The Fight Against Terrorism...

I received this from a friend in London who lives in the East End, close to where one of the bombs went off on July 7th. I hope she does not mind that I share it with you.

Jon Snow says it all! This is a city gone mad! On entry to Bethnal Green tube station this morning, every young man who did not fit the description of a "westerner" (and given that this is the East End, every other tube traveller is of asian appearance) was surrounded by at least three police officers, questioned, searched, questioned some more, searched again. Diversity is at serious risk of being over-ridden by blatant discrimination!

This is what she was referring to:

>From: Snowmail - Channel 4 News
<snowmail_daily@channel4.com>
>Subject: Sign of the times?
>Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:43:43 +0000>
>Sign of the times?

>====================>

A day in the life of London, maybe even a commonplace day in the life of a Muslim. I am cycling back from Channel 4 at ten thirty seven this morning past the back of Horse guards parade in line of sight of the back of number 10 Downing Street - suddenly on the edge of the park I notice armed police, four of them, their guns raised surrounding a tall Muslim man with a dark beard.

He is smartly dressed and has a brand new silver coloured camera bag on the ground at his feet. The voices are raised with the guns, in the time that I take to pass the guns lower, the bag is searched, the incident passes, no one seems to notice. Up on the mall a small knot of tourists are looking from a distance. One now normal unreported, maybe unreportable incident and a searing experience for one innocent Muslim man. Which isn't to say that the level of anxiety and tension which prompts such a scene isn't all too understandable.

I am white, crazy-looking on a bike, with a shoulder bag across my back, yet I am not stopped in line of sight of number 10: here lies tonight's central dilemma - do only bag carrying bearded Muslims need to worry about passing public buildings? Soon they will begin to keep away from them and what is shared, what is all of ours, will become places they no longer come to. Not just the pubs where they never might have drank anyway, but now the places that are central to our democracy and our identity...

Something we are addressing at seven with John Denham chair of the commons Home affairs select committee. He's arguing Mr Blair has got some of it wrong and must make amends.

See you at seven as ever,

best wishes,

Jon Snow

In memorial.....

Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign

PO Box 273, London E7
07956 210332 / 07931 337890
Justice4jean@hotmail.com

WE REMEMBER

7.1.78-22.7.05

Murdered by the police at Stockwell station Friday 22 July 2005

The Menezes family call upon the people of London to join them remembering Jean Charles.

Friday 29 July

Family vigil at Parliament Square 5.30pm Please bring Brazilian and Peace Flags

Inter-faith memorial service

Westminster Cathedral 7pm

42 Francis Street, London SW1P 1QW

- includes live link to Jean Charles funeral in Brazil

Tube: Victoria/St James¹ Park. Buses 11, 24, 148, 507, 211.

ALL WELCOME

Blogs

Stress Monitor

The Tribunal thought it might be a good idea for us to keep a track of our stress levels and so sent out this questionnaire to all staff members (posted for your benefit MJY!). It is better than a Cosmo quiz! Please let me know how you do! Hee hee hee! Made my day this morning! I however, fall into the "Men in white coats approaching. Take cover!" category... hee hee hee! I love this place!

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STRESS; HOW TO GO ABOUT IT?

Every one of us finds himself /herself stressed at one time or another; especially considering the nature of work we do here, which in itself subjects people to a lot of stress. Do you have the necessary stamina to stand stress?

There are several ways to manage stress; much of it can be done by an individual on self. The following Stress-Prone Personality Questionnaire can assist to determine whether or not you are prone to stress. Take your time to go through it and answer the questions.


Do you find it difficult to hide your feelings when you are annoyed or distressed about something?


Looking ate second hand of your watch; do you take more than eight breaths a minute when you are resting?


Do you often feel dizzy or breathless even though you have not exceeded yourself?


Do you tend to finish other people’s sentences for them?


Do you often interrupt others while they are speaking?


Do you react physically to stressful events?


When you hear unwelcome news, do you feel as though someone had punched you in the stomach?


Do you feel very strong for others?


Does it generally take you a long time to take positive action about a stressful situation?


Would you do anything for a quite life?


Do hesitant or insecure people drive you nuts?


Do you prefer it when other people take the lead when it comes to making decisions?


Do you easily get confused or frightened?


Do you frequently have arguments with other people?


Do you find it nearly impossible to say ‘no’?


Do other people seem to ignore it when you say ‘no’?


Does it frighten you when others disagree with you?


Do you frequently suffer from a racing heart, even though there is nothing wrong with your heart?


Do even ordinary chores make you feel tired?


Are you very concerned what others think of you?


Do you fidget or bite you nails?


Do you experienced frequent headaches or persistent pains in your back and neck?


Do you have problems sleeping?


Do you lost interest in sex?


Do you often feel indecisive?


Do feel like a failure?


Are you worried that something dreadful might happen in your life?


Have you lost your sense of humor?


Do you have problems concentrating and remembering?


Are you personal standards very high and demanding?


Does it throw you when your daily routine is disrupted?


Do you feel awkward when with new people?


Do you find it difficult to leave a situation when you have had enough?


Do you usually put yourself last?


Do imperfections upset you?


Do you often not finish what you started?


Do you find it difficult to switch off at the end of you day?


Do you neglect your relationships over your work commitments?


Do you neglect your own needs because you are wrapped up in your work or looking after someone else?


Does the amount of work you have to do every day seem to overpower you?


Do you feel undervalued by your boss, your family or your partner?

Please add up how many times you said‘yes’. Below is an interpretation of your results.

0-3

You are a personality type who is quite robust when it comes to stress. You are not easily thrown and are likely to handle difficult situations in a constructive manner. You might as well recommend the book ‘Total stress relief’ to someone who really needs it!

4-10

You are not doing too badly, especially if you are at the lower end of the scale. If you are nearer the 10-point mark, you need to start watching out a little. You have a certain streak of vulnerability in your emotional make-up, maybe as a result of what has happened previously in your life. This vulnerability could lay you open to unwelcome stress reactions when the going gets tough. Work with the exercises to make yourself more stress-resilient.

11-20

Alarm bells are ringing! Your emotional make-up makes you susceptible to stress responses on all levels- mental emotional and physical. Are there events in the past that have knocked your confidence? What is it that has made you feel you are not good enough? Working through the exercises is a must. Please don’t delay getting to work. The quality of your life can improve dramatically if you are prepared to put some work into it.

Over 20

You have lived through a lot of things in your life that have severely affected your esteem and confidence. In all likelihood there is some unfinished business in your past. In addition to doing the exercises in this book, you may want to consider seeking professional help from a good therapist or counselor.

Light entertainment amid global madness....

This is a little snapshot of where I live.... made me smile!

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Thick Smoke Clouds Arusha City Launch
Arusha Times
July 9, 2005


Elsewhere fireworks would have been lit to mark the occasion, but for the Arusha's city launching ceremony, a thick, dark and pungent smoke, clouded the entire affair. The fumes sent most of the people, who had turned up at the fete held at the Mbauda market area, into uncontrollable fits of coughs.

The new Arusha City status, which became effective on Friday, the 1st of July 2005 was celebrated with a low scale event at the open space in Mbauda area where market auctions normally take place. Arusha was declared a township in 1948.

The smoke which clouded the venue was coming from a giant vehicle tire, which had been set on fire at the venue so that the local fire brigade could put it off, during an orchestrated live demonstration, that was to be displayed at the arena, among other shows.

The Municipal Fire brigade, normally accused of being slow, was also noted to arrive late, even to their own demonstration, such that by the time their trucks arrived, the guest of honor, who happened to be the Arusha Regional Commissioner, Mohamed Babu, had already taken onto the stage to deliver a speech, amid the smoke.

The fire brigade trucks, with sirens at full blast had therefore to be stopped before entering the venue, so that the speakers, including the Regional Commissioner, could continue with their speeches, without interference.

Meanwhile, the large tire continued to burn endlessly, emitting thick clouds of the dark carbon monoxide fumes.

When however the smoke got thicker and people started to vacate the market place, the firemen were finally allowed to put off the burning tire. The exercise again, proved to be not so easy either, since the water jets from the fire brigade trucks kept missing their target, ending up drenching unwitting spectators instead.

By the time the tire fire was quenched, confusion and chaos had reigned. Apparently, there were many people at the venue, who had shown up for various other reasons as well. The Mbauda Bi-

Weekly market is normally held every Mondays and Fridays, thus the attendance at the Arusha City launching fete also had a lot to do with ordinary traders and shoppers.

Most of the official speeches, including the Council's financial report being presented by the Municipal Director, Noah Mwaikuka, went unheard at the rather noisy gathering. It is not clear why local leaders decided to celebrate the city launch in Mbauda instead of the town stadium.

Friday, the 1st of July, was also the inaugural, 'Local Government Day!' which is set to be an annual national holiday to be marked countrywide on each first day of July.

Apart from the Regional Commissioner, other distinguished guests were the Arusha District Commissioner, Fulgence Saria, Municipal Mayor, Paul Lotta Laizer and Municipal Director, Noah Mwaikuka, including other local ward counselors.

On the same day, the Arumeru District Council was upgraded to attain municipal status, while other two municipal councils of Tanga and Mbeya were also transformed into cities. RC Babu said Arusha urban now stands to wield more local authority than it used to be in the past.

With a population of less than 300,000 Arusha is yet to meet the international requirement of 400,000 residents, necessary for a town to be accredited with such urban status. However, it is being speculated that, the fact that the area hosts a number of international institutions such as the UN- ICTR and the EAC, it was a politically correct reason to award it the status.