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Israeli army chief calls Iran a severe regional problem (Second Coming Watch Update #182)
Israeli army chief calls Iran a severe regional problem. According to Ynet News, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz reiterated this week that "all options are on the table" regarding Iran. Speaking to reporters after meeting with new recruits at an army induction base, Gantz said "Iran is continuing with its efforts to achieve nuclear capabilities. This is a severe global and regional problem and we should not ignore it, because Iran is the only country in the world that is developing nuclear weapons while calling to annihilate another country." Burmese government restrictions affect Christian evangelism efforts. According to Miz-zi-ma News, despite political reforms, the Burmese government continues to monitor the meetings and activities of religious organizations, and requires religious groups to seek permission from authorities before holding any large public event. The government discourages proselytizing by non-Buddhist clergy, uses censorship to restrict Christian denominations, and actively promotes Thera-va-da Buddhism over other religions. Corn prices hit record high as crops shrivel. According to CNN Money, Corn prices surged to a new record high this week as the worst drought in more than fifty years continues to plague more than half the country. Almost 90% of the United States #39; corn crops are in drought ravaged areas and nearly forty percent are situated in the hardest hit spots. The price of soybeans, the second largest crop in the Midwest ...From:glsocietyViews:0 0ratingsTime:07:59More inPeople Blogs

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Israeli army chief calls Iran a severe regional problem (Second Coming Watch Update #182) - Video

New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) Chinese activist and columnist Michael Anti said here Saturday that internet censorship in his country was hurting the young and added that China needed democracy.

"Youth in China are being taught only what the government textbooks say and have limited knowledge. The books spread hate and lies. The country needs democracy immediately," Anti told IANS.

"We need democracy to protect the poor who are suffering because of corruption and negligence on the part of the regime," he added.

The activist was speaking on the sidelines of the 'TEDxYouth', an annual event that brought speakers from around the globe to debate and interact with children aged between 13-18 years from Delhi schools.

The day-long conference was held at the American Embassy school and streamed live to multiple locations across India.

"In this age of globalisation, Chinese citizens need to have a global perspective on issues. However, anything that criticizes, the Communist regime gets banned," said Anti.

Anti said the Chinese regime will continue to rule as anyone who dares to raise his voice against the censorship was jailed.

"Moreover, people have now got used to adjust with the situation," he said.

Anti came into the limelight after his political blog was deleted by Microsoft in 2005.

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China needs democracy: Chinese activist

In many countries, journalists have to fight censorship when trying to publish critical stories. The organization Reporters Without Borders has launched a website to publish stories otherwise suppressed by the censors.

When something is banned, it's bound get people curious. Videos and images that are suppressed, therefore, often spread like wildfire on the Internet: the topless photos of Kate Middleton, future queen of England, were online everywhere within hours. And it's this principle that Reporters Without Borders now wants to use for journalistic content.

"We believe that there has to be a platform to publish stories that are being censored in the very countries where they should be published," Matthias Spielkamp, board member of Reporter Without Borders in Germany, told DW. The focus is explicitly on well-researched features by journalists who, because of a lack of press freedom, cannot publish their stories in their country's newspapers, TV or radio.

The website is not meant to be platform like WikiLeaks and is not intended to be a place for tabloid stories, Spielkamp explained. The project is getting financial support from the European Union, the city of Paris and from donations.

Support for censored authors

One of the first stories published is from Morocco, where Omar Brouksy is no longer allowed to work as a publisher. In October, the government withdrew his accreditation because the journalist had been overly critical of the royal family's role during a recent election.

Brouksy's text, however, continues to be available online. Reporters Without Borders published the piece in agreement with the author on their website, wefightcensorship.org. Online with text, the page also explains why each story is being censored.

The website offers to publish any material that's being censored in an author's home country. Articles are sent anonymously, and in a way that the author's identity cannot be traced. Reporters Without Borders, which itself does ask for the author's identity to check whether the story is credible, offers to keep the writers anonymous for their own protection, explained Spielkamp.

Should the stories not be written in English or France, they will be translated for the page. All the material will also be offered for download, and even outright copying of an entire work is encouraged. Readers can post the stories on social media networks as well as on a list of regional services.

More security than a blog

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New website to fight censorship

Editor's note: The artwork, which can be seen lower in this story, may be offensive to some readers.

The talk at the Newark Library these days has nothing to do with an anticipated book collection, the next visit by schoolchildren or a lecture on Brick City history.

Its all about a huge drawing hanging in the second-floor reference room, raising so much ruckus that the head librarian has had to cover it up so no one can see what it shows.

Its covered with cloth and thats the way many employees want to keep it.

Kara Walker, a renowned African-American artist who examines race, gender, sexuality and violence, created the drawing. It depicts the horrors of reconstruction, 20th-century Jim Crowism and the hooded figures of the Ku Klux Klan.

But thats not what has people upset.

One part of the drawing shows a white man holding the head of a naked black woman to his groin.

"I didnt notice it at first," said Kendell Willis, a library services employee. "Then I looked up and was blown away."

Willis sent Library Director Wilma Grey an e-mail, and so has Sandra West, a library associate who called Walkers work disgusting. She said several employees came to her expressing shock that the library would display such graphic artwork.

"It can go back where it came from," West said. "I really dont like to see my people like this. We need to see something uplifting and not demeaning."

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Censorship or common decency? Newark Library covers up controversial artwork

Anonymous - Operation Egypt (Press Release) [english]
Join Us: http://www.accessnow.org anonnews.org http DEAR CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, Anonymous can not, and will not stand idly while people are being denied their basic rights and human liberties. Yet, there are still a lot of governments worldwide who fail to even aspire to the standard of freedom that was set by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These governments believe they have the right and privilege to impose upon their own people an #39;official #39; version of #39;reality #39; which isn #39;t in any way tampered by the truths of everyday life under which its citizens are living. Anonymous believes this is an outright crime which can not go unpunished. The Egyptian people are living under inhumane conditions; being denied their basic rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and the free access to information. By imposing censorship upon its own people and condemning these freedoms, the Egyptian government has revealed itself to be criminal, and has made itself an enemy of Anonymous. To the Egyptian Government: Anonymous challenges all those who are involved in censorship. Anonymous wants you to offer free access to uncensored media in your entire country. When you ignore this message, not only will we attack your government websites, Anonymous will also make sure that the international media sees the horrid reality you impose upon your people. Anonymous will not spare anybody who supports this suppression. It is in the hands of the Egyptian government ...From:anonymousCH272Views:1 2ratingsTime:03:26More inPeople Blogs

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Anonymous - Operation Egypt (Press Release) [english] - Video