Food for Thought

Free Flight to Afghanistan

These photos below show U.S troops packed in an aircraft as they wait for their departure to Afghanistan. The  military plane is stationed at the U.S Transit Centre in Manas, near Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishek. The Manas Air base is a significant American installation in the Central Asian country.

It serves as a base for humanitarian assistance, refuelling, airlifting, and is a transit point for 15,000 troops, planes and cargo. 

Judging by the easy disposition of the soldiers, it is difficult to tell dozens of them die each month in Afghanistan.

The Desperate Dreamer

                                           (An excerpt)

 Nkili dozed off and woke up to find a tall, broad shouldered silhouette letting itself into the house. ‘It’s Osita,’ the silhouette reassured her. Osita was the husband she had never met. His family conducted marriage arrangements on his behalf; and now she had joined him in England.

Stories that Seized the Day

(A review of stories that emblazoned headlines last week)

Citizen X

A crazed gunman in France, who claimed to be avenging the deaths of Palestinian children and military operations abroad, went on a killing spree, ending the lives of seven innocent people. He was cornered in his flat by the French police. A 36-hour siege ensued. A bullet through his head sent him over the hedge.

The story got a bit fuzzy at some point. First we were told he had links with Al Qaeda. Then later, he had no links with Al Qaeda. Some commentators on news sites claimed it was convenient propaganda by the French government as Sarkozy seeks re-election. 

Laugh Out Loud!

The Beauty of a Mother

Nkili stumbled out of an incoherent dream and woke up with a start. Blaring horns, booming music and myriads of voices mingled to produce unbearable noise. As the driver pulled toward the community school, she felt her heart tick like a grandfather clock. Home was only minutes away. She was going to see her mother - after ten long years.

Around the World in Five Minutes

Moroccan Women Protest 'embarrassing' law

Moroccan activists have stepped up pressure to scrap laws that allow rapists to marry their victims after a 16-year-old girl killed herself.

Laugh Out Loud!!

Can we really be friends with animals?

Animals have long held a special place in the hearts of humans. Throughout history, animals have played a unique part in people’s way of life be it in Ancient Egypt and Rome where animals held religious significance or our present world where people bequeath millions to their pets.

The strength of man’s feeling for his ‘best friend’ can be seen in the extraordinary lengths he goes to to protect him/her.

In February, a man in Essex, UK crawled over a frozen river just in his underpants to rescue his trapped dog. Of course, the firefighters didn’t find his reckless exploit funny.

In the same month, a woman in Melbourne, Australia spent three hours stuck in the quagmire as she comforted her horse which sank into a pit of mud as she was riding it.

It is indisputable that people become attached to their pets and even, in some cases, treat them better than humans. But can the friendship be mutual? If not, why has man insisted on creating and building relationships with animals?

Do you have/have you had an animal(s)? What kind of relationship do you/did you have?

Around the World in Five Minutes

Thousands Take to Streets in SA

 

Thousands of South Africans have taken part in demonstrations against a new road toll introduced by the government. The marches, organised by the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), took place in 32 towns and across cities. Cosatu says the proposed system will place a burden on the poor and has threatened nationwide rallies if it is not removed. The government has responded by saying the impact of the road toll on the poor has been exaggerated.

The electronic tolling planned for roads between Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria, comes after government upgraded roads in and around Johannesburg for the 2010 World Cup.

Jokes for a Laugh

Two politicans were having a heated debate. Finally, one of them jumped up and yelled at the other, "What about the powerful interest that controls you?"

And the other politician screamed back, "You leave my wife out of this!"

 

Around the World in Five Minutes

Netherlands launches mobile Euthanasia

In the Netherlands, a mobile euthanasia scheme has been launched that will allow sick people who wish to take their lives to do so at home. Under the scheme, teams of specially trained doctors and nurses will visit the homes of people around the country whose own doctors have refused their requests to end their lives. The "Life End" house-call units – whose services are being offered to Dutch citizens free of charge - is the initiative of the Dutch Association for a voluntary end to life.
The Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia in 2002 but doctors cannot be forced to comply with the wishes of patients who request the right to die. The scheme has been slammed by critics.