Saturday, May 31

Africa’s caricature Hitler, Mugabe and his gangsters’ army

Zimbabwe's army chief has told soldiers they must leave the military if they do not vote for incumbent President Robert Mugabe in next month's run-off poll.

Chief-of-staff Maj Gen Martin Chedondo said soldiers had signed up to protect Mr. Mugabe's principles of defending the revolution, state media reported. "If you have other thoughts, then you should remove that uniform," he said.

Gen Chedondo was speaking at a target-shooting competition outside Harare, the Herald newspaper reported. Zimbabwe's generals have in the past vowed never to support the main opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, if he is elected in the 27 June run-off election.

That’s if you had any questions on how far Mugabe’s junta can go! Africa’s caricature Hitler is using the army now and the list for the candidates for the international courts is getting bigger. Monster torturer and idiotic gangster Martin Chedondo is definitely going to keep company to Robert in the dark cell!

US Democrats hold key poll talks

The US Democratic Party is meeting to decide the fate of two states left out of the dramatic race to find its candidate for president.

Both Florida and Michigan were stripped of representation for holding their candidate contests in January, in violation of party rules. Hillary Clinton hopes the party will reverse its decision in the two states, where she has enjoyed strong support.

She is lagging behind Barack Obama in the closing days of the race. The 30 members of the Democratic Party's rules and bylaws committee are meeting in the ballroom of a Washington hotel.

Outside, about 200 protesters holding placards gathered, chanting: "Count our vote." The Democratic Party chairman, Howard Dean, opened the meeting, saying the compromises under discussion would probably not satisfy everyone.

Hillary take a decision before it is too late!

North Korea tests missiles

North Korea has fired three short-range ship-to-ship missiles off its west coast as part of a military training exercise, reports from South Korea say.

A government source was quoted as saying missiles with a range of nearly 50km (30 miles) were fired into the sea west of the North's capital, Pyongyang. The North conducted a similar launch in March in what was seen as a snub to the US and the South's new government.

What remains is to see when the …Americans will test their missiles on the North Koreans!

An Ovi cartoon



For more cartoons check HERE!

Homeless Japanese lived in a… closet

A homeless woman who sneaked into a man's house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food began disappearing.

Police found the 58-year-old woman Thursday hiding in the top compartment of the man's closet and arrested her for trespassing, police spokesman Hiroki Itakura from southern Kasuya town said Friday.

The resident of the home installed security cameras that transmitted images to his mobile phone after becoming puzzled by food disappearing from his kitchen over the past several months. One of the cameras captured someone moving inside his home Thursday after he had left, and he called police, believing it was a burglar. However, when they arrived, they found the door locked and all windows closed.

"We searched the house ... checking everywhere someone could possibly hide," Itakura said. "When we slid open the shelf closet, there she was, nervously curled up on her side." The woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man's house about a year ago when he left it unlocked.

Sorry I find it had to believe but this must be a closet the size of a room because if you see my closet …not an ant can live in there! The bad news is that it is terrifying where poverty can lead you. However the good news is that she came out of the …closet!

Discussing terrorism settlement with Libya

Negotiations between the United States and Libya that could result in compensation for past acts of state-sponsored terrorism by Libya are under way, a senior State Department official said Friday.

U.S. and Libyan officials met Wednesday and Thursday, the official said. The nations hope to hammer out a deal in which Libya would "resolve all outstanding claims in good faith" and offer "fair compensation" to victims and their families, he said.

"We are just at the beginning of this process. The goal is to get something that is fair and comprehensive," the official said.

Amazing who would expect that from Muammar Gaddafi back in eighties? Life has some strange turns!

US Democrats to hold talks

The US Democratic Party is meeting to decide the fate of two states left out of the dramatic race to find its candidate for president.

Both Florida and Michigan were stripped of representation for holding their candidate contests in January, in violation of party rules. Hillary Clinton hopes the party will reverse its decision in the two states, where she has enjoyed strong support.

She is lagging behind Barack Obama in the closing days of the race. Whatever the outcome of the committee's meeting, Barack Obama is still almost certain to cross the finishing-line in first place.

Let’s hope that they meet and come to a compromise, one of them has to be the vice president!

Ford in Mexico

US giant Ford is to invest $3bn in a new car plant in Mexico, the biggest investment in the country's manufacturing sector.

The move is a blow to American car workers who had hoped the factory would be built in the United States. Ford has lost more than $15bn over the past two years and says the new facility is crucial to its future. Mexican President Felipe Calderon hailed the announcement as a "turning point" for his country.

The new factory, and other changes to Ford's Mexican operations, are likely to create an estimated 4,500 jobs in Mexico, where car workers earn substantially less than their American counterparts. Mr. Calderon made the announcement with Ford president Alan Mullaly at the presidential compound in Mexico City on Friday.

"We want Mexico to be an automotive country, one that is competitive and with the most advantages so that the worldwide automotive industry will establish itself here," Mr. Calderon said. Mr. Mullaly said: "We are convinced the geographic location as well as Mexico's highly qualified labor force and economic stability make this decision the right one for our business."

This might take Mexicans away from drugs and violence a phenomenon that increases worryingly!

Burma’ junta policy costs lives

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has accused Burma of causing the loss of tens of thousands of lives by hindering international cyclone relief efforts.

Mr. Gates said the United States had had ships and aircraft ready to help after Cyclone Nargis hit a month ago. Unlike Indonesia and Bangladesh after major natural disasters, Burma had denied entry to the country, he said.

An estimated 2.4m people remain homeless and hungry following the cyclone, which struck on 2 May. "Many other countries besides the United States also have felt hindered in their efforts," said Mr. Gates, speaking at a security conference in Singapore. "Despite these obstructions, we continue to get help into Burma, and remain poised to provide more," he added.

Burma and Myanmar’s dictators have proved in practice that democracy ….saves lives!!!

The Ovi magazine today

Where Reality Fears to Tread: Art and Obscenity in Oz by Binoy Kampmark
Art exhibitions can be a hazardous business, especially in Australia. Australia was, at one time, banning more art and literature coming in than going out. The only thing the authorities did not do was burn books and slice canvasses.

Weird and Wonderful Cannes by Vesa Kuosmanen
As a film student I was all excited when arriving in the 61st Festival de Cannes. I eagerly went to get my Cannes badge. Feeling almost famous myself, nothing like the 'normal people' on the other side of the fences.

How Bizarre! by Thanos Kalamidas
Browsing the news daily we often miss these little bits of news at the bottom of the page. They are often funny, sometimes weird, and they give us a new perspective on life, so here's the first of a new column series: How Bizarre!

"Those Mototi Days" by Emmanuel Sigauke
"Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood." - T.S. Eliot

Friday, May 30

Crane collapses in NYC

At least one person has been killed and two seriously injured by the sudden collapse of a crane in New York's Upper East Side during the morning rush hour.

It crashed into the top floor of a 23-storey block of flats as it fell. Seven buildings in the area have been evacuated as a precaution, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

It is the second such incident in the city this year - seven people died in a crane collapse in the same wealthy Manhattan area in March.

This latest collapse took place at the intersection of East 91st Street and First Avenue. At a news conference, Mayor Bloomberg said that all the casualties were construction workers and that the man who died was believed to be the operator of the crane.

There is no comment when there is somebody innocent dead only condemn to the responsible!

Burma closures camp

A senior UN official has said that any coercion of Burmese cyclone victims to return home is completely unacceptable.

Terje Skavdal's remarks follow reports that Burma's military government had begun to evict homeless families from some government-run emergency camps. It has given them bamboo poles and tarpaulins and told them to go and rebuild their lives, say reports.

An estimated 2.4m people remain homeless and hungry following Cyclone Nargis, which struck on 2 May. Mr. Skavdal, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said he could not confirm the camp closures but pointed out that the agency did not endorse premature return to areas with no services.

"People need to be assisted in the settlements and satisfactory conditions need to be created before they can return to their place of origins," said Mr. Skavdal. "Any forced or coerced movement of people is completely unacceptable."

After the cyclone the Myanmar gangsters on uniform kill the survivors themselves!

Europe fuel protests

Fuel protests triggered by rising oil prices have spread to more countries across Europe, with thousands of fishermen on strike.

Union leaders said Portugal's entire coastal fleet stayed in port on Friday, while in Spain, 7,000 fishermen held protests at the agriculture ministry. French fishermen have been protesting for weeks, with Belgian and Italian colleagues also involved.

UK and Dutch lorry drivers held similar protests earlier this week. The strike reflects anger at the rising cost of fuel, with oil prices above $130 a barrel. Trade unions say the cost of diesel has become prohibitively high, after rising 300% over the past five years. Wholesale fish prices, meanwhile, have been static for 20 years.

They drive the European family is a bankruptcy and they are doing nothing to help! In the end EU is going to be European penniless!

Al-Qaeda in retreat?

The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said al-Qaeda is essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and on the defensive elsewhere.

Michael Hayden's remarks, which correspondents describe as strikingly upbeat, come less than a year after the CIA warned of a resurgent al-Qaeda. He told the Washington Post that US counter-terrorism successes extended to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is thought to be hiding out in the area. "On balance, we are doing pretty well," said the CIA director. "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally."

Strange retreat because Bin Laden is still alive organizing and acting and Taliban returning strong as ever in Afghanistan! Perhaps the head of the CIA should tell us what fiction films is he watching!

Food crisis talks begin

Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region.

The talks in Caracas, Venezuela, mark the beginning of a week of meetings on the issue, leading up to a three-day UN food crisis summit in Rome on Tuesday. According to the World Bank, global food prices have risen by 83% over the past three years. The lender has announced a package of food grants totaling $1.2bn.

An influential report on Thursday warned that higher food prices might be here to stay as demand from developing countries and production costs rose. Prices would fall, but only gradually, the report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said.

They are missing the point once more; there is NO TIME FOR TALK! People are starving to death!

The Ovi magazine today

Don't let it be by Thanos Kalamidas
Kids live their darkest times, not that they ever lived any better times since they have been the victims all through human history, but what they have to deal with today in the beginning of the 21st century is nearly unbelievable.

Hillary's Bitter Pillary by Leah Sellers
For several months, the American Democratic Party has been prodding Mrs. Hillary Clinton in various forums and mediums "to quit the Race".

Lovemarks: Rebranding brands by Asa Butcher
Lovemarks is the name for Saatchi and Saatchi's new concept and, though it may initially inspire images of bite marks on necks, it is actually an exciting new marketing concept.

Austrian report by Euro Reporter
Euro Reporter heads into Central Europe in search of Austria...

Thursday, May 29

Bush compares Iraq, Afghan wars to World War II

President Bush told the 2008 graduating class at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Wednesday that the "only way America could lose the war on terror is if we defeat ourselves."

Speaking on a cloudy day at Falcon Stadium, the president compared the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to America's earlier conflicts, particularly World War II.

"Our nation is once again contending with an ideology that seeks to sow anger, hatred and despair: the ideology of Islamic extremism," he said.

"In today's struggle, we are once again facing evil men who despise freedom and despise America and aim to subject millions to their violent rule.

The man has serious issues with his ego but …we already knew it!!!

Deal reached to ban cluster bombs

More than 100 nations meeting in Dublin, Ireland, agreed Wednesday on a treaty that would immediately ban all cluster bombs, a spokesman for the Cluster Munition Coalition told the news agencies.

The accord calls for a total, immediate ban of the weapons, strong standards to protect those injured by them, contaminated areas to be cleaned up as quickly as possible and for the weapons to be immediately destroyed, he said.

Thomas Nash, coordinator of the CMC campaigning organization, said: "This is a great achievement for everyone who has been working hard to see the end of 40 years of suffering from these weapons."

Though some of the biggest makers of cluster bombs, including the United States, Russia, China and Israel, were not involved in the talks and have not signed the accord, organizers predicted that those nations would nevertheless be pressured into compliance.

"Take the United States," Nash said. "Almost all of its allies are here. They've decided to ban these weapons. That's going to make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to ever use these weapons again, either on its own or in joint operations."

So how difficult it is for these 100 to ban all kinds of bombs and then persuade or better press the rest to do the same?

Ålanders for self-sufficiency

The Åland Islands are aiming for greater self-sufficiency. The semi-autonomous province between Finland and Sweden already produces much of its own food and energy.

A quarter of its electricity supply comes from wind power, and the Ålanders plan to double that. In a symbolic move two weeks ago, the province ran entirely on its own electricity for one hour.

The maritime province produces 80 percent of its own milk and enough eggs, fish, wheat and produce to export, including apples, berries and vegetables. The main island's organic produce sector is booming, but is held back by a labor shortage.

Perhaps this will be a lesson for Finland that instead using what nature gave builds a fifth and a sixth nuclear plan for energy!

Ex-aide criticizes Bush over Iraq

Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan has said US President George W Bush was not "open and forthright" on Iraq and rushed to an unnecessary war. In simple language, he ...lied!!!

In a new book, Mr. McClellan says Mr. Bush relied on a "political propaganda campaign" to sell the war. His handling of Hurricane Katrina is also attacked. From July 2003 to his resignation in April 2006, Mr. McClellan was a loyal defender of the Bush administration. In response, a White House spokeswoman said Mr. McClellan was "disgruntled".

Dana Perino added: "For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad - this is not the Scott we knew." Mr. McClellan was a long-standing member of Mr. Bush's inner circle, having worked for him when he was Texas governor before following him to the White House.

Not much good for history to remember George W. Bush, even the …mice are leaving the boat before sinking to the bottom of …forgetness!

No to refugee camps

South Africa's government has denied it is setting up massive migrant or refugee camps for the tens of thousands of foreigners who fled recent attacks.

Aid agencies had said the government would reveal plans to set up seven camps for up to 70,000 people. But a home affairs spokeswoman said temporary shelters accommodating 2,000 each would be set up instead. A formal announcement will be made on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the UN said it is helping South Africa plan relief efforts. It is conducting a survey of the conditions in the police stations and municipal halls in which the displaced people are currently living, UN spokesman George Nsiah said.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) has warned that those sheltering in makeshift camps or outdoors have been left without protection - either physical or legal. "It's very cold at night; it's almost like one or two degrees. It's been raining in the last few days," said MSF South Africa programme director Muriel Cornelis.

"And then legal protection - most of them do not have any status, no legal status, no temporary status." A spokesman for the UNHCR said very few of the displaced foreigners fit the formal definition of "refugee".

Nevertheless, the government is coming under considerable pressure to organize better accommodation than the makeshift camps currently housing most of the displaced people. Correspondents say it has made it clear that any option which isolates rather than integrates foreigners into the community would be contrary to its policy.

That’s one thing I found really difficult to believe and I’m happy is not true, refugee camps in South Africa, that was …going too far!!!

China and Taiwan to restart talks

Taiwan has accepted an invitation from China to restart bilateral talks that have been suspended for a decade, in a further signal of warming relations.

China invited Taiwanese officials to attend talks in Beijing from 11 June, with the focus on tourism and charter flights.

Accepting the invitation, Taiwan said it would organize a delegation. On Wednesday, the head of Taiwan's ruling party held landmark talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Restart? Why, when did they started for the first time and we didn’t know? :)))

Trying to relieve Iraq’s debt

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said he will ask the international community to relieve the country's debt, as envoys gather for a UN forum.

Officials said the move was aimed mainly at Arab countries, to which Iraq owes most of its $67bn debt. Meanwhile US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged countries to stand by Iraq during reconstruction.

Nearly 100 countries are represented at the economic and political reform forum near Sweden's capital, Stockholm. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki are also in Sweden.

The gathering is aimed at supporting Iraq's efforts to restore stability and rebuild a functioning economy. Correspondents say progress in these areas remains fragile. The UN called the conference to review a five-year package it brokered last year, called the International Compact with Iraq. On the eve of the forum the largest Sunni Muslim bloc suspended talks on rejoining Iraq's Shia-led government.

Shouldn’t the ones who promised the reconstruction of the country to …pay the bill for the damaged they helped to be done?

The Ovi today

A letter to a failed EU by Thanos Kalamidas
Dear Mr. President of the European Union: You have missed something basic, European citizens are being led to bankruptcy fast, here and now, and you haven't done anything to prevent it.

Wicked is the world by Trol
Somehow it is expected among fellow Greeks that as a Greek myself I would feel some particular attachment to the Aegean Sea, enough to exclude any other destination for my summer vacation, while I have often preferred and favoured other places.

The Golden Voice of the Great Southwest is Gone by Ken Sanders
A rumination on the passing of U. Utah Phillips, anarchist, wobbly, hobo, railroader, folksinger, activist, great iconoclast, husband, father and and all around amazing human being.

Dino & Anty #20 by Thanos K & Asa B
Dino is a vegetarian virgin dinosaur and his best friend is Anty, a carnivorous nymphomaniac ant.

Wednesday, May 28

Organized crime on the rise in Finland

Crimes committed in Finland by professional gangs from Eastern Europe are on the increase. The upswing in crime stems from the expansion of the passport-free Schengen area last year.


The National Bureau of Investigation says this type of crime poses a considerable threat to Finland. The free movement of people between the 24 countries of the Schengen area within the EU has opened the door to professional criminals.


Tuija Hietaniemi, Special Investigator from the National Bureau of Investigation told YLE TV News that international co-operation must be improved. A quick response to crime was of the essence, she noted. Retailers say forged notes, currency exchange fraud and professional shop lifting are all on the rise. They want further action by the police to prevent such crime and quicker co-operation between stores to stop the perpetrators in their tracks.

So typical, blame it on the foreigners. I have seen it happen so often that it gets boring and they do something about the foreigners but crime doesn’t want to …rise and when they realize that crime is not imported it’s just …too late!

Spain twins sue over birth mix-up

Spanish twins separated at birth 35 years ago through a hospital mix-up are suing the authorities.

The two women, who had been brought up in different families, were re-united by chance in 2001. They were born in a hospital in the Canary Islands, where one of them was swapped by mistake with another baby.

All three women are suing the islands' government. A lawyer for one of the twins said she was seeking nearly 3.3m Euros in damages. "It does not take a lot of effort to put you in the position of any of these people to understand the damage that has been done," said lawyer Socorro Perdomo.

He said that of the three people most directly affected, his client had suffered the most. "The first right of any child is the right to their own personal and family identity," he said.

This is when Hollywood films come reality and there are plenty of those!

South Africa and refugee camps

South Africa is to set up seven refugee camps around the country for foreign migrant workers who have fled a recent wave of anti-immigrant violence.

The holding camps will take up to 70,000 people from the increasingly unsanitary conditions at temporary shelters put up around state buildings. The government decision comes despite strong advice from respected international aid agencies.

They say South Africa does not have the expertise necessary to run the camps. Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF), the medical charity, says conditions for people seeking refuge in the existing shelters are worsening.

This is embarrassing for a country that has suffered for so long and so much in camps!

Failing on human rights

World leaders are failing to tackle human rights abuses around the globe, Amnesty International says.

In an annual report, the group says people are still being tortured or ill-treated in at least 81 countries. In at least 54 states they face unfair trial and cannot speak freely in at least 77 nations, the group adds.

It says world leaders should apologies for 60 years of human rights failures since the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The group also challenges them "to re-commit themselves to deliver concrete improvements".

And every day we fail more and more and become more painful!

Nepal touches democracy

Nepal is due to become a republic and end 240 years of royal rule. A newly-elected assembly is to meet in the capital, Kathmandu, with the tasks of abolishing the monarchy and preparing a new national constitution.

As the assembly was being sworn in on Tuesday a bomb explosion in the capital injured two people. Meanwhile thousands of people gathered on the streets of the city and near the assembly to celebrate "republic day" and press for abolition.

"Let's celebrate the dawn of a republic in a grand manner," said one loudspeaker. The assembly is huge and the ceremony, performed by an older member of the newly-elected body, saw 575 men and women being sworn in.

Many wore traditional clothing and used their mother tongues for the occasion in this ethnically mixed country. Just 26 more members have yet to be nominated by the biggest parties.

Democracy really knocks the door of Asia, Burma’s turn!

The Ovi today

Delusion 18:18 by Akli Hadid
On October 12, 2005, at 18:18, an idea had popped into my mind. I was restless. I immediately wrote it down on my computer. I thought I had invented the magic formula, the theory of theories, the greatest invention and thought of all time.

Talking to the deaf by Thanos Kalamidas
It has been a long time since I wrote anything about Iran and that's not because we are lacking news from Teheran or quotes from its president but because the man so often crosses the line so much that I'm speechless.

Spanish report by Euro Reporter
Euro Reporter goes in search of a siesta following his hard work in Spain...

"our march in time" by Bohdan Yuri
"The poet sees things as they look. Is this having a faculty the less? or a sense the more?" - Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare

Tuesday, May 27

Peacekeepers abusing children

Children as young as six are being sexually abused by peacekeepers and aid workers, says a leading UK charity.

Children in post-conflict areas are being abused by the very people drafted into such zones to help look after them, says Save the Children. After research in Ivory Coast, southern Sudan and Haiti, the charity proposed an international watchdog be set up.

Save the Children said it had sacked three workers for breaching its codes, and called on others to do the same. The three men were all dismissed in the past year for having had sex with girls aged 17 - which the charity said was a sackable offence even though not illegal.

The UN has said it welcomes the charity's report, which it will study closely. Save the Children says the most shocking aspect of child sex abuse is that most of it goes unreported and unpunished, with children too scared to speak out.

There is only one word for that …shame!!!

The Ovi magazine today

Castles in the Air by Valerie Sartor
As of May 1, 2008 stricter anti-smoking regulations went into effect around Beijing in accordance with international treaties that guarantee a smoke-free Olympics. But is it truly so?

A neighbourhood called earth! by Thanos Kalamidas
I never understood why Africa, this beautiful and big continent, always seems so far away to all of us, sometimes I have the feeling that Africa is a different planet.

Escaping Forwards by Gush Shalom
The separation, which was carried out without any dialogue with the Palestinians, has turned the whole of the Gaza Strip into a ticking bomb, and now Ehud Olmert has to negotiate a cease-fire. For Sharon, though, the entire exercise was a success.

UE - Le quadrige des fées by Newropeans-Magazine
Si j'entends bien les médias il y a unanimité pour aller chercher la croissance qui nous manque, et investir massivement dans la recherche et dans la formation pour rentrer enfin dans la culture de l'innovation et répondre ainsi aux

Monday, May 26

Mugabe threat to expel US envoy

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has threatened to expel the US ambassador, accusing him of meddling in the country's political process.

"I am just waiting to see if he makes one more step wrong. He will get out," Mr. Mugabe told a rally in Harare. Earlier this month ambassador James McGee warned post-election violence in Zimbabwe was "spinning out of control".

Mr. Mugabe was speaking as he launched his campaign for the presidential election run-off on 27 June. He also said Zimbabweans who had fled recent anti-immigrant violence in South Africa would be given land if they returned to Zimbabwe. "Our land is still there, even for youngsters, those who are in South Africa who wish to return to the country," Mr. Mugabe told his Zanu-PF party supporters.

Mugabe has long expel himself from humanity but it takes him long to realize it!

Taiwan party chief to China

The head of Taiwan's ruling party has departed for a six-day visit to China, in what is seen as another sign of warming ties between the two sides.

During his visit, Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung will meet top leaders and discuss cross-strait transport links. He is the first leader of a Taiwanese governing party to visit China since the two sides split in 1949.

His visit comes days after Ma Ying-jeou was sworn in as Taiwan's new president. Mr. Ma wants better ties with China and has called for a "new chapter of peace" to be opened.

Things change to China and the Chinese government talks with the nationalists, but still nothing changes in human rights and the Chinese refuse to talk with the ..Ordinary people!


The Ovi cartoon, lift spirits



For more Ovi Cartoons, HERE!

The Ovi magazine today

Something Foreseeable, This Way Comes by Leah Sellers
Repeating the same behavior with the expectation of getting different results, different outcomes, is supposed to be the definitive definition of Insanity.

Philo of Alexandria on the Soul and Universal Truth by Emanuel L. Paparella
Philo of Alexandria, also known as Philo Judaeus or Philo Alexandrinus, is perhaps the most intriguing of the classical philosophers, for he is something of a maverick comparable in modern times to Emmanuel Levinas.

Nunes Gallery Helsinki: A Changing Picture by Alexandra Pereira
Until June 1st in Nunes Gallery, Satu Bethell is presenting the exhibition A Changing Picture, with painting and photography artworks, sponsored by Hämen taidetoimikunta and Hausjärven kunta.

Lift Spirits #04 by Thanos K & Asa B
Lift doors slide open, you enter, press the button and then face that awkward proximity to a stranger... perhaps this will lift your spirit.

Sunday, May 25

The Ovi today

The dark side of the moon: Confession of a househusband by Alexander Mikhaylov
I feel genuinely sorry for my wife who, when being asked this simple question "And what your husband does?" is always struggling with a right answer. The honest reply to such an inquiry would be "Why, he is a househusband."

"Humphry" by Jan Sand
"Poetry, like the moon, does not advertise anything." - William Blissett

iBite by Asa Butcher
iBite is a snappy selection of news from around the world accompanied by a cynical, albeit humourous, comment.

Jarmo Kukkonen's "Timescapes - Aika maisemassa" by Otso Kantokorpi
Jarmo Kukkonen on tullut tunnetuksi meditatiivisen mielenmaiseman maalarina.

Saturday, May 24

Trash …news from Italy

Tensions remained high Saturday after a night of clashes between police and protesters furious at Italian government plans to dump mountains of uncollected trash from Naples in their towns.

Police in riot gear watched but did not intervene Saturday when a protester threw what appeared to be a firebomb near the town of Chiaiano, a suburb of Naples. Demonstrators also hurled cans and other garbage at police.

The site near Chiaiano is one of 10 selected by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's new government to receive some of the tons of stinking garbage piled up in Naples and surrounding areas. Police and protesters clashed overnight after authorities tried to move an empty bus that demonstrators used to block a road leading to the planned dump site.

From the minute Berlusconi won the elections I was sure that the Italians will constantly have to deal with …rubbish!!!

Quake toll 60,000

China's Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday gave U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon a dramatic look at damage caused by the massive quake that hit Sichuan province earlier this month as the death toll from the catastrophe jumped past 60,000.

A strong aftershock shook the town of Yingxiu, a small town near the epicenter of May 12's 7.9 magnitude quake, as Wen and Ban toured the area. "The world will not forget," Ban told Wen, who appealed the U.N. chief to help raise international aid for the region.

There are too many things this world will not forget Mr. Ban and one of them is you incapability to achieve anything and help anyone!

Sorry for Kennedy remark

US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has apologized for remarks about Robert Kennedy's 1968 assassination as she defended her continuing nomination bid.

Senator Clinton said she had been attempting to point out that previous campaigns had also continued into June. Democrat Robert Kennedy was running for his party's presidential nomination when he was shot dead in June 1968.

A spokesman for rival Democrat hopeful Barack Obama, whose safety has been an unspoken issue, criticized the remark. Spokesman Bill Burton called the comments "unfortunate" and said they had "no place in this campaign".

You have to admit that the woman doesn’t matter how good she is or how good president she will make; she’s a ...bitch!!!

Indonesia pushes up fuel prices

The Indonesian government has raised fuel prices by nearly 30%, prompting fears of widespread unrest.

Several hundred students protested against the move, clashing with police at Jakarta's national university. More than 100 people were arrested. The government is struggling to meet the cost of fuel subsidies as global oil prices escalate.

But it has put into effect a cash handout scheme worth $1.5bn to try to cushion the effect for the most needy. Malaysia is also considering overhauling its subsidy system, and Taiwan has decided to end a freeze on petrol prices in June.

They don’t have enough rice and now they will lose the oil?

Democracy returns to Zimbabwe

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said he will win Zimbabwe's 27 June run-off presidential poll, as he returned to Harare after weeks abroad.

The Movement for Democratic Change leader accused the ruling Zanu-PF party of seeking to "decimate" opposition structures ahead of the vote. His first engagement was to visit supporters hurt in political violence.

Mr. Tsvangirai's return was delayed amid an alleged army plot to kill him, which the ruling party said was "fantasy". Polls on 29 March saw the country's veteran leader, Robert Mugabe; lose his parliamentary majority for the first time in two decades in power.

Its only days remaining for Mugabe to follow the road that leads to his …cell!!!

The Ovi today

Dustin' off the Eurovision by Clint Wayne
Yippee!! Eurovision is upon us once again as Belgrade hosts this year's competition. All the sad Euro-muppets will be partying through the marathon event and enthralled to know which eastern bloc country will win it this year.

International Conference on the Creative Industries and Intellectual Property: Day 2 by Sofia Gkiousou
Another good day in London and again I descended upon the Birkbeck Clore Management Centre - in the heart of Bloomsbury, London - to watch the proceedings of the Conference on the Creative Industries and Intellectual Property.

Texte de la lettre ouverte aux Députés espagnols by Luis Portillo, Ph. D.
Je me permets de vous écrire pour porter à votre connaissance le suivant article que j'ai écrit "Sahara occidental: Les raisons légitimes du peuple sahraoui", qui a été traduit en anglais, français et italien, comportant une bibliographie ad hoc dans c

"My Niece in Zimbabwe" by Emmanuel Sigauke
"A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself." - E.M. Forster

Thursday, May 22

Ovi magazine, Copycats and Nokia

First of all, we want to thank reporters, journalists and bloggers because they are the only ones who have seen what Mr. Nikula missed and hopefully the legal department of Nokia Corporation will not ignore. Mr. Nikula unethically ignored that there was already an Ovi magazine in Finland that had been well-established since December 2004 well before he ever created his copycat.

Read the original story here: http://ovimagazine.com/art/926

The fact that there is an internet link with the same name was a major clue, plus when he was forced to choose a name like Ovi dash something. Actually he missed that there is Ovi Lehti, Ovi Sanomat, Ovi Junior, Ovi Cartoons, Ovi iKritic, Ovi-magazine, Ovi stories, Ovi iBite and many others that belong to Ovi magazine and are registered to Chameleon Project, never forget the Ovi Bad Boys weekly radio show that is announced to all the Finnish newspapers and magazine; none of which are for sale. Fortunately reporters and bloggers did notice and they are aware of the major ethical injustice.

We like to emphasize this ‘not for sale’ because the Ovi magazine is not just an internet magazine but it is an idea with a heart and soul that hosts from its establishment in 2004 the ideals of democracy, freedom of speech and the exchange of opinion. Human rights, domestic abuse, the plight of children have been among just a few of the worthy causes we have championed, while simultaneously offering a platform for the work of new writers and illustrators, from Finland and from all around the world. That makes us a universal family that cannot be estimated in money.

Unfortunately, through leaks to the press, we discovered that Mr. Nikula is negotiating the sale of his copycat magazine and the Ovi trademark to Nokia Corporation. We trust that this is just a wishful thought and that Nokia Corporation will search a little bit better as to what is going on behind the name Ovi magazine.

Our four years of hard work advocating freedom of speech was recognised and rewarded by Newropeans, while we have had cooperation with many national and international magazines, such as Ydin magazine, Europe & Us, Agenda magazine, Books from Finland, EU-MAN, Free magazine, Newropeans-Magazine, OneWorld, Psihadi magazine and more. We have relationships with Non-Governmental Organizations, such as Reporters without Frontiers and Finland's International Cultural Center CAISA, and the site receives well-over 20,000 visitors a week - the numbers literally increase day after day. We are considered a well-established magazine and trademark internationally and Ovi magazine has been reference for hundreds of sites and blogs from all around the world.

We have always believed that this was an issue of ethics should it ever come to a court house – where, as we are well-informed by experts, we can easily win the case – and it comes as a surprise that, according to leaks to the press, some representative of the Nokia Corporation said that they had never heard of us. It is a simple enough task for them to Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves or whatever else to locate the name Ovi and then find us straight away. Of course we didn’t financially invest in the promotion and push of Ovi magazine, like an international corporation can do, but the thousands of articles, the thousands of links and references to our work, even from Wikipedia and most of all the thousands readers keep us on the top in every search engine.

The fact that the copycats of the printed Ovi magazine ignored us, despite the fact that we could open a case anytime demanding a large percentage of their profits, which they knew, doesn’t excuse an international corporation like Nokia maintaining the same attitude. We are expecting their telephone call before investigating our legal rights on what they plan to pay the copycat because we want to know whether it is true and not a wishful greedy act of somebody who wants to increase his lost popularity.

It has been a justifiable question as to why we didn’t take the case to the court. From the very first moment, other than the support that came from every side and every corner of Finland including employees of the certain magazine, we believed that there is justice that punishes the unethical and the failure of the magazine from its second issue to reach anybody in Finland was proof.

Regarding the money behind this case, we believe that the people who read this magazine and have seen the path we have followed and the fights we have given over the last four years for democracy, for justice, against poverty and have realized the hours, the effort and the financial cost we have put in this magazine will know in their heart of hearts whether we are after the money!

The Ovi Team

Monday, May 19

US violated Venezuelan airspace

Venezuela has denounced an alleged violation of its airspace by an American military aircraft.

Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel said the jet had been tracked by country's air defenses over the Venezuelan-owned island of Orchila on Saturday. He said the US ambassador would be summoned to provide an explanation.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of Washington, has in the past accused the US administration of destabilizing his country. Mr. Rangel told a news conference that the US aircraft "practically flew over" Orchila and another Venezuelan island before turning back.

Right, obviously Hugo needs some more internal support so …us violates the airspace! Hugo, was not US air force, it was UFOs!!!

Fundraisers Falling Together

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama may be locked in a state-by-state battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, but with no end in sight, the party's fundraisers aren't wasting any time.

Fundraisers for the two candidates are discussing how to merge their war chests into a single campaign focused on taking on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in November. Each party eventually unifies its donor base, but what makes this move unusual is that the campaign is still hard-fought and relations are strained.

The Clinton campaign confirmed the move, saying, "We believe Hillary Clinton will be that nominee." Talk of a joint war chest comes as the two candidates prepare for an expected split decision in the primaries being held Tuesday.

About time for somebody do something about this divide and …not rule!!!

Burma neighbors in talks

The Association of South East Asian Nations is holding urgent talks to discuss ways of helping Burma's cyclone victims.

Foreign ministers meeting in Singapore hope Burma's military rulers - who have so far blocked most large-scale foreign aid offers - will accept Asean help. But correspondents say the grouping cannot force a solution on a member, as decisions are only made by consensus.

Burma says some 78,000 people have died since the cyclone hit on 2 May. But aid agencies say many more may die without urgent help - according to Save the Children, some 30,000 acutely malnourished children less than five years of age in Burma are threatened by death from starvation.

Let’s see, a bit more push and the dictators might go to a cyclone …hell for good and leave Burma free!

The Ovi magazine today

The gangsters of Myanmar by Thanos Kalamidas
What happens this minute in Burma is heartbreaking and the only way to put the way I feel is that I'm really angry. I'm really angry with the international community that has failed to stop once more a crime against humanity.

Richard Rorty's Unflinching Critique of Modern Western Philosophy by Emanuel L. Paparella
While writing a Ph.D. dissertation at Yale University on immanence and transcendence in Giambattista Vico's concept of Providence I serendipitously discovered the late Richard Rorty's 'Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature'.

Globalization and National Identities - The Society of Negotiation by Dimitra Karantzeni
To start with, globalization can be interpreted from many different perspectives: economic, social, psychological, political, and even philosophical.

Latvian Report by Euro Reporter
Latvia welcomes Euro Reporter for a short investigative visit.

Sunday, May 18

France angered by Burmese delays

France's ambassador to the UN has accused Burma's government of being on the verge of committing a crime against humanity by not accepting foreign aid.

Jean-Maurice Ripert made the comment during a General Assembly session, after Burma's UN ambassador accused France of sending a warship to region. France says the ship is carrying 1,500 tons of food and medicine for survivors of Cyclone Nargis. State TV has put the official death toll of the 2 May storm at 78,000.

For how long? How long these people are going to rule this poor country? How long the international community will let these criminals rule the lives of the Burma people?

Ahtisaari Winner of UNESCO Peace Prize

The former Finnish president and current United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari has been named as the winner of the prestigious UNESCO peace prize.

Mr. Ahtisaari, who also founded the non-governmental organization Crisis Management Initiative, was chosen for "his lifetime contribution to world peace," said the head of the international jury that awards the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Congratulations for a man who is worth much more for all the things he has done for the world peace!