Iran and the White House had a dispute on the nuclear agreement. The nuclear agreement stands for a few months. Tehran rejected Washington's interpretation of the agreement reached by the P5+1 nations in Geneva. Iran's Foreign Ministry labeled the factsheet released by the U.S. as a "one-sided interpretation." The agreement was created in Geneva. It gives a framework for continued negotiations with Tehran. Another deal is yet to be finalized. Iran claims that the American factsheet posted a few hours after the deal was announced on the website of the White House omitted key points. Iran viewed it as misleading the public by adjusting the language of the original agreement. There is the spokeswoman for Iran's Foreign Ministry named Marziyeh Afkham. She came about with the statement published by Fars news agency on Tuesday. It read the following information: "...What has been released by the website of the White House as a factsheet is a one-sided interpretation of the agreed text in Geneva and some of the explanations and words in the sheet contradict the text of the Joint Plan of Action [the title of the Iran-powers deal], and this factsheet has unfortunately been translated and released in the name of the Geneva agreement by certain media, which is not true.”.." The spokeswoman gave no further details. Iran along with the P5+1 nations (like the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) and Germany agreed on Sunday that Iran will curb a big portion of its nuclear activities. This is to be done for six months. This time will be used for sides to finalize the conditions of the deal. There are many crippling economic sanctions against Iran. Western parties agreed to lift some of them. The lifting will deal with gold, precious minerals, the auto sector, and petrochemical exports. The American factsheet said that this is a potential for $1.5 billion in revenue for Iran. Additionally, it could also be getting an additional $4.2 billion in oil revenues. Furthermore, “$400 million in governmental tuition assistance [may also be] transferred from restricted Iranian funds directly to recognized educational institutions in third countries to defray the tuition costs of Iranian students,” DC officials told the Washington Free Beacon, which reported on the story. The ability to enrich uranium (or a key part of Iran's nuclear program) will differ in nature from the U.S. interpretation. Iran believes that the comprehensive solution will allow Iran to have its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes (under the NPT and the other obligations). The Foreign Ministry of Iran also said that: "...This comprehensive solution would involve a mutually defined enrichment program with practical limits and transparency measures to ensure the peaceful nature of the program...” The draft stipulates that “this comprehensive solution would constitute an integrated whole where nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
We know that waste and profiteering exists in Pentagon operations. Many news organizations are reporting that the main payroll and accounting office of the Pentagon doles out billions of dollars to contractors without any rigorous auditing or other financial controls. This fuels a system of waste and profiteering. Both Democratic and Republican parties claim that there is no money to maintain the inadequate level of social services currently provided by the federal government. That is a great lie of course. We also see that the U.S. military squanders vast sums in support of the global operations of American imperialism. Reuters and McClatchy News Service both investigated the functioning of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). The DFAS is an agency that was created in its modern form back in 1991. That was when Dick Cheney was the Secretary of Defense in the George H. W. Bush administration. This followed the decade long buildup of military spending under Reagan and Bush. This culminated in the embarrassing reports of about $435 hammers and $37 screws among other symbols of Pentagon waste. The McClatchy account focuses mainly on a high-level overview of DFAS, noting that outside audits of its books were “shoddy,” according to internal reviews, while top officials at the Pentagon “pressured their accountants to suppress their findings, then backdated documents in what appears to have been an effort to conceal the critiques.” The Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General operated not as a watchdog, but as an accomplice, helping suppress internal criticism by its own accountants (and authorizing payment of the outside auditor whose work was being questioned). McClatchy cited emails and other documents in their report. They reported about a January 27, 2010 meeting. This is where Patricia A. Marsh, then the Pentagon’s assistant inspector general for financial management, told DFAS officials that her office was going to formally reject the 2009 outside audit. Three months later, retaliation came about. The two lead accountants for the inspector general's review of the audit received letters terminating their assignments, retroactive to the January 27, 2010. As McClatchy noted, this was “the precise point when the inspector general’s office had informed the Defense Finance and Accounting Service that it would not endorse the 2009 audit.” In its investigative report, Reuters profiles the operation of the Cleveland office of DFAS, where accountants prepared monthly reports that amounted to “inserting phony numbers in the US Department of Defense’s accounts.” Each month, the military services must square their books with accounts maintained by the U.S. Treasury. This act must balance their checkbooks. According to a December 2011 Pentagon inspector general’s report, a DFAS office in Columbus, Ohio made at least $1.59 trillion in errors, including $538 billion in plugs, in financial reports for the Air Force in 2009. The nominal amount of the accounting errors far exceeded the total Pentagon budget. The Army lost track of 5.8 billion dollars in supplies during the eight years (2003-2011) when U.S. troops were deployed in Iraq. Later, it continued to buy supplies from vendors that were already in stock and could not monitor the depletion of supplies through theft or other diversion. This mismanagement of money is not new. The Pentagon is using software and management system as a means to stop systemic problems of management and waste. Overall, more than half a trillion dollars in contracts with outside vendors are unaudited out of $3 trillion issued over the past 10 years. There is no final accounting for $8.5 trillion in total military authorizations dating as far back as 1996. Each year, top Pentagon officials, including the secretary of defense, certify the accuracy of financial reports to Congress and the Treasury that are so dubious that the CEO of a corporation would face prosecution under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Pentagon is having trouble solving the problem. It raised the threshold value for auditing contracts form 15 million dollars to $250 million. That means that a country can take a military contract for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars without being subject to an audit. This is a license to steal for Corporate America.
African culture has a very long history. It is diverse, beautiful, and interesting. From Northern Africa to Southern Africa, African culture is unique and one of a kind. African culture also impacted the whole world. From fashion, music, and to language, we are greatly influenced by African culture. In African culture, you have art, forklore and religion, clothing, cuisine, languages, and other costumes. Everyone understands the beautiful aspects of African art. Africa's history in arts and craft are rich and glorious. There are famous artworks like the Yombe sculpture in Africa. Tons of art found in Africa are made up in wood carvings, brass, and leather. African great artists have used sculpture, paintings, potter, and other images for aesthetic reasons (or for ceremonial or religious purposes). African masks are heavily common in African art. The masks can be unique and stylized. You have the famous Yoruba bronze head sculptures too found in ca. 12th century. Abstract art is common in the Motherland as well beyond just naturalistic representation. There are a lot of three dimensional artworks too. The famous Noke terracotta created in Nigeria again outlines the creativity, genius, and ingenuity of African art. We do know that artists like Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Pal Gaugin, Modigliani, and Matisse were aware of or influenced by African art. Okwui Enwezor is a modern, famous Nigerian art critic who understands African art today. He wrote book on contemporary art as well. We know that jewelry, and other accessories are found in African art too. Back in July of 2013, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art showed its first gallery exclusively dedicated to the display of the arts of Africa. One artwork was called "Caryatid Stool" form the 19th century. The exhibition form the LACMA was called "Shaping Power: Luba Masterwoorks from the Royal Museum for Central Africa." The exhibit present ancestral figurers, medicinal bowls, regal staff, doubled sized cups, and elaborate masks. Visitors came and saw the diverse nature of the images and sculptures in the museum. The Luba believed in a semi-divine kingship. The whole exhibit was organized by Mary Nooter Roberts, LACMA’s consulting curator for African Art, and Anne-Marie Bouttiaux, head of the Ethnography division, Royal Museum for Central Africa, in Tervuren, Belgium. The exhibition is accompanied by an installation by contemporary artist Aime Mpane. His piece memorializes the victims of the ongoing violence in the Congo. His work is great and it acts a great addendum to "Luba Masterworks." We all know that African music is vital part of African culture. Recently, I have been listening to a lot of great African music. I like the music from Fatoumata Diawara with her songs like Sowa and Kele (which as the great message of inspiring to end conflicts and wars in the Motherland of Africa. Regardless of what we creed or nationality we are, we are still Africans deserving of dignity and respect). Forklore and religion are key parts of the culture of Africa. Religion and forklore are key portions of human civilization in general.
The African Diaspora in Europe is more known by blacks globally. Learning about Brothers and Sisters in Europe is like learning about a part of us. The reason is that we are one people and wherever we exist in the globe, we are still one black African people concretely. Ian Ogutu is an Afro-German and Furaha Kensmil is a black human being from the Netherlands. They talk about their experiences in the German based African Magazine. Ian Ogutu is honest to talk about the many challenges facing African ad black students in Germany. Furaha writes that she feels like a foreigner in the Netherlands. Ian Innocent Ogutu is the chairman of the Association of African Students at the University of Heidelberg. He gave honest words about the organization in the following terms: "...Other than our colourful get-togethers and VASUH meetings, we mainly work with the City of Heidelberg’s Administration (e.g Immigrations Office & Migrants Council courtesy of Allimadi) as well as the University of Heidelberg's International Office to make life on campus easier for those that may have difficulties settling down in an environment that is far from home. We attach importance to addressing all immigration issues that may have a legal effect on one's stay here. Also, networking with other members of the community has been an enriching experience. Getting to exchange views and linking up with the members of the ‘Afro-European Blog’ has really opened up my eyes to just how diverse we are as a black community. There is so much more that unites us than there is that divides us. I can only hope that VASUH contributes to the splendid diversity of the afro-community in Europe as a whole. " Fursha Kensmil is a great Sister that lives in the Netherlands. She honestly talks about her struggles. She said that it is difficult to call herself Dutch. Her parents were both born and raised Suriname. She is right to say that she loves her African-Surinamese culture. She doesn't want full assimilation into Dutch society. That is her right as a human being. She says that she associate more with Black people, which is excellent. The Dutch African Diaspora is large as compared to other nations like Russia and Poland. She said that in the 1960's, many immigrants can into the Netherlands. The Dutch at first showed a more benevolence fact. By the 1990's, reactionaries exploited the economic downturn to point the finger falsely at foreigners. The reactionaries are still powerful in the Netherlands still. She said the following words: "....But last summer, during the summer school on Black Europe organized by the NiNsee (National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy) I met some great people from Poland, England, France and the US who share experiences similar to my own. I have noticed that Black Europeans are uniting more and more, which is a very positive sign..." Also, John Pitts, who is a Afropean British writer, recently shown images of Africans in Europe. He traveled Europe for five months to do it. He is a writer, and a TV host. He traveled into the cities of London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Moscow, Berlin, Rome, Marseilles, Madrid, and Lisbon. He recorded diverse images of black people in Europe from students to the suffering poor. He took one picture of a black man near Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow, Russia. He wanted to dialogue among Europeans for folks to understand the complex, dynamic, and unique experience of Africans in Europe. In the 1980's, Afro-British writer Caryl Philips wrote the "The European Tribe" that showed black humanity in Europe too. John Pitts is following in her footsteps in doing the right thing of show the world the strength of our black people.
So, life is a journey. It has ups and downs. Yet, I will move forward. As I get older, I am realizing much more importantly what is important. It is the bonds of family, friends, and community. It is about treating my neighbor as myself. It is also living life to improve the world and to have a love for Africa as well. I will never forget the sacrifice and the brave deeds of my ancestors. They sacrificed a lot wherefore we could live in this modern generation inside of the world. As we approach 2020, we should press onward in our goal of black liberation. Pan-Africanism is a great philosophy that I wholeheartedly believe in. I believe it in my heart, in my mind, and in my spirit. Also, it is important to note that many warriors fighting for justice exist now. There are plenty of Brothers and Sisters that are fighting crime, working in real charities, organizing African-oriented bookstores, who are mentors, who are giving our people jobs, and who are just contributing their time and effort as a means to enrich the black community in general. Equality should never be earned or gradually implemented at all. Equality ought to be given by birthright ASAP. We as a people are entitled to equality and justice period without exception. Their actions ought to be acknowledged and respected too. There is nothing wrong with peace. Yet, we do not live in a totally peaceful world. That is precisely why we should be active and fight via constructive means as a means for all us to receive that prize. Our people exist across geographic boundaries and cultural borders too. We should take the time and effort to learn more about Africa and learn more about our Brothers and Sisters in the Diaspora. Once, we do that, we figure how much we have in common. We realize that our diversity in culture is an asset to our common humanity. We realize that the oppressor will be defeated and the truth will persist forever as a guiding witness of our intrinsic value (and dignity). We should continue to respect Nature and respect the poor as well. We have a responsibility too. We have to care for each other. The future is the future not only for us. It is a future meant for our children and grandchildren. It is a future for the rest of humanity. So, we should express not naiveté, but hope. Hope and faith have changed the world. Hope caused our people to be free from bondage in many lands. Hope caused the end of injustice and hope can create reconciliation and love to flourish. Our Brothers and our Sisters are our allies and our friends. We have to continue to show compassion and we have to respect the essence of our black humanity. Black Unity and Black Love are excellent concepts etched in our thinking too. At the end of the day, we are all Africans.
By Timothy
No comments:
Post a Comment