Update on Sudan
Posted by Michelle Moquin on June 7th, 2011
Good morning.
It’s been awhile since I have written about Sudan and the latest news has not been good.
To summarize, Sudan has been at war with itself for almost its entire post-colonial history, starting in 1956. This past May, a mostly peaceful process that would split north and south into separate countries was imperiled by fighting over a border region claimed by both.
The struggle played out against a backdrop of increased oil production and a politics dominated by distrust. Nearly all of its major ethnic and religious groups have fought one another, and there are dozens of armed groups across the country.
Sudan has been ruled since 1989 by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who seized power in a bloodless coup backed by Islamists. He assumed the presidency in 1993. Bashir has been vilified in the West and blamed over the years for cozying up to Osama bin laden, abusing human rights and unleashing death squads in Darfur, the war-racked region of western Sudan that I have blogged about in the past. In 2010, Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity.
The southern Sudanese have been fighting for independence for decades. In January, nearly 99 percent of the region’s voters approved a split from northern Sudan in an internationally backed referendum. The referendum marked the end to the nearly one-million-square-mile experiment called Sudan, which for many troubled decades served as a bridge between the Arab and African world. Southern Sudan will be named the Republic of South Sudan upon independence.
But it’s not there yet. The struggle for independence is still going on strong. There are still a number of delicate and potentially combustible issues that need to be resolved before Sudan can peacefully break in two. Conflicts remained over how the two sides would share the south’s sizable reserves of crude oil and what to do about the Abyei region. This is the border region I spoke of above – it straddles the north-south border and is claimed by both.
In May, the Sudanese Army invaded Abyei, alarming Western and United Nations diplomats who warned that it was a provocative act that risked all-out war with the southern Sudanese. The U.N. warned that the North was bringing thousands of nomadic Arab people into the area in what it said could be a prelude to ethnic cleansing.
And now with the latest news, it is once again a horrible situation for innocent civilians. Anonz and his men are out there doing their best. This is what you can do to help.
Here is an e-mail I received from Save Darfur:
We watched in horror last week as the Sudanese Army attacked the disputed border state of Abyei, forcing over 60,000 innocent civilians to flee.
Northern allied militias then looted and burned the villagers’ homes and businesses along with the offices of humanitarian organizations many rely on to survive. U.N. officials have already warned that the Sudanese government may be attempting to “ethnically cleanse” the area.
The violence directed from Khartoum has not only reignited the possibility of a civil war but has also created a new humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
There must be consequences for the violence orchestrated by the Sudanese Government – the international community must demonstrate that actions endangering peace will not be tolerated.
An investigation led by the United Nations is essential to determine who is responsible for the violence and widespread looting of humanitarian aid.
If the investigation finds evidence of war crimes or crimes against humanity, the U.N. Security Council must immediately refer those responsible to International Criminal Court. Alarmingly, the Sudanese Army is threatening even more large-scale military assaults in neighboring Blue Nile and South Kordofan State. These are clear violations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and threaten the peaceful separation of South Sudan, scheduled for July 9th. The United Nations must respond to Khartoum’s provocations with meaningful penalties.
Thank you for taking action today – we’ll keep you updated as this volatile situation progresses.
Sincerely,
Angela Deane
Save Darfur Coalition
And this from the Enough Project:
Dear Friend,
Recent reports from our Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) provide visual evidence that the Government of Sudan has committed war crimes in the disputed border region of Abyei. The totality of evidence from satellites and ground sources points to state-sponsored ethnic cleansing, and may represent crimes against humanity.
More than 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in terror, and are now suffering without access to food, water and shelter. It’s Darfur all over again.
Take action now by signing our letter to President Obama and adding your own message.
Sincerely,
John Bradshaw
Enough Project Executive Director
P.S. Read our SSP report, “Burned to the Ground: Evidence of Potential War Crimes and the Intentional Destruction of Abyei Town by the Government of Sudan” and check out this SSP press release with a statement from our friend George Clooney, who continues to shed light on violence in Sudan.
Readers: First, please take a moment to click over and write your letters. And if you can do more, I’m sure Anonz and the people of Sudan would appreciate it.
Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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June 7th, 2011 at 8:11 am
CAN INSOMNIA REALLY BE GOOD FOR YOU?
Sleep difficulties are huge here in America. Consider this — from 2004 to 2008, prescriptions for sleeping pills shot up by 54%! While the inability to sleep — insomnia — takes many forms, one of the types most frequently complained about is waking in the night.
Many people report waking up predictably about three or four hours after falling asleep. Sometimes they fall back to sleep after a few minutes, but often they lie there… and lie there… and lie there, awake and frustrated for hours. The next day, they end up sleepy… grouchy… and dreading a repeat as night approaches.
But I have some surprising information to share with you about this particular sleep “problem” — it is actually quite normal and even can be good for you in ways that I think you will find fairly astonishing. In fact, having two separate segments of sleep in the same night is not only quite common — it’s normal for some.
NOTHING TO DO BUT SLEEP?
Historian Roger Ekirch, PhD, professor of history at Virginia Tech University, whose research on the history of sleep has been cited in such publications as Psychiatric Times, Smithsonian Magazine and Applied Neurology, discovered while investigating pre-industrial living and sleeping habits that sleeping in two phases was the dominant pattern for centuries — and, in fact, it still predominates in some underdeveloped countries.
In the days before lightbulbs, people had little to do after dark, so they usually went to bed. The typical pattern was to snooze for four hours or so, after which people would wake, ruminate in bed, chat or have sex, perhaps get up and move around a bit and then, eventually, fall back asleep.
And they did so without thinking that anything was awry. In fact, I have learned from Walter A. Brown, MD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Tufts University School of Medicine, human adults aren’t hardwired to stay asleep for lengthy periods of time.
ARE YOU “BI”?
Dr. Brown explained that sleep researchers refer to the two segments of sleep as “first sleep” and “second sleep.” A sleep study done by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the 1990s examined a group of volunteers who agreed to be confined to dark rooms for 14 hours a night, matching the light/dark schedule of winter.
Left to their own devices (their instructions were simply to get into bed in a dark room), they all naturally drifted into a schedule of sleeping for four hours, waking for one to three hours and then falling back to sleep for three or four more hours.
In fact, this finding has led some sleep researchers to speculate that being able to sleep for an unbroken seven or eight hours might actually be evidence that our fast-paced, well-lit world has left the majority of us in a state of chronic sleep deprivation — otherwise, we would awaken in the middle of the night, too!
The NIMH researchers concluded that many people are biphasic sleepers and — though people tend to complain about this sleep pattern — it can actually be quite beneficial to your health and well-being.
Here are some of the reasons why that’s so…
Researchers found that subjects generally woke from first sleep directly after the REM stage, a deep sleep in which dreams occur.
Being awake in the quiet of the night without anything they need to do or any distractions leaves people aware of, and able to think about, their dreams and thus able to contemplate what “messages” those dreams might contain — something that many psychologists believe to be very helpful for self-awareness and mental health.
Dreaming or not, the peaceful midnight hours can provide valuable time for quiet contemplation, meditation or reflection.
If you live with a partner, the “awake” time can provide a reliable interlude for intimacy, both conversational and sexual.
Some enjoy the gift of extra time. For instance, I once saw a woman interviewed who has a successful legal career and is also a best-selling novelist.
Asked how she finds the time for two careers, she explained that she wakes in the night, so she gets out of bed to write her detective stories for a few hours and then goes back to bed.
MAKE THE MOST OF IT
I’m a biphasic sleeper myself — I do some of my best thinking when I lie awake in the wee hours — and I find that after I’ve fallen asleep again and wake up the next morning, I’m not only refreshed but also have great clarity about how to move forward in the day and in my life.
Dr. Brown wasn’t surprised to hear this — he said that he often counsels patients that the best way to handle the sleep pattern is to accept it as normal without becoming anxious or upset.
That, after all, will only make you more wakeful and uneasy. Note: For this same reason, Dr. Brown also advises not working on something that is excessively stimulating in the middle of the night, though as noted above, it’s often a very fruitful period for some people.
While the traditional advice is to get out of bed if you can’t fall asleep, many people prefer to stay snuggled under the covers — either way is fine, Dr. Brown said.
Part of accepting a biphasic sleep pattern — and getting enough rest to function well in the day — is having an earlier bedtime that will accommodate the hours of being awake.
In other words, you purposely shift some of your awake time from the day to the night. You still get all the sleep you need — but without struggle and without anxiety.
If you are still determined to get unbroken sleep, which is obviously our culture’s norm, Dr. Brown says it is probably better to go to sleep on the late side so that you fall into bed really tired. He also has good advice for better sleep in general, biphasic or otherwise…
Don’t drink alcohol for at least several hours before bedtime because it can interfere with sleep.
Don’t exercise after 6 pm.
Sleep in a very dark room to alert your body clock that it is night.
Most of all though, if your body insists on waking you again in the night and you are otherwise functioning well, accept the inevitable.
As Dr. Brown observes, “From a physiological point of view, in some ways we are still in the Stone Age — and two phases of sleep is just one of those ways.”
Source(s):
Walter A. Brown, MD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, and Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.
June 7th, 2011 at 9:06 am
Prp, I don’t think you were necessarily being singled out. As you pointed out others do it all the time. But I think that Howie and some others, including me, found fault with your added comment which hinted that if the aliens wanted to receive the help that only you could give them, then they would be better served to post to your blog or their SOS would risked being missed since you didn’t check into this blog that often.
The obvious question that came to mind was when did the habit develop?
The obvious answer being after you started a blog of your own.
Howie called it right.
It was a blatant attempt to build an instant following on a threat not to aid in “real time” unless the aliens posted on your blog.
I’d say, whoever you are, the point that Howie made was your human side exposed the bad qualities of humanity. Specifically the one that covets the large following Michelle has accumulated for her blog by her years of hard work.
Scott
June 7th, 2011 at 10:27 am
Michelle;
Thank you for keeping the plight of my people alive. It is rumored that Anonz’s forces are in the Sudan and heading for Darfur. We eagerly await the return of our hero.
Maleda
June 7th, 2011 at 10:28 am
i0Ke
Hello. How was your weekend? How many hearts did you steal sexy thing?
I hope you’ll share what you’ve learned about men.
Holly
June 7th, 2011 at 10:50 am
PrP
Okay other people steal. So does that make it okay if someone steals from you? “well others do it too”. That is an inane excuse.
Claire
June 7th, 2011 at 10:56 am
Holly, I went to a Ballet. He spread my legs in the box and whistled between them so good that I almost missed the performance.
Human females have fantastic centers of pleasure. Two nights ago, a man put his fingers inside me and I felt the pleasure long after on the way back to my port.
I am enjoying the attention.
i0Ke
June 7th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Hafa adai
The tourists have brought their bed bugs to Guam.
______________________________________
Bed bugs discovered on Guam
Posted: Jun 06, 2011 11:52 PM
Updated: Jun 07, 2011 2:11 AM
Video Gallery
Bed bugs – no, really!
2:51
by Lannie Walker
Guam – It’s been a major problem in large cities like New York and Cincinnati in the U.S. mainland, but now it seems the pesky problem has made its way to Guam. Some visitors to the island might have some locals losing sleep.
“Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite” is a saying most of us are familiar with. But now the question is should island residents be sleeping tight or worrying about bed bugs biting?
The parasite that feasts on human blood has made it way to Guam. Dr. Aubrey Moore is an extension entomologist at the University of Guam and said, “The first incident that I know of occurred in 2007 we had one indication that bedbugs were here on island and then the year after there were a few more and the year after that a few more.”
Dr. Moore says currently they are getting about one detection of bed bugs per month.
Public Health’s Division of Environmental Health Supervisor Rosanna Rabago says cooperation is needed to fight against a spreading infestation, saying, “What we wanted to do is establish some sort of partnership amongst all the stakeholders from the University, the Cooperative Extension Services, the Guam Hotel Restaurant Association the pest control companies, Public Health, the Guam EPA, everybody has a vested interest in this in one way or the other.”
UOG Pesticide Safety Education Trainer Roland Quitugua says they are working on establishing a database in order to get a scope of the problem and identify how many establishments have reported the bugs.
Hotel housekeepers are also now being trained on how to identify the pests. “During that training they are briefed on bedbugs as well, so through a lot of that education and outreach we have been on top of this pest,” he said.
While bedbugs may look scary, it’s important to note that they are not known to carry diseases. So while the issue is gaining attention here on Guam, we’re told it is not yet a major problem.
“It’s nowhere near the problem it is in the mainland,” confirmed Dr. Moore. “Our populations are apparently very, very low out here.”
Also very low, says Rabago, is any serious health risks posed by the parasites. “Sometimes if they are scratching or if they develop a bad reaction then we would advise them to seek medical attention,” she explained.
The real risk, according to Quitugua, is the social stigma associated with bed bugs. The parasites are thought to have hitched a ride to Guam with travelers and now pose a risk of scaring potential visitors away.
“If your establishment is known to have bedbugs what is that going to do to your occupancy?” he asked.
And the tiny bloodsuckers haven’t just been found in hotels but in homes and dormitories on Guam as well.
While the experts told us there is no need to panic; if you do discover the bed bugs Rabago advises you contact the Department of Public Health, saying, “That’s where we would come in – Public Health to conduct sanitation inspection to make sure if there are these insects inside these facilities they are properly taken care of.”
You can call 735-7221 for more information.
_________________________________
Okay folks don’t be shy. If you don’t report it, the situation will only get worse. Call it or Scratch it.
Peter
June 7th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
i0Ke, I have been on earth for 3 years. I have not met a man who lasted long enough between my legs to get that button to go off.
Have you tried to let one put it in you, yet? I too like the sensation of the whistle. Fingers are nice also. But I have switched to females because they play a better tune.
But I am still interested in the hard sensation I get with a heavy man upon me and his sex inside me.
Have you tried the female species?
Jena
June 7th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I am getting constant massaging from someone that sounds like “Roy” or “RoyE.” It must be urgent because it’s quickly repetitive. The signal is extremely far away and is getting fainter. This being is alone but I’m unclear if they started out alone. I feel if they did not start out alone, others with RoyE are dead. I do not know the location of the shuttle. If RoyE is yours they need help quickly.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Hafa Adai
Can’t say which I hate worse the bed bugs or the constant increase in the cost of living on Guam. Look out for the next rate electrical increase in August.
The Guam Power Authority got the approval yesterday from its policymaking board to petition the Public Utilities Commission for a 13-percent increase on power bills effective Aug. 1 this year.
Patty
June 7th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
I am getting constant massaging from someone that sounds like “Roy” or “RoyE.” Help is needed. It must be urgent because it’s quickly repetitive.
The signal is extremely far away and is getting fainter.
This being is alone but I’m unclear if they started out alone. I feel if they did not start out alone, others with RoyE are dead. I do not know the location of the shuttle. If RoyE is yours they need help.
June 7th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Scott
You wrote:
I think that Howie and some others, including me, found fault with your added comment which hinted that if the aliens wanted to receive the help that only you could give them, then they would be better served to post to your blog or their SOS would risked being missed since you didn’t check into this blog that often.
Thank you for posting your opinion today. You directed me to go back and review what I had originally written. I see now how you were exactement in stating how what I wrote would be interpreted. Sadly, I also see clearly that Michelle may be feeling the same way.
Please know I respect Michelle, her blog and her readers.
In reviewing my post you referred to, I could have simply said I could be reached easier there. I did not need to say they needed to post to do so. I do not need to “poach” any ABs that may be reading here. I have many other ways of communicating with OBs and ABs.
It’s my belief the misunderstanding lies in my communication style. The lesson is timely. Perhaps my test. Communication styling is a topic that I am exploring currently. I appreciate you pointing out how my words were not what I intended. I can learn from my mistakes.
Why I even needed to post at all, I cannot give you that information. But I can say the language mistake I made was all mine. Like having an argument and saying hurtful things, once it’s out, you can’t take it back. I am regretful that my lesson had to come at the expense of your, Michelle’s, and others’ perception of my intention and good will. If I could take it back I would.
Michelle, I did not mean to offend. I offer my sincerest apologies to you for my faux pas. I hope you are able to forgive me.
PrP
June 7th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
I have an echo?
No matter. Perhaps my styling was off again.
Thank you for repeating the message.
PrP
June 7th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
How much money is enough for the legal drug dealers.
American drug and biotechnology companies are currently in the process of developing 850 new drugs targeted at women.
These drugs, which are either in clinical trials or awaiting review by the FDA, include drugs for breast and ovarian cancer, autoimmune diseases, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Among the drugs are an arthritis medication that uses nanotechnology to target and a migraine medication that selectively blocks transmission of pain signals to the brain.
According to PhRMA:
“In separate reports, PhRMA has found that researchers are working on 299 medicines for heart disease and stroke … and 98 medicines for lung cancer”.
Nobody is interested in cures any more. They want to hook everybody on their drug of choice and laugh all the way to the bank.
Norma
June 7th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
PrP, anyone who has been on this blog long enough takes a beating for what they say/did not say/or how they say it at one point or another. I thought your message sounded a bit arrogant but not poaching or encroaching really.
As you admit, your wording could’ve been better.
If it is a earth lesson you will learn, it is this: words are strong and words are powerful, choose the ones you use wisely. And sometimes, it is just best to say nothing at all. You’ll figure it out, that’s the process called living that we are all doing as well : ) so you have plenty of company.
Luv and pax, Zen Lill
PS Misch, I think you rec’d my vmail from Sat/Su (can’t remember now) so call me when you have time, whenever…nothing urgent, just want to hear your voice. : )
June 7th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
…and for those of you who know someone with body image issues (dysmorphia) or suspect you may have it…well, you know what to do ; ) – ZL
June 7th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
The Beginning of the End for Money-Grubbing OPEC…
Israel discovers what could be the 2ND LARGEST “Oil Basin”
in the world… officially giving OPEC the “middle finger.”
==================
Maybe the aliens do exist.
June 7th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
A NEW WAY OF TESTING FOR COLON CANCER
Colonoscopy has been the gold standard in colorectal cancer detection and prevention for a very long time — but it’s by no means perfect, and some people will do just about anything to avoid keeping that appointment.
Now along comes a new, noninvasive way to screen for colon cancer — stool DNA testing — a procedure that remarkably enough promises accurate detection without the discomfort.
The question that naturally follows, and the one I’m asking myself right now: Is it really effective?
MORE ACCURATE DETECTION
I talked with David A. Ahlquist, MD, at the Mayo Clinic to get a better sense of what the new test offers. He first took me through a little background.
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, and colonoscopy — the examination of your colon through insertion of a long, flexible tube — so far represents our best weapon to catch and treat it early.
But, he explained, colonoscopy may miss some cancers and precancerous lesions, particularly those on the right side of the colon, which has more nooks and crannies, making the search for polyps a challenge.
The right side also has a greater likelihood of hard-to-detect flat polyps. (See Daily Health News, September 7, 2010, for more information.)
In addition, colonoscopy is expensive. And, like any invasive procedure, it is associated with a risk for complications — bleeding, perforation or sedation-related heart problems occur in a small percentage of patients.
Dr. Ahlquist and his research team found that this new stool DNA test identifies cells that are continuously shed from the surface of growths.
It detects target lesions — precancers and cancers, no matter if they are on the left or right side of the colon and no matter what stage, which has been a problem for colonoscopy.
Because stool DNA testing effectively detects precancerous polyps, this test has the potential to prevent cancer, much like Pap smears have done for cervical cancer.
Add to that the fact that it can be done at home and mailed in for analysis… and it requires no medication or diet restrictions.
Dr. Ahlquist presented these results at a May 2011 meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association.
He and his collaborators at Exact Sciences, the company that developed the test, are about to embark on an FDA validation study across more than 30 medical centers throughout the US.
IS DNA STOOL TESTING RIGHT FOR YOU?
Dr. Ahlquist anticipates that the FDA validation study will be completed in 2012 and that the test could become available nationwide soon after.
The Mayo Clinic has collaborated with Exact Sciences to develop the test, and that firm is already meeting with Medicare and major third-party payers to pave the way for coverage.
Current guidelines call for colorectal cancer screening if you are 50 or older — earlier if you are at high risk. For example, if you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you face a greater risk for colorectal cancer, and Mayo researchers have confirmed that stool DNA testing can detect cancer and precancer in people with IBD.
I asked Dr. Ahlquist if he thought stool DNA testing could ever come to replace rather than complement colonoscopy.
He believes the procedure must always be linked to colonoscopy, because those with positive test results will need to undergo colonoscopies both to locate the cancer or polyps that are present, and to remove them as well.
But for initial screening, if it works as advertised, the stool test may well become the preferred choice for patients.
Source(s):
David A. Ahlquist, MD, gastroenterologist and professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic Medical School, Rochester, Minnesota.
Editor’s note: Mayo Clinic and Dr. Ahlquist have a financial interest in the technology referenced in this article.
In compliance with the Bayh-Dole Act, this technology has been licensed to Exact Sciences, and both Mayo Clinic and Dr. Ahlquist have received royalties. Mayo Clinic holds an equity position in Exact Sciences.
June 7th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
i0Ke
Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself and the attention.
Holly
June 7th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Message appreciated. It helped pinpoint last transmission. Rescue on the way.
SynRoi
June 7th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Message appreciated. It helped pinpoint last transmission. Rescue on the way.
SynRoi
June 7th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
PrP:
Message of correction received and noted. Will return to post to your blog.
11ok65ru
June 7th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Michelle, the problem we are facing in the new nation of Southern Sudan is the hypocrisy of the Christianity preached by the US Senators from your Republican Party that come to our country offering aid.
They have come to my country preaching their hate. They have promised money to our new leaders if they indorse a bill outlawing homosexuality punishable by death.
They have succeeded in getting similar bills passed for Foreign Aid to help the sick and the poor in many other desperate African countries. Hence I am positive it will also pass here.
Most African leaders feel that if that is the only way to get approval from the people in the USA who will authorize the aid and money to help their people, they will do it.
Why are Americans so hateful? Is everything America stands for based on some unknown hypocrisy?
It must be very difficult for a black American man with such a direct African heritage to attempt to bring your nation into the human experience. He is dealing with a people so self absorbed and prejudiced that his efforts fall on deaf ears.
It appears only God can cure the evil that resides in America.
Klania
June 8th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Zen Lill
Thank you for the name of the planet. Would you be willing to share what you know about it?
Bandy
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