Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Shimon Peres – R.I.P.


First I would like to pay a personal tribute to the man who could have brought a permanent peace to the Middle East.
I always believed, for most of my lifetime, that Peres, together with Golda Meir were the two singular individual leaders with the potential and capability of achieving this elusive Nirvana.
His passing ends an era where there existed leaders in Israel with a genuine desire for a true, a just and a permanent peace with the Palestinians.

I only met him on one occasion – and we had a disagreement which, thankfully, fell short of a publicly voiced argument, as I held my counsel; and which I never capitalized on afterwards for personal benefit.

My disagreement with Shimon Peres can partly be gauged when I was invited to address a B'Nai B'rith function (which has had more prominent individuals than me - such as the Israeli Ambassador) as the guest speaker.
(For security reasons and as it was a private function, I will not say here where it was held.)
I was asked a particular question after my talk to several hundred members and that was 'did I believe the Peace Process (at that time) would succeed? ' My answer was that I did not and that it would be a total failure.
It was just not sustainable with such unreliable partners as Saudi Arabia lurking in the background and the Palestinians running off to Riyadh, Baghdad and Damascus to ensure that finance would not be cut off when a final peace accord was signed with Israel.
The Saudis are one of the most untrustworthy and duplicitous of partners, for a Middle East permanent peace, you could ever hope or imagine to have.
They always were and they always will be whilst the House of Saud holds sway.
(In this world, there are usually good and bad tyrants. The House of Saud however, is just rotten to the core. Even more frustrating, given the present situation in the region, the only thing worse than the House of Saud is it's removal.)
Besides, the absence of a peace between Israel and Palestine and the concept of 'Arab renewal' in the form 'Islamic States' similar to ISIL/ISIS, keeps the minds of the Arab populace, as a whole, across North Africa and the Middle East, off democratic reform issues inside all these Muslim tyrannies (Sunni and Shia) throughout the region.

So Shimon Peres, God give him rest, never delivered on a permanent peace - for which he (falsely) accepted a Nobel Peace Prize (!) None of them -Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat, delivered permanent peace.
Just you look at the chaos and barriers of separation in the region today - with their (unresolved) political problems (and our stupid Western Christian politicians' military interventions and overthrowing Muslim regimes in Muslim lands - fueling the chaos and instabilities) are now overspilling into the whole of Europe and directly affecting political and social stability across Christendom.

The whole 'peace' process was a complete sham and farce from beginning to end, in my opinion.

Indeed I would argue that, at one level, we have ended up with the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/Daesh) and its extremist proponents as a direct result of the absence of a permanent peace process (from that failed Camp David accord) which gives security to Israel and a homeland State with secure internationally recognised borders, to the Palestinian people.

Shimon Peres was surprised (and I think a little annoyed and upset) at my 'response' to his gesture of friendship – but there were issues I could never reconcile about a peace treaty with such an unreliable partner and its even more unreliable allies.
I said so in as many words during question time (when attending members were invited to quiz me about any issues I had raised in my talk.)

We never met again. I still to this day maintain that the peace process was (and is) doomed since there was not (nor is there today) a democratic nor reliable peace partner anywhere in the region.
[Until last year, Israel has been (unwisely) treating ISIL/Daesh fighters who managed to reach the Golan Heights and 'volunteers' assisting with 'health emergencies' in Jordan and elsewhere. You didn't know this? You need to be better informed than what you see on CNN.]


In the absence of a peace process, better to say today that there exists converging interests (for oil, gas, mineral resources exploration, development and water management sustainability) between antagonists and protagonists rather than any real and genuine desire for permanent peace amongst any of the
conflicting entities.

The history books will give, as they do in all countries, the usual false account of Shimon Peres' role in the Middle East 'Peace Process' and fail to point out that this particular whole process was a complete and utter failure.
I ask you to ask yourself: where is the peace for which Mr Peres received his Nobel Peace Prize?
(Indeed where is 'the peace' for which President Obama received his Nobel Peace Prize?)
Such is the planet we live on (!)


Perhaps it's just me. I probably have a few defective brain cells and genes - so the 'traditional' industrial mass populace media 'brainwashing' to facilitate my acceptance of war=peace and peace=war, 'love is hate and hate is love' never quite succeeded down on 'the farm'1 I was tagged for processing at, as 'useable' fodder (!)


©Patrick Emek, September 2016


[Just to avoid any confusion, the reception I met Shimon Peres at was different from the B'nai B'rith event.     I have linked both because of the topic discussed.]


1Animal Farm by George Orwell




Addendum (29/09/2016)
2.The Oslo accord has been widely mentioned in the media as a 'revolutionary' development - by 'cub' reporters who known nothing about it and probably couldn't even mention to  you any of it's stipulations.   Don't believe a word of what they are telling you in the mainstream press.  If you are really interested in why it failed, you could do worse than start by reading the references which I cite below.  I didn't even bother to mention it in this blog  because it was a total failure - and to pick through it's shortcomings here would serve no useful purpose.  PE









Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Health Information 


http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/02/04/Defense-Department-experts-to-support-HHS-with-Zika-virus-research

http://science.dodlive.mil/2016/01/28/rise-of-the-bugs-and-dod-the-biosurveillance-enterprise/


http://dodcio.defense.gov/DoDSection508/Std_Stmt.aspx

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/08/US-Navy-Marine-Corps-team-up-to-support-Sasebo-disaster-drill

 http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/14/Hospitals-sterile-processing-techs-are-Gladiators-of-patient-safety

http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Research-and-Innovation/MHS-Studies-Inventory-Tool/Studies/Urinary-Tract-Infections-in-Active-Component-U-S--Armed-Forces-Women-Before-and-After-Routine-Screen



http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/20/US-Army-medical-brigade-trains-Ukrainian-soldiers-on-field-litter-ambulances

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/13/Civilian-nurses-offered-specialized-training

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/02/Pacific-Partnership-2016-departs-Indonesia-completing-final-mission-stop

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/16/USS-Decatur-MEDEVAC-exemplifies-importance-of-US-ROK-partnership

http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Armed-Forces-Health-Surveillance-Branch/Global-Emerging-Infections-Surveillance-and-Response

http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Armed-Forces-Health-Surveillance-Branch/Global-Emerging-Infections-Surveillance-and-Response?type=All#RefFeed

http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Armed-Forces-Health-Surveillance-Branch/Global-Emerging-Infections-Surveillance-and-Response?type=Articles#RefFeed

http://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Infectious-Diseases




 https://www.afhsc.mil/documents/pubs/msmrs/2015/v22_n11.pdf


http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/02/22/Army-scientists-begin-first-MERS-vaccine-clinical-trial



  http://www.health.mil/Reference-Center/Reports/2016/08/31/H7N9-August-31-2016
 

Zika in the Americas: September 14, 2016

 https://www.afhsc.mil/documents/pubs/msmrs/2015/v22_n06.pdf

 http://www.health.mil/News/Gallery/Photos/2016/01/29/US-Government-Global-Health-Security-Agenda-Partners

 

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/19/Overcoming-physical-and-invisible-wounds-How-one-soldier-went-from-contemplating-suicide

  http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/21/Nurse-Advice-Line-serves-as-important-tool-for-suicide-prevention

 http://www.health.mil/News/Gallery/Infographics/2015/09/15/Recognize-Common-Symptoms-of-Those-at-Risk

 

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2015/10/01/Crisis-line-specialist-helps-fellow-veterans

 

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/funding-news-september-21-2016

 

addendum (26/09/16) 

http://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2016/09/23/Bono-reinforces-support-for-disabled-veterans-advocacy-efforts



Tuesday, 13 September 2016

Film Of the Year

13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi





''You can't put a price on being able to live with yourself''

This is a story about the efforts of military personnel, diplomatic staff and private contractors to protect an impossible CIA 'ghost' location (covert base) - given the meagre human resources which they were allocated.
Once you start applying the commercial market to safety and security lives are at inevitably risk. We saw this in the supply of equipment to allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the low-resourcing of protection teams, assets, and likewise the paucity of resources allocated for the protection of Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya.
(Interestingly, the film obliquely blames Ambassador Stevens himself for the low security detail allocated. You need to read the Official Reports – which you will find at this blogsite – and then decide this matter for yourself. I have read all the Official released reports and have my own view on this issue.)
Ambassador Stevens was brutally butchered by ISIL-affiliated militias during this U.S. compound siege in Benghazi.
You may well conclude the following after both watching this film THEN reading the Official Reports on Benghazi at this blogsite:
When former heads of State are imprisoned or murdered by new tyrants – to our applause - and Ambassadors are getting murdered;when military rescue teams don't know whether they are coming or going, you can pretty much assume a dramatic failure in the process of delegated political leadership from the very top of the political (and military) command chain.

You also need to appreciate that what happened to the protection team during the compound siege at Benghazi was probably at least 5 times worse that this sanitized and dramatized version.

13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi:

Don't Believe What They Teach You In Diplomatic School!
Don't ever forget during your lifetime that when you see any embassy of any country being burnt to the ground anywhere in the world and its Staff being dragged out and butchered like animals in a slaughterhouse, apart from the obvious protective security failure, this always represents, a total and abysmal failure of both politics and diplomacy.
(I saw my first embassy being burnt to the ground before I reached the age of sixteen – I was standing no more than a few hundred feet away - amongst a very very angry, distraught and maddening crowd, many swept away in the group - and tribal - hysteria of the moment  - and have seen 2 Ambassadors I met personally (one for a courtesy NATO-Atlantic Council  delegate briefing in Turkey) brutally assassinated, and butchered, in the course of my lifetime.)

13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

A depressing film - with no happy ending – but more honest to form than is usual from Hollywood .

We had no problem in Libya with Ghadafi.  Thanks to President Ronald Reagan (and to a lesser extent  also to the policies of President George Bush, Jnr.) President Moammar Gadhafi had already surrendered all his nuclear weapons research programs and was cooperating fully with all international organizations for the development of the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
His tyranny in Libya was benevolent – and his chief political prisoners were Al Qaeda and ISIL militants and their supporters (which, incidentally, we let loose on the country following his overthrow.  You didn't know that? You need to be better informed than that what you see on CNN and read in the mainstream press.)
(Perhaps, some day, one of you younger individuals reading this alternative blog will write a book or article - the truth about why Gadhafi was really overthrown?)

13 Hours – The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

A 'must see' film should you be considering a career in the diplomatic service in any country. And should you, as luck, design or fate would have it, be at the receiving end of a difficult posting, forget the glamour of diplomatic life from bygone eras.   It only existed for the privileged few.  Throw away your notes from diplomatic school as it is unlikley they will save you when the sh*t hits the fan.    Get more uniquely (and unashamedly) 'native' and 'streetwise' for any potential extremes and challenges - and you may have a slim chance of coming back home, alive, and in one piece.
Also, not to forget : unlike what you see in the film, put not your fate nor faith in 'the Cavalry' arriving in time to save your sweet (and sorry) ass (!)

©Patrick Emek, September 2016

Sunday, 4 September 2016

Burkini or Birthday Suit?
(CurbYourEnthusiasm)

Memoires d'un Gloire et un Siecle Disparu
I am of an age where I still can remember the Beach ('La Plage' or 'La Promenade') used to be a place most people went not to have a fight but just to wallow-up the sunshine and escape from the cares and worries of everyday life for a few hours or, if they were lucky (or kids bunking off school) for the entire day.
It was only during this time when I met up with my non-Catholic friends (Jewish and Church of England) since most of my school life was pretty regulated by convention – rugby, other sports, helping out with voluntary Catholic Aid activities such sorting stamps for sale to help the Foreign Missionaries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. All our fund-raising was, by today's standards, of a very benign nature and all profits went to help educate Christian children and their parents in the Third World.
Mind you, I now appreciate that it was not every child who 'volunteered' his time on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons, after Mass, for such selfless activities. I think those of us volunteering might have got, as 'thank you' from the Marist Priests running the Program, a mug of tea and a few 'Marietta' biscuits. But that was not why we volunteered. It was something about helping those less fortunate than ourselves. That was what it was really all about. I don't see this kind of enthusiasm today - with children all wrapped up and consumed in their digital gagets and their world of cyberspace, with little time for anyone but themselves and their personal needs.

Leper!
Not too long ago I was travelling on an Arab Airline.
You know what it's like with everyone trying to get past you to get to their seat.
Several women wearing Burkas were in front of me and taking an inordinate amount of time to sort themselves out. I needed to pass to get to my seat – with at least 20 people behind me anxious to move.
As I attempted to pass one Burka-clad woman intervened and started screaming something to the effect that there should be 'empty space' between me and 'them' (women wearing burkas) – a totally impractical situation along the aisle of 'Economy' class. The plane was not even a 'Dreamliner' but a bog-standard 747 or something of the like.
With me in my shorts and tee-shirt and general 'Western' appearance, they felt that I was attired improperly (immodestly?) and, as a male, that I should not be standing so close to them. Fortunately a member of the Cabin Staff (Muslim, I think) intervened and told them in Arabic they were behaving stupidly and they should get out of the way and let me and others continue on to our seats further down the plane as they were the cause of this delay and not myself or the passengers anxiously standing behind me.
Stand Your Ground!
It strikes me that this issue of Burkinis on beaches represents an activist minority of individuals who have take their cues from militant ISIL-Al Qaeda-supporting hate-sermoned Imams who say the following , in a nutshell, to their 'flock':
'Use your wives and females to promote and advance the glory of Islam!'; ''Challenge the infidel at every opportunity. Their (secular) system is so weak (in comparison to that of theocratic Islam) that eventually it will crumble under the popular pressure we ('the Umma') exert and Islam will ultimately triumph.''
Knee-Jerk Racists
Politicians (and the populace at large) tend towards knee-jerk reactions: 'Ban The Burkini!', 'Get Them Off The Beach!' 'No Muslims Here!' 'Ban All Muslims' etc. etc. etc. Most of such reactions have racism (often violent racism) at their core and have no basis in actual reality to the issues being hotly contested - simply providing the basis for racists to vent hatreds against others whom they despise.
Indeed by introducing such measures we are actually imprisoning ourselves as we are behaving in exactly the manner which conjoins - rather than diffuses - the conflict. Such measures play perfectly into the hands of the other fanatical racists – the hate-sermoned Imams – who will use such as a justification to 'Holy Jihad' since they will twist such actions to justify why all Muslims throughout Christendom can resist such discrimination - with targeted and indiscriminate violence: (sic. A condition under which 'Holy Jihad' is justified exists when and where Muslims are prevented from exercising the practice of their faith.)
There is, actually, a very simple solution which bypasses all the hate-mongers on all sides:
The Birthday Suit Effect
Do not ban the Burkini but make Nudism perfectly acceptable on all public beaches throughout Christendom and make it a criminal offence for anyone to discriminate against nudists in any way on any public or Municipal beach.
It is then up to beach-loving Muslims as to whether they can 'tolerate' the exercise of 'freedom of choice' in a secular society or they wish to withdraw to a more private environment to exercise their democratic right to 'quiet enjoyment'.
It's not a perfect solution – but life is not perfect -and neither are the problems which we have to negotiate.

[In my own particular case it would not at all surprise me if special legislation was introduced to ensure that I remained covered-up at all times - on the grounds of public decency -as my half pot-pig beer belly might frighten the cats and dogs on beaches - and cause general mayhem and panic (!)]

©Patrick Emek, September 2016



Burkini or Birthday Suit?
(CurbYourEnthusiasm)

Memoires d'un Gloire et un Siecle Disparu
I am of an age where I still can remember the Beach ('La Plage' or 'La Promenade') used to be a place most people went not to have a fight but just to wallow-up the sunshine and escape from the cares and worries of everyday life for a few hours or, if they were lucky (or kids bunking off school) for the entire day.
It was only during this time when I met up with my non-Catholic friends (Jewish and Church of England) since most of my school life was pretty regulated by convention – rugby, other sports, helping out with voluntary Catholic Aid activities such sorting stamps for sale to help the Foreign Missionaries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. All our fund-raising was, by today's standards, of a very benign nature and all profits went to help educate Christian children and their parents in the Third World.
Mind you, I now appreciate that it was not every child who 'volunteered' his time on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons, after Mass, for such selfless activities. I think those of us volunteering might have got, as 'thank you' from the Marist Priests running the Program, a mug of tea and a few 'Marietta' biscuits. But that was not why we volunteered. It was something about helping those less fortunate than ourselves. That was what it was really all about. I don't see this kind of enthusiasm today - with children all wrapped up and consumed in their digital gagets and their world of cyberspace, with little time for anyone but themselves and their personal needs.

Leper!
Not too long ago I was travelling on an Arab Airline.
You know what it's like with everyone trying to get past you to get to their seat.
Several women wearing Burkas were in front of me and taking an inordinate amount of time to sort themselves out. I needed to pass to get to my seat – with at least 20 people behind me anxious to move.
As I attempted to pass one Burka-clad woman intervened and started screaming something to the effect that there should be 'empty space' between me and 'them' (women wearing burkas) – a totally impractical situation along the aisle of 'Economy' class. The plane was not even a 'Dreamliner' but a bog-standard 747 or something of the like.
With me in my shorts and tee-shirt and general 'Western' appearance, they felt that I was attired improperly (immodestly?) and, as a male, that I should not be standing so close to them. Fortunately a member of the Cabin Staff (Muslim, I think) intervened and told them in Arabic they were behaving stupidly and they should get out of the way and let me and others continue on to our seats further down the plane as they were the cause of this delay and not myself or the passengers anxiously standing behind me.
Stand Your Ground!
It strikes me that this issue of Burkinis on beaches represents an activist minority of individuals who have take their cues from militant ISIL-Al Qaeda-supporting hate-sermoned Imams who say the following , in a nutshell, to their 'flock':
'Use your wives and females to promote and advance the glory of Islam!'; ''Challenge the infidel at every opportunity. Their (secular) system is so weak (in comparison to that of theocratic Islam) that eventually it will crumble under the popular pressure we ('the Umma') exert and Islam will ultimately triumph''
Knee-Jerk Racists
Politicians (and the populace at large) tend towards knee-jerk reactions: 'Ban The Burkini!', 'Get Them Off The Beach!' 'No Muslims Here!' 'Ban All Muslims' etc. etc. etc. Most of such reactions have racism (often violent racism) at their core and have no basis in actual reality to the issues being hotly contested - simply providing the basis for racists to vent hatreds against others whom they despise.
Indeed by introducing such measures we are actually imprisoning ourselves as we are behaving in exactly the manner which conjoins - rather than diffuses - the conflict. Such measures play perfectly into the hands of the other fanatical racists – the hate-sermoned Imams – who will use such as a justification to 'Holy Jihad' since they will twist such actions to justify why all Muslims throughout Christendom can resist such discrimination - with targeted and indiscriminate violence: (sic. A condition under which 'Holy Jihad' is justified exists when and where Muslims are prevented from exercising the practice of their faith.)
There is, actually, a very simple solution which bypasses all the hate-mongers on all sides:
The Birthday Suit Effect
Do not ban the Burkini but make Nudism perfectly acceptable on all public beaches throughout Christendom and make it a criminal offence for anyone to discriminate against nudists in any way on any public or Municipal beach.
It is then up to beach-loving Muslims as to whether they can 'tolerate' the exercise of 'freedom of choice' in a secular society or they wish to withdraw to a more private environment to exercise their democratic right to 'quiet enjoyment'.
It's not a perfect solution – but life is not perfect -and neither are the problems which we have to negotiate.

[In my own particular case it would not at all surprise me if special legislation was introduced to ensure that I remained covered-up at all times - on the grounds of public decency -as my half pot-pig beer belly might frighten the cats and dogs on beaches - and cause general mayhem and panic (!)]

©Patrick Emek, September 2016