Topics

61

General Discussion / Is there a crisis facing governance & security?

« on: January 02, 2011, 11:25:54 AM »

http://www.guardian.co.tt/beta/columnist/2011/01/02/there-crisis-facing-governance-security


Published: Sun, 2011-01-02 22:29
Richard Ramoutar

As we enter the dawn of another year .leading politicians continue their endless routine of optimistic speeches and fulfillment of pre-electoral promises of non-betrayal, service to the people and delivery.

While there have been some degree of accomplishments, the People’s Partnership (PP) Government is yet to solidly convince the population that they can effectively revive the economy and meaningfully attack the mushrooming activities of transnational organised crimes and its blurring boundaries on the national security landscape. As such, one wonders whether there is a looming crisis in national security and intelligence given the continuing saga of trends in the intelligence entities. Ministerial officials should be cautious in their pronouncements about making any premature statements for the New Year, as it may be more worthwhile to adopt a realistic approach, rather than use statements that can return to trouble their consciences.

Citizens are being murdered in the privacy of their homes with illegal guns. What concerted national efforts are being implemented to curb gun running activities across the porous borders of this twin-island state? Where is the intelligence for this aspect of illegal crimes, ministers in national security, and Madame Prime Minister, as Chairman of the National Security Council? How many lives are going to be taken away and how many families destroyed by bullets? Do we really care? Can your government deliver the goods promised in this serious matter or will fear continue to dominate the minds of nationals, foreign investors and tourists?

PP’s security doctrine

Without a clear and well-thought out national security doctrine and policy, the ministers appointed to national security would be challenged with a changed geo-political climate and increased sophistication of digital and wireless technology used by the criminal masterminds of transnational organised crimes since the post 1990-era. National security issues can make or break a government’s hold on power. The honourable Prime Minister would do well to consider the numerous challenges she has encountered as a result of inadequate national security advice dispensed to her that appears to make her government look very uncertain and inexperienced. This column has suggested certain types of intelligence restructuring to ensure governmental control and oversight, but there needs to a complete overhaul of many personnel at all levels of national security. The honourable Prime Minister and her Cabinet appear to be very challenged by the complex and mammoth task confronting national security. Stark reality is forcing her to admit that crime is indeed a challenge. The avatars and mandarins in national security have yet to show the type of intelligence doctrine and capability needed to (a) seize on arrival guns entering the country illegally, (b) knowing the internal movements of these weapons all over this country and why people are that brazenfaced walking at will and random in broad daylight to commit crime with these illegal guns, (c) restoring public confidence and enhanced community led intelligence and security of the people, local dons of the trade.

Seriousness of Threat

One would think that those offering advice to the honourable Prime Minister on national security issues, would have indicated the gravity of transnational organised crimes on the nation’s borders, the rule of law, the marination of the illicit economy into the licit economy, and the national security compromise that may occur as a result of corruption and bribery. These transnational offending crimes are still the major threats to our national security today. The fight against organised crime, corruption and trafficking in illicit drugs and human beings is too big for one country to tackle alone according to Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, October 6, 2010. While Trinidad and Tobago was among the Caribbean nations that signed a political declaration in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to combat Illicit drug trafficking, organised crime , terrorism and other serious crime in the Caribbean on the February 19, 2009, complex issues of alleged bribery and corruption makes the national security landscape and intelligence very vulnerable.

Developing critical intelligence

Furthermore, the Government is yet to publicly disseminate any new Intelligence and national security strategy for the next five years. In formulating a new national security strategy, it must take into account the imperatives of the global geo-political environment and the ever increasing sophistication of transnational crimes.  In this respect, the ability to forestall threats to national security often hinges on the timely availability of information. As such, intelligence must be the foundation of our ability to take effective measures to provide for the security and well-being of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. To manage these risks effectively, one needs the best information about threats we face and about the intentions, capabilities and activities of those who would want to infiltrate and endanger our national security.

The best decisions regarding the scope and design of security programmes, the allocation of resources and the deployment of assets cannot be made unless decision makers are informed as possible. In this post 9/11 international security environment, the major external threats emanate from transnational offending, a trade encompassing multibillion dollar industries, and intelligence activities may be complex task. Some of those in positions of trust in these intelligence agencies may find it very alluring to maintain national security imperatives as the corrosive influence of the Almighty dollar and astronomical sums involved in bribery can be difficult to resist if one is not loyal and trustworthy.

If we appear to be lacking in intelligence, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) maintains an office in T&T and will support the local infrastructure investigations by providing information as to who controls the drug trade, how the drugs are distributed and how the profits are laundered. It also provides information as to how the entire worldwide drug system operates at the source level, transportation level, whole sale and retail levels

62

General Discussion / 'Turban check' on Indian envoy at US airport sparks row

« on: December 13, 2010, 06:12:17 AM »

Hardeep Puri was asked to remove his turban at airport security, Indian media report

India's foreign ministry has expressed concern after another of its diplomats was reportedly subjected to a security search at a US airport.

It has emerged that India's UN envoy, Hardeep Puri, was reportedly asked to remove his turban at an airport in Houston, Texas, two weeks ago.

When the Sikh refused to do so, he was detained in a "holding room", say Indian media.

India's US ambassador Meera Shankar was frisked at a US airport this month.

Foreign Minister SM Krishna told the media in Delhi on Monday: 'We have taken it up with the US authorities and the matter [involving Mr Puri] is at that stage."

The BBC's Jyotsna Singh in Delhi says Sikh men are expected to keep all hair intact and their heads covered in public.

The turban symbolises self-respect, honour, and piety. Touching of the head dress in public is not allowed.

Normally the turban is only removed in the most intimate of circumstances, when washing the face or hair.

There was uproar in India after Ms Shankar was subjected to a hands-on search at an airport in Mississippi, even after her diplomatic status had been revealed.

Ex-president frisked

The ambassador had been picked out of a security line at Jackson-Evers International on 4 December simply because she was wearing a sari, it was claimed.


Indian ambassador Meera Shankar was taken to a separate room and searched
US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at the time the search had been "appropriate".

But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern about the incident after India's external affairs ministry called it unacceptable.

Some Indian opposition politicians asked the government to subject the US envoy to security searches on flights.

Last year, Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam for searching him before he boarded a flight to the US.

Indians were outraged after it emerged that Mr Kalam had been frisked and made to remove his shoes at Delhi airport in April.

Protocol is meant to exempt former presidents and other dignitaries from such measures.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11980728

63

General Discussion / Mash it up

« on: December 06, 2010, 03:22:29 PM »

By Ria Taitt Political Editor
Story Created: Dec 5, 2010 at 11:52 PM ECT

The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) is now reeling under a spate of senior staff resignations in recent months.

Prof George Maxwell Richards, President of Trinidad and Tobago, has recently chucked in his resignation as UTT Chancellor to Minister of Tertiary Education Fazal Karim, effective March 31, 2011, reliable sources have said.

Prof Kenneth Julien resigned effective August 31, but went on leave from July 1, when Prof Ramesh Deosaran was appointed to act as president.

However, Prof Deosaran resigned last week as acting president, sources said.

The new board of governors then appointed Prof Ken Ramchand as president of UTT. These changes have all been sent to UTT staff through e-mail circulars.

Ramchand is also chairman of the UTT board, having been appointed to this post a month ago by the People's Partnership Government. Ramchand had resigned from UTT last year after public fallout with then president Prof Julien.

UTT had also received resignations from other senior staff, such as Prof David McGaw, who resigned as UTT provost, and Dr Cheryl Bennett, who resigned as associate provost, informed sources said.

UTT publisher Ken Jaikeransingh sent in his resignation two months ago. Among the other senior UTT resignations are Prof Marlon Knights, head of the UTT Agricultural Department, and Judy Lake, vice-president in charge of UTT Information Technology Systems.

A source at UTT claimed yesterday that there were "growing fears of creeping political interference and victimisation" into the institutions. The source said there would be more resignations to come.

There is an ongoing forensic audit into the institution, which had been plagued by controversy during the tenure of the People's National Movement, with the Opposition United National Congress consistently questioning its role and activities of its then chairman (Ken Julien) and making claims that money was being badly spent.

"The forensic audit aside, UTT has become too much of a political football, with more patronage and politics than professionalism, and it is the students who will suffer," the UTT source stated.

There are also critical staff shortages all around, the source said, noting "the Registry, for example, is seriously suffering from staff shortages, with six vacancies now, and that is the place that deals with students' records, admissions and transcripts".

UTT, Petrotrin and the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago are all under forensic audits by the Government.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/_Growing_fears_of_political_interference_-111361169.html

64

General Discussion / Wikileaks release of embassy cables reveals US concerns

« on: November 28, 2010, 01:30:14 PM »

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has released 250,000 secret messages sent by US embassies which give an insight into current American global concerns.

They include reports of some Arab leaders - including the Saudi king - urging the US to attack Iran and end its nuclear weapons programme.

Other concerns include the security of Pakistani nuclear material that could be used to make an atomic weapon.

The widespread use of hacking by the Chinese government is also reported.

The leaked US embassy cables also reportedly include accounts of:

Corruption within the Afghan government, with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $50m in cash on a foreign trip

Bargaining to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison camp - including Slovenian diplomats being told to take in a freed prisoner if they wanted to secure a meeting with President Barack Obama

The extraordinarily close relationship between Russian PM Vladimir Putin and his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi

Alleged links between the Russian government and organised crime

American and South Korean officials' discussions about the prospects for a unified Korea should North Korea collapse as a viable state

Sharply critical accounts of UK military operations in Afghanistan

The US government has condemned the release of state department documents.

"President Obama supports responsible, accountable, and open government at home and around the world, but this reckless and dangerous action runs counter to that goal," a White House statement said.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the unauthorised disclosure of classified documents and sensitive national security information."

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, says the US authorities are afraid of being held to account. Earlier, Wikileaks said it had come under attack from a computer-hacking operation.

"We are currently under a mass distributed denial of service attack," it reported on its Twitter feed.
No-one has been charged with passing the diplomatic files to the website but suspicion has fallen on US Army private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak of classified US documents to Mr Assange's organisation.

Wikileaks argues that the site's previous releases shed light on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11858895

65

General Discussion / Boeing’s Spectrolab to produce more efficient solar cells.

« on: November 27, 2010, 05:01:22 PM »

Boeing's Spectrolab subsidiary said it has begun volume production of its newest terrestrial triple-junction III-V-based solar cell, the C3MJ+. The device has an average conversion efficiency of 39.2%, which the company claims makes it the most-efficient cell on the market.

The new cells improve on the 38.5%-efficient C3MJ cells that have been in production since mid-2009 at the company's fabrication facility in Sylmar, CA, near Los Angeles.

Delivery of the first C3MJ+ cells is planned for January 2011.

"These more efficient cells are drawing interest from a number of current and potential customers," said Russ Jones, Spectrolab director of CPV business development. "Last year we set a new world record for efficiency with a test cell that peaked at 41.6%. We now have entered production with essentially this same technology and plan to deliver the first of these 39.2% efficiency cells in January."

"Given the new cells' close similarity to our existing production cells, we believe that our current C3MJ customers will be able to easily upgrade for more efficiency," he added.

Spectrolab, which is the leading supplier of multijunction photovoltaic solar cells, said it expects to achieve a 40% average production efficiency for terrestrial solar cells in 2011.

The company's cell customers in the concentrating photovoltaics sector include SolFocus, Amonix, Soliant Energy, and Energy Innovations.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/_a/boeings_spectrolab_unit_rolls_out_39.2_cell_for_cpv_said_to_be_most_efficie/

66

General Discussion / MANNING FACES CONTEMPT MOTION

« on: November 21, 2010, 10:14:33 AM »

Government is moving full speed ahead to file a contempt motion against former prime minister Patrick Manning for statements made in the Lower House on Friday night about a house being constructed in South Trinidad by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Manning in his address to Parliament on Friday night claimed that the house under construction has so far cost the Prime Minister over TT$150 million.

The contempt motion is expected to be filed this week and could be heard in Parliament on Friday. Government Chief Whip in the House of Representatives Dr Roodal Moonilal is expected to raise this motion on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Yesterday, hours after the statements were made about the construction of her home in Phillipine, South Trinidad the Prime Minister told Sunday Newsday, “I wish to state categorically that the statements and assertions made by the MP for San Fernando East on the issue of my private home are false and malicious. The house under construction which belongs to my husband and myself commenced construction in the year 2001. The house does not cost anywhere near to what the MP for San Fernando East stated. The house is being constructed with private funds earned by my husband and myself. No state funds have been used in the construction of the family home. The utterance of the MP for San Fernando East on this issue is yet another example of his untrustworthiness on factual issues.”

According to the Prime Minister, “We began construction as our income would allow us to do and the house is still unoccupied, but we are on the verge of having the house completed.” She noted that work on the house was temporarily halted when the former Prime Minister called a snap election earlier this year and resumed after the May 24 General Election.

“All matters pertaining to that house is handled by my husband Dr Greg Bissessar and I want to state again that to make a bold statement that the house has so far cost $150 million is definitely a laughable matter,” the Prime Minister said.

She said, “It is totally false, malicious and misleading and therefore the Government will file the contempt motion for breach of parliamentary privilege.” She told Sunday Newsday that the land where the house is being constructed was purchased in 1990 and was approval was only given by the authorities to begin construction in 2001 and the house is being constructed in phases as the income would allow. The Prime Minister reiterated that absolutely no state funds were used in the construction.

She promised to make available more information on the construction of the house soon. Yesterday Government Chief Whip Dr Roodal Moonilal told Sunday Newsday, “What we are dealing with here is a breach of parliamentary privilege to bring a member of parliament into disrepute and also a breach of the standing orders and we pointed that out on several occasions on Friday night. The government has the liberty to file a motion of privileges to ensure that Mr Manning be dealt with according to the rules of the house. It is a latitude that the government or any member has.” Government will move the motion of privileges once Speaker Wade Mark grants leave to do so in accordance with Standing Order 27 of the House of Representatives. Standing Order 27 (1) states that a privileges motion takes precedence over all other public business in the House.

Standing Order 27 (4) adds that if the Speaker is satisfied that a prima facie case has been made out against Manning, he will refer the matter to the Privileges Committee of the House

Should Manning be referred to the committee and found guilty of breaching parliamentary privilege, he faces the penalties of reprimand, censure or suspension. The committee could reprimand Manning by expressing its strong disapproval of his statements and demand he apologise in Parliament.

In the extreme case, the committee may rule that Manning’s statements warrant his suspension from sittings of Parliament for a specified period of time.

However Manning may avoid this matter altogether if he uses the next sitting of the House to apologise to Persad-Bissessar and the House for making the statements which he made last Friday.

During his address to the Lower House on Friday night Manning questioned where the money was coming from that was being used to construct the private house of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, which he described as “Kamla’s palace.”

He called on the Prime Minister to open the house to the scrutiny of the media and lay the relevant approvals for its construction in the Parliament. During his maiden contribution in the house since his government lost the May 24 General election, while speaking on the Interception of Communications Bill, Manning produced an enlarged photo of Persad-Bissessar’s house.

He said, “This picture, Mr Speaker, is a photograph of a house under construction on the San Fernando, Siparia Erin Road just past Bryan’s Gate, Phillipine, and on the road to Debe on the right hand side. It is a house owned by the Member for Siparia and the Prime Minister, the honourable Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and in San Fernando we call it ‘Kamla’s palace’,” Manning said.

“Look at it, Mr Speaker ... it is a huge facility and investigations, Mr Speaker, indicate that this property is larger than the Diplomatic Centre,” he continued. He claimed that the house has more space than the Prime Minister’s residence and, “the best estimate that we have, the all-inclusive cost of building this facility is $150 million.”

Yesterday even in the face of claims of impropriety in the building of a house the Prime Minister was busy at work visiting lands that were allocated by the former UNC government for the building of the Shiva Boys’ High School which is located next to the Debe High School.

She also told Sunday Newsday that a South Campus of the University of the West Indies is going to be built in South and she is also looking at Caroni lands to facilitate the construction of the campus.

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,131175.html

67

General Discussion / Timeout

« on: November 12, 2010, 08:35:12 PM »

I think I'm a little jaded by the last few weeks of politics in T&T. I keep saying that I didn't vote for them but I still expected better. That lady and those guys eh good, not a lil bit. I say so with no gratification at all but with pain. I get a certain vibes of incompetence especially from the Honourable Prime Minister who spends more time apologizing for her Ministers and making international excursions than actually leading the Government. The best thing Kamla has done so far is stop Jack from running bobol in the airport. Watching her answer questions on the economy and Fazeer Mohammed's firing was painful. The proverbial deer in the headlights inspires more confidence.

I'm giving consideration for the context that they're operating in. I listened to the PM talk about treasury as if it is a pot of gold that the PNM dug deep into and took for themselves. At the risk of sounding like a sympathizer  let me say that the truth is the country's savings actually grew and we would all recall Dookeran's attempt to deceive the public on the issue of deposits into the heritage and stabilisation fund. What the Prime Minister should say is that due to trends in the international economy energy prices (particularly natural gas) are not as generous as previous years and as such it is difficult to meet all the fiscal needs of the government. But they are so dishonest and wont of deferring responsibility that it is easier to speak in such terms.

I can foresee a period of coldness if not hostility between this government and others in the region due to the PM's utterances to and concerning CARICOM. Rank -shithong ( She , Jack and Cadiz). There was a nasty debate in cyberspace among citizens of various countries that followed. It did nothing but allow bitter low life scum to come to the fore. Folks there's no two ways about it , T&T lost some points and we will feel it in the pocket.

This week it was revealed that we are now borrowing money from the international lending agencies to regularise squatters. That is the MO of the UNC anyway. Why should I even be upset ? I sticking, that is my fault. I really need to find a lil plot for myself.

I taking a lil break from from criticizing the government for a week, just to cool off and regain some perspective. I'm not feeling very objective these days.

68

General Discussion / Brace for ten years of economic troubles

« on: November 06, 2010, 08:28:49 AM »

T&T should brace for more economic troubles —at least for the next ten years, says local economist Dr Dhaneshwar Mahabir.Dr Mahabir’s gloomy warning comes on the heels of the Central Bank’s statement that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would not achieve the projected growth of two per cent this year, but will instead be flat, or at best, achieve a one per cent growth.

The information, contained in the Central Bank’s October Monetary Policy Report, was released by Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams during Thursday’s news conference at the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain.Mahabir said he was not optimistic that T&T would recover “anytime soon” and stated that the local economy would continue to experience a period of secular decline, as the global financial downturn was negatively affecting energy prices.

He said, “While we have maybe ten years worth of natural gas, we have very low prices for gas and while we have seen a recovery in oil prices we have very little oil production...I predicted that we would have to be prepared for stagnation for a period of approximately ten years.

Two years have gone by and we have stagnated. We are going to be in stagnation for quite a while.”Noting that the local manufacturing sector would also experience stagnant growth, Mahabir said the time had come for the industry to become more innovative as businesses across the world have had to adjust to “similar levels of difficulty.”

Government must limit spending

The economist added that the US and European economies, which he described as the main drivers for tourism in the Caribbean, were still experiencing economic woes, which reflected in slower growth in T&T’s non-energy GDP.Based on the associated sharp fall in government revenue, Dr Mahabir said it was “very difficult” to foresee a rapid economic recovery for T&T and called on government to be more prudent with the public’s purse.

“It is at a stage where government cannot be reckless with the kind of promises that it keeps making. It has to temper these particular statements,” he said. “I am predicting that Trinidad would have to learn to live with government’s revenues estimated at around $38 billion over the next three-five years. In fact, every single sector in T&T had better get used to this.”

Dr Mahabir added that the working class would be the most affected by the economic stagnation and stated that the wage bargaining environment “would continue to be a very difficult one” for the labour movement. “I recommend that government continue to look after the poor and the indigent in the country as they are the people most at risk and cannot defend their economic position in a time of economic decline,” he said.

http://guardian.co.tt/business/business/2010/11/06/brace-ten-years-economic-troubles-stock-exchange-missing

69

General Discussion / T&T can be green centre of Caribbean

« on: November 06, 2010, 08:24:24 AM »

Al Gore, the 45th US Vice President says T&T has an abundance of natural resources that would allow it to engage in alternative and renewable energy development as part of the country’s diversification and economic thrust, while assisting to reduce adverse environmental effects.

Gore, a Nobel Laureate and one of the world’s most influential voice on climate change, advised T&T that now is the time to maximise on these resources as the country’s major revenue earner gas and oil would not last.“You have unparalleled resources of sunlight and good wind resources and I know you also have cheap energy,” he said.

He added that since T&T was geographically located just a few kilometres from the world’s best supplier of pure silica, the country could take advantage of this proximity by purchasing the silica to create solar cells. Gore explained that T&T could gain the potential competitive advantage in the production of solar panels due to its manufacturing capabilities, low-cost energy environment and its strategic location.

He stated that the country had the potential of becoming the green centre of the Caribbean and in the northern part of South America if it had the will to do so.“If you choose...you could create a centre for manufacturing, research and development for solar panels throughout the Caribbean and the northern part of South America creating new jobs...if you chose to do so, you can also become one of the country’s best known for wind power,” he said.

Gore was speaking on Thursday night on the topic of climate change titled “Thinking Green: Economic Strategy for the 21st Century” at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).The event, hosted by the T&T Manufacturers Association, was aimed at providing practical guidance to the business community, Government and the population as to how they can make choices to save the earth, while stimulating sustainable economic growth by meaningful engagement in the pursuit of alternative energy.

This is his first visit to T&T and he complimented the country for being so dynamic. He also stated that he has never been in an auditorium as lovely as NAPA in the Caribbean and some countries in which he has spoken.
Gore said climate change presents a time of danger and opportunity and he said he believed that the world was entering an era of consequences but it was also a time to act. Blaming mankind for its own destruction, he said, “We continue to put 90 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and everyday it keeps growing.”
He said, according to scientists, this was contributing to the rise in sea level, increase in heat/drought and stronger hurricanes which have begun to result in the emergence of climate refugees. Gore called on T&T to become a leader for change as it possessed the power and influence in the Caribbean to take that lead.

“We are facing a climate crisis that people would like to ignore. You are a leader of great influence and I want to recruit you...I need you,” he said. But being an advisor to leaders in the US Congress and global Heads of State, he was asked by a patron during the question and answer segment, why the US has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, (which is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

He said he was greatly disappointed in his country but would continue to do what he can to influence minds and change hearts because about 60 per cent of the US citizens supported the law while some independently embraced the protocol.

http://guardian.co.tt/business/business/2010/11/06/gore-tt-can-be-green-centre-caribbean

70

General Discussion / Voices from the Ghetto

« on: October 29, 2010, 09:48:42 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/JPaeTNu_Suw&amp;feature=player_embedded#!" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/JPaeTNu_Suw&amp;feature=player_embedded#!</a>

A 16 year old girl from Laventille talks about her life.

71

General Discussion / China's rare earth

« on: October 20, 2010, 05:14:08 AM »

Oct. 20 – The Chinese government denied comments printed by state-owned media on Tuesday that said China plans to cut export quotas of rare earths by 30 percent next year.

A spokesman for China’s Commerce Ministry, Shen Danyang, told Reuters that the comments printed in a recent China Daily article were “unfounded.”

“China will continue to provide rare earth to the rest of the world,” the ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday. “At the same time, to protect exhaustible resources and achieve sustainable development, China will also continue to implement restrictive measures on the mining, production and export of rare earth.”

China currently supplies over 90 percent of the world’s rare earths despite the fact that it only holds roughly 30 percent of the world’s total reserves.

So China’s slowdown in shipments may simply be the result of its shrinking supply. China’s reserves of rare earth slipped by 37 percent from 1996 to 2003 and might run dry within 15 to 20 years if the current rate of production is continued, the Ministry of Commerce said last week.

Premier Wen Jiabao said that China’s measures to control its export of rare earths were due to concerns of “sustainable exploitation,” rather than any geopolitical or strategic motivation.

http://www.2point6billion.com/news/2010/10/20/chinese-govt-denies-china-daily-rare-earth-report-7687.html

72

General Discussion / Police Save £112m A Year Using BlackBerrys

« on: October 11, 2010, 03:06:56 PM »

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is claiming that police forces in the UK are saving £112 million a year, thanks to the use of its platform.

In these straightened ecomonic times, Research in Motion is making bold claims as to the cost savings that police forces in the UK are achieving, thanks to the use of its BlackBerry platform.

RIM said that across the UK, police forces using the BlackBerry platform are collectively making savings of over £112 million per year. This significant figure is based on the average savings per police officer (provided by individual forces), multiplied by number of BlackBerry devices in use in the UK police force.

Speaking to eWEEK Europe UK, Rory O’Neill, Senior Director, Business Marketing (EMEA) at RIM, pointed out that one in six police officers in the UK carry a BlackBerry, and that 44 out the 56 different police forces in the UK use BlackBerry technology and applications.

Data Access On The Move
He explained that BlackBerry smartphones are now being increasingly used by the police to increase productivity amongst officers, enabling them to spend more time on the streets and less time in the station.

Officers use the handsets to access and update records whilst on the move, or to take pictures to make an instant record of a crime scene or suspect.

“For example, we have worked with Bedfordshire Police for four years now,” said O’Neill (left). He explained how they needed a mobile data solution that could provide everyday police data from the Police National Computer (PNC) to officers on the street, without the need to occupy the radio network or take up the time of its operators.

RIM cited an independent study that showed this project had increased the efficiency of the force: 82 percent of officers thought that the BlackBerry solution assisted them in doing their job and 75 percent said that it would matter to them if the force took away their BlackBerry smartphone. In fact the force experienced a 10 percent increase in the time officers spent patrolling the streets.

“There are now a staggering array of applications that enable police forces to do innovative things,” said O’Neill. “The police are able to spend more time on the street, and less in the police station. We have created applications that access back-end systems that can perform administrative tasks out on the street. One of the reasons why the police work with BlackBerry is because of the security model.”

“BlackBerry is the only mobile platform approved by CESG (the information assurance arm of GCHQ), and this is one of the selling points for not only public institutions, but also for private organisations.”

Security Strength
“Security and the privacy of data is becoming more and more important,” said O’Neill. “Getting mobile data out to mobile handsets in a secure way is increasingly important.” He cited how police use their handsets now for reporting purposes, for stop and search, assessing records such as warrant information, and even connecting to the DVLA.

“It varies from police force to police force as to its particular use,” he said, “but the customised applications on the BlackBerry give the police very specific functionality, providing them with access to data when they actual need it, rather than travel back to the station.”

Of course, the security aspect of RIM’s smartphones has created problems for the company, after a number of governments including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India etc threatened to ban certain functions of BlackBerry handsets, due to concerns that its strong encryption protocols was endangering national security or local laws.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/eAaez_4m9mQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/eAaez_4m9mQ</a>

PlayBook Future
And what about the potential use of RIM’s newly announced PlayBook tablet? Does RIM envisage its rollout to the police in the near future?

“What is great about the PlayBook is that it is the first high performance tablet and comes with advanced the security features, out-of-the-box, that you associate with the BlackBerry handsets,” said O’Neill. “We are going to be working with all sectors to see how our tablet can work with their solutions.”

http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/rim-touts-significant-police-costs-savings-with-blackberry-platform-10449

73

General Discussion / The new cool cars: Exclusive, sleek, efficient

« on: October 11, 2010, 08:52:10 AM »

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/11/cool.cars/index.html?hpt=C2

74

General Discussion / What if all workplaces had to be a third female?

« on: October 11, 2010, 07:00:30 AM »

 
As a report suggests progress on closing the gender pay gap is slowing, lawyer and life peer Baroness Kennedy looks to the new shadow cabinet, where a third of members have to be female, and argues it could be an interesting blueprint for all workplaces.

Continue reading the main story “Start Quote Men can laugh, but underneath the badinage is a continuing truth that women are still not up there in the top jobs”
End Quote Baroness Kennedy President, Women of the Year Lunch
So women will make up nearly half of Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet. I told my sons this was to foreshadow things to come.

The White House has just produced a report that says no quantum leap will be made on the issue of gender unless there is a critical mass of women in any workplace.

If we want things to change we are going to have to get tough - at least a third of the army to be women, a third of submariners and a third of the Arsenal football team.

It was the Arsenal bit that brought a narrowing of their eyes. I held their gaze with a fixed stare. This was a crucial test of the feminist mothering of sons.

"Could work. We haven't won the trophy for five years. There are no English players. But they'd have to be fit."

"Of course, they'd be fit." I said. "This is Premier League football we are talking about. Women can do it."

 Would an influx of female players into Arsenal's men's first team boost women's status at work?
"Fit, Mum. Good looking. Distract the other side, Mum. It could work."

Men can laugh. But underneath the badinage is a continuing truth that, despite all the gains, women are still not up there in the top jobs; one woman in the Supreme Court, a tiny number heading FTSE companies, a third of all boards totally male, four women in a government cabinet of 23 (although Gordon Brown's first Cabinet was little better on this front - with just five women and 17 men).

It is not a great story. Last week Chambers Directory gave awards to lawyers and barely a woman got a mention. There were yards of men in penguin suits and hardly a sequinned frock to be seen.

When I became President of the Women of the Year Lunch the grumblers all asked why such an event was necessary in 2010.

"What are you thinking about, Helena. All that is old hat." Really?

Continue reading the main story Gender Pay GapSouth East - £8,886Wales - £6,570East Anglia - £9,558Midlands - £10,434North West - £9,107North East - £8,955Scotland - £9,841Source: Chartered Management Institute survey of 43,000 managers in 200 organisations

And the naysayers are not all men on this score. Some women too think the day has gone for celebrating women's achievements, though they are usually women who live and work in the comfort zones.

I have worked too long in law to think that everything has been done on equality for women.

The prevalence of domestic violence and the failure of the justice system on rape cases are testament to continuing problems here, but the fact that women continue to suffer most human rights abuses around the world - from honour killing to genital mutilation, from stoning to forced marriage, from abortion of the girl child to sexual violence and trafficking - tells us that there is still much to done.

When I was a young woman at the Bar, there were chambers with an unofficial policy that they just did not take women - women did not have what it took to stand up in court and argue coherently or cross-examine. Our brains were not suited to the kind of logical discipline that the law required.

 As a young barrister, Helena Kennedy observed sexism within the profession
Then there were those chambers that were cannier, whose leaders said: "Women? We are not against women. We've got one." Those were the days.

Women are now half the intake in most university courses, including law. They appear to be everywhere.

Yet women still do not follow through into the senior jobs. We keep being told it is just a matter of time and that evolution will solve the problem, as though, like fish growing feet, women will eventually develop into the kind of person who can wield power.

In most institutions, women have reached a plateau at around 18% in senior roles from the financial sector to the judiciary.

Continue reading the main story Related storiesGender pay gap progress 'slowing'Gender pay gap mappedMystery of the gender pay gap
The interesting question now is why we are stuck. Usually it is a combination of factors around the inability of institutions to adapt and become more flexible to accommodate women's lives but it is also about the culture of organisations, exclusive networks which work to the disadvantage of women, and the failure of leading men to bring talented women on.

I always remember a woman friend, who was a Conservative politician, very astutely noticing that men did not "talk up" young women in the way they did young men.

It is partly that we tend to choose as our protegees people in whom we see our younger selves. There is a self-perpetuating tendency in all institutions for this reason which leads to their replication in the old order.

Continue reading the main story “Start QuoteThe challenge is for men to break the old patterns in a conscious way”
End Quote
I had the good fortune of being mentored by some wonderful men who gave me opportunities and advice throughout my career but not all women have such good luck. The challenge is for men to break the old patterns in a conscious way.

The Women of the Year Lunch is an opportunity to celebrate women. Some have high profile but most do great things below the radar.

They have broken barriers and broken records, struggled against the odds and survived, created projects to improve our world and left us breathless with wonder.

What's to sneer at? Measuring achievement is a way of taking stock, paying tribute and sending out signals to all women that women are continuing to move on.

We have to keep doing that - out and proud of the contribution women make. And there is nothing po-faced about this event. Boy, do we laugh. But without the boys

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11502413

75

General Discussion / False starts

« on: October 07, 2010, 09:03:06 AM »

I came across this on BBC's website today. Long but interesting.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tomfordyce/2010/10/why_are_there_so_few_british_a.html

76

General Discussion / Warner’s tunnel to take off next year

« on: September 26, 2010, 07:38:39 PM »

By February 2011, work on the country’s first underground tunnel, spanning from mountainous Maracas Valley to picturesque Maracas Bay is expected to start. In undertaking the project, Minister of Works and Transport Jack Warner is assuring taxpayers that when the underground passageway is completed in the next two to three years, it will be worth every cent. “I will be the last person to spend money on a grandiose project just for my ego,” said Warner, during an interview on Friday. “It will not cost us billions because I will ensure that we undertake this project under a fixed price contract.” On January 26, 2011, Warner said he would be turning the sod for the San Fernando to Point Fortin highway. “And one month after that, if all goes well, I propose to do the same with this tunnel.”

No pie in the sky
Before turning the sod for the project, Warner promised to have consultation with all stakeholders, stressing that the public must be made aware in order to buy into it. “This is no pie in the sky.” He, however, admitted there would be minimal relocation for some people. Unable to say what the final cost of the tunnel would be, Warner said within the coming weeks more would be revealed. Seeking guidance and advice from Dr Rae Furlonge, a civil engineer and transport expert, Warner said one option had been looked at. “We have discussed the issue of a tunnel-boring machine which is used to excavate through a variety of soil and rocks. If we plan to use this device we will have to source or lease it. We certainly will not buy it.”
In delivering his first budget on September 8, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran announced that the Government was seeking to develop the North Coast. Noting that it takes 45 minutes to get from Santa Cruz to Maracas Bay, Dookeran said frequent landslips along the North Coast road have been a major deterrent to people wishing to access the route for pleasure or business. In light of this, Dookeran said the Government would undertake the creation of an underground tunnel from Maracas Valley to Maracas Bay to enable quicker access.

The riot act
With time of the essence, Warner said the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco), headed by Dr Carson Charles, had been conducting various studies to ensure best international practices for the project. Nidco, Warner said, had also been undertaking their studies to get the ball rolling. “I have already read the riot act to Nidco and all the contractors that when they agree on a fixed price contract, the Government will not entertain any cost overruns. The scope of the work must include all the things you have to do, so variations will not come in to cloud the issue that will lead to cost overruns. We can’t do that.
“This project will bring more to our country than imagined, in terms of opening up the whole North Coast road, in maintaining the area’s flora and fauna, but, most importantly, we have to look at what it will do for tourism,” he added.
Potential for investors
Past president of the Association of Professional Engineers of T&T Vaughn Lezama welcomed the tunnel, stating that the North Coast road has a lot of potential for investors. “While environmentalists may see it as degradation to the mountainside, the time has come for us to take the bold step. We have enough qualified and skilled engineers in the country to get the job done.”
Lezama, a civil engineer attached to Consulting Engineers and Associates, feels the most practical way of undertaking the project is boring both ends of the two areas, to meet mid-point.
Lezama said the boring would generate enough rock and soil that could be used for the construction sector. Head of the Joint Consultative Council, Winston Riley, said: “This is not one of the projects that we should be looking at. It is not one of those that should take a priority position in terms of expenditure.”

http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2010/09/26/warner-s-tunnel-take-next-year

77

Football / Youtube Prodigies Thread

« on: September 24, 2010, 03:05:04 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/gmy_jNrR1nI&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/gmy_jNrR1nI&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>
 Looks like a Ronaldinho fan.

78

General Discussion / Netherlands Antilles to Break-up

« on: September 11, 2010, 05:31:26 PM »

Does it mark the final act of de-colonisation, or is it the beginning of re-colonisation? The formal decision to break up the Netherlands Antilles, five former Dutch island colonies in the Caribbean, was taken today.

In the Caribbean, no tears are being shed over having to say goodbye to the Netherlands Antilles. The islands are reasonably close neighbours, but have never really been one unit, argues Gert Oostindie, director of Leiden’s Royal Institute for Linguistics, Geography and Ethnology.

“Family ties mean the links between the islands strong. But the only links they have as countries come from sharing the same colonial power. The islands felt unity was more a problem than a help.”

The two largest islands, Curaçao (population 144,000) and Sint Maarten (39,000), are set to become more or less independent. The Netherlands will take over the lion’s share of their debts and will keep an eye on the finances to prevent debt build-up in the future.

“They will remain part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but independent of the other islands in the Antilles. Curaçao and Sint Maarten wanted this status so they could take responsibility for their own development and wouldn’t have to worry about the other little islands,” explains Professor Oostindie.

The island of Aruba gained similar autonomy in 1986 and has booked strong economic growth since. Despite this, however, the issue has been a hot political topic for some time, especially in Curaçao, with many pushing for full independence from the Netherlands.

Price of autonomy
Those who would have preferred full independence to autonomy warn that the Netherlands will remain heavily involved in the two islands’ finances. They fear The Hague will be the source of unwanted interference.

Professor Oostindie dismisses such worries. He points out that the Netherlands has always had the power to intervene and that, in this respect, nothing has changed.

“What has changed is that the areas which the Dutch central government can deal with have now been better defined. These areas include monitoring state finances, but also the maintenance of law and order. Everything considered, most accept it’s better to work on this together.”

The smaller islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius and Bonaire, with a total population of 20,000, will experience more palpable changes. As ‘special municipalities’, they will come under direct Dutch rule. Professor Oostindie says they always felt they were the little brothers in the Antilles family and that they got a raw deal from big brother Curaçao. He reckons living standards, law and order and the political systems on the three islands are all set to improve with their new status.

Same-sex marriage
However, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Bonaire are socially conservative and Christian and are going to have to submit to aspects of Dutch legislation they find unpalatable. These include abortion, same-sex marriage and euthanasia.

Professor Oostindie thinks there’s no way round this: “The first gay wedding on one of the islands within a year or two is a distinct possibility”.

The Netherlands colonised six islands in the Caribbean in the 17th century: Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten (east of Puerto Rico) in the Leeward Islands and Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao (off the coast of Venezuela) in the Windward Islands. They were centres of the slave trade. Nowadays, they are mostly known for their blossoming tourist industry.

In the 1950s, the first serious step was made towards independence: they received political autonomy. In 1986, Aruba became an autonomous part of the Netherlands. The other five islands became the Netherlands Antilles, part of the Dutch state, also with a degree of autonomy. It has taken decades to reach agreement on the latest changes to the islands’ status.

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/farewell-netherlands-antilles

79

Football / Seria A 2010 season.

« on: September 11, 2010, 12:52:26 PM »

Cesena v Milan

http://www.atdhe.net/23807/watch-cesena--vs-ac-milan

Ronaldinho , Pato and Zlatan playing. Robinho on the bench.

80

Football / Santos FC vs Botafogo RJ

« on: September 09, 2010, 07:09:52 PM »

http://www.atdhe.net/23739/watch-santos-fc-vs-botafogo-rj
0-0 at the start of the 2nd half. Beat sharing

81

Jokes / Trini Shorts

« on: August 11, 2010, 04:11:30 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/pcrsiJU76Uk&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/pcrsiJU76Uk&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>

82

Football / USA v BRAZIL

« on: August 10, 2010, 06:01:03 PM »

http://www.atdhe.net/22300/watch-usa-vs-brazil

83

General Discussion / Ecobot

« on: August 02, 2010, 08:44:04 AM »

Who would have thought that a robot might actually consume actual food and generate organic instead of nuclear waste? That's what a group of researchers at the University of Bristol are doing, working on robots which draw power by digesting food. The Ecobot III is the culmination of their work so far, as it feeds on processed sewage thanks to its 48 microbial food cells. Microbes within will extract energy from the food by digesting it, while the robot will extract some of it by harvesting the electrons put off by the microbes. There was enough energy extracted for the robot to move around, not to mention returning to feed and purge when necessary.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/07/ecobot_iii_eats_food_and_needs_to_poop.html

<a href="http://www.youtube.com//v/qU6zi1_aZiw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com//v/qU6zi1_aZiw</a>

84

General Discussion / For Sale

« on: August 01, 2010, 01:33:02 PM »

I remember seeing an ad like this for the first time in a history text at school. It was painful to watch and it still is. I won't lie, I used to have an unhealthy degree of resentment for all things European. That doesn't achieve much. We must remember the past without being consumed by it. Our forefathers did well to help build a nation where a person's skin colour does not define his potential.

Happy Emancipation Day.

85

Football / Benfica v Sunderland

« on: July 27, 2010, 02:49:48 PM »

http://www.atdhe.net/21587/watch-benfica-lisbon-vs-sunderland

KJ get sub off

86

General Discussion / Liquid Wood

« on: July 22, 2010, 06:59:06 PM »

No, they haven’t made a form of Viagra you apply directly to forehead. Some German scientists have made Arboform, a renewable plastic that can be cast by machines, but acts exactly like wood.

It uses an element of wood known as lignin, which is found in every board and plank around the world. It’s also a byproduct of the paper-making process, with 130 million pounds of it being burned each year instead of being put to use. Throw in some natural fibers, some flax, and some resin, and you’ve got a plastic that can be formed and cast, but it rots like wood and doesn’t require any trees to be cut down. This saves money in two respects: one, obviously, paying somebody to cut down wood is expensive, and two, it doesn’t need any of those increasingly scarce petroleum products from countries that pretty much want to kill everybody. So we can keep our plastics, save the Earth AND flip off Iran.

The only reason this stuff isn’t everywhere is the price and the fact that it can’t turn white or transparent. No, hippies, it is not because the timber and oil industry are trying to keep Arboform down. It’s not made of hemp. Shut up, smoke something, and listen to a band that sucks and tell yourself how awesome it is.

http://gammasquad.uproxx.com/2010/07/isnt-it-good-liquid-wood

87

Jokes / Gerry Bednob

« on: July 20, 2010, 09:00:13 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/zrGRkFUtvhA&amp;playnext_from=TL&amp;videos=MxiWimPVJ-0&amp;feature=sub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/zrGRkFUtvhA&amp;playnext_from=TL&amp;videos=MxiWimPVJ-0&amp;feature=sub</a>

88

General Discussion / double pregnancy

« on: July 20, 2010, 11:04:06 AM »

A woman who is expecting a baby has stunned doctors after a routine ultrasound visit revealed that she had become pregnant for a second time — a condition so rare that there only ten other recorded cases.

Julia Grovenburg, 31, had an appointment for an ultrasound check on an 11-week-old foetus, a baby girl she and her husband, Todd, have named Jillian — only to be told that she was carrying a separate baby, two weeks younger.

“We feel very blessed, but the truth is that I gagged, I started getting sick, that’s not a joke,” said Mrs Grovenburg, an American, of the moment that she found out she had become pregnant a second time. “My ultrasound [technician] Susan was in total, utter shock. My husband was laughing.”

Unlike twins, which are conceived at the same time, Mrs Grovenburg has two foetuses because of a process known as “superfetation”, where embryos are conceived at different times.

The second foetus is male, and the couple have called him Hudson. Jillian’s due date is December 24 and her brother’s is January 10. Doctors have warned, however, that both babies will probably be delivered at the same time, in early December.

“We tried for three years to have kids, and nothing ever happened,” said Mrs Grovenburg, from Arkansas. “We even refused to do in vitro or fertility drugs because we didn’t want multiples. I guess God was having the last laugh.”

Dr Karen Boyle, of the Greater Baltimore Medical Centre, told ABC News that superfetation was extremely rare. “There is no prevalence or incidence in the literature. I could only find about ten reported cases,” she said.

Superfetation is common in some species of animals, including rodents, horses, sheep and marsupials, but extremely rare in humans. Extraordinarily, two cases were recorded in Britain in 2007. Two couples conceived children three weeks apart.

Dr Boyle said that, depending on the time between the two conceptions, superfetation could be dangerous for the younger baby, who could be born prematurely. “It [the second conception] can happen up to 24 days later than the first conception, and then you’re putting the second baby at risk for lung development problems."

In the Grovenburgs' case, Dr Boyle said that two weeks would not put the younger baby at much of a risk for health problems.

Mrs Grovenburg said: “It’s fun — we feel blessed to have something so rare and at this point they are both totally healthy.”

Mr Grovenburg said of the moment they were told of the second baby: “[We were] both in shock. We were trying to put the timelines together. We had known she had had a migraine and been at the hospital and actually had a pregnancy test at the time that one would’ve been conceived,” he said, adding that the test was negative.

Patrick O’Brien, consulting obstetrician and spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “It’s a rare thing because when you conceive, your hormones change dramatically. Those changes stop you ovulating and they stop you conceiving.”

In May 2007, in Benfleet, Essex, Harriet and Thomas Mullineux, conceived three weeks apart, were born to Amelia Spence and George Herrity.

“It is hard to get our heads around the fact that I was pregnant with two babies at the same time and they aren’t twins,” Ms Spence said at the time. “We looked at the screen and the doctor pointed out that one foetus still looked like a blob, whereas the other had four visible limbs. It was such a marked difference. It was really strange to see. The doctor said that he had only read about it in textbooks.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6849180.ece

89

General Discussion / Minister of Health

« on: July 13, 2010, 02:50:05 PM »

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/KzWM-JV5VdU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/KzWM-JV5VdU</a>

90

General Discussion / Apparently Catalonia still doh like Spain

« on: July 13, 2010, 09:38:06 AM »

1.1 million people rally in Barcelona
in favor of greater Catalan
autonomy within Spain

By EMILIO MORENATTI , Associated Press

Last update: July 10, 2010 - 2:04 PM

BARCELONA, Spain - More than a million people gathered Saturday in northeastern Barcelona to demand greater regional autonomy for Catalonia and protest a recent court ruling forbidding this prosperous region from calling itself a nation.

City government spokesman Manuel Campillo said police had counted 1.1 million people at a vast rally that filled Barcelona's major Gran Via, Diagonal and Paseo de Gracia boulevards. Rally organizers, Omnium Cultural, calculated attendance at 1.5 million, spokesman Daniel Jove said.

Spain's courts recently granted sweeping new powers of self-rule to the region, but on Friday its highest court ruled that the country's Constitution recognized Spain as the country's only nation, dealing a blow to efforts by Catalonia to assume that status.

The verdict came after four years of debate in which conservative and liberal judges locked horns over whether the charter went beyond the limits of Spain's system of granting varying degrees of self-rule to its 17 regions.

Catalans have their own language and are proud of a history which, until 1714, linked them to the independent Kingdom of Aragon.

During the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco (1939-1975) Catalans were forbidden from speaking their language and it was illegal to publish books in Catalan.

Jove said about 1,400 Catalan organizations, including political parties, trade unions as well as cultural and business associations, had called on members to gather.

Sunny, hot weather enticed many people to attend the rally. Television news reports showed a multitudinous crowd waving Catalan nationalist flags, chanting and carrying banners saying "We are a Nation."

http://www.startribune.com/world/98166534.html