Saturday, February 14, 2009

At The V-Day Luncheon Today,Rihanna's Situation Was Discussed!


V-Day is an organization that works to stop violence against women around the world.So,this was the perfect place to discuss what happened to Rihanna.As we all know,her case has shed more light on violence against women.Here's more on this much needed organization from Yahoo News:

"The topic of Friday's star-studded V-Day luncheon was the organization's work with women in the Congo. But Jessica Alba, Kerry Washington and other supporters of V-Day, which has raised more than $60 million to stop violence against women and girls worldwide, were also talking about Rihanna.

"When things happen publicly, it just makes it a more universal problem that more people can relate to," said Alba, an annual participant in the V-Day luncheon.

Rihanna was reportedly involved in a domestic dispute with boyfriend Chris Brown last week that resulted in his arrest and booking on charges of making criminal threats. A police statement said the woman who reported the incident was injured, and identified Brown as her attacker. Charges have not yet been filed, and neither Brown nor Rihanna has come forth to comment on the incident.

On Friday, Alba read a poem inspired by the experience of a Congolese woman raped so severely and repeatedly by soldiers that she needed surgery. Washington, who serves on the V-Day board, called violence against women "a social illness that does not discriminate."

"This is a problem that spreads from the Congo to Hollywood," she said. "When it happens to someone famous, it's a tragedy that it happened, but what I hope is that people become less and less afraid to talk about how truly devastating this social illness is."

Rosario Dawson, also a board member, mentioned Rihanna and Jennifer Hudson in her plea to guests to support the V-Day cause."(END OF EXCERPT)Read more here.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY & SUPPORT V-DAY!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Beverly Eckert Is The 9/11 Widow That Died In That Horrific Commuter Plane Crash In Buffalo! Do You Know How She Felt About 9/11?


There were 50 victims that died in that horrific plane crash in Buffalo,NY.A lot of the names have been withheld,but the families of the victims have released a few.One of the victims who has been mentioned on every news outlet is Beverly Eckert.She was known as the spokesperson for the 9/11 widows.But,do you know how she felt about 9/11 ? Well,here is Beverly Eckert's opinion on what occurred on that day in her own words,taken from commondreams.org:

"Published on Friday, December 19, 2003 by the USA Today
My Silence Cannot Be Bought
by Beverly Ecker
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I've chosen to go to court rather than accept a payoff from the 9/11 victims compensation fund. Instead, I want to know what went so wrong with our intelligence and security systems that a band of religious fanatics was able to turn four U.S passenger jets into an enemy force, attack our cities and kill 3,000 civilians with terrifying ease. I want to know why two 110-story skyscrapers collapsed in less than two hours and why escape and rescue options were so limited.

I am suing because unlike other investigative avenues, including congressional hearings and the 9/11 commission, my lawsuit requires all testimony be given under oath and fully uses powers to compel evidence.

The victims fund was not created in a spirit of compassion. Rather, it was a tacit acknowledgement by Congress that it tampered with our civil justice system in an unprecedented way. Lawmakers capped the liability of the airlines at the behest of lobbyists who descended on Washington while the Sept. 11 fires still smoldered.

And this liability cap protects not just the airlines, but also World Trade Center builders, safety engineers and other defendants.

The caps on liability have consequences for those who want to sue to shed light on the mistakes of 9/11. It means the playing field is tilted steeply in favor of those who need to be held accountable. With the financial consequences other than insurance proceeds removed, there is no incentive for those whose negligence contributed to the death toll to acknowledge their failings or implement reforms. They can afford to deny culpability and play a waiting game.

By suing, I've forfeited the "$1.8 million average award" for a death claim I could have collected under the fund. Nor do I have any illusions about winning money in my suit. What I do know is I owe it to my husband, whose death I believe could have been avoided, to see that all of those responsible are held accountable. If we don't get answers to what went wrong, there will be a next time. And instead of 3,000 dead, it will be 10,000. What will Congress do then?

So I say to Congress, big business and everyone who conspired to divert attention from government and private-sector failures: My husband's life was priceless, and I will not let his death be meaningless. My silence cannot be bought.

Beverly Eckert, whose husband died at the World Trade Center, is the founder of Voices of September 11th, a victims advocacy group."(Click here to go to Common Dreams.org)

What a strong, wonderful woman Beverly Eckert was.May all of the victims of rest in peace.

13 Year Old British Child Is Now A Father!


A very young looking 13 year old British boy has fathered a child with his 15 year old girlfriend.When asked how he would provide for his newborn girl,Alfie Patten says he's not sure.He's barely out of his childhood & into his teens.Now,he has to jump from pubescent responsibilities to adult ones.He's got to do way more than just his chores now.Here's more from Sky News:

"Alfie's girlfriend Chantelle Steadman, 15, gave birth to Maisie Roxanne in Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex, four days ago, reports The Sun.

The boy, who is just 4ft and looks young for his age, told the newspaper: "I thought it would be good to have a baby."

But he admitted he did not think about how he would afford it.

"I don't really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me £10," he said.

Alfie, who lives with his mother Nicola, 43, in Eastbourne, was 12 when Maisie was conceived.


Here's the reaction in Britan over the birth of Maisie Roxanne:


"The first political reaction to the birth of Maisie Roxanne was outrage from former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith head of the Conservatives' Centre for Social Justice think tank.

The case was a "tragic example" of Britain’s social decline, Mr Duncan Smith said later.

"I don’t know about these particular families but too many dysfunctional families in Britain today have children growing up where anything goes.

"It exemplifies the point we have been making about broken Britain," he added.

"It's not being accusatory, it's about pointing out the complete collapse in some parts of society of any sense of what’s right and wrong.

"There is no opprobrium any more about behaviour and quite often children witness behaviour that's aggressive, violent, rude and sexual. It’s as if no one is saying this is wrong."(END OF EXCERPT)Read the rest here.