The "Preposterous" Interview: George Galloway on Israel-Lebanon Conflict@Sky News

http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-galloway_060806,00.html
A friend sent me this link in the morning.
Sure did make me chuckle abit.
Shut them up & Open their eyes!
Way to go, Mr Galloway!

There goes the Taxpayers' $$$!

Hey...but people on the streets were Happy!
At the Padang or Esplanade or Marina South, people come in herds to catch the fireworks display by Team Singapore, in conjuction of our 41st National Day!

(apparently the event is Sponsored, so heh not really taxpayers' $$ that get blown up in the sky...more like sponsors' employees bonus perhaps?? hehehe...let's not be so calculative lah uh, for the priceless joyful feeling people get and the smiles on the faces of spectators from watchin the fireworks to celebrate our Nation's Independence, why not ay?)

Nice display but somehow, instead of goin all goo-goo eyed and trippy happy, i kinda felt a lil sadness in the corner of my lil heart. Here we are, celebratin our independence, with the cracklings and brightness of the Fireworks, the thots of those at war came into my mind. Look at our extravagance, look at the happy faces...don't the victims of war deserve such too? Instead of rocket missiles or bombs, wouldn't it be lovely that they see and feel what we see & feel?

When i was on my way back, i smell the acrid burnt "hell-notes and sorts" filtered thru my nose. Yes...that familiar Chinese tradition practise durin "Hungry Ghost Festival". I sometimes have the urge to complain and whine abt how polluting all tis burnings and the ashes flyin around but I come to realise, come on...what's tis compared to acrid smell of bombs/missiles/machine gun powders and pungent smell of dead bodies around?? Are we so pampered to complain and whine at the slightest inconvenience or clashing interest? I shook my head and smiled as I climbed the stairs home.

Tolerance is Essential in our country. Despite our differences, here we are Singapore, standin together and sleepin at nite in PEACE. sometimes, we hate the government for being kinda one directional with its policies, or some people may say the government practices dictatorship instead of democracy, but most times I think, we should thank God & the government, for keeping things in order and bringing goodness that we all have here, in our lil sunny island set in the sea, but most of all, it is Kudos to Us for bein coorperative with the government and tolerable with each other (hurhur!).

So Cheers, Singapore!

A Call for CEASE FIRE!

In past weeks we have seen the catastrophic events of the
conflict between Israel and Hizbullah unfold and magnify into a
devastating series of violent atrocities and war crimes. We hear of the
hundreds of lives lost, the homes destroyed, families torn apart and
livelihoods crushed.


This evening, Amnesty International members around the world, our
supporters, our friends and our fellow partner organizations all stand
together in solidarity with those who have suffered in this conflict.
We mourn deeply for the victims and our hearts reach out to their
families to wish them strength in this time of chaos. Our thoughts also
stay closely with those surviving the conflict in the face of extreme
danger, to whom we wish courage and immediate safety.


We call on Israel and Hizbullah to start respecting the lives and the
human rights of civilians, and we implore other governments around the
world to intervene - those who know they can help the people of Israel
and Lebanon - and join our call for an end to this senseless violence.





Today we stand together with a simple message: For all our sakes, CEASEFIRE

Of all time?!!

Gone are my cash, IC, student card, ATM/debit/credit cards & a buncha privilege/loyalty cards.
But what makes me ache so bad is the fact that mesye bought it for me when i quit my job last year, when i feel so uncertain abt my direction in life.
And our precious "kental" days photos, his photos...all GONE.

Is there still hope for it to return? Are there any nice kind soul with a conscience out there? I dun really care abt the $20+ cash innit...i juz want my precious wallet and the beautiful lil memories innit back.

I dunno how I'm gonna turn up for Exam on Thursday without an ID.

report here. report there. gotta make replacement IC, student card. waste of time, waste of money.
soo damn careless!

Sigh...

Ceasefire Vigil

Ok i dunno why i am this crazy but i have just emailed the Licence Officer of the SPF to check if i can get a permit by the 7th Aug to organise/carry out tis vigil. IF they respond to me promptly and the permission is granted, is there any one of u who will JOIN me in this (of course, open to my fellow Singapore contacts only...those outside Singapore, by all means please conduct one in ur area if possible)? U can PM me if keen ok, by today 6pm 5th august, if no response from police by tis time or if i fail to gather people...hmmm guess i'll juz Multiply it out.
*LoL*

Salam,
Sophie

How to organize a "Ceasefire" vigil (from Amnesty International)

When:

Monday 7th August 2006, around sunset



Where:

• A neutral location of symbolic or cultural importance. Examples may include main squares or plazas, major parks, places of worship or main shopping malls.
  
• It is very important that vigils should not take place outside of Israeli or Lebanese embassies, or the embassies of other nations.

The message:

• We call for a ceasefire;
  
• We demand that all governments stop the supply of arms to the conflict; and
  
• We stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors on both sides of the Israel/Lebanon conflict.

Staging your vigil:

• Vigils could display the word CEASEFIRE, as largely as
  possible. You may use a banner, a formation of people or candles,
  cardboard cut-outs, light projections - be creative!
  
• Ask participants to bring a candle to light at the vigil and decorate your vigil with as much candlelight as possible
  
• Wear black clothes and create display items that are black and white
  
• You may wish to read a suggested recital at your vigil (see below)
  
• You may also conduct a 2 minutes of silence to
  reflect on the victims of both parties, and to stand in solidarity with
  those survivors trapped in the conflict on both sides
  
• Take photos - and send them to us by email at dscott [at] amnesty.org. Please write "Ceasefire vigil" in the subject line, and tell us in which country and city the vigil took place.

In past weeks we have seen the catastrophic events of the
conflict between Israel and Hizbullah unfold and magnify into a
devastating series of violent atrocities and war crimes. We hear of the
hundreds of lives lost, the homes destroyed, families torn apart and
livelihoods crushed.



This evening, Amnesty International members around the world, our
supporters, our friends and our fellow partner organizations all stand
together in solidarity with those who have suffered in this conflict.
We mourn deeply for the victims and our hearts reach out to their
families to wish them strength in this time of chaos. Our thoughts also
stay closely with those surviving the conflict in the face of extreme
danger, to whom we wish courage and immediate safety.



We call on Israel and Hizbullah to start respecting the lives and the
human rights of civilians, and we implore other governments around the
world to intervene - those who know they can help the people of Israel
and Lebanon - and join our call for an end to this senseless violence.



Today we stand together with a simple message: For all our sakes, ceasefire

Prayer for Peace

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Oh Allah, the Compassionate, the
Merciful, grant us peace and Iman, safety and Islam, and guidance to perform
all that you please.

Oh Allah, the Generous, the Gracious, grant all goodness to
Muslims, and all blessings to the faithful, and all mercies to mankind.

Oh Allah, guide this Ummah to do the best, bless this Ummah
to be loving and compassionate, help this Ummah to spread good and peace to all
mankind.

Oh Allah, remove all conflicts and hatred that is happening.
Grant peace and restore human dignity in this world. Safe this earth from
destruction due to human ignorance, grant our country and the entire world with
safety, peace, calmness, tranquillity, progress and development.

Oh Allah, may this day of ours be better than yesterday. May
our tomorrow be better than today. Please grant us positive outcomes in all our
endeavours. Save us from disappointment both in this world and in the
hereafter.

Oh Allah, the Gentle, the
Sustainer, may peace and calmness prevail in this world. Guide mankind to
uphold justice and equality. Protect our young from misguidance. Give us the
strength to spread your true message. Strengthen us to be a blessing to all
mankind.

-Amin-
(prayer taken from MUIS' website)

*Calling Out to my Muslim friends, let us stand in solitude and prayer for what is happening in Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine & other parts of the world where human rights are violated and wars are taking place, recite Qunut Nazilah together and hope for the best to happen. Click here if u r uncertain how to perform it. Insya Allah we will be heard*

Israel SEVERS Lebanon road link to Syria

YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO ALL THESE, ISRAEL!!!!

GET LOST...Go back to Jerusalem or whatever sacred place of yours! LEAVE LEBANON's INFRASTRUCTUREs ALONE!!!!! SHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

PLEASE SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE PEOPLE!!!!! URGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

WHAT THE HELL ARE THE LEADERS OF THE WORLD DOING??? OPEN UR GODDAMN EYES!!! TIS IS A FULL-SCALE ORGANISED TERRORISTS AT WORK...WITH CONCRETE AMOUNT OF WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTION!!!

STOP EXPRESSING & START ACTING AGAINST THEM lahhhh!!!!!!

Israel will never be content as long as Nasrallah lives and his followers are walkin on the face of this earth. but heyyyy he's fine n kickin while the civilians are bein bombed! Go find & finish him off usin some other methods, espionage or somethin lah...STop Showing Off already, we all know ur military prowess n shit like that, yeah yeah u r strong ok, go back and build a fortress or somethin, stop stampin on other people's land! fuckin hell!

poor Lebanese, tis is TOO MUCH!!! TOOO MUCHHHHH!!!!!!!

*bleurgh...despite all tis screaming, i noe...it's all futile. war tactics are Always Ruthless. let's all pray since situation is really helpless*

-SIGH-

From Yahoo News

BEIRUT, Lebanon -Israel expanded its assault on Lebanon Friday, launching its first major attack on the Christian heartland north of Beirut and severing the last significant road link to Syria.
Israel expanded its assault on Lebanon Friday, launching its first major
attack on the Christian heartland north of Beirut and severing the last
significant road link to Syria.Israel expanded its assault on Lebanon Friday, launching its first major attack on the Christian heartland north of Beirut and severing the last significant road link to Syria.

Hezbollah renewed attacks on northern Israel, killing two civilians in a barrage of 120 rockets.

An Israeli airstrike hit dozens of farm workers loading vegetables
near the Lebanon-Syria border, killing 28, the workers' foreman and a
Lebanese official said.

Five Lebanese civilians were killed and 19 wounded in the Israeli
airstrikes north of the capital in Christian areas where Hezbollah has
little support or presence, including the picturesque coastal resort of
Jounieh.

In separate air raids near Beirut's airport and southern suburbs, a
Lebanese soldier was killed and two soldiers and four civilians were
wounded, security officials and witnesses said. The predominantly
Shiite Muslim sector is largely controlled by Hezbollah guerrillas.
Israel said Hezbollah facilities and a Hamas office were targeted.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile
during heavy fighting in a southern Lebanese village where the militant
group had been launching rockets, the army said.

The Israeli attacks on the four bridges on the main north-south
coastal highway linking Beirut to Syria severed the only remaining
major road link between Lebanon and Syria. The 90-minute drive to the
Syrian border takes at least double the time on the small coastal road
that remains open.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, a staunch pro-Syrian and close ally
of Hezbollah, charged that Israel is trying to pressure Lebanon to
accept its conditions for a cease-fire , which include Hezbollah's
disarmament and ouster from a swath of south Lebanon.

"The Israeli enemy's bombing of bridges and roads is aimed at
tightening the blockade on the Lebanese, cutting communications between
them and starving them," Lahoud said.

He linked the new raids to Israel's failure to win quick victory in
the south, where Israeli soldiers have been mired in ground battles
with Hezbollah guerrillas for several days.

An Israeli army spokesman, Capt. Jacob Dallal, said Israel targeted the bridges to stop the flow of weapons from Syria.

International aid agencies said Friday said the road bombing would
slow down aid shipments to needy civilians in central Lebanon and the
coastline around the capital, Beirut, where the bulk of the population
lives.

Border crossings in the east have been shut by airstrikes. Israel
has imposed a naval blockade and has hit the international airport to
seal off Lebanon's sea and airspace.

"This is Lebanon's umbilical cord," Christiane Berthiaume of the
World Food Program told The Associated Press. "This (road) has been the
only way for us to bring in aid. We really need to find other ways to
bring relief in."

In the farm attack near al-Qaa, a town about six miles from a
Hezbollah stronghold, Lebanese civil defense official Ali Yaghi said at
least 28 people were killed.

Yaghi said at least 12 workers were wounded and some were likely
buried under rubble. A bulldozer was brought to the site to try to
uncover survivors, he said. The Israeli army said it had attacked two
buildings where it suspected weapons were being stored, and it was
checking reports that it had hit a vegetable storehouse and civilians.

In Israel, police said 120 rockets had fallen, including one that
crashed into a house in the Israeli Arab town of Mughar, killing a
woman. An Israeli man was killed near the border town of Kiryat Shemona.

Police commander Dan Ronen said 45 rockets had fallen within one half-hour period.

More than three weeks into the fighting, six Israeli brigades — or
roughly 10,000 troops — were locked in battle with hundreds of
Hezbollah guerrillas in about 20 towns and villages in south Lebanon.

Israeli artillery intensified bombing there overnight, sending
as many as 15 shells per minute against suspected Hezbollah
strongholds.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz has told top army officers to
begin preparing for a push to the Litani River, about 20 miles north of
the border. That would require further approval by Israel's Security
Cabinet and could lead to far more casualties.

Hezbollah said in a statement broadcast by the group's Al-Manar
TV station that guerrillas had killed six Israeli soldiers near the
villages of Aita al-Shaab and Markaba.

The Israeli army said two soldiers were killed and two wounded
by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile during heavy fighting in a village
where the militant group had been launching rockets.

Despite Israel's efforts, Hezbollah launched at least 200
rockets into northern Israel on Thursday, in a new tactic of
simultaneously firing a large number of rockets.

Hezbollah's leader offered to stop attacking if Israel ends its airstrikes.

Israel's United Nations ambassador, Dan Gillerman, said that Sheik Hassan Nasrallah's offer of
a truce was "a sign of weakness ... and he may be looking for a way
out."

Gillerman warned against a threat by Nasrallah to launch rockets on Israel's commercial center, Tel Aviv.

"We are ready for it, and I am sure that he (Nasrallah), as well
as his sponsors, realize the consequences of doing something as
unimaginable and crazy as that," the Israeli ambassador told CNN.

On the second front of its offensive against Islamic militants,
Israel began pulling tanks out of southern Gaza after a two-day
incursion that killed eleven Palestinians, including an 8-year-old boy.

The fighting in Gaza, which began June 25 after Hamas-linked
militants captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid, has
killed a total of 175 Palestinians, the U.N. reported, adding that it
was concerned that "with international attention focusing on Lebanon,
the tragedy in Gaza is being forgotten."

The offensive in Lebanon began after another cross-border raid by Hezbollah guerrillas who captured two Israeli soldiers.

According to an Associated Press count, at least 530 Lebanese
have been killed, including 454 civilians confirmed dead by the Health
Ministry; 26 Lebanese soldiers; and at least 50 Hezbollah guerrillas.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said that 1 million people
— or about a quarter of Lebanon's population — had fled the fighting.

Seventy-two Israelis have been killed — 43 soldiers and 29
civilians. More than 300,000 Israelis have fled their homes in the
north, Israeli officials said.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said the United States
and France have "come a long way" in negotiating a Security Council
resolution that calls for an immediate end to Middle East
hostilities,said.

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
expressed support Thursday for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon as
the first phase in ending the conflict. It was the most concrete signal
yet that the U.S. may be willing to compromise on the stalemate over
how to end the fighting.

Israel, backed by the United States, has rejected calls for an
immediate cease-fire, saying it wants an international force or the
Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon to prevent future Hezbollah
attacks.