dit Massoud Radjavi « heureux les résidents de la ville la plus limpide au monde, symbole d’une belle patience et d’une victoire inéluctable. »

Le dossier nucléaire

Aujourd’hui, le peuple iranien et les peuples de tous les pays victimes du terrorisme et de l’intégrisme souffrent de la politique des pays occidentaux qui encourage le fascisme religieux. Leur politique, pour reprendre les termes de la justice britannique, est perverse et revient à une trahison parce qu’elle porte tort à la paix et à la sécurité dans le monde.Regardons le dossier nucléaire. La Résistance iranienne a révélé en 2002 les sites atomiques du régime. Ces six dernières années, la Résistance a procédé à au moins 80 révélations de divers éléments relatifs à la fabrication de la bombe atomique par le régime. Elle a été le principal facteur de la prise de conscience du monde sur le danger nucléaire du fascisme religieux. Mais les gouvernements occidentaux ont seulement fait perdre du temps au monde, et fait gagner du temps aux mollahs.Oui, quatre années de négociations et deux années de politique de mesures incitatives, soit en tout, six années de reculs successifs ; Quand les mollahs ont brisé le silence sur leurs installations nucléaires et entamé l’enrichissement de l’uranium, les gouvernements occidentaux ont reculé en adoptant la politique des paquets de mesures incitatives.

- Quand le régime a refusé la suspension permanente de l’enrichissement, le groupe des 5+1 a reculé en proposant de limiter la suspension à la période des négociations.

- Quand les mollahs ont refusé, les gouvernements occidentaux ont accepté que les mollahs ne suspendent qu’en apparence.

- Ensuite, les 5+1ont encore reculé sur l’enrichissement en demandant qu’ils n’ajoutent pas de centrifugeuses. C’est ce que M. Solana a demandé il y a deux semaines à Téhéran.

- A un moment, ils ont souligné qu’ils n’étaient pas prêts à donner de garantie sur la sécurité au régime iranien, mais après ils ont même reculé là-dessus.

L’ironie c’est que, si comme le disait Ahmadinejad son engin nucléaire n’a ni boite de vitesses ni frein, l’engin de ces messieurs, lui, n’est équipé que d’une marche arrière.

Même pour les résolutions que le Conseil de sécurité adopte, le régime dispose d’un délai de deux à trois mois.

- Tout au long de ces années, les pays occidentaux ont accepté toutes les demandes des mollahs pour réprimer l’OMPI. Selon les diplomates impliqués dans ce dossier, c’était une priorité constante du régime.

- Et finalement, après avoir parcouru un long chemin de négociations et d’encouragement, ils ont tellement permis aux mollahs d’abuser de la tromperie et d’agir dans la clandestinité, que tout à coup aux Etats-Unis, ils ont découvert que les mollahs avaient arrêté leurs activités sur la bombe atomique il y a cinq ans. En fait, s’agissait-il d’un rapport d’enquête ou d’un tour de passe-passe et d’une arnaque ?

Ces mesures incitatives et ces concessions ont rendu les mollahs tellement arrogants, qu’il y a trois jours, le général des pasdaran Laridjani, le président du parlement des mollahs, a clairement menacé que son régime allait se doter de la bombe atomique. Il a dit que si l’occident ne s’entendait pas avec le régime des mollahs, il pourrait se retrouver devant le fait accompli. El Baradei, au début du mois, avait rapporté le message des dirigeants de l’Iran comme quoi s’ils ne recevaient pas suffisamment de mesures incitatives, ils pourraient dans un proche avenir fabriquer une bombe atomique.

A propos, est-ce que plus vous graissez la patte des mollahs, plus leur appétit pour la bombe atomique grandit ?

Non, ne croyez pas que les offres de mesures incitatives soient quelque chose de nouveau !

 

La stratégie des mesures incitatives a été également choisie pour l’Irak. D’abord avec le britannique Jack Straw comme intermédiaire, les bases de l’opposition iranienne en Irak ont été bombardées. Puis, les frontières ont été laissées sans surveillance et sans défense devant ce régime. Ensuite, les mollahs ont massacré hommes, femmes et enfants avec leurs bombes et détruit le pays. Ils n’ont même pas épargné les mosquées ni les mausolées sacrés. Mais les autorités n’ont pas voulu reconnaître cette simple vérité que tous ces attentats et tous ces massacres se sont faits sur ordre des dirigeants de l’Iran et de son guide suprême. Quant au Liban, à la Palestine et à l’Afghanistan, il y a partout cette politique d’encouragement et de complaisance qui ouvre la voie à l’infiltration et l’ingérence des mollahs. Les mollahs font la promotion de cette cruauté pour dissimuler la faiblesse de leur régime face au peuple iranien. Avec arrogance, ils disent avoir islamisé le Moyen-Orient. Mais qui ne sait que le cavalier seul de Khamenei et d’Ahmadinejad, sur le train de la complaisance a été rendu possible par la faiblesse et l’infamie. Oui, le monstre de l’intégrisme, grâce aux apologistes de la complaisance, s’est étendu d’un point à l’autre de la Terre.

 

Comme il est étonnant que certains n’aient pas encore compris que le fascisme religieux fuit tout changement, parce que cela l’entraînerait immédiatement vers son renversement. Aujourd’hui ces derniers donnent moins de prix à leur opinion mais imposent au monde une guerre et une catastrophe.

A ceux qui ont accepté le marchandage et la complaisance avec ce régime, ou qui ont peur et s’inquiètent de le voir changer, nous disons ceci : Vous avez fait quatre erreurs de calcul fondamentales.

La première c’est que vous avez cru aux illusions propagées par les mollahs. Ils mettent en avant leur terrorisme et leur sauvagerie comme un signe de la puissance de leur régime décrépit et vous avez peur de lui.

Votre deuxième grossière erreur, c’est que vous ne savez pas à quel point le peuple iranien hait ce régime, ou bien vous feignez de ne pas le savoir. Les lobbies du régime propagent l’idée que face à la fermeté de la communauté internationale, comme un boycott, la population soutiendrait les mollahs et vous, vous répétez cette contre-vérité. Ne savez-vous donc pas que le peuple iranien vit un enfer aux mains de ces pilleurs, de ces bourreaux qui manient le fouet et les grues de pendaison ?

Votre troisième grande erreur, c’est de ne pas voir la situation explosive de la société en Iran. Le régime et ses partisans veulent occulter le désir ardent des Iraniens pour un changement démocratique. Ils veulent utiliser le mouvement international pour la paix au service de la complaisance et de la paix avec le fascisme religieux.

Votre quatrième erreur, c’est de n’avoir pas pris en compte la véritable solution de la crise iranienne.

Avec leur campagne de diabolisation contre la résistance, les mollahs essaient de faire croire l’inverse sur sa crédibilité, sa légitimité et ses racines profondes dans la société, comme s’il n’existait pas de force capable de les renverser.Certes, la crise iranienne est un problème de taille. Mais il y a une main qui délie les nœuds et c’est la Résistance iranienne. C’est une résistance qui allume le moteur des mouvements sociaux et des grandes révoltes en Iran. C’est une résistance qui, en s’appuyant sur ces Moudjahidine du peuple, est considérée comme l’antithèse du fascisme sous le couvert de l’islam et du chi’isme, qui ces trente dernières années a anéanti les bases soi-disant islamiques de ce régime aux yeux du peuple iranien et qui a dénoncé sa démagogie. C’est une résistance qui porte l’étendard de la troisième voie et ce sont le combat et le dévouement de ses membres et sympathisants qui feront triompher la Troisième Voie.Une résistance dirigée par Massoud Radjavi qui a cristallisé l’idéal de la liberté du peuple iranien dans un mouvement puissant aux racines profondes et qui l’a renforcé au fil des tempêtes et des épreuves. De sorte qu’il a pu faire jaillir du cœur du fléau et des malheurs successifs de grands acquis, et qu’il a pu dans les circonstances les plus complexes des trente dernières années, faire avancer une ligne fondée sur des principes. Avec une patience remplie de souffrances, au prix du plus grand tribut, il a fait apparaître l’horizon de la victoire. Oui, il est vrai que dans le ciel du désespoir, il a fait briller l’étoile de l’espérance.

Permettez-moi ici de m’adresser à nos amis étrangers et particulièrement à nos chers amis français qui se trouvent à nos côtés dans le vaste front de la lutte contre l’intégrisme.

La situation en Iran ;

Cela fait trois ans que le fascisme religieux, avec l’arrivée d’Ahmadinejad a accentué de manière sans précédent la répression, les pendaisons et les amputations. La vie et l’état d’esprit de nos compatriotes sont rythmés nuit et jour par les rafles, les exécutions et les coups de fouet.

Cependant, il y a quatre jours, le mollah Chahroudi, chef du judiciaire du régime, qui se présentait lui-même auparavant comme un Irakien et président du Conseil suprême de la révolution islamique en Irak, a cruellement appelé à davantage de peines de fouet, en déclarant avec cynisme à la télévision d’Etat : « nous pouvons utiliser le fouet en de nombreuses occasions, malheureusement nos juges se laissent influencer par une certaine propagande formaliste et superficielle dans le monde contre ce châtiment. Il y en a beaucoup qui n’apprécient pas la méthode du fouet, mais je pense qu’un des meilleurs châtiments, un des châtiments les plus juridiques, les plus juste c’est le fouet… Il est dissuasif… une des options sur laquelle nous insistons dans le code pénal islamique, c’est le fouet et même de transformer les peines de prisons en équivalent de coups de fouet. »

Malgré tout, jamais la société iranienne n’a autant protesté. Ces trois dernières années, en moyenne, chaque année, il y a eu 4700 mouvements de protestation. Je rends hommage à tous ces soulèvements glorieux et à tous leurs martyrs, leurs prisonniers dans tout l’Iran.

Ces trois dernières années, le nombre de manifestants tués dans les rues et le nombre d’opposants politiques qui ont été pendus se montent à au mois 200. Les mollahs voient dans chaque adolescent et chaque jeune révolté un combattant dans la bataille pour renverser leur régime. L’an dernier, environ 300 personnes ont été victimes d’assassinats arbitraires commis par les agents de sécurité dans la rue.

Le nombre de ceux qui ont été emprisonnés pour cause de « troubles à l’ordre public », se monte, selon les autorités du régime, « entre 10 et 15.000 personnes ». Et le nombre de prisons clandestines se monte à plus d’une centaine. Oui, des milliers de prison, des milliers de salles de torture et des milliers de centres d’exécution sont le prix pour préserver leur pouvoir. La semaine dernière le mollah Dori Najaf Abadi, procureur général du régime a annoncé : « le pays est exposé au danger des tempêtes internationales. » Il a évoqué les « longues frontières de l’est et de l’ouest du pays » et a déclaré que « les responsables du pays doivent adopter des mesures afin de prévenir les incidents et les sources de préoccupations sociales » car « les ennemis de la république islamique ne veulent pas que l’Iran islamique connaisse la sécurité ». Mais nous disons aux tyrans au pouvoir : Attendez ! Le décret de l’histoire et la volonté des combattants du peuple iranien traverseront chaque prison, chaque mur et chaque rempart pour fondre sur vous.

Une crise économique aigüe:

Les mollahs sont en situation de renversement et sont dépourvus de toute légitimité politique et religieuse. Et ils sont encerclés par la colère populaire. Aujourd’hui, ils ne s’appuient que sur une infime minorité. Dans la farce électorale, selon les propres chiffres du régime, le plus grand nombre de voix remportées dans les grandes villes par ceux qui sont entrés au parlement, ne s’élevait qu’à 6 ou 14 %.

Mais la véritable base du régime, ce sont les gardiens de la révolution, les miliciens du Bassidj et les services de renseignements. Ce nombre constitue à peine 3 % de la population iranienne.

Voilà la réalité de la dictature religieuse. Une minorité de 3% !

Alors nous disons aux mollahs : Mais ne prétendez-vous pas que votre régime est soutenu par le peuple ? Alors, pourquoi refusez-vous les élections libres ? Et maintenant une journée, juste une journée, posez les fouets à terre et enlevez les grues à pendaison, pour que l’on voie clairement face au soulèvement de la population excédée combien de temps vous pourrez durer. Face à la vague de la colère populaire, vos gardiens de la révolution fuiront à toute vitesse. En moins d’heure qu’il n’en a fallu aux soldats du dernier chah d’Iran pour enlever leurs uniformes et s’enfuir en courant.

Cette situation, c’est-à-dire la phase terminale du régime, se manifeste aussi dans la crise économique actuelle. Cette année, sur les 100 milliards de dollars de budget public, environ 13 milliards ont été consacrés aux affaires militaires et 4 milliards à la sécurité et au terrorisme. Dans le budget de l’année en cours, 33 milliards de dollars, sous le nom de budget divers, ont été alloués au cabinet d’Ahmadinejad. Ce qui signifie qu’annuellement, un tiers du budget public part dans des affaires secrètes. Aux dires d’un ancien député du régime, sur les revenus de ces trois dernières années, la somme de 63 milliards de dollars a été perdue et nul ne sait où elle est passée. De 2006 jusqu’à présent, 32 milliards de tomans des revenus pétroliers ne sont pas rentrés au trésor public.

Le résultat de cette situation, c’est la faillite des secteurs industriel, agricole et des services. Le ministre du pétrole d’Ahmadinejad a déclaré : La situation du pétrole iranien aujourd’hui ressemble à celle de l’armée du chah en 1978 à la veille de la révolution. Le pain depuis l’année dernière est devenu deux fois plus cher.

Le prix du riz a triplé. 120 villes et 6000 villages ont des problèmes d’eau potables. Les ouvriers se font licencier par fournées entières, les femmes opprimées se suicident et s’immolent par le feu les unes après les autres, chaque soir 6 millions de personnes s’endorment le ventre tenaillé par la faim et 60 millions d’Iraniens vivent sous le seuil de la pauvreté. Une grave crise économique qui menace aussi gravement l’existence du régime. 10 millions de chômeurs, 8 millions d’habitants des banlieues des grandes villes et des millions de jeunes révoltés, forment la force pour renverser ce régime.

Le programme du CNRI pour l’Iran de demain:

Les mollahs crient qu’ils maintiendront pour l’éternité le fascisme religieux absolu au pouvoir. Les tenants de la complaisance nous disent que la liberté est un rêve qu’il faut oublier. Les apologistes du régime disent que le peuple ne veut pas s’engager à nouveau dans un changement de régime. Ils ironisent en nous disant que le sacrifice et la quête de la liberté sont des antiquités qui appartiennent l’histoire et disent que ces fleurs dispersées par le vent se sont sacrifiées pour rien. Mais nous disons qu’il existe une ferveur et une force au cœur de la société et de l’histoire de l’Iran et qu’il existe une soif ardente de liberté parmi les opprimés que la conception basée sur l’humiliation et la reddition ne comprend absolument pas. C’est ce flot d’énergie retenu et d’espoirs enchaînés, et cet amour infini de la liberté qui arrachera sur son passage toutes les chaînes comme un torrent.

Nous sommes convaincus de l’émergence d’une force que rien au monde ne pourra retenir.

Oui, C’est un soleil qui se lève, le ciel s’illumine lentement, et le soleil de la liberté pointe à l’horizon

Le jour viendra où chaque Iranien bénéficiera du droit à la vie, du droit à la liberté et du droit à la sécurité et où tous seront égaux face à la justice.

Le jour viendra où l’aube joyeuse de la liberté illuminera la vie du peuple iranien. La liberté d’expression, la liberté de pensée, la liberté de culte, la liberté de la presse, la liberté de vêtements.

Le jour viendra où la vie dans l’enfer du fascisme religieux deviendra la vie dans une société démocratique. Pour que chaque personne ait le droit de participer aux décisions concernant les affaires politiques les plus importantes de sa propre société et le droit de changer de régime.

Le jour viendra où à la place de ce désert brûlant, on verra éclore cent fleurs dans chaque coin d’Iran ; avec la liberté de chaque opinion, chaque parti, chaque assemblée et chaque formation et syndicat.

Le jour viendra où les gouffres sombres de l’obscurantisme se transformeront en vastes plaines verdoyantes de modération et de tolérance, où aucune religion n’aura de droit ni de privilège spéciaux et où personne pour sa croyance ou sa non croyance en une religion ne sera privé de ses droits et où la religion sera séparée de l’Etat.

Le jour viendra où les ténèbres de la répression et de la discrimination contre les femmes iraniennes disparaitront et où l’égalité des femmes et des hommes conduira la société iranienne vers un autre monde, et ce jour est très proche.

 

Ainsi donc, « Au nom du bonheur de la nation iranienne et dans le but de contribuer à la paix mondiale » et pour réaliser l’idéal du 20 juin 1981 et de la bataille de Lumière éternelle en 1988, j’appelle à développer la lutte pour le renversement du fascisme religieux.

 

jeudi, 03 juillet 2008

Summer Night (1886)

 

Artist: Eilif Peterssen

 

Eilif Peterssen was one of six painters who spent the summer of 1886 on Fleskum Farm in Bærum outside of Kristiania; the other five were Christian Skredsvig, Gerhard Munthe, Erik Werenskiold, Kitty Kielland, and Harriet Backer. Inspired by the bright evenings of the Norwegian summer, they created a number of atmospheric landscape paintings. This was the dawn of neo-romanticism, which would prove to be one of the main strands of Norwegian art until the turn of the century.

 

Peterssen’s most significant contribution is Summer Night, a lyrical depiction of a local lake, Dæhlivannet, in soft lighting. The surface of the lake is entirely serene, reflecting a pale, waxing moon and a few clouds that are red in the night sky. The artist has depicted the scene so close up that the tree trunk in the foreground almost seems tangible. To the left lies the uprooted trunk of a birch, which adds perspective to the picture; the composition is otherwise balanced and the colours are subdued.

 

The following year Peterssen painted a near identical version, entitled Nocturne, in which a female nude in the guise of a nymph leant forward toward the tree trunk in the foreground. The depiction harkens back to his years at the academy, but might also have been inspired by French painting.

 

The atmospheric neo-romantic paintings form a contrast to the bright, impartially observational plein-air paintings that were otherwise so typical of this era, as represented by for example Erik Werenskiold and Gerhard Munthe. Kitty Kielland’s Summer Night is akin to Peterssen’s depiction of the same scene, but shows a larger portion of Dæhlivannet.

________________________________________________

 

www.visitoslo.com/en/articles/national-museum/

 

On 11 June 2022 the new National Museum opened in Oslo. This is the largest museum in the Nordics. The new museum now consists of the collections of the former National Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design.

 

The new museum has a permanent exhibition of about 6 500 objects. Design, arts and crafts, fine art as well as contemporary art will be exhibited alongside each other. As such, the permanent exhibition highlights interesting connections between different collections that previously have been on show at three different museums. Additionally, audiences will be able to see the most famous paintings by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, including The Scream (1893) and Madonna (1894).

 

The building was designed by Kleihues + Schuwerk Gesellschaft von Architekten, with emphasis on dignity and longevity over sensationalist architecture. Great care was given to achieve a balance with the museum’s surroundings and the existing monuments in the area, such as Oslo City Hall and Akershus Fortress.

 

The most eye-catching feature of the new museum is the large, illuminated exhibition hall on top of the building. It will be used for temporary exhibitions.

 

The rooftop terrace offers a unique view of the inner Oslo fjord. The square in front of the main entrance has become an urban meeting place, with benches and a café that invites you in to take a rest.

 

www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/visit/locations/the-national-mus...

 

news.artnet.com/opinion/new-national-museum-norway-2129606

 

www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2022/06/14/what-to-expect...

...

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has welcomed 100 new police officers to the ranks.

 

The new recruits were sworn in at an attestation ceremony at Harrop Fold School last night, 14 June 2017 in the presence of Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling and over 200 guests.

 

Magistrates Mike Phillips and Stephen Paine were in attendance to witness the swearing of the oath.

 

Family and friends of the new officers watched on proudly as each of them made an oath to uphold the office of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

A moment of relax.

 

Kabul, Afghanistan, June 2012.

 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. The ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It directs and coordinates the international activities conducted by the Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

 

THE ICRC has been permanently present in Afghanistan since 1987, and the orthopaedic programme was one of its first activities. The ICRC orthopaedic center opened in Kabul in 1988. More than 90,000 Afghan disabled have been assisted through it. Those are combatants and civilians caught up in fighting, hurt during bombardments, or struck by landmines. At present the ICRC directly manages six orthopaedic center in Afghanistan and supports four non-ICRC prosthetic workshops.

 

Of close to 200 employees running Kabul orthopaedic center, including a large hospital and workshops producing prostheses and wheelchairs, all are disabled themselves. The whole center is effectively run by people who had been affected by warfare, loosing limbs, but not losing their spirit.

 

Some of ICRC workers and patients have, under the leadership of Alberto Cairo, legendary head of the center, started a wheelchair basketball team, and practice almost every day after office hours. In June 2012 first wheelchair basketball tournament took place in Afghanistan. Kabul team did not win although they gave a tough fight.

 

It’s been a moving experience to see them practising and playing, an experience that cannot be forgotten.

 

More about the work of ICRC www.icrc.org

 

Texts partially quoted after ICRC.

THE SWEENEY Sydney movie premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema...

 

THE SWEENEY enjoyed its Sydney, Australia, premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema tonight.

 

A cocktail reception was hosted by Peroni and Hoyts Distribution/Studio Canal at the beautiful Mrs Macquaries Point location - adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

 

Promo...

 

St.George OpenAir Cinema brings you the Sydney premiere of the stylish, exhilarating action thriller THE SWEENEY, directed by Nick Love and starring Ray Winstone (The Departed, Indiana Jones), and Ben Drew (Harry Brown, Adulthood).

 

Inspired by the 70s television police drama of the same name, THE SWEENEY is the story of a hard-nosed and controversial branch of the Metropolitan Police, the Flying Squad, who specialise in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London.

 

Synopsis...

 

The film begins with Flying Squad officers Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his loyal partner George Carter (Ben Drew) arriving at the scene of a warehouse robbery, where four armed men are attempting to steal a stash of gold bars. Regan and Carter manage to capture all four suspects, but Regan illegally takes some of the gold bars from the stash, to give to his informant Harry (Alan Ford). Internal investigations arrive to carry out an investigation into Regan's activities, but officer Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) has more than a procedural beef with Regan - he has discovered that Regan has been having sex with his wife, fellow flying squad officer Nancy (Hayley Atwell). Meanwhile, Regan receives a tip-off about a planned robbery on a bank, but has to pull surveillance on the operation when an armed robbery at a small time jewellery store leaves £200,000 of jewellery in the hands of a dangerous criminal, and one otherwise impartial civilian dead. Regan suspects old foe Francis Allen (Paul Anderson) is responsible, but without evidence, has no way of nailing him. When it is discovered that Allen is in tow with a dangerous Serbian criminal, Regan goes all out to catch those responsible and bring them to justice - against the word of his boss Frank Haskins (Damian Lewis), and at the price of the death of one of his most beloved.

 

Cast...

 

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan

Ben Drew as Detective Constable George Carter

Damian Lewis as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins

Hayley Atwell as Detective Constable Nancy Lewis

Allen Leech as Detective Constable Simon Ellis

Steven Mackintosh as Detective Chief Inspector Ivan Lewis

Steven Waddington as Detective Constable Miller

Caroline Chikezie as Detective Constable Clarke

Kara Tointon as Megan

Paul Anderson as Francis Allen

Alan Ford as Harry

 

Websites

 

St George OpenAir

www.stgeorgeopenair.com.au

 

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

THE SWEENEY Sydney movie premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema...

 

THE SWEENEY enjoyed its Sydney, Australia, premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema tonight.

 

A cocktail reception was hosted by Peroni and Hoyts Distribution/Studio Canal at the beautiful Mrs Macquaries Point location - adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

 

Promo...

 

St.George OpenAir Cinema brings you the Sydney premiere of the stylish, exhilarating action thriller THE SWEENEY, directed by Nick Love and starring Ray Winstone (The Departed, Indiana Jones), and Ben Drew (Harry Brown, Adulthood).

 

Inspired by the 70s television police drama of the same name, THE SWEENEY is the story of a hard-nosed and controversial branch of the Metropolitan Police, the Flying Squad, who specialise in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London.

 

Synopsis...

 

The film begins with Flying Squad officers Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his loyal partner George Carter (Ben Drew) arriving at the scene of a warehouse robbery, where four armed men are attempting to steal a stash of gold bars. Regan and Carter manage to capture all four suspects, but Regan illegally takes some of the gold bars from the stash, to give to his informant Harry (Alan Ford). Internal investigations arrive to carry out an investigation into Regan's activities, but officer Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) has more than a procedural beef with Regan - he has discovered that Regan has been having sex with his wife, fellow flying squad officer Nancy (Hayley Atwell). Meanwhile, Regan receives a tip-off about a planned robbery on a bank, but has to pull surveillance on the operation when an armed robbery at a small time jewellery store leaves £200,000 of jewellery in the hands of a dangerous criminal, and one otherwise impartial civilian dead. Regan suspects old foe Francis Allen (Paul Anderson) is responsible, but without evidence, has no way of nailing him. When it is discovered that Allen is in tow with a dangerous Serbian criminal, Regan goes all out to catch those responsible and bring them to justice - against the word of his boss Frank Haskins (Damian Lewis), and at the price of the death of one of his most beloved.

 

Cast...

 

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan

Ben Drew as Detective Constable George Carter

Damian Lewis as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins

Hayley Atwell as Detective Constable Nancy Lewis

Allen Leech as Detective Constable Simon Ellis

Steven Mackintosh as Detective Chief Inspector Ivan Lewis

Steven Waddington as Detective Constable Miller

Caroline Chikezie as Detective Constable Clarke

Kara Tointon as Megan

Paul Anderson as Francis Allen

Alan Ford as Harry

 

Websites

 

St George OpenAir

www.stgeorgeopenair.com.au

 

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (or Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Bengali: শ্যামাপ্রসাদ মুখোপাধ্যায় Shêmproshad Mukhopaddhae) (July 6, 1901 – June 23, 1953) was a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, after the differences with Pandit Nehru.

Early life

Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901 in Kolkata. His father was Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, a well-respected advocate in Bengal, who became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, and his mother was Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee.

Mookerjee obtained his degrees from the University of Calcutta. He graduated in English securing the first position in first class in 1921 and also did MA in 1923 and BL in 1924. He became a fellow of the Senate in 1923. He enrolled as an advocate in Calcutta High Court in 1924 after his father had died shortly after losing to Syed Hasan Imam at Patna high court. Subsequently he left for England in 1926 to study at Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister in 1927. At the age of 33, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta (1934), and held the office till 1938.

Political career

He was elected as member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, as an Indian National Congress candidate representing Calcutta University but resigned next year when Congress decided to boycott the legislature. Subsequently, he contested the election as an independent candidate and got elected. He was the Finance minister of Bengal Province during 1941-42.

He emerged as a spokesman for Hindus and shortly joined Hindu Mahasabha and in 1944, he became the President. Dr. Mookerjee was political leader who felt the need to counteract the communalist and separatist Muslim League of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding either exaggerated Muslim rights or a Muslim state of Pakistan.

Dr.Mookerjee adopted causes to protect Hindus against what he believed to be the communal propaganda and the divisive agenda of the Muslim League. Mookerjee and his future followers would always cite inherent Hindu practices of tolerance and communal respect as the reason for a healthy, prosperous and safe Muslim population in the country in the first place.

Dr.Mookerjee was initially a strong opponent of the Partition of India, but following the communal riots of 1946-47, Mookerjee strongly disfavored Hindus continuing to live in a Muslim-dominated state and under a government controlled by the Muslim League.

On 11 February 1941 S P Mookerjee told a Hindu rally that if Muslims wanted to live in Pakistan they should "pack their bag and baggage and leave India... (to) wherever they like".[1]

Dr.Mookerjee supported the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan;[2] he also opposed a failed bid for a united but independent Bengal made in 1947 by Sarat Bose, the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali Muslim politician.

He wanted the Hindu Mahasabha not to be restricted to Hindus alone or work as apolitical body for the service of masses. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by a Hindu fanatic, the Mahasabha was blamed chiefly for the heinous act and became deeply unpopular. Mookerjee himself condemned the murder.

Post-independence

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inducted him in the Interim Central Government as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee was widely respected by many Indians and also by members of the Indian National Congress, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of its chief leaders.

But on issue of the 1950 Delhi Pact with Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, Dr.Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Mookerjee was firmly against Nehru's invitation to the Pakistani PM, and their joint pact to establish minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries. He wanted to hold Pakistan directly responsible for the terrible influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the state fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the state. Mookerjee considered Nehru's actions as appeasement, and was hailed as a hero by the people of West Bengal.[citation needed]

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) on October 21, 1951, following his parting ways with Nehru.[3] The BJS was ideologically close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and widely considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism. It was opposed to appeasement of India's Muslims, and favoured free-market economics as opposed to the socialist policies pursued by Nehru. The BJS also favored a uniform civil code governing personal law matters for both Hindus and Muslims, wanted to ban cow slaughter and end the special status given to the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJS founded the Hindutva agenda which became the wider political expression of India's Hindu majority. He was also influential with the more conservative members within the Congress.

In the 1952 general elections to the Parliament of India, Dr. Mookerjee and the BJS won three seats.

Dr.Shyama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).

Dr. Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died as detenu on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.

Shaheed...........

Dr. Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house.[4] Dr. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same.[citation needed] He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on June 23, 1953.

It was strongly rumored that he was poisoned in custody and Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru had conspired to do the same.No post-mortem was ordered in total disregard of the rule. Maulana Azad, who was acting Prime Minister ( in absence of Nehru, who was away in London ), did not allow body to be brought to Delhi and dead body was directly flown to Calcutta.[4]

His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogmaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had enquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him, there was no mystery behind Dr. Mookerjee's death. Jogmaya Devi did not accept Nehru's reply and requested the setting up of an impartial enquiry. Nehru however ignored the letter and no enquiry commission was set up. Mookerjee's death therefore remains a matter of some controversy.[5] Atal Behari Vajpayee claimed in 2004 that the death of Mookherjee was a "Nehru conspiracy".[6]

However, it was Mookherjee's martyrdom, which later compelled, Nehru to remove Permit system, post of Sadar-e-Riayasat and of Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.[7]

Legacy

Along with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Dr. Mookerjee is considered the godfather of Hindu nationalism in India, especially the Hindutva movement.Though Dr.Mookerjee was not associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he is widely revered by members and supporters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

On April 22, 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi's newly constructed Rs. 650-crore building (the tallest building in Delhi) was named "Doctor Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre".[8] The Civic Centre was inaugurated by Home Minister P Chidambaram. The building, which will cater to an estimated 20,000 visitors per day, will also house different wings and offices of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi also has a major road named after Dr. S.P. Mukherjee.

On August 27, 1998, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation named a bridge after Mookerjee.[9]

A BEST bus junction near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) and Regal Cinema in Mumbai is named as "Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk" in his honour.

In 2001, the main research funding institute of the Government of India, CSIR instituted a new fellowship named after him. The Shyama Prasad Mukhejee Fellowship is the most prestigious fellowship given in India for doing PhD. Only the top 20% students who clear the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF CSIR/UGC) are eligible to sit for this examination.

   

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (or Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Bengali: শ্যামাপ্রসাদ মুখোপাধ্যায় Shêmproshad Mukhopaddhae) (July 6, 1901 – June 23, 1953) was a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, after the differences with Pandit Nehru.

Early life

Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901 in Kolkata. His father was Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, a well-respected advocate in Bengal, who became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, and his mother was Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee.

Mookerjee obtained his degrees from the University of Calcutta. He graduated in English securing the first position in first class in 1921 and also did MA in 1923 and BL in 1924. He became a fellow of the Senate in 1923. He enrolled as an advocate in Calcutta High Court in 1924 after his father had died shortly after losing to Syed Hasan Imam at Patna high court. Subsequently he left for England in 1926 to study at Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister in 1927. At the age of 33, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta (1934), and held the office till 1938.

Political career

He was elected as member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, as an Indian National Congress candidate representing Calcutta University but resigned next year when Congress decided to boycott the legislature. Subsequently, he contested the election as an independent candidate and got elected. He was the Finance minister of Bengal Province during 1941-42.

He emerged as a spokesman for Hindus and shortly joined Hindu Mahasabha and in 1944, he became the President. Dr. Mookerjee was political leader who felt the need to counteract the communalist and separatist Muslim League of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding either exaggerated Muslim rights or a Muslim state of Pakistan.

Dr.Mookerjee adopted causes to protect Hindus against what he believed to be the communal propaganda and the divisive agenda of the Muslim League. Mookerjee and his future followers would always cite inherent Hindu practices of tolerance and communal respect as the reason for a healthy, prosperous and safe Muslim population in the country in the first place.

Dr.Mookerjee was initially a strong opponent of the Partition of India, but following the communal riots of 1946-47, Mookerjee strongly disfavored Hindus continuing to live in a Muslim-dominated state and under a government controlled by the Muslim League.

On 11 February 1941 S P Mookerjee told a Hindu rally that if Muslims wanted to live in Pakistan they should "pack their bag and baggage and leave India... (to) wherever they like".[1]

Dr.Mookerjee supported the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan;[2] he also opposed a failed bid for a united but independent Bengal made in 1947 by Sarat Bose, the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali Muslim politician.

He wanted the Hindu Mahasabha not to be restricted to Hindus alone or work as apolitical body for the service of masses. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by a Hindu fanatic, the Mahasabha was blamed chiefly for the heinous act and became deeply unpopular. Mookerjee himself condemned the murder.

Post-independence

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inducted him in the Interim Central Government as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee was widely respected by many Indians and also by members of the Indian National Congress, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of its chief leaders.

But on issue of the 1950 Delhi Pact with Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, Dr.Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Mookerjee was firmly against Nehru's invitation to the Pakistani PM, and their joint pact to establish minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries. He wanted to hold Pakistan directly responsible for the terrible influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the state fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the state. Mookerjee considered Nehru's actions as appeasement, and was hailed as a hero by the people of West Bengal.[citation needed]

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) on October 21, 1951, following his parting ways with Nehru.[3] The BJS was ideologically close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and widely considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism. It was opposed to appeasement of India's Muslims, and favoured free-market economics as opposed to the socialist policies pursued by Nehru. The BJS also favored a uniform civil code governing personal law matters for both Hindus and Muslims, wanted to ban cow slaughter and end the special status given to the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJS founded the Hindutva agenda which became the wider political expression of India's Hindu majority. He was also influential with the more conservative members within the Congress.

In the 1952 general elections to the Parliament of India, Dr. Mookerjee and the BJS won three seats.

Dr.Shyama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).

Dr. Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died as detenu on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.

Shaheed...........

Dr. Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house.[4] Dr. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same.[citation needed] He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on June 23, 1953.

It was strongly rumored that he was poisoned in custody and Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru had conspired to do the same.No post-mortem was ordered in total disregard of the rule. Maulana Azad, who was acting Prime Minister ( in absence of Nehru, who was away in London ), did not allow body to be brought to Delhi and dead body was directly flown to Calcutta.[4]

His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogmaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had enquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him, there was no mystery behind Dr. Mookerjee's death. Jogmaya Devi did not accept Nehru's reply and requested the setting up of an impartial enquiry. Nehru however ignored the letter and no enquiry commission was set up. Mookerjee's death therefore remains a matter of some controversy.[5] Atal Behari Vajpayee claimed in 2004 that the death of Mookherjee was a "Nehru conspiracy".[6]

However, it was Mookherjee's martyrdom, which later compelled, Nehru to remove Permit system, post of Sadar-e-Riayasat and of Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.[7]

Legacy

Along with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Dr. Mookerjee is considered the godfather of Hindu nationalism in India, especially the Hindutva movement.Though Dr.Mookerjee was not associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he is widely revered by members and supporters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

On April 22, 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi's newly constructed Rs. 650-crore building (the tallest building in Delhi) was named "Doctor Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre".[8] The Civic Centre was inaugurated by Home Minister P Chidambaram. The building, which will cater to an estimated 20,000 visitors per day, will also house different wings and offices of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi also has a major road named after Dr. S.P. Mukherjee.

On August 27, 1998, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation named a bridge after Mookerjee.[9]

A BEST bus junction near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) and Regal Cinema in Mumbai is named as "Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk" in his honour.

In 2001, the main research funding institute of the Government of India, CSIR instituted a new fellowship named after him. The Shyama Prasad Mukhejee Fellowship is the most prestigious fellowship given in India for doing PhD. Only the top 20% students who clear the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF CSIR/UGC) are eligible to sit for this examination.

   

Agriculture - Industry - Marine Survey & Inspection Group (AIM Control) in Viet Nam and Worldwide. AIM Control is an independent inspection company acting globally and providing a complete range of inspection, quality goods control and consulting service to trade and industry as well as governmental buying organizations.

   

ACTIVITIES:

   

Certification

 

Inspection & Survey, Superintendence

 

Quality Goods Control Inspection & Adjuster

 

Third Party Inspection & Laboratory Services

 

Technical Consultancy & Engineering Control

 

Diving and Underwater Works

     

BUSINESS LINES:

   

Agriculture - Industry – Marine Operations

 

Consumer - Manufacture Testing

 

Governments and Institutions

 

Minerals

 

Oil gas - Chemical - Offshore

 

Systems and Service Certification

 

Outsourcing

 

Risk Management

   

It would be very happy for AIM Control to be nominated as independent Agency & Inspection, Survey Company and/ or Representative on behalf of your company in Vietnam and worldwide. We would like to take the opportunity to sign in co-operation with your company with an Agent Agreement Contract.

     

It is pleasure to introduce ourselves to you, our Group: Agriculture - Industry - Marine Survey & Inspection Group (AIM Control), Vietnam and Worldwide

   

1. Background

 

1.1. Agriculture – Industry – Marine Inspection and Survey Group (AIM Control), Our Group was founded with 30% share capital from the Multinational Group holdings and its business operated under Business Register Certificate No. 4103003457 to meet the requirements of our clients and comply with the requirements of the Vietnam Government and International Rules for Survey, Inspection, and Consultant & Superintendence.

 

1.2. As from its foundation, AIM Control has provided a full range of survey, inspection and superintendence services to domestic and foreign clients since 1993 via its prompt and accurate for commodities, non-commodities, others and as well consultant, property appraisal in Industry, Marine and Agriculture fields. Most important of all, we offer a high level of attention to the needs of our customers.

 

1.3. Our experienced surveyors/inspectors are committed to understanding each client's particular situation and survey/inspection objectives. We do our best to provide the kind of information, analysis and advice that will assist our clients in making informed and comfortable decisions.

 

1.3. AIM Control has established and applied Quality Management System in conformity with ISO 9001: 2000 by BVQI London. The scope of services offered and the techniques and procedures applied are constantly adapted to the demands of the market place. The company is member of IFIA, GAFTA, FOSFA, THE SUGAR ASSOCIATION and corresponding associations and has been certified for ISO 45001, 45004, 45012 ( ISO 17020, 17025 ).

 

1.4. The Logo of AIM Control was registered at National Office of Industrial Property belonging directly to Ministry of Science, Industry and Environment.

 

1.5. Our Mission promotes improvements in quality, health, safety, and environmental and technical standards through the publication of guidance and information notes, codes of practice, and by other appropriate means to our staff and the Vietnamese community.

 

1.6. AIM Control provides inspection & survey services by National & International Inspector, Surveyor who meet the qualifications of the Inspector, Surveyors. The term Inspector, Surveyor refers to a National & International Commissioned Inspector, Surveyor as defined in this document.

 

1.7. Administrative Criteria of AIM Control demonstrates exclusive administrative and technical supervision of the surveyor, inspector's activities.

   

1.8. Independence, Impartiality and Integrity

 

General: The personnel of AIM Control shall be free from any financial and other pressures which might affect their judgment. Procedures shall be implemented to ensure that persons or organizations external to AIM Control; cannot influence the results of inspections carried out.

 

Independence: AIM Control shall be independent to the extent that is required with regard to the conditions under which it performs its services. It shall meet the criteria described: shall be independent of the parties involved; its staff responsible for carrying out the inspection, survey shall not be the designer, manufacturer or supplier of the items which they inspect, nor the authorized representative of any of these parties; shall not engage in any activities that may conflict with their independence of judgment and integrity in relation to their inspection, survey activities.

 

1.9. Organization and Management

 

AIM Control has the capability to perform its technical functions satisfactorily, as described in Paragraph 1.10.

 

AIM Control defines and document the responsibilities and reporting structure of the organization.

 

In some case of the inspection, survey, AIM Control shall employ one or more high-technology supervisor(s)/technical manager(s) and equipment(s)/device(s) however named, who have the overall responsibility for carrying out inspection activities in accordance with this document, and to monitor the performance of the inspector, surveyor. The supervisor/technical manager shall provide instructions to Inspectors, Surveyors specifying their respective duties and responsibilities, including the duty to perform inspections in accordance with department requirements.

   

1.10. Technical Management

 

Management controls to ensure development and implementation of a quality process.

 

Verify its technical capability with respect to inspection, examination, repair, alteration or other core competencies.

 

Provide for initial and ongoing training to maintain the competence of its personnel.

   

1.11. Evaluation for Membership Certificate of AIM Control

 

Membership required a survey at a location or locations where the applicant's inspection activities are controlled. The applicant shall specify the location(s) at which the quality program will be fully demonstrated. The applicant must provide the formal name of the agency and under what department it was formed. It is not necessary to survey each regional office or location covered by the same program provided documentation is made available to the survey team. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate the applicant's quality program including its implementation.

   

1.12. Issuance of Certificate and/or Report

 

The Certificate and/or Report will be promptly completed to the client upon request.

   

2. Members

 

2.1 Membership of AIM Control is available to companies and organizations active in the survey, inspection, consultant profession. The company's service organization is present in all major countries of all continents either with own Branch Offices or through Team Offices and is co-ordinated by the Head Offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:

   

Toa Consultant Co., Ltd. in Marine Consultants & Ship Designs and of Panama Marine Survey & Certificate Services Inc, (PMSCS) – Malta Flag in Japan

 

Cesmec WSS S.A. Group in Chile

 

Overseas Associate Surveyors Brazil Ltd.

 

BASE SPA in Italy

 

Henderson International Iran Ltd

 

International Goods Inspection Company

 

Asian Divers & Equipment Sdn. Bhd.

 

VDL Marine Services (Pty) Ltd in Seychelles

 

Carsurin Co., Ltd, and PT. Andisha Sompa Co. in Indonesia

 

Global Surveyors & Inspectors Ltd. in Korea

 

Triumph Marine S.A. in Bulgaria

 

M/s J.C Gupta & Co., Pvt. Ltd. in India

 

Asian Divers & Equipment SDN BHD. in Malaysia

 

Hyopsung Surveyors & Adjusters Group in Korea

 

International Register of Shipping in USA

 

Eurogal Surveys Co., Ltd. (ESC) in Cambodia

 

MACOSNAR GROUP in Panama

 

BroadPulsee Group in North America

 

European Operations Group (“GMG”) in U.K

 

P & F S.r.l. (STCR) in Italy

 

BULCARGO Ltd.,7, VasilDrumev Str., BG-9002 Varna, Bulgaria

     

2.2 Our Clients are Ship Owners, Cargo, Shippers, Consignees, Chatterers, P&I, H&M & Cargo Underwriters, Banks, Lawyers, Shipyards, Enterprises, Group, Group, Shippers, Consignees, and some Government and Official bodies and the International Associations and any of its clients.

   

3. Personnel

 

3.1 Staff of the office is variously Members or Fellows of the Institute of Marine Engineers, The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, The Nautical Institute and The Society of Consulting Marine Engineers & Ship Surveyors, in The Marine Technical Consultants’ Association, having the Professional Qualifications Marine, Diver, Construction & Architecture, Environment, Design, and Industrial & Electrical Engineers.

 

3.2 Key of our personnel, CEO. Nguyen Te Nhan, Master Ha Van Truong and Marine Pilot, Eng. Tran Duc Nhat, Capt. Nguyen An Thanh, Marine Chief Electrical Eng. Le Quang Dat, Electrical Industry Eng. Nguyen Hai Phong, Marine Dive Master Nguyen Hoang Hung, Master of Architecture Pham Ngoc Thao, Construction Eng. Nguyen Van Khoa, Construction Eng. Tran Duy An, Business Accountant Management Dang Viet Ha, Business Economical Management Nguyen Sy Huy, Master-Engineer Officer Nguyen Ngoc Phu, Chief Engineer Nguyen Dinh Hung.

 

4. Equipment

 

4.1 In Marine, Industry Fields, We carry equipment for shipping casualty investigations such as the normal still & motion picture photography including digital photography for transferring photographs of casualties to Clients direct over the Internet. Ultrasonic steel plate thickness gauging tools, refrigeration spear thermometers, grain temperature, moisture & humidity meters, Dynamometers, Pyrometers, Binoculars, The Ocean Imaging System Digital, GPS System, Corrosion Testing Equipment, In-Plan Quality Control Thin Film, Coating Thickness Meters, Electronic Spray Gun Testing, Temperature Dew point, Hydrometer, Amperemeters, Electrodynamometer, Mega-Ohm Meters and measurement Devices, are also carried. An ultra-sonic cargo hatch cover tightness instrument which permits testing of hatch covers with cargo on board and a digital fan-wheel anemometer for measuring air flows through cargo holds prior to loading perishable products are some more of our equipment, NTD. Furthermore a chromium steel tank contents’ sampling device suitable to obtain samples from any level is available for use.

     

4.2 In Diving & Offshore Field, survey and working : Chamber, Diver Gas Recovery System, Diver Gas Reclaim Helmet, Membrane Gas Separation System, Bell Gas Management Panel, High Flow Big Mask, Cuttings Rods, Cutting/Welding Torch, Battery Operated Sets, Ultra weld, Cox Submarine Gun, Underwater Video System, Pins, Hand lamps, wetsuits, hot water suits and accessories, Marker Lights, Diver Communication, Pressure Testing Gause, Decompression Chambers, Container Diving System, Built-in Compressor and Gas Storage, Bell Survival Suit, Underwater Digital Photography, Video Camera, Underwater Radio Communication.

     

4.4 Our Laboratory: Testing products & Material Lab Analysis.

     

Pursuant to the mottos:

   

Accurate

 

Unprejudiced

 

Prompt

   

We dedicate ourselves to continually improving the quality of our services by focusing on skills of the specialized staff and technique to and hope to obtain close cooperation with you all soon in the spirit of equality and bilateral benefit.

 

Thanks your help and your attention would be highly appreciated,

     

Thanks & Best regards,

   

Dr Capt Nguyen

 

Tel: +848-3832-7204; Fax: +848-3832-8393

 

Cell: +8490-3615-612

Skype: aimcontrol

E-mail: aimcontrol@vnn.vn; aimcontrol@hotmail.com

www.aimcontrol.service.to

  

TWI's expertise in electron beam (EB) welding and processing make it a world leader and ideal partner in the development of products and processes. We can help Members to achieve cost savings and meet their quality and performance requirements.

 

Our scientific and engineering expertise covers all disciplines related to the generation and use of electron beams. We offer complete and impartial support at every stage of the product and process life-cycle - from feasibility studies, assembly design, equipment specification and engineering through to specialist sub-contract welding, troubleshooting, consultancy and training.

 

TWI has a state-of-the-art range of electron beam processing equipment and unique quality assurance diagnostic tools which are in use in our laboratory and at customer sites around the world.

  

For more information www.twi.co.uk/technologies/welding-coating-and-material-p...

 

If you wish to use this image each use should be accompanied by the credit line and notice, "Courtesy of TWI Ltd".

 

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has welcomed 100 new police officers to the ranks.

 

The new officers were sworn in at an attestation ceremony at Droylsden Academy on Monday 22 January 2018.

 

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling and the Mayor of Tameside, Councillor Joyce Bowerman attended the legally binding event.

 

Friends and family were also invited to watch as each of the officers took the oath to uphold the officer of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality. More than 200 friends and family members attended the event.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

Yesterday, Tuesday 13 August 2019, Greater Manchester Police welcomed 100 new recruits to the force.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, presented the new officers with their warrant cards.

 

The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren J Smith and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Chohan were guests of honour.

 

The attestation ceremony was held at Manchester Grammar School.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

  

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

[Bibliography]

Peggy Guggenheim's career belongs in the history of 20th century art. Peggy used to say that it was her duty to protect the art of her own time, and she dedicated half of her life to this mission, as well as to the creation of the museum that still carries her name.

 

Peggy Guggenheim was born in New York on 26 August 1898, the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim and Florette Seligman. Benjamin Guggenheim was one of seven brothers who, with their father, Meyer (of Swiss origin), created a family fortune in the late 19th century from the mining and smelting of metals, especially silver, copper and lead. The Seligmans were a leading banking family. Peggy grew up in New York. In April 1912 her father died heroically on the SS Titanic. (1)

 

In her early 20s, Peggy volunteered for work at a bookshop, the Sunwise Turn, in New York and thanks to this began making friends in intellectual and artistic circles, including the man who was to become her first husband in Paris in 1922, Laurence Vail. Vail was a writer and Dada collagist of great talent. He chronicled his tempestuous life with Peggy in a novel, Murder! Murder! of which Peggy wrote: "It was a sort of satire of our life together and, although it was extremely funny, I took offense at several things he said about me."

 

In 1921 Peggy Guggenheim traveled to Europe. Thanks to Laurence Vail (the father of her two children Sindbad and Pegeen, the painter), Peggy soon found herself at the heart of Parisian bohème and American ex-patriate society. Many of her acquaintances of the time, such as Constantin Brancusi, Djuna Barnes and Marcel Duchamp, were to become lifelong friends. Though she remained on good terms with Vail for the rest of his life, she left him in 1928 for an English intellectual, John Holms, who was the greatest love of her life. There is a lengthy description of John Holms, a war hero with writer's block, in chapter five of Edwin Muir's An Autobiography. Muir wrote: "Holms was the most remarkable man I ever met." Unfortunately, Holms died tragically young in 1934.

 

In 1937, encouraged by her friend Peggy Waldman, Peggy decided to open an art gallery in London. When she opened her Guggenheim Jeune gallery in January 1938, she was beginning, at 39 years old, a career which would significantly affect the course of post-war art. Her friend Samuel Beckett urged her to dedicate herself to contemporary art as it was âa living thing,â and Marcel Duchamp introduced her to the artists and taught her, as she put it, âthe difference between abstract and Surrealist art.â The first show presented works by Jean Cocteau, while the second was the first one-man show of Vasily Kandinsky in England.

 

In 1939, tired of her gallery, Peggy conceived âthe idea of opening a modern museum in London,â with her friend Herbert Read as its director (2). From the start the museum was to be formed on historical principles, and a list of all the artists that should be represented, drawn up by Read and later revised by Marcel Duchamp and Nellie van Doesburg, was to become the basis of her collection.

 

In 1939-40, apparently oblivious of the war, Peggy busily acquired works for the future museum, keeping to her resolve to âbuy a picture a day.â Some of the masterpieces of her collection, such as works by Francis Picabia, Georges Braque, Salvador DalÃ- and Piet Mondrian, were bought at that time. She astonished Fernand Léger by buying his Men in the City on the day that Hitler invaded Norway. She acquired Brancusiâs Bird in Space as the Germans approached Paris, and only then decided to flee the city.

 

In July 1941, Peggy fled Nazi-occupied France and returned to her native New York, together with Max Ernst, who was to become her second husband a few months later (they separated in 1943).

 

Peggy immediately began looking for a location for her modern art museum, while she continued to acquire works for her collection. In October 1942 she opened her museum/gallery Art of This Century. Designed by the Rumanian-Austrian architect Frederick Kiesler, the gallery was composed of extraordinarily innovative exhibition rooms and soon became the most stimulating venue for contemporary art in New York City. (3)

 

Of the opening night, she wrote: âI wore one of my Tanguy earrings and one made by Calder in order to show my impartiality between Surrealist and Abstract Art" (4). There Peggy exhibited her collection of Cubist, abstract and Surrealist art, which was already substantially that which we see today in Venice. Peggy produced a remarkable catalogue, edited by André Breton, with a cover design by Max Ernst. She held temporary exhibitions of leading European artists, and of several then unknown young Americans such as Robert Motherwell, William Baziotes, Mark Rothko, David Hare, Janet Sobel, Robert de Niro Sr, Clyfford Still, and Jackson Pollock, the âstarâ of the gallery, who was given his first show by Peggy late in 1943. From July 1943 Peggy supported Pollock with a monthly stipend and actively promoted and sold his paintings. She commissioned his largest painting, a Mural, which she later gave to the University of Iowa.

 

Pollock and the others pioneered American Abstract Expressionism. One of the principal sources of this was Surrealism, which the artists encountered at Art of This Century. More important, however, was the encouragement and support that Peggy, together with her friend and assistant Howard Putzel, gave to the members of this nascent New York avant-garde. Peggy and her collection thus played a vital intermediary role in the development of Americaâs first art movement of international importance.

 

In 1947 Peggy decided to return in Europe, where her collection was shown for the first time at the 1948 Venice Biennale, in the Greek pavilion (5). In this way the works of artists such as Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko were exhibited for the first time in Europe. The presence of Cubist, abstract, and Surrealist art made the pavilion the most coherent survey of Modernism yet to have been presented in Italy.

 

Soon after Peggy bought Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice, where she came to live. In 1949 she held an exhibition of sculptures in the garden (6) curated by Giuseppe Marchiori, and from 1951 she opened her collection to the public.

 

In 1950 Peggy organized the first exhibition of Jackson Pollock in Italy, in the Ala Napoleonica of the Museo Correr in Venice. Her collection was in the meantime exhibited in Florence and Milan, and later in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Zurich. From 1951 Peggy opened her house and her collection to the public annually in the summer months. During her 30-year Venetian life, Peggy Guggenheim continued to collect works of art and to support artists, such as Edmondo Bacci and Tancredi Parmeggiani, whom she met in 1951. In 1962 Peggy Guggenheim was nominated Honorary Citizen of Venice.

 

In 1969 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York invited Peggy Guggenheim to show her collection there. In 1976 she donated her palace and works of art to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The Foundation had been created in 1937 by Peggy Guggenheimâs uncle Solomon, in order to operate his collection and museum which, since 1959, has been housed in Frank Lloyd Wrightâs famous spiral structure on 5th Avenue.

 

Peggy died aged 81 on 23 December 1979. Her ashes are placed in a corner of the garden of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, next to the place where she customarily buried her beloved dogs. Since this time, the Guggenheim Foundation has converted and expanded Peggy Guggenheim's private house into one of the finest small museums of modern art in the world.

Basanite, AD 49-59

This imposing statue of Agrippina was carved from dark-green stone to imitate the metallic sheen of bronze. Agrippina's power during the reigns of Claudius and Nero alienated many senators and other traditionalists. They slandered prominent women like her with wild tales of sexual promiscuity. Agrippina and Nero were even accused of incest.

Nero justified Agrippina's death in a letter to the senate, claiming that she had planned to assassinate him. Officially, his salvation was celebrated, but Nero's detractors accused him of matricide.

[British Museum]

 

Nero: the Man Behind the Myth

(May - Oct 2021)

 

Nero is known as one of Rome's most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty, debauchery and madness.

The last male descendant of the emperor Augustus, Nero succeeded to the throne in AD 54 aged just 16 and died a violent death at 30. His turbulent rule saw momentous events including the Great Fire of Rome, Boudicca's rebellion in Britain, the execution of his own mother and first wife, grand projects and extravagant excesses.

Drawing on the latest research, this major exhibition questions the traditional narrative of the ruthless tyrant and eccentric performer, revealing a different Nero, a populist leader at a time of great change in Roman society.

Through some 200 spectacular objects, from the imperial palace in Rome to the streets of Pompeii, follow the young emperor’s rise and fall and make up your own mind about Nero. Was he a young, inexperienced ruler trying his best in a divided society, or the merciless, matricidal megalomaniac history has painted him to be?

 

Nero was the 5th emperor of Rome and the last of Rome’s first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, founded by Augustus (the adopted son of Julius Caesar). Nero is known as one of Rome’s most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty and debauchery. He ascended to power in AD 54 aged just 16 and died at 30. He ruled at a time of great social and political change, overseeing momentous events such as the Great Fire of Rome and Boudica’s rebellion in Britain. He allegedly killed his mother and two of his wives, only cared about his art and had very little interest in ruling the empire.

Most of what we know about Nero comes from the surviving works of three historians – Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio. All written decades after Nero’s death, their accounts have long shaped our understanding of this emperor’s rule. However, far from being impartial narrators presenting objective accounts of past events, these authors and their sources wrote with a very clear agenda in mind. Nero’s demise brought forward a period of chaos and civil war – one that ended only when a new dynasty seized power, the Flavians. Authors writing under the Flavians all had an interest in legitimising the new ruling family by portraying the last of the Julio-Claudians in the worst possible light, turning history into propaganda. These accounts became the ‘historical’ sources used by later historians, therefore perpetuating a fabricated image of Nero, which has survived all the way to the present.

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December AD 37.

He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Both Gnaeus and Agrippina were the grandchildren of Augustus, making Nero Augustus’ great, great grandson with a strong claim to power.

Nero was only two years old when his mother was exiled and three when his father died. His inheritance was taken from him and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, Nero’s fate changed again when Claudius became emperor, restoring the boy’s property and recalling his mother Agrippina from exile.

In AD 49 the emperor Claudius married Agrippina, and adopted Nero the following year. It is at this point that Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus changed his name to Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus. In Roman times it was normal to change your name when adopted, abandoning your family name in favour of your adoptive father’s. Nero was a common name among members of the Claudian family, especially in Claudius’ branch.

Nero and Agrippina offered Claudius a politically useful link back to Augustus, strengthening his position.

Claudius appeared to favour Nero over his natural son, Britannicus, marking Nero as the designated heir.

When Claudius died in AD 54, Nero became emperor just two months before turning 17.

As he was supported by both the army and the senate, his rise to power was smooth. His mother Agrippina exerted a significant influence, especially at the beginning of his rule.

The Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all claim that Nero, fed up with Agrippina’s interference, decided to kill her.

Given the lack of eyewitnesses, there is no way of knowing if or how this happened. However, this did not stop historians from fabricating dramatic stories of Agrippina’s murder, asserting that Nero tried (and failed) to kill her with a boat engineered to sink, before sending his men to do the job.

Agrippina allegedly told them to stab her in the womb that bore Nero, her last words clearly borrowed from stage plays.

It is entirely possible, as claimed by Nero himself, that Agrippina chose (or was more likely forced) to take her own life after her plot against her son was discovered.

Early in his rule, Nero had to contend with a rebellion in the newly conquered province of Britain.

In AD 60–61, Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe led a revolt against the Romans, attacking and laying waste to important Roman settlements. The possible causes of the rebellion were numerous – the greed of the Romans exploiting the newly conquered territories, the recalling of loans made to local leaders, ongoing conflict in Wales and, above all, violence against the family of Prasutagus, Boudica’s husband and king of the Iceni.

Boudica and the rebels destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans before being heavily defeated by Roman troops. After the uprising, the governor of Britain Suetonius Paulinus introduced harsher laws against the Britons, until Nero replaced him with the more conciliatory governor Publius Petronius Turpilianus.

The marriage between Nero and Octavia, aged 15 and 13/14 at the time, was arranged by their parents in order to further legitimise Nero’s claim to the throne. Octavia was the daughter of the emperor Claudius from a previous marriage, so when Claudius married Agrippina and adopted her son Nero, Nero and Octavia became brother and sister. In order to arrange their marriage, Octavia had to be adopted into another family.

Their marriage was not a happy one. According to ancient writers, Nero had various affairs until his lover Poppaea Sabina convinced him to divorce his wife. Octavia was first exiled then executed in AD 62 on adultery charges. According to ancient writers, her banishment and death caused great unrest among the public, who sympathised with the dutiful Octavia.

No further motives were offered for Octavia’s death other than Nero’s passion for Poppaea, and we will probably never know what transpired at court. The fact that Octavia couldn’t produce an heir while Poppaea was pregnant with Nero’s daughter likely played an important role in deciding Octavia’s fate.

On 19 July AD 64, a fire started close to the Circus Maximus. The flames soon encompassed the entire city of Rome and the fire raged for nine days. Only four of the 14 districts of the capital were spared, while three were completely destroyed.

Rome had already been razed by flames – and would be again in its long history – but this event was so severe it came to be known as the Great Fire of Rome.

Later historians blamed Nero for the event, claiming that he set the capital ablaze in order to clear land for the construction of a vast new palace. According to Suetonius and Cassius Dio, Nero took in the view of the burning city from the imperial residence while playing the lyre and singing about the fall of Troy. This story, however, is fictional.

Tacitus, the only historian who was actually alive at the time of the Great Fire of Rome (although only 8 years old), wrote that Nero was not even in Rome when the fire started, but returned to the capital and led the relief efforts.

Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all describe Nero as being blinded by passion for his wife Poppaea, yet they accuse him of killing her, allegedly by kicking her in an outburst of rage while she was pregnant.

Interestingly, pregnant women being kicked to death by enraged husbands is a recurring theme in ancient literature, used to explore the (self) destructive tendencies of autocrats. The Greek writer Herodotus tells the story of how the Persian king Cambyses kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach, causing her death. A similar episode is told of Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Nero is just one of many allegedly ‘mad’ tyrants for which this literary convention was used.

Poppaea probably died from complications connected with her pregnancy and not at Nero’s hands. She was given a lavish funeral and was deified.

Centred on greater Iran, the Parthian empire was a major political and cultural power and a long-standing enemy of Rome. The two powers had long been contending for control over the buffer state of Armenia and open conflict sparked again during Nero’s rule. The Parthian War started in AD 58 and, after initial victories and following set-backs, ended in AD 63 when a diplomatic solution was reached between Nero and the Parthian king Vologases I.

According to this settlement Tiridates, brother of the Parthian king, would rule over Armenia, but only after having travelled all the way to Rome to be crowned by Nero.

The journey lasted 9 months, Tiridates’ retinue included 3,000 Parthian horsemen and many Roman soldiers. The coronation ceremony took place in the summer of AD 66 and the day was celebrated with much pomp: all the people of Rome saw the new king of Armenia kneeling in front of Nero. This was the Golden Day of Nero’s rule

In AD 68, Vindex, the governor of Gaul (France), rebelled against Nero and declared his support for Galba, the governor of Spain. Vindex was defeated in battle by troops loyal to Nero, yet Galba started gaining more military support.

It was at this point that Nero lost the support of Rome’s people due to a grain shortage, caused by a rebellious commander who cut the crucial food supply from Egypt to the capital. Abandoned by the people and declared an enemy of the state by the senate, Nero tried to flee Rome and eventually committed suicide.

Following his death, Nero’s memory was condemned (a practice called damnatio memoriae) and the images of the emperor were destroyed, removed or reworked. However, Nero was still given an expensive funeral and for a long time people decorated his tomb with flowers, some even believing he was still alive.

After Nero’s death, civil war ensued. At the end of the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ (AD 69), Vespasian became emperor and started a new dynasty: the Flavians.

[Francesca Bologna, curator, for British Museum]

 

Taken in the British Museum

Because NO ONE demanded it ( well maybe the 16% or so who still think he's doing a good job )...I give you, George Bush Jr. Possibly one of the worst Presidents. (Certainly he's right up there with Harding etc ) I had a tough time being impartial with him, and not because he's quite loathed throughout much of the world and quite a bit domestically in the US too.... I mean, what could I put in the background as events during his presidency...?

 

No one can argue that 9/11, The Iraq and Afghan invasions, Katrina, the financial meltdown and current economic crisis all didn't happen on his watch. I tried looking for something positive, there really just wasn't anything easily illustrated that could be done! So I hope people don't see his entry in the book as attacking him. I'm not. I tried to stick to factual events that are undeniable, good or bad.

 

Let your retailer/book store know "PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES" has a diamond order code of: NOV084121 or that it's ISBN number is: 1600103448 if you actually want a copy to come in. You have to be proactive with these sorts of books or it'll never even make it to many stores for you to look through!

 

If all else fails you can always find it on Amazon here.

Hope you dig them.

Yesterday, Tuesday 22 January 2019, Greater Manchester Police welcomed 100 new recruits to the Force. The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, senior officers and magistrate Stephen Paine.

 

The attestation ceremony was held at Stockport Town Hall.

 

The Mayor of Stockport, Councillor Walter Brett, was also on hand to welcome the new recruits.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol. During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

 

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

Greater Manchester Police welcomed 116 new recruits to the force on Monday 2 March 2020.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

The attestation ceremony, which gives officers their policing powers, was held at Stockport Town Hall.

 

The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Stockport, Councillor John Wright and Mrs Christine Wright, were also on hand to welcome the new recruits.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk.

 

Big Bear, Athena & THE SHEILD OF MEDUSA

   

In Greek mythology we usually find Athena portrayed as a warrior, in her role as defender of heroes and of the city of Athens. However, there is another image of the goddess where she appears wild and awesome, wreathed in snakes. Even when she is in her warrior role, Athena still carries the image of the snakes on her aegis (shield) with the severed head of Medusa. This image harks back to an early time before patriarchy. It refers to the Minoan snake goddesses. Snakes are not thought of here as symbols of sin and evil, as in Christian mythology, but as symbols of divine wisdom. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, so it is apt that she is accompanied by snakes as well as the owl.

 

Athena is the principle that brings about civilization. Within her are balanced the male and female polarities. She is not only the goddess of war, but also of peace. Her gifts suit the occasion and the needs of the times. She introduced to humanity the plough and the olive, which are looked upon as part of the origins of civilized life. Her wisdom was not only spiritual, it was also immensely practical. Her energy is marked by spirit and intelligence. It comes straight from sahasrara, but embraces all the chakra energies beneath and within it. In Jungian psychology she is seen as the highest manifestation of the anima.

 

Athena is the image of the human ability to think rationally and give reflective judgement. To the ancients this was considered a divine attribute, as it raised humanity above the beasts. Her chastity can be seen as a symbol of the purity of this reflective faculty, which is not influenced by personal desire. She battles for principles rather than passions. This springs from her ability to hold the instincts in check, and make choices made on impartiality, reason and detachment.

 

Athena is the shakti of awareness. Development of awareness is a discipline of yoga through which we can learn all there is in life to learn about ourselves, others and the world we live in. With awareness we develop the capacity to observe the present moment as it unfolds. We learn to view it as an impartial witness.

 

It is time for all women to arm themselves with Athena's qualities, and step forward to serve humanity, as Athena has been doing throughout the ages. Her spear, aegis and helmet personify the same energies that are to be found in many Eastern mind/body practices such as yoga and meditation. Athena used her energies to bring forth western civilization and now it is time for Athena to guide us into the next millennium here on the cusp of the 21st century.

[Adopted from an article by Swami Sivamurti Saraswati "The Shield of Athena" [yoga magazine Oct 2008]

  

DISCOVER MORE::

MEDUSA: www.sfmission.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?search=M...

 

SNAKE GODDESS www.flickr.com/photos/aforum/4709276560/

A couple of weeks ago, I sent a letter (copied below) to the Office of National Statistics, outlining the reasons why I felt conscience-bound to boycott the census. Their reply has just arrived, and can be seen here and in the comment box below. The previous 'Labour' government and the ONS have now placed me in an impossible position: by sending in my census form, I accept that it is right that the citizens of this country should support an armaments manufacturer; by refusing to send it in, I risk acquiring a criminal record.

 

There can be no possible excuses for accepting Lockheed Martin's involvement in administering the census. This company makes a range of lethal weapons, including cluster bombs, which by their very nature are designed with a foreknowledge that their use must cause civilian casualties. Moreover, they sell them to nice peace-loving nations like Bahrain. It is a particularly unfortunate coincidence that my copy of the census form arrived in the same week that it was reported that our new prime-minister, who clearly fancies himself as a great war-leader on a par with Winston Churchill, was off hawking weapons at an armaments fair in the Middle East.

 

The reply from the ONS is wholly unsatisfactory. It reassures me that Lockheed Martin will not have access to my personal data. It is not in fact my personal data which concerns me: it is my personal honour and moral dignity. I will not sit down and complacently fill in a form when my elected "representatives" have paid £150 000 000 to a company to administer it, given that I consider this company to be guilty of mass-murder. I am told that "any organisation with the correct technical capability, financial stability and experience has the opportunity to compete openly for Government business throughout the European Union without discrimination." Lockheed Martin has practised its technical capability by managing the logistics of distributing missiles around the world. It has financial stability because it makes money by dealing death. It has experience because people like me do not shout out our disgust and indignation loudly enough to bring it down. It is reassurring to know that even international pariahs are not subject to discrimination.

 

I am told also that "Lockheed Martin's UK bid offered the best technical solutions and the best value for money for the taxpayer". I want to know how the ONS thinks it can possibly be considered value for money that an organisation of rapacious gun-runners are given £150 million to do a job which ought to be done by government employees.

 

The letter makes it clear that "the information that the census provides helps central and local government to understand the needs of local communities, and plan and prioritise billions of pounds of resources and public spending on housing, education, health and transport services for years to come." If that is the case, why has it prostituted itself to one of the filthiest international organisations on the planet? Surely it is a clear indication of how little our politicians care about local needs that they are prepared to provoke a boycott of what may yet prove to be unprecedented proportions by making it morally nauseating for a large portion of the populace to participate in the census?

 

Finally, I am boldly informed that "Those few who do refuse [to send in the form] may be prosecuted and could be fined up to £1000." As a school teacher, I have much to lose from this arrangement, but so do children around the world who may be maimed or orphaned by cluster bombs. So do some of my students, who join the armed forces out of idealism and run the risk of being put on the front line by a trigger-happy government which has no qualms about operating a seemingly interminable Middle Eastern war, ostensibly because it quells terrorism and despotism, but in reality because it makes money for - well, for organisations like Lockheed Martin.

 

The ONS therefore offers me a stark and simple choice: I must either follow the law of conscience, or the law of the land. When a nation forces its citizens to make such a choice, it teeters on the brink of totalitarianism. If we think this is an over-exaggeration, we kid ourselves. History has proven time and again that when the last step is taken over the precipice, the fall is precipitous, and most people are taken by surprise. Our toe is extended, and there is a long drop beneath it. Somebody has to scream. Will anybody scream with me?

 

My original letter to the ONS is here:

 

Dear Sir/ Madam,

 

I cannot in good conscience participate in the Census as required by law, as I understand that £150,000,000 is to be paid to the armaments manufacturer Lockheed Martin for its administration. I am unwilling to make even the most tacit contribution to the remuneration of an organisation which I regard as having colluded in the murder of innocent civilians through the manufacture of cluster bombs and other weapons designed to kill.

 

I am also of the conviction that a government census should be conducted by government employees, and not licensed out to private enterprise, thereby throwing its impartiality and integrity into question. As a school teacher and a law-abiding citizen, I have much to lose through this disobedience, and I have no desire whatsoever to incur a fine or a criminal record. However, in a political climate in which prominent cabinet ministers have no qualms about hawking armaments in the Middle East, even in the context of mass repression of democratic protest in Egypt and Libya, I have no option but to boycott the census in conscientious objection to the current national tendency to do obeisance to the forces of militarism. That such perverted standards should even govern the administration of a national statistical survey is an occasion for the gravest concern.

 

Given that the ONS threaten me with the stigma of criminality for taking the only option that is morally open to me, I reserve the right to publish this letter, and any responses to it, in whatever way I see fit.

 

Yours truly,

 

Dr Giles Watson

 

[Bibliography]

Peggy Guggenheim's career belongs in the history of 20th century art. Peggy used to say that it was her duty to protect the art of her own time, and she dedicated half of her life to this mission, as well as to the creation of the museum that still carries her name.

 

Peggy Guggenheim was born in New York on 26 August 1898, the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim and Florette Seligman. Benjamin Guggenheim was one of seven brothers who, with their father, Meyer (of Swiss origin), created a family fortune in the late 19th century from the mining and smelting of metals, especially silver, copper and lead. The Seligmans were a leading banking family. Peggy grew up in New York. In April 1912 her father died heroically on the SS Titanic.

 

In her early 20s, Peggy volunteered for work at a bookshop, the Sunwise Turn, in New York and thanks to this began making friends in intellectual and artistic circles, including the man who was to become her first husband in Paris in 1922, Laurence Vail. Vail was a writer and Dada collagist of great talent. He chronicled his tempestuous life with Peggy in a novel, Murder! Murder! of which Peggy wrote: "It was a sort of satire of our life together and, although it was extremely funny, I took offense at several things he said about me."

 

In 1921 Peggy Guggenheim traveled to Europe. Thanks to Laurence Vail (the father of her two children Sindbad and Pegeen, the painter), Peggy soon found herself at the heart of Parisian bohème and American ex-patriate society. Many of her acquaintances of the time, such as Constantin Brancusi, Djuna Barnes and Marcel Duchamp, were to become lifelong friends. Though she remained on good terms with Vail for the rest of his life, she left him in 1928 for an English intellectual, John Holms, who was the greatest love of her life. There is a lengthy description of John Holms, a war hero with writer's block, in chapter five of Edwin Muir's An Autobiography. Muir wrote: "Holms was the most remarkable man I ever met." Unfortunately, Holms died tragically young in 1934.

 

In 1937, encouraged by her friend Peggy Waldman, Peggy decided to open an art gallery in London. When she opened her Guggenheim Jeune gallery in January 1938, she was beginning, at 39 years old, a career which would significantly affect the course of post-war art. Her friend Samuel Beckett urged her to dedicate herself to contemporary art as it was âa living thing,â and Marcel Duchamp introduced her to the artists and taught her, as she put it, âthe difference between abstract and Surrealist art.â The first show presented works by Jean Cocteau, while the second was the first one-man show of Vasily Kandinsky in England.

 

In 1939, tired of her gallery, Peggy conceived âthe idea of opening a modern museum in London,â with her friend Herbert Read as its director (2). From the start the museum was to be formed on historical principles, and a list of all the artists that should be represented, drawn up by Read and later revised by Marcel Duchamp and Nellie van Doesburg, was to become the basis of her collection.

 

In 1939-40, apparently oblivious of the war, Peggy busily acquired works for the future museum, keeping to her resolve to âbuy a picture a day.â Some of the masterpieces of her collection, such as works by Francis Picabia, Georges Braque, Salvador DalÃ- and Piet Mondrian, were bought at that time. She astonished Fernand Léger by buying his Men in the City on the day that Hitler invaded Norway. She acquired Brancusiâs Bird in Space as the Germans approached Paris, and only then decided to flee the city.

 

In July 1941, Peggy fled Nazi-occupied France and returned to her native New York, together with Max Ernst, who was to become her second husband a few months later (they separated in 1943).

 

Peggy immediately began looking for a location for her modern art museum, while she continued to acquire works for her collection. In October 1942 she opened her museum/gallery Art of This Century. Designed by the Rumanian-Austrian architect Frederick Kiesler, the gallery was composed of extraordinarily innovative exhibition rooms and soon became the most stimulating venue for contemporary art in New York City.

 

Of the opening night, she wrote: âI wore one of my Tanguy earrings and one made by Calder in order to show my impartiality between Surrealist and Abstract Art" . There Peggy exhibited her collection of Cubist, abstract and Surrealist art, which was already substantially that which we see today in Venice. Peggy produced a remarkable catalogue, edited by André Breton, with a cover design by Max Ernst. She held temporary exhibitions of leading European artists, and of several then unknown young Americans such as Robert Motherwell, William Baziotes, Mark Rothko, David Hare, Janet Sobel, Robert de Niro Sr, Clyfford Still, and Jackson Pollock, the âstarâ of the gallery, who was given his first show by Peggy late in 1943. From July 1943 Peggy supported Pollock with a monthly stipend and actively promoted and sold his paintings. She commissioned his largest painting, a Mural, which she later gave to the University of Iowa.

 

Pollock and the others pioneered American Abstract Expressionism. One of the principal sources of this was Surrealism, which the artists encountered at Art of This Century. More important, however, was the encouragement and support that Peggy, together with her friend and assistant Howard Putzel, gave to the members of this nascent New York avant-garde. Peggy and her collection thus played a vital intermediary role in the development of Americaâs first art movement of international importance.

 

In 1947 Peggy decided to return in Europe, where her collection was shown for the first time at the 1948 Venice Biennale, in the Greek pavilion. In this way the works of artists such as Arshile Gorky, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko were exhibited for the first time in Europe. The presence of Cubist, abstract, and Surrealist art made the pavilion the most coherent survey of Modernism yet to have been presented in Italy.

 

Soon after Peggy bought Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice, where she came to live. In 1949 she held an exhibition of sculptures in the garden curated by Giuseppe Marchiori, and from 1951 she opened her collection to the public.

 

In 1950 Peggy organized the first exhibition of Jackson Pollock in Italy, in the Ala Napoleonica of the Museo Correr in Venice. Her collection was in the meantime exhibited in Florence and Milan, and later in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Zurich. From 1951 Peggy opened her house and her collection to the public annually in the summer months. During her 30-year Venetian life, Peggy Guggenheim continued to collect works of art and to support artists, such as Edmondo Bacci and Tancredi Parmeggiani, whom she met in 1951. In 1962 Peggy Guggenheim was nominated Honorary Citizen of Venice.

 

In 1969 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York invited Peggy Guggenheim to show her collection there. In 1976 she donated her palace and works of art to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The Foundation had been created in 1937 by Peggy Guggenheimâs uncle Solomon, in order to operate his collection and museum which, since 1959, has been housed in Frank Lloyd Wrightâs famous spiral structure on 5th Avenue.

 

Peggy died aged 81 on 23 December 1979. Her ashes are placed in a corner of the garden of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, next to the place where she customarily buried her beloved dogs. Since this time, the Guggenheim Foundation has converted and expanded Peggy Guggenheim's private house into one of the finest small museums of modern art in the world.

  

[Info]

 

Address

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni

Dorsoduro 701

I-30123 Venezia

 

Opening hours

Daily 10 am - 6 pm

Closed Tuesdays and December 25

 

General information

tel: +39.041.2405.411

fax: +39.041.520.6885

e-mail: info@guggenheim-venice.it

 

Visitor services

tel: +39.041.2405.440/419

fax: +39.041.520.9083

e-mail: visitorinfo@guggenheim-venice.it

 

Photography

Photography is permitted without flash. You may not use tripods or monopods.

 

Animals

Animals of all sizes are not allowed in the galleries and in the gardens.

For information and assistance please contact "Sporting Dog Club".

Call Tel. +39 347 6242550 (Marie) or +39 347 4161321 (Roberto)

or write to sportingdoginvenice@gmail.com

 

Venice Art for All

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection joins the Venice Art for All project and becomes accessible to all, including people with limited mobility.

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was probably begun in the 1750s by architect Lorenzo Boschetti, whose only other known building in Venice is the church of San Barnaba.

 

It is an unfinished palace. A model exists in the Museo Correr, Venice. Its magnificent classical façade would have matched that of Palazzo Corner, opposite, with the triple arch of the ground floor (which is the explanation of the ivy-covered pillars visible today) extended through both the piani nobili above. We do not know precisely why this Venier palace was left unfinished. Money may have run out, or some say that the powerful Corner family living opposite blocked the completion of a building that would have been grander than their own. Another explanation may rest with the unhappy fate of the next door Gothic palace which was demolished in the early 19th century: structural damage to this was blamed in part on the deep foundations of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni.

 

Nor is it known how the palace came to be associated with "leoni," lions. Although it is said that a lion was once kept in the garden, the name is more likely to have arisen from the yawning lion's heads of Istrian stone which decorate the façade at water level. The Venier family, who claimed descent from the gens Aurelia of ancient Rome (the Emperor Valerian and Gallienus were from this family), were among the oldest Venetian noble families. Over the centuries they provided eighteen Procurators of St Markâs and three Doges. Antonio Venier (Doge, 1382-1400) had such a strong sense of justice that he allowed his own son to languish and die in prison for his crimes. Francesco Venier (Doge, 1553-56) was the subject of a superb portrait by Titian (Madrid, Fundaciòn Thyssen-Bornemisza). Sebastiano Venier was a commander of the Venetian fleet at the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and later became Doge (1577-78). A lively strutting statue of him, by Antonio dal Zotto (1907), can be seen today in the church of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice.

 

From 1910 to c. 1924 the house was owned by the flamboyant Marchesa Luisa Casati, hostess to the Ballets Russes, and the subject of numerous portraits by artists as various as Boldini, Troubetzkoy, Man Ray and Augustus John. In 1949, Peggy Guggenheim purchased Palazzo Venier from the heirs of Viscountes Castlerosse and made it her home for the following thirty years. Early in 1951, Peggy Guggenheim opened her home and collection to the public and continued to do so every year until her death in 1979.

 

In 1980, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection opened for the first time under the management of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, to which Peggy Guggenheim had given her palazzo and collection during her lifetime.

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni's long low façade, made of Istrian stone and set off against the trees in the garden behind that soften its lines, forms a welcome "caesura" in the stately march of Grand Canal palaces from the Accademia to the Salute.

  

[Permanent collection]

The core mission of the museum is to present the personal collection of Peggy Guggenheim. The collection holds major works of Cubism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, European abstraction, avant-garde sculpture, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism, by some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. These include Picasso (The Poet, On the Beach), Braque (The Clarinet), Duchamp (Sad Young Man on a Train), Léger, Brancusi (Maiastra, Bird in Space), Severini (Sea=Dancer), Picabia (Very Rare Picture on Earth), de Chirico (The Red Tower, The Nostalgia of the Poet), Mondrian (Composition No. 1 with Grey and Red 1938 / Composition with Red 1939), Kandinsky (Landscape with Red Spots, No. 2, White Cross), Miro (Seated Woman II), Giacometti Woman with Her Throat Cut, Woman Walking), Klee (Magic Garden), Ernst (The Kiss, Attirement of the Bride), Magritte (Empire of Light), DalÃ- (Birth of Liquid Desires), Pollock (The Moon Woman, Alchemy), Gorky (Untitled), Calder (Arc of Petals) and Marini (Angel of the City).

 

The museum also exhibits works of art given to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for its Venetian museum since Peggy Guggenheim's death, as well as long-term loans from private collections.

 

Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection

In October 2012 eighty works of Italian, European and American art of the decades after 1945 were added to the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in Venice. They were the bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof, who collected the works with her late husband Rudolph B. Schulhof. They include paintings by Burri, Dubuffet, Fontana, Hofmann, Kelly, Kiefer, Noland, Rothko, and Twombly, as well as sculptures by Calder, Caro, Holzer, Judd and Hepworth. The Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Garden exhibits works from this collection.

 

Gianni Mattioli Collection

The museum exhibits twenty six masterpieces on long-term loan from the renowned Gianni Mattioli Collection, including famous images of Italian Futurism, such as Materia and Dynamism of a Cyclist by Boccioni, Interventionist Demonstration by Carrà , The Solidity of Fog by Russolo, works by Balla, Severini (Blue Dancer), Sironi, Soffici, Rosai, Depero. The collection includes important early paintings by Morandi and a rare portrait by Modigliani.

 

Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Sculpture Garden

The Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Sculpture Garden and other outdoor spaces at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents works from the permanent collections (by Arp, Duchamp-Villon, Ernst, Flanagan, Giacometti, Gilardi, Goldsworthy, Holzer, Marini, Minguzzi, Mirko, Merz, Moore, Ono, Paladino, Richier, Takis), as well as sculptures on temporary loan from foundations and private collections (by Calder, König , Marini, Nannucci, Smith).

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has welcomed 99 new police officers to the ranks.

 

The new officers were sworn in at an attestation ceremony in Prestwich on Wednesday 4 April 2018.

 

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Baroness Beverley Hughes, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Dorothy Gunther attended the legally binding event.

 

Friends and family were also invited to watch as each of the officers took the oath to uphold the officer of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality. More than 200 friends and family members attended the event.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

Greater Manchester Police welcomed 116 new recruits to the force on Monday 2 March 2020.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

The attestation ceremony, which gives officers their policing powers, was held at Stockport Town Hall.

 

The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Stockport, Councillor John Wright and Mrs Christine Wright, were also on hand to welcome the new recruits.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk.

 

18/7/15, the report is finally out after being promised 9 months ago by the HSE, what they have being doing during this time is unknown as there is nothing in the report to suggest any further investigation being carried out.

the comments below have been on Flickr since 18/2/15, nothing in the report addresses any of these questions, in fact it poses many more, which i will add at the bottom.

I am sure that there are many people like myself who wish to know what when wrong at Gleision Colliery on that fateful day in September 2011.

I have listed a series of points in no particular order that I believe require clear and unambiguous answers to, so that we can begin to understand what happed and hopefully have some closure on this tragic event

1.Why it has taken 6 months since the HSE have promised to issue the report in to the accident, why is there such a delay.

2.Why have the HSE not interviewed key witnesses, only the police attended the interviews, during which it became evident that they were ill-equipped to understand the terminology and practices that occur underground, much time was wasted trying to explain the meaning and relevance, I do not mean this as any slight against the Police investigators they were very professional in every way possible, it is just that with an experienced inspector present would have allowed them to pick up on comments that the uninitiated would not have and probed further.

3.Much time was taken over the relevance of the cautionary zone, this was placed on the drawing solely for the workings in the area around position “C” on the plan, there was no connection with the adjacent workings and therefore based upon the assumed accuracy of the plans it was entirely possible that water was being retained behind this very small coal pillar, it was only by chance that this cautionary zone was extended south east. As stated in my statement and my time in the stand that this is only inferred from interpretation of the mine plans, I am sure that if an inspector had been present at the interviews then the significance of inferred and not proved would have been understood.

4.Why were witnesses not shown the mine plan during the interviews, it was only after being in the stand did it become apparent that the mine plans were inaccurate and therefore the possibility of the coal pillar (see “A” on Plan for position) not actually being present became very possible, this lead to a supplementary statement being given to clarify my position.

5.Following on from 4. Why did the HSE see it was not important to prove the coal pillar that it is thought held back the water, especially when they would have discovered during the investigation that the mines plans were inaccurate?

6.Why did the HSE see fit not to erect to waterproof stopping at the inrush point which would have proved without a doubt if water would build up and be retained in the area marked underground water (See “B” on Plan for position).

7.Why did the HSE not investigate if the small pillar at “C” on the plan had breached immediately prior to or immediately after the last shots being fired, this could have allowed a substantial volume of water to migrate south east to the inrush point, evidence of this elevated water level would have been identifiable at position “D”.

8.Why did the HSE not investigate the possibility of ground collapse in the area marked “E” on the plan, this could have caused a large volume of water to be ejected out and westwards towards the inrush point.

9.Why did the HSE not appoint a qualified mine surveyor (contrary to regulations) to sign off the accuracy of the laser scanner, during the court case it was stated that there were substantial differences in levels, this should never have been accepted and until they had been reduced to acceptable tolerances only then. Similarly mine surveyors have been undertaking accident plans for at least 100 years, why did the HSE feel that we should abandon such tried and tested practices and go for unproved new technology, undertaken by un-qualified surveyors.

10.Why after over 3 years has there been no recommendations to changes to mining law and subsequent Approved Codes of Practice to ensure that such accidents do not happen again.

11.With the mine having a chequered history and with a high turnover of managers, why did the HSE not see fit to provide support to the new manager during the settling in period, the Inspector for the district had worked in South Wales for over 12 years prior to the accident and had an in depth knowledge and understanding of the history at Gleision Colliery.

12.A fundamental mistake was made on the very first day of the investigation, when they found the mine plan that identified underground water above the inrush area, there was a subconscious conclusion that the manager was guilty and thereafter only sought evidence that agreed with that belief, this is generally known as Confirmation bias.

It can only be concluded that no time did the investigating team hypothesize over the possible scenarios and then seek to find factual based evidence that either proved or disproved each possible scenarios.

 

You may conclude that the odds of any of the above actually happening are extremely remote, say millions to 1 and therefore it is only right that they should have been dismissed, but when you consider that the chances of an aeroplane crashing is 1 in 11,000,000 (CTVNEWS.CA) and winning the lottery jackpot is 1 in 13,983,000 (Wikipedia). Sadly planes still crash and more often than not every week someone wins the lottery jackpot!

If you to want answers to the above questions then we need to put pressure on the HSE to provide them, as I believe it is being conveniently forgot about?

Silence is consent!!!!!!!

 

Post report issue comments;

1. Page 20, the HSE accept in paragraph 101 that the water level could fluctuate, this was never followed up by attempting to re-create the pre-inrush conditions by erecting a water proof stopping - why?

2. Page 21, Paragraph 105, Figure 12, this shows a photograph taken at the bottom of the access road in the old workings, that this is the route that the manager used to escape after the inrush, look closely and there is no evidence of disturbance where the manager crawled through, the rescue team could not get through and had to dig a route through the stone pack to get access, therefore how did the manager get out, was the workings to the North East far more extensive than is currently shown on the plan, why did the HSE not see fit to prove the limit of the unrecorded workings.

Similarly why did this plug of silt and debris not get washed away by the water accumulation above this plug, from my rough estimates 90% of the water was above this plug.

It is possible that there was no viable water above this plug when the manager visited the area, the day before the inrush, looking at the photo, it could be assumed that this was the end of the road as was shown on the mine plan and that unbeknown to him the workings were far more extensive than

was recorded on the mine plan.

3. Page 8, Pantograph 29 - The HSE have concluded that the water in the mine drains to Neath Abbey, this is a physical impossibility, which demonstrates any lack of investigation using local hearsay and regurgitating it as a fact, to the West of Gleision is a 570 yard fault and to the south are the workings from Blaenant Colliery who's workings are 150m below sea level, the most likely route for the water is that it gravitates west to Cwm Clic Colliery (East of the 570 yard fault) where it comes out to the surface in the Swansea Valley.

4. Page 33, Lessons Learned - There is no mention of the conflict of interest of having the Mines Inspector for the mine undertaking the investigation, who's possible actions/inactions over the preceding 12+years may have had a bearing on the tragedy and therefore we cannot assume that investigation could not have been undertaken impartially. Equally during the said investigation was helped by people whom may possibly have been by their actions in the past contributors to this tragedy.

5. Page 33, Lessons Learned - Nothing is mentioned regarding there being appointment of a surveyor for at least 12 years prior to the accident, this is in direct contravention of the regulations - why??

6. Page 33, Lessons Learned - In accordance with the regulation when a new surveyor takes over the finishing surveyor must provide a report on the conditions of the accuracy of the plans, why was this not enforced, did it play a part as the owners could not find out who the previous surveyor was and then had to source a plan from a 3rd party, by their own regulations the HSE should have been able to tell the new owners who the surveyor was, but could not because they did not work to their own regulations!

 

Why is there no mention of the fact that between 2003 and 2007 the mine was being worked illegally, (source: The Coal Authority) this is in the same area as the inrush, why has this not been considered in the investigation, it could we have contributed to the accident, the HSE was aware of this illegal working but chose not to stop it and who was this person the same investigating inspector!

 

Nothing of the above is intended to offend the relatives and friends of the deceased, if it has then I am profoundly sorry for any distress that this may cause, if this is the case then please contact me and I would be happy to permanently remove.

 

From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:

 

If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.

 

The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.

 

As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…

 

When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).

 

Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.

 

After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).

 

Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)

 

Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.

 

My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)

 

This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.

 

The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.

 

After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.

 

The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.

 

This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)

 

So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.

 

From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).

 

After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.

 

With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.

 

Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.

 

On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.

 

Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.

 

She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.

 

After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.

 

We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.

 

After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.

 

If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.

 

As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.

From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:

 

If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.

 

The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.

 

As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…

 

When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).

 

Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.

 

After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).

 

Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)

 

Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.

 

My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)

 

This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.

 

The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.

 

After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.

 

The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.

 

This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)

 

So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.

 

From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).

 

After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.

 

With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.

 

Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.

 

On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.

 

Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.

 

She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.

 

After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.

 

We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.

 

After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.

 

If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.

 

As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.

Marble, AD 51-2

Augustus established the Praetorians as his personal guard. They were an elite unit and the most powerful military force in Italy, where no regular troops were stationed. Praetorians enjoyed considerable privileges and their support was crucial for the emperor. They helped Claudius take power, and after his death swore allegiance to Nero. Both rewarded them handsomely.

This relief depicts six Praetorians in parade armour. It comes from a triumphal arch in Rome that commemorated Claudius's conquest of Britain in AD 43.

[British Museum]

  

Nero: the Man Behind the Myth

(May - Oct 2021)

 

Nero is known as one of Rome's most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty, debauchery and madness.

The last male descendant of the emperor Augustus, Nero succeeded to the throne in AD 54 aged just 16 and died a violent death at 30. His turbulent rule saw momentous events including the Great Fire of Rome, Boudicca's rebellion in Britain, the execution of his own mother and first wife, grand projects and extravagant excesses.

Drawing on the latest research, this major exhibition questions the traditional narrative of the ruthless tyrant and eccentric performer, revealing a different Nero, a populist leader at a time of great change in Roman society.

Through some 200 spectacular objects, from the imperial palace in Rome to the streets of Pompeii, follow the young emperor’s rise and fall and make up your own mind about Nero. Was he a young, inexperienced ruler trying his best in a divided society, or the merciless, matricidal megalomaniac history has painted him to be?

 

Nero was the 5th emperor of Rome and the last of Rome’s first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, founded by Augustus (the adopted son of Julius Caesar). Nero is known as one of Rome’s most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty and debauchery. He ascended to power in AD 54 aged just 16 and died at 30. He ruled at a time of great social and political change, overseeing momentous events such as the Great Fire of Rome and Boudica’s rebellion in Britain. He allegedly killed his mother and two of his wives, only cared about his art and had very little interest in ruling the empire.

Most of what we know about Nero comes from the surviving works of three historians – Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio. All written decades after Nero’s death, their accounts have long shaped our understanding of this emperor’s rule. However, far from being impartial narrators presenting objective accounts of past events, these authors and their sources wrote with a very clear agenda in mind. Nero’s demise brought forward a period of chaos and civil war – one that ended only when a new dynasty seized power, the Flavians. Authors writing under the Flavians all had an interest in legitimising the new ruling family by portraying the last of the Julio-Claudians in the worst possible light, turning history into propaganda. These accounts became the ‘historical’ sources used by later historians, therefore perpetuating a fabricated image of Nero, which has survived all the way to the present.

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December AD 37.

He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Both Gnaeus and Agrippina were the grandchildren of Augustus, making Nero Augustus’ great, great grandson with a strong claim to power.

Nero was only two years old when his mother was exiled and three when his father died. His inheritance was taken from him and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, Nero’s fate changed again when Claudius became emperor, restoring the boy’s property and recalling his mother Agrippina from exile.

In AD 49 the emperor Claudius married Agrippina, and adopted Nero the following year. It is at this point that Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus changed his name to Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus. In Roman times it was normal to change your name when adopted, abandoning your family name in favour of your adoptive father’s. Nero was a common name among members of the Claudian family, especially in Claudius’ branch.

Nero and Agrippina offered Claudius a politically useful link back to Augustus, strengthening his position.

Claudius appeared to favour Nero over his natural son, Britannicus, marking Nero as the designated heir.

When Claudius died in AD 54, Nero became emperor just two months before turning 17.

As he was supported by both the army and the senate, his rise to power was smooth. His mother Agrippina exerted a significant influence, especially at the beginning of his rule.

The Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all claim that Nero, fed up with Agrippina’s interference, decided to kill her.

Given the lack of eyewitnesses, there is no way of knowing if or how this happened. However, this did not stop historians from fabricating dramatic stories of Agrippina’s murder, asserting that Nero tried (and failed) to kill her with a boat engineered to sink, before sending his men to do the job.

Agrippina allegedly told them to stab her in the womb that bore Nero, her last words clearly borrowed from stage plays.

It is entirely possible, as claimed by Nero himself, that Agrippina chose (or was more likely forced) to take her own life after her plot against her son was discovered.

Early in his rule, Nero had to contend with a rebellion in the newly conquered province of Britain.

In AD 60–61, Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe led a revolt against the Romans, attacking and laying waste to important Roman settlements. The possible causes of the rebellion were numerous – the greed of the Romans exploiting the newly conquered territories, the recalling of loans made to local leaders, ongoing conflict in Wales and, above all, violence against the family of Prasutagus, Boudica’s husband and king of the Iceni.

Boudica and the rebels destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans before being heavily defeated by Roman troops. After the uprising, the governor of Britain Suetonius Paulinus introduced harsher laws against the Britons, until Nero replaced him with the more conciliatory governor Publius Petronius Turpilianus.

The marriage between Nero and Octavia, aged 15 and 13/14 at the time, was arranged by their parents in order to further legitimise Nero’s claim to the throne. Octavia was the daughter of the emperor Claudius from a previous marriage, so when Claudius married Agrippina and adopted her son Nero, Nero and Octavia became brother and sister. In order to arrange their marriage, Octavia had to be adopted into another family.

Their marriage was not a happy one. According to ancient writers, Nero had various affairs until his lover Poppaea Sabina convinced him to divorce his wife. Octavia was first exiled then executed in AD 62 on adultery charges. According to ancient writers, her banishment and death caused great unrest among the public, who sympathised with the dutiful Octavia.

No further motives were offered for Octavia’s death other than Nero’s passion for Poppaea, and we will probably never know what transpired at court. The fact that Octavia couldn’t produce an heir while Poppaea was pregnant with Nero’s daughter likely played an important role in deciding Octavia’s fate.

On 19 July AD 64, a fire started close to the Circus Maximus. The flames soon encompassed the entire city of Rome and the fire raged for nine days. Only four of the 14 districts of the capital were spared, while three were completely destroyed.

Rome had already been razed by flames – and would be again in its long history – but this event was so severe it came to be known as the Great Fire of Rome.

Later historians blamed Nero for the event, claiming that he set the capital ablaze in order to clear land for the construction of a vast new palace. According to Suetonius and Cassius Dio, Nero took in the view of the burning city from the imperial residence while playing the lyre and singing about the fall of Troy. This story, however, is fictional.

Tacitus, the only historian who was actually alive at the time of the Great Fire of Rome (although only 8 years old), wrote that Nero was not even in Rome when the fire started, but returned to the capital and led the relief efforts.

Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all describe Nero as being blinded by passion for his wife Poppaea, yet they accuse him of killing her, allegedly by kicking her in an outburst of rage while she was pregnant.

Interestingly, pregnant women being kicked to death by enraged husbands is a recurring theme in ancient literature, used to explore the (self) destructive tendencies of autocrats. The Greek writer Herodotus tells the story of how the Persian king Cambyses kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach, causing her death. A similar episode is told of Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Nero is just one of many allegedly ‘mad’ tyrants for which this literary convention was used.

Poppaea probably died from complications connected with her pregnancy and not at Nero’s hands. She was given a lavish funeral and was deified.

Centred on greater Iran, the Parthian empire was a major political and cultural power and a long-standing enemy of Rome. The two powers had long been contending for control over the buffer state of Armenia and open conflict sparked again during Nero’s rule. The Parthian War started in AD 58 and, after initial victories and following set-backs, ended in AD 63 when a diplomatic solution was reached between Nero and the Parthian king Vologases I.

According to this settlement Tiridates, brother of the Parthian king, would rule over Armenia, but only after having travelled all the way to Rome to be crowned by Nero.

The journey lasted 9 months, Tiridates’ retinue included 3,000 Parthian horsemen and many Roman soldiers. The coronation ceremony took place in the summer of AD 66 and the day was celebrated with much pomp: all the people of Rome saw the new king of Armenia kneeling in front of Nero. This was the Golden Day of Nero’s rule

In AD 68, Vindex, the governor of Gaul (France), rebelled against Nero and declared his support for Galba, the governor of Spain. Vindex was defeated in battle by troops loyal to Nero, yet Galba started gaining more military support.

It was at this point that Nero lost the support of Rome’s people due to a grain shortage, caused by a rebellious commander who cut the crucial food supply from Egypt to the capital. Abandoned by the people and declared an enemy of the state by the senate, Nero tried to flee Rome and eventually committed suicide.

Following his death, Nero’s memory was condemned (a practice called damnatio memoriae) and the images of the emperor were destroyed, removed or reworked. However, Nero was still given an expensive funeral and for a long time people decorated his tomb with flowers, some even believing he was still alive.

After Nero’s death, civil war ensued. At the end of the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ (AD 69), Vespasian became emperor and started a new dynasty: the Flavians.

[Francesca Bologna, curator, for British Museum]

 

Taken in the British Museum

Greater Manchester Police welcomed 116 new recruits to the force on Monday 2 March 2020.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

The attestation ceremony, which gives officers their policing powers, was held at Stockport Town Hall.

 

The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Stockport, Councillor John Wright and Mrs Christine Wright, were also on hand to welcome the new recruits.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk.

 

09 May 2019 — Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. hosted a reception to launch the Philippine Candidature to the United Nations Board of Auditors (UNBOA) on 02 May 2019 at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

Commission on Audit (COA) Chairperson Atty. Michael G. Aguinaldo has been nominated by the Philippine government for membership in UNBOA for the term 2020-2026.

 

In his welcome remarks, Secretary Locsin stated that it is the Philippine government’s earnest hope that the Philippines, as represented by Atty. Aguinaldo and his team, be given an opportunity to contribute to the UN as an organization strongly committed to the ideals of accountability and transparency in the pursuit of its mandate.

 

“The UN can only achieve its purpose and spearhead programs through its various organs and institutions with funds contributed by most of its 193 members each year. These contributions symbolize each member’s firm commitment to the UN and reflect the importance placed on multilateralism and diplomacy in building a better community of nations. These contributions serve as the lifeblood of the UN, and as such, need to be utilized with utmost care and diligence and audited by impartial experts to ensure the integrity of UN’s diverse operations and help maintain confidence between the UN and its member states,” Secretary Locsin said.

 

In lauding Atty. Aguinaldo, Secretary Locsin outlined his and COA’s achievements in its engagements with the UN.

 

“The Philippine Commission on Audit, with its extensive experience in the UN and up-to-date auditing system and techniques, has proven its capability to help lead the UN evolve as an international organization, with a purpose that continues to be relevant and important to this day,” he said.

 

For his part, Atty. Aguinaldo shared that COA was a member of the prestigious UNBOA for 18 years covering the periods 1984-1992 and 1999-2007. COA has served the UN Headquarters, UN Peacekeeping Operations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Institute for Training and Research, UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, UN Office in Nairobi, the UN Children's Fund, and the UN Environment Programme, among others, and has established an excellent reputation in the organization.

 

The elections for membership in the UNBOA will be held in November 2019, at the UN Headquarters in New York. END

Mr. Junk poses with his weed sack next a "big tittied statue from Nam". 2013.

 

Meeting Mr. Jerry of Jerry's Junk was quite the barrage of mental stimuli. He was equally as excited about the strange collections, odd historical facts, and all around bizarre curiosities contained this fascinating world we live as I was. Our eccentricities almost seemed to butt heads in competition. Jerry easily came out the champion as he had many more years under his belt of hardcore collecting and time to soak up the many strange facts of this world. From our borderline psychotic love of the bizarre I started to feel a friendship in the making. Then...things got a bit weird.

 

After my inquiries on a few historical Americana/African American pieces in his collection he excitedly told me that he collects all kinds of "colored folk stuff". I awkwardly figured that his use of the term "colored folk" was merely the remnants of an older generation. This assessment, however, proved to be a bit...well wrong. He went on to excitedly show off his large "private collection" of "niggers" hanging from trees, pictures of KKK rallies, and angry lynch mobs looking for justice. I tried to hide my shock and stay as impartial as I possibly could. I tried to just act really interested. I wanted to see just how far he would go with it. For some reason I always do this in situations such as these. Once the observer expresses disgust with the content of the conversation the conversation is immediately over. My curiosity always perpetrates a disassociation that hides my true views. I did, however, let a little shock show through while looking at these gruesome photos from the past. He saw this and tried to comfort me by saying, "Hey, that nigger probably just raped some white girl or something. Its not like it was for no reason." I had no idea what to say. I just chalked his views up to ignorance and left.

 

I'm guessing that he has probably never read anything by Ida B. Wells. I would highly recommend that he does. I'm willing to bet that his reaction to her research and writings would be quite a humorous event by any impartial observer.

 

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)

THE SWEENEY Sydney movie premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema...

 

THE SWEENEY enjoyed its Sydney, Australia, premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema tonight.

 

A cocktail reception was hosted by Peroni and Hoyts Distribution/Studio Canal at the beautiful Mrs Macquaries Point location - adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

 

Promo...

 

St.George OpenAir Cinema brings you the Sydney premiere of the stylish, exhilarating action thriller THE SWEENEY, directed by Nick Love and starring Ray Winstone (The Departed, Indiana Jones), and Ben Drew (Harry Brown, Adulthood).

 

Inspired by the 70s television police drama of the same name, THE SWEENEY is the story of a hard-nosed and controversial branch of the Metropolitan Police, the Flying Squad, who specialise in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London.

 

Synopsis...

 

The film begins with Flying Squad officers Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his loyal partner George Carter (Ben Drew) arriving at the scene of a warehouse robbery, where four armed men are attempting to steal a stash of gold bars. Regan and Carter manage to capture all four suspects, but Regan illegally takes some of the gold bars from the stash, to give to his informant Harry (Alan Ford). Internal investigations arrive to carry out an investigation into Regan's activities, but officer Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) has more than a procedural beef with Regan - he has discovered that Regan has been having sex with his wife, fellow flying squad officer Nancy (Hayley Atwell). Meanwhile, Regan receives a tip-off about a planned robbery on a bank, but has to pull surveillance on the operation when an armed robbery at a small time jewellery store leaves £200,000 of jewellery in the hands of a dangerous criminal, and one otherwise impartial civilian dead. Regan suspects old foe Francis Allen (Paul Anderson) is responsible, but without evidence, has no way of nailing him. When it is discovered that Allen is in tow with a dangerous Serbian criminal, Regan goes all out to catch those responsible and bring them to justice - against the word of his boss Frank Haskins (Damian Lewis), and at the price of the death of one of his most beloved.

 

Cast...

 

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan

Ben Drew as Detective Constable George Carter

Damian Lewis as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins

Hayley Atwell as Detective Constable Nancy Lewis

Allen Leech as Detective Constable Simon Ellis

Steven Mackintosh as Detective Chief Inspector Ivan Lewis

Steven Waddington as Detective Constable Miller

Caroline Chikezie as Detective Constable Clarke

Kara Tointon as Megan

Paul Anderson as Francis Allen

Alan Ford as Harry

 

Websites

 

St George OpenAir

www.stgeorgeopenair.com.au

 

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (or Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Bengali: শ্যামাপ্রসাদ মুখোপাধ্যায় Shêmproshad Mukhopaddhae) (July 6, 1901 – June 23, 1953) was a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, after the differences with Pandit Nehru.

Early life

Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901 in Kolkata. His father was Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, a well-respected advocate in Bengal, who became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, and his mother was Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee.

Mookerjee obtained his degrees from the University of Calcutta. He graduated in English securing the first position in first class in 1921 and also did MA in 1923 and BL in 1924. He became a fellow of the Senate in 1923. He enrolled as an advocate in Calcutta High Court in 1924 after his father had died shortly after losing to Syed Hasan Imam at Patna high court. Subsequently he left for England in 1926 to study at Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister in 1927. At the age of 33, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta (1934), and held the office till 1938.

Political career

He was elected as member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, as an Indian National Congress candidate representing Calcutta University but resigned next year when Congress decided to boycott the legislature. Subsequently, he contested the election as an independent candidate and got elected. He was the Finance minister of Bengal Province during 1941-42.

He emerged as a spokesman for Hindus and shortly joined Hindu Mahasabha and in 1944, he became the President. Dr. Mookerjee was political leader who felt the need to counteract the communalist and separatist Muslim League of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding either exaggerated Muslim rights or a Muslim state of Pakistan.

Dr.Mookerjee adopted causes to protect Hindus against what he believed to be the communal propaganda and the divisive agenda of the Muslim League. Mookerjee and his future followers would always cite inherent Hindu practices of tolerance and communal respect as the reason for a healthy, prosperous and safe Muslim population in the country in the first place.

Dr.Mookerjee was initially a strong opponent of the Partition of India, but following the communal riots of 1946-47, Mookerjee strongly disfavored Hindus continuing to live in a Muslim-dominated state and under a government controlled by the Muslim League.

On 11 February 1941 S P Mookerjee told a Hindu rally that if Muslims wanted to live in Pakistan they should "pack their bag and baggage and leave India... (to) wherever they like".[1]

Dr.Mookerjee supported the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan;[2] he also opposed a failed bid for a united but independent Bengal made in 1947 by Sarat Bose, the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali Muslim politician.

He wanted the Hindu Mahasabha not to be restricted to Hindus alone or work as apolitical body for the service of masses. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by a Hindu fanatic, the Mahasabha was blamed chiefly for the heinous act and became deeply unpopular. Mookerjee himself condemned the murder.

Post-independence

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inducted him in the Interim Central Government as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee was widely respected by many Indians and also by members of the Indian National Congress, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of its chief leaders.

But on issue of the 1950 Delhi Pact with Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, Dr.Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Mookerjee was firmly against Nehru's invitation to the Pakistani PM, and their joint pact to establish minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries. He wanted to hold Pakistan directly responsible for the terrible influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the state fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the state. Mookerjee considered Nehru's actions as appeasement, and was hailed as a hero by the people of West Bengal.[citation needed]

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) on October 21, 1951, following his parting ways with Nehru.[3] The BJS was ideologically close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and widely considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism. It was opposed to appeasement of India's Muslims, and favoured free-market economics as opposed to the socialist policies pursued by Nehru. The BJS also favored a uniform civil code governing personal law matters for both Hindus and Muslims, wanted to ban cow slaughter and end the special status given to the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJS founded the Hindutva agenda which became the wider political expression of India's Hindu majority. He was also influential with the more conservative members within the Congress.

In the 1952 general elections to the Parliament of India, Dr. Mookerjee and the BJS won three seats.

Dr.Shyama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).

Dr. Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died as detenu on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.

Shaheed...........

Dr. Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house.[4] Dr. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same.[citation needed] He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on June 23, 1953.

It was strongly rumored that he was poisoned in custody and Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru had conspired to do the same.No post-mortem was ordered in total disregard of the rule. Maulana Azad, who was acting Prime Minister ( in absence of Nehru, who was away in London ), did not allow body to be brought to Delhi and dead body was directly flown to Calcutta.[4]

His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogmaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had enquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him, there was no mystery behind Dr. Mookerjee's death. Jogmaya Devi did not accept Nehru's reply and requested the setting up of an impartial enquiry. Nehru however ignored the letter and no enquiry commission was set up. Mookerjee's death therefore remains a matter of some controversy.[5] Atal Behari Vajpayee claimed in 2004 that the death of Mookherjee was a "Nehru conspiracy".[6]

However, it was Mookherjee's martyrdom, which later compelled, Nehru to remove Permit system, post of Sadar-e-Riayasat and of Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.[7]

Legacy

Along with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Dr. Mookerjee is considered the godfather of Hindu nationalism in India, especially the Hindutva movement.Though Dr.Mookerjee was not associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he is widely revered by members and supporters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

On April 22, 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi's newly constructed Rs. 650-crore building (the tallest building in Delhi) was named "Doctor Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre".[8] The Civic Centre was inaugurated by Home Minister P Chidambaram. The building, which will cater to an estimated 20,000 visitors per day, will also house different wings and offices of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi also has a major road named after Dr. S.P. Mukherjee.

On August 27, 1998, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation named a bridge after Mookerjee.[9]

A BEST bus junction near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) and Regal Cinema in Mumbai is named as "Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk" in his honour.

In 2001, the main research funding institute of the Government of India, CSIR instituted a new fellowship named after him. The Shyama Prasad Mukhejee Fellowship is the most prestigious fellowship given in India for doing PhD. Only the top 20% students who clear the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF CSIR/UGC) are eligible to sit for this examination.

   

From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:

 

If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.

 

The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.

 

As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…

 

When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).

 

Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.

 

After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).

 

Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)

 

Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.

 

My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)

 

This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.

 

The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.

 

After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.

 

The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.

 

This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)

 

So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.

 

From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).

 

After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.

 

With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.

 

Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.

 

On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.

 

Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.

 

She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.

 

After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.

 

We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.

 

After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.

 

If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.

 

As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.

Basanite, AD 49-59

This imposing statue of Agrippina was carved from dark-green stone to imitate the metallic sheen of bronze. Agrippina's power during the reigns of Claudius and Nero alienated many senators and other traditionalists. They slandered prominent women like her with wild tales of sexual promiscuity. Agrippina and Nero were even accused of incest.

Nero justified Agrippina's death in a letter to the senate, claiming that she had planned to assassinate him. Officially, his salvation was celebrated, but Nero's detractors accused him of matricide.

[British Museum]

 

Nero: the Man Behind the Myth

(May - Oct 2021)

 

Nero is known as one of Rome's most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty, debauchery and madness.

The last male descendant of the emperor Augustus, Nero succeeded to the throne in AD 54 aged just 16 and died a violent death at 30. His turbulent rule saw momentous events including the Great Fire of Rome, Boudicca's rebellion in Britain, the execution of his own mother and first wife, grand projects and extravagant excesses.

Drawing on the latest research, this major exhibition questions the traditional narrative of the ruthless tyrant and eccentric performer, revealing a different Nero, a populist leader at a time of great change in Roman society.

Through some 200 spectacular objects, from the imperial palace in Rome to the streets of Pompeii, follow the young emperor’s rise and fall and make up your own mind about Nero. Was he a young, inexperienced ruler trying his best in a divided society, or the merciless, matricidal megalomaniac history has painted him to be?

 

Nero was the 5th emperor of Rome and the last of Rome’s first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, founded by Augustus (the adopted son of Julius Caesar). Nero is known as one of Rome’s most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty and debauchery. He ascended to power in AD 54 aged just 16 and died at 30. He ruled at a time of great social and political change, overseeing momentous events such as the Great Fire of Rome and Boudica’s rebellion in Britain. He allegedly killed his mother and two of his wives, only cared about his art and had very little interest in ruling the empire.

Most of what we know about Nero comes from the surviving works of three historians – Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio. All written decades after Nero’s death, their accounts have long shaped our understanding of this emperor’s rule. However, far from being impartial narrators presenting objective accounts of past events, these authors and their sources wrote with a very clear agenda in mind. Nero’s demise brought forward a period of chaos and civil war – one that ended only when a new dynasty seized power, the Flavians. Authors writing under the Flavians all had an interest in legitimising the new ruling family by portraying the last of the Julio-Claudians in the worst possible light, turning history into propaganda. These accounts became the ‘historical’ sources used by later historians, therefore perpetuating a fabricated image of Nero, which has survived all the way to the present.

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December AD 37.

He was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Both Gnaeus and Agrippina were the grandchildren of Augustus, making Nero Augustus’ great, great grandson with a strong claim to power.

Nero was only two years old when his mother was exiled and three when his father died. His inheritance was taken from him and he was sent to live with his aunt. However, Nero’s fate changed again when Claudius became emperor, restoring the boy’s property and recalling his mother Agrippina from exile.

In AD 49 the emperor Claudius married Agrippina, and adopted Nero the following year. It is at this point that Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus changed his name to Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus. In Roman times it was normal to change your name when adopted, abandoning your family name in favour of your adoptive father’s. Nero was a common name among members of the Claudian family, especially in Claudius’ branch.

Nero and Agrippina offered Claudius a politically useful link back to Augustus, strengthening his position.

Claudius appeared to favour Nero over his natural son, Britannicus, marking Nero as the designated heir.

When Claudius died in AD 54, Nero became emperor just two months before turning 17.

As he was supported by both the army and the senate, his rise to power was smooth. His mother Agrippina exerted a significant influence, especially at the beginning of his rule.

The Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all claim that Nero, fed up with Agrippina’s interference, decided to kill her.

Given the lack of eyewitnesses, there is no way of knowing if or how this happened. However, this did not stop historians from fabricating dramatic stories of Agrippina’s murder, asserting that Nero tried (and failed) to kill her with a boat engineered to sink, before sending his men to do the job.

Agrippina allegedly told them to stab her in the womb that bore Nero, her last words clearly borrowed from stage plays.

It is entirely possible, as claimed by Nero himself, that Agrippina chose (or was more likely forced) to take her own life after her plot against her son was discovered.

Early in his rule, Nero had to contend with a rebellion in the newly conquered province of Britain.

In AD 60–61, Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe led a revolt against the Romans, attacking and laying waste to important Roman settlements. The possible causes of the rebellion were numerous – the greed of the Romans exploiting the newly conquered territories, the recalling of loans made to local leaders, ongoing conflict in Wales and, above all, violence against the family of Prasutagus, Boudica’s husband and king of the Iceni.

Boudica and the rebels destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans before being heavily defeated by Roman troops. After the uprising, the governor of Britain Suetonius Paulinus introduced harsher laws against the Britons, until Nero replaced him with the more conciliatory governor Publius Petronius Turpilianus.

The marriage between Nero and Octavia, aged 15 and 13/14 at the time, was arranged by their parents in order to further legitimise Nero’s claim to the throne. Octavia was the daughter of the emperor Claudius from a previous marriage, so when Claudius married Agrippina and adopted her son Nero, Nero and Octavia became brother and sister. In order to arrange their marriage, Octavia had to be adopted into another family.

Their marriage was not a happy one. According to ancient writers, Nero had various affairs until his lover Poppaea Sabina convinced him to divorce his wife. Octavia was first exiled then executed in AD 62 on adultery charges. According to ancient writers, her banishment and death caused great unrest among the public, who sympathised with the dutiful Octavia.

No further motives were offered for Octavia’s death other than Nero’s passion for Poppaea, and we will probably never know what transpired at court. The fact that Octavia couldn’t produce an heir while Poppaea was pregnant with Nero’s daughter likely played an important role in deciding Octavia’s fate.

On 19 July AD 64, a fire started close to the Circus Maximus. The flames soon encompassed the entire city of Rome and the fire raged for nine days. Only four of the 14 districts of the capital were spared, while three were completely destroyed.

Rome had already been razed by flames – and would be again in its long history – but this event was so severe it came to be known as the Great Fire of Rome.

Later historians blamed Nero for the event, claiming that he set the capital ablaze in order to clear land for the construction of a vast new palace. According to Suetonius and Cassius Dio, Nero took in the view of the burning city from the imperial residence while playing the lyre and singing about the fall of Troy. This story, however, is fictional.

Tacitus, the only historian who was actually alive at the time of the Great Fire of Rome (although only 8 years old), wrote that Nero was not even in Rome when the fire started, but returned to the capital and led the relief efforts.

Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio all describe Nero as being blinded by passion for his wife Poppaea, yet they accuse him of killing her, allegedly by kicking her in an outburst of rage while she was pregnant.

Interestingly, pregnant women being kicked to death by enraged husbands is a recurring theme in ancient literature, used to explore the (self) destructive tendencies of autocrats. The Greek writer Herodotus tells the story of how the Persian king Cambyses kicked his pregnant wife in the stomach, causing her death. A similar episode is told of Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Nero is just one of many allegedly ‘mad’ tyrants for which this literary convention was used.

Poppaea probably died from complications connected with her pregnancy and not at Nero’s hands. She was given a lavish funeral and was deified.

Centred on greater Iran, the Parthian empire was a major political and cultural power and a long-standing enemy of Rome. The two powers had long been contending for control over the buffer state of Armenia and open conflict sparked again during Nero’s rule. The Parthian War started in AD 58 and, after initial victories and following set-backs, ended in AD 63 when a diplomatic solution was reached between Nero and the Parthian king Vologases I.

According to this settlement Tiridates, brother of the Parthian king, would rule over Armenia, but only after having travelled all the way to Rome to be crowned by Nero.

The journey lasted 9 months, Tiridates’ retinue included 3,000 Parthian horsemen and many Roman soldiers. The coronation ceremony took place in the summer of AD 66 and the day was celebrated with much pomp: all the people of Rome saw the new king of Armenia kneeling in front of Nero. This was the Golden Day of Nero’s rule

In AD 68, Vindex, the governor of Gaul (France), rebelled against Nero and declared his support for Galba, the governor of Spain. Vindex was defeated in battle by troops loyal to Nero, yet Galba started gaining more military support.

It was at this point that Nero lost the support of Rome’s people due to a grain shortage, caused by a rebellious commander who cut the crucial food supply from Egypt to the capital. Abandoned by the people and declared an enemy of the state by the senate, Nero tried to flee Rome and eventually committed suicide.

Following his death, Nero’s memory was condemned (a practice called damnatio memoriae) and the images of the emperor were destroyed, removed or reworked. However, Nero was still given an expensive funeral and for a long time people decorated his tomb with flowers, some even believing he was still alive.

After Nero’s death, civil war ensued. At the end of the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ (AD 69), Vespasian became emperor and started a new dynasty: the Flavians.

[Francesca Bologna, curator, for British Museum]

 

Taken in the British Museum

Greater Manchester Police has welcomed 89 new police officers to the ranks.

 

The new recruits were sworn in at an attestation ceremony at Bolton Town Hall last night, Tuesday 11 June 2019.

 

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling, Deputy Major of Greater Manchester Bev Hughes and Magistrate Joan Cooper were in attendance at the event.

 

The Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Hilary Fairclough and her consort were guests of honour.

 

Family and friends of the new officers watched on proudly as each of took an oath to uphold the office of constable with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

Yesterday, Tuesday 13 August 2019, Greater Manchester Police welcomed 100 new recruits to the force.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, presented the new officers with their warrant cards.

 

The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren J Smith and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Chohan were guests of honour.

 

The attestation ceremony was held at Manchester Grammar School.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

  

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

Monday 3 April 2017, saw 85 new recruits officially welcomed by Greater Manchester Police.

 

The student officers were sworn in as part of a special ceremony to formally make them police officers.

 

The Attestation Ceremony which was held at Stockport Town Hall and was an opportunity for family and friends to witness the group make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their service.

 

The group of new recruits were affirmed into their roles by the Chief Constable Ian Hopkins. He was joined by magistrates Peter Rogerson and Stephen Paine as well as the Mayor and Mayoress of Stockport, Councillor Chris Gordon and Doctor Margaret Gordon.

 

The new officers come from a range of backgrounds and bring lots of new skills with them that will assist as they start their new role policing their communities. Many of them are fluent in a second language, which will help give access to our services for all communities in Greater Manchester.

 

The recruits who are made up from civilian applicants will have to complete a two year probation period, including classroom based learning and one year on active patrol.

 

During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, said: “This ceremony like those we have held previously is an important occasion for the police force and our community. We are committed to neighbourhood policing as highlighted in the recent HMIC inspection report. These officers will replace those colleagues who are retiring and will be an asset to the neighbourhood teams they join across the Force.

 

“This Attestation Ceremony, like those in coming months, is being held locally and this also highlights how GMP endeavours to remain a part of the area it serves. Our new recruits have been through the most rigorous of tests and will have to work hard to truly understand and support our society.

 

“This group along with those that have been previously attested will be an asset to GMP and I wish them all of the success for the future.”

 

Tony Lloyd Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Congratulations to all our new recruits as they become police officers and take on the responsibility to serve our communities and keep people safe. It fills me with pride to have been able to welcome two waves of new recruits in my last year as Police and Crime Commissioner.

 

“By maintaining police officer numbers, we have been also been able to maintain the security and safety of the people of Greater Manchester. And, by building a force that reflects our communities, we are able to ensure that everybody feels represented and respected.”

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

 

www.skopelosholidays.de

 

Property description

Villa Yiali has one air-conditioned bedroom (with extra fold-down bed or cot), and is fully self-contained with kitchen, one bathroom, sitting area, large balcony and private outside space. Enjoying stunning views over the adjacent islands of Skiathos and Evia, the gardens and pool area are a haven of relaxation. In addition, the location at the edge of the village of Glossa means that shops, bakery, cafes and tavernas are within a few minutes walk. Otherwise the beautiful area to the north of Skopelos island is also within easy reach with many walks and trails accessible. The west facing aspect delivers the most breathtaking sunsets from the garden, whilst the sun traverses from the south giving all-day sunshine – the terrace and trees giving shade and cool when required.Glossa is situated on the northwest coast of Skopelos, 10 minutes from the port of Loutraki where the ferry docks from the neighboring island of Skiathos and the nearest airport. The ferry journey is about 25 minutes.

 

Accommodation description:

 

Bedrooms:

Bedroom. King sized bed and open traditional beamed ceiling and wooden floors. Air conditioned with dressing area and double access to large balcony. Ample storage, hairdryer, full length mirror, sofa-bed or cot if required. Quality bed linen from M&S

 

Bathrooms:

Located on the ground floor, with shower cabinet, washbasin and wc. Quality towels and locally made olive oil soap, complimentary gels from L'Occitane and Body Shop provided.

 

Kitchen:

Whirlpool appliances. Oven and ceramic hob, microwave, fridge freezer. Ample kitchen storage with quality pans, crockery and cutlery. Fully equipped. Laundry machine (detergent provided). Complimentary welcome pack. Tea, coffee, bread, cheese, wine etc.

 

Living Rooms:

Wooden floor, fold down dining table, open fire place. TV, DVD, iPod dock, WiFi, satellite TV, comfortable furniture. Most living is outdoors and there is a patio table and 6 chairs under a shady verandah, as well as a morning coffee set on the balcony.

 

Cleaning/Towels/Linen/Maid service:

All towels/beach towels/pool towels and linen provided. The house is cleaned and

changed twice each week. Outside BBQ, pool shower, sunbeds. Don't use valuable luggage space with towels as they are all provided.

 

Amenities/Facilities:

Barbecue, Private Pool, Garden.

 

Fridge/Freezer, Hob/Stove, Iron, Microwave, Oven, Washing Machine.

 

Air Conditioning, Cot, High Chair, Internet Access, Room Fans, Satellite, TV.

 

Location Type:

Beach, Village.

 

Important notes on accommodation

This former ‘kalivi’ was painstakingly restored in the traditional village style and is finished to a high standard of craftsmanship. The private garden, pool area and planted terraces provide a ‘home from home’ feel.

We make sure that we provide most kitchen essentials that many rental house lack such as condiments, some spices , sugar, coffee and tea together with our own olive oil for the kitchen. Soap powder, washing up liquid, in fact most kitchen comforts that we feel you shouldn't have to worry about on your holidays.

We also provide all towels including beach towels and pool towels. There are even beach mats and an umbrella available for that inevitable visit to one of Skopelos’s enviable beaches.

If you visit in June / July / August, as a highlight to your stay your holiday price will include dinner for two on one night at the acclaimed Agnanti restaurant (5 minutes walk away). Please ask us for details.

 

About the area

 

Accessibility

Glossa is unfortunately not wheelchair friendly due to the steps. However, it is possible to walk (within 10 minutes) from the main road to Villa Yiali with only 1 or 2 inclines and no steps. Parking can be arranged close by. Pets accepted by prior arrangement.

 

Outside

There is a private garden area approx 400 sq. mtrs. with a swimming pool of 7m by 4m, gently sloping to a depth of 1.6m. Along two sides of the pool are underwater seating areas allowing relaxation and refreshment at the same time. The private gardens are not overlooked and offer stunning views over the Aegean to Skiathos, Pilion, towards Mount Olympus in the north and even towards Athens.

 

Coast/Beach

The closest beach is at Loutraki, with a few tavernas / cafe’s. This is 10 minutes drive or a pleasant 25 minute downhill walk. Within 20 minutes drive are the beaches on Armenopetra, Elios, Milia, Kastani and Panormos. Glossa enjoys a unique position between both sides of the island, and the famous Mamma Mia church at Aghios Ioanni is only 15 minutes drive, as is the beach at Perivoliou. Buses run about every 2 hours in the high season. Skopelos town and the south of the island are 35 mins away

 

Special Interest Holidays

We have friends on the island who are running sea kayaking tours for all levels of experience and there are mountain bikes to hire to explore the beautiful deserted tracks that lead through the mountains. With a license and an off-road motorbike you can take a guided trail ride up the mountains, jeep, 4x4 or quad bike, or you can rent a motor boat or yacht or go on a sea fishing trip. Walking, birdwatching, painting and local crafts are all available. Also at the villa we have a telescope for stargazing, which on a balmy summer evening opens up the whole universe.

 

How to get there

Nearest airport is Skiathos which is 25 minutes by boat from the local port of Loutraki (Glossa). Volos airport is on the mainland then its 2hrs 20 by boat to Glossa. Athens and Thessaloniki both connect through. Out of season there is an air connection from Athens to Skiathos which takes only 25 minutes with Olympic Air. We can advise you on flights and also book you a car at discount rates from a small family company on the island (the car will be waiting for you next to the boat as it docks)

 

Distances

Glossa town is a traditional hill village with shops, cafe’s, bakeries and tavernas. Villa Yiali is on the edge of the village and all amenities are within 10 minutes walk.

Skopelos Town, the main center of the island is about 35 minutes drive away, from where day trips to Alonissos and the World Marine Park are available. Loutraki (10 mins) has much of archaeological interest, including remains of Roman baths and a hill fort. Ancient ruins remain on Mount Delphi and surrounding areas.

 

Further Details

Glossa has a selection of tavernas,cafe’s and restaurants including one regarded as the best in the Aegean, a number of local supermarkets, bakeries and butchers. Fish is sold from vans or straight from the port of Glossa (known as Loutraki).

Loutraki also has a number of tavernas on the waterfront, and cafes. We will be happy to help you with recommendations and advise on travel arrangements. We will collect you from the port and lead you to the house, introducing you to the wonderful wood fired bakery and friendly little supermarket on the way and demonstrate all the features of the house before leaving you to relax in this beautiful environment. As the English owners, we live next door! Unlike some villa owners, we do not charge commissions or receive payments from restaurants, car hire companies and the like. Our advice is impartial and geared to the needs of the holidaymaker. During June, July and August we offer an included meal for two at the renowned Agnanti restaurant for one night of your stay. Otherwise we have arrangements to have quality restaurant food delivered to your holiday villa so that you can enjoy the local cuisine without the trouble of leaving your comfortable surroundings.

 

Booking notes

Please contact us for booking details. A deposit of 20% is required to confirm booking. Deposits received will confirm booking and remainder to be payed 6 weeks in advance of arrival. If you wish to pay in € that isn't a problem we use the National Bank of Greece rates on the day of

booking confirmation and set that as your personal rate so there are no surprises with rate fluctuations. Cancellation will forfeit 10% of the booking cost if it is more than 6 weeks, otherwise the full is payable.

 

www.skopelosholidays.de

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee (or Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Bengali: শ্যামাপ্রসাদ মুখোপাধ্যায় Shêmproshad Mukhopaddhae) (July 6, 1901 – June 23, 1953) was a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951, after the differences with Pandit Nehru.

Early life

Mookerjee was born on July 6, 1901 in Kolkata. His father was Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, a well-respected advocate in Bengal, who became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta, and his mother was Lady Jogmaya Devi Mookerjee.

Mookerjee obtained his degrees from the University of Calcutta. He graduated in English securing the first position in first class in 1921 and also did MA in 1923 and BL in 1924. He became a fellow of the Senate in 1923. He enrolled as an advocate in Calcutta High Court in 1924 after his father had died shortly after losing to Syed Hasan Imam at Patna high court. Subsequently he left for England in 1926 to study at Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister in 1927. At the age of 33, he became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta (1934), and held the office till 1938.

Political career

He was elected as member of the Legislative Council of Bengal, as an Indian National Congress candidate representing Calcutta University but resigned next year when Congress decided to boycott the legislature. Subsequently, he contested the election as an independent candidate and got elected. He was the Finance minister of Bengal Province during 1941-42.

He emerged as a spokesman for Hindus and shortly joined Hindu Mahasabha and in 1944, he became the President. Dr. Mookerjee was political leader who felt the need to counteract the communalist and separatist Muslim League of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who were demanding either exaggerated Muslim rights or a Muslim state of Pakistan.

Dr.Mookerjee adopted causes to protect Hindus against what he believed to be the communal propaganda and the divisive agenda of the Muslim League. Mookerjee and his future followers would always cite inherent Hindu practices of tolerance and communal respect as the reason for a healthy, prosperous and safe Muslim population in the country in the first place.

Dr.Mookerjee was initially a strong opponent of the Partition of India, but following the communal riots of 1946-47, Mookerjee strongly disfavored Hindus continuing to live in a Muslim-dominated state and under a government controlled by the Muslim League.

On 11 February 1941 S P Mookerjee told a Hindu rally that if Muslims wanted to live in Pakistan they should "pack their bag and baggage and leave India... (to) wherever they like".[1]

Dr.Mookerjee supported the partition of Bengal in 1946 to prevent the inclusion of its Hindu-majority areas in a Muslim-dominated East Pakistan;[2] he also opposed a failed bid for a united but independent Bengal made in 1947 by Sarat Bose, the brother of Subhas Chandra Bose and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a Bengali Muslim politician.

He wanted the Hindu Mahasabha not to be restricted to Hindus alone or work as apolitical body for the service of masses. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi by a Hindu fanatic, the Mahasabha was blamed chiefly for the heinous act and became deeply unpopular. Mookerjee himself condemned the murder.

Post-independence

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inducted him in the Interim Central Government as a Minister for Industry and Supply. Mookerjee was widely respected by many Indians and also by members of the Indian National Congress, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of its chief leaders.

But on issue of the 1950 Delhi Pact with Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, Dr.Mookerjee resigned from the Cabinet on April 6, 1950. Mookerjee was firmly against Nehru's invitation to the Pakistani PM, and their joint pact to establish minority commissions and guarantee minority rights in both countries. He wanted to hold Pakistan directly responsible for the terrible influx of millions of Hindu refugees from East Pakistan, who had left the state fearing religious suppression and violence aided by the state. Mookerjee considered Nehru's actions as appeasement, and was hailed as a hero by the people of West Bengal.[citation needed]

Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) on October 21, 1951, following his parting ways with Nehru.[3] The BJS was ideologically close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and widely considered the political arm of Hindu Nationalism. It was opposed to appeasement of India's Muslims, and favoured free-market economics as opposed to the socialist policies pursued by Nehru. The BJS also favored a uniform civil code governing personal law matters for both Hindus and Muslims, wanted to ban cow slaughter and end the special status given to the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The BJS founded the Hindutva agenda which became the wider political expression of India's Hindu majority. He was also influential with the more conservative members within the Congress.

In the 1952 general elections to the Parliament of India, Dr. Mookerjee and the BJS won three seats.

Dr.Shyama Prasad Mookerjee opposed the Indian National Congress's decision to grant Kashmir a special status with its own flag and Prime Minister. According to Congress's decision, no one, including the President of India could enter into Kashmir without the permission of Kashmir's Prime Minister. In opposition to this decision, he once said "Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan and Do Nishan nahi challenge" (A single country can't have two constitutions, two prime ministers, and two National Emblems).

Dr. Mookerjee went to visit Kashmir in 1953, and observed a hunger strike to protest the law that prohibited Indian citizens from settling in a state within their own country and mandated that they carry ID cards. He was arrested on May 11 while crossing border into Kashmir. Although the ID card rule was revoked owing to his efforts, he died as detenu on June 23, 1953 under mysterious circumstances.

Shaheed...........

Dr. Shyama Prasad was arrested on entering Kashmir on May 11, 1953. Thereafter, he was jailed in a dilapidated house.[4] Dr. Shyama Prasad had suffered from dry pleurisy and coronary troubles, and was taken to hospital one and a half months after his arrest due to complications arising from the same.[citation needed] He was administered penicillin despite having informed the doctor-in-charge of his allergy to penicillin, and he died on June 23, 1953.

It was strongly rumored that he was poisoned in custody and Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru had conspired to do the same.No post-mortem was ordered in total disregard of the rule. Maulana Azad, who was acting Prime Minister ( in absence of Nehru, who was away in London ), did not allow body to be brought to Delhi and dead body was directly flown to Calcutta.[4]

His death in custody raised wide suspicion across the country and demands for independent enquiry were raised, including earnest requests from his mother, Jogmaya Devi, to Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru declared that he had enquired from a number of persons who were privy to the facts and, according to him, there was no mystery behind Dr. Mookerjee's death. Jogmaya Devi did not accept Nehru's reply and requested the setting up of an impartial enquiry. Nehru however ignored the letter and no enquiry commission was set up. Mookerjee's death therefore remains a matter of some controversy.[5] Atal Behari Vajpayee claimed in 2004 that the death of Mookherjee was a "Nehru conspiracy".[6]

However, it was Mookherjee's martyrdom, which later compelled, Nehru to remove Permit system, post of Sadar-e-Riayasat and of Prime Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.[7]

Legacy

Along with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Dr. Mookerjee is considered the godfather of Hindu nationalism in India, especially the Hindutva movement.Though Dr.Mookerjee was not associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, he is widely revered by members and supporters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

On April 22, 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi's newly constructed Rs. 650-crore building (the tallest building in Delhi) was named "Doctor Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civic Centre".[8] The Civic Centre was inaugurated by Home Minister P Chidambaram. The building, which will cater to an estimated 20,000 visitors per day, will also house different wings and offices of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Delhi also has a major road named after Dr. S.P. Mukherjee.

On August 27, 1998, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation named a bridge after Mookerjee.[9]

A BEST bus junction near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum) and Regal Cinema in Mumbai is named as "Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Chowk" in his honour.

In 2001, the main research funding institute of the Government of India, CSIR instituted a new fellowship named after him. The Shyama Prasad Mukhejee Fellowship is the most prestigious fellowship given in India for doing PhD. Only the top 20% students who clear the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF CSIR/UGC) are eligible to sit for this examination.

   

Applications that involve welding plastics range from assembly for mass-produced domestic appliances to fabrication welding of pipelines and from high-speed welding of films and fabrics to precision welding of medical devices. Methods are also diverse, extending from well-established processes such as ultrasonic or hot gas welding to novel techniques employing laser or infrared energy.

  

TWI has built an extensive knowledge base covering the more widely used processes for welding plastics, and we have also pioneered the development of innovative techniques that provide improved quality and greater productivity.

  

We can offer impartial advice on the most appropriated joining technique for any application or material.

 

For more information www.twi.co.uk/technologies/welding-coating-and-material-p...

 

If you wish to use this image each use should be accompanied by the credit line and notice, "Courtesy of TWI Ltd".

 

Yesterday, Tuesday 13 August 2019, Greater Manchester Police welcomed 100 new recruits to the force.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, presented the new officers with their warrant cards.

 

The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren J Smith and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Chohan were guests of honour.

 

The attestation ceremony was held at Manchester Grammar School.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

  

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

Yesterday, Tuesday 13 August 2019, Greater Manchester Police welcomed 100 new recruits to the force.

 

The officers were officially sworn in at a formal ceremony attended by Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, senior officers and magistrate Joan Cooper.

 

Bev Hughes, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, presented the new officers with their warrant cards.

 

The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Warren J Smith and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Abid Chohan were guests of honour.

 

The attestation ceremony was held at Manchester Grammar School.

 

Family and friends watched the new officers make their oath to uphold their role with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality throughout their time in post.

 

New recruits have to complete a two year probation period which includes classroom based learning and a year of active patrol.

 

During their training they will have the same of level of authority as regular officers, including the power of arrest.

  

The new recruits are replacing those who have either retired or left the organisation and therefore helping GMP to maintain current officer numbers.

 

To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk

 

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

 

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

 

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.