Daily History - by Craig Hill

21st Century - Daily History

February 3 2005 Gonzales First Hispanic US Attorney General

February 3rd 2012 00:01

On February 3, 2005, Alberto Gonzales won Senate confirmation as the nation's first Hispanic attorney general despite protests over his record on torture.

The Senate approved his nomination on a largely party-line vote of 60-36, reflecting a split between Republicans and Democrats over whether the administration's counterterrorism policies had led to the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and elsewhere. Shortly after the Senate vote, Vice President Dick Cheney swore in Gonzales as attorney general in a small ceremony in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. President Bush, who was traveling, called to congratulate him.

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: 21st Century

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December 30 2006 Saddam Hussein Executed

December 30th 2011 00:01

On December 30th 2006, fallen dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged at dawn, a dramatic end for a leader who ruled Iraq by fear for three decades before a U.S. invasion toppled him. He was then convicted of crimes against humanity.

As day broke on one of the holiest days of the Muslim year and the call to prayer echoed out from minarets across a dark and bitterly cold Baghdad, officially-backed television channels flashed the news shortly after 6 am. (0300 GMT).

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: 21st Century

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A memorial anniversary for Du'a

April 7th 2008 09:29

Today marks the first year anniversary from a brutal death of a teenager who was publicly stoned to death because of a forbidden love towards someone who was not in the same believe as she and her family was.

I received an email from the "Stop Violence against Women & Children" cause, encouraging everyone out there to sign a petition in remembrance of a child who was a victim of honour killings, which happened in Iraq.

To know a little more about this child, we take a look on what wikipedia has to say:

Du’a Khalil Aswad (1989 or 1990 – c. April 7, 2007) was a 17-year-old Iraqi Kurd of the Yazidi faith who was stoned to death in an honour killing. It is believed that she was killed around April 7, 2007, but the incident did not come to light until video of the stoning, apparently recorded on a mobile phone, appeared on the Internet.

The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: Êzidî ) are adherents of the smallest of the three branches of Yazdânism, a Middle Eastern religion with ancient Indo-European roots. Yazidis are primarily Kurdish speaking, and most live in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. There are traditional communities in Transcaucasia, Turkey, and Syria, but these have declined since the 1990s, their members emigrating to Europe, especially to Germany. The term Dasni or Dasny is used by the Yazidis as a self-designation.

Du'a was born in 1989 or 1990, in Bashiqa, Iraq, to Khalil Aswad and his wife. By 2006, she was a second-year student at the Fine Arts Institute in Bashiqa. She fell in love with her neighbour, Muhannad, whose parents owned a cosmetics store.

Possible Motive
Some reports say Aswad was murdered for having converted to Islam to marry an Iraqi Sunni Muslim boy. It is disputed whether or not she actually converted to Islam; some reports say the Sunni boyfriend has denied that she had. Other sources instead indicate that Aswad was killed in punishment for being absent from her home one night.

Some news agencies reported that Aswad was being sheltered by a Yazidi tribal leader in Bashika in fear of her life until her family persuaded her that she had been forgiven and could return home. Other reports indicate that she was instead given asylum by a local Muslim Sheikh. It is not known whether the same members of her family that convinced her to return home were responsible for her death. Her father allegedly accused accused his brother, Saleem, of orchestrating the stoning.

It is not clear from the video whether she was ambushed while returning to her home, or if the mob stormed her home and dragged her into the street. Estimates of the number of attackers range from 1000 - 2000 men.

Stoning
The incident took place in Bashika, a town in Ninawa Governorate, and was filmed on mobile phones and widely distributed throughout the Internet. Aswad was apparently stripped of her clothing down to her undergarments; allegedly, this symbolized that she had dishonored her family and religion. During the stoning, which lasted approximately 30 minutes, Aswad can be seen in the video attempting to sit up and calling for help as the crowd taunts her and repeatedly throws a large chunk of rock or concrete on her head. A man can then be heard declaring "Kill her!" in Arabic. Finally, as she lay face down, an unidentified man steps up and throws what appears to be a concrete block to the back of her head.

After her death Aswad was buried with the remains of a dog, allegedly to demonstrate that she was worthless. An autopsy revealed that she died of a fractured skull and spine.

This was indeed a very sad incident when most of the countries and nations have claimed that men has moved forward in civilisation but this still take place.

A petition movement has started in remembrance of Du'a and many other victims of honour killings and for those who would want to place a petition of "We will never forget you Du'a" are mostly welcomed at the link below:
International Campaign against killings and stoning of women in Kurdistan

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Posted By: Jessicca - Category: 21st Century

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World Milk Day

June 11th 2007 08:30

June 1st celebrates the World Milk Day, where it provides an opportunity to focus attention on milk and to publicise activities connected with milk and the milk industry. The fact that many countries choose to do this on the same day lends additional importance to individual national celebrations and shows that milk is a global food.

Where did it begin?

FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) was asked to propose a specific day on which all aspects of milk could be celebrated.

Why 1st June?

This date was chosen because a number of countries were already celebrating a national milk day on or around this time. Late May was originally proposed, but some countries, for example China felt they already had too many celebrations in that month. While most countries hold their celebrations on 1st June, some choose to hold them a week or so before or after this date.

Other countries celebrating World Milk Day:

Australia - 26 September 2007
Austria - 1 June 2007
Findland - 3 June 2007
Malaysia - 11 June 2007

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Posted By: Jessicca - Category: 21st Century

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World No Tobacco Day

May 31st 2007 03:31

Today marks the World No Tobacco Day

This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a "a world no-smoking day." In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

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Posted By: Jessicca - Category: 21st Century

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History Today - Dec. 30

December 30th 2006 09:38

Today marks the day where the fallen dictator Saddam Hussein who was hanged at dawn on Saturday, a dramatic end for a leader who ruled Iraq by fear for three decades before a U.S. invasion toppled him and was then convicted of crimes against humanity.

As day broke on one of the holiest days of the Muslim year and the call to prayer echoed out from minarets across a dark and bitterly cold Baghdad, officially-backed television channels flashed the news shortly after six a.m. (0300 GMT).

"It happened before my eyes," one Iraqi official said.

"He has been executed," said a senior U.S. official in Washington.

Saddam Hussein's profile
Born to a poor farming family near Tikrīt, a town north of Baghdad, Hussein was raised by his widowed mother and other relatives. He moved to Baghdad in 1955 and became involved in politics, joining the opposition Baath Party, an Arab nationalist movement. Hussein rose quickly within the party and in 1959 helped organize an assassination attempt on Abdul Karim Kassem, the military president of Iraq. Both Kassem and Hussein were injured in the gun battle, and Hussein fled to Cairo.

Hussein studied law in Cairo while continuing party-affiliated activities. He returned to Baghd&#257

in 1963, married, and rose to the post of assistant secretary general of the Baath Party. The party remained in opposition to the government until 1968, when it seized power in a coup. Years of underground work gave Hussein a small core of like-minded friends, many related to him by blood or marriage and most from Tikrīt. After the coup, this clique established itself as a Revolutionary Command Council with absolute authority in the country. Hussein became vice chairman of the council in 1969. He worked closely with General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, the council’s chairman and president of Iraq.

Hussein took a leading role in addressing the country’s major domestic problems. He negotiated an agreement in 1970 with separatist Kurdish leaders, giving them autonomy. The agreement later broke down, leading to brutal fighting between the regime and Kurdish groups. He also played a part in the nationalization of the oil industry, Iraq’s major source of wealth. In 1973 oil prices skyrocketed, allowing the government to pursue an ambitious economic development program that included new schools, universities, hospitals, and factories.

Extracted from MSN.UK

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Posted By: Jessicca - Category: 21st Century

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Post End Text

January 1st 2006 12:02

Content on this site is written and mediated by Craig Hill

Go to Craig Hill's home page for information about corporate training courses, university preparation courses and writing services available

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Posted By: KC Hill - Category: 21st Century

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