Invisible Children: Kony 2012

Kony 2012, a documentary film about the little-known conflict that continues to devistate Uganda-  since the early 1980s - has become a surprise viral hit, being shared on Facebook over 4 million times in less than 2 weeks.

First up, I have to admit that my knowledge of Kony 2012 comes from a child, a 15 year old girl. This daughter of a buddy pulled oblog faces, spouted strange sounds,  berated me in bafflement that I’d never heard of Kony 2012. Her advice, go to your computer, watch Kony 2012 on YouTube. Ok young lady, I now get why Kony 2012 has gone viral! Read the full article »»»»

Wikileaks: Bradley Manning Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

US soldier and WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning, Bill Clinton and Helmut Kohl are known to be on the list of a total of 231 nominees up for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. With 188 individuals and 43 organisations, the number of candidates comes close to last year’s record of 241, when the prestigious award went to Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni Arab Spring activist Tawakkol Karman.

“As always, there are the usual nominees and some newcomers, some famous and some unknowns, hailing from the four corners of the world,” the head of the Nobel Institute, Geir Lundestad, said.

Thousands of people are eligible to submit nominations – including members of parliaments and governments worldwide, university professors, past laureates and members of several international institutes – who had until February 1 to propose candidates. The Nobel Institute keeps the names of nominees secret for 50 years, but those who are entitled to nominate are allowed to reveal the name of the person or organisation they have proposed :: Read the full article »»»»

UPDATE: Bradley Manning – WikiLeaks Suspect Formally Charged

UPDATE: WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning has been formally charged ahead of a court martial that could see the United States soldier sentenced to life in prison.

Manning was charged with 22 counts, the most serious of which is “aiding the enemy”, for allegedly turning over a trove of classified US documents to WikiLeaks in one of the most serious intelligence breaches in US history.

The 24-year-old is accused of passing hundreds of thousands of military field reports from Iraq and Afghanistan and US diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks between November 2009 and May 2010, when he was serving in Iraq.

The leak of the military documents shed light on civilian deaths, while the diplomatic cables sparked a firestorm by disclosing the private remarks of heads of state and candid observations by senior US officials.

The US government slammed the disclosure of the documents by WikiLeaks, saying it threatened national security and the lives of foreigners working with the military and US embassies.

WikiLeaks supporters view the site as a whistleblower that exposed US wrongdoing and see Manning as a political prisoner.

RELATED: www.sociallyengineered.com.au/julian-assange/

Xena Warrior Princess: Lucy Lawless Onboard

Xena actress Lucy Lawless has boarded an oil-drilling ship in a bid to disrupt plans to search for oil off Alaska. Lawless and six other Greenpeace protesters boarded the ship Noble Discoverer in a bid to prevent it sailing to the Arctic, where it has been contracted by Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell to conduct exploratory drilling. The New Zealand actress said her actions, which forced authorities to close the North Island port of Taranaki, were prompted by a desire to save one of the world’s last pristine environments.

Lawless said she was not concerned at the prospect of being arrested. ”I’m a true believer,” she said by mobile phone from the ship.

“We need to start switching over to renewable energy now; we don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to suck out every last drop of oil.”

Lawless, who starred as the title character in the fantasy television series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995-2001, is a long-time environmental activist who was named as a Greenpeace ambassador in 2009. Police said the protesters had climbed a drilling tower on the ship and were displaying banners.

“The protesters are clearly breaking the law by trespassing on the ship and we are currently liaising with the port of Taranaki and the harbour master to decide the most appropriate course of action,” Inspector Blair Telford said.

The US Interior Department granted Shell conditional provisional approval to begin drilling exploration wells in the Arctic Ocean last August, in a move slammed by conservationists as “inexcusable”.

Our Julian Extends His UK Stay

Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has won a last-ditch legal bid to avoid being extradited to Sweden next week. Two British judges have ruled that Mr Assange can ask the Supreme Court to consider his appeal against extradition. Swedish authorities want to question the 40-year-old over accusations of sexual assault made by two former female WikiLeaks volunteers during a visit to the country last year. Assange insists the allegations are politically motivated and has voiced concerns that he will inevitably end up in the hands of the United States. The judges ruled that Mr Assange’s case is of general public importance, but the Supreme Court could still refuse to hear his case.

Assange now has 14 days to formally lodge an appeal, meaning his stay in Britain is certain to stretch into 2012. His arrest came shortly after WikiLeaks published thousands of secret US diplomatic cables that included unflattering views of world leaders and candid assessments of security threats.

He had lost his last attempt to avoid being sent to Sweden on November 2 after two High Court judges upheld a previous ruling. Read the full article »»»»

Occupy LA Protesters Evicted

Hundreds of riot police flooded into downtown Los Angeles and Philadelphia early on Wednesday (local time) to clear anti-Wall Street protest camps in mostly peaceful operations that saw dozens arrested.

The latest moves targeting the two-month-old protest movement against corporate greed and inequality came days after announced eviction deadlines, and did not bring the running clashes and tear gas that have marked previous raids. Read the full article »»»»