Military forces in
the UK are slow to improve the diversity of their soldiers and personnel, based
on recent statistics. The percentage of UK forces from an ethnic minority
background increased from 5.9% last year to 6.3%, which has lead the Ministry of
Defense to somewhat brag about it.
However, the
initial target percentage of ethnic minority representation in the
The Commonwealth of Nations was
formerly known as the British Commonwealth, consisting of nations that are
former British colonies or dependencies of these colonies--some of which
include, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria, and Canada.
According to a
report last year, made by the Defense Select Committee, they gave warning that
the UK military forces failure to recruit more men and woman from ethnic
minority background was adding heavier strain on the armed forces.
"We continue to
be extremely disappointed and concerned to learn that all three services missed
their targets for UK ethnic minority recruitment and that they RAF performed
particularly poorly" it said in the report.
Recent date
point out the number of ethnic minority service men and women leaving, yet are
struggling to find the root of the problem. By October 2008, more than 500 men
and women had left the armed forces, 30 of them officers and 487 of other ranks.
A spokesman from the Ministry of Defense had this to say: "This needs to be seen
in the whole context of the latest armed forces manning figures, which show that
the UL armed forces are currently at 96.8% of their full-time trained strength
requirement.
"Overall, the
amount of people leaving the armed forces is at its lowest since the 12 months
to June 2005. The number of people joining the armed forces for their initial
training is at its highest point since June 2004."
Despite the
setbacks in the armed forces for recruiting men and women with diverse
background, the same setbacks are also being experienced in the police force as
well. Las November, the percentage of recruiting ethnic minority police officers
was below target in England and Wales.
According to policing Minister
Vernon Coaker, who made the assessment, found 4.1% of Officers were from ethnic
minorities while the national target was 7% by 2009.
Many Americans
abroad are experiencing a fresh wave of warmth from those who
used
to hold Americans and our nation in not-so-high esteem, coming just days before President-elect Obama' s inauguration, this Tuesday. Micha Wyatt, one of many Americans living
or traveling abroad, notices the
new found friendliness and warmth that has surrounded her in recent
weeks.
"There is a buzz about America now," said Wyatt, 28, who is
originally from San Francisco. "Finally! I'm tired of pretending I'm
Canadian."
On the other hand, many have now described the feeling as those felt back in the days after the fall of communism.
"It was cool to know an American [in the early '90s]," said Tanya Pampalone, who's originally from Los Angeles and living abroad in Johannesburg. "But the Bush era has been tough," she adds. "Many saw the United States playing the 'bad guy' role in the world."
Like others, Pampalone has said that she hesitated waving the American flag in public view. However, in light of all the positiveness that's been spreading toward Americans as of late, the mother of a 5-year-old daughter felt comfortable enough to let her child bring the flag into the restaurant that she had been waving in the car.
"A week before, I would have said to her, 'Just put the flag in the car. Let's not draw attention to ourselves,'" Pampalone said. But with the lifting of spirits, recently, she went on to tell her daughter,"'Great, take the flag.' and when she walked around saying, 'Yes, we can!' everyone in the restaurant was smiling.'"
According to organizations of expatriates including Democrats Abroad, there has never been such large celebrations outside the States to mark the swearing in of an American president.
Furthermore, many Obama-themed parties and bashes have been planned. For instance, in Cambridge, England, a Hawaiian luau is being put forward as a place for others to gather to listen to Obama's speech and to celebrate--a nod to his Hawaiian roots. In Antigua, Guatemala, some Americans hired a dj to play music Obama keeps on his iPod, like Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and many more. In Jakarta, Indonesia, students from his elementary school will gather with other former classmates and perform a traditional dance at a party.
David St. Onge who was a John McCain supporter and works in the pharmaceutical industry said he has noticed (in Moscow) a change, for the better, in how his Russian clients treat him.
"They seemed to think better of Americans because we elected a black man as president, said St. Onge. "They think we're more enlightened now."
According to Andrew Leik, who's an architect in Cologne, Germany, originally from Michigan, says that, "it's definitely being much easier now to be an American." He has even taken notice of his German friends, who had never wanted to visit the U.S., are now planning vacation trips here.
At Madame Tussauds wax museum in Amsterdam, a wax figure of President Bush with his paced bags was placed on the sidewalk right outside the building while a wax figure of Obama was put inot place, replacing Bush as Head of State and proclaiming a new era in the world.
In Britian all week, Krispy Kreme doughnut shops are offering free cafe Americanos to those who cite Obama's sloga, "Yes, we can!"--American or not.
A Boston native, Kit Maloney, who has lived on and off in London for the last eight years, recalled the number of strangers who've been approaching her recently, asking her about aspects of American life and how, in Britain, something like electing a black man into office is something most can't imagine happening anytime soon.
"For the first time in a long time, it's cool to be an American," said Maloney.
Prince Harry is facing more heat for the
video that leaked of the Prince whom, three years ago, was filmed during his
training at the Sandhurst military academy spouting racial remarks about Asians
(South Asian--Pakistani, Indian, etc). Along with several senior politicians who
spoke in
Helen Suzman was a well known anti-apartheid campaigner and politician who waged a lonely war against the devastating South African apartheid for more than a decade. She died peacefully in her home in Johannesburg, according to her daughter, Frances Jowell, on the morning of
In parliament, however, because of her Jewish family, Suzman unfortunately faced prejudice on a regular basis, having to face taunts such as, "Go back to Moscow" and "Go back to Israel" She even faced some discrimination from her former rival, President PW Botha, who sarcastically described her as "Mother Superior" in reference to her attacks on the Nationalists.
Suxman was born on November 7, 1917 in Germinston, South Africa in the Gauteng province, to a Jewish-Lithuanian couple. Two weeks after her birth Suzman
's mother died and her father remarried a few years afterward.In 2003, a rose garden was displayed in honor of Suzman
's "lifelong struggle for justice and human rights for all South Africans in Parktown Convent, Johannesburg where, in 1933, she matriculated from. Following the unveiling of the commemoration, the Foxy Lady rose was re-dubbed into The Helen Suzman Rose, which has pink buds that unfolds into light pink-white flowers. It also carries a strong aroma.Along with the rose garden, Suzman was also given honorary doctorates from top universities such as, Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, Harvard, Witwatersrand and Cape Town.
Suzman was also nominated for the Nobel peace prize on two occasions and also nominated for the chancellorship of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Before 2005--when Suzman was honored with an exhibition showcasing her life and displaying her work in film, print and photography at the South African Jewish Museum-- she was presented the United Nations award for human rights, in 1978.
Suzman was referred as "a remarkable South African woman," by former South African president Nelson Mandela, whom was visited by Suzman during his imprisonment.
"It was an odd and wonderful sight to see this courageous woman peering into our cells and strolling around our courtyard. She was the first and only woman ever to grace our cells," said Mandela in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
Global - Takeru V. Maeda
Every Saturday, in a very hot valley of central Kenya, dozens of villagers come together to sit under the trees and reconcile through prayers, conversations and singing in the hops to heal themselves after violent post-election clashes between tribes that took place during an intense presidential election. More than 1,000
Kenyans died in the violence. At the gatherings, more than half a
dozen tribes are represented and accounted for, helping to re-bridge gaps with
traumatized victims. During most of the tribal gatherings, some group members
continue to separate themselves from members of other tribes. Nonetheless, the
harmonious atmosphere from the singing and prayers have helped with friendly
integration.
A woman by the name of Paskwaloena
Wanjiru, 70, was incredibly cautious--upon first hearing about the
gatherings--because she felt she could not bring herself to greet members of a
rival tribe who killed her son and grandson. However, she grappled with negative
emotions about her two other sons who were involved in a killing of a member
from another tribe along with burning down a house of that same tribe.
In the end, Wanjiru felt comfortable enough to join the healing sessions because "we are all here for the right reasons: to forgive and to be forgiven." The tradition of gathering under the biggest tree in the village to resolve issues and conflicts comes from ancient African times. That being said, this tradition was also carried out to promote healing during the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
However, it has been noted by Kenyans that these kinds of gatherings have been surprisingly rare to see in Kenya. Historically, Kenyans gave the impression that they were against ethnic war--the type that has happened recently--but would also rather paper over their differences and pretend nothing happened by not coming face to face with the roots of their violence.
The violence began December of 2007 as a political power struggle but it evolved into fights over land and natural resources. Many people amongst their communities fought one another; fellow neighbors and friends alike, unfortunately. The violence was put to an end by an agreement between incumbent Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. Families and persons who were sporadically relocated, were promised $140 in compensation to return home but most families expressed their fear in returning home.
"You can
't just tell people to go home," said Maximilla Winfred Okello, a human rights activist who started the reconciliation sessions in the Rift Valley town of Rumuruti. "It won't work if people are still afraid of neighbors."She also mentioned that Kenya would be destined to repeat the violence if Kenyans aren
't encouraged to express their fears and to trust one another again. "It's the circle of conflict," she added. "The government is still in denial." For many generations, these tribes have lived side by side but most villagers at the gathering said they don't often participate in cultural exchanges like these gatherings they've been involved in. Nonetheless, these same villagers said they were also very much inspired by watching people from other tribes perform and felt the need to join in."I just had to stand up and dance," said Esther Evaiyo, 50, a mother of eight. Evaiyo
's Turkana village fell victim to the Kalenjin mobs, in March, after they started a widespread fire that burned through most of the village; yet, she was still able to dance with Kalenjin members during their performance. "Now we are bonding," added Evaiyo.
anger against Prince
Harry's racial antics, the leader of a muslim youth organization condemned
the Prince for the video in which he describes an Asian member of his
platoon, Ahmed Raza Khan, as "our little Paki friend." The video
was shot just a year before Prince Harry, who's third to the throne, was
forced to make a public apology for wearing a full Nazi uniform with a
swastika at a masquerade party. St James's Palace had issued a
public apology after the prince's latest incident, saying: "Prince Harry
fully understands how offensive this term can be, and is extremely sorry
for any offense his words might cause."
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