Let's talk Curiosity.
She completed her test drive today.
Discovery News reports:
"We built a rover, so unless the rover roves, we really haven’t accomplished anything," project manager Pete Theisinger, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters during a press conference Wednesday. "It's a big moment, a very big moment."
PHOTOS: Curiosity's First Week On Mars
Curiosity spent most of its 16-minute trek taking pictures. Just four minutes were needed to drive forward 15 feet, pivot the wheels 120 degrees, back up 8 feet and park. The rest of time, Curiosity took pictures, mostly of its wheels and its tread marks in the Martian soil.
"This is a very historic photo. There's only one place on Mars where you start your tracks," said lead rover planner Matt Heverly.
Isn't that great? And what photo, you may be asking.
This one.
Isn't that something. Did you ever think you'd see the surface of Mars so vividly?
I sure didn't. Not in my lifetime.
When I was a kid, sure. But I thought we'd be like the Jetsons by now back then.
Who knows, we just might get there yet.
"Iraq snapshot" (The Common Ills):
Wednesday,
August 22, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Iraq's fugitive
president remains out of the country, the Minister of Oil is accused of
hiring a thousand of his own relatives, Camp Liberty's a nightmare
according to a former UN human rights workers, a new petition calls on
Women's Media Center and Ms. magazine, and more.
So many wars, let's start with the Drone War before moving onto Iraq. Brenda Norrell (Narco News) reports:
President Obama's Tuesday kill list is responsible for the assassination of a 16-year-old boy from Denver, Medea Benjamin of CodePink
said here today. Describing the US program of targeted assassinations
using drones, the CIA out of control, and the US Congress refusing to
act, Benjamin said it is time for US citizens to show the world they do
not support US drone assassinations in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Benjamin called for citizens in Tucson to join the march with Pakistanis in northern Pakistan, during the week of September 21, and show the world that the people of the US seek global peace and understanding, and do not support US drone killings.
Benjamin called for citizens in Tucson to join the march with Pakistanis in northern Pakistan, during the week of September 21, and show the world that the people of the US seek global peace and understanding, and do not support US drone killings.
Now
we'll move over to Iraq where the political crisis continues to grip
the country. What does it say about a country when the president is
out of the country for over two months? Back on June 16th, I wrote:
As Iraq explodes, President Jalal Talabani continues to shrink. Alsumaria reports
that he's written an indignant letter to Speaker of Parliament Osama
al-Nujaifi, Iraqiya head Ayad Allawi and KRG President Massoud Barazni
in which he belittles Moqtada al-Sadr and in which he insists he'd
rather resign than change his opinion and forward the petition with 176
signatures to Parliament (the petition calls for a no-confidence vote on
Nouri). Poor overweight Jalal. Last month, he'd pictured himself
getting his arteries cleaned in the US and the pigging out on Philly
Cheesesteaks. Now his image is in tatters, his political party PUK has
asked him to lower his profile (his weakness is hurting the party) and
he's been told not to leave the country. Back on April 28th, he talked
big to Moqtada, Allawi and Barzani. He swore that he could remove Nouri
as prime minister all by his lonesome. Then Nouri did a little
pressue, the US did a little pressure, and like a cheap belt, Jalal
buckled. Next year the KRG holds provincial elections. The PUK is
furious with Jalal for his decision not to forward the petition. It's
made Massoud Barzani even more popular in the KRG, it's made him look
even more like a leader and Jalal look even weaker and more
ineffectual. (The two main parties in the KRG are the Jalal's PUK and
Barzani's KDP. In the last years, Goran has emerged as a third party.
PUK officials fear that they are losing power not to Barzani's KDP but
to the emerging Goran as a result of Jalal's embarrassing moves.)
And
I was wrong because I thought when you're told not to leave the
country, you don't leave the country. But the very next day, June 17th,
we were noting, "He's not very popular of late. Not even with his own
political party. So it probably wasn't smart of him to head for Germany
today, as Alsumaria reports. Especially after he'd been instructed not to leave the country until the political crisis was settled."
It
is August 22nd and Jalal's still not made it back to Iraq. People talk
about Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi being a fugitive, but Jalal
appears to be the one. For those who've forgotten, as Jalal was being
mocked for leaving the country, his office wanted Iraq to know that he
had to leave because he needed a life altering surgery, he was at risk.
Apparently of tipping over because that 'important' surgery turned out
to be knee surgery. He had elective surgery. It could have waited.
But
he used it to bail on Iraq. In 2011, Iraq had three vice presidents
and one president-- and all were in the country. Right now it has one
vice president in the country and that's it. Jalal really thinks this
is how to be president? Hiding out in Germany?
The very optimistic Iraq Updates insists
today that Jalal "will return home soon and first meet with Kurdistan
President Massoud Barzani [. . .]" For those who've forgotten how Jalal
ticked off a large portion of Iraqis, it was when he stabbed his
colleagues in the back. Jalal was present at the end of April meeting
with Moqtada al-Sadr, Iraqiya's Ayad Allawi, Massoud Barzani and others
and Jalal was on board for the no-confidence vote in Parliament on
Nouri. Signatures were collected. More than enough. But Jalal began
disallowing signatures at the last minute and declared that they weren't
valid and the vote couldn't go forward. Yes, they were valid.
And Jalal stuck his own big ass further in the fire this month when, attempting to shine his tawdry image, he spoke to Nakhel News
about why he halted the no-confidence vote. Jalal gave five reasons.
None had to do with signatures. He never even raised the issue of
signatures. His reasons included not wanting to go against the Shi'ites
(and feeling Moqtada was but one voice) and assurances he'd personally
received regarding the Erbil Agreement. He's begun to make another call
for a national conference to address the nation's political crisis.
(He and Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi began making the call
December 21st.) Buratha News notes he wants all the political blocs to take part. Jalal's renewed call takes place as Fryad Mohammed (AKnews) reports that the Kurdistan Islamic Union's Najib Abdullah is stating that the ground work for such a meeting has still not been done
From the failing president to the corruption, Rebin Hassan (AKnews) reports
that Parliament's Oil and Gas Committe has discovered that, since 2003,
$27 billion (in US dollars) "have been spent on the electricity sector
in Iraq" and his with no progress to show for it leading MP Qasim
Mohammed to declare, "There is huge corruption in the electricity sector
in Iraq." With all the money spent, Iraqis still do not have
dependable electricity and most make do with 6 or so hours a day.
Minister of Electricity is a post with a huge turnover rate. Let's just
note the last two years. In June of 2010, CNN was reporting on the resignation of Karim Waheed as a result of protests. Aseel Kami (Reuters) reported
in August of 2011 on the resignation of Raad Shallal's resignation --
he was the Minister of Electricity who stepped down due to what were
called fake contracts. Buratha News reports
that social media rumors (and documents) attest to the current Minister
Abdul Karim Aftan hiring 1,000 relatives to work for the Ministry. All Iraq News adds
that a member of Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc in Parliament is stating that
the Minister will be questioned before Parliament shortly.
Turning to some of today's violence, All Iraq News reports a Mosul home invasion resulted in the death of one woman who was shot to death. Alsumaria reports that 1 man was shot dead in Dhuluiya and they note a Diyalal Province bombing injured two Iraqi soldiers. Through yesterday, Iraq Body Count counts 336 people killed in violence so far this month in Iraq.
Though the election law for next year's provincial elections still hasn't been settled, AKnews reports that Diyala Province plans to elect a governor next Saturday. This is due to the death of the previous governor. Saturday Alsumaria reported that Diyala Province Govenor Hashim Hayali has died in what was called a traffic accident in Baquba. All Iraq News reported
that his wife also died in the accident and noted that he had
previously survived an April 21st assassination attempt. He had been
governor for less than a year. AFP says his wife and two daughters are injured while his son died. All Iraq News notes he had been governor for five months and was a member of the National Accord Front which is part of the Iraqiya slate.
US General Martin Dempsey visited Iraq yesterday. The US Embassy in Baghdad issued the following statement on the visit:
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey visited Baghdad on August 21, 2012. He met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials to discuss regional and security issues, including the situation in Syria. General Dempsey also met with U.S. Embassy officials, including Charge d'Affaires Stephen Beecroft and members of the Embassy's Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq.
General Dempsey's visit is part of the United States' efforts under the Strategic Framework Agreement to support Iraq's continued development as a strategic partner that contributes to peace and security as a leader in the region.
Dempsey did not meet with the the US Ambassador to Iraq because there is no US Ambassador to Iraq. All Iraq News notes that Dempsey's visit is the highest ranking official visit of 2012. Of the US Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, RTT reports, "More than 225 U.S. troops, seven Defense Department civilians, 530 security assistance team members and more than 4,000 contracted personnel are currently in the office at the Iraqi government's invitation."
Ashish Kumar Sen (Washington Times) reports on the assertions by the former human rights chief for UNAMI that conditions at Camp Liberty are as bad as the residents have been saying.
Camp Liberty is a former US military base (often referred to in the press as Camp Hurriyah). Nouri and the US want Iranian dissidents from Camp Ashraf relocated there.
Approximately 3,400 people were at Camp Ashraf when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. They were Iranian dissidents who were given asylum by Saddam Hussein decades ago. The US government authorized the US military to negotiate with the residents. The US military was able to get the residents to agree to disarm and they became protected persons under Geneva and under international law.
Despite that legal status and the the legal obligation on the part of the US government to protect the residents, since Barack Obama has been sworn in as US president, Nouri has ordered not one but two attacks on Camp Ashraf resulting in multiple deaths. Let's recap. July 28, 2009 Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer entitled "Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents," Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later, on 28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at least nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor health after going on hunger strike." April 8, 2011, Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault took place). Amnesty International described the assault this way, "Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of the operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and more than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and other protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on other occasions when the government has announced investigations into allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out." Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observes that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva Conventions."
For months, the claims of Camp Liberty not being fit to be a refugee center have been dismissed in the press. Bomedra is stating that he resigned from his post after he grasped that UNAMI's purpose was to provide cover for Camp Liberty. He states that Nouri had no respect for international human rights standards and that raising that reality to the UN Secretary-General's Special Enovy in Iraq Martin Kobler resulted in ridicule. He also states Kobler "misled [the U.N.] headquarters in New York" regarding Camp Liberty.
Kobler most recently provided public testimony to the United Nations Security Council on July 19th. This is what he said on the topic of Camp Ashraf:
UN
Special Envoy Martin Kobler: Finally, Mr. President, I still remain
very concerned by the lack of progress in resolving the issue of Camp
Ashraf. 2,000 residents of Camp Ashraf have relocated to Camp Hurriyah
[Liberty] in the last months. Approximately 1,200 remain in Camp
Ashraf. The several deadlines set by the government of Iraq have been
extended. I thank the government of Iraq for their flexibility in this
regard and I appeal to the Iraqi authorities to continue the process to
resolve the relocation peacefully. Our committment is strictly
humanitarian, to facilitate a voluntary, temporary relocation of
residents to Camp Hurriyah as the first step of resettlement to
countries outside of Iraq; however, the success of a facilitator depends
at least on good will. Their can be no facilitation without
constructive and practical dialogue. We are faced with three main
challenges. First, recent weeks have witnessed difficulties in
maintaining dialogue between UNAMI and the residents and between the
residents and the government of Iraq reinforcing a perception that the
residents lack genuine will to participate in the process faciliated by
UNAMI. Second, responsiblity also falls on the many international
supporters. It is of great importance that they contribute to
positively influence the residents' position. And third, to date
almost no memeber-state has stepped forward to offer resettlement to
eligible, former Ashraf residents. There must be a way out of Hurriyah
in the foreseeable future. Without prospect for resettlement, the
ongoing process runs the risk of collapsing. The tempoary transit
location at Camp Hurriyah has the capacity to accomodate the remaining
1,200 residents and meets acceptable humanitarian standards. Both UNAMI
and UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] have
devoted substantial energy and resources to resolving this issue. More
than 100 staff are dedicated to the project in the meantime. I appeal
to the government of Iraq to be generous -- particularly in terms of
humanitarian needs like water and electricity and to avoid violence
under any circumstances. I also appeal to camp residents to abide by
Iraqi laws and avoid provocation and violence. Time is running out to
find a sustainable solution. The government's patience is wearing thin.
I would therefore like to echo the Secretary-General and urge Camp
Ashraf residents to cooperate with the Iraqi authorities and to relocate
from Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriyah. It is also imperative that third
countries step forward to accept eligible residents for resettlement as
soon as possible without which there can be no durable solution.
In
the United States, four women make up two presidential tickets, but you
might not know that due to lack of covearge. The four: Jill Stein has the Green Party's presidential nomination and her running mate is Cheri Honkala and Roseanne Barr has the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party and her running mate is Cindy Sheehan.
Both tickets have gotten some mainstream press. Know what they haven't received?
Attention from Ms. magazine's blog (or 'magazine') or Women's Media Center.
Now
in 2008, we used the snapshot and space at Third and Ava and I worked
the phones and between all that and the work of other women as well, we
were finally able to guilt WMC into doing one article on Cynthia
McKinney. That was their 'gift' to women. One article. Cynthia was
running for president on the Green Party ticket and her running mate was
Rosa Clemente. And WMC could only do one article on Cynthia. (None on Rosa.) As lousy as that is, it's one more than Ms. or it's Feminist Wire Daily managed.
Every
day it's about how can they advance the Democratic Party. It's not
about informing, it's not about reporting, it's not about journalism.
It's
whoring. They're very good whores. It's a shame they don't want to be
something more than a whore but I guess their own self-images are so
poor that when casting themselves in the story of their lives, they
decided the whore was the only role they'd be believable in.
Here's
a little hint for them both: Fundraisers only have worked in the past
because women have believed you're about women. When you've got
feminists like Roseanne and Jill and they're both running to be
president of the United States and you're not covering it, you make it
so very easy for all of us to stop donating to you.
So maybe this is how Ms. magazine finally dies? Revealed to be nothing now but a shallow and whore for the patriarchy, the magazine finally goes down? If so, it's no great loss. It was supposed to be a monthly and for obvious reasons couldn't pull that off. (Obvious reasons do not include lack of stories. Obvious reasons does include a failure to cover the feminist movement out of fear of upsetting some men.) If you missed our "No, really, who is Gloria?" (byline "This was written by Ava, C.I., Ann, Elaine, Betty, Ruth and Marcia." ) and the counter-argument "The accomplishments of Gloria Steinem?" (Ava and myself) at Third Sunday, I'm not in the damn mood for any of this crap anymore. You either start covering women or admit that you're not feminists. When two women are running for president and you're not covering it, you're not a feminist press. You can lie -- and we know you can whore -- all you want, you're not a feminist press. Elaine argued last night "Real feminists go third party" and that's a valid point. But I don't care who you endorse or if you endorse. My point is that women who have their own outlet for women but don't cover Jill and Roseanne ought to be ashamed of themselves. You're disgusting and drowning in your own self-hatred -- sadly, not drowing quick enough so we all have to suffer from your craving for male approval.
Again, I'm not in the damn mood. If you're also tired of the crap? This petition is calling for the two outlets to cover the two runs. Rebecca started it. Thank you, Rebecca.
Chris Faraone (Boston Phoenix) offers a piece on Jill Stein's campaign and platform:'
Despite
my initial prejudices, it took just one read through Stein's "Green New
Deal for America" to flip me into a wholehearted endorser. That's how
this turned from a hatchet job into a mash note -- probably one of the
only Jill Stein puff pieces you'll ever read. But hell, it's
necessary -- someone has to call attention to how Stein stands apart
from the pack. While big-tent sleazeballs gorge on loot from predatory
lenders, for example, she calls for restoring the Glass-Steagall
separation of commercial and investment banks. As for extra bona fides,
the doctor has experience hitting Mitt Romney, having run against him
for governor of Massachusetts 10 years ago. Sure, she lost, badly -- but
not before she used her debate platform to condemn "tax loopholes for
the wealthiest five percent," and to contend that financiers have no
place in public office. In other words: Stein has spent the past
decade hammering inequities that the increasingly broke public claims it
wants corrected.
Presidentially
speaking, Stein is no joke. She's a highly intelligent and experienced
organizer, not to mention a Harvard alum, like her big-party opponents.
Among other sensible ideas, Stein wants to abolish the Electoral
College, repeal the Patriot Act, and cut military spending in half --
ideas that so-called progressives seem to wholeheartedly embrace in
non-election years only. With that in mind, here's a conscience call to
anyone who has enough courage to put their ballot -- and perhaps their
volunteer time -- where their mouth is.
