Showing posts with label anniverssary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anniverssary. Show all posts
Monday, October 07, 2024
Saturday, May 09, 2015
Papal envoy to be present at commemoration of death of Jan Hus
Catholic World News - May 04, 2015
Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, the retired archbishop of Prague, as his special envoy for the commemoration of the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus.
The Bohemian priest was burned at the stake for heresy, and in 1999 Pope St . John Paul II expressed regret for his death.
“On the eve of the Great Jubilee, I feel obliged to express deep regret for the cruel death inflicted on Jan Hus and the resulting wound, a source of conflict and division which was thus opened in the minds and hearts of the Bohemian people,” he said.
The commemoration will take place in Prague on July 5 and 6.
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
The Titanic Disaster (1912-2012)
Uploaded by worcesterjonny on Mar 24, 2011
A video produced for the centenary of the Titanic Disaster (1912-2012). On 10th April, 1912, the Titanic, largest ship afloat, left Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City. By the 15th April this great ship had sank (SUNK) with a loss of hundreds of lives.
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
N. Carolina Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Sit-Ins
Human Rights and Law
Chris Simkins Greensboro, North Carolina 01 February 2010
The Woolworth department store in Greensboro, North Carolina that was the site of the famous sit-ins on 1 Feb 1960
February is Black History Month in the United States. It pays tribute to people and events that shaped the history of African Americans. A pivotal moment happened 50 years ago when four black university students in North Carolina sat down at a whites-only lunch counter to get something to eat. They were denied service, but their actions re-ignited the U.S. civil rights movement and the struggle by millions of African Americans to achieve racial equality and justice.
Hundreds of people gathered at a former Woolworth department store to pay tribute to what happened here 50 years ago. Inspired by civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., four black college students walked into a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1st, 1960. They sat down at the "whites only" lunch counter but were denied service because of their skin color.
Chris Simkins Greensboro, North Carolina 01 February 2010
The Woolworth department store in Greensboro, North Carolina that was the site of the famous sit-ins on 1 Feb 1960
February is Black History Month in the United States. It pays tribute to people and events that shaped the history of African Americans. A pivotal moment happened 50 years ago when four black university students in North Carolina sat down at a whites-only lunch counter to get something to eat. They were denied service, but their actions re-ignited the U.S. civil rights movement and the struggle by millions of African Americans to achieve racial equality and justice.
Hundreds of people gathered at a former Woolworth department store to pay tribute to what happened here 50 years ago. Inspired by civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., four black college students walked into a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1st, 1960. They sat down at the "whites only" lunch counter but were denied service because of their skin color.
"In our hearts we all thought that racial segregation was evil," said participant Joseph McNeil.
Joseph McNeil was just 17 years old when he and his friends refused to leave the segregated counter. At the time, they could have been arrested for breaking so called "Jim Crow" laws that were enacted to keep blacks and whites separated at public places such as theaters, hotels and restaurants.
"If we had to be arrested for a week or one day or two months or three months we felt what we were trying to do was worth it to make that statement and to defy racial segregation," he added.
Franklin McCain says he was driven to participate in the sit-ins because of the discrimination that surrounded him.
"I was quite ready to do something to seek relief, a spot of dignity, humanity and my manhood," said McCain. "And fortunately I met three other guys who felt the same way."
Jibreel Khazan from Greensboro remembers what the white waitress told them.
"'What do you boys want?' And we said we would like to be served very politely. And she said. 'You know we don't serve colored people here, there is a lunch counter over there, a stand up counter.' And we said thank you ma'am we'd rather sit here," recalled Khazan.
Days later and tired of the discriminatory practices, more blacks and even some white people got involved in the sit-in movement. Joseph McNeil says that at one point more than 500 students jammed the lunch counters at Woolworth and other stores with segregated lunch counters.
"We were doing what needed to be done," said McNeil. "Not just that, but keeping up the commitment of coming back day after day as we promised the stores what we would do if they didn't open the [lunch] counters to everyone."
Longtime civil rights activist Julian Bond says the Greensboro sit-ins changed the course of the civil rights movement during the 1960's.
"It injected a degree of activism in the civil rights movement which until then had been largely confined to activism in the courts," explained Bond. "All of a sudden, activism in the streets became part of the arena, part of the weaponry that the movement used and that just changed everything."
In July 1960, and after $200,000 in lost business, Woolworth agreed to integrate its store allowing blacks to be served at the lunch counter.
Historian Lonnie Bunch says the Greensboro campaign was not the first, but it did capture national media attention and spark hundreds of similar non-violent protests across the country.
"So celebrating the Greensboro sit-in really tells us we are celebrating the sit-ins that occurred in other parts of the south and other cities throughout the north," noted Bunch.
Jebreel Khazan says he's honored to have a place in history but gives credit to the wisdom of his ancestors.
"We just happened to be blessed to be the four that did this and it caught fire throughout the country but all things are possible if we only believe and that was what I was taught," he said.
On the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins, a new chapter in the history of the civil rights movement has begun with a new international civil rights museum. Community leaders want it to be a lasting tribute to the sacrifices so many African Americans made for equality and social justice.
Joseph McNeil was just 17 years old when he and his friends refused to leave the segregated counter. At the time, they could have been arrested for breaking so called "Jim Crow" laws that were enacted to keep blacks and whites separated at public places such as theaters, hotels and restaurants.
"If we had to be arrested for a week or one day or two months or three months we felt what we were trying to do was worth it to make that statement and to defy racial segregation," he added.
Franklin McCain says he was driven to participate in the sit-ins because of the discrimination that surrounded him.
"I was quite ready to do something to seek relief, a spot of dignity, humanity and my manhood," said McCain. "And fortunately I met three other guys who felt the same way."
Jibreel Khazan from Greensboro remembers what the white waitress told them.
"'What do you boys want?' And we said we would like to be served very politely. And she said. 'You know we don't serve colored people here, there is a lunch counter over there, a stand up counter.' And we said thank you ma'am we'd rather sit here," recalled Khazan.
Days later and tired of the discriminatory practices, more blacks and even some white people got involved in the sit-in movement. Joseph McNeil says that at one point more than 500 students jammed the lunch counters at Woolworth and other stores with segregated lunch counters.
"We were doing what needed to be done," said McNeil. "Not just that, but keeping up the commitment of coming back day after day as we promised the stores what we would do if they didn't open the [lunch] counters to everyone."
Longtime civil rights activist Julian Bond says the Greensboro sit-ins changed the course of the civil rights movement during the 1960's.
"It injected a degree of activism in the civil rights movement which until then had been largely confined to activism in the courts," explained Bond. "All of a sudden, activism in the streets became part of the arena, part of the weaponry that the movement used and that just changed everything."
In July 1960, and after $200,000 in lost business, Woolworth agreed to integrate its store allowing blacks to be served at the lunch counter.
Historian Lonnie Bunch says the Greensboro campaign was not the first, but it did capture national media attention and spark hundreds of similar non-violent protests across the country.
"So celebrating the Greensboro sit-in really tells us we are celebrating the sit-ins that occurred in other parts of the south and other cities throughout the north," noted Bunch.
Jebreel Khazan says he's honored to have a place in history but gives credit to the wisdom of his ancestors.
"We just happened to be blessed to be the four that did this and it caught fire throughout the country but all things are possible if we only believe and that was what I was taught," he said.
On the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins, a new chapter in the history of the civil rights movement has begun with a new international civil rights museum. Community leaders want it to be a lasting tribute to the sacrifices so many African Americans made for equality and social justice.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
A year after, India remembers Mumbai attacks
Wed Nov 25, 2009 11:46pm EST
More News
India's PM Singh says assured by U.S. on Pakistan 4:43pm EST
Pakistan court charges Mumbai attack suspects 12:52pm EST
India vigilant but remains vulnerable to attacks 11:38am EST
India PM sees no hurdles to nuclear deal completion 10:37am EST
Obama seeks to reassure Singh on U.S.-India ties Tuesday, 24 Nov 2009 01:50pm EST
By Rina Chandran
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Mumbai's police paraded past some of the city's landmarks in a show of strength as India's financial hub marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and ratched up tensions with Pakistan.
Onlookers waved Indian flags and banners with slogans like "End The Violence" as police commandoes, showing off new weapons and armored vehicles, tracked the route of ten militants who disembarked in Mumbai a year ago to rampage through the city. Other residents lit candles outside a Jewish center, one of several sites from luxury hotels to the city's biggest railway station targeted by the Pakistan-based gunmen for three days.
"We just wanted to show our support and show that we care," said Subir Kumar Singh, who was leaving a written message on a banner outside the Leopold cafe, a popular tourist spot that still has bullet marks from the attacks.
The attacks highlighted the lack of preparedness of India to militant attacks and showed how regional tension in South Asia could undermine the stability of Asia's economic powerhouse as it emerges on the global stage.
Nine militants were killed by police in the attacks. The lone survivor, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, is under trial and could face the gallows if found guilty.
Some local residents shouted "Hang Kasab" as they walked past the seafront Taj Mahal Hotel, where the militants guided by handlers in Pakistan by telephone, battled commandoes for nearly three days through a myriad of plush corridors.
India has broken off peace talks with Pakistan since the attacks.
New Delhi has sought to bring international pressure on Islamabad to act against militants operating from its soil, including the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) blamed for the masterminding the raids.
"The government of Pakistan could do more to bring to book people who are still roaming around the country freely, to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and I can only hope that there will be progress in that area," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this week in Washington.
In a move seen as trying to appease that frustration as well as deflect U.S. pressure to act, a Pakistani court indicted on Wednesday seven Pakistani suspects on terror charges in connection with the attacks.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Mumbai's police paraded past some of the city's landmarks in a show of strength as India's financial hub marked the first anniversary of militant raids that killed 166 people and ratched up tensions with Pakistan.
Onlookers waved Indian flags and banners with slogans like "End The Violence" as police commandoes, showing off new weapons and armored vehicles, tracked the route of ten militants who disembarked in Mumbai a year ago to rampage through the city. Other residents lit candles outside a Jewish center, one of several sites from luxury hotels to the city's biggest railway station targeted by the Pakistan-based gunmen for three days.
"We just wanted to show our support and show that we care," said Subir Kumar Singh, who was leaving a written message on a banner outside the Leopold cafe, a popular tourist spot that still has bullet marks from the attacks.
The attacks highlighted the lack of preparedness of India to militant attacks and showed how regional tension in South Asia could undermine the stability of Asia's economic powerhouse as it emerges on the global stage.
Nine militants were killed by police in the attacks. The lone survivor, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, is under trial and could face the gallows if found guilty.
Some local residents shouted "Hang Kasab" as they walked past the seafront Taj Mahal Hotel, where the militants guided by handlers in Pakistan by telephone, battled commandoes for nearly three days through a myriad of plush corridors.
India has broken off peace talks with Pakistan since the attacks.
New Delhi has sought to bring international pressure on Islamabad to act against militants operating from its soil, including the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) blamed for the masterminding the raids.
"The government of Pakistan could do more to bring to book people who are still roaming around the country freely, to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and I can only hope that there will be progress in that area," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this week in Washington.
In a move seen as trying to appease that frustration as well as deflect U.S. pressure to act, a Pakistani court indicted on Wednesday seven Pakistani suspects on terror charges in connection with the attacks.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Empire State Building honors China, riling critics
Empire State Building honors China, riling critics
(AP) – 9 hours ago
(AP) – 9 hours ago
NEW YORK — Critics of China's communist government are protesting plans to light the top of New York's Empire State Building red and yellow to honor that nation's 60th anniversary.
Several supporters of Tibet protested Wednesday outside the iconic building, where a lighting ceremony is planned. The building often changes its lighting colors to mark holidays and big events.
Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner (WEE'-nur) of New York says the lights should not be used to pay tribute to what he called "a nation with a shameful history on human rights."
Building spokeswoman Marisa Picker had no immediate comment.
China is marking 60 years of communist rule on Wednesday.
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Remembering 9/11
Every year when September 11 comes around, we in the Fire Service pay our respects to those killed that horrible day in many ways. This year, Engineer Matt Cole with the Sacramento Metro Fire District organized an event that we hope to continue for many years.
Tomorrow morning, September the 11th at 8:00 A.M., 343 Firefighters from throughout the Sacramento Region will participate in a “9/11 Memorial Climb” at the Renaissance Tower at 8th & K Streets in Downtown Sacramento.
This event is to pay tribute to the 343 New York City Firefighters who were killed on September 11, 2001. Firefighters will climb the inside stairs, to the top of the building four times, for a total of 110 flights. The 110 flights represent how tall the World Trade Center Towers were.
Each Firefighter has paid a registration fee and all proceeds from this event will go to the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Widows and Orphans Fund. This event is not open to the public, however anyone can contribute to the charity by visiting this site; www.ufanyc.org/funds/widows_and_children.php
This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 and could not be possible without the help of the Renaissance Tower, USAA Real Estate Company, and SITQ.
No matter what you do tomorrow, please keep in your heart the memory of the Firefighters and all of the victims that were killed that tragic day. It has been 8 years since these terrorists committed this horrible crime, but we must never forget.
Below is a portion of an email that Sacramento Fire Department, Battalion Chief Marc Bentovoja, sent out today to our Fire Department. He was one of many from Sacramento that responded to the World Trade Center on that day;
“As an agency, eight years ago this week the Sacramento Fire Department responded to WTC. The events were incomprehensible and many that responded took home indelible life altering images and memories. To a person, those that responded will state that it was an honor to have been able to represent our agency and City at this tragic incident. As we come to another anniversary of 9/11 we will all be swamped with media accounts and public comment by those that have the luxury of only remembering the events of that day once a year. I commend those of you that have chosen/volunteered in formal ways to memorialize those that gave their lives in efforts to save others. Events such as the 110 flight stair climb are great ways to raise the public consciousness in remembrance of the 343 from WTC. But if we want to truly honor their memory, we need to honor it daily. We're all personally responsible for our own Knowledge Skills and Abilities relative to our job. The Department has a responsibility to provide us with a level of training, a foundation if you will. But we as individuals, officers, etc. have much more control over our level of performance. Average is not good enough, mediocrity kills. We've all been apart of, or a witness to, an on the job "Close call". Did we survive these "Close calls" because of good training/preparation, or did we create the "Close call" because of a lack of training/preparation?
Our profession has come a long way over the years. Some changes have been for the good, some not so good. Technology has made available training aids and information never before seen. My opinion is that "Lap top" Computers in recliners don't train us for the next time our abilities will be tested by a high risk, low frequency situation. We'd better be ready! Captains, are your personnel going home everyday because you've prepared and trained them, or because of the "luck of the draw" they just weren't tested that tour?
So, as 9/11 approaches hug your kids a little tighter, appreciate life a little more. But honor those that "gave" their lives by preparing for the event that we pray never happens. I don't want to deal with another 9/11. I do want to sleep at night knowing those I work for, with and supervise, are better trained because we've done everything in our power to prepare them for even the unimaginable!”
Tomorrow morning, September the 11th at 8:00 A.M., 343 Firefighters from throughout the Sacramento Region will participate in a “9/11 Memorial Climb” at the Renaissance Tower at 8th & K Streets in Downtown Sacramento.
This event is to pay tribute to the 343 New York City Firefighters who were killed on September 11, 2001. Firefighters will climb the inside stairs, to the top of the building four times, for a total of 110 flights. The 110 flights represent how tall the World Trade Center Towers were.
Each Firefighter has paid a registration fee and all proceeds from this event will go to the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York, Widows and Orphans Fund. This event is not open to the public, however anyone can contribute to the charity by visiting this site; www.ufanyc.org/funds/widows_and_children.php
This event is sponsored by the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters Local 522 and could not be possible without the help of the Renaissance Tower, USAA Real Estate Company, and SITQ.
No matter what you do tomorrow, please keep in your heart the memory of the Firefighters and all of the victims that were killed that tragic day. It has been 8 years since these terrorists committed this horrible crime, but we must never forget.
Below is a portion of an email that Sacramento Fire Department, Battalion Chief Marc Bentovoja, sent out today to our Fire Department. He was one of many from Sacramento that responded to the World Trade Center on that day;
“As an agency, eight years ago this week the Sacramento Fire Department responded to WTC. The events were incomprehensible and many that responded took home indelible life altering images and memories. To a person, those that responded will state that it was an honor to have been able to represent our agency and City at this tragic incident. As we come to another anniversary of 9/11 we will all be swamped with media accounts and public comment by those that have the luxury of only remembering the events of that day once a year. I commend those of you that have chosen/volunteered in formal ways to memorialize those that gave their lives in efforts to save others. Events such as the 110 flight stair climb are great ways to raise the public consciousness in remembrance of the 343 from WTC. But if we want to truly honor their memory, we need to honor it daily. We're all personally responsible for our own Knowledge Skills and Abilities relative to our job. The Department has a responsibility to provide us with a level of training, a foundation if you will. But we as individuals, officers, etc. have much more control over our level of performance. Average is not good enough, mediocrity kills. We've all been apart of, or a witness to, an on the job "Close call". Did we survive these "Close calls" because of good training/preparation, or did we create the "Close call" because of a lack of training/preparation?
Our profession has come a long way over the years. Some changes have been for the good, some not so good. Technology has made available training aids and information never before seen. My opinion is that "Lap top" Computers in recliners don't train us for the next time our abilities will be tested by a high risk, low frequency situation. We'd better be ready! Captains, are your personnel going home everyday because you've prepared and trained them, or because of the "luck of the draw" they just weren't tested that tour?
So, as 9/11 approaches hug your kids a little tighter, appreciate life a little more. But honor those that "gave" their lives by preparing for the event that we pray never happens. I don't want to deal with another 9/11. I do want to sleep at night knowing those I work for, with and supervise, are better trained because we've done everything in our power to prepare them for even the unimaginable!”
Monday, September 07, 2009
Remembering The 2008 Financial Nightmare
Remembering The 2008 Financial Nightmare
by Marilyn Geewax
September 6, 2009
Listen to the Story
Weekend Edition Sunday
[4 min 31 sec]
Add to Playlist
Download
Transcript
Richard Drew/AP
Timeline: A Year Of Financial Crisis
September 6, 2009
Politics and weather dominated headlines during the first week of September 2008. Sarah Palin made her national debut at the Republican National Convention, and Hurricane Gustav soaked much of the South.
But within days, the news had taken a drastic turn, as a series of stunning events paralyzed America's financial system and profoundly rattled the global economy. Stocks tumbled, and the credit markets short-circuited. Pale, frightened regulators, bankers and politicians tried haltingly to explain how they might avert an economic catastrophe.
The crisis had been long in the making. Home foreclosures had been rising at an unnerving rate for more than a year. Congressional efforts to contain the foreclosure mess had failed. By early September, investment banks were racking up huge losses tied to bad bets on mortgages. The whole housing sector was crumbling.
Read The Series Overview Read The Series Overview
Financial Crisis: One Year And Counting
Then the financial crisis hit with brute force. On Sept. 7, the federal government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Separately, the board of Washington Mutual, the nation's largest savings and loan, fired its CEO because of massive mortgage losses.
On Sept. 14, a Sunday, an apparent free fall began. Bank of America announced that it would buy the collapsing Merrill Lynch to save it. But there was no saving Lehman Brothers that day. The once-mighty global financial-services firm, founded in 1850, was crushed by its massive debts and the unwillingness of the government to guarantee its survival.
Trying to bring calm before markets opened the next day, the Federal Reserve enigmatically announced extraordinary measures it was taking, "including enhancements to its existing liquidity facilities." Whatever the words, the meaning was clear: Financial markets were freezing up.
The rest of the month played out with one nightmarish development following another. The Fed slashed interest rates and threw an $85 billion rescue plan at insurance giant AIG. Federal regulators seized the failed Washington Mutual and immediately sold it to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion. The Securities and Exchange Commission banned short-selling of financial-sector stocks; Congress geared up for speedy passage of a $700 billion bank bailout that became known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
On and on went the scramble, and down and down went confidence. Commercial paper markets froze up. That spooked businesses that needed short-term loans to buy equipment and make payroll. So the Fed intervened there, too, to keep those markets going. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley morphed into bank holding companies, putting an end to the glory days of investment banks. By month's end, the U.S. economy was plunging and plunging. And no one could tell how far it would fall.
In the coming days, NPR will revisit those nerve-racking days of just a year ago. We'll look at measures taken, the human toll and whether enough has been done to avert the next crisis.
Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112573372
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by Marilyn Geewax
September 6, 2009
Listen to the Story
Weekend Edition Sunday
[4 min 31 sec]
Add to Playlist
Download
Transcript
Richard Drew/AP
Timeline: A Year Of Financial Crisis
September 6, 2009
Politics and weather dominated headlines during the first week of September 2008. Sarah Palin made her national debut at the Republican National Convention, and Hurricane Gustav soaked much of the South.
But within days, the news had taken a drastic turn, as a series of stunning events paralyzed America's financial system and profoundly rattled the global economy. Stocks tumbled, and the credit markets short-circuited. Pale, frightened regulators, bankers and politicians tried haltingly to explain how they might avert an economic catastrophe.
The crisis had been long in the making. Home foreclosures had been rising at an unnerving rate for more than a year. Congressional efforts to contain the foreclosure mess had failed. By early September, investment banks were racking up huge losses tied to bad bets on mortgages. The whole housing sector was crumbling.
Read The Series Overview Read The Series Overview
Financial Crisis: One Year And Counting
Then the financial crisis hit with brute force. On Sept. 7, the federal government took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Separately, the board of Washington Mutual, the nation's largest savings and loan, fired its CEO because of massive mortgage losses.
On Sept. 14, a Sunday, an apparent free fall began. Bank of America announced that it would buy the collapsing Merrill Lynch to save it. But there was no saving Lehman Brothers that day. The once-mighty global financial-services firm, founded in 1850, was crushed by its massive debts and the unwillingness of the government to guarantee its survival.
Trying to bring calm before markets opened the next day, the Federal Reserve enigmatically announced extraordinary measures it was taking, "including enhancements to its existing liquidity facilities." Whatever the words, the meaning was clear: Financial markets were freezing up.
The rest of the month played out with one nightmarish development following another. The Fed slashed interest rates and threw an $85 billion rescue plan at insurance giant AIG. Federal regulators seized the failed Washington Mutual and immediately sold it to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion. The Securities and Exchange Commission banned short-selling of financial-sector stocks; Congress geared up for speedy passage of a $700 billion bank bailout that became known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
On and on went the scramble, and down and down went confidence. Commercial paper markets froze up. That spooked businesses that needed short-term loans to buy equipment and make payroll. So the Fed intervened there, too, to keep those markets going. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley morphed into bank holding companies, putting an end to the glory days of investment banks. By month's end, the U.S. economy was plunging and plunging. And no one could tell how far it would fall.
In the coming days, NPR will revisit those nerve-racking days of just a year ago. We'll look at measures taken, the human toll and whether enough has been done to avert the next crisis.
Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112573372
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