South Sudan celebrates independence amidst hopes and fears

south sudan map, south sudan music, south sudan tribune, south sudan news, south sudan radio, south sudan referendum, south sudan history, south sudan pictures
On South Sudan's celebration today of their first day of independence, their officials say 'We share the fate of the North and we will not be part of any hostile action against Arab states'

People dance on a car during South Sudan's independence day celebrations in Juba (Photo by REUTERS)

Today, 7 July 2011, is the official birth date of the state of South Sudan, the newest African state and member 193 of the UN. Amidst popular and official optimism in the South, they celebrate in hopes to establish a stable and secure state that cooperates with its neighbours and is able to meet the immense challenges along the way, many caused by the decades-long civil war with the North. Many southern leaders and citizens told Ahram Online that they are overjoyed about independence because it crowns a long journey of struggle, ends bitter suffering by the people of the South and years of pain, displacement and diaspora. They aim to be on good terms with all their neighbours and in the region, but did not hide their concern over domestic and foreign problems – especially tense relations with North Sudan.
Celebrations, marches and religious sermons in public places yesterday in the city of Juba and all across South Sudan marked the birth of the new state.
Meanwhile, beautification efforts continued in the capital in anticipation of the roughly 600 leaders and international figures from regional and world organisations, including 30 African heads of state and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, according to Abdun Aqaw, the secretary general of South Sudan government and chairman of the celebrations coordination committee.
The declaration of independence of the southern state will be made in the public square opposite the John Garang Mausoleum. The Juba Airport was closed for commercial flights to receive official delegations coming to attend the celebrations.
Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Yehia El-Gamal arrived last night as the head of a delegation from Egypt, accompanied by Foreign Minister Mohamed El-Orabi and Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younes.
“Egypt has completed the necessary step to recognise the state of South Sudan,” revealed Ambassador Mohamed Morsi Awad, assistant foreign minister and head of the Sudan desk. “As soon as independence is declared, the Egyptian consulate in the South will become an embassy.” Awad emphasised Egypt’s keenness on establishing excellent relations with the southern state.
“The message we want to convey by attending the celebration of independence of the state of South Sudan is that we wish the country progress and prosperity,” stated Ambassador Mohamed El-Khamlishi, assistant secretary general of the Arab League who is heading the organisation’s delegation to the ceremony. “Also, that peace and security will prevail in all of Sudan - North and South - and that the two states live in peace to pave the way for comprehensive recovery in all economic, political, social and cultural sectors. The Arab League will pursue this endeavour and hopes for success through promising Arab investments in the South, which is the main guarantee for stability.”
The Arab League has taken an interest in the affairs of South Sudan for years, participating in some projects in South Sudan, such as the recent project for mobile hospitals which operate throughout the South. Meanwhile, El-Khamlishi added, AL officials have frequently visited the South, and the organisation was witness, partner and monitor in implementing Sudan’s peace treaty, and “will continue working to ensure stability and security in the South as well as propelling economic development in both North and South Sudan.”
He said that the AL intends to hold a second Arab conference for the reconstruction and development of Sudan, which was scheduled to take place in Manama.
“The Arab League continues to welcome the state of South Sudan as a member,” asserted El-Khamlishi, “but the South government must put in a request for membership, so it depends on them. We will try to help resolve the problems between North and South, especially on the issues of Abyei, borders, and economic and social relations. There are southerners in the North and northerners in the South; these problems will not be resolved just by the South declaring independence, but [rather] through calm objective solutions, serious dialogue and a brotherly spirit.”
The South Sudan parliament has ratified the interim constitution which will rule the country for the next four years. This constitution grants extensive powers to the president of the republic, including hiring and firing governors and appointing new members of the incumbent parliament, which will become a transitional parliament starting Sunday, 8 July.
The constitution stipulates a de-centralised system in governing South Sudan. The House of Representatives announced the independence of the South from inside parliament chambers yesterday, one day before the official declaration of statehood.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir will arrive in Juba today and will give an address to the people of the South with South Prime Minister Salva Kiir Mayardit. Other leaders from the North which have already travelled South ahead of Bashir included Hassan Al-Turabi, leader of the Popular Conference Party, and Sadeq Al-Mahdi, leader of the Umma Party who also led the Friday prayers in Al-Ateeq Mosque in Juba.
South Sudan’s Minister of Education Michael Mili Hussein said that he and the people of South Sudan are joyful about this historic event, not only for independence, which was the outcome of an intense struggle and sacrifice, but because this represents putting to rest problems, death, hunger and destruction. “We hope that today’s big event will be the beginning of a new chapter and prosperous future,” Hussein said.
He seemed to leave a door open for reconciliation and reuniting. Independence will not be the end of the road with their brothers in North Sudan, he added that the Berlin Wall came down and Germany united, despite the wars. “If there are good intentions Sudan, too, will also be able to reunite,” Hussein added, asserting that North Sudan will always be a primary candidate for good relations with the South because both countries share the same fate. “The South is extending its hand but does not find any response,” he stated. “There is a long history of broken commitments and agreements.”
Edward Leno, a leading figure in the Sudan Popular Liberation Movement (SPLM) in charge of Abyei, the contentious north-south border region, and former chief of intelligence, asserted: “What is occurring today is the birth of a nation whose people aspire for a better life, which means that we will concentrate on resolving our internal problems. We want to change our status quo and rise up.”
Leno admitted to the immense challenges that the nascent south faces, most prominently the issue of the armed militias who are hostile to the government in the South, which Juba accuses the North’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) headed by President Omar Al-Bashir of funding, arming and supporting.
Leno added that the problems of the South will increase if the NCP continues to run the North in the same manner it did in the past, which includes exporting problems. The southern official cited that there are 13 million citizens living on the border between North and South and that they need to coexist in peace after the South becomes independent.
On the eve of independence, officials in the South government were reassuring about their intention to continue negotiations with the North to reach just acceptable solutions on pending issues between the two sides, most importantly Abyei, borders, oil, citizenship and others. Minister of Trade and Industry in the South Sudan government Stephen Dhieu Dau said that his country will never join any political alliances, asserting that any such reports are attempts to undermine the nascent state.
Dau denied that the southern state will be party to any hostile or damaging action against Arab countries; on the contrary, it will be keen on cementing ties with Arab states. He called on Arab states to pay more attention to the South and not make its people feel they are traitors or that they have an agenda against the Arab world, because this may make some leaders feel unwelcome and alien to that region.
“The government of the South wants to build excellent relations with North Sudan because each side will always need the other,” the official emphasised. “The fate of each is intertwined with the other. If the North obstructs transporting oil from the South and exporting it through Port Sudan, the South will not suffer alone but the North also will be hurt. If the North prevents goods and supplies from reaching the South, the South will find an alternative route in East Africa and elsewhere.” He insisted that negotiating pending issues is bound to succeed in resolving differences, citing other countries which were divided, such as Yugoslavia and others, especially on economic issues.
Asked if the new state in the South could fail, Dau countered that this will not happen because it has many assets for success in terms of human resources, land and government. He added that the land mass of the southern state, estimated at 700 sq km, is larger than the combined size of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. It is also larger than France and its 10 million citizens include a 3,000-4,000 graduates from Egyptian universities, because Egypt had been giving 300 annual scholarships to southern citizens since the early 1970s. Accordingly, the volume of human resources is many times more what was available in African states during their independence era of the 1950s and 1960s.
Dau added that 30 per cent of the land in the South is agricultural, 23 per cent is forests of the finest wood, 40 per cent pastures and seven per cent water. There is no desert in the South, he stated and mango groves grow by themselves. He further noted that 80 per cent of Sudan’s oil is found in the South, and it is also rich in gold and other minerals.

sourcehttp://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/15926/World/Region/Hopes-and-concerns-at-the-South-Sudan-independence.aspx

Impressive-Graffiti-Artworks/Impressive-Graffiti-Artworks-1

Graffiti is primarily typography-based art. If you have a cool font then you have a cool graffiti, that is how it works. This kind of art has been often used on streets from people who would like to express some emotion or to write some message to others. Graffiti has been once considered as an act of rebellion and illegal activity but, today, it is becoming more and more accepted as an act of art. Lately, some advertising companies have discovered a potential of graffiti art and they have started to make advertisements through graffiti art.

We have collected here a gallery of some of the most coolest graffiti artworks.

Gravity, Graffiti, Art, Design, Collection, Photos, Pictures, Unique, Interesting, Wall Design, Funny, Top, Artwork, Most, Impressive, Cool

Some things should never be said―like these phrases. Here, what to say instead.

What Not to Say About Someone's Appearance

Don’t say: “You look tired.”
Why: It implies she doesn’t look good.
Instead say: “Is everything OK?” We often blurt the “tired” comment when we get the sense that the other person feels out of sorts. So just ask.

Don’t say: “Wow, you’ve lost a ton of weight!”
Why: To a newly trim person, it might give the impression that she used to look unattractive.
Instead say: “You look fantastic.” And leave it at that. If you’re curious about how she got so svelte, add, “What’s your secret?”

Don’t say: “You look good for your age.”
Why: Anything with a caveat like this is rude. It's saying, "You look great―compared with other old people. It's amazing you have all your own teeth."
Instead say: “You look great.”

Don’t say: “I could never wear that.”
Why: It can be misunderstood as a criticism. (“I could never wear that because it’s so ugly.”)
Instead say: “You look so good in skinny jeans.” If you slip, say something like “I could never wear that…because I wasn’t blessed with your long legs.”

What Not to Say in the Workplace

Don’t say: “That’s not my job.”
Why: If your superior asks you to do something, it is your job.
Instead say: “I’m not sure that should be my priority right now.” Then have a conversation with your boss about your responsibilities.

Don’t say: “This might sound stupid, but…”
Why: Never undermine your ideas by prefacing your remarks with wishy-washy language.
Instead say: What’s on your mind. It reinforces your credibility to present your ideas with confidence.

Don’t say: “I don’t have time to talk to you.”
Why: It’s plain rude, in person or on the phone.
Instead say: “I’m just finishing something up right now. Can I come by when I’m done?” Graciously explain why you can’t talk now, and suggest catching up at an appointed time later. Let phone calls go to voice mail until you can give callers your undivided attention.

What Not to Say During a Job Interview

Don’t say: “My current boss is horrendous.”
Why: It’s unprofessional. Your interviewer might wonder when you’d start bad-mouthing her. For all you know, she and your current boss are old pals.
Instead say: “I’m ready for a new challenge” or a similarly positive remark.

Don’t say: “Do you think I’d fit in here?”
Why: You’re the interviewee, not the interviewer.
Instead say: “What do you enjoy about working here?” By all means ask questions, but prepare ones that demonstrate your genuine interest in the company.

Don’t say: “What are the hours like?” or “What’s the vacation policy?”
Why: You want to be seen as someone who focuses on getting the job done.
Instead say: “What’s the day-to-day like here?” Then, if you’ve really jumped through every hoop and time off still hasn’t been mentioned, say, “Can you tell me about the compensation and benefits package?”

What Not to Say About Pregnancy and Babies

Don’t say: “Are you pregnant?”
Why: You ask, she’s not, and you feel totally embarrassed for essentially pointing out that she’s overweight.
Instead say: “Hello” or “Great to see you” or “You look great.” Anything besides “Are you pregnant?” or “What’s the due date?” will do. Save yourself the humiliation and never ask.

Don’t say: “Do you plan on breast-feeding?”
Why: The issue can be controversial, and she may not want to discuss her decision publicly.
Instead say: Nothing. Unless you’re very close, don’t ask. If you slip, make up for the blunder by adding, “And do you feel comfortable telling me?”

Don’t say: “Were your twins natural?” or “It must have been hard for your child’s birth parent to give him up.”
Why: You’re suggesting that natural conception is better than in vitro fertilization (IVF) or adoption.
Instead say: To a parent of multiples, try a light “Wow, you have your hands full!” To an adoptive parent, say the same stuff you would to any other parent: “She’s adorable!” or “How old is he?”

Talk, Conservation, Ways, Tips, Trick, Tips Trick, How To, Common Phrases, Avoid, Forbidden

Top 10 Creepiest Anonymous Movie Characters

Anonymous characters can be great in movies. As always, it can be messed up very easily, but when done right it can make those characters really cool as a result. There are tons of ways to use them, as well. I’m talking about the characters that are in the background, or have a non-major role in the plot, but make a large impression very quickly because of what they do, say, or look like. More specifically for this list, in a totally creepy way.

10. The Chatterer

Hellraiser 2

I think we can all agree that the Cenobites are some of the creepiest dudes and dudettes around. By the first Hellraiser they seem to be old hat at torturing and maiming (and sexing up? Not sure how that pleasure/pain thing works) people who are good at puzzle boxes. We get a nice little introduction to all of them, and they all made their individual initial visual impacts: there was a chick cenobite, a fat cenobite, and the one that chatters his teeth. Uhh, what’s that about? It’s never really explained.
Anyways, along with their leader, Pinhead, they all had their individual charms (The Chatterer still being my favorite, along with the obvious, Pinhead) but they all met their match against the evil Dr. Channard and his fingers of doom. In quick succession he took out each and every one, and when they died they turned into their old human selves. Pinhead into regular looking guy, chick into human chick, fat guy into human fat guy, but what does the fucking Chatterer turn into? A little kid.
Ok, tons of assumptions to make here. What is this kids deal? Where did he get that puzzle box? Did his rich parents buy it for him as a Christmas present from the “funny-looking” vendor table on their monthly trip to India?
I think not. You know what I think? I think that this little kid was the biggest sex freak of all-time and, just like Uncle Frank, was looking to find out how far he could go by taking a private jet (mid-coke binge, explaining the chattering teeth) with his friend Miguel, to see “what’s down the rabbit hole”.

9. Mr. Brown

Reservoir Dogs

What’s a list of the creepiest characters ever without Quentin Tarantino? I love Quentin Tarantino, the director, but he has this weird tendency to write himself as (or influence people to write his character as) a total creepo. If he didn’t have a name in From Dusk ’til Dawn he would be near the top of this list, but he’ll have to settle for almost near the top for his role as Mr. Brown, or, as I and everyone else called him after he said it himself, Mr. Shit. You know, because his name is brown like poop.
He starts the movie in true creep form: talking confidently to a bunch of criminal strangers, with whom he’s about to do a huge bank job, about the size of guys dicks. I’m talking a lengthy discussion, where he does approximately 90% of the talking about enormous penises, until he has to take a breath, where, thankfully, the tension is broken up by Lawrence Tierney, who can break any amount of tension by saying anything at all.
He also dies in a really weird way. Mr. Orange, Mr. White and Mr. Shit (who is driving) are fleeing from the scene when they run into the back of a car in front of them at a light. Orange and White, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, appear to be totally fine from the collision, but Mr. Shit’s head is all bloody and he appears dazed. This doesn’t stop him from swearing and hitting the steering wheel out of frustration. Cut to about a minute later when he is apparently dead. Uhh?
Sure, Mr. Brown isn’t the creepiest guy on the planet, but consider this more of a lifetime creep achievement award for Mr. Tarantino.

8. The Cowboy

Mulholland Drive

What? A creepy character in a David Lynch movie? I can’t be serious, right? Well, I am. Dead serious. Deadly serious. Deadliest serious. And this isn’t the last time you’ll see one on this list.
Mulholland Drive is one of those movies that is really hard to understand at face value, but defines itself more the more you watch it. Parts of it aren’t exactly clear, but it seems that The Cowboy is a part of Diane’s sub-conscious. I don’t want to get more involved than that, because it wouldn’t be fair to anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. He is not real, but he takes on a very mysterious role in the events that happen where he does exist.
This may sound like mumbo jumbo, but this is a Lynch movie we’re talking about, and nothing can be what it seems. The Cowboy shows up to one of the major characters in a position of absolute power, but he shows up out of nowhere, with no explanation. And he’s a cowboy. And he’s super pale. Remember that movie Powder? Well, throw Powder in a cowboy get-up and make him extra, super creepy and you’ve got The Cowboy. Oh – and another notable creepy anonymous character is the monster thing behind the diner – just what the hell is that?

7. Mom and Dad

People Under the Stairs

This one is pretty self-explanatory. They live in a mansion filled with tunnels, electronic metal shutters, torture equipment, a horde of freaks, and even a daughter that they keep locked up. Best part is that they are both equally into all of these shenanigans. It’s a perfectly functioning relationship, aside from all of the laws that are being broken. Their motto is “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil”, and that horde of freaks I mentioned are their children, that have broken this sacred motto and been thrown under the stairs to feed on the scraps of their other victims. Oh, did I mention that they are brother and sister? Yeah, that too. They torture one resourceful kid too many, and the whole operation literally explodes in their faces.
An awesome little addendum to these two is that they were also a couple on the television series Twin Peaks, at probably around the same time. I only finished Twin Peaks a month or so ago, so it only hit me recently while watching it, that it was the same two actors playing completely different characters, but still as a couple.
This is kind of one of those underrated horror movies that isn’t particularly great but it has a lot of interesting ideas. I like when genres collide, and they were going for a fantasy horror movie with the house being some different type of world to this lost and lonely traveler, with the most obvious connection being their daughter, named Alice.

6. Peeing Guy

Harold and Kumar

Let’s examine this: Jamie Kennedy, in a suit, late at night, in the middle of a forest, chooses same bush to pee on as Kumar, out of hundred of other places to pee, stares at him while doing so. I mean, I know that this was exactly what they were going for, but that does not lessen the effect of this creep, who apparently gets out of work and immediately goes to hang out in the forest and wait for someone to have to stop their car to pee, so he can join and stare at them. And did I mention he looks like Jamie Kennedy?

5. The Girl

The Ninth Gate

This might be kind of a controversial pick because A. she’s a total babe, and B. she’s actually pretty cool for most of the movie. She shows up near the beginning to act as a kind of bodyguard for Johnny Depp as he gets into his crazy Satanic adventures. You don’t really know what her deal is for the entire movie, because she barely talks, but you know that there is something strange about her from her very first scene. She seems like she is a few steps ahead of everyone. All of this is the positive.
The negative? Well, she’s kind of the gatekeeper of Hell, I think. I’m sorry but I’m just not one of these people who is intrigued by checking out Hell. And I’m also not desperate enough to hook up with a gatekeeper of Hell, and hope to never be.
They leave the end of the movie pretty damn vague, with them having fire sex and her having a pretty freaky face. Depp looked like he was enjoying it well enough, though. He ends up walking into some kind of light. Is it Hell? Is it Heaven? Is it to go meet her dad to get permission to date? I’m not really sure, like I said, pretty vague, but it probably wasn’t as cool as the Three Musketeers party that they crashed the night before.

4. The Voice

12 Monkeys

The intriguing thing about The Voice from 12 Monkeys is that you don’t know it’s origin. While the plot of 12 Monkeys concerns the fate of the world, the backbone is the psyche of James Cole and the effects that time travel would have on a human body. The Voice shows up in 1990, on Cole’s initial trip back, when he is confined in a psychiatric hospital room by himself. Cole actually converses with The Voice, asking it where it comes from, and it mocks him by saying it could be a guy from the next cell, or a spy up in the vents, or even just a voice in his head (which is the most likely culprit).
Put yourself in Cole’s shoes though. Imagine, every time you’re alone some voice comes in, making fun of you and calling you Bob over and over again for some reason. And it doesn’t help that he has a voice that sounds like Shane MacGowan looks. That shit would get annoying fast.
Coincidentally, a bum shows up in a later scene that has The Voice’s…umm, voice. Which I’m sure was just put in to speculate on it not just being in his mind. That bum didn’t look like any spy I’ve ever seen though, and I would pay money to see him get into that psychiatric ward’s vent system.

3. The Derelict

Hellraiser

As far as I can surmise, The Derelict’s role in the Hellraiser series is to retrieve the puzzle box after it has been discarded, so it can be sold again and the cycle can start all over again. He’s obviously not human, since he turns into a big flying monster at the end of the first movie, but he still doesn’t have enough self-respect to take a shower once in a while. The guy is the dirtiest person I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve hung out with anarchists. Even if you can get past the dirtiness, the guy apparently only eats crickets.
He also could, or could not be, the head that is on that death pole in Cenobite world. This guy is a jack of most trades, but being not a creep is certainly not one of them.

2. The Tall Man

The Phantasm series

I think even if I met Angus Scrimm (the actor who plays The Tall Man) in real life, I would be terrified. The guy just looks like a monster. It was hilarious seeing him in Phantasm 4 (what can I say?) as the old, kindly farmer that got abducted and turned into this horrible, immortal, inter-dimensional being. He just seemed like a cool, really tall grandpa. Still, you could tell that none of it would last because this guy will ALWAYS be The Tall Man, and he will always be creepy. It’s also pretty impressive that he has become as synonymous as he is with the role and the horror community in general, since the Phantasm series is on the lower totem of the horror classic spectrum.
As far as The Tall Man’s origins, it’s kind of hard to describe. Like I said before, he used to be a farmer until his body became a conduit for the leader of a race from another dimension. They found a portal into earth, and, posing as a funeral parlor owner, he slowly kills all of the members of small towns and turns them into his army. I can’t recall if they mention how much territory they have taken over by the end of the series, but it seems like a lot. It’s a very dark series with a very dark protagonist.

1. Mystery Man

Lost Highway

When I saw Lost Highway originally, which was probably a couple of years after it was initially released, it definitely creeped me out. The whole vibe of the movie is disorienting, which is exactly how David Lynch likes it. I won’t say I am the biggest fan of this film, and it definitely isn’t one of Lynch’s strongest, but one particular thing sticks out (besides the glorious soundtrack) and that is Robert Blake, in his last theatrical appearance as The Mystery Man. And oh, how mysterious he is.
Fred Madison shows up at his friend Andy’s big party, but he’s already not really into it because of a series of videotapes that have shown up at his house. These video tapes show someone entering Fred’s house and going through his things, the latest ones even including taping Fred and his wife as they sleep. Fred is approached by the Mystery Man, in all of his pancakey make-up glory, and proceeds to have the oddest and creepiest conversation of all-time. I’ll just let you watch…
This all, of course, becomes even creepier, dare I say creepiest, because this was really the last we saw of Blake before he (most likely) killed Bonnie Lee Bakly. Well crap, now I might have to add O.J. as Nordberg in Naked Gun to the list…

source http://listverse.com/2011/05/10/top-10-creepiest-anonymous-movie-characters/

Mystery Man, Lost Highway, The Tall Man, The Phantasm series, The Derelict, Hellraiser, The Voice, 12 Monkeys, The Girl, The Ninth Gate, Peeing Guy, Harold and Kumar, Mom and Dad, People Under the Stairs, The Cowboy, Mulholland Drive, Mr. Brown, Reservoir Dogs, The Chatterer, Hellraiser 2, Movie, Movies, World, Top, Funny, Weird, Freak Creepiest, Anonymous, Top 10