Friday, March 16, 2012

Hard Cases Make Bad Law


Without gainsaying that Dharun Ravi was guilty of a hate crime, the prosecution never proved that he hated gays.

It didn’t matter. In cases where there is no way to compensate a victim juries often go for the extremes.

Such a case more than 200 years ago led to the saying that bad cases make tough law Tyler Clementi is dead. His soul left adrift on a Twitter posting.

He committed suicide after Ravi made a video of him kissing a lover.

The Convictions

Ravi was found guilty of the most serious charge, bias intimidation. He faces up to ten years in prison and possible deportation.

No one will ever know how much the video played in Clementi’s decision to kill himself. Certainly other things that had happened to him after he came out of the closet caused great hurt. Some of these events involved people he knew, including his mother.

The Web

Also weighing on the jury would be the explosion of privacy invasion that are part and parcel of the Web.

Surveillance cams are on many streets throughout the nation. People are growing tired of it.

And the Web has become a powerful tool for bullying.

This decision hopefully will cause some people to think twice before acting in harmful ways with handy Web tools, including smart phones.

What To Do In This Case

Making Ravi a martyr to some could have an impact that was the opposite of what the jury intended.

Those predicting that the decision will have a major impact on social media may not understand how powerful a force it is. Ravi became a trending topic on Twitter almost immediately after the decision was announced.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

As He Enters Prison Disgraced Illinois Governor Plays Media One More Time


                  New Yorker


Cyberflaneur has suspended operation


Report Spells Out How Republican Prosecutors Framed The Late GOP Sen. Ted Stevens Of Alaska
Los Angeles Times

Disgraced Illinois Governor Can Still Play The Media Like A Well-Tuned Cello
Chicago Timeout

U.S. Soldier Accused Of Killing 16 Afghans Flown Out Of Country
Al Jazeera

Taliban And Afghan Reaction To Shootings
LA Times

Russia Supports NATO In Afghanistan
Anti-War.com

24 Belgian Students Still Hospitalized After Swiss Bus Crash
Euronews

Asssads Still Living Large Despite War In Syria
Guardian

San Jose Cleaning Up Hoarding Site Visible In Space

Researchers Send Message Via Neutrinos

Romney In France
France 24

U.S. Court Of Appeals Rejects Delay On Report On The Framing Of Ted Stevens
Anchorage Daily News

Three Bad Sisters Rereleased
From The Id

Where Did The Sun Come From
Scientific American


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Bible Belt In Charge Of GOP


28 Killed In Crash Of Kids Ski Bus In Swiss Tunnel
Press Association Of Britain



U.S. Earthquake Center Reports 6.9 Quake Off Honshu, Japan
Japan Today

Mea Culpa From Goldman Sachs
Borowitz Report

Bible Belt Tightens Grip On Republican Party
Politico



                                                           They sure look familiar



Romney To Get Rid Of Planned Parenthood
Huffington Post.

Congo Warlord Convicted By International Criminal Court
Allafrica


Official Chill Falls On Serbia Intellectuals
Euronews


Enclopedia Britannica Stops Printing Goes Online
Daily Telegraph


Afghans Support Quick U.S. Withdrawal
Washington Post



Scientists Produce Eye Structures From Human Stem Cells
Science Daily


Syrian Rebels Call For Foreign Invasion
Anti-War.com

Obamacare To Offer Dollar Menu For Abortions
Wonkette

Southeastern Massachusetts Tribe Revives Its Language
Bob


Pacific Isle Of Kiribati Wants To Move, Lock Stock and Barrel
GMA






Mashable's Number 1 Office Accessory


Is An Election Near One Hopes

Bible Belt Tightens Grip On Republican Party
Politico

Syrian Rebels Call For Foreign Invasion
Anti-War.com

Murdock's "Witch Of Wapping" Arrested By Police Hacking Squad
Daily Telegraph

Reports of the death of the cyberflaneur are greatly exaggerated

Report From Outside The Mainstream Grid On Afghanistan
The American Scholar


Is Romney Just Whistling Dixie
Politico

Summations Due In Rutgers Spy Cam Case
Newark Star Ledger

Syria's Rebels And Their Cellars
France 24


Syrian Regime Commits New Massacre
Al Arabiya


Rage Grows Over States' Mortgage Deal, Once Again Home Owners Ripped Off
CNN



Pacific Isle Of Kiribati Wants To Move, Lock Stock and Barrel
GMA







Loyalty Test
Bob


Mashable's Number 1 Office Accessory


Monday, March 12, 2012

A Great Discovery in the Italian Art World




Hidden da Vinci Found In Italy
Corriere del Serra




Amish Buggy Drivers Caught After Crash And Slow-Speed Chase
Buffalo News




U.N. And U.S. Demand End To Violence In Syria
Al Jazeera




Pacific Gas Electric To Pay $70 Million For San Bruno Blast That Killed 8
Los Angles Times


                                       Victim Jessica Morales


Pacific Island Kiribati Thinking Of Moving
GMA


















Dream Of Sustainability In El Paso
Border Explorer




War Correspondent Marie Colvin To Be Buried Today
Long Island Press








Afghan Shootings Cloud Exit Strategy
Politico




Taliban Vows Revenge For Murder Of Civilians by GI
Washington Post


60 Percent Of Americans Oppose Afghan War But It Is Ignored By Politicians


Promoters Launch Lawsuits Against Sports Bars

Syria Regime Kills Dozens Of Civilians In Two Cities


U.S. Petroleum Products Exceeded Imports Last Year

Egypt To Consider Cutting Off U.S. Aid


Israel Exaggerating Iran Nuclear Threat


KidVids

Mid-Atlantic Cities Can Expect Early Spring Due To The Warmth They Create

Fired New York Times CEO Gets $24 Million Despite Shatting Incomes


Sunday, March 11, 2012

An Unpleasant Pass Through Cyber Space No Ads Or Paywalls


Syria Regime Kills Dozens Of Civilians In Two Cities
AL JAZEERA




Promoters Launch Lawsuits Against Sports Bars
San Jose Mercury News


60 Percent Of Americans Oppose Afghan War But It Is Ignored By Politicians
ANTI-WAR.COM


US Soldier Opens Fire On Afghani Civilians Kills At Least 16
Al Jazeera
Ria Novesti
New York Times


                               Mustafa Khan European Pressphoto 






Women. Whoops!
Wonkette






U.S. Petroleum Products Exceeded Imports Last Year
PENN ENERGY


Egypt To Consider Cutting Off U.S. Aid
TIME






Israel Exaggerating Iran Nuclear Threat
Baltimore Sun




KidVids
Miss Bob Etier


Mid-Atlantic Cities Can Expect Early Spring Due To The Warmth They Create
Science Daily


Fired New York Times CEO Gets $24 Million Despite Shatting Incomes
MailOnline



Saturday, March 10, 2012

A Leisurely Stroll Through Cyberrspace With No Ads


                                                   New Yorker





Japan Marks First Anniversary of March 11th Tsunami/Nuclear Disaster
Japan Today






                                Paper Cranes to Commemorate




Fired New York Times CEO Gets $24 Million Despite Shatting Incomes
MailOnline




Four Hurt in Canberra Art Display Mishap
Canberra Times



NASA HACK
FIRESTORM


ICRC Syria Report

Situation in Syria: latest update
09-03-2012 9 March 2012

The situation remains difficult in many parts of the country. Needs are great, both in Homs following the recent fighting there and in other regions affected by the unrest. Cold weather and a deteriorating economic situation are making it even harder for people to cope.

The priority is to continue helping the most affected people in Abel, Hama, Idlib, Dara'a and rural Damascus, including those who fled the Baba Amr district of Homs. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the ICRC have assisted thousands of people over the past few days alone.

Evacuation of the wounded and the safety of medical personnel are two prime concerns. A casualty's life often depends on how quickly an emergency team can evacuate and treat them. Anyone who is ill or has been wounded must be able to obtain medical care, and medical staff and facilities must be protected at all times.

Over the past few days:
In Abel (10 km from Homs) food and hygiene items have been provided for about 2,700 people. They will be receiving mattresses and blankets in the coming days. People who fled to Abel because of the fighting in the Baba Amr district in Homs have also received aid. They had left in a hurry, leaving all their belongings behind, and were very happy to see the ICRC/SARC team for the second time in four days. SARC volunteers treated a number of children in Abel who were ill.

In addition, Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have carried out the following activities, with ICRC supplies:
People living in the northern city of Hama and the villages nearby have been receiving regular aid from the SARC. Some of these people have fled other regions, while others are residents of the area, affected by the deteriorating economic situation.
People in Idlib (North-West) have been receiving aid daily, while SARC volunteers continued to monitor the situation there closely, so as to be able to respond to needs as they arose.
Food and other relief items have been distributed in Dara'a (South), and in particular outside the city, where both residents and people displaced from other cities such as Homs are in considerable need.
Aid has been delivered to various parts of Rural Damascus province. On 7 March, for example, distributions took place in Al-Kisweh (about 20 kilometres south of Damascus), Yabrud (65 kilometres north of Damascus) and Al-Nabak (75 kilometres north of Damascus).

Finally, SARC sent a convoy on Thursday 8 March to the area of Al-Raqqa (north-eastern Syria) to help residents and nomads there who are suffering the consequences of the economic situation caused by the unrest. The supplies included 1,500 food parcels, 1,000 blankets and 500 portions of milk for babies.


When Enough is Enough
Nathaniel Hines

Taliban Threatens Attacks on Pakistan for Jailing Bin Laden Widows
Ria Novosti


Invisible Children Video Leads to US Response
Christian Science Monitor

50 Shades of Gray
New York Times

                                             Photo Richard Perry New York Times

Friday, March 9, 2012

A Leisurely Stroll Through Cyberspace With No Ads


Plight of African Children KONY 2012
KONY KERFUFFLE




Coke/Pepsi Make Tiny Change To Avoid Cancer Warning
Toronto Star


Hamas Security Forces Attack Journalists In Gaza
MAAN

Feathers Evolved To Attract Mates

Activists Sabotage Japan Whaling Fleet’s Harvest
Japan Today

International Red Cross Steps Up Aid To Congo
ICRC


The Impact Of Fracking On Drinking Water
ONEARTH

Selma to Montgomery March Re-Enacted
Border Explorer


Strong Earthquake Jolts China
Times of India
USGS

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Chimps With Smartphones Could Be Cops Of The Future




Iran Six Ready For Talks With Iran
Ria Novosti


Israel Says No Immediate Attack On Iran
Jerusalem Post




Chimpanzees Have Their Own Cops
Science Daily
Photo Credit: Claudia Rudolf von Rohr



Why We Don't Need Breed Specific Legislation To Control Pit Bulls
Bob Goes To Dogs

Wikileaks Emails: Western Special Ops In Syria Since December




Where The Elle Are Women
Elle



   Latest ICRC Update on Syria
   A team from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) entered the district of Baba Amr in Homs today March 7). The SARC volunteers found that the vast majority of Baba Amr residents had left their homes in recent days to seek refuge in neighbouring areas, where the SARC and the ICRC are providing them with assistance.
   The priority now is to continue providing food, blankets and hygiene kits for people in areas affected by the violence, including those who have had to leave Baba Amr.
   In Abel (10 km from Homs), 450 families received food and hygiene kits today, and the SARC and the ICRC are continuing their daily distributions of food and other essential items in Hama, Idlib, Dara’a and rural Damascus.

Saudi Blogging Journalist Repents
TNW Social Commentary Site




Texas Governor Pursues Republican Attack On Women's Rights
New York Times



New Smartphone Can Send Images Of Suspicious Activity Directly To Cops
Russian TV


Fashion for Ugly
Nathaniel Hines






The Katherine Cone Gallery Presents Today's California Girls




                       Vanessa Prager Pearls







THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE, NO MONEY, EXCEPT MY EXPENSES. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE PLEASE PASS THE WORD.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE GOOGLE LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE. YOU KNOW THE DRILL.



Wednesday, March 7, 2012

March Madness

We should have known when the Ides of March was preceded by Linsanity.
Holy Steve Jobs. Not only did we have a Super Tuesday, Wednesday starts with a new iPad.
Defendant in privacy case in New Jersey is rushed by spectators in a court room.
Pirate Bay now calls itself Supr Bay.
Peyton Manning will always be a Colt. But because of an injury caused by a bounty hunter he won’t be playing for them.
Politics remain a dream. Should we call in a Lego crew? Caesar was stabbed 23 times.
A bad joke that needs to be told again. Republicans appear headed to a Sanatorium.
What did they expect after they pissed off a majority of women and workers. Who does that leave out.
Rush made sure contraception was included. I’ll bet this guy never hard of foreplay. Well, with all those drugs available why bother.
Six Brits killed in Afghanistan. No, the war is not over. Perhaps the mainstream media might mention it from time to time.
The slaughter continues in Syria. Again, too many references to screw ups elsewhere, like Vietnam. Let’s talk about Rwanda, the Balkans and Liberia.
Where is a drone when you need one.

GOP/s March Madness Leading To Sanatorium?

Beware the Ides of March
Robert Weller

Apple News
Gizmodo

So-called Libyan Leader Vows To Use Force To Keep East From Separating
Guardian

Letter from Brazil

AUSSIE Government Buys Software Flaws Before They Are Sold On Black Market
Sydney Morning Herald





With Bruising Battle GOP Primary Contest Continues Ad Infinitum
New York Times

West Agrees To Iran's Request To Renew Nuclear Talks
Al Jazeera

New ICRC Syria Update
International Committee For The Red Cross


Stem Cells Can Repair Corneas
Science Daily










Luggage No Doubt Was Free But She Was Jailed For Ten Hours For Painting Her Nails On Southwest
Mail Online

British Grieve For More Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan
BBC Report

Lego Space Shuttle



Emotions Of Tweets Being Gauged
LA Times

Obama Administration To Provide Non-Military Aid To Syrian Rebels
Anti-War.com

Crazy Alert (stolen from Russian TV)



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Ludicrous Tuesday


You are more likely to have an Amazon store come to your town than a Republican primary.
It certainly would mean more.
Sometimes these things look like the kind of standoff a local SWAT team would handle.
The media reports today that Independents don’t care for any of the candidates. That is blamed on bruising primaries.
It does seem that some candidates have taken out bounties on their opponents. It is easier, however, to knock an opponent out than to build your own credibility.
One possible factor, in addition to the primaries, is the possibility Independents were put off by the failure of the GOP to do anything.
President Obama, on the other hand, can probably count on enough Progressives to vote for him to win a second term.
For some it is déjà vu all over again. At least in 1968 there was a third candidate, sadly it was George Wallace.
Given the Internet’s ability to send unhappy activists into the streets of Cairo and Moscow,  and into the artillery of Syria, one wonders why so little impact here. Occupy this, occupy that.  Hey they try.
Recessions being somewhat cyclical, things are turning around.
Who will admit being a Republican in December? Kind of reminds one of the late Everett Dirksen denying he had nominated Barry Goldwater as the GOP presidential nominee. Expect something like that.
And all the stories of this boring campaign wouldn’t even fill the smallest Kindle.
The fact is they want us to have no fun of any kind.




Bring out your dead, and those about to be dead

West Agrees To Iran's Request To Renew Nuclear Talks
http://aje.me/zI1JYI

New ICRC Syria Update
http://bit.ly/xwZ6f1

Ludicrous Tuesday Even Sillier Than Expected Too Bad The Media Ran Out Of Time
http://bit.ly/xTCj9P




Anti-War Kucinich Driven From Congress By Former Ally In District Redrawn By GOP
http://wapo.st/wuh7GM


New Yorker Cartoon Bank


France Ready To Hand Out Biometric ID Cards
http://bit.ly/AlHe9s

Thousands Die In UK Because They Fail To Report Cancer Symptoms
http://bbc.in/A4Y4Ef

Egypt Parliament Member Quits Over Nose Job

Monday, March 5, 2012

Cyberflaneuries Of A Spring Day




Some Aid Reaches Homs But Not Its Devastated Areas
http://aje.me/ypcHOc

Wikileaks Says Osama Bin Laden's Body Brought To U.S. And Not Dumped At Sea
http://bit.ly/wsugqn

Lakota Pipeline Arrest
http://bit.ly/wqBmd7

Claim NFL Players Paid Bonuses For Hurting Other Players
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/american-football/17261982


Study Shows Even More Brain Flexibility Neuroplasticity
http://bit.ly/z64V14








Belarus Dictator Says He Would Rather Be Called A Dictator Than Gay
http://bit.ly/x47nhe

China Spends More On Military To Win Local Wars
http://bit.ly/AqAqp

Satellites Track Russian-Supplied Artillery Bombing Syrian Civilians
http://blog.amnestyusa.org/justice/homs-at-gunpoint-satellites-track-assault-on-syrian-cities/





http://wrobertweller.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?lt=rss

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Surprise Surprise Putin Wins Presidency With 59 Percent
Russians Vote for President On Their Tippy Toes
Fraud Alleged Throughout Country
http://bit.ly/zExETi
http://bit.ly/Aiw5y1








Putin Seen As A Kind Of Janus In Satire
http://f24.my/AotNLc


British Poker Champion Faces Murder Charges After Wife's Bones Found Near Dinosaur, Colorado
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_20097300?source=rss_igoogle


Putin's Toothpick
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/03/08/040308ta_talk_lipman


Hundreds Killed in Brazzaville at Munitions Dump
http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2012/03/04/01003-20120304ARTFIG00103-serie-d-explosions-meurtrieres-a-brazzaville.php
http://bit.ly/whhTc0

World War 2 Graves Smashed in Benghazi Libya
http://aje.me/AoMBv5






Finding Fernanda
http://bit.ly/z33SKC






Syria Hands Over Bodies of American and French Journalists Its Troops Killed
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-03/165418-syria-hands-over-bodies-of-2-foreign-journalists.ashx






The Myth of War Reporting
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-heroic-myth-and-the-uncomfortable-truth-of-war-reporting-7499735.html



Yvas Tanguay     0400 Rocky Mountain Time

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Syria Hands Over Bodies of American and French Journalists Its Troops Killed
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Mar-03/165418-syria-hands-over-bodies-of-2-foreign-journalists.ashx






The Myth of War Reporting
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-heroic-myth-and-the-uncomfortable-truth-of-war-reporting-7499735.html




UN Says Atrocious Assaults in Syria, Breaks Promise of ICRC Entry to Homs
http://aje.me/x64nXy

US Gets Calm Weather for Storm Cleanup
http://bbc.in/zHlY1u




Border News
http://bit.ly/zSdCoq





Edith Bouvier of Le Figaro








Mexico Adopts Alarming Surveillance Legislation


https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/03/mexico-adopts-surveillance-legislation




                                              NPR Corbis




TYLER CLEMENTI and the END OF PRIVACY


http://dscriber.com/dscriber/4233-tyler-clementi-and-the-end-of-privacy










      Yves Tanguay

0839 Denver Colorado Time

Friday, March 2, 2012

Storms Kill 28 in Three States (Denver Colo Time)

Storms Kill 28 in Three States
http://bit.ly/zHOIZR






UN Chief Receives Grisly Reports from Syria
http://bit.ly/zlo97t






Syria Breaks Promise Blocks Entry of Red Cross Aid to Babu Amro in Homs










Russia Says Will Not Fight On Behalf Of Syria
http://en.rian.ru/world/20120302/171691343.html


France Joins U.S. and U.K. in Closing Syrian Embassies

Edith Bouvier of Le Figaro








Mexico Adopts Alarming Surveillance Legislation


https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/03/mexico-adopts-surveillance-legislation




                                              NPR Corbis




TYLER CLEMENTI and the END OF PRIVACY


http://dscriber.com/dscriber/4233-tyler-clementi-and-the-end-of-privacy




U.N. Concerned Over Reports of Syrian Executions in Homs


http://bit.ly/AaMvQx




7 American and Eight Other Aid Workers Flown Out of Egypt


http://www.france24.com/en/20120301-several-us-foreign-ngo-workers-flown-out-egypt-bail-trial-non-governmental-arrests


Six Things You Didn't Know About Bison


6 Amazing Facts You Never Knew About Bison
from Wildlife Promise
2 2/29/2012 // Judith Kohler
Bison, Great Plains, tribal bison, Yellowstone National Park




Photo credit: Beth Pratt/NWF
The bison, shaggy behemoth of the Great Plains, despite weighing as much as a ton, can race up to 40 mph, jump up to 6 feet vertically and can quickly pivot to combat predators. Unfortunately this mighty beast is not faster than a speeding bullet.


Though the bison’s ancestors roamed the continent with saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths, he could not protect himself from expansion and was nearly wiped out in the late 1800s as the nation’s population moved West.

Millions of bison were slaughtered for sport, for their hides, to clear the plains for settlers and their livestock and to control the Plains tribes. Native Americans used the bison for food and clothing, shelter, tools and ceremonial implements – nearly everything to survive physically and spiritually.

Before their near extermination, an estimated 30 million to 60 million bison ranged from Canada to northern Mexico and from the Plains to Eastern forests. By about 1890, roughly 1,000 remained, including two dozen in Yellowstone National Park.

Now the tribes at Fort Peck and Fort Belknap are preparing for the arrival of 65 Yellowstone bison.

The American buffalo, also known as bison, has always held great meaning for American Indian people…buffalo represent their spirit and remind them of how their lives were once lived, free and in harmony with nature.  -the InterTribal Buffalo Council





Credit: D. Forehand of Montana
6 Facts about Bison:

1) Bison are North America’s largest land animals. Mature bulls weigh up to 2,000 pounds and mature cows as much as 1,000 pounds.

2) A bison stands 6 – 6.5 feet tall and 10 – 12.5 feet long.

3) A bison’s hump is composed of muscle, supported by long vertebrae. It allows the animal to use its head to plow through snow.

4) Most of the 500,000 or so bison nationwide are raised as livestock on ranches. About 30,000 are managed for conservation in private and public herds.

5) Fossils and accounts from early travelers show that Yellowstone National Park is the only place in the U.S. where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.

6) The Yellowstone herd is one of the few that remains genetically free of cattle genes.






By: Judith Kohler
Judith Kohler's Bio // Archive of Posts
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Thursday, March 1, 2012

The End Of Privacy






   The End of Privacy
   In this century it appears the loss of anonymity will be more shocking than the loss of virginity.
   Two events that resulted in deaths, and both involve the Internet at least tangentially, signal the need for a reexamination of privacy.
   Is it even possible in a world with surveillance cameras wherever you turn?  Drones aren’t only used in Afghanistan.
In the Princeton suicide case of Tyler Clementi his predator had figured out how to set up a remote control viewing of his sex with an older gay man.
   Even though it never happened, and even though no video of the sexual encounter was ever posted, the mere appearance on Websites of the fact it happened led to Clementi jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
   This raises another issue. In any sexual harassment case it is difficult to determine what happened, and why. There will be exaggeration, which could result in a more extreme response than might otherwise have followed.
   Can a court handle cases like this. Did events in Clementi's prior life contribute to his decision to take his life?
   How can there be free speech if your right to swing ends where my iPhone begins.
Must everything be figurative, not literal.
   AFP reports a Frenchman is suiing Google for posting a photo of him peeing in his back yard on its Street View.
   This week a teen in Chardon, Ohio, allegedly killed three high school students after publishing a poem that included references to death on Facebook that could have been a warning of what was to come.
   The Christian Science Monitor reported T.J. Lane, the Chardon killer, attended an alternative school for students who are evaluated as a high risk for “substance abuse/chemical dependency, anger issues, mental health issues, truancy, delinquency, difficulties with attention/organization, and academic deficiencies,” according to the school's website. All are red flags that should have made the family weapon more difficult to obtain, says Jennie Lintz, acting executive director of The Center to Prevent Youth Violence in New York City, the Monitor reported.
   Lane had been accused of assaulting a family member in 2009. What does it take for authorities to act.
   As far back as the Columbine High School Massacre 12 years ago, a lifetime in the Web age, killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, issued threats on the Internet. And they were reported to area law officers.
   Families at the high school remain convinced police action could have prevented 13 deaths. Instead of investigating why no action was taken the Colorado state government has blocked release of information that may hold the answer.
   Had the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office dragged the two boys into its headquarters for questioning the officers might have faced a court order insisting the threatening words were covered by the First Amendment.
   On the other extreme, Princeton student Dharun Ravi, is on trial for revealing to the university public and beyond electronically that his dormitory roommate was gay. Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge after learning of his betrayal, it has been reported.
   ----------------------
The author was the lead reporter for Associated Press on the Columbine Massacre, and ten years of events that followed. He also was working the night life support was turned off for Matthew Shepard in a Colorado hospital.

ICRC Syria


Syria – ICRC Bulletin No. 01 / 2012
1 March 2012


Syria: with no halt in fighting, aid effort faces major challenges

In areas affected by the violence, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, with ICRC support, is doing its utmost to evacuate the wounded and others in need. It is also distributing essential aid to the population in areas of unrest.

On 21 February, the ICRC called for a daily humanitarian pause in the fighting of at least two hours, so that ICRC staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick.

In Homs, as the violence continues, the humanitarian situation is very worrying. Despite ongoing negotiations with the authorities and opposition groups, Syrian Arab Red Crescent personnel managed to enter Baba Amr only twice in the last seven days. The situation makes it impossible to distribute aid in the Baba Amr and Il-Insha'at areas at present. However, assistance operations are taking place in other areas, sometimes with difficulty owing to the security conditions.

In Al-Zabadani, 50 kilometres north-west of Damascus, people have been leaving the city for Bludan and Madaya, near the Lebanese border, in search of safety. Bludan residents and people they took in from Al-Zabadani were without medical care for 10 days. There were reports of shortages – of food, electricity and water – resulting from the lack of security in the Zabadani area.

Evacuating the wounded and distributing aid in Baba Amr and elsewhere in Homs

●   Convoys of 13 trucks carrying relief goods and food, and five other Syrian Arab Red Crescent and ICRC vehicles, entered Homs between 11 and 28 February. The supplies they carried included medical items, food for 30,000 people for one month, 3,000 blankets, 1,000 baby-milk tins and hygiene items for 9,000 people.
●   The Homs branch of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has been distributing the aid since 15 February in four areas of Homs (Al-Khalidiyah, Karm al-Zaytun, Al-Rastan and Al-Tawzi' al-Ijbari). Subsequent distributions also took place in six other parts of the city.
●   A convoy of nine ambulances, a mobile medical unit and three Syrian Arab Red Crescent and ICRC vehicles entered the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs on 24 February. Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances evacuated seven seriously wounded people and 20 sick women and children to the nearby Al-Amin Hospital.
●   Three other people, including two women, were evacuated on 27 February.
●   On 11 February, ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent personnel joined local Red Crescent volunteers in Homs in evacuating more than 80 inhabitants of the Insha'at area to a mosque in a safer neighbourhood. "A period of calm made it possible for us to evacuate people," said Jeroen Carrin, an ICRC delegate who took part in the evacuation. "People looked exhausted. They had been trying to leave the neighbourhood for nearly a week. Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers provided first aid for those who needed it."
●   The ICRC also provided medical supplies for the private hospitals that continue to function in the city.

Bringing aid to Hama, Idlib and Dara'a

●   During the past week, humanitarian convoys entered Hama, Idlib and Dara'a. The relief goods they were carrying included the first ICRC aid to reach Hama since 17 January. A total of 2,000 food parcels, 500 blankets and hygiene items for 2,200 people were delivered to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent branch in Hama. "The distribution of the assistance started on 28 February," said Rula Daoud, an ICRC field officer on the scene.
●   Another convoy reached Idlib on 28 February, carrying 1,500 food parcels, 1,000 blankets and hygiene items for 9,000 people.
●   In addition, 500 food parcels were delivered to Dara'a for distribution by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent branch in the city.

Medical teams enter Bludan and Madaaya

●   On 18 and 19 February, the ICRC set up another first-aid and medical post in Al-Zabadani, manned by 17 Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers, including three doctors and 11 first-aid workers, and provided with two ambulances and a mobile clinic. Three specialized clinics (paediatrics and surgery) were formed to provide medical care. The ambulances brought in people who would otherwise have been unable to reach the post for treatment. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent also set up a pharmacy to dispense medicines. Nearly 700 people have been treated.
●   On 12 February, Syrian Arab Red Crescent set up a medical post in Bludan. For three days, volunteer doctors attended to more than 250 people, many of them injured. Returning to Damascus, the medical team brought five patients with them, including a woman and her daughter, who could not receive proper medical treatment on location.
●   On 11 February, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy of ambulances and trucks carrying 480 baby-milk tins and other food for 16,200 people, 800 blankets and hygiene supplies entered Bludan.

During the same period, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered and distributed 1,500 20-kilogram ICRC food parcels to the affected population in Bludan, Madaya and Buqqin and 1,000 57-kilogram food parcels from the World Food Programme in Al-Zabadani. In addition, at least a dozen injured people were evacuated to Damascus for treatment and then returned to their homes a day later.

Activities in the Golan

The ICRC continued its activities to ease the effects of the occupation on Syrian Arabs living in the Golan Heights. On 27 February, ICRC staff facilitated the return to the occupied Golan of a bride, three students, and five other people whose travel to Damascus had been arranged for humanitarian reasons.



For further information, please contact:
Saleh Dabbakeh, ICRC Damascus, tel: +963 993 700 847 or +963 11 331 0476
Hicham Hassan, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 41 or +41 79 536 92 57
or visit our website: www.icrc.org

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To find out what the ICRC is doing to put an end to attacks on health workers and patients, go to