Thursday, January 15, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence – it’s a war crime
From London's Sunday Times, January 11, 2009ISRAEL has sought to justify its military attacks on Gaza by stating that it amounts to an act of “self-defence” as recognised by Article 51, United Nations Charter. We categorically reject this contention.
The rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas deplorable as they are, do not, in terms of scale and effect amount to an armed attack entitling Israel to rely on self-defence. Under international law self-defence is an act of last resort and is subject to the customary rules of proportionality and necessity.
The killing of almost 800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 3,000 injuries, accompanied by the destruction of schools, mosques, houses, UN compounds and government buildings, which Israel has a responsibility to protect under the Fourth Geneva Convention, is not commensurate to the deaths caused by Hamas rocket fire.
For 18 months Israel had imposed an unlawful blockade on the coastal strip that brought Gazan society to the brink of collapse. In the three years after Israel’s redeployment from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire. And yet in 2005-8, according to the UN, the Israeli army killed about 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children. Throughout this time the Gaza Strip remained occupied territory under international law because Israel maintained effective control over it.
Israel’s actions amount to aggression, not self-defence, not least because its assault on Gaza was unnecessary. Israel could have agreed to renew the truce with Hamas. Instead it killed 225 Palestinians on the first day of its attack. As things stand, its invasion and bombardment of Gaza amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s 1.5m inhabitants contrary to international humanitarian and human rights law. In addition, the blockade of humanitarian relief, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and preventing access to basic necessities such as food and fuel, are prima facie war crimes.
We condemn the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel and suicide bombings which are also contrary to international humanitarian law and are war crimes. Israel has a right to take reasonable and proportionate means to protect its civilian population from such attacks. However, the manner and scale of its operations in Gaza amount to an act of aggression and is contrary to international law, notwithstanding the rocket attacks by Hamas.
Ian Brownlie QC, Blackstone Chambers
Mark Muller QC, Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales
Michael Mansfield QC and Joel Bennathan QC, Tooks Chambers
Sir Geoffrey Bindman, University College, London
Professor Richard Falk, Princeton University
Professor M Cherif Bassiouni, DePaul University, Chicago
Professor Christine Chinkin, LSE
Professor John B Quigley, Ohio State University
Professor Iain Scobbie and Victor Kattan, School of Oriental and African Studies
Professor Vera Gowlland-Debbas, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
Professor Said Mahmoudi, Stockholm University
Professor Max du Plessis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
Professor Bill Bowring, Birkbeck College
Professor Joshua Castellino, Middlesex University
Professor Thomas Skouteris and Professor Michael Kagan, American University of Cairo
Professor Javaid Rehman, Brunel University
Daniel Machover, Chairman, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights
Dr Phoebe Okawa, Queen Mary University
John Strawson, University of East London
Dr Nisrine Abiad, British Institute of International and Comparative Law
Dr Michael Kearney, University of York
Dr Shane Darcy, National University of Ireland, Galway
Dr Michelle Burgis, University of St Andrews
Dr Niaz Shah, University of Hull
Liz Davies, Chair, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyer
Prof Michael Lynk, The University of Western Ontario
Steve Kamlish QC and Michael Topolski QC, Tooks Chambers
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Monday, December 29, 2008
I fixed Zoe's laptop. It's pretty cool.
Here's the link to the page I found that helped me fix it.
Scroll down to where it says "If your XO is not connected to the internet".
Here's the link to the page I found that helped me fix it.
Scroll down to where it says "If your XO is not connected to the internet".
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Zoe got a laptop from my dad on the last night of Hanukah. It's not just any laptop - it's the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) version. For $399 you can give a laptop to a child in a developing country and receive one for a child in your life. Guess what? It's broken. Well, so far. I've discovered a forum for the laptop where people troubleshoot their problems and I've found a possible solution to the problem. I need a USB flash drive, however, that's at least 500MB big and I can't find the one I know I have. I think it's at work. Hopefully, I can fix this so Zoe doesn't have a cow.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
What a Scare
In the wee hours of the morning of Thursday, Heather and I were awoken to an abnormal breathing pattern for Solome. It sounded like rapid hiccups but once Heather really woke up she knew immediately that Solome was having a seizure.
She told me to call 911 immediately which I did, in a dizzying, half-awoken state, stumbling around the house in a panic, trying to find a phone (note to self: must get better about putting phones back on their cradles . . .). There was a pool of drool on our bed next to Solome's mouth and as Heather talked to the 911 operator, Solome was still seizing.
Zoe woke up at some point and was wondering what was going on and wasn't happy that we woke her up. Heather stayed with Solome through her seizure and I threw my clothes on.
We took the baby downstairs and waited for the ambulance - it seemed to take forever. I took the baby from Heather and sat with her on the couch watching her seize. This ranks as one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Not knowing if she will live or have brain damage were the things I was thinking. I distinctly remember a moment of sheer terror looking in Heather's eyes - can't tell you if she remembers it this way but I was scared.
After a long wait (10-15 minutes), the ambulance finally was spotted headed down Maringo from Carlyon going very slowly. Heather went out into the road and waved them down. When the ambulance stopped, no one jumped out and ran to the door. The techs action didn't indicate we were having an emergency - this was deeply troubling to us.
The female tech took Solome's temp when she came in - 103.8F - and we eventually had at least 2 technicians in our house, maybe three. The technicians that evaluated Solome in our house were not the same ones that came to transport her to the emergency room at St. Peter's Hospital. We finished in the house and got Heather and the baby in the ambulance and they drove away.
We had called Heather's sister, Deborah, and made arrangements to take Zoe to stay there while we were with Solome at the ER. I drove Zoe to her aunt's house and then made it to the ER. I learned that the ambulance had beaten me by only a few minutes. Heather's account of the ambulance ride was that they took a very long route to the hospital and went VERY slowly the whole way. She estimated it took 20 minutes to get there - Solome had another seizure most of the way to the hospital.
When I first got to Solome's room, the ER looked pretty empty. There were 8-10 people swarming around her room. Solome was still non-responsive and I couldn't tell if she was still seizing or just in a post-seizure state. Waiting for the people to tell us what was going on and watching them treat her was also terrifying. We really didn't know if she would make it through this.
During her time at Prov. St. Peter's, they gave her anti-seizure medicine a few times, put lines in her hand and foot and kept on top of her vital signs. They also x-rayed her chest and gave her a CT scan to make sure her brain looked OK. The entire time we were there, even though Solome seemed very non -responsive, Heather and I talked to her like she were awake. We wanted her to hear our voices and hopefully, find some comfort in that.
We learned that there was some substance in her right lung - the doctor suspecting Solome had aspirated vomit during her seizure - this could cause an infection and was dangerous. Her CT was clear except for a small spot of calcification on the back of her brain (this amounts to a scar on the brain). The cause for this could be many things - pre-natal exposure to cats and/or cat feces, head injury or other head trauma.
They proceeded to suck the substance from her lungs with a tube. Solome coughed as much up as she could - this was good. They told us we might not want to watch them do this - I left the room - Heather stayed with her and just didn't look.
We think Solome might have had a few more seizures at the ER but the nurses there weren't sure - they think it might have been Solome's reaction to people handling her - she showed signs of shaking when they x-rayed her and when they fiddled with her lines. They gave her more anti-seizure medicine.
Solome eventually stabilized and seemed to be in a deep sleep. They almost thought they would have to intabate her to breath for her but luckily, this was avoided. Her oxygen levels measured normal the minute the techs were able to measure this and remained that way. This was a good sign.
They told us in order to discover the cause of the seizures, they may have to perform a lumbar puncture, where they take a sample of fluid from the base of her spinal column - this did not sound pleasant. It would indicate meningitis which could be a cause of the seizures. They also told us they would most likely transfer her to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma where there was a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and she could get specialized care.
(This is getting kinda long . . . am going to quickly describe the rest)
I got Zoe to school later in the morning while Heather stayed with Solome and then went with her when she was transferred to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. We loved this facility. The people were attentive and professional. There was a social worker attending to Heather and her needs.
I went to Mary Bridge and walked into Solome's room just as a doctor was performing the lumbar puncture. This was a bit startling but not as bad as I thought it would be. Solome was out cold - a good thing when you have a needle hanging out of your back. The fluid looked clear coming out but would need to be watched for 48 hours to see if anything grew out of it that would indicate meningitis.
After that, Solome slept for a while and was watched carefully by the nurses.
The rest of our stay is a blur of her recovering slowly, getting antibiotics, Heather and I taking turns staying with her and going back to Olympia to be with Zoe. I ended up going home the first night and sleeping w Zoe and then taking her to school the next morning and Heather did it last night. Heather and I worked really well together.
Solome was admitted to Mary Bridge Thursday morning and was released Saturday morning. The actual cause of her seizures is still unknown but the leading causes are a pre-existing condition of her being prone to having febrile seizures (they occur in 4% of all children) and the fever she obtained after getting six (6) vaccinations at once at Group Health on Wednesday. It's common to run a fever after getting vaccinated and this was thought to have led to her seizure but the doctor can't say for sure.
We have a major complaint with the ambulance company that took Solome to the ER around their initial response time and the time it took them to get to St. Peter's. We are also disappointed in the decision by Solome's pediatrician to administer 6 vaccinations at once. We have a feeling she wanted to get credit for Solome getting all her vaccinations at her 1-year well child visit. Financially, this decision to "catch Solome up on her vaccinations" will cost Group Health quite a bit in claims from Mary Bridge. We will no longer be allowing Solome to get more than 1 vaccination at a time.
We now are carrying with us anti-seizure medication and will actively manage any fever Solome gets with Tylenol and Ibuprofen in rotating dosages. This is thought to be better then giving her anti-seizure medicine all the time since this medication can have significant side effects.
Solome is now home, taking a nap and is back to her old self. We're so grateful for all the help we got from our wonderful neighbors (Steve, Marie, Diana, Peter and Anne), Heather's sister Deborah, our minister, Art Vaeni, who visited Solome at Mary Bridge and all the loving prayers that were sent to her while she was sick. Without all the help, it would have been so much harder for us. We are so lucky and fortunate to have you all in our lives.
In the wee hours of the morning of Thursday, Heather and I were awoken to an abnormal breathing pattern for Solome. It sounded like rapid hiccups but once Heather really woke up she knew immediately that Solome was having a seizure.
She told me to call 911 immediately which I did, in a dizzying, half-awoken state, stumbling around the house in a panic, trying to find a phone (note to self: must get better about putting phones back on their cradles . . .). There was a pool of drool on our bed next to Solome's mouth and as Heather talked to the 911 operator, Solome was still seizing.
Zoe woke up at some point and was wondering what was going on and wasn't happy that we woke her up. Heather stayed with Solome through her seizure and I threw my clothes on.
We took the baby downstairs and waited for the ambulance - it seemed to take forever. I took the baby from Heather and sat with her on the couch watching her seize. This ranks as one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Not knowing if she will live or have brain damage were the things I was thinking. I distinctly remember a moment of sheer terror looking in Heather's eyes - can't tell you if she remembers it this way but I was scared.
After a long wait (10-15 minutes), the ambulance finally was spotted headed down Maringo from Carlyon going very slowly. Heather went out into the road and waved them down. When the ambulance stopped, no one jumped out and ran to the door. The techs action didn't indicate we were having an emergency - this was deeply troubling to us.
The female tech took Solome's temp when she came in - 103.8F - and we eventually had at least 2 technicians in our house, maybe three. The technicians that evaluated Solome in our house were not the same ones that came to transport her to the emergency room at St. Peter's Hospital. We finished in the house and got Heather and the baby in the ambulance and they drove away.
We had called Heather's sister, Deborah, and made arrangements to take Zoe to stay there while we were with Solome at the ER. I drove Zoe to her aunt's house and then made it to the ER. I learned that the ambulance had beaten me by only a few minutes. Heather's account of the ambulance ride was that they took a very long route to the hospital and went VERY slowly the whole way. She estimated it took 20 minutes to get there - Solome had another seizure most of the way to the hospital.
When I first got to Solome's room, the ER looked pretty empty. There were 8-10 people swarming around her room. Solome was still non-responsive and I couldn't tell if she was still seizing or just in a post-seizure state. Waiting for the people to tell us what was going on and watching them treat her was also terrifying. We really didn't know if she would make it through this.
During her time at Prov. St. Peter's, they gave her anti-seizure medicine a few times, put lines in her hand and foot and kept on top of her vital signs. They also x-rayed her chest and gave her a CT scan to make sure her brain looked OK. The entire time we were there, even though Solome seemed very non -responsive, Heather and I talked to her like she were awake. We wanted her to hear our voices and hopefully, find some comfort in that.
We learned that there was some substance in her right lung - the doctor suspecting Solome had aspirated vomit during her seizure - this could cause an infection and was dangerous. Her CT was clear except for a small spot of calcification on the back of her brain (this amounts to a scar on the brain). The cause for this could be many things - pre-natal exposure to cats and/or cat feces, head injury or other head trauma.
They proceeded to suck the substance from her lungs with a tube. Solome coughed as much up as she could - this was good. They told us we might not want to watch them do this - I left the room - Heather stayed with her and just didn't look.
We think Solome might have had a few more seizures at the ER but the nurses there weren't sure - they think it might have been Solome's reaction to people handling her - she showed signs of shaking when they x-rayed her and when they fiddled with her lines. They gave her more anti-seizure medicine.
Solome eventually stabilized and seemed to be in a deep sleep. They almost thought they would have to intabate her to breath for her but luckily, this was avoided. Her oxygen levels measured normal the minute the techs were able to measure this and remained that way. This was a good sign.
They told us in order to discover the cause of the seizures, they may have to perform a lumbar puncture, where they take a sample of fluid from the base of her spinal column - this did not sound pleasant. It would indicate meningitis which could be a cause of the seizures. They also told us they would most likely transfer her to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma where there was a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and she could get specialized care.
(This is getting kinda long . . . am going to quickly describe the rest)
I got Zoe to school later in the morning while Heather stayed with Solome and then went with her when she was transferred to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma. We loved this facility. The people were attentive and professional. There was a social worker attending to Heather and her needs.
I went to Mary Bridge and walked into Solome's room just as a doctor was performing the lumbar puncture. This was a bit startling but not as bad as I thought it would be. Solome was out cold - a good thing when you have a needle hanging out of your back. The fluid looked clear coming out but would need to be watched for 48 hours to see if anything grew out of it that would indicate meningitis.
After that, Solome slept for a while and was watched carefully by the nurses.
The rest of our stay is a blur of her recovering slowly, getting antibiotics, Heather and I taking turns staying with her and going back to Olympia to be with Zoe. I ended up going home the first night and sleeping w Zoe and then taking her to school the next morning and Heather did it last night. Heather and I worked really well together.
Solome was admitted to Mary Bridge Thursday morning and was released Saturday morning. The actual cause of her seizures is still unknown but the leading causes are a pre-existing condition of her being prone to having febrile seizures (they occur in 4% of all children) and the fever she obtained after getting six (6) vaccinations at once at Group Health on Wednesday. It's common to run a fever after getting vaccinated and this was thought to have led to her seizure but the doctor can't say for sure.
We have a major complaint with the ambulance company that took Solome to the ER around their initial response time and the time it took them to get to St. Peter's. We are also disappointed in the decision by Solome's pediatrician to administer 6 vaccinations at once. We have a feeling she wanted to get credit for Solome getting all her vaccinations at her 1-year well child visit. Financially, this decision to "catch Solome up on her vaccinations" will cost Group Health quite a bit in claims from Mary Bridge. We will no longer be allowing Solome to get more than 1 vaccination at a time.
We now are carrying with us anti-seizure medication and will actively manage any fever Solome gets with Tylenol and Ibuprofen in rotating dosages. This is thought to be better then giving her anti-seizure medicine all the time since this medication can have significant side effects.
Solome is now home, taking a nap and is back to her old self. We're so grateful for all the help we got from our wonderful neighbors (Steve, Marie, Diana, Peter and Anne), Heather's sister Deborah, our minister, Art Vaeni, who visited Solome at Mary Bridge and all the loving prayers that were sent to her while she was sick. Without all the help, it would have been so much harder for us. We are so lucky and fortunate to have you all in our lives.
(here is Solome home from the hospital)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Psyched!
Also, I've discovered a pretty damn cool MP3 blog (with a great name) - The Music Slut. I like the song from the Explorer's Club; Annie Lennox does a decent version of "Many Rivers to Cross" too. Check it out kids.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Chomsky on 9/11
Found these on the newly revamped Znet. You may find his take on 9.11 surprising.
* Chomsky on 9.11 - part one
* Chomsky on 9.11 - part two
Found these on the newly revamped Znet. You may find his take on 9.11 surprising.
* Chomsky on 9.11 - part one
* Chomsky on 9.11 - part two
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Good reads on Ethiopia Adoption:
* My Ethiopian Daughters, By Rita Radostitz, from Adoptive Families Magazine
* Finding My Daughter's Roots, Melissa Fay Greene from today's Parade Magazine
* My Ethiopian Daughters, By Rita Radostitz, from Adoptive Families Magazine
* Finding My Daughter's Roots, Melissa Fay Greene from today's Parade Magazine
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Had to post about two sites devoted to sound effects. It's a Web 2.0 concept where people contribute sounds they collect.
The FreeSound Project
SoundSnap.Com
The FreeSound Project
SoundSnap.Com
Monday, August 06, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Music Tip:
Check out this find from the music blog, Swedesplease:
I rarely am disappointed by the stuff on Swedesplease - go there often.
Check out this find from the music blog, Swedesplease:
I rarely am disappointed by the stuff on Swedesplease - go there often.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Gotta really get started hardcore on GTD - clean out that inbox. Here's a good post on 43 Folders that might help:
http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/
http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)