politics for the 99%

Published on Russia Today RT, May 25, 2015.

Before Islamic State hammers have a chance to fall on the ruins of Palmyra, a leading Sunni Muslim body is appealing one last time for people to unite “in a battle of humanity” and save what UNESCO calls a historic city of “outstanding universal value.”

The call comes just as Syrian fighter jets were bombarding terrorist positions from the sky early on Monday.

The terrorist group has already killed 400 people in the ancient Syrian city, northeast of Damascus, while thousands more have been displaced by the fighting.

Now, Al-Azhar, a Cairo-based center for Islamic learning, has sounded the alarm as time runs out to prevent Palmyra from becoming another Nimrod, the Iraqi (Assyrian) city where Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) wiped thousands of years of history from existence with axes and sledgehammers … //

… Since the city’s seizure Thursday, the race has been on to save this World Heritage site – a collection of Greco-Roman ruins with intricate designs, colonnades and an ancient cemetery full of elaborately-decorated tombs.

For Al-Azhar, this isn’t just about Islamic State being prehistoric in its cruelty: the organization says it clear that nowhere in Sharia law does it say that destruction of universally-valued antiquities and heritage sites is a holy duty.

(full text).

Related Links:

Most dangerous Islamic State leaders come from Scandinavia – Syrian President Assad, on Russia Today RT, May 25, 2015;

Syrian regime launches air strikes against Isil in Palmyra, on Telegraph.co.uk, May 25, 2015: Syrian government aircraft has launched 15 strikes ancient city of Palymra following its fall to the Islamic State group;

IS Flag Over Palmyra – As 400 Civilians Killed, on SKYnews, May 24, 2015: The former head of the British army says ground troops must now be considered to tackle Islamic State militants;

ISIS kills 400, mostly women & children, in Palmyra – Syrian state TV, on Russia Today RT, May 24, 2015;

Palmyra on Google News-search; on Google Map-search; on Google Images-search; on en.wikipedia … was an ancient Semitic , located in Homs Governorate, Syria. Dating back to the Neolithic, Palmyra was first attested in the early second millennium BC as a caravan stop for travelers crossing the Syrian Desert …;

Other Links:

Greece to miss IMF payments, on CityWire/Monday Papers, by Himanshu Singh, May 25, 2015: and 40% slide in Brent crude prices from a peak of $115 a barrel last June, has put smaller, cash-strapped producers in financial trouble;

Euro Weakens on Greece as Emerging Stocks, Spanish Bonds Decline, on Bloombderg, by Emma O’BrienNick Gentle, May 25, 2015: the euro weakened after Greece told creditors to lower demands that are holding up bailout funds …;

India heatwave kills more than 500 people as temperatures hit 48C, on the Independent.co.uk, by Lizzie Dearden, May 25, 2015; All India Weather Warning Bulletin;

La Grèce ne pourra pas rembourser le FMI en juin, dans Tribune de Genève TdG, le 24 mai 2015: Crise de la detteLe pays doit s’acquitter de quatre versements pour un montant de 1,6 milliard d’euros. Le ministre de l’Intérieur, Nikos Voutsis, a affirmé que le pays ne disposait pas de cette somme;

The Happiness Industry: How Government and Big Businesses Manipulate Your Moods For Profit, on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, May 24, 2015;

a bunch of health links – and about Strophantin/Ouabain/Ouabaïne, on  Gesundheit – Santé – Health, by Heidi, May 24, 2015: continuosely updated;

Empowering women through cash transfers, on The inancial Express, by Renana Jhabvala and Guy Standing, May 24, 2015: Unconditional cash transfers could transform the lives of women and make them more assertive;

Affordable Housing, why it matters, on Progress.org, by Martin Adams, May 24, 2015;

Human nature, public policy and entrepreneurship, on nwi Times, by Laura Hollis, May 24, 2015;

Book review – Donald Hirsch, Could a Citizen’s Income work?, by Citizens Income Trust, May 24, 2015, a paper commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation JRF as part of its Minimum Income Standard programme …;

US: Automation’s threat to human workers keeps accelerating, on TribLive/Pennsylvania, by Alan Wallace, May 23, 2915;

de nos illusions, dans Mein Schreibstuben-Blog, by Heidi, May 23, 2015;

Free exchange, basically unaffordable, on The Economist, May 23, 2015;

The Other One Percent, on Dissident Voice, by Ralph Nader, May 22, 2015;

They are selling records of African history, on Pambazuka News, by Kwame Opoku, May 21, 2015: Unique historical evidence of the ancient cultures of a continent is being put up for sale on the open market in Europe. Yet in the countries of Africa where these priceless treasures belong, there is little public interest in the matter;

Time for radical makeover of the MBA, on Pambazuka News, by Dhiru Soni, Ahmed Shaikh, Anis Karodia, Joseph David, Marvin Kambuwa and Malcolm Wallis, May 21, 2015: Business education in Africa is in dire need of an overhaul. The new focus should be on training managers who are acutely aware of the issues of ethics and governance, environmental and resource sustainability, justice and fairness with a view to creating successful and globally sustainable societies;

Canada: Seniors’ advocate says some B.C. elderly giving up basic needs to afford housing, on The Globe and Mail, by TAMSYN BURGMANN, May 21, 2015;

Food insecurity on P.E.I. continues to grow … up 30% since 2005, on CBCnews, by Valerie Tarasuk, May 21, 2015;

La Grèce bientôt reine du pétrole? dans LaTribune.fr, le 15 mai 2015: Athènes a signé mercredi trois accords avec des sociétés helléniques et étrangères pour la recherche et l’exploitation d’hydrocarbures dans l’ouest du pays, des investissements de 700 millions d’euros selon le ministère de l’Energie et de l’Environnement. Athènes espère 150 milliards d’euros de rentrées fiscales sur 30 ans.
(Mon commentaire: Peut-être ces prêts insensés par la Troyka auraient comme but de mettre la main sur ce trésor, quand la Grèce s’écroulera sous les derttrs, un trésor trop beau pour le laisser aux seuls Grèques. Le monde aura bien vu d’autres vols de cet’acabit, Heidi - see also: A Fresh Look at the Oil and Gas Potential of Greece, on GeoExPro, Vpl 10/np. 6, 2014);

Washington Muscles In On Russia’s Oil Deal With Greece, on Forbes, by Kenneth Rapozza, April 29, 2015;

Capitalism and an Increase in the Minimum Wage, on Dissident Voice, by Eoin Higgins, April 21, 2015;

Dogmen in der Sozialisation, Kommunikation, Mindcontrol – Andreas Popp, 64.23 min, von Wake up my Friend am 4.Okt 2014 hochgeladen;

Gold und Kosmische Lebensenergie – mit Bernd Senf, 76.02 min, von Tif Posi am 24. Juli 2013 hochgeladen, im Top Info Forum vom 3. Juli 2013.