Monday News in 2013.

 

Sectarian bloodshed in Iraq has increased. There have been recent waves of sectarian bombings and shootings in Iraq. Many victims have tied in Iraq as a product of these events. There have been recently at least 14 people were killed in three separate attacks. Two roadside bombings 100 miles north of Baghdad in Tuz Khurmato led to the deaths of nine people. 24 people were injured. In the town in Hawja further north, 2 adjacent homes were stormed by militants. They shot and killed 6 family members before bombing the building and getting away. Shiites from Iraq and neighboring countries are having an annual pilgrimage to the Iraqi city of Karbala for Arbaeen (or a Shiite Muslim holy day). This day marked the fortieth day of mourning for the death of Muhammad's grandson that falls on December 23 of this year. Pilgrims have provided an easy target for suicide bombers targeting Shiites, and increased government security has done little to diminish the bloodshed. The day before, at least 46 people were killed and 100 others were wounded in attacks throughout Iraq. A former Reuters reporter who has worked for the Iraqi media as well was killed along with his son in the blast that killed at least 16 and wounded 31 in a southern Baghdad neighborhood on Thursday. Mohanad Mohammed was the seventh journalist to be killed in the country in less than three months. There has been an additional attack targeting Shiites in areas south of Baghdad killed at least 16 people and wounded 18 others including children and an elderly woman who was rushed to Yarmuk Hospital in Baghdad. Her face was covered in blood. There was another attack last Thursday where uniformed militants reportedly shot and killed a Sahwa militiaman, his three children, his wife, and his brother in law. They broke in their house in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad. The Sahwa militia was funded by the U.S. military and the Iraqi government and was composed of Sunni tribesmen. Beginning in 2006, they patrolled neighborhood and fought other Sunni insurgents and members of Al-Qaeda. Sahwa militants members are targeted by Sunni militants. 5 more militia members were injured in two separate attacks in the Sharqat area, north of Baghdad. This year more than 8,000 people have been killed in sectarian violence. This is as high as number of deaths as in 2008. That was during the end of the surge of U.S. occupation troops in Iraq. In November, 948 people were killed in violent attacks throughout Iraq; ninety percent of the victims—852 people—were civilians. The Iraq War was started based on lies of Iraq threatened the world with massive weapons of mass destruction. This war created more sectarian conflicts. Sunni fighters oppose the Shia led Iranian backed government of Iraq. According to a 2007 study, 60 percent of the fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq came from Sunni-majority countries—Saudi Arabia and Libya—by way of Syria. The tensions have increased because of the Syrian civil war. Al-Qaeda related groups are in Syria killing Shias too. Prime Minister Maliki pointed to the role of Al Qaeda in increasing instability in the country during his visit to Washington this October, saying “Terrorists came back to Iraq when the situation — or the conflict started in Syria.” In particular, the Al Qaeda splinter group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) received support from US allies and built up strongholds on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border. Both sides have experienced violence as well.

 

 

 

We know that many standardized testing have failed kids and children in schools. Many teachers are protesting such tests for real. We know that such tests came from IQ tests. Many have exploited IQ tests as a means to scapegoat people of color and the poor and assume the lie that they are inheritably inferior to white people intellectually. Such tests are the basis of modern standardized testing now including the SAT. Many of the old school proponents of IQ testing believed in the evil of eugenics. They believed in the lie that there is a scientific basis for intelligence among different racists. We know that poor people exist not because that it is something built in the poor biologically. We see poverty as a result of socioeconomic factors and other things. There is massive inequality among class, race, and gender in the States that must be addressed in a progressive fashion. Many of such tests have biases. Some test has nothing to do with total learning, but it has to do with token middle class values, and other perspectives. Tests like the SAT do nothing to challenge inequality in schools. Educational inequality is based on class inequality in society and these factors are outside of the schools. So, if we want to have better education, we have to address food insecurity, family income, the poor, health care, housing, and homelessness that many children face on a day to day basis. We have to have assessment in schooling, but it must be the right kind of assessment. There can been performance based assessment like portfolio checking. Thinking about your thinking or metacognitive reflection is a great way to learn information. Some want students to publicly defend their work.

 

There is a huge problem with UK youth unemployment. It is in a crisis level. There is about 21 percent of the UK youth being unemployed. That is nearly 1 million human beings. More than 650,000 people are classified as NEETs or not in education, employment, or training. That is 9 percent of the total. The number of 25 year olds or under working has fallen rapidly since 2008. It has reached 49.9 percent in recent months. This is the lowest figure since the records began in 1992. Long term unemployment has increased. The workers aged 18 to 24 and the unemployed for over two years tripled since the start of the recession to 115,000. That is the highest figure since July of 1994 according to government figures. A third of those unemployed or a quarter million youth have been jobless for more than a year. The Princes' Trust youth charity said that the number of long term unemployed youth seeking their help have risen by at least a third since 2010. The jobs situation is more difficult for the youth than older workers.  The unemployment rate for under-25s is 3.7 times higher than for adults and has increased over the past year, according to a study by the Institute for Public Policy Research. These high levels of youth unemployment can cause widespread poverty in old age. Most youth can't afford retirement savings according to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. They attribute this also to the destruction of state pensions. Some governments have promoted private saving schemes with monthly contributions that are neglected during periods of unemployment, causing pension shortfalls, etc. Some are linked to the stock market, placing pensions, in further jeopardy. So, more of the youth face poverty. The report says the following: "...pension reforms made during the past two decades lowered the pension promise for workers who enter the labour market today. Working longer may help to make up part of the reductions, but every year of contribution toward future pensions generally results in lower benefits than before the reforms...In 2010, the average poverty rate among the elderly was 12.8%. In many OECD countries, the risk of poverty is higher at younger ages.” There is the issue of mental illness and homelessness including poverty harming the young people's physical health. This is proven by a recent World Health Organization study. Leading researcher Professor Michael Marmot warned that “persistent high levels of youth unemployment are a public health time bomb waiting to explode.” Youth unemployment is pushing increasing numbers into further education or training, with the number of full-time students up 10 percent since the onset of recession. These youth must shoulder a huge student debt burden and face a stagnant job market upon graduation. The public sector, the biggest graduate employer, is shedding jobs at a record pace due to the austerity agenda of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.  Most graduates can't find work commensurate with their skills. 47 percent of recent graduates are in unskilled jobs up from 39 percent in 2007, 27 percent in 2001 according to official figures. Graduates are squeezing unqualified youth out of the labor market. There are more than 50 graduates competing for each entry-level position, according to the Adzuna jobs site, an official UK government data source. Britain’s graduates are repeating the experience of Japan’s, who have largely been trapped in precarious, unskilled jobs since that country’s economic stagnation began in the early 1990s. Graduate earnings are falling despite a degree retains a clear economic benefit. Current graduates are paid 12 percent less in real terms than their counterparts before the financial crash, according to the Student Loans Company. This is three times greater than the fall in average pay for all full-time workers since 2007. The figures exclude the 28 percent of recent graduates who earn below the loan repayment threshold or the 17 percent who are unemployed. Student debt has increased 60 percent during the same period as tuition fee cap was almost tripled last year to £9,000. Universities now charge an average of £8,400 per year, in addition to living expenses. The government talked about plans to privatize the student loan book. It is selling it to investors at giveaway prices. Investors are now free to profit from student debt and ramp up interest repayments to commercial rates. These changes will be retrospective also applying to past graduates. British capitalism decaying has caused bad social conditions and the bleak prospects facing youth in the UK. It has been over 5 years after the 2008 financial crash. The economy is stagnant. There is some GDP growth, but the number of unemployed is still at 2.5 million according to official estimates. Major parties there want austerity measures. They want to gut the welfare state and have extensive privatization. The Youth Contract failed. It only formed 4,700 placements over the past years instead of the predicted 160,000 work placements and apprenticeships. Chancellor George Osborne used his Autumn Statement address to blame youth for their situation. He is wrong for that. He threatened that all long-term unemployed youth aged 18 to 21 would be forced into unpaid work schemes or loses their benefit payments. Earlier, the Conservative Party conference heard Prime Minister David Cameron insisting on “tough love” for NEETs. In reality, his plans for the elimination of housing and unemployment benefit for under-25s will condemn hundreds of thousands to complete parental dependency or homelessness.

 

I am 30 years old officially now. I feel different than when I was 20. I am more mature than when I am 20. I am physically and emotionally stronger. I feel like I have still great agility. I am more careful in how I outline my information and I still believe in love. Love is great and beautiful, because it can cause radical, positive change in the world. It deals with goodwill, humane treatment, and joy. I am human, so I will love. When I love, I do have feelings of joy, tranquility, and appreciation of human life. I love music. Now, I listen to all types of music. I love African music, old school artists, independent artists, and others. I am definitely feeling the music from so many artists. Music makes me more intellectual, more spiritual, and more inclined to develop my own personal creativity in general. Popular Culture is interesting. I want to make this special point. There is nothing wrong with real music and the arts. Some folks get so obsessive with celebrities that they even want to bash music and art in general. With me, my views are no so rigid on these matters. I feel that we should encourage music and the arts among any human being. Music enriches the soul. It deal with human expression and it allow humanity to adequately express a wide spectrum of emotions including other creative energy. Music is a crucial backdrop of human culture. My people (who are black people) made an incredible mark in the world with music and the rest of the arts. The struggle, the triumph, and the sacrifice of real musicians in the world ought to be respected. A Sister (She knows who she is. She is my special friend and she is just an angel. :) She speaks with a beautiful, northern accent) had to remind me that unique gifts and diversity of musicians (especially among black women) ought not to be minimized or diminished in any fundamental capacity. In other words, it is great that artists do not sound the same. Musicians and artists in general are diverse in their talents, attributes, social mores, and other forms of human expression. These differences ought to be appreciated. When I am becoming older, I further appreciate the genuine greatness of music.

 

 

 

Love in general is a very powerful force. It can end tensions and grow societies much more fully in a fruitful disposition. Black Love and real, true love in general is holy and great. Folks are right on that point. True love is more than about goodwill (which should be cherished in our hearts). It about inspiring each other, caring for each other, believing in hope, and standing up for truth. Yes, I have my own views. I love my core convictions. I love religious freedom and I love to fight against economic inequality or poverty. I love to defend the essence of Nature. Also, I thank others for their advice. I always take real advice to heart. In life, we should never use our views to be rigid in an authoritarian fashion to force convictions. We should be honest with our convictions and advance real dialogue and real cooperation to form solutions. Yes, I love inspirational speeches and African Music. :)  I respect words are so real and filled with understanding too. The Creator always inspires us and gives us signs and great lessons to continue in our journey. Many have great philosophies and your compassion plus wisdom shines brightly. Sincerity is a great policy. I love the speeches from Dr. King, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hammer, and so many others of our heroes. It is accurate that an individual consumed with hate increase the risk for the damaging of their souls, their immunity, the rest of their health, and their sanity. That is why Love is superior to hate. Love is a very powerful force. It enlightens humanity. When I feel love, I feel happy. I feel open intellectually, I feel spiritually more mature, and I just feel joy. I feel joy communicating with folks, because of many people's exceptional light, insight, and spirituality that real folks possess. Real folks want truth to reign in society, we desire our people to have liberation, and we want the human race in general to have justice (from the poor onward). Being happy and embracing love cleanses the soul and doing almsgiving has tons of benefits. Better karma, better relationships with humanity, and greater appreciation of life in general are all positive results when a person embraces love. I respect real human beings a lot. Ideological and spiritual growth are all concepts that are important in our lives. We grow via more insight and more human interaction. We should not even embrace arrogance or a superiority complex about our views. Our views should be utilized to inspire hope and not to dictate folks in a harsh fashion. The Creator can mold humanity and he has foreknowledge. He knows the beginning and the end. In the final analysis, we all inhabit the same Earth. So, we have to create ways for us to get along, to progressively improve Nature, and to adhere to brotherhood and sisterhood. Tons of human beings certainly remind all of us that cultural respect is important and defending black women and black men is necessity in our lives. We have unique gifts and we use our gifts to fight for revolutionary change in the world. We have our roles and our roles are not superior or inferior to each other. Our roles represent our equal value and golden opportunities to help out our neighbors.

 

 

By Timothy