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Foreign Affairs › Norway To Let 7-yr-olds Change Gender by cocolacec(op): 11:28am On Jun 29, 2015

Children as young as seven would be allowed to change their legal gender under a bill proposed by Norway’s government on Thursday, bringing it one of the lowest ages for transgender rights anywhere in the world.

“This is an important area where Norway has lagged far behind many other countries for many years,” Health Minister Bent Høie said as he announced the plan during the Oslo Pride festival. “Now we can be proud that we are implementing this law.”

According to the Norwegian Health Ministry, most European countries only allow citizens to change the gender assigned to them at birth after they turn 18.

However, Richard Köhler, of the Transgender Europe lobby group, told Reuters that the “gold standard” was to have no formal limit, as in Malta.

“Generally it is very good to allow very young transpersons to have their gender identity respected,” he said.

Until April this year, Norway insisted that those seeking to change their legal gender undergo surgery, a practice which transgender activists argued was a violation of human rights.

According to Høie, children between seven and 16 would need to consult with their parents before changing their legal gender, after which they would be able to decide for themselves, without the need for a psychiatric or medical evaluation.

They would then be able to reverse the decision to change gender at will.

“The proposal is historic in that it will no longer be the health service but the individual who decides if he or she has changed sex,” Hoie said in a statement on the plan.
http://www.thelocal.no/20150625/norway-to-let-7-yr-old-change-gender

Travel › Police Find Illegal Immigrant Curled Up Inside A CAR BONNET by cocolacec(op): 12:39pm On Jun 27, 2015

Police find illegal immigrant curled up inside a CAR BONNET

Officers opened up the battered car's bonnet to find the 23-year-old squeezed next to the hot Engine

An illegal immigrant attempted a novel way of trying to make it through into Spain unnoticed by hiding inside the bonnet of a car.

Spanish police discovered the 23-year-old squashed up against the car's engine when they opened the battered car's bonnet.

The plucky man had attempted to cross a chaotic land border between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta earlier today.

His head was pressed up against the hot engine and his legs were nestled around the windscreen washer.

The driver, a Moroccan 30-year-old, tried to flee after being stopped but was caught before managing to get back across the border.

The man he tried to smuggle across is understood to be from Guinea.

Last month a Moroccan teenager was stopped by police on the same border with an eight-year-old boy inside a suitcase.

Shocking images of Adou Ouattara curled into a ball inside the case went round the world.

Adou’s 43-year-old dad Ali was arrested an hour and a half later crossing the busy Tarajal border.

The youngster was taken into temporary care before being allowed to return to his mum Lucie who lives in Fuerteventura
in the Canary Islands.

His dad was released from custody after DNA tests proved Adou was his son but still faces being tried for human rights abuses against a foreign citizen.

He has claimed he was deceived by traffickers and had no idea the youngster would be smuggled across the border in a suitcase.

Adou and his wife, who live legally in Spain, had only been allowed to bring one of their four children into the country under strict rules on family regroupment.

The rest of their family had remained in their native Ivory Coast.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/pictured-police-find-illegal-immigrant-5867236

Squashed: The man attempted a novel way of trying to get into Spain without being noticed

Foreign Affairs › Tories Plan To Kick 30,000 Non EU-Nurses Out Of Britain by cocolacec(op): 10:07pm On Jun 26, 2015

Tories plan to kick 30,000 nurses out of Britain because they weren't born here

David Cameron’s new immigration laws mean workers recruited from outside the EU since 2011 who earn less than £35,000 a year after six years will have to go home.

Up to 30,000 overseas nurses face the axe under barmy Tory immigration laws that will spark an NHS staffing crisis.

Non-EU staff on less than £35,000 after six years here are to be kicked out. The Royal College of Nursing said: “This will cause NHS chaos.”

Already buckling under the pressure of savage Tory cuts, the NHS faces further turmoil with the axing of 30,000 foreign nurses.

But critics warn it will leave hospitals with a critical shortage of nurses at a time when more and more will be needed to cope with an aging population and the devastating effects of social care cuts.

And it could also mean up to £180million spent recruiting foreigners only to kick them out six years later will be wasted.The Royal College of Nursing warned the move would put patient lives in danger and called on the Government to exempt nurses from the draconian new law.

Chief executive Dr Peter Carter said: “The immigration rules for health care workers will cause chaos for the NHS and other care services.

“At a time when demand is increasing, the UK is perversely making it harder to employ staff from overseas. Due to cuts to nurse training places, trusts are being forced into relying on overseas and temporary staff, just to provide safe levels. A cap on agency spending will make one of these options more difficult, and these immigration rules will limit the other. The UK will be sending away nurses who have contributed to the NHS for six years.

“Losing their skills and knowledge and then having to start the cycle again and recruit to replace them is completely illogical. The NHS has spent millions hiring nurses from overseas to provide safe staffing levels. These rules will mean money has been thrown down the drain. Trusts are being asked to provide safe staffing with both hands tied behind their backs.

“Without a change to these immigration rules the NHS will continue to pay millions to temporarily rent nurses from overseas.
“The only way for the UK to regain control over its own health service workforce is by training more nurses.”

Under previous immigration rules, there was no income threshold or time limit. The RCN estimates 90% of nurses hired by the NHS from outside Europe will not have hit £35,000 within six years. The cut-off date for the new rules was set at 2011, meaning the first batch of nurses earning less will be sent home in 2017.

It costs £6,000 to recruit a nurse from outside Europe. The RCN, which began its annual conference in Bournemouth yesterday, said it is not certain how many are currently working in Britain. But it warned that if recruitment continues to rise, the number of those hit by the immigration law could reach 29,755. And it will have cost the NHS £180million.

A Home Office spokesman said: “There are exemptions to the £35,000 threshold for occupations where the UK has a shortage. But the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommended against adding nurses to the list after taking evidence from groups including the Royal College of Nursing. Employers have had since 2011 to prepare for this.”
But Dr Carter sa id: “The RCN submitted detailed and unambiguous evidence. This was not heeded, despite the evidence of a serious shortage of nurses. We repeat our call to add nursing to the list.”

I'm sad that I can't stay in job I love - by staff nurse Sandeep Duggani

Staff nurse Sandeep Duggani says it was always his dream to work for the NHS.

That dream came true in 2011 – but under the new immigration rules, the dad of one faces being booted out in 2017.

Sandeep, 29, did a nursing degree in Belgaum, India, and gets £25,000 a year working in an intensive care unit.

But he said it would be impossible to increase his pay to £35,000 before the cut-off date.

Sandeep said: “It was always my dream when I came to this country – to work in the NHS.

“I look after very unwell patients. It’s really devastating for the patients’ families.

“I love my job because I look after the families, as well as the patients

“My father is really very proud that I work in the NHS, because in India, the NHS is very famous.”

He warned that, despite the new rules, NHS trusts are still recruiting nurses from India. He added: “I don’t think they realise they will have to leave their jobs after six years.”

Sandeep, who works in Kent, said: “It’s very sad. I have done all these training courses and now, after six years, I have to go back. But it’s not just me. There are thousands of nurses going to be affected by this.

“That will be a huge burden on the NHS.”

His wife Pratika, also a qualified nurse from India, is just starting her NHS career and would be hit by the new rules in 2021.

In the hospital where he works, he knows of at least a dozen nurses who also face being kicked out.

How much do foreign nurses get paid?

Most foreign nurses start on Band 5, which pays £21,692-£28,180
On Band 6, they earn between £26,041 and £34,876, so still miss the threshold.

Even on Band 7, they would have to be on the mid to high scale, as pay starts at £31,072.

Who's on the government shortage occupation list?

Nurses may not be on the list of shortage occupations, but ballet dancers, head chefs and nuclear waste managers are.

Despite there being clear evidence of a desperate lack of the vital ward staff, the ideology-driven Tories have declared there is no such thing and refuse to exempt them from the £35,000 salary threshold that would allow them to stay.

The new immigration rules on recruiting staff from outside the EU will affect nurses from countries such as Australia, America, China, India, the Philippines, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Those wishing to stay after six years and who do not earn £35,000 a year will have to start applying for indefinite leave after five years. Nurses who arrived before 2011 are not affected by the new law. The exemption list also includes geoscientists, hospital radiology consultants, radiographers, paramedics, science teachers, children's social workers and visual effects animators.

The Home Office said: "We changed the settlement rules in 2011 to break the link between coming to work in the UK and staying here permanently."

Analysis by Andrew Gregory

I reported earlier this year there were 52,000 applicants for 21,205 student nurse places in 2014 alone.

The crisis the NHS faces could have been avoided had Westminster invested in training instead of cutting it. The result is that with a lack of homegrown nurses, chiefs have had to look abroad.

Foreign nurses make an enormous contribution but now those we have relied on for years face having to leave, which is unfair. The Government can still avoid chaos by adding nurses to the list of occupations exempt from its new immigration rules.

In the long term, it needs to radically rethink how it approaches staffing.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tories-plan-kick-30000-nurses-5925812

Christianity Etc › Re: When Jesus Returns To Earth,what Will He Do According To The Bible? by cocolacec(op): 7:24pm On Jun 26, 2015

from all the commenst i got so far i have not recieved any Concrete explanation about my questions posed to the christians.This thread is not meant to tarnish the imáge of any religion but to explain things to ourselves and learn from one Another.In view of this, i will have to delete some comments.

Christianity Etc › What The Bible Says About Prayer And Prostration by cocolacec(op): 7:19pm On Jun 26, 2015*

In this day and time of pseudo patriotism, partisan political drama, and theatrical religious pundits, it becomes necessary almost daily to step back from the corporate media machine and call for a personal time out. The sensory overload of bad news –real, imagined and manufactured– can and does create hyper stress over time for millions of people worldwide.

To relieve stress:, people turn to a diverse array of distractions: intoxicants, gambling, debauchery, television fixations, non stop music, and emotional rages of all sorts for short term relief. Little do most people realize that an ancient solution and panacea for all of our anxieties lies in worship, and in particular, prayer.
Looking beyond our different names for the Almighty and focusing on His guidance for salvation and happiness, we can pray in the prescribed way, not our own, and discover why He alone is worthy of praise and glory.

The following list contains Biblical references that describe prostration, the key element of a Muslim’s prayer.
1. Abram fell face down, and God said to him. GENESIS17:3
2. When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. Genesis 24:51-53
3. Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. Genesis 48:11-13
4. Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. Exodus 34:7-9
5. Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Numbers 14:5
6. “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” Joshua 5:13-15
7. Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:17-19
8. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 7:2-4
9. Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
1 Samuel 24:7-9
10.Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:4-6
11. While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Daniel 10:14-16
12. When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. Matthew 17:5-7
13. Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. Mark 14:34-36
There are over thirty Biblical verses that range from Genesis to Revelation depicting the mode of prayer of the believers, which join us together in prayer and worship.

Christianity Etc › When Jesus Returns To Earth,what Will He Do According To The Bible? by cocolacec(op): 3:44pm On Jun 24, 2015*

I KNOW THE MUSLIMS HAVE A VIEW OF WHAT JESUS IS EXPECTED TO DO AND HIS SIGNS WHEN HE RETURNS AT THE END OF TIME.
The Time Prophet Isa (as) Will Descend

The coming of Isa (as) will be a glad tiding to the Muslims who stood firm and fought for the cause of Allah and did not succumb to the temptations of the Dajjal. At that time, the only two options for humanity will be to embrace Islam or die:

"Allah will send the Messiah, son of Maryam, and he will descend to the white minaret in the East of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every Kaffir (unbeliever) who smells the fragrance (of his breath) will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will search for the Dajjal until he finds him at the gate of Ludd where he will kill him. Then a group of people whom Allah has protected will come to Isa (as), son of Maryam, and he will wipe the traces of hardship from their faces and tell them of their place in Paradise. At that point, Allah will reveal to Isa (as): 'I have brought forth some of My servants whom no-one will be able to fight. Take my servants safely to Al-Tur.'"

(Muslim)

He will descend when the Muslims gather to fight the Dajjal(Anti Christ) when they are preparing their ranks for the Fajr prayer, and their Imam had advanced to lead them. The Imam will then step back and ask Isa (as) JESUS to advance and lead the prayer, but he will refuse. Prophet Muhammad (saws) informed us:

"....While their Imam is going forward to lead them in Fajr prayer, Isa (as) will descend. The Imam will step back to let Isa (as) JESUS lead people in prayer but Isa (as)JESUS will place his hands between the mans shoulders and say: 'Go forward and lead the prayer for the iqamah (call to commence prayer) was made for you, and so the Imam will lead the people in prayer.'"

I WILL LIKE TO ASK MY XTIAN BROTHERS THESE QUESTIONS
1. WHAT WILL JESUS LOOK LIKE?
2. WHAT WILL HE DO WITH THE CORRUPT WORLD TO BRING WORLD PEACE AND HARMONY?
3. WHAT WILL HE DO WITH THE NON XTIANS?
4. WHICH DENOMINATION WILL HE BE A MEMBER OF I.E REDEEM,CAC,DEEPER LIFE ETC?

Christianity Etc › Re: What Is The Biblical Day, Week, Month, Year? And Does It Really Matter? by cocolacec(op): 6:11pm On Jun 23, 2015

————————————————– YEAR —————————————————

Differences/Similarities between the Gregorian Year/Biblical Year
The Gregorian Calendar system calculates a year by counting 365 days (366 days in a leap year) which is the time it takes for the earth to finish a revolution around the Sun, hence it is known as a Solar Calendar. The Biblical Calendar on the other hand, depends on the Sun and Moon both to calculate the beginning of the Year, hence being known as a Luni-Solar Calendar. Even though January 1st is regarded the day of the New Year in the Gregorian Calendar (Roman Consuls in the time of the Roman Empire, as far back as 153BC, first entered office on January 1st), The Biblical Calendar is determined completely differently.

The Biblical Year
♦ The Biblical Year began with the New Moon when the Barley Harvest was in the stage of ripening which was called “Abib” in the Scriptures. The period between Biblical New Years have 12 or 13 months or New Moons.
→ The month of the Abib is called the first month in Scripture (Exo 12:2, 13:4, 34:18)
→ Abib is a state of ripening in Grains. Exo 9:31,32 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear(Abib), and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up. (H24 – אביב – aw-beeb’ – A state of ripening)
→ Abib is the state which is, in between the stage of green colour ripening grain and completely ripe golden streaks of grain. It is the stage when the grain is a light yellowish colour.
→ The Month of Abib is also known as Nisan in the Scriptures (Est 3:7, Neh 2:1)
→ The Month of Abib is usually the month that the Spring/Vernal Equinox happens
♦ To this day, the Karaite Jews in Israel engage themselves in an exercise called the Abib Search to ascertain whether the First Month can be proclaimed. This way, when the Grain is Abib and the Sliver of the New Moon appears in the Sky, the First Biblical Month is proclaimed.

Conclusion
One could ask whether knowing the “Biblically Accurate” dates, really matter? Or whether there is any value in understanding and studying these things and knowing both the similarities and differences in our Standard Calendar and the Biblical Calendar? When God says 7th Day, He means the 7th Day and no other Day. When He says the 1st Month, He means the 1st Month and no other month. Jeroboam the 1st King of the Divided Kingdom of Israel, did just this. He instituted a Feast on the 8th Month, which was like God’s Feast, when God had specifically told people to celebrate the Feast on the 7th Month (1Kin 12:32,33).

As Messiah Yeshua quoted from the Book of Isaiah, saying “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men (Isa 29:13/Mat 15:8,9). It is my belief that it is better to follow God, than man. It is better to follow God’s Word, than any man’s word. And it is better to follow God’s Calendar, than any man made calendar.

I am in no way saying, that we should throw the Gregorian Calendar away, as it is recognized as the standard amongst the whole world. But I am saying that all of us need to learn God’s Calendar and use His days and His ways to worship, honor and draw close to Him. The lack of knowledge of His calendar has led to so many misunderstandings and mistakes in our walk with Him. His Appointed Times/Feast all depend on His Calendar. This is the same Prophetic Calendar which Yeshua used and fulfilled by His Death(Passover), His Resurrection(Firstfruits) and Giving of the Holy Spirit(Pentecost). It is time to mend our ways and come back to Him. Are we really too technologically advanced to adhere to His Calendar by lifting up our eyes to the Sun and the Moon that He created?
https://biblethingsinbibleways./2013/09/08/what-is-the-biblical-day-week-month-year-and-does-it-really-matter/

Christianity Etc › Re: What Is The Biblical Day, Week, Month, Year? And Does It Really Matter? by cocolacec(op): 6:09pm On Jun 23, 2015

The 7th Day in the Biblical Calendar is the day corresponding with Friday Eve/Sunset to Saturday Eve/Sunset in the Gregorian Calendar.
→ The Greek word used for the “Sabbath” in the Original Manuscripts of the New Testament “sabbato” is the same name used for Saturday in Greek even today! In other words ; In Greece, the day which is called “Saturday” is still called “Sabbato” – the same word which is in the Original Greek New Testament Manuscripts which is translated as “Sabbath” in English.
→ Look at the similarities in the names used for Saturday in other Languages and “Sabbath” – Arabic: Sabet, Armenian: Shabat, Bosnian: Subota, Bulgarian: Sabota, Corsican: Sàbatu, Croatian: Subota, Czech: Sobota, Greek: Sabbato, Indonesian: Sabtu, Italian: Sabato, Latin: Sabbatum, Polish: Sobota, Portuguese: Sábado, Russian: Subbota, Serbian: Subota, Slovak: Sobota, Slovene: Sobota, Somali: Sabti, Spanish: Sabado, Sudanese: Saptu, Ukrainian: Subota
→ The Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. vol. 4, p. 988, tells us: The week is a period of seven days, having no reference whatever to the celestial motions — a circumstance to which it owes its unalterable uniformity… It has been employed from time immemorial in almost all eastern countries. The Hebrew people spoke of the days of the week by number rather than by name. The only day that had a name was the seventh day which was called Shabat, the Sabbath, or the rest day. In at least 108 different languages the name for the seventh day, corresponding to our “Saturday”, is a word meaning “rest day.”
→ Some point out the Calendar changes in history makes it impossible to know the actual day of the Sabbath. This theory is inaccurate. The change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, has had no effect whatsoever upon the order of the days of the week. (click here for details on this calendar change). Because of this, the Calendar changes has had no effect towards Saturday which is still the same day Yeshua celebrated the Sabbath on.

————————————————– MONTH —————————————————

Differences/Similarities between the Gregorian Month/Biblical Month
The Gregorian Calendar system has no reason for a Month to be 28,29,30 or 31 days. This system was a main characteristic of the Gregorian Calendar, and was done so that the days of the year would equal to 365 days. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Biblical Calendar depends on the Moon to calculate the beginning of the month. A complete revolution of the Moon is considered a Month in the Biblical Calendar. Science determines that a Moon revolution lasts roughly about 29.5 days, and because of this reason, a Biblical Month lasts 29 or 30 days.

The Biblical Month
♦ The Biblical Month is connected to the Moon in Scripture
→ 1Ki 8:2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month(H3391-ירח- yerach-month) Ethanim, which is the seventh month(H2320-חדשׁ-chôdesh-new moon). The 2 Hebrew words translated as Month in our English Versions are “Yerah” and “Kodesh”. “Yerah” means Month, while “Kodesh” means New Moon. See 1Kin 6:38 as well.
→ Gen 29:14 & Num 11:20,21 contains “space of” or “whole” month, using the Hebrew word “Khodesh” while 2Kin 15:13 & Deut 21:13 contains “full” month, using the Hebrew word “Yerah”. Both these words are clearly connected, showing the relation of Moon to Month, Biblically.
♦ The New Month, or the first day of the Month is proclaimed when there is a New Moon which is identified by the first visible sliver of the Moon.
→ The New Moon(Kodesh) is mentioned as a “particular day” in 1Sam 20:5,18, 2Kin 4:23, Eze 46:1,6 indicating that it was a day which was proclaimed in some way.
→ The word Hodesh originates from a Hebrew word called H2318-חדשׁ-châdash which means “new”, “to make new” or “renew”. The moon itself is not renewed, but with the Lunar cycle, the light of the Moon increases, becomes full, decreases and goes dark. And it is again renewed, and the cycle continues. In this way, when the first sliver of light is seen on the Moon, the beginning of the month is proclaimed.
→ Some hold to the belief that the Conjunction (Full dark Moon) is the New Moon as per Modern Astronomy. This is hard to believe, as the people in ancient times would not have been able to accurately know the day of Conjunction as the Moon can stay dark for more than 2 days
♦ Much like the sun indicates the beginning of a day, the Moon indicates the beginning of the Biblical Month. Even an uneducated person could have understood when the New Month begins, just by looking up at the sky, with this sign that God created in the Heavens.

Christianity Etc › What Is The Biblical Day, Week, Month, Year? And Does It Really Matter? by cocolacec(op): 6:08pm On Jun 23, 2015

Questions are often raised regarding the Biblical Day, Week, Month & Year, while some even regard it worthless. The internationally accepted calendar system(known as the Gregorian Calendar) which is in use today, is not the same as the Biblical Calendar. When God created the Sun and the Moon, it was for the benefit of His creation to know His Appointed times and also the divisions of days and years as He set it to be.

sun moon and stars
Let us examine the Scriptures and find out the Day/Week/Month/Year which is Biblically accurate, and study the differences and similarities of the Standard Gregorian Calendar which is in use today, to the Biblical Calendar instituted by God.

————————————————– DAY —————————————————

Differences/Similarities between the Gregorian Day/Biblical Day
The Standard Calendar Day is calculated from Midnight to Midnight, while the Biblical day is from one Sunset to the next. The Biblical Day and Gregorian Day both seem to agree on the division of the day into a 24 Hour period. One could think that it’s strange to calculate a 24 hour day from one evening to the next. It actually is not that strange, when you think of the Gregorian day, which is calculated from one Midnight to the next. In the case of the Biblical Day, it starts with the Sunset, while the Gregorian Day starts in between the Sunset and the Sunrise.

The Biblical Day
♦ The Biblical day was divided into 12 Hours/Parts of Daytime (John 11:9) and presumably 12 Hours/Parts of Night (Mat 20:6)
♦ The Biblical day starts at Sundown
→ God’s Prophetic Appointments were to be from evening to evening [Sundown to Sundown] (Exo 12:18, Lev 23:32).
→ Nehemiah orders the Gates of Jerusalem to be closed when it was getting dark, denoting the sabbath started at evening (Neh 13:19)
→ The laws of uncleanness denotes that a person who becomes unclean because of a reason such as coming to contact with a carcass will be unclean till evening. If the person becomes unclean at night, he/she is unclean till the next evening (Lev 11:24,25, Deut 11:23)
→ A person who is put to death was supposed to be buried before the evening (Deut 21:22,23, Jos 8:28, 10:26,27)
→ Samson asks a riddle that needed to be answered within 7 days. The philistines answer him before the eve of the seventh day, denoting the end of the day was at sunset (Judg 14:12,18)
→ The sabbath was about to start when Yeshua was taken down from the cross in the eve (Luk 23:54, Joh 19:31)

————————————————– WEEK —————————————————

Differences/Similarities between the Gregorian Week/Biblical Week
Both the Gregorian and Biblical Calendar weeks consists of 7 days. In ancient times some cultures have had weeks which contained differing number of days and some cultures still use these today. Even though the number of days in a week, is equal in both Calendars, the day numbers vary. (Eg: Most European countries consider Monday as the first day of the week, while many Middle-East countries consider Saturday as the first day)

The Biblical Week
♦ The Biblical Week has seven days
→ God’s creation took 6 days and a 7th day of rest, so that the week contains 7 days (Exo 20:9-11)
→ The feast of Weeks (Pentecost – which means 50 days) was to be celebrated by counting 7 weeks (Lev23:15,16, Deut 16:9,10)
→ The number seven is connected to the word “week” in the Scriptures (Gen29:27)
♦ The days in the Biblical week did not have names such as “Monday, Tuesday, etc.” The days in the Biblical week were numbered as 1st Day, 2nd Day, 3rd Day, 4th Day, 5th Day, 6th Day & the 7th Day which was known as the Sabbath. (Exo 16:5,22, Exo 20:11, Joh 2:1)

Islam › Re: Leave Islam Or Accept Polygamy... by cocolacec(m): 3:40pm On Jun 23, 2015

My dear Sister i will share a story about a sister who was in the same situation as yours 13years ago.She was very Beautiful and men wanted her ,the single muslim Brothers couldnot stand her short temper .The married muslim men wanted her as the second wife in her religious group regardless of her issues.She later settled down with a christian who works and had 2 Children .Right now as i am tying the marriage has fallen apart ,the husband has abandoned the home completely not caring for her Welfare and the kids.Morale of this story.This sister lost part of her religion (full hijabite turned to scarfite)
ANother advise is if you want to marry the muslim man you can decide not to live in the same house with the first wife but the xtian is a no go area for muslim women.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0HZRAR-buA

3 Likes

Foreign Affairs › Robert Mugabe Entertains Delegates At AU Summit by cocolacec(op): 10:57am On Jun 22, 2015

Robert Mugabe Entertains Delegates At AU Summit
Robert Mugabe the entertainer at the AU Summit In South Africa 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztpY5XS2AKA

Crime › Re: Child Rapists On The Loose:how Nigerian Policemen Aid Paedophiles To Escape Just by cocolacec(op): 5:08pm On Jun 20, 2015

To show the alarming increase in sexual offences, the Lagos State Police Command said in 2013 that within one year, 678 cases of rape were recorded in Lagos. In 2015, the Office of the Public Defender, an agency under the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, said it handled 526 rape cases, apart from scores of others handled by the police but not directed to the OPD.

But experts say these statistics do not show the magnitude of child sexual abuses in the country as many of the offenders go unpunished even when their cases are reported to the police.

If one thinks that the rape of a child as young as four years old is heinous, then the case of 16-month-old Victoria will only stir utter incredulity in one’s heart.

Few weeks ago, Victoria (not real name) was raped at a daycare in Ikotun area of Lagos where her mother usually dropped her off before going to work.

By the time she went back for Victoria and brought her back home and tried to bathe for her, she knew something terrible had been done to her daughter.

The angry mother said, “I had never imagined that something like this could happen. How can someone abuse my baby? She is not even one and half years old yet!

“I was bathing for her when I noticed that when water splashed on her, she flinched. I tried to examine whether any part of her body was injured at school and noticed that her private part was bleeding.

“I had to immediately call my husband to explain what I noticed and we reported to the police.”

Victoria’s parents told Saturday PUNCH that they had been instructed to take her to the Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for tests and treatment. Mirabel is Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral centre.

Police investigation on the case is still ongoing. As of the time of filing this report, the result of the series of tests conducted on Victoria was not yet out.

These cases simply point to how serious the issue of child sexual abuses have become in the country.

According to Partners for Justice, statistics shows that 80 per cent of sexual assaults victims in Nigeria are children between the ages of 11 and 15.

Nigeria’s anti-rape stance comes to the fore with a renewed focus as the country’s 8th National Assembly takes over the responsibility of making laws for the country. The 7th Assembly had hurriedly, among 45 other bills, passed the Sexual Offences Bill, 2013, sponsored by Senator Chris Anyanwu, just before the end of its tenure.

But Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, have staunchly opposed the new law, saying it is detrimental to the cause of eradicating rape.
https://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/raped-girl4.jpg
raped girl4The contentious section 7 of the passed bill, which defines child defilement as an act which causes penetration with a child, reads “(2)A person who commits an offence of defilement with a child aged eleven years or less shall upon conviction be sentenced to imprisonment for life. (3) A person who commits an offence of defilement with a child between the age of 12 and 15 years is liable upon conviction to imprisonment for life. (4) A person who commits an offence of defilement with a child between the ages of 16 and 18 is liable upon conviction to imprisonment for life.”

Section 4 of the bill makes an earlier clarification about sexual assaults. It says, “(1) Any person who unlawfully penetrates the genital organs of a person with any part of the body of another or that person; or an object manipulated by another or that person except where such penetration is carried out for proper and professional hygienic or medical purposes; (1b)… is guilty of an offence termed sexual assault and liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than 10 years but which may be enhanced to imprisonment for life.”

Reacting to controversies which the bill has generated, Anyanwu explained that the situation had become so worse that an urgent intervention was needed.

She said, “Where we are now, the status quo, is a world in which a six-year-old child is raped to death and then set ablaze. Where we are now is a place where a father rapes his three-year old girl repeatedly and the mother weeps at night and cannot speak out of shame and fear of her life.”

The passed anti-rape law, which has yet to be assented to by the President, came about in the first place as a result of the worrisome high incidence of rape, especially of children, in the country.

The United Nations Children’s Fund said much of these sexual crimes are taking place in schools.

In a 2007 study in the northern and southern Nigeria, UNICEF revealed that 11 per cent of the female children in schools investigated have heard of rapes taking place in their schools.
“The high percentage of awareness of rape cases among female learners might be related to the fact that female learners are mostly victims of violence (especially sexual violence) in schools. The culture of silence prevalent in most Nigerian societies did not help matters as issues such as rape were most often concealed by victims,” UNICEF said

http://www.punchng.com/feature/super-saturday-feature/child-rapists-on-the-loose-how-nigerian-policemen-aid-paedophiles-to-escape-justice/

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Crime › Child Rapists On The Loose:how Nigerian Policemen Aid Paedophiles To Escape Just by cocolacec(op): 5:07pm On Jun 20, 2015

Child rapists on the loose: How Nigerian policemen aid paedophiles to escape justice

One cold afternoon, 11-year-old Bisi Adebola (not real name) was running errands for her mother in Ipaja area of Lagos, when a paedophile living just few metres away from their house, called the girl into his house and raped her.

Shy and afraid, Bisi told Saturday PUNCH, on the prompting of her mother, how the man, whom she referred to as ‘Alfa’, called her under the pretence that he wanted to send something to her mother.

The girl said, “He told me to follow him into his room and when I got inside and waited to collect what he said he wanted to give me, he locked the door and told me to sit down.

“I told him I would stand but he dragged me down on his lap and started to rub my breasts. When I struggled to run away from his grip, he pinned me down with his legs and pulled down my pant. He put his…(she could not say the word) inside me. When he finished, I could not stand. Blood was coming out from my body but he helped me to clean it up. That was why I was late to where my mother sent me to.”

Bisi’s mother only suspected that something had happened to her daughter when the girl could not explain why she was one hour late from the errand she sent her.

Not knowing what her daughter had experienced, Bisi’s mother began to beat her. The girl then cried out and gave an account of what ‘Alfa’ had done to her. The mother promptly reported the case at the Ipaja Police Station.

Alfa was arrested and one week after, he was released on bail. Bisi’s mother called our correspondent, “They have released the man. I asked them what they would do about the case but it is like they are not going to do anything. Imagine, a policewoman telling my daughter ‘You are a bad girl. You must have been enjoying it too.’ I felt like slapping the woman.”

Alfa was never prosecuted.

Bisi’s case attests to a systemic failure that has continued to give the crime a breeding ground. At the centre of this failure are the men and women of the Nigeria Police, whose attitude, actions and inactions have aided paedophiles to escape justice.

Unlike Bisi’s parents, many families of victims don’t even bother pressing charges.

Writer and columnist, Kaine Agary, says victims of sexual offences are often reluctant to press charges against offenders because the process of getting justice can be further traumatising. Most times, the cases die on arrival at the police stations where they are reported.

“The police are greatly hampered by lack of training and poor logistics for quick response. Most of them do not know what to do and how to handle cases of sexual violence. Policing and responding to sexual crimes require a high level of sensitivity and specialised skills in investigating and prosecuting. This, unfortunately, is lacking in the Nigeria Police,” Dr. Josephine Effa-Chukwuma, Executive Director, Project Alert, said.

The most heinous of sexual crimes sometimes end up unprosecuted because sometimes the only witness to the crime is too young or too afraid to explain what has happened and based on this, the police dismiss such cases.

This is similar to the case of Nofisat Balogun, a nine-year-old girl who was raped by a graduate of the University of Lagos, one Ikechukwu Obasi, in Pako Aguda area of Surulere, Lagos.

“I have never thought that the man could do that to my daughter. He was such a friendly person in our compound,” the victim’s mother, Bilikis, told our correspondent.

Nofisat a quiet and shy girl, whose eyes showed the painful memory of the experience she had gone through, told our correspondent that she did not suspect anything when Obasi came into the room where she was reading in their apartment and gave her a N1,000 note to go and buy food for him.

“I bought the food and took it to him. When I went back to give him his change, he locked the door. He then used a cloth to cover my mouth and I could not shout. He then carried me to the bed and did ‘it.’ When he finished and I was bleeding, he said I should not tell anybody,” Nofisat said.

The case was later reported at the Aguda Police Division, Surulere, but the police said they had been unable to take any action because the culprit had fled.

But Obasi’s family approached Nofisat’s family, pleading to pay monetary compensation to settle the matter. To her amazement, one of the policemen investigating the case blamed Bilikis for not collecting the money they offered her.

“The policewoman in charge of the case said I should just collect the money they offered me and stop making noise. How can they tell me they want to pay N40,000 so that I would forget my daughter was raped? All I want is justice for my daughter. They have refused to produce the man,” Balogun’s mother said.

After a few days in police custody, Obasi was never arrested till date, Saturday PUNCH learnt.

Like Balogun’s mother, thirty-six-year-old Sola Adebisi also had a bitter story to tell about police handling of the rape of her eight-year-old daughter, Lola (not real name), by a security guard in Ikorodu area of Lagos in January 2015.

In fact, Adebisi said the police at the Ikorodu Police Division turned the case on her in such a way that she felt as if her daughter was the culprit in the offence.

“One of the policemen even said to my face ‘Like daughter, like mother.’ Are they implying my daughter deserved to be sexually assaulted?” she said.

According to the single mother of two, who sells food at bus stop in Ikorodu, she sent her daughter on errand around 7.30pm at the close of work that day when she realised she took longer than usual.

“I went to look for her at the house later and Mr. Benjamin (the security guard, popularly called Baba Ijebu in the area) told me that she had left a while ago. I saw the containers there.”
https://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Raped-girl2.jpg
Raped girl2
Adebisi said it was when she turned to leave that she noticed her daughter coming out of a corner of the house. The mother demanded to know where her daughter had been but the girl could not give a satisfactory answer.

“I kept asking her and all she could tell me was that she did not get back on time because Baba Ijebu refused to open the gate on time. I knew she was lying and even threatened to beat her up,” she said.

The girl later told her mother about two instances of sexual assaults by the same man, who had warned her against telling her mother what he did.

“She told me that Baba Ijebu dragged her into a corner of the house and dipped his fingers in her private part. She said that day was the second time such thing would happen.”

The mother later reported the case at the Ikorodu Police Division, where policemen were drafted to arrest Benjamin but that the case was drawn out under different excuses by the police till they finally released Benjamin.

“Now, when Benjamin sees my daughter, he winks and laughs at her. She always tells me when that happens. The police have told me to forget about the issue and settle with the man. When I remained adamant, they started abusing me, blaming me for what happened. One of the policemen in charge of the case even blamed me for letting him (Benjamin) waste money he should have paid me as settlement on getting a lawyer,” Adebisi told our correspondent at the time.

The police only rearrested Benjamin after a report by Saturday PUNCH.These and many other cases indict men of the Nigeria Police and give a sense of lacking understanding of the enormity of sexual offences.

For as long as she could remember, eight-year-old Comfort had heard their long time tenant, 45-year-old Victor Aneke, call her different pet names.

“Sometimes, he called me ‘Baby’ but most of the time, he called me ‘my wife,’” the girl said.

Her father had travelled back to their village in Eastern Nigeria to oversee their investment back home, leaving the mother and the other children to themselves in a six-room apartment block popularly called ‘Face-Me-I-Face-You’ in Lagos.

Aneke had been living in the building as a tenant since 1999, long before Comfort was born. The girl grew up playing with their tenant’s children and most of the time, she watched movies in his sitting room just next door to their own.

But in April 2015, just few weeks after Comfort’s eighth year birthday, her mother observed as they came home from church that her daughter was walking with her legs apart. Her mother, Mrs. Grace Adebiyi, was not satisfied when she tried to find out what had happened to her daughter and the girl quickly told her she was fine.

By night, as the neighbourhood quietened to a deep slumber, she stood up from her bed and went to where her daughter slept. Adebiyi checked between her daughter’s legs and confirmed her greatest fear. Comfort’s private part had been badly bruised.

When Adebiyi volunteered to share her story later, Comfort had been taken to the hospital for a check. Doctors confirmed she had multiple lacerations consistent with sexual assault.

After a lot of pressure and threats from her mother, Comfort finally opened up. She fingered Aneke as the culprit.

But despite Aneke’s blatant denials, Comfort gave a detailed account of a sexual abuse that first began with Aneke touching her private part with his fingers.

“This is the first time he would put his ‘thing’ inside me. He always used his finger and would warn me never to tell my mother. It was very painful. I begged him to stop. I told him ‘Uncle, please stop, it is hurting me’ but he told me to endure it. I could not breathe. He covered my mouth with his hand when I wanted to shout because the pain was too much. I thought I was going to die,” Comfort explained.

https://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Raped-girl3.jpg

Raped girl3
Aneke was released from custody without being charged to court. When the police were asked why Aneke was roaming free, he was said to have been released “on medical grounds.” But when our correspondent interviewed him in his home, he was hale and hearty.

He was later rearrested by policemen from the Ipaja division and charged to court after a Saturday PUNCH report.

Stories such as Comfort’s have become all too common in a country where a large percentage of sex offenders go unpunished.

Unfortunately, many states in the country do not have accurate or estimate data on the number of reported rape cases, which makes it difficult to fully quantify the number of sexual assault cases all over the country. But if one is to go by data available in Lagos State, there is no doubt that the incidence of rape is on a steady rise.

According to the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, at least 12,120 rape cases were reported in the last four years. In the last one year alone, 140 sex offenders have been convicted in the state.

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Celebrities › Lady Gaga Named Germany's Prettiest Cow by cocolacec(op): 12:43pm On Jun 14, 2015

Lady Gaga has taken home the top prize from the German Holstein Show in Oldenburg, making her the closest thing to a "Miss Germany" in the bovine world.
"For a cow of this age she's in phenomenal form," juror Klaus-Dieter Augustin said.

Gaga beat around 200 competitors from all over Germany and Luxemburg to take the coveted ribbon and be known as "Grand Champion" for the coming two years.

"I bought Lady Gaga three years ago, I have no idea why the previous owner gave her that name," owner Henrik Wille from Lower Saxony told The Local on Friday.

Wille keeps Gaga and two other prize contenders in a private box back on the farm so that she won't be injured by other cows.

"They live together, they won't do anything to each other. We keep them separate from the others so they stay thin and pretty and take them down to the pasture separately.

"I have some very nice, beautiful 'normal' dairy cows who produce milk, but none of them are like her."

Gaga – like many other prize contenders – travels with her own stylist, making backstage before the show a riot of hair trimming, shampoo foam and sweeping brushes.

She had to show off some fancy footwork while running several laps of a paddock before lining up in a row to impress the jury – and 5,000 spectators in Oldenburg's EWE Arena.

But it's all in a day's work for bovine top models like Lady Gaga, whose strong legs, well-formed udders and top-notch phsyique carried her to victory.

The four-legged beauty has been showered with prizes at recent shows, making her a shoo-in for the title among Germany's roughly 2.6 million Holstein dairy cows.

Wille says that the win will be "good advertising for my business.

"If people see that I have good cows, they'll come to me to buy young ones," he added.

Lady Gaga has her own page on his website listing all the awards she's won.

But the dairy farmer was also keen to point out that now she's famous, Lady Gaga can have a teaching role too.

"If anyone wants to come and see her, they're more than welcome," he said. "I have school classes visit sometimes and they can come and interact with the cows, stroke them and so on," he said.

To celebrate her big day, Lady Gaga will be milked and washed before tucking into an extra portion of hay, Wille said.

http://www.thelocal.de/20150612/lady-gaga-named-germanys-prettiest-cow

Foreign Affairs › Six Facts About Europe's Hottest Power Couple by cocolacec(op): 11:50am On Jun 14, 2015*

Moveover William and Kate, Sweden's Prince Carl Philip and fiancée Sofia Hellqvist are causing an international stir ahead of their upcoming wedding with one Australian paper even calling them 'Europe's coolest couple'. Here are six facts you need to learn about these rocking royals.

1. They met in a nightclub

The couple are set to wed in a fancy ceremony at the Royal Palace in Stockholm this June, but they first met in one of the city's night clubs. Okay, it wasn't exactly a cheap spot (it was chandelier and velvet-filled Sturecompaniet V in the classy Östermalm district, which has a strict guestlist). But let's not dwell on the facts -- Prince Carl Philip's fiancée found her man while (possibly) dancing around her handbag, providing hope for all single women searching for a Prince Charming (yes we know we're not supposed to write things like this in 'gender equal' Sweden).

The pair didn't actually meet again until two years later, this time in Båstad, a small town on the Swedish west coast that turns into one big party every summer during the Swedish Open tennis tournament. Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist were reunited in the VIP section at Pepes Bodega, a club located right by the beach with stunning ocean views. At first they snuck around and tried to keep their romance hidden, but during a New Year ski-trip to Sälen in 2010 they were spotted holding hands and went public about their romance soon afterwards.

2. He attended a very controversial boarding school

“It’s very strict -- many rules and many people that you didn't know. A bit hard, a bit lonely."

This is how 16-year-old Prince Carl Philip described his boarding school Lundsberg in a documentary for Swedish television channel TV4. That's despite being duke of the region the elite establishment is based in (Värmland).

Sweden doesn't really do private education -- there are only a few traditional boarding schools in the country -- and since the Prince graduated in 1999, his former school has had its reputation dented following a scandal involving 'hazing' initiation rituals which caused it to briefly close down after two boys were burned with irons.
3. She has an incredibly colourful past

After starring in Sweden’s version of the US beach-based reality television show 'Paradise Hotel' in 2005 and subsquently appearing on the cover of gentlemen’s magazine Slitz, Sofia Hellqvist gained a reputation as a party girl in her home country before relocating to New York.

While in the US she studied accounting and business development at the Institute of English and Business and became a yoga instructor. But she still found the time to hit the city's club scene and a secret blog of her adventures alongside best mate Camilla Sundman was recently discovered by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, before being swiftly taken offline.

One of the transcripts published by the paper read: “To be a woman in NY is an advantage. Don’t take this the wrong way, but here the men aim to please”.

In the blog, the girls also shared stories of partying with celebrities including Mark Wahlberg: "He was calm and laid-back! We weren’t. We had fun with our crew, sang karaoke and rocked standing on the sofas”.

When asked about her colourful past in 2013 the bride-to-be told Swedish broadcaster TV3: “I wouldn’t have made the same choices today. That’s for sure. But I have a hard time saying that I regret anything in my life."
4. He’s passionate about Swedish design

As well as being a prince, Carl Philip is also a talented designer and he has designed stylish pieces of silverware, ceramics inspired by endangered Swedish insects and even worked on a linen collection for Swedish department store Åhlens.

The Prince studied graphic design at Forsbergs skola in Sweden and Rhode Island School of design in USA, where he won a contest designing a new logo for a prestigious history museum, Martha's Vineyard Museum.

But his career has not been without controversy. In 2013, he was accused of plagiarism, when designer Eric Ericson claimed that he had created a fireplace screen said to have been the work of the prince three years earlier. The prince later told Swedish newspaper Expressen that Ericson had in fact co-designed the fireplace screen with him, but he had chosen not to be named at the time.

“Aside from my important prince role, I invest all my time in this [design] and I will continue to do so," he told the paper.

He appears to have stuck to his promise and his latest spring venture is a collection of bowls and vases for Danish brand Stelton, designed with partner Oscar Kylberg.

The design duo Prince Carl Philip and Oscar Kyberg. Photo: Leif R Jansson/TT

5. She lives for her charity

Since retiring from Sweden's party scene, Sofia Hellqvist has committed herself to charity work. In 2009 she went on a two-month trip to Ghana where she helped build women's shelters and visited orphanages.

In 2010 she founded the nonprofit organisation Project Playground together with Swedish model Frida Vesterberg. The organization aims to help underprivileged children and teens in poor areas around Cape town in South Africa through activities such as football, dance and drama.

In a recent documentary for Swedish television channel TV3 she said it was a shame that many people did not know about the organization and admitted she has a hard time coping with media coverage focusing on other aspects of her career.

“Project Playground is my family, my children, it fills my entire life. It’s the proudest [thing] I have in my whole life," she said.

Sofia Hellqvist and Frida Vesterberg in South Africa. Photo: Project playground

6. He struggles with dyslexia

Prince Carl-Philip has openly talked about his struggles with reading and writing.

Dyslexia is genetic and runs in the royal family -- his father King Carl XVI Gustaf and sister Crown Princess Victoria are also dyslexic.

“I got red marks constantly. To read out loud before the whole class was a real pain,” the Prince said of his experiences at school in a recent interview with Swedish broadcaster TV4.

He also spoke about dyslexia after his appearance at Swedish sports gala (Idrottsgalan) in 2013, when he stumbled when announcing one of the winners. The blunder caused a stir in the press with the prince saying “it was a terrible feeling, having media portray me as stupid and unintelligent.”

In March 2015 the prince put his experiences to good use by helping to organize a major public conference about dyslexia in the hope that it would be a step towards finding new ways to help children experiencing reading and writing problems.

http://www.thelocal.se/20150528/six-top-facts-about-europes-new-power-couple

Travel › Re: Syrian Refugees Resort To Hunger Strikes for family reunification In Denmark by cocolacec(op): 5:29pm On Jun 11, 2015

“I have been waiting eleven months to bring my wife. She is on the border between Syrian and Turkey. It is a dangerous area there and she is all alone,” he told The Local.

Dawara came to Denmark 13 months ago. Like Martini, he had heard that family reunification cases are processed quickly in Denmark. He was supposed to have received an answer on his wife’s case a month ago but has heard nothing.

“Now I’m going to sleep here until I have a positive answer or if after 15-20 days I have no answer, I will probably leave Denmark and go back to Syria. I came here to live in safety with my wife and if my wife doesn’t come here, then what am I doing? I have nothing here,” he said.

Dawara said he was brought to Denmark from Libya via a human smuggler and almost died while at sea. He left his wife behind because he knew the journey would be dangerous. His plan was to bring her to the country through safer channels.

“It’s very disappointing to wait all this time and every time I call they just say I have to wait more. I can't study or work when all I do is think about my wife and worry if she is safe,” Dawara said.

Dawara said he has been helped by Danes since he arrived, quickly found an internship and can now speak some basic Danish.

“The only problem has been here,” he told The Local, pointing to the DIS building.

“I am very happy for Omar and I hope the same will happen for us,” he said.

The kindness of neighbours

The Local contacted DIS to ask about the timing of Martini’s family reunification approval, coming as it did just as his story began making the rounds in the national press.

A spokesman told us that he could not comment on individual cases but that the majority of family reunification claims are processed within the stated five month period.

Because Denmark has seen a massive increase in asylum seekers – a total of 14,815 people sought asylum in 2014 and more than half of those were Syrians – DIS has hired extra staff to deal with the load.

While caseworkers continue to whittle down the mountain of cases, Hazar and Dawara plan to stage their hunger strike until their names come up.

Thanks to the decision in Martini’s case, they will have at least a small measure of comfort as they sleep on the hard ground on Ryesgade.

“I came here with just a backpack but thanks to the people in the neighbourhood, I now have a chair, an umbrella and a sleeping bag. Yesterday, someone from the neighbourhood even brought me a doctor,” Martini told us in between receiving congratulations from well-wishers.

http://www.thelocal.dk/20150611/syrian-refugees-stage-hunger-strikes-in-denmark

Travel › Syrian Refugees Resort To Hunger Strikes for family reunification In Denmark by cocolacec(op): 5:27pm On Jun 11, 2015

[img]http://www.thelocal.dk/userdata/images/article/w468/bcd5b3d46a958017f4b5adb350ba004b8273e4c739daca6deffbbee34128c8cf.jpg[/img]
Syrian refugees resort to hunger strikes
Omar Martini just hours after receiving word his family will join him in Denmark. Photo: Justin Cremer

Published: 11 Jun 2015 15:47 GMT+02:00

Syrian refugee Omar Martini had been staging a hunger strike outside of the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen - DIS) office for nine days when The Local met him on Thursday afternoon. The 35-year-old was protesting the fact that seven months after he had applied for family reunification to bring his wife and two boys, aged five and eight, to Denmark, he had not heard a response.
But on Thursday morning, Martini received the answer he had been waiting for.

“I received my permit for my wife and kids to come here. They came out this morning and handed me my papers. I think what I did here paid off,” he told The Local.

“I called my wife about an hour ago and she is still is still crying,” he said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBxTqSEbrzE

Martini said he came to Denmark via a dangerous journey through Libya and by sea to Europe before being brought to Denmark by a smuggler. He chose Denmark because he had heard that the people were open and tolerant and that family reunification cases are processed quickly.

He soon discovered however that the information he had read was “outdated” and that although most of the Danes he has met have been very kind and generous, he has followed the political debate closely since arriving and has concluded that Denmark simply does not want his kind here.
[img]http://www.thelocal.dk/userdata/images/1434034338_IMG_4493.jpg[/img]

One of Omar Martini's signs outside of the immigration office. Photo: Justin Cremer

“If I knew that we weren’t welcome, I wouldn’t have come. I would have either found another place that was more welcoming or just stayed at home and waited for a barrel bomb to drop on me,” he said.

Despite the long struggle to get reunited with his family, Martini said that when they join him in about a month’s time, he is ready to move forward.

“I just have to start my life. Get a job and learn the language. I do have hopes and I think that I will do well in this country,” he said.

But while Martini will head back to his apartment on the island of Funen knowing that his wife and boys will be with him in a matter of weeks, many other Syrian refugees continue to wait to see their family members again.

[img]http://www.thelocal.dk/userdata/images/1434034545_IMG_4503.jpg[/img]

35-year-old Hazar started a hunger strike on Wednesday. Photo: Justin Cremer

"They just tell me I have to wait"
One of them is 35-year-old Hazar, who began a hunger strike outside of the Danish Immigration Service on Wednesday. She has been waiting to bring her husband and two children, 13 and 15, from Syria to Denmark for seven months.

“They just tell me I have to wait. Now I plan to stay here until I get an answer,” she told The Local through an interpreter.

Hazar said she has had health problems that led to her being hospitalized last week, making her hunger strike particularly dangerous.

[img]http://www.thelocal.dk/userdata/images/1434034681_IMG_4495.jpg[/img]
29-year-old Tariq: "If my wife doesn't come here then what am I doing? I have nothing." Photo: Justin Cremer

"My wife is all alone"

Interpreting for her was 29-year-old Tariq Dawara, who came to DIS on Thursday to begin his own hunger strike.

Family › Re: An Aborted Child Cries Out by cocolacec(m): 4:21pm On Jun 08, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hb3DFELq4Y

The Silent Scream is a 1984 anti-abortion documentary video directed and narrated by Bernard Nathanson, an obstetrician, NARAL Pro-Choice America founder, and abortion provider turned pro-life activist, and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committee.The film depicts the abortion process via ultrasound and shows an abortion taking place in the uterus. During the abortion process, the fetus is described as appearing to make outcries of pain and discomfort. The video has been a popular tool used by the pro-life campaign in arguing against abortion,although it has been criticized as misleading by members of the medical community.

Foreign Affairs › Re: History Of Suicide Bombing: The First Was A Christian by cocolacec(op): 4:20pm On Jun 05, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYSg2zreegE

Foreign Affairs › Re: History Of Suicide Bombing: The First Was A Christian by cocolacec(op): 4:00pm On Jun 05, 2015

Vanityupnvanity:
Op abeg comot 4 my front i wan see road

kodded:
kai op you can lie o
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_attack

I DIDNOT CREATE THE WRITE UP FOR MYSELF YOU CAN ASK SKY NEWS NETWORK ABOUT THE AUTHENTICITY OF THEIR REPORT.

Travel › With This Passport I Thee Wed by cocolacec(op): 1:51pm On Jun 04, 2015

We investigate the shady world of Britain's fake marriage brokers and how they beat the UK's tough immigration rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhjCXVv3VCE

In the second part of With This Passport I Thee Wed, our undercover reporters turned their attention to those who provide legal advice to migrants seeking visas - in particular two lawyers who were said to have a curious attitude to the UK's immigration laws. The distorting effect of fake marriages on the UK immigration system and the suspicions and tougher rules they give rise to can only make it harder for those genuine migrants who want to enter Britain legally and make - as so many of them have - a real contribution to its society. But until a better answer to the problem is found, the criminal gangs who take huge sums of money from would-be migrants and exploit women from poorer parts of Europe will only continue to flourish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdWjWCVgnew

Foreign Affairs › Re: History Of Suicide Bombing: The First Was A Christian by cocolacec(op): 10:58am On Jun 04, 2015

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”Santayana,The Life of Reason, 1905

"History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future." Robert Penn Warren

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results." Machiavelli

Foreign Affairs › History Of Suicide Bombing: The First Was A Christian by cocolacec(op): 9:48am On Jun 04, 2015*

16:06, UK, Wednesday 27 July 2005
The first recorded suicide bombing came from Christian soldiers during the Crusades to free The Holy City of Jerusalem from the control of Muslim armies. During the Crusades, the Knights Templar destroyed one of their own ships with 140 Christians on board in order to kill 10 times as many Muslims in the opposing fleet.

Even in the Bible a reference is made to a suicide as a means of killing an enemy.

"And Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life." Book of Judges 16:30, Old Testament.

An early example of suicide bombing occurred during the Belgian Revolution in 1831 - the war between the Dutch and the Belgians - when the Dutch Lt Jan van Speijk blew up his own ship in the harbour of Antwerp to prevent being captured by the Belgians.

He had been ordered to take down his Dutch flag but said: "I would rather blow myself up." He killed dozens of his enemies in the process.

In World War II, Kamikaze pilots acted as human missiles, flying their planes with explosives, directly into US warships.

Young Tokkotai pilots
[img]http://origins.osu.edu/sites/origins.osu.edu/files/styles/image-gallery/public/490px-72nd_Shinbu_1945_Kamikaze.jpg?itok=_lJsnO3B[/img]
Corporal Yukio Araki, 17, holds a puppy and poses with members of his squadron the day before his death in a suicide attack on a U.S. ship in May 1945.

In the 1950s, Viet Minh "death volunteers" were used against the French colonial army.

Most famously, Palestinian organisations have sent more than 70 suicide bombers on missions against Israeli targets.

The Tamil Tigers are another prolific example, and their Black Tiger unit has committed some 76 suicide bombings since 1987 using more than 240 attackers.
[img]http://origins.osu.edu/sites/origins.osu.edu/files/styles/image-gallery/public/200px-Velupillai_Prabhakaran.jpg?itok=-cPjJUGN[/img]
Velupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a militant group that came to be known as the "masters of suicide bombing." When he died, the organization fell apart

Their victims included former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and many prominent Sri Lankan leaders.

In 1981 the Islamic Dawa Party's suicide bomber attacked the Iraqi embassy in Beirut.

Hezbollah carried out a bombing of the US embassy in April 1983 and the attack on US Marine and French barracks in October 1983 which brought international attention to suicide bombings.

By 1999 Islamic factions such as Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and the Ba'ath Party were all using the method.

The Syrian Social Nationalists were the first to use a female suicide bomber.

In 1986 they had carried out around 50 suicide bombings between them.

Hezbollah was the only one to attack overseas, bombing the Israeli embassy.

In September 11, 2001, terrorists used passenger jets to destroy the towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City.

Still the so-called justification of the suicide attacks is spouted by religious and political leaders.

As Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin said: "Once we have warplanes and missiles, then we can think of changing our means of legitimate self-defence.

"But right now, we can only tackle the fire with our bare hands and sacrifice ourselves."

In modern history, suicide bombings also appeared as a tactic among the Tamil Tiger seperatist group in Sri Lanka.

Women bombers were used to try to force the government to hand over the Tamil area of the country.

In Iraq, insurgents are using the tactic against Western and Iraqi government targets. They are also killing dozens of civilians.

http://news.sky.com/story/357924/suicide-bombing-the-first-was-a-christian

http://origins.osu.edu/article/2042/images

Family › “I Recorded 6,000 Phone Calls Of My Wife’s Conversation With Boyfriends” by cocolacec(op): 8:50pm On Jun 03, 2015*

Late Citi Fm Presenter Claims “I Recorded 6,000 Phone Calls Of My Wife’s Conversation With Boyfriends”

An emotion laden story of a Citi fm presenter, Kofi Ofori-Attah, who died some few months back has really alarmed most young men in Ghana – to wonder if it's worth marrying a beautiful woman at all.

According to what GHbase.com gathered, the guy, BEFORE HE MARRIED the lady, bought a new car – as a gift for the lady, and with the help of a driver, drove the car to the lady's premises unannounced. He got there and allegedly, caught her in bed with another guy bonking her down.

He left them without creating any scene or assaulting them. Despite that, he went ahead and married this same lady, thinking she will change into a better woman – – – – GHbase.com says he is a FOOL NUMBER ONE!

Three (3) months after their marriage, the guy had suspicions regarding the lady's promiscuity. In order to have hardcore evidence for a winning case, he downloaded a call recording app unto the lady's phone – without her knowledge.

With the help of the app, the lady's phone recorded every phone conversation she had – including those with her extra-marital boyfriends. This Citi FM presenter, according to GHbase.com's source, would smartly send the recorded voices unto his phone when his wife left her phone down.

Some few weeks to his death, all he did was to always put his phone's earpiece on and listen to the numerous conversations between his wife and her boyfriends. He did so at work to the amazement and wonder of his working colleagues. Each time he was asked what at all he was listening, he replied “I'm listening to sermons.”
[img][/img]
Well after his death, GHbase.com is in possession of an ALLEGED tape. From the tape, it appears the late presenter and wife were at a police station over an allegation the lady made to the police against him – that, the former beat her up. Explaining himself, the guy said he attempted beating the lady because she flirts.

According to him, he knows she flirts even before he married her and still was in the known that she continues to allow other guys chop her down after marriage. “I have 6,000 recorded conversations of her and her numerous boyfriends. I can show it to you (the policeman)” he is heard saying in the ALLEGED tape.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbbud6rLqd4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-SjESFu8uo
https://www.modernghana.com/music/29257/3/exclusive-tape-1-late-citi-fm-presenter-claims-i-r.html

Crime › Husband Dies 3 Months After Wedding From Poisoning by cocolacec(op): 8:34pm On Jun 03, 2015

Late Citi FM presenter who died in November was apparently murdered by his wife of 3 months for reasons best known to the widow.
The Citi FM presenter, Kofi Ofori-Attah, had recorded several voice calls of her wife speaking to other men of how much she charges them for sex, he taped them and forwarded about 6,000 phone calls to a trusted friend before he was allegedly murdered.

The couple married in August 2014 but unfortunately he died after 3 months. In the ALLEGED tapes, the married lady actually calls her lovers when her husband is away and when he is around and promises her boy toy that “when he is away, I will come to Obuasi, you used to pay more in the past but now you are becoming chisel".

She also added in the tape "you must pay more cos you have bleeped me hard in the past. I actually bleeped you!”.

Doctors test on him before he dead shows he was supposedly poisoned and rumours from sources close to the presenter disclosed that he was murdered by his wife of 3 months.

The lady in question has yet not responded to this claims.

This late Citi FM presenter, Kofi Ofori-Attah, really married a Jezebel for a wife. After the 2 tapes GHbase.com reported earlier – regarding her extra marital affairs conversations, our source has furnished us with the third (3) one in which she spoke Ga language.

https://www.ghbase.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/tape3-640x330.jpg
https://www.ghbase.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/10841486_1024167534267221_525059776_n.jpg
Late Kofi And Wife

She boasts of her beauty and says men can’t keep their rampaging eyes off her everywhere she goes – due to that, she does not like walking in town or standing at bus stops to wait for commercial cars. Of course she’s fair and beautiful but deep within her, is full of rot!

ALSO READ:

EXLUSIVE TAPE: Late Citi Fm Presenter Claims “I Recorded 6,000 Phone Calls Of My Wife’s Conversation With Boyfriends”

ALSO READ:

EXLUSIVE TAPE 2: Late Citi Fm Presenter’s Wife Demanded GHC 7,000 To Be F**ked In Obuasi

In this tape, the married lady tells her boyfriend by name Adjetey “I’m around. I’m in the house alone. You can come and f**k me. Which one do you want? The anus or the vagina? If you want the anus, come and let me open it wide for you and use it anyway you like (laughs).”

http://www.ghbase.com/exclusive-tape-3-fk-anus-vagina-late-citi-fm-presenter-saga-continues/

TV/Movies › Re: 33years Later: Do You Remember These People? by cocolacec(m): 4:13pm On May 24, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u2b6RFEQYU

Romance › American On Swedish Men And Condoms by cocolacec(op): 11:20am On May 24, 2015

'Swedish men just don't want to use condoms'
Published: 19 Jun 2012

"No glove, no love" may ring true in most cosmopolitan cities, but when it comes to Stockholm, contributor Elisabeth Carlsson reflects on how hard it is to find a Swedish man willing to wear one.

No glove, no love" - the age-old English saying about condoms may ring true in most cosmopolitan cities, but when it comes to Stockholm, I say good luck finding a Swedish man who will actually want, or even knows, how to wear one.

This, of course, is just my personal experience. But as a single American woman in her late twenties who has now lived in Stockholm for over a year, I am constantly amazed that the majority of Swedish men I’ve encountered do not use – or, dare I say – never use, condoms.

Let’s first talk numbers. Out of the six Swedish men that I’ve casually dated so far here in Stockholm, every single one of them seems to have some sort of issue or hang-up with using this little piece of plastic.

First there was Jim*, who joked that the reason he didn’t use condoms was because disease hadn’t yet spread to Sweden.

Then there was Kevin, who confessed that while he hadn’t used a condom in years, he was at least willing to try (although when he finally did put one on, let’s just say it was a “lost” cause).

And when I met the mysterious yet sexy Chris, he claimed that because he was an “expert at pulling out," that meant we didn’t need to use a condom. I didn't buy his ridiculous excuse.

Then there was John, the handsome 37-year-old I met out one night in Östermalm.

When I told him after two dates that I would prefer it if he used a condom the first time we had sex, he suddenly turned into a petulant child and vowed he would never again use a condom because they are both “uncomfortable and unnecessary.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, we stopped seeing each other after that.

As a born-and-bred American who has sat through many a sex ed class in her adolescent years, it’s essentially been drilled into my brain that condoms are a must when you first start having sex with someone.
Of course the number one reason is to prevent pregnancy, especially if you aren’t on birth control, but in this day and age, the prevalence of STIs is staggering and for me, that’s reason enough to make the new guy I’m dating wear one.

In case you’re wondering, I have been with men from other countries – not just American men who are often staunch condom supporters – and I can honestly say that since moving to Sweden, this is the first time that I have encountered such a strong dislike for something that really is only meant to protect you.

Maybe it’s just me but I think I dislike the idea of chlamydia far more than a thin piece of plastic.

But I should be fair and say that the Swedish men are not the only ones to blame.

According to a close Swedish female friend of mine, she recalls only ever having used a condom once in her life. Yes, you read that correctly: only once.

Of course the number one reason is to prevent pregnancy, especially if you aren’t on birth control, but in this day and age, the prevalence of STIs is staggering and for me, that’s reason enough to make the new guy I’m dating wear one.

In case you’re wondering, I have been with men from other countries – not just American men who are often staunch condom supporters – and I can honestly say that since moving to Sweden, this is the first time that I have encountered such a strong dislike for something that really is only meant to protect you.

Maybe it’s just me but I think I dislike the idea of chlamydia far more than a thin piece of plastic.

But I should be fair and say that the Swedish men are not the only ones to blame.

According to a close Swedish female friend of mine, she recalls only ever having used a condom once in her life. Yes, you read that correctly: only once.
The reason? It seems as though every single Swedish woman is on some form of birth control, hence her reason for not ever having to use a backup method of contraception.

And as for the Swedish men? Well, they’ve apparently become so accustomed to women already being on the pill that they’ve never felt the need to “wrap it up” – pardon the pun.

“You make it sound like all Swedes do is sleep around,” Patrick said when I first asked if he was OK with wearing one for me.

We had been out on several dates and clearly enjoyed each other’s company so sleeping together, to me, seemed like the appropriate next step. Apparently, this seemingly innocuous request of mine was considered a deal breaker. I never saw Patrick again.

So, here’s a little note to all those single, Swedish men out there: It’s not an insult to your masculinity if a woman asks you to wear a condom – it’s because she likes you and likes having safe sex. Okej?

*Typical American names are used to protect Swedish identities.

Elisabeth Carlsson

http://www.thelocal.se/20120619/41540

Travel › Inside Sweden Largest Immigration Centre by cocolacec(op): 8:54pm On May 23, 2015

A week after the Swedish Migration Board announced it was tripling the maximum number of residents allowed at asylum centres, The Local brings you a special report from inside Märsta, the country's busiest asylum application centre just outside Stockholm, where hundreds of refugees spend their first nights in Sweden each week.
Slumped on plastic chairs, some hugging battered suitcases, others appearing to have travelled without a single belonging, most of the latest asylum seekers to walk through the doors of the Märsta reception centre look visibly shattered. For many, the journey to Sweden has been a long and painful one.

"It was disgusting. I can't speak about it now. I don't want to remember [it]," says Matios, 28, from Eritrea, who travelled to Italy by boat before making his way to Stockholm by train.

"It was hard for me. It was long journey and some of my friends died along the way, while they were with me," he adds, shuffling his feet and gazing at the floor.

He doesn't want to have his photo taken, but raises his eyes and speaks firmly when asked about why he is seeking a new home in the Nordic nation.

"There is unlimited military service in my country, that is the main problem. I chose Sweden because there are human rights in Sweden. You can speak freely about whatever you want".
[img]http://www.thelocal.se/userdata/images/1426694388_asylum3.JPG[/img]
His words are echoed by Emad, a 22-year-old from Libya, sporting a hoodie and a lot of hair gel.

"Sweden has the top reputation, everyone is talking about Sweden," he says.

His boat from Benghazi docked in Malta before he flew with Ryanair to Copenhagen and then caught the train to Stockholm.

"I came here because I have a problem in my country...everyone is killing each other," he explains in a mixture of Arabic and English.

"I hope to stay here and relax I hope to also find work, to buy a car and make a future here. I will do any kind of job. If I find work, I will do it."...
[img]http://www.thelocal.se/userdata/images/1426694086_asylum2.JPG[/img]

Märsta is the first port of call for hundreds of refugees arriving in Sweden every week. The bland, red brick building complex currently houses up to 150 people each night, in single sex dormitories or family rooms. Anyone seeking asylum and without an address in Sweden is entitled to seek temporary emergency accommodation for up to three nights while they wait for their initial application to be processed. The centre is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The rooms are just very basic but we do have cleaners every day," says team leader Anna Andersson as she opens the door to a huge storage room piled high with sky blue plastic zip-up laundry bags.

"These are the welcome packs we give everyone. There's a pillow, blankets, a towel, a toothbrush, a toothpaste and toilet paper. And you can take this with you when you go."

"We try to make people comfortable. There is also common area for watching TV and relaxing. We have a kids area here, although now it is in need of repainting," she adds, pointing to an empty cluster of child-sized tables and chairs and a wall covered in scribbles.

"We did have lots of toys donated at Christmas time, but they moved on with the visitors."

Sweden is seeing its asylum requests rise to record levels, with about 90,000 applications anticipated by the end of 2015. Numbers have been steadily rising since the Nordic nation became the first European country in 2013 to grant automatic residency to Syrian refugees, but it has also accepted thousands of others from nations including Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans as well as a growing influx from Somalia.

To cope with the increasing flow of refugees, the Swedish Migration Board announced this week that it had more than tripled the maximum number of residents allowed at asylum centres from 200 to 650. The government says it wants to continue providing security for refugees, but has called on other EU member states to share the burden. Currently only Germany processes more asylum applications.

While the majority of Swedes support their country's open door policy, it has been linked to rising support for the nationalist Sweden Democrat party (now the third largest political group in Sweden), and growing numbers from across the political spectrum say they are concerned about how the government is tackling integration.

In the short term, pressure is also mounting on staff at immigration centres such as Märsta, who are facing an increasingly heavy workload.

"Sure, of course we have felt that it has been growing and that more people are coming," says Andersson, appearing to choose her words carefully.

Immigration officials at Märsta conduct interviews with each new asylum seeker and take fingerprints to check that they have not already been registered elsewhere in the EU. Those who have could be sent back, because of EU laws stating that all migrants should have their claims processed in the member state in which they first arrive. Those judged to be genuine applicants are transferred on to a second processing centre in Gävle, a ninety minute drive north. They spend several more days there while their paperwork is dealt with before being sent to more permanent housing elsewhere in Sweden. The country aims to consider all asylum requests within three months, although for some it can take considerably longer.

"I have high hopes for my future here. This is where I want to be. I am very relieved that I made it," says Refaat Sharrook, a Syrian dressed in a smart suit for his first meeting with Swedish officials.

"I praise God that I have made it to this land that I have heard so many positive stories about," he adds in Arabic.

The 37-year-old plans to meet up with other business contacts from his homeland who have already been granted asylum.
"I used to work in the car industry and I have connections here," he smiles, clutching his mobile phone and a pile of documents

"It's been more necessary to plan better to make sure that we have beds for the night. But I would say we have coped well," she adds, explaining that staff work hard to avoid the "nightmare" of having to turn people away.

"A bed is what I would want after travelling far and being tired and arriving somewhere. I mean a bed...it's only a bed, it's not the end of the world," she says, keen to stress that her role fits into a much bigger jigsaw puzzle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ucWb7LURZE
Refaat Sharrook from Syria hopes to find work in Sweden. Video: The Local

But his glaring optimism is juxtaposed with the grief of a young Nigerian family staying in a room across the corridor. They have spent the past year seeking asylum in Sweden and have returned to Märsta in a desperate bid to have their case reviewed, after being told to fly home or return to France, the first EU country they landed in.

[img]http://www.thelocal.se/userdata/images/article/w468/c46aea8861cad3822d9ee80b895ff5e002a6634b2e5361a72ca88ca39ba3a27e.jpg[/img]
"We have met a lot of people who have told lies and thrown their passports away in order to help with their asylum applications," says Lloyd Justus, 35, gripping the hand of his wife Princess, 20.

"As practising Christians that [idea] was very difficult for us...but maybe we were the stupid ones," he sighs as their seven-month-old baby starts crying.

The couple, who lived in Libya until 2012, say they have no relatives left in Africa and are scared that their home country is becoming more and more violent. But unlike Syria, Nigeria is not considered a war zone by the EU, and its people are not automatically granted asylum in Sweden.

The pair tell a complex and sometimes confusing story about being shunted between different housing projects and separated following the birth of their child after falling out with one another as well as the Swedish authorities. While Princess was given a room in a Swedish woman's home by Social Services, Lloyd says he spent several months sleeping rough and in African churches, surviving by picking cans off the streets and swapping them for food bags handed out by various charities.

"After all this we have been told we have to go back to France. The thing is we didn't understand the visas when we got them, we were just looking for a better life. In Nigeria its a very corrupt place - you buy a visa to get you to Europe for 10,000 US dollars. You don't have a choice for Italy, Greece, Sweden. It's not like that in Africa, whatever you are offered, you take".

With tears in his eyes he adds: "I have thought many times about committing suicide. The only reason I didn't commit suicide is because if I kill myself Jesus is not going to accept me into heaven, I am going to go to hell."

Sweden's Migration Board cannot shed any light on the couple's prospects. The authority does not discuss individual immigration cases with the media.

But as yet another handful of immigrants shuffle through the immigration centre's doors while the sun goes down, it is clear that whatever happens to Märsta's current crop of arrivals, officials are set to have their work cut out for the foreseeable future
All interviews were conducted on March 2nd 2015

http://www.thelocal.se/20150329/it-was-a-long-journey-and-some-of-my-friends-died

Travel › Denmark Divide Countries Into 5 Groups For Issuing Tourist Visas by cocolacec(op): 4:16am On May 23, 2015

Main groups for countries whose citizens must hold visas

Countries whose citizens must hold visas in order to enter Denmark are divided into five main groups.

Different requirements for obtaining a visa apply to each group. Different countries are grouped based on the overall risk of a citizen remaining within the Schengen Area after the individual’s visa expires.

Normally it is easier to obtain a visa, if you are citizen in a country placed in Group 1, than if you are citizen in a country placed in Group 5.

The country evaluations serve only as a rough guideline. All applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For some applicants, it will be taken into consideration whether an applicant who has previously been issued a Schengen visa abided by the terms of the visa. Other special situations that may be considered include: whether the applicant is seeking to visit an individual suffering from a terminal illness, or if the point of the trip is to attend the funeral of a close friend or relative.

Regardless of which group an individual’s country of residence is in, immigration authorities will reject a visa application if there is a risk that the applicant:

will seek to reside in Denmark or another Schengen country for an extended period, oris a security risk

Group 1

Group 1 includes countries whose citizens represents a very limited risk of immigrating illegally to Denmark or another Schengen country.

The following countries are currently in Group 1:

Angola, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Colombia, Chad, Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, the Cape Verde Islands, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Sao Tomé & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Swaziland, South Africa, Tajikistan, Taiwan*, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad/Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor (Timor-Leste)

*Citizens with a passport issued by Taiwan that contains an identity card number do not need a visa. The same applies to citizens with old Taiwanese passports with “Republic of China” on the front page, if the stated place of birth is Taiwan and the passport contains an identity card number.

Citizens of these countries are generally eligible for visas for purely tourist-related visits even if the applicant will not be hosted by anyone in Denmark.

However, a visa application will be turned down if the immigration authorities have reason to believe that an applicant may seek permanent or long-term residency in Denmark or another Schengen country.

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

Group 2

Group 2 includes countries whose citizens represents some risk of immigrating illegally to Denmark or another Schengen country. Citizens of these countries do not need to prove a relationship with their host.

The following countries are currently in Group 2:

Albania*, Azerbaijan, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina*, Congo (Brazzaville), Djibouti, Macedonia (FYROM)*, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro*, Nepal, Niger, Peru, the Philippines, Serbia*, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

*Citizens of these countries holding a biometric passport do not require a visa. Read more about visa requirements for different countries

Citizens from these countries will normally be issued a visa, regardless of the nature of the relationship with their host. The visa applicant must be hosted by someone in Denmark, but there is no particular form of relationship that is required in order to be a host. Spouses, cohabiting partners and boy/girlfriends as well as underage children of Danish citizens who live abroad also qualify for visas.

If the application is submitted by someone other than the spouse, cohabiting partner, a child under the age of 18 or a parent of a person living in Denmark, the application will be rejected if the applicant is deemed unlikely to return home after the individual’s visa expires. In such cases, the Danish Immigration Service will take into account what type of residence permit the applicant would be able to apply for.

If the types of residence permit the individual could qualify for do not require a penalty period (such as family reunification), a visa will be granted, even if it is deemed likely that the applicant will apply for long-term residence while in Denmark.

An application will be rejected if immigration authorities find it likely that the applicant will seek to reside illegally in Denmark or another Schengen country.

This would be the case if the applicant has previously violated the terms of a visa or residence permit, or if there is reason to believe that one of the host’s previous guests violated the terms of a visa or residence permit.

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

Group 3

Group 3 includes countries whose citizens represents a significant risk of immigrating illegally to Denmark or another Schengen country.

Citizens of these countries will only be granted a visa if they can prove a relationship with their host.

The following countries are currently in Group 3:

Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Cameroun, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, India, the Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam and Yemen.

Citizens of the above-mentioned countries will normally be granted a visa if they are:
•a spouse
•a cohabiting partner or boy/girlfriend
•a child (regardless of age) and their accompanying spouse
•a parent and their accompanying spouse, and
•a sibling and their accompanying spouse.

Visas can also be issued to:
•nieces, nephews and grandchildren under the age of 18 seeking to travel to Denmark on holiday unaccompanied by a parent
•the close acquaintance of a Danish citizen who previously worked abroad for a Danish company
•a sponsor child under the age of 18, and
•individuals accompanying an elderly family member.

Spouses, cohabiting partners and boy/girlfriends as well as underage children of Danish citizens who live abroad also qualify for visas.

In order for a boy/girlfriend (including applicants seeking to travel to Denmark to marry) to qualify for a visa, the applicant and the individual living in Denmark must prove that they are in a long-term relationship. This involves: proving that both host and applicant are unmarried or divorced, that they have met in person and have been together within the past year. If the relationship only involves telephone, written or online communication, a visa will not be granted.

An application will be rejected if immigration authorities find it likely that the applicant will seek to reside illegally in Denmark or another Schengen country.

This would be the case if the applicant has previously violated the terms of a visa or residence permit, or if there is reason to believe that one of the host’s previous guests violated the terms of a visa or residence permit.

Travel-agency and tourist arrangements have been established with Russia, China, Ukraine and India. The arrangements make it easier for citizens of these countries to visit Denmark as tourists. Read more about Travel agency and tourist arrangements

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

Group 4

Group 4 includes countries whose citizens represents a high degree of risk to immigrate illegally to Denmark or another Schengen country.

The following countries are currently in Group 4:

Afghanistan, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Kosovo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan. Stateless Palestinians are also included in this group. (Other stateless individuals will be evaluated based on their country of residence.)

Citizens of countries in Group 4 normally only qualify for a visa if they are the spouse, cohabiting partner, underage child or a parent of an individual living in Denmark. An applicant will be considered to be a ‘cohabiting partner’ if it can be documented that the applicant lived together with the host for at least 18 months.

An application will be rejected if the immigration authorities find it likely that the applicant will seek to reside illegally in Denmark or another Schengen country.

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

Group 5

Group 5 includes countries whose citizens represent a particularly high degree of risk to immigrate illegally to Denmark or another Schengen country, or countries that individuals cannot easily be repatriated to.

The following countries are currently in Group 5:

Somalia and Syria

Somali and Syrian citizens are subject to a number of restrictions and generally only qualify for visas if there are extenuating circumstances, such as the death or terminal illness of a family member living in Denmark.

In certain instances, a visa can be granted to a Somali or Syrian applicant seeking to visit a spouse or cohabiting partner in Denmark, if the applicant’s application for family reunification was previously rejected due to an inadequate connection to Denmark. In order to qualify, the spouse in Denmark must have significant ties to Denmark, the couple must be legally married and all the additional requirements for family reunification (housing, financial support, etc) must be met. A financial guarantee would only need to be paid in the event that the individual applied for a new family reunification.

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

Qualifying as a host

Visa applicants from countries in groups 2-5 are normally only approved if a Danish resident hosts them. Individuals seeking to be a host must meet certain requirements.

First, the individual in Denmark must confirm that the visit was planned. Unplanned visits do not qualify for visas. An individual seeking to act as host can submit an invitation. The Danish Immigration Service recommends using invitation form VU2, but potential hosts can draw up their own invitation.

Secondly, the host most normally have a permanent place to live in Denmark. This requirement can be waived in certain cases, such as if the applicant has been invited by a Danish citizen living abroad.

Thirdly, a host will normally be required to be either a citizen or resident of Denmark. If an individual applying to host someone holds an expired residence permit, but has applied for renewal, the Danish Immigration Service will make a decision based on the specific details of the situation. One of the Danish Immigration Service’s considerations will be whether the individual applying to be a host will be permitted to apply for permanent residence at some point.

A decision to approve or reject a visa application is made in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Executive Order on Visas.

http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/when_is_visa_granted/private_or_tourist_visits.htm

Politics › Pastor Lesego Again!commands Babies In The Womb To Dance & Miracle weight loss by cocolacec(op): 10:06pm On May 22, 2015

South African pastor, Lesego Daniel, infamous for commanding his congregation to eat grass has this time commanded babies in their mothers' wombs to dance! Strange? Check out the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F_Cv_sb2-s

BABY JUMP AND DANCE IN THE WOMB FULL VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIrzhtATCvA

MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEVjRDYbxcg

Foreign Affairs › Re: EU agrees to take military action against migrant boats by cocolacec(op): 8:54pm On May 22, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjVfsU2OU58

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