An Update on boNGO Activities in Malawi

Part of life at boNGO

There is a lot of news to tell you about what is happening at boNGO.
You can read all about it on our website www.bongoworldwide.org.

In short, boNGO increased its scope of work from pre-school education
(please watch a 6-minute promo film) to primary schools and is also
introducing an innovative HIV awareness program among the youths -
project Zione in schools (showing a film called Zione at schools
across Malawi)

The film Zione (trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FUxOKI_UZE)
, boNGO made in a way that is attractive to the local youths and will
bring their attention towards the danger of HIV/AIDS and the
importance of protection (condoms).

It is work, work, and more work at boNGO- while the shed of Malawi's natural trees cools the world all-around

The film is interesting for the western audience too and in the Czech
Republic it is going to be shown at primary and secondary schools for
the students to better understand the HIV problem in Africa.

I personally feel that boNGO is going through a period of
transformation. Results of our programs in the Malawi communities have
shown a real improvement in the field of education and now time has
come to increase the impact. For boNGO to expand, it needs more
attention and resources.

We are looking for support especially in the form of:

a) Financial contributions

(e.g. $5 covers the monthly expenses for one child to go to one of the
Model Childcare Centers supported by boNGO; $1 enables one Malawian
student to watch film Zione - project Zione in schools; $230 covers
the expenses for painting a classroom with numbers, alphabet and
various pictures - project Happy Classrooms)

b) Volunteers anywhere in the world who would promote boNGO and
organize fundraising events

c) Volunteers who would translate our website into other languages
(Spanish, French, Russian etc.)

I personally decided (for several different reasons) to solicit
attention for boNGO through a unique activity: MUSIC!! It may sound
surprising, but I started to sing in Malawi! I sing in the local
language of Chichewa which gets the local audience both very surprised
and excited, perhaps also because I am the only white lady singer on
the Malawi scene. Please read an article in the Malawi newspapers.

http://www.bongoworldwide.org/fileadmin/UserFiles/tereza_clanek_LOS.JPG

boNGO: Serving the community

It is an interesting and daring plan, who knows where will it lead ...
At the moment I am working on my first album - songs of different
genres, all in the Malawi language Chichewa.

Thank you for your support and interest in boNGO.

On behalf of boNGO.

Tereza Mirovicova

Managing Director





--
boNGO Worldwide
RAISING STANDARDS OF EDUCATION IN MALAWI
Box 3110
Blantyre, Malawi, Africa
+265 888 014 575
malawi@bongoworldwide.org
www.bongoworldwide.org

Zachimalawi's History Script: 10 Words President Bingu wa Mutharika Will Be Remembered For....

Malawi's Head of State and Government, Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika

1. Zero-deficit budget
2. Prologuing parliament
3. Impeachment
4. Constructive resignation
5. Stupid Europeans
6. Over-recycled politicians
7. Chief Justas
8. Atsamunda
9. Gays are worse than dogs (last week)
10. Strategic crop

White Paper for Strengthening National Gender Machinery in Malawi on May 26, 2011

Date:Thursday 26th May 2011
Venue:Capital Hotel, Lilongwe
Time:8:30am

Minister of Gender, Children and Community Development Honourable Teresa Gloria Mwale and UNDP Resident Representative Mr. Richard Dictus will make remarks during the opening.

The White Paper tried to analyze the key players of the Malawi National Gender Machinery. Adoption and implementation of the White Paper strategies and actions would help to strengthen the National Gender Machinery in Malawi and refocus the development programs of Malawi to address gender inequalities. The White Paper provides the building blocks for the process of a constructive debate and the foundation for an effective structure for promoting and empowering men, women and youth, to participate equally and effectively in Malawi’s development initiatives

Malawi is on track on five out of eight MDGs, it is notable that the three MDGs where expectations are not being met have pronounced gender association, a phenomenon also noted by the UN Country Assessment conducted in 2010. The gender related MDGs where expectations are not being met are MDG 2 Achieve universal primary education, MDG 3 Promote Gender Equality and Empowerment and MDG 5 Improve Maternal Health.

President Bingu wa Mutharika said during the opening of the Budget Session of Parliament on Monday this week his government would make sure that the country does not slip off on the MDG goals it is cock-sure to attain.

Lake of Stars 2011 Back, On From Sept. 30- Oct. 2

Confirmed. The Eighth Edition of the Award-winning Lake of Stars is on, this time from September 30 to October 2, 2011.
Malawi's world-acclaimed event graces the shining sands of Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in the country's lakeshore district of Mangochi.
Festivals are about discovering the world and exploring new sounds. They
are about the journey, the people you meet and the sights you see. This is a trip for anyone looking for a truly unique and rewarding experience in one of the most exciting travel destinations in the World.
Flights and travel deals on sale now with our travel partner
http://www.facebook.com/Ventureco
This year we are proud to partner with DHL Express Malawi, Access
Communications and Kenya Airways. We also continue to work with our UK
technical partners Audile, Funktion One, Studiocare, STS Touring and
Brentwood Communications who provide essential equipment and volunteers to
run the event.
The project would not happen without assistance from these
companies and we look forward to delivering another successful event with
their support.
http://www.facebook.com/lakeofstars - for all LOS news
Come celebrate with us, plan your trip, and find out more about the project:June 19th @ Rich Mix Arts Centre, London
Market Club with Moshi Moshi's The Wave Pictures, Fair Ohs, T Dogg PLUS Wii
tennis on the big screen, ping pong and table football
http://marketclub.tumblr.com/
The word on Lake of Stars...
Q magazine - 'Simply the finest festival in the world'
The Guardian - 'Truly, it changed my life'
Lonely Planet - 'The hype is true'
The Maccabees - 'Lake of Stars was the most incredible experience and
something we will never forget'
The Metro - 'In today's saturated festival climate Lake of Stars is utterly
unique. It redefines the festival experience as we know it.there isn't
another festival like this on the planet'
Felix B (Basement Jaxx) - 'It was a truly amazing and unique adventure to
travel to the heart of Africa. I've never met such friendly people with such a passion for music'
Songlines/Wanderlust - 'Get there before everyone else does'
Virtual Festivals - 'Malawi couldn't be a better place to hold a music
festival. There's a bit of planning involved in getting to the Lake of Stars but a paradise awaits when you arrive'

+44 207 729 7775 www.lakeofstars.org

Try face of Malawi

Log on to:

http://www.faceofmalawi.com

And get to know the other side of life, and more.

Fantastic layout. Nice staff.

Sort of, a shining face before you get to the heart! Isn't that what a face should portlay?

Fertiliser Subsidy To Remain at K500

This, probably, could be the good news coming out of President Bingu wa Mutharika's recent gaffes.
But people will still be wondering why, all of a sudden, Malawi wants to run on a Zero-deficit budget on recurrent expenditure.
What has gone wrong? It is part of Malawi's plans to isolate herself from the warmth of the world- which warmth has sustained us all this long?
All because of a man who briefly left Malawi during the Malawi Congress Party regime, only to emerge, register some positive strides in economics, agriculture, among other areas- only to ruin it all in the end?
If not, why did British High Commissioner to Malawi, Fergus Cochraine-Dyet go?
Why did Madame Flossie Gomile-Chidyaonga come home that fast?
Why?
So many questions; history will provide the answers when some of us are fast and gone.
But posterity will still be there to judge.

What Amnesty International Says About Malawi in This Year's Report

Malawi
Head of state and government Bingu wa Mutharika
Death penalty abolitionist in practice
Population 15.7 million
Life expectancy 54.6 years
Under-5 mortality (m/f) 125/117 per 1,000
Adult literacy 72.8 per cent Background
Prison conditions
Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
Freedom of expression – journalists
Trial of former opposition politician
Amnesty International Reports
Amnesty International Visits
A same-sex couple were sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment and then pardoned. Prisons were overcrowded and lacked adequate facilities.

Background
Malawi’s human rights record was assessed under the UN Universal Periodic Review, during which officials stated that an independent police complaints commission had been established to investigate police brutality.

Up to 1.1 million Malawians were in need of food aid despite five consecutive years of maize production surpluses.

Top of page
Prison conditions
Prisons were overcrowded: the prison system, with a capacity of 6,000, was holding around 13,000 prisoners. Prison congestion was exacerbated by prolonged pre-trial detention, with pre-trial detainees forming up to 20 per cent of the prison population. Overcrowding, poor nutrition, poor sanitation and inadequate health facilities contributed to the spread of infections including tuberculosis and measles. Many prisoners relied on families and charities for supplementary food.

In Chichiri prison in June, prisoners were locked in overcrowded communal cells with poor ventilation and had to sleep sitting up. Up to 200 prisoners shared one toilet. One inmate, Alex Mkula, had been held for nine years without trial: he was later released on bail. The female section of Chichiri prison was similarly congested. Eight of the 55 female prisoners were mothers with babies.
In its Universal Periodic Review, Malawi stated it had ended mandatory pre-trial detention to prevent prison overcrowding.

Top of page
Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
On 18 May, two prisoners of conscience, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, were convicted on charges of “gross indecency” and “unnatural acts” after holding a same-sex engagement party in December 2009. Both were sentenced to 14 years with hard labour. On 29 May they were pardoned by President Mutharika, following a visit to Malawi by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, Tiwonge Chimbalanga went into hiding in fear of hate attacks.

In its Universal Periodic Review, Malawi stated that it had no plans to legalize homosexuality.

Top of page
Freedom of expression – journalists
In February the Journalists Union of Malawi expressed concern about a government directive advising officials that they should not advertise in newspapers published by Nation Publications Limited, including The Nation, Weekend Nation and Nation on Sunday, after they had published articles considered critical of the government.

Top of page
Trial of former opposition politician
The long-running trial of Malawi’s former President Bakili Muluzi continued at the High Court in Blantyre but was delayed by his health problems. He was arrested in 2005 on corruption charges, but alleged the charges were politically motivated.

SPECIFICALLY:
A same-sex couple were sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment and then pardoned. Prisons were overcrowded and lacked adequate facilities.

Background
Malawi’s human rights record was assessed under the UN Universal Periodic Review, during which officials stated that an independent police complaints commission had been established to investigate police brutality.

Up to 1.1 million Malawians were in need of food aid despite five consecutive years of maize production surpluses.

Top of page
Prison conditions
Prisons were overcrowded: the prison system, with a capacity of 6,000, was holding around 13,000 prisoners. Prison congestion was exacerbated by prolonged pre-trial detention, with pre-trial detainees forming up to 20 per cent of the prison population. Overcrowding, poor nutrition, poor sanitation and inadequate health facilities contributed to the spread of infections including tuberculosis and measles. Many prisoners relied on families and charities for supplementary food.

In Chichiri prison in June, prisoners were locked in overcrowded communal cells with poor ventilation and had to sleep sitting up. Up to 200 prisoners shared one toilet. One inmate, Alex Mkula, had been held for nine years without trial: he was later released on bail. The female section of Chichiri prison was similarly congested. Eight of the 55 female prisoners were mothers with babies.
In its Universal Periodic Review, Malawi stated it had ended mandatory pre-trial detention to prevent prison overcrowding.

Top of page
Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
On 18 May, two prisoners of conscience, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, were convicted on charges of “gross indecency” and “unnatural acts” after holding a same-sex engagement party in December 2009. Both were sentenced to 14 years with hard labour. On 29 May they were pardoned by President Mutharika, following a visit to Malawi by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, Tiwonge Chimbalanga went into hiding in fear of hate attacks.

In its Universal Periodic Review, Malawi stated that it had no plans to legalize homosexuality.

Top of page
Freedom of expression – journalists
In February the Journalists Union of Malawi expressed concern about a government directive advising officials that they should not advertise in newspapers published by Nation Publications Limited, including The Nation, Weekend Nation and Nation on Sunday, after they had published articles considered critical of the government.

Top of page
Trial of former opposition politician
The long-running trial of Malawi’s former President Bakili Muluzi continued at the High Court in Blantyre but was delayed by his health problems. He was arrested in 2005 on corruption charges, but alleged the charges were politically motivated.

What was your country’s record on human rights?: Amnesty International's Annual Report Out

Our annual report is out and you can see that many countries have done poorly in protecting their citizens’ human rights.

How did your own country do?

You can find out by reviewing Amnesty International’s 2011 Annual Report.

A few key findings of the report show that:

89 countries placed specific restrictions on free speech

48 countries imprisoned people for their beliefs; what we call ‘prisoners of conscience’

98 countries tortured and ill-treated their citizens and at least

54 countries put people through unfair trials.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty International Secretary General at the Press launch of the AIR 2011in London, UK @ AI


Amnesty International has been fighting for the protection of human rights around the world for the last five decades.

“Fifty years years since the Amnesty candle began to shine a light on repression, the human rights revolution now stands on the threshold of historic change,” says Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

We will mark our 50th anniversary this year by urging you to help us grow our global movement to protect human rights in your country and around the world.

Stay tuned for another year of fighting for rights!

In solidarity,
Online Communities team
Alaphia, Buddha, El-Mutamid, Franziska and Shehzaad


Find us on Twitter and Facebook at the Activism Centre.


Amnesty International

International Secretariat


1 Easton Street
London, WC1X 0DW
United Kingdom

www.amnesty.org

Bulletin of the Oppression of Women and Children: Asian women were subjected to virginity tests at UK's Heathrow Airport

April 7, 2011 - May 18, 2011

April 7, 2011
UK (hat tip to IslaminEurope)
At least 60 schoolgirls were groomed for sex by workers at seedy takeaways that were linked to the murder of a 14-year-old girl. Children as young as 11 were targeted by mainly Asian staff at fast food outlets in Blackpool. They were offered food, alcohol and cigarettes in return for sexual favours.

An unpublicised police report produced after 14-year-old Charlene Downes vanished in 2003 found the girls, most if not all white, had been victims of the ‘honey pot’ premises. There were claims last night that the report was suppressed for reasons of political correctness.

Norway (hat tip to IslaminEurope)
There is a new web site in memory of Norweigan honor killing victims.

Malaysia (hat tip to JihadWatch)
Malaysian men have extramarital sex because of “wives who neglect their responsibilities” to their husbands, a Malaysian lawmaker told Parliament on Thursday, outraging women’s groups. “In Islam, wives are supposed to stop everything to fulfill their husband’s demands.”

April 10, 2011
Indonesia
A woman is caned in front of a baying mob for having an affair. Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband. The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia.

April 14, 2011
Pakistan
In Pakistan forced conversions to Islam, rapes and forced marriages are on the rise.

April 16, 2011
Turkey
A drastic rise in reported "honor" killings and fatal domestic violence in Turkey has sparked a vigorous debate about the government's recent attempts to address the problem.

US
Iraqi-American Faleh Almaleki was sentenced to 34½ years in prison in Phoenix, Arizona for having "honor murdered" his 20-year-old daughter Noor and for having attempted to murder Amal Khalaf, the woman who was trying to protect her. In October of 2009, he followed the daughter, whom he had tormented all her life, to a shopping mall, lurked outside, then boldly ran over her precious, lovely body with a two-ton Cherokee jeep. He also tried to run Amal Khalaf down and managed to injure her seriously. Then he fled. Faleh flew to England via Mexico, but was arrested at Heathrow Airport and sent back for trial.

Afghanistan
An Afghan girl claims she was raped. 10-year old Nazanin, claimed that one year back her two step uncles raped her, and her paternal grandparents tortured, beat and poured hot oil on her.

April 20, 2011
Bangladesh
Pro-Taliban Islamist clergy in Bangladesh, Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini has threatened to wage jihad in the country if the government will pass any law banning child marriage. He said, two hundred thousand Jihadists of his group are ready to 'sacrifice' lives if any such law, which goes against "Koran and Sunnah" will be passed by the current government in the country.

Mufti Amini said, "Banning child marriage will cause challenging the marriage of the holy prophet of Islam, who also married minor Ayesha, when she was just eight years old". He said, "The new law initiated by the current government will put the moral character of the prophet into controversy and challenge."

Amini further said, "Islam permits child marriage and it will not be tolerated if any ruler will ever try to touch this issue in the name of giving more rights to women."

April 25, 2011
Libya
Children as young as eight are being raped in front of their families by Gaddafi's forces

April 26, 2011
Bangladesh
A judicial commission has concluded that over 200 Hindu women were raped following the 2001 parliamentary election, forcing many terrorized families to flee the country.

April 27, 2011
Somewhere in the Islamic World (Hat tip to barenakedislam)
A discussion with a Muslim about how to sexually enjoy your baby wife.

April 28, 2011
Turkey
A woman narrowly escaped death after she was allegedly stabbed five times with a screwdriver by her ex-husband in Istanbul after being denied official protection.

Tajikistan
A growing number of Muslim men in Tajikistan are using a simple, three-worded text message to divorce their wives.

April 29, 2011
Egypt
Coptic Christians demand the return of eleven girls who have 'disappeared'.

May 1, 2011
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber 'aged 12' kills four.

May 2, 2011
US
A Muslim stepfather is charged with the murder of his 20 year old stepdaughter. More HERE.

US (Hat tip to Frontpagemag)
An update on the reporter Lara Logan's assault in Egypt.

May 3, 2011
UK
An imam found guilty of raping 12 year old girl.

May 4, 2011
US
A man who was angry that his family would not go along with his conversion to Islam was sentenced to life in prison. He had killed five family members including his pregnant wife.

Denmark (hat tip to Newsrealblog)
Freedom of speech and women's rights to protect girls from rape took a major hit in Denmark earlier today when the public prosecutor found Lars Hedegaard, the President of the Danish (and International) Free Press Society, guilty of "hate speech about the prevalence of rape within Muslim familes." More HERE (hat tip to GatesofVienna).

Bangladesh
Eleven Muslim men are sentenced to life for gang rape.

Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia keeps the female voting ban.

May 9, 2011
Saudi Arabia (Translation by and hat tip to Tundratabloids)
Little girs between five and 12 years old are sold to wealthy men in Saudi Arabia, where they are held as sex slaves. When they reach maturity, and many are thrown on the street and they end quickly as a prostitute.

Brussels
Domestic violence is 40-75% of married women in the EU.

Sweden
The parents of a man convicted of a so-called honour killing in 2005 have been arrested following a decision by the Supreme Court to review the case.

May 11, 2011
Saudi Arabia
Six girls in an orphanage were flogged with ten lashes each for an act of 'mischief'. There were no details of the ruling for the punishment but the Arabic-language newspaper Okaz said the girls had been convicted of ‘acts of mischief’ and attacking the director of the orphanage. The girls defended their actions, saying they were harassed by the director, Okaz reported.

International human rights groups have criticised the Saudi justice system for applying corporal punishment for petty crimes, as well as limb amputations for thieves and beheadings for murderers under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Nigeria
Islamic jihadis kill the wife and children of a Nigerian pastor.

Bahrain (hat tip to Salon)
Bahraini police have reportedly made routine raids on girls' schools, "detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12." A video shows an interview with a 16-year-old school girl sharing her experience of a brutal police raid on her school:

May 12, 2011
Pakistan
A student nurse is forced to convert and marry a Muslim man.

May 13, 2011
UK
Muslims object to advertisements with women in swimsuits.

May 16, 2011
India
Two mothers are charged with murdering their daughters in honor killings.

UK
Muslim Women Reformers: an interview.

May 18, 2011
Afghanistan
The Taliban is recruiting suicide bombers as young as nine years old.

UK
Asian women were subjected to virginity tests at Heathrow.

World Bulletin of the Oppression of Women and Children April 7 - May 18, 2011

April 7, 2011 - May 18, 2011

April 7, 2011
UK (hat tip to IslaminEurope)
At least 60 schoolgirls were groomed for sex by workers at seedy takeaways that were linked to the murder of a 14-year-old girl. Children as young as 11 were targeted by mainly Asian staff at fast food outlets in Blackpool. They were offered food, alcohol and cigarettes in return for sexual favours.

An unpublicised police report produced after 14-year-old Charlene Downes vanished in 2003 found the girls, most if not all white, had been victims of the ‘honey pot’ premises. There were claims last night that the report was suppressed for reasons of political correctness.

Norway (hat tip to IslaminEurope)
There is a new web site in memory of Norweigan honor killing victims.

Malaysia (hat tip to JihadWatch)
Malaysian men have extramarital sex because of “wives who neglect their responsibilities” to their husbands, a Malaysian lawmaker told Parliament on Thursday, outraging women’s groups. “In Islam, wives are supposed to stop everything to fulfill their husband’s demands.”

April 10, 2011
Indonesia
A woman is caned in front of a baying mob for having an affair. Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband. The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia.

April 14, 2011
Pakistan
In Pakistan forced conversions to Islam, rapes and forced marriages are on the rise.

April 16, 2011
Turkey
A drastic rise in reported "honor" killings and fatal domestic violence in Turkey has sparked a vigorous debate about the government's recent attempts to address the problem.

US
Iraqi-American Faleh Almaleki was sentenced to 34½ years in prison in Phoenix, Arizona for having "honor murdered" his 20-year-old daughter Noor and for having attempted to murder Amal Khalaf, the woman who was trying to protect her. In October of 2009, he followed the daughter, whom he had tormented all her life, to a shopping mall, lurked outside, then boldly ran over her precious, lovely body with a two-ton Cherokee jeep. He also tried to run Amal Khalaf down and managed to injure her seriously. Then he fled. Faleh flew to England via Mexico, but was arrested at Heathrow Airport and sent back for trial.

Afghanistan
An Afghan girl claims she was raped. 10-year old Nazanin, claimed that one year back her two step uncles raped her, and her paternal grandparents tortured, beat and poured hot oil on her.

April 20, 2011
Bangladesh
Pro-Taliban Islamist clergy in Bangladesh, Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini has threatened to wage jihad in the country if the government will pass any law banning child marriage. He said, two hundred thousand Jihadists of his group are ready to 'sacrifice' lives if any such law, which goes against "Koran and Sunnah" will be passed by the current government in the country.

Mufti Amini said, "Banning child marriage will cause challenging the marriage of the holy prophet of Islam, who also married minor Ayesha, when she was just eight years old". He said, "The new law initiated by the current government will put the moral character of the prophet into controversy and challenge."

Amini further said, "Islam permits child marriage and it will not be tolerated if any ruler will ever try to touch this issue in the name of giving more rights to women."

April 25, 2011
Libya
Children as young as eight are being raped in front of their families by Gaddafi's forces

April 26, 2011
Bangladesh
A judicial commission has concluded that over 200 Hindu women were raped following the 2001 parliamentary election, forcing many terrorized families to flee the country.

April 27, 2011
Somewhere in the Islamic World (Hat tip to barenakedislam)
A discussion with a Muslim about how to sexually enjoy your baby wife.

April 28, 2011
Turkey
A woman narrowly escaped death after she was allegedly stabbed five times with a screwdriver by her ex-husband in Istanbul after being denied official protection.

Tajikistan
A growing number of Muslim men in Tajikistan are using a simple, three-worded text message to divorce their wives.

April 29, 2011
Egypt
Coptic Christians demand the return of eleven girls who have 'disappeared'.

May 1, 2011
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber 'aged 12' kills four.

May 2, 2011
US
A Muslim stepfather is charged with the murder of his 20 year old stepdaughter. More HERE.

US (Hat tip to Frontpagemag)
An update on the reporter Lara Logan's assault in Egypt.

May 3, 2011
UK
An imam found guilty of raping 12 year old girl.

May 4, 2011
US
A man who was angry that his family would not go along with his conversion to Islam was sentenced to life in prison. He had killed five family members including his pregnant wife.

Denmark (hat tip to Newsrealblog)
Freedom of speech and women's rights to protect girls from rape took a major hit in Denmark earlier today when the public prosecutor found Lars Hedegaard, the President of the Danish (and International) Free Press Society, guilty of "hate speech about the prevalence of rape within Muslim familes." More HERE (hat tip to GatesofVienna).

Bangladesh
Eleven Muslim men are sentenced to life for gang rape.

Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia keeps the female voting ban.

May 9, 2011
Saudi Arabia (Translation by and hat tip to Tundratabloids)
Little girs between five and 12 years old are sold to wealthy men in Saudi Arabia, where they are held as sex slaves. When they reach maturity, and many are thrown on the street and they end quickly as a prostitute.

Brussels
Domestic violence is 40-75% of married women in the EU.

Sweden
The parents of a man convicted of a so-called honour killing in 2005 have been arrested following a decision by the Supreme Court to review the case.

May 11, 2011
Saudi Arabia
Six girls in an orphanage were flogged with ten lashes each for an act of 'mischief'. There were no details of the ruling for the punishment but the Arabic-language newspaper Okaz said the girls had been convicted of ‘acts of mischief’ and attacking the director of the orphanage. The girls defended their actions, saying they were harassed by the director, Okaz reported.

International human rights groups have criticised the Saudi justice system for applying corporal punishment for petty crimes, as well as limb amputations for thieves and beheadings for murderers under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Nigeria
Islamic jihadis kill the wife and children of a Nigerian pastor.

Bahrain (hat tip to Salon)
Bahraini police have reportedly made routine raids on girls' schools, "detaining, beating and threatening to rape girls as young as 12." A video shows an interview with a 16-year-old school girl sharing her experience of a brutal police raid on her school:

May 12, 2011
Pakistan
A student nurse is forced to convert and marry a Muslim man.

May 13, 2011
UK
Muslims object to advertisements with women in swimsuits.

May 16, 2011
India
Two mothers are charged with murdering their daughters in honor killings.

UK
Muslim Women Reformers: an interview.

May 18, 2011
Afghanistan
The Taliban is recruiting suicide bombers as young as nine years old.

UK
Asian women were subjected to virginity tests at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.

Support Bradley Manning: Blowing the whistle on war crimes is no crime

BEFORE MAY 29, 2011 COMES:On 29 May, Private Bradley Manning will have been held in US military detention without trial for one year. He faces a battery of charges, including "aiding the enemy" - a crime punishable by execution under US law.

Manning's crime? It is alleged that he blew the whistle on war crimes and cover ups by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. If true, the man is a hero. He is a defender of democracy and human rights. His actions are based on the principle that citizens have a right to know what the government is doing in their name. Bradley should not be in prison. The charges against him should be dropped. Set him free. Put on trial those who killed innocent civilians and those who protected the perpetrators.

For nearly a year, 23 year old Manning was imprisoned in harsh, inhuman conditions at Quantico marine corps base in Virginia. He was subjected to long periods of solitary confinement and many extreme deprivations, which amounted to pre-conviction punishment. After worldwide protests, he was recently transferred to a standard medium security military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where his treatment has significantly improved.

Manning is being held on the as yet unproven allegation that he leaked classified US military and diplomatic documents that were subsequently released by Wikileaks. These documents exposed US war crimes, as well as US foreign policy dishonesty and duplicity.

A senior United Nations representative on torture, Juan Mendez, reprimanded the US government in April 2011 for not allowing him to meet Bradley Manning in private and in confidence. This is the kind of censure the UN normally reserves for authoritarian regimes: http://tiny.cc/nq3mq

Mendez, the UN special rapporteur on torture, said: "I am deeply disappointed and frustrated by the prevarication of the US government with regard to my attempts to visit Mr Manning."

US congressman Dennis Kucinich and a representative from Amnesty International were likewise refused permission to visit Manning.

Also in April, more than 250 of America's most eminent legal scholars signed a letter protesting against the mistreatment of Manning during the nine months he was detained in Quantico military brig, arguing that his "degrading and inhumane conditions" were illegal, unconstitutional and could even amount to torture: http://tiny.cc/bs95c

The open letter by these scholars states:

"For nine months, Manning has been confined to his cell for twenty-three hours a day. During his one remaining hour, he can walk in circles in another room, with no other prisoners present. He is not allowed to doze off or relax during the day, but must answer the question "Are you OK?" verbally and in the affirmative every five minutes. At night, he is awakened to be asked again "Are you OK?" every time he turns his back to the cell door or covers his head with a blanket so that the guards cannot see his face. During the past week he was forced to sleep naked and stand naked for inspection in front of his cell, and for the indefinite future must remove his clothes and wear a "smock" under claims of risk to himself that he disputes."

The letter goes on to question the US government's motives for detaining Manning:

"The administration has provided no evidence that Manning's treatment reflects a concern for his own safety or that of other inmates. Unless and until it does so, there is only one reasonable inference: this pattern of degrading treatment aims either to deter future whistleblowers, or to force Manning to implicate Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in a conspiracy, or both."

The list of scholars who signed the letter included Barack Obama's own constitutional law professor, Laurence Tribe, a Harvard professor who is considered to be America's foremost liberal authority on constitutional law. He taught constitutional law to Barack Obama and was a key backer of his 2008 presidential campaign.

You can read this Guardian report about the mistreatment Manning suffered at Quantico: http://tiny.cc/junb2

In summary, the Guardian report states that was being kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, in a windowless room 12' x 6', and shackled hand and foot when he was transferred to a room where was allowed only to walk around in a circle. He was fed a daily diet of antidepressant pills which disoriented him, forced to stand naked, forbidden to exercise in his cell, and woken if he attempted to sleep in the daytime. Manning was continually subject to what is called "maximum custody", and also to a so-called "prevention of injury" order, which among other things, deprived him of his clothes at night and also of normal sheets and bedding in favour of a blanket he describes as being like the lead apron used when operating x-ray machines. He was allowed no personal possessions.

This abuse of Manning constitutes illegal "cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment", contrary to the UN Convention Against Torture and the 8th Amendment to the US constitution. It has been condemned by many civil liberties and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International: http://tiny.cc/7sr4w

The International Criminal Court should commence legal proceedings against the head of the US government and military commander-in-chief, President Obama. He bears direct personal and legal responsibility for the mistreatment of Manning. He knew about it, publicly endorsed it and did nothing to stop it.

The transfer of Manning from Quantico to Fort Leavenworth - and the subsequent significant improvement in the conditions under which he is being detained - occurred just days after the legal scholar's letter was publicised, and appeared designed to preempt plans by Manning's lawyers to mount a legal challenge to the harsh conditions of his detention at Quantico. It also followed an online petition by avaaz.org which gathered half a million signatures in one week in early April.

Private Manning, a US military intelligence analyst, was arrested in Iraq following the release by Wikileaks of video footage of a US Apache helicopter attack that gunned down 11 Iraqi civilians in 2007, including two Reuters journalists and men who had gone to the aid of the wounded. Two children were also gravely injured when the US helicopter opened fire on their van. The video records US soldiers laughing and joking at the killings, and also insulting the victims.

The video of the massacre can be seen at: www.collateralmurder.com

This slaughter had previously been the subject of a cover-up by the US armed forces, which claimed dishonestly that the helicopter had been engaged in combat operations against armed enemy forces.

It is only (allegedly) thanks to Bradley Manning that we now know the truth about this slaughter of innocent civilians - and about the killings of hundreds of other civilians in unreported and undocumented incidents.

Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, which exposed US lies and criminality in Vietnam, has hailed Manning as a hero.

Bradley Manning is openly gay. He has participated in Pride marches and campaigned against the 'Don't ask, don't tell' restrictions on gay military personnel. In 2008, he attended a rally in New York to oppose attempts to ban same-sex marriage in California.

Manning is also a humanist and a man with a conscience. When he discovered human rights violations by the US armed forces and duplicity by the US government, he was shocked and distressed. He became disillusioned with his country's foreign and military policy; believing it was betraying the US ideals of democracy and human rights.

The abuse that first triggered Manning's disillusionment was when he was posted to Iraq in October 2009 as an intelligence analyst. He was shocked to discover US military collusion with the repression of dissent in Iraq; in particular "watching 15 detainees taken by the Iraqi Federal Police....for printing 'anti-Iraqi' literature." The offending literature exposed corruption in the US-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. When he complained that US forces should not be assisting with the suppression of free speech and peaceful protest, he was told to shut up and that the US armed forces in Iraq should be doing more to silence opponents of the Maliki regime.

Manning is a US citizen but also a British citizen via his Welsh mother. Since he has been in detention, he has received no British consular support. Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg have failed to help him. They have never spoken publicly against his maltreatment or, as far as we know, made any private appeals to the US government and military to halt the abuse that Manning suffered at Quantico. So much for the coalition's professed commitment to human rights and civil liberties.

Manning's mother requested assistance from UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to ensure a British consular visit to her son. This request has been ignored: http://tiny.cc/4e732

TAKE ACTION - What you can do:

1. Write to Bradley Manning. Send him your support: PFC Bradley Manning 89289. Fort Leavenworth Military Detention Centre, 830 Sabalu Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, KS 66027, USA.

2. Sign the petition in support of Bradley Manning: www.bradleymanning.org

3. Ask your MP and MEPs to urge the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to ensure a British consular visit to Bradley Manning, and to press the US government to drop all charges and release him. You can email your MP and MEPs direct via this website: www.writetothem.com

4. Phone or write to the US Embassy in London - 24 Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE - 0207 499 9000

5. Write to President Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC20500, USA

6. Please tweet this message:

If Bradley Manning blew the whistle on US war crimes, he's a hero. Free him. Sign the petition: www.bradleymanning.org #bradleymanning

IDAHO Came and Went: What Did Others Say?

REFLECTION ON MAY 17, 2011 'SILENT' WORLD EVENTS: Today is IDAHO - the International Day Against HOmophobia and Transphobia. In countries all over the world, there are events calling for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality and equal human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

IDAHO is supported by dozens of governments, including the UK, and by many international government institutions, from the United Nations to the European Union. But the Commonwealth is not lending its support, nor are most Commonwealth countries. They want nothing to do with LGBT rights.

The Commonwealth is a bastion of global homophobia, often bucking the worldwide trend towards sexual orientation equality, with increased state-sanctioned threats and repression in Malawi, Uganda, The Gambia, Malaysia, Cameroon and Nigeria.

The 54 Commonwealth member states comprise one quarter of the UN membership and one third of all humanity. Forty-six of these Commonwealth countries still criminalise same-sex relations in all circumstances, with penalties including 25 years jail in Trinidad and Tobago and 20 years plus flogging in Malaysia. Several countries stipulate life imprisonment: Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Uganda, Tanzania and Bangladesh.

These 46 homophobic Commonwealth countries account for more than half of the 76 countries in the world that still have a total prohibition on homosexuality. http://tiny.cc/f2ixy

Nearly all the Commonwealth's anti-gay laws are the poisonous legacy of British colonialism. They were originally imposed by the British government in the nineteenth century, during the period of colonial rule - and never repealed when the former colonies won their freedom. The post-independence leaders retained the homophobic mindset of their colonial masters. Nowadays, many of their countrymen and women absurdly proclaim that the legal proscription of homosexuality is an authentic expression of indigenous national culture and tradition.

The Commonwealth is failing to challenge homophobia. This is somewhat surprising because the Commonwealth defines itself as a free and equal association of nations committed to the core principles of democracy, human rights, equality, non-discrimination, opportunity for all, liberty of the individual and human dignity. http://tiny.cc/ciuy0

Indeed, one of its catch phrases is Human Rights: More than Words. Shame about the reality. http://tiny.cc/0e1eo

The Commonwealth has never issued a formal declaration in support of LGBT human rights, let alone embarked on a programme of action to challenge the rampant homophobia and transphobia in its member states. Perhaps this is not surprising, since the Commonwealth has a long history of feeble responses to all human rights abuses, including Mugabe's murder and mayhem in Zimbabwe and the current violent suppression of protests in Uganda.

In the case of LGBT people, the Commonwealth's core principles are routinely violated by nearly all Commonwealth countries - and without rebuke by the leaders of the Commonwealth. As a result, millions of LGBT Commonwealth citizens are at risk of discrimination, harassment, arrest, torture, rape, imprisonment and mob attacks.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, stands accused of a systematic, persistent and wilful failure to condemn homophobic discrimination and violence. He offered no strong condemnation of Malawi's arrest and jailing of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga on charges of homosexuality last year. Likewise, his criticism of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which proposed the death penalty for same-sex acts, was muted. Although he did say discrimination is wrong, he also said this about the proposed legislation: "The bill is now in the Ugandan parliament - in any Commonwealth country, that is exactly where such a national issue should be debated. Let us see what the people of Uganda decide." This quasi neutral stance is hardly what we expect when a Commonwealth member state is proposing to execute its own citizens for consenting, victimless behaviour.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General has repeatedly ignored letters and appeals from LGBT campaigners. When I wrote Mr Sharma, asking what the Commonwealth was doing to tackle homophobia, he declined to reply. Weeks later, a lower ranking official sent a letter about the Commonwealth's work combating HIV, which did not even mention gay rights. A similar thing happened to Godwyns Onwuchekwa of Justice for Gay Africans. No reply. Our requests for Mr Sharma to meet us and other Commonwealth LGBT campaigners have been spurned.

I get the feeling that the Secretary-General does not care much about the human rights of LGBT Commonwealth citizens. He seems to regard the issue as an embarrassment and distraction.

Whatever excuses the Commonwealth may offer in its defence, one fact is indisputable: in the 62 years of its existence it has never debated LGBT human rights. Its leaders have never issued any policy document specifically dedicated to combating persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. They have never produced a formal statement calling on member states to decriminalise same-sex acts and provide legal protection to LGBT people against discrimination and hate crimes. This silence shows the true face of the Commonwealth: a bastion of homophobic persecution, collusion and appeasement.

If the Secretary-General can't robustly defend universal human rights and equality for LGBT people, he is unfit for high office and should resign.

Foreign Office praised for IDAHO contribution

...Unprecedented support for LGBT human rights worldwide

...Support urged for Moscow Gay Pride on 27 and 28 May

"To mark the IDAHO, the International Day Against Homphobia and Transphobia, the British Foreign Office issued an unprecedented message of support for LGBT rights and called for the prevention of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity," said Dan Littauer, Executive Editor of Gay Middle East.COM.

His view was echoed by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell:

"I commend the Foreign Office for its active endorsement and promotion of IDAHO and for its commitment to LGBT human rights worldwide. This year was its best contribution ever.

"But I also believe the Foreign Office could be doing more year-round to support LGBT communities that are suffering under repressive regimes. While the Foreign Office has been supportive of Gay Pride parades in Poland and the Baltic countries, they have offered no support to the organisers of Moscow Gay Pride, despite the arrests and bashings of the last five years. Moscow Pride is next week. It is again banned by the Mayor. We fear more mass arrests and beatings. I want to see the Foreign Office actively support the organisers and participants by sending the British Ambassador as an observer," said Mr Tatchell.

"This is the most comprehensive effort in support global LGBT rights by the British Foreign Office - or perhaps by any Foreign Office - that I have ever seen," added Mr Littaeur.

"Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne recorded a video message of support, and the Foreign Office website hosted, for the first time, two guest contributions from LGBT organisations, one by Gay Middle East and the other by Pride London. Foreign Office diplomatic staff from Beirut to Tokyo wrote on the issue from the perspective of the country in which they are posted."

"We were particularly pleased to be invited to contribute, as it sends a strong message of support to LGBT communities worldwide and particularly in the Middle East and North Africa."

"It demonstrates the readiness of the Foreign Office to help and encourage LGBT NGOs, activists and communities across the world to speak out against discrimination and homophobia in their countries," concluded Dan Littauer.

Gay Middle East.COM is the largest, most comprehensive and senior grassroots information, news and research on LGBT rights and news in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The organisation is non-profit and completely voluntary, members often risk their lives obtaining and reporting important information that would not be available otherwise to the public domain.

More info: Dan Littauer - editor@gaymiddleeast.com and 075 754 59 633

Foreign Office IDAHO actions:

· Foreign Office supports International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (inc. Minister's video): http://www.Foreign Office.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=596524482
· Minister's video YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tn9eC1dm_W0

Social media - lots of tweeting (particularly from @FCOHumanRights) and Facebooking across our various channels, using hashtags #IDAHO and #LGBT. Good amount of retweets and likes.

Blogs

· Guest blog from Pride London: http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/bate/entry/lgbt_across_the_world_today
· Guest blog from Gay Middle East: http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/bate/entry/will_the_arab_spring_result1
· Paul Arkwright (Ambassador to the Netherlands, The Hague): http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/arkwright/entry/marking_international_day_against_homophobia
· Christopher Wright, the Second Secretary for Political, Press and Public Affairs (guest entry on Ambassador to Philippines Stephen Lillie's blog): http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/lillie/entry/international_day_against_homophobia_and
· Tom Burn (Media and Communication Director, Tokyo): http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/burn/entry/idaho_s_not_a_place
· Greg Dorey (Ambassador to Hungary, Budapest): http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/dorey/entry/international_day_against_homophobia_and
· Frances Guy (Ambassador to the Republic of Lebanon, Beirut): http://blogs.Foreign Office.gov.uk/roller/guy/entry/international_day_against_homophobia_idaho

Additional content (a couple of examples - there may be more out there)

· British Ambassador to Lebanon Frances Guy met with the Lebanese NGO 'Helem', including embedded video: http://ukinlebanon.Foreign Office.gov.uk/en/about-us/working-with-lebanon2/002-IDAHO
· UK in Nepal supports International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia: http://ukinnepal.Foreign Office.gov.uk/en/news/?view=PressR&id=597058682

Obama 'says' Bradley Manning is guilty, before he has been convicted

Bradley Manning: One year in jail, without trial

Cameron and Clegg refuse to support Manning and his Welsh mother

London - 23 May 2011

"US President, Barack Obama has declared Private Bradley Manning guilty of passing classified information to Wikileaks, even before he has gone on trial and been convicted," said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights lobby, the Peter Tatchell Foundation

"The President, who is a former lawyer, should know better. This would be contempt of court in the UK. Such a high-level assertion that Manning is guilty must seriously prejudice the likelihood that Manning will receive a fair trial," said Mr Tatchell.

United States President, Barack Obama

When questioned about Bradley Manning in San Francisco in April by Logan Price, Obama declared: "He broke the law....he dumped (classified material)."

See the transcript below and this video recording of Obama: http://tiny.cc/3bu2b

"Manning is a US citizen but also a British citizen via his Welsh mother. During the one year he has been in detention, he has received no British consular support. Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg have failed to help him. They never spoke out publicly against the abuse he suffered for many months at Quantico military prison in Virginia. As far as we know, they did not make any private appeals to the US government and military to halt this abuse," said Mr Tatchell

"The coalition government needs to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and civil liberties by pressing the US government to drop all charges on the grounds that what Manning allegedly did was in the public interest and justifiably exposed criminal acts that are illegal under international law," Mr Tatchell added.

There is a House of Commons public meeting in support of Bradley Manning this Tuesday 24 May 2011, 6pm - 7.30pm, Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons. Speakers: Ann Clwyd MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Human Rights, David Leigh, The Guardian and Emily Butselaar, Index on Censorship.

"This week marks the first anniversary of the arrest and detention of Bradley Manning, who is accused of passing classified US diplomatic and military documents to Wikileaks," added Mr Tatchell.

"It is alleged that Manning released video footage of a US Apache helicopter attack that gunned down 11 Iraqi civilians in 2007, including two Reuters journalists and men who had gone to the aid of the wounded. Two children were also gravely injured when the US helicopter opened fire on their van in the same attack. The military video records US soldiers laughing and joking at the killings, and insulting the victims. Watch it here: www.collateralmurder.com

"This slaughter had previously been the subject of a cover-up by the US armed forces, which claimed dishonestly that the helicopter had been engaged in combat operations against armed enemy forces.

"It is allegedly only thanks to Bradley Manning that we now know the truth about the killing of these innocent civilians - and about the killing of hundreds of other civilians in unreported and undocumented incidents.

"The US abuses that first triggered Manning's disillusionment occurred soon after he was posted to Iraq in October 2009 as an intelligence analyst. He discovered US military collusion with the repression of dissent in Iraq; in particular "watching 15 detainees taken by the Iraqi Federal Police....for printing 'anti-Iraqi' literature." The offending literature exposed corruption in the US-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. When Manning complained that US forces should not be assisting with the suppression of free speech and the right to protest, he was told to keep quiet, with the admonishment that the US armed forces should be doing more to silence opponents of the Maliki regime.

"If Manning blew the whistle on war crimes and cover ups by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is a hero. He is a defender of democracy and human rights. His actions are based on the principle that citizens have a right to know what the government is doing in their name. Manning should not be in prison. Instead, the US should put on trial those who killed innocent civilians and those who protected them.

"Even many Americans agree that Bradley Manning is a true patriot, not a traitor. He reveres the founding ideals of the US - an open, honest government accountable to the people, which pursues its policies by lawful means that respect human rights. At great personal risk, he sought to expose grave crimes that were perpetrated and then hidden by the US government and military. These are the characteristics of a man of conscience, motivated by altruism. Any misjudgements he made in his alleged release of certain documents are far outweighed by the positive good overall. Thanks to Manning, we, the people, know the truth.

"Critics say that Wikileaks was sometimes indiscriminate and even reckless in its release of certain documents. This may be true in a small number of cases. Regardless, these releases were done by Wikileaks, not by Manning. He allegedly passed the information in good faith for publication where appropriate. He did not publish the documents. Wikileaks did. Manning cannot be blamed for any shortcomings in the way Wikileaks released the information," said Mr Tatchell.

Further information: Peter Tatchell - 0207 403 1790
peter@petertatchellfoundation.org

Transcript of Obama interview declaring Bradley Manning's guilt:

OBAMA: So people can have philosophical views [about Bradley Manning] but I can't conduct diplomacy on an open source [basis]... That's not how the world works.

And if you're in the military... And I have to abide by certain rules of classified information. If I was to release stuff that I'm not authorised to release, I'd be breaking the law.

We're a nation of laws! We don't individually make our own decisions about how the laws operate. He broke the law.

[Q: Didn't he release evidence of war crimes?]

OBAMA: What he did was he dumped...

[Q: Isn't that just the same thing as what Daniel Ellsberg did?]

OBAMA: No it wasn't the same thing. Ellsberg's material wasn't classified in the same way.

End of interview

Fuel Shortage Continues

Most parts of Malawi continue to experience fuel shortages, one of the hall-marks of President Bingu wa Mutharika's administration.
Mutharika has made positive strides in economic development, but his track record on governance and human rights remains shady.

Bingu Swallows Humble Pie

Malawi's president, Bingu wa Mutharika, has come down to earth and admitted to Malawi's Parliament Session that he is in serious talks with Britain over the two countries' diplomatic tussle.
Mutharika told Parliament yesterday his government is doing all there is to do to make sure that relations between former colonial master Britain and Malawi get back to normal.
It is the first time Mutharika has spoken on efforts to heal current wounds, and offers some insight into his panic over Britain's announcement it was withholding aid until it reviewed its relations with Malawi.

Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) Varicose Veins Study.

By Andrew K Fletcher
Dear Reader
We are seeking more people with varicose veins who are willing to put
IBT to the test and feel that this is something that your readers and
colleagues will definitely find fascinating and some who have varicose
veins and oedema and wish to avoid surgery may want to Help in this
important trial and join our Free study which has already produced
positive results in only 4 weeks as predicted!
News Release:
An Important Scientific Study into the cause of Varicose Veins and
Oedema and Inclined Bed Therapy (I.B.T.) is now underway, which makes
use of the way the body uses gravity to move solutes through the
vessels to improve circulation and alter the pressure inside the veins
to significantly reduce swelling and oedema. Our study is free for
anyone to participate in. There are no products to be sold or
marketed.
What is Inclined Bed Therapy?
Gravity was identified as the driving force behind circulation in
trees in 1994 and was applied immediately to how circulation in the
body benefits from the same interaction with salts and sugars in the
circulation. A video showing the use of IBT with spinal cord injury
can be viewed here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3D7tBQfCxQ
IBT is simply tilting the bed so that the head end is 15 cm’s or 6
inches higher than the foot end providing a level but tilted bed,
hence the name Inclined Bed Therapy.0 People with varicose veins,
oedema (fluid retention) are needed to participate in an online Diary
Study, in order to prove that simply altering our sleeping position
can have a positive affect on these problems.
If you or someone you know has Varicose Veins, the standard advise is
to raise your legs and tilt your bed the other way to IBT, Or to
undergo risky and expensive surgery that is prone to fail because it
does not address why the pressure inside the vein causes it to bulge.
Which according to current physiology books makes sense. But what if
that logic is incorrect? All the evidence from our study is showing
that gravity is not a force we are struggling to overcome but a force
that drives the fluids within the body.

Are you prepared to take the 4 week challenge and provide us with your
observations? Or do you know someone who has varicose veins and would
like to watch them slowly but surely shrink and improve every night
they go to bed instead of becoming more unsightly and uncomfortable?

Our study is located on the Naked Scientists forum, who have a regular
slot on BBC Radio.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.msg121037#msg121037

My wife’s calf showing clearly her varicose vein shadow, which went
flat after 4 weeks of Inclined Bed Therapy back in 1994 and has not
returned to its former state since.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.msg121037#msg121037

Alun has already confirmed my statement on the study thread that
Varicose veins will shrink after 4 weeks of IBT and has supplied us
with photographic before and after 4 weeks of IBT along with a diary
account of his observations. And he is not alone.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.75

We are hoping to find at least 50 more pioneering volunteers who wish
to avoid surgery and it’s inherent risks and failures, who are willing
to provide us with photographic and a written account of their own
experiences sleeping inclined.

So far our study is running towards a predicted outcome that flies in
the face of current physiology literature.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely Andrew K Fletcher

HIV and AIDS: An Effective Natural Free Therapy For Africa

BY Andrew K Fletcher


In 1994, I made a very important discovery in circulation, which has
shown beyond any shadow of a doubt that the human body requires the
correct influence from gravity in order to maintain optimum
circulation of bodily fluids! I have been working with people
suffering from a whole range of illnesses since 1994. And have
observed and documented many incredible recoveries and improvements in
conditions ranging from oedema to spinal cord injuries. My work is all
freely available on the Internet. Use my name and Gravity as a search
term, in a search engine. For Example: Healthy Astronauts develop
rapid ageing, muscular and bone degeneration, immune deficiencies,
neurological and visual problems when they are in space and begin to
recover when they come back to Earth!
During several studies, involving many people, it became apparent that
the immune system appears to respond significantly from inclined bed
therapy. Many people appear to fight off influenza, while others
around them develop the condition. Body temperature is maintained and
improved while sleeping on an incline. Respiration, Renal function,
heart performance also appear to benefit! I Firmly Believe that no
person suffering from an illness should be placed on a flat bed!
It is my intention to bring the benefits of my work and discovery in
circulation to the people of Africa. I have tried to reach people who
have AIDS and other infectious illnesses on BBC World Service Radio.
If You are involved with Health Care and would like to test the
effectiveness of this simple intervention. I would very much like to
hear from you with regards to setting up a controlled study to
determine the effects of this powerful free therapy for people with
AIDS and HIV.
Adapt your own bed To sleep as nature intended us to, and as The
Ancient Egyptians did! A bed is raised placing the head end on a
minimum of two 20cm or 8 inch blocks. Hooking the casters or legs over
the blocks helps to stabilise the bed. If your bed is the type that
joins in the centre you will need to support the join with two 3inch
or 7.5 cm blocks. The casters at the foot end of the bed should be
removed to give the correct slope and added stability. Check the
height by measuring from the floor to the top of the mattress. If your
bed is longer than a standard bed then you must adjust the height of
the blocks accordingly.
A wooden wedge placed under the mattress, or even folded blankets will
do the job, but be sure to recheck the angle as the blankets often
compress and more should be added to make up the difference. Be
patient and expect a little discomfort while gravity adjusts your body
to the new posture. You may feel some discomfort in the spine and
neck, this appears to be a threshold which has to be passed and is
probably due to us developing a more upright posture. If you would
like to help me in my ongoing research, or would simply like to
monitor your own progress, see the (enclosed) diary entry form to
record any changes in your health,

20cm (8ins) block-- 10cm (4ins) block----- Castors off bottom

The Importance of Gravity to our Health and Wellbeing, and its
Relation to Rest & Sleep.
The most powerful and least understood force known to man is gravity.
A force, that cements all planets to an invisible grid. A force which,
here on earth, raised mountains, carved out valleys, hurls molten rock
into the air and drives the world's weather and ocean currents. In
fact, the very force that shapes everything we are or will ever see.
From the time we stand up to take our first steps as children, we
sense our correct posture and align ourselves for optimum performance.
By standing on our own two feet, we are not struggling to overcome
gravity as is currently accepted. In fact we stood up as a species in
order to harness and bathe in the earth’s gravitational force. Once
this simple and hitherto overlooked concept is accepted, it becomes
enlightening to understand how we, the most intelligent of all the
species here on earth stand warm blooded and vertical, as opposed to
cold blooded reptiles which do not! Yet, in our wisdom we have chosen
to ignore the very force that powers all our vital functions when we
sleep. We have poured countless £ billions into research and yet
answers to debilitating medical conditions which cause untold
suffering and premature deaths continue to remain life's unsolved
mysteries. Children continue to slip quietly away before they have
managed to take a single step. The average life expectancy has
remained relatively the same: Three score years and ten or seventy
years. Why has this figure failed to change significantly along with
the advances in science and medicine? What common denominator does
each and every one of us share as we sleep safely tucked up in bed?
Ever since the human race began, people have striven to make life more
comfortable and nowhere is this more apparent than in the sleeping
quarters of people around the world. Yet, in our endeavours for
comfort we have never questioned the angle at which we lay down to
sleep? Until now! The rhythms of nature, like the ocean tides, are
irrefutably linked to the influences of the Sun, Moon and Earth’s
gravitational force. It is no coincidence that animals and plants'
synchronies the birth of their offspring. Yet, each of us chooses to
ignore the power of gravity every night as we lay in our flat bed.
Links below are case sensitive:
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/TreeTalk/3Spring2003/Gravity/gravity1.htm
(Theory and Intro)
http://groups.iop.org/ME/archive_newsletter2003014.htm (Published in
Medical Physics Newsletter)

Ngoni Power: Traditional Authority Chekucheku of Neno

President Bingu wa Mutharika Strikes Reconciliatory Tone

No podium-bashing.
No angry bouts.
No donor-bashing.
No opposition-bashing.

Today, Malawi's President, Bingu wa Mutharika, opened the 23rd International Trade Fair a different man, as he moved from his usual tendency of turning the Trade Fair into a foe-bashing zone.
Instead, Mutharika concentrated on business and trade issues- asking government ministries and departments to start offering universities research projects.
"Elsewhere, be it in the United States of America, Japan, Bangladesh, economies developed because they utilised university institutions. We mast start doing the same in Malawi."
Mutharika's tone has surprised observers. Former colonial master Britain has just announced that it is withholding aid from Malawi. Germany, Norway have expressed similar intentions.
Fuel shortages continue to trouble all facets of life, while most public hospitals have run out of drugs.
Mutharika could not afford to be boastiful.
Malawi is in sombre mood.