Category Archives: Post Human

Canada's leading media development organization kicks off an online drive to fund training for journalists on the elections beat in Sierra Leone.

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), Canada's leading media development organization, is launching the Sierra Leone Election Drive to raise awareness of the upcoming presidential elections in Sierra Leone and to raise funds to continue JHR's journalist training programs in the country.

On November 17th, 2012 Sierra Leone will hold the third democratic election since the end of its devastating civil war in 2002.

Given the vital role media plays in setting the tone of an election, JHR's presence could mean the difference between a peaceful election or a return to violence.

JHR has been working in Sierra Leone since 2007, training local journalists on how to report on politics and elections accurately and fairly.

A reporter with Awoko newspaper, Betty Milton was promoted to Head of the Elections Unit after receiving JHR training. "We don't want to go back to where we came from," she said, "We need JHR here to help train journalists on how to cover the elections."

For the first time in Sierra Leone's recent history, the 2012 election will have no direct intervention from the UN peacekeeping mission. Without international oversight the election process is unpredictable and violence and political instability are likely.

JHR has a strong track record in Sierra Leone. During the 2008 election, JHR's staff was praised by Ibrahim Seibureh, Editor in Chief of national daily the Concord Times, with keeping the tone of election coverage balanced and fair, as well as by international elections observers and other actors.

The result was a bloodless transfer of power for the first time in Sierra Leone's post-war history.

To view JHR's film about the need to keep elections coverage balanced in Sierra Leone, or to find out more information about the campaign, please visithttp://www.jhr.ca/en/sled.php

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Journalists for Human Rights launches campaign to keep Sierra Leone's elections free and fair.

HONG KONG (AP) -- When two boats filled with people collided on Hong Kong's busy waterways, the impact knocked a hole in one vessel's engine room and the water poured in too fast to stop it from sinking. Passengers struggled to find life vests and dozens drowned in the turbulent waters.

Rather than rush to help, however, the crew of the other vessel, a ferry, seemed paralyzed, according to witnesses. After pausing briefly near the doomed ship filled with holiday revelers, the ferry continued on to its berth.

Shock over Monday's crash, which left 38 dead, gave way to outrage Wednesday over what experts concluded was human error. Investigators have not publicly offered a theory of how the collision occurred but have arrested seven crew members, including both captains.

The ferry company denied accusations that the boat left immediately after the crash, but did not say whether its crew did anything to help the other vessel as it rapidly sank.

The captain of the Sea Smooth ferry was in a hospital with rib injuries Wednesday, said Nelson Ng, general manager of Hong Kong and Kowloon (Ferry) Holdings. He said staff members tried to talk to the captain, but he added, "We have to wait for the psychologist's report. ... He doesn't really want to say anything."

When asked whether the captain blames himself for the accident, Ng said, "He's emotionally depressed, so I believe he probably does." He did not release the captain's name.

The collision, Hong Kong's deadliest maritime accident since 1971, has hit at the heart of the semiautonomous territory's identity. Fleets of ferry boats form the backbone of the transport network, and much of Hong Kong's economy relies on its reputation as a well-managed shipping hub.

"We cannot help but be shocked and angry," the English-language South China Morning Post said in an editorial Wednesday. It said "pinpointing fault and ensuring that there is no repeat" would be a matter of "safety, reputation and financial well-being."

All 38 people killed had been on the Lamma IV, a boat owned by utility company Hong Kong Electric, which was taking about 120 of its workers and their families to watch fireworks in celebration of China's National Day and mid-autumn festival.

Survivors from both boats said that after the collision knocked people from their seats, there was chaos as people rushed to find life jackets. About 100 people on both vessels, but mostly from the Lamma IV, were taken to hospitals for injuries.

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Outrage over human errors in Hong Kong boat crash

RACINE Park High School Principal Dan Thielen will leave his leadership post at the school Oct. 15 for a human resources job at Racine Unifieds central office, the district announced Tuesday.

Thielen, a Racine native and Parks principal for the past six years, will serve as interim executive director of human resources, filling a spot vacated when Steve Hejnal retired Sept. 30.

Thielen said district officials asked if he would be interested in the position and he said yes, choosing to take on the new job to enhance his district-level experience and understanding.

Im enrolled in a superintendent program through Cardinal Stritch and Im looking to get my superintendent license, he explained. Ive always been one in this district who wanted to understand all aspects of running a school district, not only being a principal or a teacher but the central office side too.

Thielen was selected for the human resources position because of his experience with elementary, middle and high schools as well as with staffing and scheduling, Unified spokeswoman Stacy Tapp said.

An email about the change was sent to staff Tuesday, Thielen said.

Thielens directing principal job will be filled on an interim basis by Park Blue School Principal Dennis Christensen. The Blue School principal post will get filled by Park Spanish teacher Tana Winski, and her job will be filled by a long-term substitute, Thielen said.

When asked what hell miss about Park, 1901 12th St., Thielen quickly replied, Everything.

Im gonna really miss everything. The staff, the staff is wonderful. The students. Im gonna to miss the spirit of this place. Theres such positivity that flows through this building.

Thielen has heard some staff speculate he is being moved out of Park on purpose because of the schools achievement levels. But thats not the case at all, he said.

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Park HS principal leaving for central office job

Jakarta (The Jakarta Post/ANN) - The Indonesian government has rejected the findings of its independent state body National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) declaring the 1965 communist purge a gross human rights violation and has refused to apologise for the victims of the atrocity.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto rejected the Komnas HAM conclusion and insisted that the mass killings, which were state-sponsored according to the rights body, were justified to save the country from communists.

"Define gross human rights violation! Against whom? What if it had happened the other way around?" Suyanto said on the sidelines of a meeting with the House of Representatives' budget committee yesterday.

Suyanto indicated that the mass killings during the communist purge were justified as they were aimed at protecting the country.

"This country would not be what it is today if it didn't happen. Of course there were victims [during the purge], and we are investigating them," Suyanto added.

After a thorough investigation lasting nearly four years, Komnas HAM finally declared the killings in the 1965 purge a state-sponsored gross human rights violation.

The investigation found that widespread mass killings had occurred during the period and featured similar patterns, starting with victims being arrested and detained in military camps, where they were interrogated, tortured, raped or murdered.

Following its investigation, Komnas HAM recommended the government set up a reconciliation and truth committee, and that a presidential apology be made to the families of victims as well as to survivors.

However, according to Suyanto, such a recommendation was unreasonable due to the lack a legal basis.

"We can't do that because the Constitutional Court has repealed the law on truth and reconciliation," he said.

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Minister denies Indonesia's 1965 rights abuses happened

October 2, 2012 - NTSB is offering courses in disaster response, post-accident communications, and accident investigation at its training center just outside Washington. Courses will include Transportation Disaster Response - Family Assistance; Transportation Disaster Response - Emergency Responders; Aircraft Accident Investigation Orientation; Managing Communications Following An Aircraft Accident or Incident; Cognitive Interviewing for Accident Investigators; and InvestigatingHuman Fatigue Factors. National Transportation Safety Board 490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW Washington, DC, 20594 USA Press release date: September 26, 2012

The National Transportation Safety Board is offering the following courses in disaster response, post-accident communications, and accident investigation in the coming months at its training center just outside Washington:

The TRANSPORTATION DISASTER RESPONSE FAMILY ASSISTANCE course (Oct. 10-12), which was developed for commercial transportation officials, representatives of federal agencies, staff of non-governmental relief organizations and emergency managers, is instrumental in understanding how any organization involved in the accident response can most effectively support the family assistance efforts. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/Ycqm

The TRANSPORTATION DISASTER RESPONSE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS course (Nov. 14-16) for emergency responders and planners provides participants with the tools to most effectively manage a major transportation disaster. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/YcqJ

The AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION ORIENTATION course (Oct. 23-24), led by senior NTSB management and investigators, details how the Safety Board investigates major aircraft accidents and what it expects of participants in an investigation. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/Y3Sk

The MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS FOLLOWING AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT course (Oct. 25-26) will teach participants what to expect in the days immediately following an aviation accident or incident and how they can prepare for their role with the media. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/YcqT

The COGNITIVE INTERVIEWING FOR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS course (Nov. 13-14) provides participants with the tools to conduct sound investigative interviews of participants in, and witnesses to, transportation incidents or accidents. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/Y3hR

The INVESTIGATING HUMAN FATIGUE FACTORS course (Nov. 15-16) will provide participants with information and guidance to evaluate the role human fatigue plays in accident causation. It will cover fatigue-related issues including sleep length, sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, work schedules, and the effects of fatigue on performance and alertness. Learn more at http://go.usa.gov/Y3hC

Information about the NTSB Training Center, course registration information and a complete listing of all public courses offered there is available at http://go.usa.gov/T8A

NTSB Training Center: 571-223-3900

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Transportation Disaster Response, Post-Accident Communications, and Accident Investigation ...

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Human Circuit announced its collaboration with B-Line Medical to integrate cutting edge media and technology solutions for the Simulation Center's Management System at Howard University.

Bruce Kaufmann, chief executive officer for Human Circuit, said the company's systems are designed to maximize the full potential of B-Line Medical's software.

"We are confident that we will provide the optimal turn-key solution for managing and operating the Howard University Health Sciences Simulation Center Management System," Kaufmann said. "No othersystems integratorhas developed simulation centers that utilize the advanced network enabled digital video distribution topology and equipment pioneered by Human Circuit."

To better prepare health sciences students for careers as healthcare providers, simulation and clinical skills training facilities offer hands-on opportunities in clinical situations. These facilities digitally record and store student performance footage on video servers so that administrators and instructors can view and evaluate students in real-time.

B-Line Medical and Human Circuit have integrated video and audio equipment into several of these types of facilities and applied designs and applications specifically for case study rooms, self-teaching labs, patient exam rooms, observation rooms and the AV control and computer rooms.

The technology within the simulation center is a web-based digital solution that allows faculty to capture, debrief and assess student encounters.The video allows the faculty to assess the learners and provide feedback, but most importantly, it allows learners the opportunity to self-assess their skills.There is a master control room that acts as a central location for managing the technology.

Human Circuit has extensive working experience with healthcare institutions and teaching hospitals. "One example is the Johns Hopkins Medicine Simulation Center in Baltimore," said Jim Hatcher, Human Circuit chief technology officer."This project is one of many that represent the quality of work that Human Circuit and B-Line Medical can provide," Hatcher said. "It highlights our ability to collaborate with an architect and general contractor as well as a university or hospital IT department, institution project manager and end user resulting in successful project implementation. "It is a privilege to add Howard University to our long list of prestigious clients."

About the Howard University Simulation Center

The Howard University Health Science Simulation Center is a state-ofthe-art educational facility that provides the ideal environment to teach fundamental and advanced clinical and technical skills and procedures. The philosophy of the Center is that skills are better learned when students are afforded the opportunity for deliberate practice in a controlled environment. The Center will provide a simulated environment where medical students, nursing students, allied health students, dental students, post-graduate physicians, practicing physicians and other health care professionals learn and hone their clinical and technical skills. The ultimate goal is to promote patient safety through education.

About Human Circuit

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Human Circuit to Integrate Cutting Edge Media and Technology Solutions for the Howard University Health Sciences ...

The legitimacy of the very many international institutions today need to check again. This was announced today, 21 December, the Director of the Foundation Institute of the post-crisis world (Russia) Ekaterina Shipov at the Roundtable the establishment of the Eurasian International Tribunal for war crimes and human rights, correspondent BakuToday .

We live in an era of transition to a new multipolar world, and in this era of many previous mechanisms do not work. Do not work past retention of economic and political stability, do not operate the old machinery confirm guarantees of sovereignty of States. If earlier it was enough for international recognition of membership in the UN or other international organizations, today this is clearly not enough. We see it on the example of Libya, the Balkans, Iraq, said Shipov.

It is clear that we need new mechanisms, new institutions and instruments, said the expert. -And here we have the whole thing in question, which 100 years ago identified the classic German political sociology of Max Weber. He said that one must distinguish between legality and legitimacy. The legality of any structure, Institute, the authorities reinforced by certain formal bureaucratic instruments, legislation, the system itself. And legitimacy is a much broader set of concepts, which includes the recognition of the authority in large parts of both people and the elite on the basis of the basic notions of fairness, Dobre, truth, and so on. It also implies a willingness to follow the decisions of this structure, this power without coercion.

And in this respect the legitimacy of the very many international institutions today need to check again. We still dont know what is legitimate for the developing world, the post-Soviet countries, the Hague Tribunal. And we do not know whether he left the same legitimate, as it was 20 years ago, for Western countries, said Shipov.

The establishment of the Eurasian Tribunal must rely on a broad popular movement. If there is a similar idea to the masses, then it usually institualiziruets, finds its material embodiment. The establishment of the public Council, the parliamentary hearings in post-Soviet countries-all of this will be a great step forward towards the establishment of the Eurasian Tribunal, and we will be able to get closer to the realization of this, in my opinion, very good case, concluded Shipov.

The consequences of the resignation of the speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Hovik Abrahamian and the dismissal of first Deputy Director of the Office of head of State Editor-in-chief Michael Minasian impact on the voters of the Republican Party of Armenia. However, for measuring the impact and content of the effects of personnel reassignment, sentiments and intentions of the voters need some time. As correspondent BakuToday, it was announced 8 November at a meeting with journalists, the head of the sociological Center tigranakert Aharon Adibekyan.

According to him, in the pre-election period, usually about a third of the active voters already geared-for whom and why would vote, and therefore this part of the electorate is difficult to influence. As noted by the sociologist, another third of the total number of voters is what political force preferred. The final third had no targets, namely, the election for this part of the electorate are just a convenient opportunity to disrupt the Kush-get a job to earn money. And when the resignation and human displacement, it narrows the range of influence in this electoral segment, because such a voter already wonder than him can help someone who disappeared from the fields of power, noted Aharonyan.

As he added although Hovik Abrahamyan and Mikael Minasyan retained essentially its position in the party structure, but in the eyes of voters-they were on a hierarchical layman ladder authorities step below. Sociologist believes that a shake-up in the highest echelons of power would necessarily affect the attitudes and intentions of the voters. For an accurate assessment of the extent of influence of the resignations must be a certain amount of time that these developments came to consciousness. We plan to conduct an opinion poll in late November. Then clarify-as the amount, so keep the effects of staff movement, explained Adibekyan.

He also indicated that some actions of the opposition Armenian National Congress may be perceived by the protest of the electorate with a certain amount of skepticism and suspicion. The ANCs attempts to cover all of the protestnoe field lead to movements in the direction of the Centre, which naturally gives rise to doubts and suspicions in the camp, the radical opposition. Backward steps ANC cause perplexity Centrists. In General, however, from such an action, an increasing number of those who have not yet decided the final choice, concluded Adibekyan.

Original post:
The legitimacy of the Hague Tribunal to check: expert

Fox News inadvertently broadcasted a mans suicide on Friday. The network aired live feed of a car chase near Phoenix, Ariz., including the final scene where the driver abandoned his car and shot himself in the head. Fox had a five-second delay on the helicopter feed of the chase, according to an article in The Washington Post Friday.

However, Fox said it was due to severe human error that the network did not take down the footage within the five seconds, according to The Washington Post.

It is unacceptable that Fox aired footage of a man committing suicide.

When a network runs live video feed, a scenario such as the one on Friday could occur.

However, Foxs coverage wasnt live. It was delayed five seconds. The suicide scene could have been avoided.

Now, a technical error excuse would probably have been more acceptable. Technological snafus happen, some of them unpredictable and unavoidable. Had Fox said a technological glitch prevented it from using the time-delay tool, people would probably have been more understanding.

But the human error excuse is unacceptable. In the broadcast journalism world, five seconds is a lot of time. The people editing this footage are trained to respond to these situations in that amount of time or less.

The question of whether or not this car chase was even newsworthy should also be raised. Should car chases be covered at all? What makes a particular chase worthy of coverage? Does a chase have to be conducted for a certain amount of time or does the driver have to engage in a shootout with police to make it deserving of coverage?

While its true that viewers are drawn to car chases, theyre action-packed and unpredictable, its hard to say where networks should draw the line between chases that should and should not be aired.

Hopefully this event will prompt networks to review their coverage of car chases (or any potentially violent acts) more closely.

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EDIT: Human error?

A young Azerbaijani opposition activist spent the weekend in incommunicado detention after a group of men in plainclothes seized him in the capital Baku on Saturday, the latest in a string of activist detentions documented by Amnesty International since the city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year.

Zaur Gurbanli, 25, was finally allowed to see his lawyer on Monday after being handed 15 days in prison for resisting arrest. The Anti-Organized Crimes Unit which was allegedly responsible for his detention has said they are now investigating his possession of a number of illegal materials.

Azerbaijani opposition activists are routinely detained on the pretext of resisting police, giving the authorities 15 days to try to build a case against them, said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.

Gurbanli is the chair of Nida, an opposition youth movement that also campaigns for democracy and human rights. He was involved in the Sing for Democracy campaign that persuaded this years Eurovision winner Loreen to condemn rights abuses in Azerbaijan.

In a hasty telephone call to a friend on Saturday he said that a group of men in plainclothes had stopped him outside his apartment in Baku and presented themselves as officers of the Azerbaijans Organized Crimes Unit.

The men seized Gurbanli apparently without explanation, saying they were taking him to the Yasamal District police station. When his lawyer contacted the police station, officers said that he was not there.

During the arrest, Gurbanlis laptop and Nida materials were taken from his apartment, as well as a number of documents and articles from the office of another NGO he is involved in, Positive Change suggesting that he has been targeted for his political activity.

The other staff at Positive Change were forced to give their names, have their photographs taken, and to hand over their membership lists. Officers of the Anti-Organized Crimes Unit brought Zaur Gurbanli to the search without handcuffs or restraints, making their claim that he resisted arrest highly dubious.

A regular blogger, he recently posted an article criticizing government corruption and nepotism. The piece ridiculed the inclusion of a poem by President Ilham Aliyevs daughter as mandatory reading in the countrys school curriculum.

It looks very much like the Azerbaijani authorities decided Zaur Gurbanli crossed the line when he poked fun at the Presidents family, said Dalhuisen.

Continued here:
Azerbaijan detains youth activist in ongoing post-Eurovision crackdown

Jakarta - Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said on Monday that his ministry was working with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to draft a joint ministerial decree to define "human rights"- a definition that will be used as benchmark in drafting bylaws.

According to Gamawan, such a decree is important due to the many definitions of human rights being promoted nationwide.

"We must regulate the definition of human rights so that the implementation will not violate religious and cultural values embraced in certain parts of the country, which have their own traits," Gamawan said on sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission II on regional administrations on Monday.

He cited Aceh as an example, highlighting that the implementation of human rights - as is internationally understood - must adapt to the sharia implemented in the province.

The joint ministerial decree is among the three regulations the Indonesian government has offered to set up in response to its refusal to adopt 30 "critical" recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) after a quadrennial human rights review in May.

In addition to the decree, the government has also announced that it will establish a law on human rights friendly districts and finalize the long-awaited truth and reconciliation bill to deal with past human rights abuses.

"People usually condemn the government's attempt to regulate them as a violation of human rights. They forget that they must also respect the rights of others. Article 28 of the Constitution clearly states that our rights are limited by the law. Therefore, there is no such thing as total freedom. We are bound by the rights of our neighbors," Gamawan said.

Article 28(j) of the 1945 Constitution stipulates that each person has the obligation to respect the fundamental rights of others while partaking in the life of the community, the nation and the state.

It further says that in exercising rights and liberties, each person has the duty to accept the limitations determined by law for the sole purposes of guaranteeing the recognition and respect of the rights and liberties of other people and of satisfying a democratic society's just demands based on considerations of morality, religious values, security and public order. (swd)

--Courtesy of The Jakarta Post

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Human Rights Must Bow To Religious Values: Home Minister