THE HANDSTAND

"The nuclear weapons still housed in Germany are a relic from the Cold War," said leader of the Green Party Claudia Roth in Monday's Berliner Zeitung newspaper(early May). "There is no need for them to be there. They should be removed and destroyed." She added that while nuclear states continued to hesitate in disarmament issues, the NPT would be weakened further.

Roth was not alone in calling for the missiles to go. Social Democrat Gert Weisskirchen from the German foreign ministry and Liberal Democrat leader Guido Westerwelle echoed the call for the missiles, mostly based at the Rammstein and Büchel air bases, to be removed. The removal of the missiles would "add credibility and strengthen negotiations with other countries," Westerwelle said.

Last week, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder called for progress to be made on strengthening disarmament measures -- but an opposition demand that the US pull its nuclear weapons from Germany fell on deaf ears.

Bitter Victory Of Blair May 19, 2005
By Andre Vltchek
ZNet Commentary
www.zmag.org
I don't envy my British friends who last week went dutifully to vote for someone they deeply despise. In UK, people don't vote directly for the Prime Minister; they vote for MPs who in turn pick the PM.

Remembering reign of three consecutive Tory administrations which turned Britain into an experimental lab supervised by free market fundamentalists, most of the voters thought that they had no choice but to insure that the present status quo, no matter how disagreeable and distasteful, prevails. They felt they simply couldn't vote for Conservatives. They closed their eyes and cast their vote for Labor, no matter how "new" and how treacherous it became. Therefore, Tony Blair, a man associated with shameful lies, survived.

According to Greg Palast: "?The majority of the Queens subjects - deathly afraid of the return of Margaret Thatcher's vampirical Tory spawn - holds their noses, vote for their local Labour MP and pray that an act of God will save their happy isle. A recent poll showed the British evenly divided: forty percent want Blair to encounter a speeding double-decker bus and forty percent want him to stretched, scalded and quartered in the Tower of London (within a sampling margin of four percent)."

"Special relationship" with George Bush and his neocons across Atlantic is one, but not the only reason, for the scorn so many Britons feel towards their Prime Minister. Blair is obsessed with America, willing to sacrifice social and political principals in his own country which are still dear to so many U.K. citizens.

The well educated and informed majority of British public was opposing invasion of Iraq. However, it was first ignored and then offered a primitive and twisted lecture about democracy and freedom. Lecture repeatedly delivered in an arrogant tone full of spite, resembling that of some old fashioned secondary school principal.

The British public woke up to a cold reality: no matter how high the percentage of those who were opposing the war, the only voices which seemed to matter were those coming from the White House and Downing Street.

The war was not the only issue surrounded by doublespeak and outright lies. While giving passionate speeches defending the working men and women of Britain, Tony Blair was presiding over the monumental dismantling of what was left of both British Labor and the welfare state. True, he was not alone; the same was happening in Germany which was ruled by the Social Democrats (or should they be called "New" Social Democrats, too?), but he was surely in the vanguard, running closely with his counterpart across the Atlantic.

On the international front, the United Kingdom under Blair while sounding increasingly compassionate and concerned about the fate of poor world (at least two thirds of the planet) remained practically idle and indifferent towards the lands devastated by colonial and more recent neo-colonial policies.

There is no doubt that on almost all important issues, Tony Blair refuses to take under consideration the will of the British people. While he joined Washington hawks, British public was demanding peace. While he was assassinating progressive traditions of Labor, the majority of working men and women felt they didn't ask for it - they were fine with the good old and real thing!

How to defenestrate someone like Mr. Blair from power? Across the rich world, people of Europe, North America, and Japan are dissatisfied, often disgusted with their rulers, while feeling powerless; unable to find a way to vote into the highest office someone who would represent their interests. They often vote for a "lesser evil" as major political parties look increasingly identical, pushing for almost the same domestic and international agendas.

In the past, voting for Democrats or Republicans in the US, Social Democrats or Christian Democrats in Germany, Labor or Conservatives in the U.K., would make a serious difference and influence lives of millions of people. Now almost all differences are gone - every major political force is "pro-business", ready to defend the privileges of the handful of countries, companies, and individuals.

Voters are angry and frustrated. Often they choose to "punish" their rulers, applying desperate acts like giving millions of votes to neo-Nazis (Germany and France) - a counter-productive undertaking.

If political climate was - unscientifically - measured by opinions in the local European cafes and pubs, it would be clear that a majority of Europeans still desire elaborate social safety nets, full employment, free education and medical care, heavily subsidized public transportation - all that is being taken away from them, little by little. Germans (on both sides of the former wall) nostalgically remember privileges of the social state; French and Italians are, in their majority, still closer to 1960s ideals of left-wing parties than to the oligarchic principals of people like Berlusconi.

But people were told - by the media and by the mainstream politicians - that the Left was finished after the collapse of Berlin Wall, that there is no going back. And "thousand times repeated lie becomes truth." Clichés are not challenged, anymore - at least not publicly - as the media became complacent with the system.

The Left didn't die! No matter how often we hear that it did - it is still alive. It was kicked out from the Presidential palaces and PM offices, from television studios and newspapers. But it survived in the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of voters. They have to make sure that they meet again; find each other - The Left and the citizens. They have plenty in common!

For now, Tony Blair will remain in power. But he didn't win. He merely outmaneuvered the British public, employing an antiquated election system which doesn't represent the interest of the people. He is clever enough to know what occurred and one has to wonder whether this victory is going to make him sleep well or feel shame, at least at night, behind the closed doors.

In the meantime, the British voters had no choice and they are well aware of it. Paradoxically, unless they demand a change, they may end up - like many in the former colonies where the western interests were force-fed through a corrupt political system and through the US-subsidized coups - not being able to express their will through the ballot. If they could, they would probably vote for real Labor which is battered but not yet defeated.

TONY BLAIR'S GOVERNMENT WILL SOON EXPLAIN TO THE british THAT ONLY THE GOVERNMENT EVALUATES NEED AND MAKES DECISIONS?!!

The government yesterday named its new "panel of experts" which will take the next steps towards improving school meals, but failed to include any star names or celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver who forced the issue on to the agenda in the runup to the general election.

The school meals review panel - which met for the first time yesterday - has been set up to help the government decide whether to restrict choice on school menus to low-fat options and what minimum nutritional standards should be mandatory in schools by September next year.

Meanwhile, supermarket giant Sainsbury's said a team of food advisers trained by Mr Oliver would take the healthy eating message to schools across the country. Fifty Sainsbury's staff will work with schools across the country, the supermarket said. Jamie Oliver will begin training the team in June, with each food adviser covering classes in at least four schools, according to Sainsbury's.

After his appearance late on the night of April 8, the man was taken to Medway maritime hospital in Gillingham. The man has not said a word since police picked him up wandering the streets of Sheerness, Kent, in a soaking wet suit and tie on 7 April.

When he refused - or was unable - to speak he was given paper and a pencil, and drew a detailed picture of a grand piano. When led to a piano, he began to play themes from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and what appear to be his own compositions.

His social worker Michael Camp said the man, in his 20s or 30s, is usually very anxious but "comes alive" at the piano.

At a press conference at the psychiatric unit in Dartford where he is being looked after, intriguing new details emerged.

When he was found, the labels had been cut from his clothes. And though he appeared to have emerged from the sea there was no sign of a struggle.

Staff at Dartford also revealed he was being denied access to a piano in an attempt to get him to speak.

Michael Camp, a rapid response social worker who had dealings with the man while he was in Gillingham, expressed reservations about the move, saying: "When he plays the piano his demeanour is completely different. He is extremely relaxed and completely oblivious to people around him. He is completely immersed in the music and the piano."

Anyone with information about the "piano man" should contact the National Missing Persons Helpline on 0500 700 700.

Update:As of June 2nd 2005,No Information has yet been found about this young man

Have you ever thought about getting the Parking Meters checked?!

http://www.theindychannel.com/automotive/4431199/detail.html

PITTSBURGH -- All Chuck Pascal wanted to do was challenge a $5 parking ticket. But his victory in a Butler, Pa., court has sent shock waves through the state and led some towns to suspend writing tickets. Pascal showed that Butler was in violation of a state law that requires
parking meters to be certified as accurate every three years. Now, cities and towns are clamoring for the state's Division of Weights and Measures to certify their meters. The division, which has to inspect everything from gasoline pumps to delicatessen scales, is overwhelmed. Butler has stopped writing tickets until its meters are certified. So has Erie, at a cost of $2,000 a day in fines.
At least two dozen municipalities are waiting for certification.

Further push for common standards in education across Europe

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - European education ministers are meeting in Bergen this week (19-20 May) to hammer out further steps to boost recognition of academic and professional qualifications across the continent.

But students complain social problems are being neglected, while professional bodies fear the process could lead to a lowering of quality in some sectors.

As a result of common initiatives, most of the participating countries (33) have completed their shift to a standardised two cycle structure (Bachelor/Master degree) at higher education, while preparing to embark on the third level - doctorates.

Within EU countries, Hungary and Spain have passed the necessary legislation but not implemented it yet, while Sweden and Portugal are drafting laws at the moment.

The ministers meeting in Bergen are set to adopt European standards for universities and quality assurance agencies, and express their views regarding a common register of such agencies.
The issue could yet prove controversial in some countries - like in the UK or France - as education is a sensitive area of national competence. The European register would list the national and trans-national quality assurance agencies with the highest standards and independence.

Too much pressure for common standards harmful
The switch to a two-cycle model of degrees in higher education has been carried out in most fields of study, apart from medicine and other closely related areas. However, some professional bodies view pressure to introduce the system as possibly harmful for the qualification and training of future professionals.

A typical example is the study of architecture, according to Adrian Joyce from the Architects Council of Europe, based in Brussels. He argues that in some countries, like in Italy, there is a tendency for graduates to start to work as junior architects without a minimum period of five years of study, just after they receive a Bachelors degree. "It is mainly because of the economic pressure and it leads to lowering of quality of people in the market", Mr Joyce told the EUobserver, adding that it is a direct outcome of the introduction of the two-cycle model in the field which used to be taught as a compact five year study. "It is crucial to assure that the graduates receive the best knowledge before they start practicing architecture, as their work is connected with public issues, such as health and safety or environment".

Students: Overload and social exclusion
While generally praising the whole project, students are also among its key critics. According to Bastian Baumann from the National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB), member states are picking some areas to reform but remain reluctant on others.

Social provisions are the main issues being ignored, with studying becoming more expensive - especially after the introduction of the Masters degree level to be paid by students alone. Still, "grants and loans for the students have not changed significantly for almost 15 years in many countries, and the health care provisions for students are also not sufficient, even in countries like Sweden", according to Mr Baumann. "The authorities change a lot in terms of getting the same qualification standards and the degree structures across Europe, but not so in terms of studying and living conditions for students", he added.

Students are also complaining that the changes pushed forward within the Bologna process have lead to an overload in some courses, as some subjects that were previously tought within four or five years are now being taught within three years - without a proper review of the content.
The so-called "Bologna process" involves universities and higher education centers in 40 European countries, with five more likely to join in Bergen - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

SPANISH EX-PRIME-MINISTER FRIEND OF TONY BLAIR SPEAKS:
Israel need not pay much attention to Europe, which is using its Middle East policy to separate itself from the US, has a tendency toward appeasement and is largely pro-Palestinian, former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar told The Jerusalem Post Monday. "Europe likes appeasement very much; this is one of the most important differences between us and the States," Aznar said in an interview on the Bar-Ilan University campus. "Europeans don't like any problems.
They prefer appeasement."

Aznar said that European policy was "not favorable to Israel," and that different political leaders in Europe used the Middle East question as a way to establish a different identity from the US. "In Europe, Israel is not very popular, not only this government, all governments," he said. "Most Europeans support the Palestinian cause. Europeans sincerely wish for a peace agreement and support the peace process, but the reality is that the peace process is closed. At this moment I think that Europe should work closely with the States, because that is the only opportunity to change the region."

Asked if Israel should, as a result, pay attention to the US, but not necessarily to Europe, Aznar succinctly replied: "Certainly." He said that the French and Dutch rejection of the EU constitution last week provided the EU a good opportunity to reform its polices and move away from the isolationist, anti-Americanism that he said defined much of its foreign policy. On the Middle East, he said, "The Europeans are of two minds. One is to work close with the States, and the other is to make many trips here, give many interviews, come up with many initiatives, but without results. The only possible way to make something work is to work closely with the US."