YANAELEKEA KUGALAMBUKA? ARE THINGS CHANGING?

'Yes, we are now on the wrong side of history.'

By Uri Avnery – Israel

Of all the beautiful phrases in Barack Obama's inauguration speech, these are the

words that stuck in my mind: "You are on the wrong side of history."

He was talking about the tyrannical regimes of the world. But we, too, should ponder

these words. In the last few days I have heard a lot of declarations from Ehud Barak,

Tzipi Livni, Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Olmert. And every time, these eight words

came back to haunt me: "You are on the wrong side of history!"

Obama was speaking as a man of the 21st century. Our leaders speak the language

of the 19th century. They resemble the dinosaurs which once terrorized their

neighborhood and were quite unaware of the fact that their time had already passed.

During the rousing celebrations, again and again the multicolored patchwork of the

new president's family was mentioned. All the preceding 43 presidents were white

Protestants, except John Kennedy, who was a white Catholic. 38 of them were the

descendants of immigrants from the British isles . Of the other five, three were of

Dutch ancestry (Theodor and Franklin D. Roosevelt , as well as Martin van Buren)

and two of German descent (Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower.)

The face of Obama's family is quite different. The extended family includes whites

and the descendents of black slaves, Africans from Kenya , Indonesians, Chinese

from Canada , Christians, Muslims and even one Jew (a converted African-American).

The two first names of the president himself, Barack Hussein, are Arabic. This is

the face of the new American nation – a mixture of races, religions, countries of

origin and skin-colors, an open and diverse society, all of whose members are

supposed to be equal and to identify themselves with the "founding fathers". The

American Barack Hussein Obama, whose father was born in a Kenyan village, can

speak with pride of "George Washington, the father of our nation", of the "American

Revolution" (the war of independence against the British), and hold up the example

of "our ancestors", who include both the white pioneers and the black slaves who

"endured the lash of the whip". That is the perception of a modern nation, multi-

cultural and multi-racial: a person joins it by acquiring citizenship, and from this

moment on is the heir to all its history.

Israel is the product of the narrow nationalism of the 19th century, a nationalism

that was closed and exclusive, based on race and ethnic origin, blood and earth.

Israel is a "Jewish State", and a Jew is a person born Jewish or converted

according to Jewish religious law (Halakha). Like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,

it is a state whose mental world is to a large extent conditioned by religion,

race and ethnic origin.

When Ehud Barak speaks about the future, he speaks the language of past

centuries, in terms of brute force and brutal threats, with armies providing the

solution to all problems. That was also the language of George W. Bush who

last week slinked out of Washington, a language that already sounds to the

Western ear like an echo from the distant past.The words of the new president

are ringing in the air: "Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us

to do as we please." The key words were "humility and restraint".Our leaders

are now boasting about their part in the Gaza War, in which unbridled military

force was unleashed intentionally against a civilian population, men, women

and children, with the declared aim of "creating deterrence". In the era that

began last Tuesday, such expressions can only arouse shudders.

Between Israel and the United States a gap has opened this week, a narrow

gap, almost invisible – but it may widen into an abyss.The first signs are small.

In his inaugural speech, Obama proclaimed that "We are a nation of Christians

and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and nonbelievers." Since when? Since when

do the Muslims precede the Jews? What has happened to the "Judeo-Christian

Heritage"? (A completely false term to start with, since Judaism is much closer

to Islam than to Christianity. For example: neither Judaism nor Islam supports

the separation of religion and state.)

The very next morning, Obama phoned a number of Middle East leaders. He

decided to make a quite unique gesture: placing the first call to Mahmoud Abbas,

and only the next to Olmert. The Israeli media could not stomach that. Haaretz,

for example, consciously falsified the record by writing - not once but twice in

the same issue - that Obama had called "Olmert, Abbas, Mubarak and King

Abdallah" (in that order).

Instead of the group of American Jews who had been in charge of the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict during both the Clinton and Bush administrations, Obama,

on his very first day in office, appointed an Arab-American, George Mitchell,

whose mother had come to America from Lebanon at age 18, and who himself,

orphaned from his Irish father, was brought up in a Maronite Christian Lebanese

family.

These are not good tidings for the Israeli leaders. For the last 42 years, they

have pursued a policy of expansion, occupation and settlements in close

cooperation with Washington . They have relied on unlimited American support,

from the massive supply of money and arms to the use of the veto in the

Security Council. This support was essential to their policy. This support may

now be reaching its limits.

It will happen, of course, gradually. The pro-Israel lobby in Washington will

continue to put the fear of God into Congress. A huge ship like the United

States can change course only very slowly, in a gentle curve. But the turn-

around started already on the first day of the Obama administration. This could

not have happened, if America itself had not changed. That is not a political

change alone. It is a change in the world-view, in mental outlook, in values. A

certain American myth, which is very similar to the Zionist myth, has been

replaced by another American myth. Not by accident did Obama devote to this

so large a part of his speech (in which, by the way, there was not a single word

about the extermination of the Native Americans).The Gaza War, during which

tens of millions of Americans saw the horrible carnage in the Strip (even if

rigorous self-censorship cut out all but a tiny part), has hastened the process

of drifting apart. Israel , the brave little sister, the loyal ally in Bush's "War on

Terror", has turned into the violent Israel , the mad monster, which has no

compassion for women and children, the wounded and the sick. And when

winds like these are blowing, the Lobby loses height.

The leaders of official Israel do not notice it. They do not feel, as Obama put

it in another context, that "the ground has shifted beneath them". They think

that this is no more than a temporary political problem that can be set right

with the help of the Lobby and the servile members of Congress. Our leaders

are still intoxicated with war and drunk with violence. They have re-phrased

the famous saying of the Prussian general, Carl von Clausewitz into: "War is

but a continuation of an election campaign by other means." They compete

with each other with vainglorious swagger for their share of the "credit". Tzipi

Livni, who cannot compete with the men for the crown of warlord, tries to outdo

them in toughness, in bellicosity, in hard-heartedness.

The most brutal is Ehud Barak. Once I called him a "peace criminal", because

he brought aboutthe failure of the 2000 Camp David conference and shattered

the Israeli peace camp. Now I must call him a "war criminal", as the person who

planned the Gaza War knowing that it would murder masses of civilians. In his

own eyes, and in the eyes of a large section of the public, this is a military

operation which deserves all praise. His advisors also thought that it would bring

him success in the elections. The Labor party, which had been the largest party

in the Knesset for decades, had shrunk in the polls to 12, even 9 seats out of 120.

With the help of the Gaza atrocity it has now gone up to 16 or so. That's not a

landslide, and there's no guarantee that it will not sink again.

What was Barak's mistake? Very simply: every war helps the Right. War, by its

very nature, arouses in the population the most primitive emotions – hate and fear,

fear and hate. These are the emotions on which the Right has been riding for

centuries. Even when it's the "Left" that starts a war, it's still the Right that profits

from it. In a state of war, the population prefers an honest-to-goodness Rightist

to a phony Leftist.

This is happening to Barak for the second time. When, in 2000, he spread the

mantra "I have turned every stone on the way to peace, / I have made the

Palestinians unprecedented offers, / They have rejected everything, / There is no

one to talk with" - he succeeded not only in blowing the Left to smithereens, but

also in paving the way for the ascent of Ariel Sharon in the 2001 elections. Now

he is paving the way for Binyamin Netanyahu (hoping, quite openly, to become

his minister of defense). And not only for him. The real victor of the war is a man

who had no part in it at all: Avigdor Liberman. His party, which in any normal

country would be called fascist, is steadily rising in the polls. Why? Liberman

looks and sounds like an Israeli Mussolini, he is an unbridled Arab-hater, a man

of the most brutal force. Compared to him, even Netanyahu looks like a softie.

A large part of the young generation, nurtured on years of occupation, killing and

destruction, after two atrocious wars, considers him a worthy leader.

While the US has made a giant jump to the left, Israel is about to jump even

further to the right. Anyone who saw the millions milling around Washington on i

nauguration day knows that Obama was not speaking only for himself. He was

expressing the aspirations of his people, the Zeitgeist.Between the mental world

of Obama and the mental world of Liberman and Netanyahu there is no bridge.

Between Obama and Barak and Livni, too, there yawns an abyss. Post-election

Israel may find itself on a collision course with post-election America .

Where are the American Jews? The overwhelming majority of them voted for Obama.

They will be between the hammer and the anvil – between their government and

their natural adherence to Israel. It is reasonable to assume that this will exert

pressure from below on the "leaders" of American Jewry, who have incidentally

never been elected by anyone, and on organizations like AIPAC. The sturdy stick,

on which Israeli leaders are used to lean in times of trouble, may prove to be a

broken reed.

Europe, too, is not untouched by the new winds. True, at the end of the war we saw

the leaders of Europe – Sarkozy, Merkel, Browne and Zapatero – sitting like

schoolchildren behind a desk in class, respectfully listening to the most loathsome

arrogant posturing from Ehud Olmert, reciting his text after him. They seemed to

approve the atrocities of the war, speaking of the Qassams and forgetting about the

occupation, the blockade and the settlements. Probably they will not hang this picture

on their office walls. But during this war masses of Europeans poured into the streets

to demonstrate against the horrible events. The same masses saluted Obama on the

day of his inauguration.

This is the new world. Perhaps our leaders are now dreaming of the slogan:

"Stop the world, I want to get off!" But there is no other world.

Yes, we are now on the wrong side of history.

Fortunately, there is also another Israel . It is not in the limelight, and its voice is

heard only by those who listen out for it. This is a sane, r a tional Israel , with its

face to the future, to progress and peace. Inthese coming elections, its voice will

barely be heard, because all the old parties are standing with their two feet squarely

in the world of yesterday.But what has happened in the United States will have a

profound influence on what happens in Israel .The huge majority of Israelis know

that we cannot exist without close ties with theUS . Obama is now the leader of

the world, and we live in this world. When hepromises to work "aggressively" for

peace between us and the Palestinians, that is a marching order for us. We want

to be on the right side of history. That will take months or years, but I am sure

that we shall get there. The time to start is now.

- Uri Avnery is an Israeli writer and peace activist with Gush Shalom. He contributed

this article to PalestineChronicle.com.

If you like this article, please consider making a contribution to the Palestine Chronicle.

AFYA BORA Na. 6

Kutoka kwa Dr. Wilbert Bunini Manyilizu wa Chuo Kikuu Mzumbe, Tanzania.

Mwendelezo wa article 5

Mtu hawezi kupata mafanikio makubwa japo atafanya jambo lolote jema kwa ajili ya afya yake, kama vile mazoezi na kula vyakula salama iwapo hajahusisha matumizi ya maji mengi katika programu yake. Maji safi na salama ni kitu muhimu cha pili katika miili yetu baada ya hewa. Mtu aweza kuishi kwa siku nyingi akinywa maji tu bila chakula, lakini ataishi siku chache sana akila chakula kikavu tu bila maji. Yawezekana wengi wa wasomaji hufanya kazi zao za kila siku wakiwa katika hali ya upungufu wa maji mwilini na hivyo hupata maradhi mengi yanayoambatana na tatizo hili kama matokeo, ikiwa ni pamoja na kusikia maumivu ya kichwa wakati wa jioni. Kila kazi mwilini hurekebishwa na hutegemea maji.

Maji lazima yawepo kuchukua vitu vya muhimu mbalimbali kwenda viungo tofauti tofauti, hivi ni pamoja na hewa safi ya oksijeni kupitia kwenye damu, kusafirisha homoni mbalimbali, kemikali zingine kwenda sehemu zinakotakiwa mwilini. Baadhi ya sehemu za mwili zilizoko mbali na moyo haziwezi kupata mahitaji yake ambayo husafirishwa kwa njia hiyo. Maji haya hutumika kusafisha mwili kwa kuondoa uchafu na sumu kutoka chembe chembe mbalimbali. Kuna sababu nyingi mno ambazo mwili huhitaji maji ya kutosha ili utende kazi zake vizuri kila siku. Viungo vinapopungukiwa maji hutoa ishara kwa mhusika.

Kemikali iitwayo histamini huzalishwa ili kuanza kuchukua tahadhari kwa maeneo yaliyoathirika kwanza. Hii histamini inapokutana na neva za fahamu husababisha maumivu. Ndiyo maana kiu, au kukaukiwa huleta maumivu kama dalili ya awali. Iwapo kiu haijatulizwa kwa maji huzalisha maumivu ambayo hudumu na kuwa dalili sawa na magonjwa mengine yanayosababisha maumivu.

Mazoea ya kutokunywa maji mpaka kiu inaposumbua yaweza kuwa chanzo cha maumivu ya kichwa, maumivu ya mgongo, kiuno, msongo na mfadhaiko wa akili, shinikizo la damu, kolestero nyingi, na uzito uliokithiri, kukosa usingizi, kujisikia mchovu, hofu, kupata choo kigumu, baridi yabisi na mengineyo. Haya yote yaweza kudhibitiwa mapema kabla hayajatokea. Unywaji wa mara kwa mara wa maji mengi hukufanya uzoee na kudhibiti magonjwa mengi. Japo awali kabla kibofu hakijajifunza na kuzoea hali hii inasumbua kwa kuongeza idadi ya kwenda kukojoa hatimaye kibofu kikizoea kutunza, mtumiaji hatapata shida tena. Maji ni muhimu mwilini. Hata kiasi kidogo tu cha maji kinapopungua huchelewesha utendaji kazi kwa kiwango cha asilimia 3%.

Mara nyingi upungufu wa maji mwilini ndio hasa unaosababisha mtu kujisikia mchovu wakati wa mchana. Kipimo kizuri cha chini ni mtumiaji kuhakikisha ametumia kiasi cha lita moja ya maji kwa kila kilo 30 za uzito wake. Hii ina maana kama mtu ana kilo 60 za uzito basi anapaswa kunywa si chini ya lita mbili kwa siku ya masaa 24. Ili mtu ahakikishe kwa urahisi kuwa anatumia kiwango cha kutosha cha maji ni vyema akakagua rangi ya mkojo wake, mkojo unaofanana na mkojo wa mtu aliyenyeshewa mvua ni kipimo kisichobabaisha. Kama mhusika ataona mkojo wa rangi ya njano ajue wazi ana upungufu wa maji hivyo achukue hatua.

Utafiti unaonesha kuwa unywaji wa maji ya kutosha kila siku hupunguza hatari ya kupata ugonjwa wa kansa ya njia ya haja kubwa kwenye utumbo mpana kwa kiasi cha asilimia arobaini na tano, pia hupunguza uwezekano wa kupata kansa ya titi kwa asilimia karibu themanini (79%). Mtu huyu hukingwa pia kupata kansa ya kibofu cha mkojo kwa asilimia hamsini. Msomaji akijua haya ni dhahiri atafikiria kujikinga na hii ndiyo hatua ya awali ya kujiepusha na chanzo kikubwa cha magonjwa ya maumivu na mengineyo. Kuna magonjwa mengine pia yaweza kupoteza maji mengi na kuleta upungufu, kama vile kisukari na homa kali.

Madhara yaweza kuwa makubwa zaidi kwa watoto hasa wanapokuwa wamepungukiwa kiasi kikubwa cha maji kwa sababu ya maradhi. Baadhi ya athari ni kama kupata degedege, mtindio wa ubongo na taahira ya akili; shida ambazo ni za kudumu maisha yote. Matibabu yake ni maji, kama mtu amezidiwa inabidi apewe haraka moja kwa moja kwa njia ya mshipa katika hospitali.

Kimsingi hakuna athari ya matibabu haya. Lakini mtu akiona kiu akaamua kuondoa kiu kwa kunywa vinywaji vyenye caffeine ndani yake kama chai, cola, au kahawa anaweza kujisikia vibaya zaidi. Caffeine husababisha kukojoa zaidi, na kuifanya mishipa kuwa midogo kwa muda. Unywaji wa vinywaji hivi huua faida inayoletwa na maji.

UTANI USIOFAA - A JOKE IN VERY BAD TASTE

JAPO ujumbe huu unatarajiwa kuonyesha baadhi ya kejeli ya wananchi kwa mambo yanavyokwenda nchini Tanzania katika nyanja tofauti, lakini kuingiza sentensi ya mwisho ni kukebehi vifo vya kweli vitokeavyo hivi sasa nchini tokana na imani za kishirikina.

Jambo hili si la utani na wenye familia zenye walemavu kama hao wamo katika jakamoyo kubwa na tunastahili kusaidiana nao kutafuta ufumbuzi wa kutatua tatizo la mauwaji ya zeruzeru na sio kuwakebehi namna hii. IWEJE SIKU IDHANIWAYO NI YA WAPENDANAO KUINGIZA JAMBO HILI! Hili si jambo la mwenye kiranga haliliwi. Hawakuomba kuwa hivi!

Here's a message circulating in the country since yesterday via SMS

Please pick it up and forwar to at least 10 people. WHY? Is this a chain Letter?


Katika siku ya wapendanao... Nakuombea furaha yako iongezeka kama bei ya petroli; Mashaka yapungue kama kura za CCM 2010; Umaarufu wako uongezeke kama Orijino Komedi; Hekima zako zizagae kama bidhaa za Mchina; Uwepo wako kila mahali uwe wa thamani kama kiungo cha albino. HAVE A WONDERFUL VALENTINE DAY.

SARAH ANDERSON PROPOSING SOME ECONOMIC EQUITY TO DEVELOPING WORLD?

Economist I am not, but, is her ladyship trying to convince the Powers that be, to rethink about the way developing countries suffer economically , thanks to IMF and USA Foreign policies? Would this be the proverbial light at the end of the long dark tunnel? Obama: Sweep Away a Free Trade Relic Sarah Anderson | February 9, 2009
Foreign Policy In Focus www.fpif.org
It's not easy to make the International Monetary Fund look like a beacon of progressive enlightenment. But the Bush administration managed to do just that by letting ideology blind them to lessons from the Asian financial crisis that even doctrinaire IMF economists couldn't ignore. With the global economy once again in a tailspin, it's time for the Obama administration to sweep away the relics of this myopic past. Among the most embarrassing, yet often overlooked of these holdovers are the strict limits on capital controls that have been pushed throughout the world, particularly in developing nations. As part of a broader market fundamentalist agenda, the IMF and the U.S. government once galloped side by side in a crusade to eliminate these controls, which are various measures to reduce volatility by taxing or prohibiting certain cross-border investments. The IMF banned them through loan agreements, while the U.S. government severely restricted their use through bilateral investment treaties and the investment chapters in trade agreements. To put teeth in their deals, U.S. officials insisted that private investors be allowed to file suit in international tribunals if governments dared to violate their "rights" to free capital mobility. Defying the IMF Worked Then came the Asian crisis of the late 1990s, and subsequent financial turmoil in Russia, much of Latin America, and Turkey. What the IMF couldn't help but notice was that China, India, Chile and other countries with capital controls emerged relatively unscathed. It was also hard to overlook how rapidly Malaysia recovered, once it defied the IMF and shut the door on capital flight. Did IMF economists immediately become rah-rah cheerleaders for capital controls? Not exactly. But as early as 2001 they lifted their blanket opposition, and in recent years they've advised at least two countries to strengthen one type of capital control, a reserve requirement on inflows. They also told Iceland to keep blocking outflows until the country emerges from its current meltdown. Kenneth Rogoff, former IMF chief economist and now a Harvard University professor, acknowledged that at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, some of the only cheerful attendees were Indian business leaders and officials, who had a "strong sense of relief that they were living far from the epicenter of the recession, insulated by their country's size and still comparatively stringent restrictions on international capital flows. The IMF's shift on this particular issue coincided with growing support for the freedom to use capital controls among many noted economists, including Nobel Prize winners Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman, Harvard University's Dani Rodrik, and even Columbia University free-trader Jagdish Bhagwati. The U.S. government, meanwhile, stuck with its crusade against capital controls. After the Asian crisis erupted in 1997, it galloped full speed ahead, initiating agreements limiting capital controls with 22 countries. Now a total of 52 nations have become bound by such pacts forged since the late 1980s. Such restrictions are, naturally, in the pending U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. No Change Yet Will the Obama administration reverse course? On the campaign trail, Obama committed to revising the investment rules in U.S. trade agreements, along with other proposed trade reforms. Although he didn't mention the capital controls provisions specifically, his statements offer hope for change, particularly in the context of a financial crisis that has provoked widespread capital flight. Sixteen countries with U.S. trade or investment agreements experienced at least 7% declines in the value of their currencies vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar in 2008. Many are depleting reserves to prop up the value of their currency, a strategy that could further undermine investor confidence. Some of Obama's advisors are clearly enlightened on this issue. Daniel Tarullo, who led the President's economic transition team, has been a strong critic of the capital control restrictions in U.S. trade policies. In Congressional testimony in 2003, he said, "Our government's insistence on such provisions is bad financial policy, bad trade policy, and bad foreign policy." But Tarullo has landed on the Federal Reserve Board, rather than in the Treasury Department or the U.S. Trade Representative's office, where he could've had a direct hand in changing the policy. USTR nominee Ron Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, hasn't spoken out on the issue. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, on the other hand, has made his views quite clear. In a 2007 speech on the lessons of the Asian crisis, he warned that efforts to shield an economy from volatility through capital controls or other means "can be both futile and counterproductive" and will "bring additional risks." Not exactly encouraging, perhaps, but believing that capital controls are inadvisable is a far cry from believing that they should be prohibited. And in the year and a half since Geithner gave that speech, the world has changed. We can only hope that in this post-market fundamentalist world, he will see the wisdom of allowing governments more flexibility to chart their own paths to economic development and stability. Geithner and other top Obama economic officials should open a dialogue with leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador, and other countries who are seeking to develop alternative rules for international investment and finance. They should commit to a new global framework that allows governments to act responsibly to ensure that these economic activities support people and the planet. A good first step for Obama's economic team would be to catch up to the IMF and scrap capital control policies, which are clearly relics from a bygone era.

DC ALBERT MNALI WA BUKOBA AFUKUZWA KAZI NA RAIS KIKWETE

ADHABU HII NDIO ALISTAHILI HASWA.

JK amtimua kazi DC aliyechapa walimu
KUTOKA GAZETI LA NIPASHE
2009-02-14 10:39:02
Na Waandishi Wetu, Dar na mikoani

Rais Jakaya Kikwete, amemvua madaraka na kumfukuza kazi Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Bukoba (DC), mkoani Kagera, Albert Mnali, kutokana na kitendo cha kuwacharaza bakora walimu wa shule za msingi wa wilaya hiyo.

Habari zilizopatikana jana usiku kutoka ofisi ya Waziri Mkuu zilisema kwamba Rais alichukua hatua hiyo kutokana na mkuu wa wilaya hiyo kufanya kitendo ambacho hakikubaliki, kinadhalilisha na kuwaua moyo waalimu kufanya kazi.

Akiongea na Nipashe kwa njia ya simu, Mwandishi katika ofisi ya Waziri Mkuu, Irene Bwire, alisema kwamba madaraka ya DC huyo yalitenguliwa rasmi kuanzia jana.

Mnali anadaiwa kuwaamrisha polisi kuwacharaza viboko walimu hao kutokana na kusababisha wanafunzi kufeli mitihani pamoja na kuchelewa kazini.

Katika taarifa ya kumfukuza kazi DC huyo, Rais alisema kulingana na taratibu, kamati za nidhamu za wilaya na mikoa ndizo zenye majukumu ya kutoa adhabu kwa wafanyakazi wa umma kama ikionekana inafaa na kwamba kitendo alichofanya mkuu huyo wa wilaya kimekiuka kanuni hiyo.

``Amevunja kanuni na ameidhalilisha ofisi na mamlaka ya ukuu wa wilaya,`` sehemu ya taarifa hiyo ilisema kama ilivyosomwa na Bwire.

Mapema jana, Waalimu karibu nchi nzima walilaani vikali kitendo kilichofanywa na Mkuu huyo Wilaya wakisema kimewadhalilisha na ni ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu.

Baadhi ya walimu mkoani Ruvuma, walitoa malalamiko yao kwa masharti ya kutotajwa majina, wakisema kitendo hicho alichokifanya DC huyo ni kinyume cha sheria na ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu.

Walisema kuwa kitendo hicho kimewadhalilisha sana walimu, si wa watanzania tu bali wa dunia nzima na kwamba haijawahi kutokea walimu kucharazwa bakora na kuongeza kuwa Mnali ameonyesha wazi kuwa amejichukulia madaraka mikononi kwa kutumia cheo chake.

Baadhi ya wakuu wa shule za sekondari mkoani Ruvuma ambao walikuwa kwenye mkutano wa kuboresha elimu ya sekondari mjini hapa, walisema kuwa ipo haja sasa Waziri Mkuu, Mizengo Pinda, kuchukua hatua za haraka za kumuajibisha Mnali ambapo walitishia kutotamuunga mkono endapo atachelewesha kulitolea maamuzi jambo hilo, ambalo limewakatisha tamaa walimu nchini.

Walimu hao walisema kuwa Mkuu huyo wa Wilaya kabla ya kujichukulia sheria mkononi, alipaswa kutafuta kiini cha tatizo lililosababisha wanafunzi kufeli na kwamba wilaya yake inawataalam waliobobea, wakiwemo maafisa elimu na Katibu waTume ya Utumishi ya Walimu (TSD) ambao wangeweza kumpa ushauri wa kitaalamu na kujua ni kwa nini wanafunzi wamefeli na adhabu ya kuwapa walimu na si vinginevyo.

Naye Katibu wa Chama cha Walimu Tanzania (CWT) Mkoa wa Ruvuma, Luya Ngonyani, alisema kuwa kitendo alichofanya Mnali, kimewasononesha na kuwadhalilisha walimu wenzao na kwamba wanaamini taratibu zingine za kisheria zitafuatwa ili kurejesha utu na heshima ya walimu pamoja na utumishi wao.

Alisema wameunga mkono taarifa ya Naibu Waziri wa Elimu na Mafunzo ya Ufundi, Mwamtumu Mahiza, ya kumtaka DC huyo akapimwe akili kabla ya taratibu zingine kufuatwa.

Nyanda za Juu wamuomba JK kumfuta kazi DC
Nacho chama cha waalimu (CWT) Kanda ya Nyanda za Juu Kusini, kimemuomba Rais Jakaya Kikwete kutengua wadhifa wa Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Bukoba, Albert Mnali, na kuchukuliwa hatua za kinidhamu kwa askari polisi aliyetekeleza amri isiyo halali.

Akizungumza na waaandishi wa habari ofisini kwake jana, Katibu wa CWT Kanda ya Nyanda za Juu Kusini, Tweedsmuir Zambi, alisema chama chao kinalaani kitendo cha Mkuu wa Wilaya hiyo kuamuru walimu wachapwe viboko.

Alisema wanamwomba Rais Kikwete amfute kazi Mnali na pia Mkuu wa Jeshi la Polisi nchini (IGP), Said Mwema, amchukulie hatua za kinidhamu polisi aliyetekeleza amri isiyo halali, ya kuwachapa viboko walimu.

Aidha, alisema chama hicho kinamwomba mwajiri wa walimu hao waliochapwa viboko agharimie uhamisho ili kulinda hadhi ya walimu hao kwa kuwa wameathirika kisaikolojia.

Moshi wataka DC ashughulikiwe
Kwa upande wake CWT mkoani Kilimanjaro kimeiomba serikali kumchukulia hatua za kisheria Mnali kutokana na kuwadhalilisha walimu kwa kuwacharaza viboko kwa madai ya kushusha kiwango cha elimu wilayani mwake.

Kaimu Katibu wa CWT, Dauson Temu, aliyasema hayo jana wakati akizungumza na waandishi wa habari mjini hapa na kuongeza kuwa kitendo hicho kimewadhalilisha walimu na kuwashushia heshima mbele ya wanafunzi na jamii kwa ujumla.

Alisema CWT kimepokea kwa masikitiko makubwa taarifa hizo na kinalaani vikali kitendo hicho kwani si cha kiungwana wala taratibu za ajira na utawala bora na kuwa kimewaathiri walimu kisaikolojia.

Temu alisema wanaiomba serikali kukemea tabia hiyo na kumwadhibu Mkuu huyo wa wilaya na isitokee kwa kiongozi mwingine wa serikali kutumia vibaya madaraka yake na kuwa walimu watapanga kufanya maandamano ya kupinga kitendo hicho.

``Serikali imchukulie hatua kwani taswira ya sasa inaonekana hadhi ya walimu itashuka hata mbele ya wanafunzi wanaowafundisha na tabia hii isipoangaliwa mapema hata watendaji wa vijiji watawachapa walimu makonde na viboko kwa tuhuma kama hizo,`` alisema Temu.

Alisema Wilaya ya Hai mkoani Kilimanjaro imewahi kushika mkia mara sita mfululizo mkoani hapa katika matokeo ya mtihani wa darasa la saba kuanzia mwaka 1994 hadi mwaka 2000 lakini wadau mbali mbali walikutana na kuondoa kasoro zilizopo na sasa wilaya ya Hai inapeta katika matokeo hayo kila mwaka.

Alisema Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Bukoba hanabudi kutembelea Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro na kujifunza namna mbalimbali za uboreshaji wa elimu katika wilaya yake na si kuwaadhibu walimu pekee, tena kwa adhabu ya aibu ya viboko.

Kaimu huyo alisema toka nchi imepata uhuru wake, hajawahi kusikia kokote duniani mwalimu kuchapwa viboko kwa sababu ya wanafunzi kufeli na kwamba tukio hilo limeweka historia nchini na duniani.

Zaidi ya walimu 32 wa wilayani Bukoba wameripotiwa na vyombo vya habari wakidai kucharazwa viboko na Mnali.

Tume ya Haki za Binadamu yalaani Wakati huo huo, TUME ya Haki za Binadamu na Utawala Bora, imelaani kitendo cha Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Bukoba, Albert Mnali cha kuwachapa viboko walimu wa shule tatu za msingi, wilayani humo, ikisema kuwa kitendo hicho ni ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na kimedhalilisha utu na kuwavunjia heshima kwa wanafunzi, familia zao na jamii kwa jumla.

Walimu walioripotiwa kuchapwa viboko na Mkuu huyo wa Wilaya, ni wa Shule za Msingi za Katerero, Kanazi na Kasenene mkoani Kagera.

Tamko hilo lilisomwa na Makamu Mwenyekiti wa Tume ya Haki za Binadamu na Utawala Bora, Mahfoudha Alley Hamid, kwa niaba ya Mwenyekiti wake, Jaji Mstaafu Amiri Manento, alipozungumza na waandishi wa habari katika ofisi za Tume hiyo, jijini Dar es Salaam jana.

Jaji Mahfoudha alisema Tume imeshitushwa na kusikitishwa na taarifa kuhusu kitendo kilichofanywa na Mkuu huyo wa Wilaya dhidi ya walimu hao.

``Kitendo hicho ni cha ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu na misingi ya utawala bora kwa mujibu wa sheria za nchi hususan Katiba ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania ya Mwaka 1977 na mikataba ya kimataifa inayolinda haki za binadamu na misingi ya utawala bora ambayo Tanzania imeridhia,`` alisema Mahfoudha.

Alisema Ibara ya 13 (6) (e) ya Katiba inatamka kuhusu adhabu kwa kusema: ``Ni marufuku kwa mtu kuteswa, kuadhibiwa kinyama au kupewa adhabu zinazomtweza au kumdhalilisha.``

Kutokana na hali hiyo, alisema Tume, ambayo ina mamlaka ya Kikatiba, inalaani vikali kitendo kilichofanywa na Mkuu huyo wa Wilaya, ambaye moja ya majukumu yake ni kulinda hazi za binadamu na misingi ya utawala bora.

Alisema uvunjaji wa haki za binadamu na misingi ya utawala bora uliofanywa na Mkuu huyo wa Wilaya ni pamoja na kutoa adhabu isiyostahili kwani adhabu ya viboko hutolewa na mahakama peke yake tena kwa kosa la jinai lililoainishwa kisheria.

Pia kutoa adhabu ya kutweza au kudhalilisha utu, ikiwamo walimu wa kike kucharazwa bakora, kuwapa adhabu walimu bila kufuata taratibu za kinidhamu, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwashirikisha maafisa elimu wa wilaya na Idara ya Utumishi wa Walimu na kutumia vibaya madaraka aliyokasimiwa na Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania na akala kiapo.

Alisema kitendo hicho alichokiita cha aina yake na cha aibu nchini, kimeleta athari kubwa kwa walimu, ikiwamo kuwavunjia heshima kwa wanafunzi, familia zao na jamii kwa jumla na pia kimewavunja moyo katika kazi zao za kila siku.

Hata hivyo, aliwataka walimu kuzingatia maadili yao ya kazi ili nao wawatendee haki watoto ya kupata elimu bora, badala ya kuwa watoro, wazembe na walevi kama walivyotuhumiwa.

Imeandikwa na Gideon Mwakanosya, Ruvuma Jackson Kimambo, Moshi Pendo Fundisha, Mbeya na Muhibu Said, Dar.

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ANOTHER PLANE CRASH IN USA KILLS 48+

Plane with 48 aboard crashes into house in suburban Buffalo

updated 6 minutes ago

(CNN) -- A Continental Airlines plane crashed in suburban Buffalo, New York, late Thursday with 44 passengers and four crew members aboard, according to authorities. All people aboard the plane were killed, New York State Police said. There's been one confirmed death on the ground.

Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house in suburban Buffalo, New York, late Thursday.

Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, was en route from Newark, New Jersey, when it went down in Clarence Center, said Bill Peat with New York State Emergency Management in Albany.

The plane crashed about 10:20 p.m., hitting a home and bursting into a fireball, according to New York State Trooper John Manthey.

The crash took place about seven miles from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Watch video from CNN affiliate WGRZ »

Area resident Keith Burtis said he was driving to the store about a mile from the crash site when he heard the plane go down. "It was a high-pitched sound," Burtis said. "It felt like a mini-earthquake." Watch officials on the scene: 'This is not a rescue mission' »

Shortly after the crash, Burtis said he saw a steady stream of fire trucks rush by him as smoke billowed into the sky. Are you on the scene? Let us know at iReport

Other witnesses told CNN affiliate WGRZ they saw the plane nose-diving toward the ground.

Continental Airlines confirmed that the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was operating between Newark Liberty International Airport and Buffalo.

The National Transportation Safety Board said early Friday that it was preparing a "go team" to head to Buffalo to investigate the crash. The aircraft has seating capacity of 74, officials said.

There was a wintry mix at the time of the crash, officials said. Witnesses told CNN the house that was hit was flattened.

Officials said relatives of passengers aboard the flight should call 1-800-6... for information. In a news release, Colgan Air said an accident response team is being mobilized and will be devoted to cooperating with all authorities. Watch more on the plane crash »

At this time, officials said they are not concerned about a hazardous materials situation on the ground.

Source: cnn.com

US JUDGES ADMIT COMMITTING OFFENCES

U.S. judges admit to jailing children for money

Today, 01:07 am

Jon Hurdle

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Two judges pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting more than $2.6 million from a private youth detention centre in Pennsylvania in return for giving hundreds of youths and teenagers long sentences. Skip related content

Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, entered plea agreements in federal court in Scranton admitting that they took payoffs from PA Childcare and a sister company, Western PA Childcare, between 2003 and 2006.

"Your statement that I have disgraced my judgeship is true," Ciavarella wrote in a letter to the court. "My actions have destroyed everything I worked to accomplish and I have only myself to blame."

Conahan, who along with Ciavarella faces up to seven years in prison, did not make any comment on the case.

When someone is sent to a detention centre, the company running the facility receives money from the county government to defray the cost of incarceration. So as more children were sentenced to the detention centre, PA Childcare and Western PA Childcare received more money from the government, prosecutors said.

Teenagers who came before Ciavarella in juvenile court often were sentenced to detention centres for minor offences that would typically have been classified as misdemeanours, according to the Juvenile Law Centre, a Philadelphia nonprofit group.

One 17-year-old boy was sentenced to three months' detention for being in the company of another minor caught shoplifting.

Others were given similar sentences for "simple assault" resulting from a schoolyard scuffle that would normally draw a warning, a spokeswoman for the Juvenile Law Centre said.

The Constitution guarantees the right to legal representation in U.S. courts. But many of the juveniles appeared before Ciavarella without an attorney because they were told by the probation service that their minor offences didn't require one.

Marsha Levick, chief counsel for the Juvenile Law Centre, estimated that of approximately 5,000 juveniles who came before Ciavarella from 2003 and 2006, between 1,000 and 2,000 received excessively harsh detention sentences. She said the centre will sue the judges, PA Childcare and Western PA Childcare for financial compensation for their victims.

"That judges would allow their greed to trump the rights of defendants is just obscene," Levick said.

The judges attempted to hide their income from the scheme by creating false records and routing payments through intermediaries, prosecutors said.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court removed Ciavarella and Conahan from their duties after federal prosecutors filed charges on January 26. The court has also appointed a judge to review all the cases involved.