text:
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton MA
Op-Ed Published Friday, 15 September 2006.
Keeping ÒPeacekeepersÓ Out of Darfur (Submitted Title)
by keith harmon snow & Dimitri Oram
The humanitarian tragedy in the Darfur region of Sudan revolves around natural resources. Such struggles in Sudan began in the days when a budding journalist passed through Khartoum and reported on the British victory at the Battle of Omdurman. ÒThe weapons, the methods and the fanaticism of the Middle Ages,Ó reported Winston Churchill, Òwere brought by an extraordinary anachronism into dire collision with the organization and inventions of the 19th century. The result was not surprising.Ó The gattling gun silenced some 60,000 Sudanese tribesmen armed only with spears, bows and arrows.
While colonialism died a hard death in Sudan, during the Cold War the control of the Sudan remained central to the U.S. and its anti-communist allies throughout the 1970Õs and 1980Õs. War began in the early 1980Õs, and after 1990 the U.S. supported the southern Christian rebels, the Sudan PeopleÕs Liberation Army, for over a decade, until a peace deal was struck in 2003.
In the 1990Õs an Islamic government came to power, and tensions escalated (1998) when the Clinton Administration bombed the Al Shifta pharmaceutical factory, the countryÕs only producer of medical supplies. After 9/11 the Bush Administration warmed to the Government of Sudan, and today Sudan is both credited as a pivotal ally in the ÒWar on TerrorÓ and castigated as Òa rogue Arab government committing genocide against black Africans in Darfur.Ó
Darfur is now the flashpoint for the international geopolitical chess-game to control Sudan and its resources. For example, the U.S. Sugar industry notes that Sudan is a major sugar producer, and the American Botanical Council credits Darfur with supplying two-thirds of world-supply of high-quality gum Arabic—an ingredient in soft drinks and pharmaceutical products. [1] USAID funded Gum Arabic projects throughout the 1980Õs, but suspended them with the ascension of the Islamic government in the 1990Õs. And, as noted by Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, one of mysterious factions fighting in Darfur, Òoil is everywhere in Sudan.Ó Darfur is rich in uranium, copper, gold and petroleum.
Combatants in Darfur not only arrive on camels and horses—the infamous ÒjanjaweedÓ ever credited with genocide—but also in C-130 aircraft, with logistical and strategic support provided by U.S. Air Forces in Europe, under U.S. Marine General James Jones. [2] Backed by the U.S. and NATO, the 7000 troops of the African Union (AU) ÒpeacekeepingÓ force have only deepened the quagmire: the AU force is accused of taking sides and there are calls for withdrawal. Rwandan troops with the AU mission in Darfur are themselves accused of having committed atrocities in the Congo. The U.S. and its allies, including Britain, Israel and Taiwan, continue to press their interests in the region: both the U.S. and Israel today support combatants in Chad, Sudan and Congo.
U.S. taxpayers also support the operations of U.S. troops in Uganda, Chad, and Ethiopia—three states embroiled in humanitarian crises and war. Acts of genocide and war crimes proliferate in each, but no one is calling for ÒpeacekeepingÓ missions here. International aid and human rights organizations widely acknowledge that the crises in northern Uganda is the worst in the world, yet the least talked about. Atrocities routinely occur in Ethiopia, and Ethiopian military leaders defected to Eritrea last month in protest of the governmentÕs role. Meanwhile, the attention of the U.S. public has been narrowly focused on the Òmoral necessityÓ of intervention to Òstop genocideÓ in Darfur.
While spending two billion dollars a year on the worldÕs most neglected emergency, the United Nations Observers Mission in Congo (M.O.N.U.C.), partially funded by the U.S. public, was unable to stem the mortalities: some 30,000 Congolese have died monthly (1000 people a day) from violence, disease and malnutrition. [3] The situation in Congo remains dire, more deadly than Darfur. M.O.N.U.C. ÒpeacekeepersÓ have committed atrocities against civilians. Weapons and minerals continue to flow across CongoÕs borders routinely, and recent news reports claim that uranium from Congo has appeared in Iran. [4] War in Congo continues.
Those in the U.S. who call for intervention in Darfur fail to understand the greater geopolitical context. Given current realities in Sudan, no intervention in Darfur will proceed, and if it did it would fail. U.S. citizens should support the ongoing peace process mediated by the Eritreans, involving the Sudanese government and the Darfur resistance, which seeks to find a permanent solution to the Darfur crisis. The saying in the Horn is Òall roads to peace in the Horn of Africa run through Asmara,Ó the Eritrean capital, and this is where the winds of change are blowing.
In every case, intervention in the Horn of Africa has only worsened the crises. The promise of the United Nations ÒpeacekeepingÓ missions has been compromised, and attention needs to shift to reforming ÒpeacekeepingÓ and ÒhumanitarianÓ agendas and addressing the root causes. Sending more armed forces from outside Sudan will destroy all hope of peaceful resolution, and the people of the Horn of Africa—given their awareness of SudanÕs vast petroleum and uranium reserves, and war in Lebanon and Iraq—are deeply cynical of the motivations of Westerners who call for ÒpeacekeepingÓ and ÒhumanitarianÓ intervention.
At the Smith College Panel on Intervention in Darfur (6 July 2006), organizers, panelists and sponsors called on Mayor Claire Higgins—a signatory to the Darfur Action Group campaign of the Congregation Bnai Israel—and the Northampton City Council to hold a public hearing to explore the geopolitical realities of this conflict, in hopes to educate and inspire the public to take appropriate action. This call is repeated here, and the public is urged to support it.
Concerned citizens should ask for [1] transparency of U.S. foreign policy and involvement in Sudan; [2] good faith negotiations and diplomacy offering concessions and support from the U.S. and its allies; [3] respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of the people of Sudan; [4] accountability from all factions, and their backers, involved in the conflict; and [5] a withdrawal of all foreign troops from Sudanese soil.
War does not occur in a vacuum, and Americans will pay a high price for misguided action. We need only recall the ÒhumanitarianÓ failure of the U.S. military in Somalia, and the ridicule and humiliation served to the American people as young American soldiers were dragged through the streets of that far off place.
A native of Williamsburg, MA, keith harmon snow has worked on the Horn of Africa as a consultant on genocide and humanitarian aid for the United Nations (2005), and he worked in Ethiopia, Sudan and the Congo as a human rights researcher and genocide investigator for Genocide Watch (2004-2005) and Survivors Rights International (2004, 2005). Also an award-winning journalist, he has worked extensively (2004-2006) with the multinational peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Observers Mission for Congo (M.O.N.U.C.). In 2001 he reported from the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda, and he has worked or reported from 17 countries in Africa. In 2006 he has been working in Congo and Afghanistan. Dimitri Oram is a human rights and genocide researcher, and writer, based in Northampton, MA. For more information: keith.harmon.snow@gmail.com.
[1] http://www.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=2770
[2] http://usinfo.state.gov/af/Archive/2005/Oct/05-737610.html
[3] http://www.beliefnet.com/story/167/story_16759_1.html
[4] http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20041081-2703,00.html; and also see: www.allAfrica.com: Congo-Kinshasa: Iran Sought Uranium From Congo, Says UN.


A YAP membership is $100 and is valid for one year from the date of purchase. Membership includes 2 adults and dependent children.
Questions? Contact us at membership@joslyn.org.
Experience the diversity of art in Omaha and meet new people at the Fifteenth Annual Young Art Patrons Art Crawl! Check in and hop on the bus at 5:00 pm at Blatt Beer & Table Downtown, parking lot to the west of building. The crawl will visit Bancroft Street Market, Kent Bellows Studio, and Artists' Cooperative Gallery. Each gallery will have food, beer, wine and ART!
Click here to register. The event is FREE for YAP members (Please SIGN-IN (top right-hand of webpage) to receive your membership discount) and only $30 per ticket (or $50 for two tickets) for non-YAP members.
Art Crawl historically sells out and registration is required, so sign up today!
Questions? Contact Janel Sunderland at jsunderland@joslyn.org.


Elsje Pieterse is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Animal Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Chairman of the Winelands Archery club in Stellenbosch and 3Di representative to the Western Cape Archery Federation. Undergraduate studies were conducted at Pretoria University and post graduate at Stellenbosch university. Currently her research focus is on the mass rearing of insects. The purpose of this research is multifaceted. Firstly the project aims at breaking down organic waste with the subsequent reduction in risk of contamination of ground and surface water while harvesting the nutrients from the waste as protein feed for animals. Research on the processing of insects produced as feed and food leads to the production of protein concentrates, lipids and chitin. While the wider application of animal sciences led to the development of diets for mass rearing of pest species used in integrated pest management using the sterile insect technique. These include the false codling moth in citrus, sugar cane stalk borers in South Africa and Mauritius, cocoa pod borers in Papa Niue Guinea and weevils for the biological control of water hyacinth and water lettuce. Elsje has, in the past ten years, authored 18 peer reviewed articles, acted as editor for conference proceedings, presented 36 conference papers, completed 40 post graduate students and currently supervises 13.


I spent well over an hour tonight comforting a sobbing J because Fin is not looking good. It seems likely that (s)he won't last more than another day or two. Foolishly, I suppose, I warned the girls that I didn't think Fin was going to make it. Please: I don't want advice on how to save the fish–I have Googled, I asked the pet store lady, I've done what I can, I'm not going to secretly replace Fin and prolong the agony, so just feel my thirst, okay? Anyway, J would cry, try to compose herself, allow herself to get distracted, and then, a few minutes later, she'd start again.
J wallows. And when it comes to death, or really, all of the biggies, she's relentless. You know how "they" always say that you should just answer questions with the bare minimum necessary to answer? She's the queen of the follow-up . What does it mean to die? Do you see people who die again? Are you going to die? Is [her friend] going to die? Yeah, I know not for a long, long, time, but that's just probably, right? It's possible to die just from a bad accident any time, isn't it? — and then– But I don't want you to get old! I don't want to grow up! I just want to stay with you and live here with you forever. So as soon as the fish arrived at home we feared the mourning. And here it is. And now I feel like an idiot that we gave her a warning, because how long can this fish hold out? Seriously, it's not eating, it's barely mobile. I almost want to just take it out of the water. But I won't take it out of the water.
Prior to the fish brouhaha, there was a Sibling Incident that led to M's confinement in solitary followed by a lecture/discussion/crying jag. And then I sat down on the sofa to post this and Cute W was watching a Frontline on BP. So I'm about ready to cast the whole dang thing aside and start pillaging the house for some chocolate.
For those of you with baby needs, did you hear that the Buy Buy Baby store has opened in Colonie? I heard about it on the TU's Parent to Parent blog.


text:
You are here: See & Do > Southend Pier Museum
Book Tickets Online
Located in the Old Pier Workshops underneath the train station at the shore end, the museum brings to life the fascinating past of the longest pleasure pier in the world.
Items on display include artefacts and memorabilia from the past, including old pier train rolling stock from 1890 and 1949, levers that visitors can operate from an early signal boox plus a small collection of working old penny slot machines.
Suitable for all ages it is of particular interest interest to school age children as it has many hands on exhibits to make learning fun. A great place to while away some hours during inclement weather.
The weekend of 30/31 October 2021 will be the final opportunity for public visits this year - 10am to 5pm each day. We will then close for refurbishment and, hopefully, some radical changes over the winter in preparation for the 2022 season.
£1 admission charge but accompanied children under 12 go free (except school parties).
Prior booking for groups essential.
Visit the website for more information
Facilities for educational visits
Facilities for groups
Southend Pier Museum
Type:Museum
Southend Pier (shore end), Western Esplanade, Southend, Essex, SS1 2EL
Call direct on:
Tel+44 (0)1702 614553
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VisitSouthendonSea
Welcome to Adventure Inside, Southend's No.1 Family…
Southend Pier & Railway
If you walk along Southend-on-Sea's High Street, towards the sea, your eye will be drawn…
Adventure Island is the U.K's No.1 FREE ADMISSION Fun Park. Situated on Southend-on-Sea's…
City Beach
A busy beach, with lots going on including boat trips (subject to tide changes) Its also…
Three Shells Beach and Lagoon
The Three Shells beach and Lagoon's central location makes it a popular choice,…
Two Tree Island
An outstanding 634 acre site situated off the Old Leigh coastline with a lagoon at its…
Southend Cliff Lift
The Historic Cliff Lift has a valuable position in modern Southend, offering a practical…
Jubilee Beach
A busy beach, close to many amenities including disabled facilities, and disabled access…
Sea Life Adventure Aquarium is the South-East's premier aquatic attraction with over 40…
Southchurch Hall and Gardens
Southchurch Hall is medieval moated manor house, which dates to the early 14th century…
Southend Central Museum & Planetarium
Southend Central Museum and Planetarium is home to an exciting selection of…
Beecroft Art Gallery
The Beecroft Art Gallery holds over 2000 works of art ranging from 17th century Dutch…
Focal Point Gallery
Focal Point Gallery supports the production and presentation of new and recent…
Westcliff Beach
Offers lovely walks at low tide, and is also superbly positioned for the world famous…
A stunning Grade I listed Priory and the oldest continuously occupied building in…
METAL at Chalkwell Hall
METAL provide innovative, multi-disciplinary residency space for artists from the UK and…
Chalkwell Park
A park with beautiful ornamental gardens, colourful bedding displays, an environmental…
Thorpe Bay Beach
Known for its picture-postcard beach huts, Thorpe Bay Beach is the ideal place to escape…
Chalkwell Beach
Awarded a Seaside Award for 2020.
Shoebury Common
With facilities to launch boats and jet-skis, its the ideal place for those wanting to…
Southend Pier & Railway, Southend-on-SeaIf you walk along Southend-on-Sea's High Street, towards the sea, your eye will be drawn in a straight line towards the longest pleasure Pier in the world.
Southend Visitor Information Centre, Southend-on-Sea
Southend Bandstand, Southend-on-SeaCome along to Southend Bandstand during the Summer and enjoy the fabulous opportunity to hear a great variety of music performed by many talented local performers. Admission is free and all events take place between 3pm and 5pm.
Southend Cliff Lift, Southend-on-SeaThe Historic Cliff Lift has a valuable position in modern Southend, offering a practical and enjoyable way for people to gain access between the seafront and the Clifftown area.
Southend Pier Museum - Corporate, Southend-on-SeaBrings to life the fascinating past of the longest pleasure pier in the world. Artefacts, pictorial displays of pier's entertainment, disasters, staff, boats, illuminations and railway. Suitable for all ages. Prior bookings required.
Southend Pier - Corporate, Southend-on-SeaIf you walk along Southend-on-Sea's High Street, towards the sea, your eye will be drawn in a straight line towards the longest pleasure Pier in the world.
Royal Pavilion Restaurant, Southend-on-SeaAt the end of Southend Pier (1.33 miles) lies a fantastic restaurant. Great food with crafted beer and friendly atmosphere

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl