The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues Analyzes issues of liberal concern and gives readers a digest of what is reported in over forty newspapers throughout the world to engage them in critical thinking issues. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 57 8575

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Surge Also Leads To Surge In Iraq Problems 2007-11-18 18:43:04 The American media is reporting dramatic success as a result of the Bush Surge, but there are indications while the city of Baghdad is quieter, serious problems remain in the nation. Most of northern Iraq is without light because its plants are idle due to lack of gasoline. The Kurdish government is engaged in a clash over oil in regions of northern Iraq it claims belong to the Kurdish authority. Supporters of al Sadr’s Mahdi army claim the United States is taking sides in a dispute between two rival Shiite groups and is backing their enemy, the Badr Corps. In the meantime, the weekend was interrupted by new bombings in Baghdad. A factor in making difficult ascertaining the success or failure of the Surge is the lack of criteria by which to gauge what really has happened in Iraq. There is no question fighting has died down in Baghdad, but is it the result of a temporary movement away from directly responding to American attacks by insurgent groups or have they really been crushed ...

Jpanese Public Opinion Hostile To North Korea 2007-11-18 18:27:14 Since the end of World War II, Japanese public opinion has been remarkably quiet when it comes to exerting pressure on the government concerning foreign policy issues, but the average Japanese citizen apparently has his/her back up against any further relations with North Korea until the abduction of their citizens by the North Koreans is finally resolved. Over the pa;t twenty years, for some strange reason, the North Korean government has abducted Japanese civilians and most have never been returned. Although Japan has been actively involved in current negotiations with North Korea over atomic weapon issues, its government is unable to initiate significant economic relations with their northern neighbor until the abduction issue is cleared up. Public opinion has been shaped by the media for the first time in Japanese history and the government is attempting to figure out how to deal with this new phenomenon. ...

US Drug Company Tested Drugs On Nigerian Children! 2007-11-18 10:01:05 The Nigerian government is taking on Pfizer for the drug company’s actions during a 1994 epidemic in their country during which at least 200 Nigerian children were used as guinea pigs to test a new drug according to an article in today’s Der Spiegel. It is estimated at least eleven children died and others were left with disabilities. Batatunde Irukera, a Nigerian lawyer was eating breakfast last October when approached by an old man who turned out to be a journalist who had devoted years to investigating the case. The man discovered the remnant of a file folder containing the statement: “Pfizer Meningitis Study” and a pink card which had the initials, “A.M.” They were able to trace the A.M. to a sixteen year old who was among the children that were tested. Pfizer in 1994 wanted to place on the market a new drug named Trovan which supposedly dealt with a variety of infections. Testing new drugs in the United States can be a long, drawn-out process s ... Children

Sudan Refugees In Limbo After Israel Kicks Them Out! 2007-11-18 09:13:59 A few thousand refugees made their way out of the horror of the Sudan to find work and safety in Israel where they work in jobs that most Israelis don’t want to handle. The Israel government deported many of these people last August and they are now caught either in the limbo of Egyptian jails or, in some cases, back in the Sudan where the government now considers them to be “Zionist spies.” The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is concerned because they don’t have full access to refugees in the Egyptian detention centers and “there are unconfirmed reports that five or six of the Sudanese refugees who wee deported from Israel were involuntarily returned to Sudan without any proper review process by the UNHCR.” Israel, which deported the refugees, blames Egypt for the situation. Is there something wrong with this picture? Refugees being deported from Israel — a nation which historically offered open arms to any and all Jews seeking refu ...

US 200% Behind Me, Claims Musharraf 2007-11-18 08:59:23 After concluding meetings with US envoy, John Negroponte, President Musharraf told the BBC that he had the complete support of the United States in his actions to fight terrorism. “they are liking me because we are fighting terrorism together. They show concern on the democratic front, they show concern over my uniform, they think what we are doing is the right directions.” As he spoke, the Pakistan army was launching a major effort in the Swat Valley against insurgents led by Mualana Fazullah. The Pakistan army issued its regular reports about dead militants and claims they were advancing in the valley. Most Pakistan experts believe the forces of Fazullah wiil allow the Pakistan army to kill some militants and the game will go on, the army advances, a few dead militants, and normality continues with Fazullah retaining power. It is apparent the only way Musharraf can continue ruling Pakistan is the presence of a war against terrorism. The great mistake of the Bush administ ...

Iran Threatens US Dollar At Closed OPEC Meeting 2007-11-18 08:34:04 The the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC), Iran’s Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki, was accidentally overheard telling the members it was time to end linking the price of oil to the American dollar because of the continual depreciation of that currency. “The reality is we have this problem. I think we should draft the declaration to reflect our concerns.” Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia responded that such a declaration would hurt the price of oil. “Nobody wants to have less money than more money. I am sure we all agree on that.” It also came out, President Chavez of Venezuela, wants to cut the price of oil being sold to poor nations while keeping it high on the wealthy ones. OPEC leaders want to make certain Chavez is kept away from the media The United States of America’s refusal to become energy smart is resulting in other nations treating it as energy dumb. It is now almost forty years since OPEC became a force ...

Putin Third Term Loophole– Listening, President Bush! 2007-11-17 15:24:07 A little known loophole has been uncovered in Russian electoral law which might enable President Putin to run for a third term. The current law forbids more than two consecutive presidential terms and states if a sitting president resigns, he can not run for the vacated seat. But, the constitution is silent on the question as to what happens if a president resigns, allows someone else to fill out his term, and then runs for office in the following election. Rumors are circulating around Moscow that President might be considering this option, He has already indicated that if someone else assumes the presidency, he most probably will become prime minister and continue wielding power behind the scenes. Alexander Shokhin, a leading business figure told the press, “It is quite possible for Putin to run as a candidate for the presidency in the 2008 election” if he resigned prior to the completion of his term of office. Many businessmen trust Putin as a figure who has brought stab ... President

Israel Conflict With Vatican Worsens 2007-11-17 15:06:19 Israel is currently engaged in efforts to establish ties with the Palestinian Authority, but there is now another dark cloud on the horizon caused by increased complaints from the Vatican about Israeli actions. A senior Vatican official, Archbiship Pietro Sambi lashed out at Israel, ‘if I must be frank, the relations between the Catholic Church and the state of Israel were better when there were no diplomatic ties.” Among the issues in dispute are expropriated church property, servies that Catholic groups perform for Israeli’s Jewish and Arab populations, and exemptions for the Church. A particular sore point is the granting of permits for Arab Christian clergy traveling to and around the West Bank on church activities. Israel has rescinded some travel privileges for clergy members due to security reasons. Earlier this year, tensions developed between the Vatican and Israel when the Holy See’s ambassador to Israel initially declined to boycott a Holocaust memor ...

Tangled Mess Continues In Pakistan 2007-11-17 08:39:55 The military government of President Musharraf is both engaged in fighting militants in the northwest areas of Pakistan as it battles political opponents throughout the nation. Gelicopter gunships blasted away at suspected bunkers of militant in the north and claimed to have killed at least forty. In the mean time, police baton-charged a rally of the Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) in Gujranwala and arrested over 200. A spokesperson for the PPP claims that at least 12,000 activists have been arrested throughout Pakistan. John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State arrived in the nation and contacted Benazir Bhutto who heads the PPP. He urged her to continue efforts to unite political parties in an attempt to create a coalition for democracy in Pakistan. The Bush administration is now caught in a dilemma. It has been a strong and fervent supporter of the Musharraf government while also arguing democracy must be fostered in Pakistan. There apparently is emerging a new democratic union ...

New Zealand-Obese People Need Not Apply! 2007-11-17 08:22:44 Richie Trezise, a submarine cable specialist, was looking forward to emigrating from Britain and finding work in New Zealand where his skills were needed. He had been headhunted by one of New Zealand’s largest companies and expected to begin his new life. However, he encountered a slight hitch in his plans. After seeing his doctor and providing information concerning his health to New Zealand immigration officials he was told that he was too fat to enter New Zealand. His body mass index(BMI) registered too high at 42. He was told to slim down if he really wanted to live in beautiful thin New Zealand. “My doctor laughed at me. He said he’d never seen anything more ridiculous in his whole life” since not all obese people are unhealthy. Robyn Toomath, an endocrinologist working for the New Zealand campaign group, Fight The Obesity Epidemic, said her country could not afford to admit immigrants who would be a drain on health services. By the way, Mr. Trezise&rsqu ...

Burma Military Junta Claims Only 15 Killed 2007-11-17 08:10:03 The Burmese military government reported a higher death toll during the recent demonstrations for democracy in Myanmar than previously noted. They told Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, a special UN envoy that 114 Burmese nationals and a Japanese photojournalist were the people killed during demonstrations. Pinheio concluded a five day mission to Burma where he was told by the military leaders there were no incidents in which monks were killed. “My visit was not a full-fledged fact-finding mission because five days and I have interviewed prisoners, met monks, it was very much contact with the government authorities which is very useful for me to have a full consideration of all aspects of the crisis.” The human rights investigator is still int he process of examining evidence before he can conclude making his final report. There is something strange about the claim of the Burmese military since during the demonstrations there were photos of the bodies of dead monks lying in the water ...

Military Desertions Highest Since 2001 2007-11-17 07:56:36 The ongoing strain of constant deployments, re-deployments takes a toll on many brave members of the military. All told, there were 4,698 soldiers who were classified as deserters, a 42.3 percent increase over the previous year when 4,399 deserted. In a rather surprising aspect of the desertion rate, about 63.6% of this year’s desertions occurred from April through September. Marine desertions rates fell but it is the United States Army which has borne the greatest burden in fighting the Iraq war. Soldiers must spend a fifteen month tour in Iraq, return home for 12 months, and then are sent back for an additional 15 months. Lawrence Korb, a former member of the Pentagon during the Reagan administration notes, “It’s a combination of not enough dwell time, and having to go back to the war as well as the type of people you’re taking in.” In an effort to boost recruiting, the Army has given waivers to 11.6 percent of new recruits. War is not pretty and war c ...

Japan Whalers Resume Hunchback Whale Slaughter! 2007-11-17 07:42:24 A fleet of ships is sailing out of the ports of Japan this week destined for the South Pacific where it will resume the practice of killing hunchback whales. The japanese seamen are under orders to kill 50 hunchback whales in order to satisfy the eating habits of their nation. The hunchback whale has been classified as an endangered species and since 1963 the world has avoided killing them, but the Japanese fishery industry has decided to break the ban and kill a few. According to their logic, killing 50 out of a population of thousands doesn’t matter much but according to Greenwatch spokesperson, Junichi Sato, “These whales don’t have to die. Hunchbacks are very sensitive and live in close knit pods. So, even one death can be extremely damaging.” For many people, the hunchback whale represents something special– an attempt to live in peace and harmony with a beautiful fellow inhabitant of planet Earth. At one point in the past at least 60,000 of them li ...

President of South Africa Denies Claim Poverty On Rise 2007-11-16 14:22:28 President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa angrily denied claims the rate of poverty in his nation was on the rise. He blasted forces that oppose the democratic revolution which overthrew apartheid as the source of such claims since they are attempting to subvert the success of black rule. “This time,” he said, the source of the canard was the South African Institute of Race Relations which made the startling claim that the masses of poor people are now poorer than they were in 1996.” However, the South African Institute of Race Relations(SAIRR) stood by its report which indicates significant growth in the percentage of people falling below the poverty line. It noted the number of people living below a $1 a day wage had risen from 1.9 million in 1996 to 4.2 million in 2006. The Institute report agreed with Mbeki that overall income had been on the rise but a disproportionate amount of that went to people at the upper levels of income. The South African situation is not ... President

Hamas Threatens Violence Over Annapolis Conference 2007-11-16 14:01:55 As time draws near for the opening of the Annapolis conference called by the United States in order to deal with Israel and Palestinian issues, the rhetoric of Hamas grows increasingly strident. A mass rally of 10,000 people in Gaza demanded that President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority avoid making any concessions which infringed on Palestinian rights or cut off control of mosques in Jerusalem. Khalil al-Haya, a Hamas leader uttered threatening words: “We warn the whole region… against harming Alaksa(mosque) meddling with our basic rights or tightening the siege.. We war of a big explosion.” The failure to include Hamas in the Annapolis talks merely gives its leaders permission to engage in wild boasts and threats. It is doubtful if such talk would occur when sitting around tables at which Arab leaders from every major nation in the Middle East were listening. Participation at the Annapolis meeting would compel Hamas to tone down its rhetoric and become involved ...