A few roads from where Stephen Lawrence died in Eltham, south east London, there is a folk club. For years, musician Jim Radford has been singing his Song for Stephen there.

A few roads from where Stephen Lawrence died in Eltham, south east London, there is a folk club. For years, musician Jim Radford has been singing his Song for Stephen there.

To a haunting melody, one by one he names the local men who have been the main suspects in this case from the start and calls for justice for the murdered teenager's family.

Now, with two men convicted of the 1993 killing, he says he hopes this part of south-east London will be able to find some "closure" - and that the anger and shame felt by some will subside.

"It happened on my watch, very close to where I live, to where I sing," Mr Radford says.

"It angered and aggrieved me, as it did millions of others."

It is a sentiment shared by many local people.

Professor Les Back, a sociologist, has lived and worked in the area for years.

Eltham's become synonymous with a racist place?

He says the murder of Stephen has been like "an open wound" for the community.

"Eltham's become synonymous with a racist place," he says.

"That misrepresents the complexity of what it means to live in a place like this.

"It needs to be remembered too about how many people went to the police to try and do the right thing, to speak with their consciences about what they knew and what they'd heard about the people involved in this murder."

Local people have long denied police claims that they put up a "wall of silence" during the original investigation.

But even now there is some reluctance to talk about Gary Dobson and David Norris.

Some of their friends and associates still live nearby and 18 years on, some of those I spoke to in Eltham were uneasy about discussing the men who a few weeks later were convicted of the murder.

In the early 1990s members of the gang referred to themselves as the Krays.

They were known to carry knives and both Dobson and Norris had been accused of involvement in racist incidents before.

Norris' father, Clifford, was also a notorious local figure. A gangster who has been in prison for drug dealing, he was branded an "evil influence" by the McPherson Inquiry, which examined Stephen's killing.

Speaking to the Observer newspaper in 2006, Clifford Norris denied wrongdoing, although the inquiry said many officers believed he coached his son and other suspects, ahead of police interviews.

Today, Eltham - part of the borough of Greenwich - appears a place of mixed fortunes.

Bordered by the wards of Kidbrooke and Shooters Hill to the north and the borough of Bromley to the south, black and minority ethnic people make up more than a third of its population of 78,380. This compares with 41% in the borough of Greenwich and about 31% across London.

In 1991, 6.3% of Eltham's population was made up of black and minority ethnic people.

Bustling with shoppers, the High Street is busy and dotted with well-known chain stores and cafes.

Minutes away are huge mansions, concealed by electronic gates, and visitors are still drawn to the area by the historic Eltham Palace and Tudor Barn.

But sprawling housing estates pepper the area too.

Grid lines form the Brook Estate, where Dobson lived with his parents, and traffic thunders along Well Hall Road, where Stephen died.

Young people at one youth club are optimistic about life in Eltham today, however.

Reggie Oliver, a 24-year-old youth worker at Middle Park Community Centre, says the area has changed for young black people.

"From the early parts of when I was living here, you couldn't really be in Eltham after 10.30pm or 11pm with the pubs closing.

"But now you walk through Eltham and you see quite diverse faces. On the face of it, it's changed quite drastically."

And it does seem that many of the changes are down to a community determined to throw off the negative associations of the past and with two men found guilty of London's most high-profile racist murder there is hope Eltham's open wound will begin to heal.

Harvard Citation

BBC News, 2012. Stephen Lawrence murder: How Eltham was affected. [Online] (Updated 04 Jan 2012)
Available at: http://www.londonwired.co.uk/news.php/214988-Stephen-Lawrence-murder-How-Eltham-was-affected [Accessed 04th January 2012]

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5696958312

lindsay lohan playboy cover lindsay lohan playboy cover shooting at virginia tech shooting at virginia tech blagojevich rod blagojevich rod blagojevich

Logan Welles McFarland Wanted For Deadly Crime Spree

By PAUL FOY, Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY ? Authorities issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in the killing of an elderly Utah couple and the shooting of a woman outside a Nevada casino.

The warrant accuses Logan Welles McFarland, 24, of burglarizing the couple's Mount Pleasant home. They were found shot to death Saturday.

Police said a witness told them McFarland bragged at a Friday night party about obtaining money and firearms.

The warrant filed in court Tuesday says McFarland and a woman left in a stolen car for West Wendover, Nev., where police say they shot and wounded a woman in the head during a carjacking.

McFarland and suspect Angela Atwood were last seen in Nevada driving a stolen gray Volkswagen Jetta with Colorado license plate 725WHX, authorities said.

Atwood has not been charged. McFarland is being sought on suspicion of felony burglary, the warrant states.

Jewelry and other stolen items from the home of LeRoy and Ann Fullwood were found in the trunk of a car the suspects took from the Friday night party, police said.

The car was ditched about 45 miles away and a stolen Saturn sedan was allegedly used to drive to West Wendover. A receipt from a fast-food restaurant found in the car indicated the meal was paid for with LeRoy Fullwood's stolen credit card.

In West Wendover, Atwood tried to steal another car in a carjacking, police said. But the driver of that car resisted and was shot in the head.

The Jetta was then stolen in a motel parking lot.

Also on HuffPost:

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/logan-welles-mcfarland_n_1181728.html

space ball jim mora arian foster patsy cline the weeknd echoes of silence gio gonzalez san francisco fire

China promises to put more humans in space, less trash

China's recent Beidu GPS launches were mere firecrackers compared to its space ambitions for the next five years. These have been laid out in a 17-page government document, which fortunately reduces down to just a few key points once you filter out the abstract bluster. Top of the list is a pledge to prepare for the construction of more "space stations" -- plural -- to complement the Tiangong module and allow for "medium term" human habitation. Officials and scientists will also find time to plan for a "human lunar landing" as well as surveying the moon with rovers. Lastly, it seems that China wants to fix its nasty reputation as a space litterer, by moving "aging GEO satellites out of orbit" and "fully deactivating" used Long March rockets to reduce the risk of them exploding and scattering debris in the busiest lanes. Regardless of how these lofty goals pan out, the juxtaposition with America's own dwindling dream is obvious.

China promises to put more humans in space, less trash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Space News  |  sourceChina Daily  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-5-MVP2HJjs/

kobe bryant war of the worlds a christmas story prime rib derek fisher ny knicks sound of music

New Year cheer starts early in time-jumping Samoa (AP)

APIA, Samoa ? The New Year's Eve parties started a whole day early on the South Pacific island nation of Samoa, after a hop across the international date line transported the country 24 hours into the future ? making it the first in the world to ring in the new year.

Samoans began celebrating under a rainbow of fireworks at the stroke of midnight on Thursday, Dec. 29 ? when the country skipped over Friday and moved straight into 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 31.

Samoa and neighboring Tokelau lie near the date line that zigzags vertically through the Pacific Ocean, and both sets of islands decided to realign themselves this year from the Americas side of the line to the Asia side, to be more in tune with key trading partners.

The time-jump revelry in Samoa continued throughout Saturday as the hours ticked down to 2012. Pools and beaches across the capital Apia were packed with Samoans and tourists celebrating the country's sudden position as the first in the world to ring in the new year, rather than the last.

Despite the extended festivities, Samoan police said there had been no reports of any problems.

"More than 90 percent of our people really appreciate the change, and that contributes to its success," said one official who could not be named as he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Elsewhere across the globe, people prepared to say goodbye to a year that was marked by upheaval and mass protests in several Arab countries, economic turmoil and a seemingly endless string of devastating natural disasters.

In Australia, people began crowding onto the shores of Sydney's glittering harbor early Saturday in a bid for the best spot to watch the midnight fireworks extravaganza over the iconic Harbour Bridge. The display was designed around the theme "Time to Dream," a nod to the eagerness many felt at moving forward after the rough year.

"It's about giving people the opportunity to dream of the year ahead and that hopefully it is a bit better than the year we've had," said Aneurin Coffey, the producer of Sydney's New Year's festivities.

Some of the fireworks were expected to explode in the shape of clouds ? "Because every cloud has a silver lining," Coffey said. A series of colorful lights will be beamed onto the center of the bridge forming an "endless rainbow" meant to evoke hope.

Many were eager for a fresh start.

"I've had enough this year," said 68-year-old Sandra Cameron, who lost nearly everything she owned when her home in Australia's Queensland state was flooded to the ceiling during a monstrous cyclone in February. "It's gotta be a better year next year."

For Japan, 2011 was the year the nation was struck by a giant tsunami and earthquake that left an entire coastline destroyed, nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in meltdown.

At the year's end, many in Japan were left reflecting on the fragility of life, while remaining quietly determined to recover.

"For me, the biggest thing that defined this year was the disaster in March," said Miku Sano, 28, a nursing student in Fukushima city. "Honestly, I didn't know what to say to these people, who had to fight sickness while living in fear about ever being able to go back home. The radiation levels in the city of Fukushima, where I live, are definitely not low, and we don't know how that is going to affect our health in the future."

People across Japan were expected to spend Saturday visiting shrines and temples, offering their first prayers for the year. The giant hanging bell at temples will ring 108 times to purify the world of evil and bring good luck.

Kouichi Takayama, a university student, said 2011 was a year he would never forget.

"It was a year I felt the preciousness of life with a passion," he said. "But I was also able to catch a glimpse of the warmth of human relations, and reconfirm my gratitude for family, community and everyday life. I hope I can connect meaningfully with more people next year to create a Japan that truly endures toward the future."

In the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro, people were still reeling from deadly flash flooding sparked by Tropical Storm Washi. The storm killed more than 1,200 in southern and central Philippines, 800 of which were in Cagayan de Oro.

For Ana Caneda, a disaster relief official in Cagayan de Oro, the new year "offers a new ray of hope."

"It's going to be a relief to write the date 2012, not 2011," Caneda said.

In Hong Kong, more than 400,000 people were expected to watch the 4-minute, $1 million display of fireworks that will shoot off from 10 skyscrapers, lighting up the city's famed Victoria Harbour.

Raymond Lo, a master of feng shui ? the Chinese art of arranging objects and choosing dates to improve luck ? said he wasn't surprised that 2011 was such a tumultuous year because it was associated with the natural elements of metal and wood. The year's natural disasters were foreshadowed, Lo said, because wood ? which represents trees and nature ? was attacked by metal.

2012 could be better because it's associated with ocean water, which represents energy and drive and the washing away of old habits, Lo said.

"Big water also means charity, generosity," Lo said. "Therefore that means sharing. That means maybe the big tycoons will share some of their wealth."

___

Gelineau reported from Sydney. Associated Press writers Ray Lilley in Wellington, New Zealand, Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111231/ap_on_re_as/new_year_s_eve

michigan state michigan state ndamukong suh ndamukong suh aptera aptera facebook ipo

Engadget Distro's 2011 Year In Review is here!

As yet another year of spectacular technological gains and enormous losses comes to a close, we present to you our best attempt at a comprehensive look back: Engadget Distro's Year In Review. In "Technology_In_2011.zip" we'll provide a compressed month-by-month timeline of just a few of the year's standout stories and announcements. We'll also bring you the year in corporate mudslinging with a collection of the most outrageous "CE-Oh No He Didn't" moments and present "The Top 10 Crappiest Crapgadgets of 2011," as selected by our readers. Looking ahead, we have our predictions of what's to come at CES 2012, TechnoBuffalo's Jon Rettinger gives us some insight into his distaste for OS wars in "Q&A" and Don Melanson offers up his list of the year's must-reads. So, in the interest of retrospection, hit that download link and let's reflect.

Distro Issue 20 PDF
Distro on the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Android Market
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Engadget Distro's 2011 Year In Review is here! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market, iTunes  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XQJivWgWuiI/

ascii art ascii art andrew mason once in a blue moon gwar guitarist gwar guitarist tower heist

U.S. steps up sanctions as Iran floats nuclear talks (Reuters)

HONOLULU/TEHRAN (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama signed new sanctions against Iran into law on Saturday, shortly after Iran signaled it was ready for fresh talks with the West on its nuclear programme and said it had delayed long-range missile tests in the Gulf.

Tensions between Iran and the West have grown since EU leaders said they wanted to set tougher sanctions against Tehran by the end of next month in a bid to force it to curb a research programme that they suspect is developing nuclear weapons.

In the absence of a fresh mandate from the U.N. Security Council, which has already imposed four rounds of global sanctions, Washington has also stepped up the pressure with sanctions on financial institutions that deal with Iran's central bank.

The defense funding bill, approved by Congress last week, aims to reduce the oil revenues that make up the bulk of Iran's export earnings. Obama signed it in Hawaii, where he was spending the Christmas holiday.

If enforced strictly, the sanctions could make it nearly impossible for most refiners to buy crude from Iran, the world's fourth biggest producer.

However, Obama asked for scope to apply the measures flexibly, and will have discretion to waive penalties. Senior U.S. officials said Washington was consulting foreign partners to ensure the new measures did not harm global energy markets.

Iran responded to the growing pressure by warning this week that it could shut the Strait of Hormuz if sanctions were imposed on its oil exports. It launched 10 days of naval wargames in the Gulf as a show of strength, further rattling oil markets and pushing up the price of crude.

In the past, Iran has threatened to close the waterway only if attacked by the United States and Israel.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it would not allow shipping to be disrupted in a waterway through which 40 percent of the world's oil passes.

Analysts say that Iran is playing for time and that its increasingly strident rhetoric shows its clerical leadership is concerned about even harsher penalties.

MISSILES

Against this backdrop, Iran's state media reported early on Saturday that long-range missiles had been launched during the naval exercises.

But Deputy Navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi later went on the English language Press TV channel to deny they had in fact been fired: "The exercise of launching missiles will be carried out in the coming days."

Separately, Iranian media reported that nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili would write to the EU foreign policy chief to say Iran was ready for fresh talks on its nuclear programme, which it says is aimed exclusively at power generation.

"Jalili will soon send a letter to Catherine Ashton over the format of negotiations ... then fresh talks will take place with major powers," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to Germany, Alireza Sheikh Attar, as saying.

Negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - plus Germany (P5+1) stalled in January.

Ashton, leading the European negotiators, wrote to Jalili in October and has not yet had a reply, her spokesman Michael Mann said. But the bloc was open to meaningful talks with Tehran:

"We continue to pursue our twin-track approach and are open for meaningful discussions on confidence-building measures, without preconditions from the Iranian side."

A U.S. administration official added: "We have indicated for years that we are willing to engage in talks with Iran, provided it is ready to engage in a meaningful and constructive fashion." Senior officials said the sanctions did not alter this policy.

Iranian analyst Hamid Farahvashian said Tehran was seeking to send a message to the West that it should think twice about the economic cost of putting pressure on Iran.

"The Iranians have always used this method of carrot and stick ... first they used the stick of closing Hormuz and now the carrot is their willingness for talks," said Farahvashian.

UNDER PRESSURE

Talks between Iran and the P5+1 have been stalled for a year and Malcolm Chalmers, Research Director at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, said Europe would be sceptical about the offer.

"EU countries will be wary of yet another attempt by Iran to play for time, seeking to postpone sanctions simply because talks have resumed," he said.

"So Iran will have to offer significant concessions even to get a conversation started on slowing the implementation of sanctions. And, all the time, the Europeans are aware of the growing war talk in Washington, where the pressure on (U.S. President Barack) Obama to launch an 'October surprise' to clinch the (U.S. presidential) election seems to be growing."

The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military option if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear dispute.

A senior Western diplomat in Tehran, who asked not to be named, said the fact that the Iranians were stepping up their threats "shows that they are worried about losing petrodollars, on which more than 60 percent of the economy depends."

The Iranian threat briefly pushed benchmark Brent crude up by more than a dollar to over $109 a barrel this week.

Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi told Saturday's weekly Aseman that further sanctions would push oil over $200 a barrel.

"IRANIANS WORRIED"

Chalmers said sanctions were most effective in influencing behaviour when they were imminent and credible but not yet in place as, once in place, they were hard to lift, short of a comprehensive conflict resolution.

"The Iranians know this, and are seriously worried by the prospect of an EU oil embargo, especially as it could be followed by action by the U.S.'s close Asian allies," he said.

"They could then be left at the mercy of China and India, who are likely to demand big price discounts in order to shift purchases from Arab countries, who will not be happy, to Iran."

The rising tensions are having an impact at home. Iran's currency has nosedived in recent weeks as ordinary Iranians have moved money from savings accounts into gold or foreign currency.

The price of staple foods has increased by up to 40 percent in recent months and many critics have put the blame on increasing isolation brought about by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic and foreign policies.

Iran's massive media coverage of the naval manoeuvres appeared an attempt by the authorities to strike a patriotic chord among ordinary Iranians worried about a military strike.

"I have already witnessed a war with Iraq in the 1980s ... I can hear the drumbeat of war," said merchant Mohsen Sanaie, 62, glancing over newspaper headlines at a central Tehran newsstand. "One stray bullet could spark a war."

(Additional reporting by Hossein Jaseb, Hashem Kalantari and Ramin Mostafavi; Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Jo Boyle and Kevin Liffey; Additional reporting by Vicky Buffery in Paris, Matthew Falloon in London and Alexandra Hudson in Berlin)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111231/wl_nm/us_iran_drill_missile

cma awards christmas tree tax cmas cmas world series of poker joe walsh zsa zsa gabor