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It was another fun Queen's Day today. Here are a few impressions of how 500,000 people celebrated in Amsterdam: canal fun, street artists, flea market sidewalk sales, folks in orange.
(You can click the images for full size)
Continue reading "Impressions of Queen's Day 2008 in Amsterdam" »
Wednesday the 30th of April we celebrate the official birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Although Queen Beatrix's real birthday is January 31, when she ascended to the throne in 1980 she decreed that her mother's birthday, April 30, would become Koninginnedag - Queen's Day - as a tribute to the much loved Queen Mother Juliana.
On Saturday, May 10 at 18.00 GMT you can be part of a unique event bringing the world together through film:
"The Pangea Day Mission & Purpose
Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.
Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.
The Pangea Day Event
Starting at 18:00 GMT on May 10, 2008, locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program will be broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.
The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes.
The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part."
The US Supreme Court delivered a 7 - 2 decision this afternoon finding that Kentucky's application of lethal injection does not qualify as 'cruel and unusual' punishment. Several states wasted no time in welcoming the decision and announcing they would be gearing up their murder mills now that the decision is in.
Amnesty International released its annual report today on the use of the death penalty worldwide. As in previous years, the United States remains one of the world’s most enthusiastic practitioners of the death penalty.
According to Amnesty’s report
Thank you Geert Wilders? Yes, thank you Geert Wilders. Fitna and Geert Wilders’ performance during the parliamentary debate that followed the video's release have indeed shown us that we stand on the precipice of a monumental decision. Unfortunately for Geert, it’s not quite the decision he was hoping for.
Wilders’ Youtube video Fitna (to call it a film would give it way too much credit) has stirred a lot of debate and controversy both in the Netherlands and abroad. The reactions to the video can be grouped into four broad areas:
