Freedom

Love Is Stronger Than Pride

- Vanessa King


Japan’s Princess Sayako has recently chosen to wed a non royal ‘commoner’ and has agreed to renounce her title to do it. After saying her farewells to the imperial family, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito abandoned her title as Princess. She is the first to do so in 45 years since her aunt married a non royal in 1960.

In this day and age many formal hiarchies aren’t holding as much power as they used to. For a woman to make a choice to lose her royal status (and royal allowance) for love is not only a very beautiful thing, but a step for woman everywhere who have their fate chosen for them.

The Japanese royal household currently faces a succession crisis, with no male heir produced for 40 years. As a result moves are under way to change the law to let women ascend the throne.
Yay woman power!!!

Protesters Greet Chinese President

- Vanessa King

Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in London this week for a three day visit to have talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Upon arrival he ran into hundreds of human rights protesters waving Tibetan flags and Falung Gong supporters who stood in silent protest. Campaigners hoped to send a strong message to the President to encourage him to meet with the Dalai Lama. Whether this actually happens or not it is a message that Tibetan supporters rarely get the chance to relay as the Tibetan flag is banned in China and Tibet. Demonstrations such as these have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in Tibet where Jintao declared Martial Law over protests by separatists.

Only one protester was apprehended after the prosession had passed. It was a man waving pro-China flag amidst the Tibetan campaigners.

Syria Releases Prisoners

- Adam Clare

Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has come under a lot of international criticism lately, released 190 political prisoners on Novemeber 3rd.

Denver chills out, smokes a bowl

- Fono 1 Comment

Residents of Denver recently voted to legalize possession of marijuana in the amount of 1 oz or less. That’s legalize, mind you, not just decriminalize. 54% of voters were in favour of the ordinance.
Is this good weed?
The main argument by those in support was that marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol, as far as recreational drug use goes.

Drug offenders in the US are generally charged under state or federal laws, so this measure may have no real official meaning; but Denver police will presumably not feel too compelled to make any arrests on the matter.

Female Firefighters in Iran

- Adam Clare

Iran has something that is unique for the Middle East: the only all-female firefighter squad.

From The Christian Science Monitor:

“Not every rescue requires a feminine touch. But in the Islamic Republic, which tolerates little public mixing of the genders, the 11 women here are breaking new ground and creating a model for cities across the country. They also represent a strain of pragmatic progressivism in Iran that is rarely matched elsewhere in the region.”

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