Switzerland is voting on expelling convicted foreigners

SWISS VOTE ON EXPELLING CONVICTED FOREIGNERS  

It’s the far right Swiss People’s Party, the SVP’s latest initiative. On Sunday, Switzerland will vote in a referendum on a potential tougher regime for deporting convicted foreigners to their country of origin. The popular initiative is being closely followed online, just one year after the controversial ban on the construction of minarets on Swiss territory. 

As with their previous campaigns, the SVP has made great use of the web to get their message across. On their web site, the Populist Party states that it is time to have a cleanup and send non Swiss criminals back to their country of origin. In this video, the SVP says the proportion of foreign criminals in Switzerland keeps growing.  

But some sections of the country are criticizing the proposal. As we see in these many shots available online, numerous demonstrations have been organized, in Lausanne and Geneva in particular, denouncing the bill as discriminatory and racist.   

A counter-campaign video called « Mis à la porte » meaning expelled has also been launched. 3 short films have been made and depict a primary school teacher systematically picking on foreign children. The Swiss children always get away with being naughty. Objective: illustrate that this proposal could result in the breakdown of equal rights between Swiss citizens and foreigners.  

And finally Amnesty International is also sounding the alarm bells and highlighting the potential consequences of this proposed bill. The NGO says that some non-Swiss citizens could actually be sent to a country that they do not know as they have lived in Switzerland their entire lives.  
 

SERBIA: ABUSE OF ANIMALS CONTINUES

Those who are of a sensitive disposition should look away now. This shocking photo was published last week in the Serbian daily Alo, we see a dog lying in a pool of blood with its puppies clinging to it, trying to feed. Police from the town of Zajecar are still looking for the killer.. And this is not an isolated case. There are often stories in the local press or on the web of the killing and torturing of numerous animals in the country.

In May, the story of Mila sparked a wave of indignation, online in particular, where numerous Facebook groups were set up. This stray dog was found with all its paws cut off and has since become the symbol of the fight against this deplorable phenomenon. Many Serbian people, including the President of Serbia wanted to adopt the mutilated dog.

Because animal cruelty in Serbia is not uncommon: Videos are regularly posted on YouTube bearing witness to the horrors inflicted on animals. This one tells the story of a 32 year old woman who attached a dog to her car and dragged it along for several kilometers.

And there are many other cases. This blogger says he saw a cat in agony after two children threw it off the top of a building.

There are numerous online initiatives aimed at raising public awareness of these far too common acts of violence. On their web site, the Society of Friends of Animals in Serbia states the Serbian authorities often run animal capturing campaigns to get rid of stray animals. They are demanding the government stops killing the animals and opts for a sterilization strategy to prevent overpopulation.   

AMAZON STUDIOS 

Amazon has created its own film studio. It’s called Amazon Studios and has been set up to help budding directors and writers who can submit their film projects.  The author of a script or a project released by the American online retailer’s studio will receive a rights payment of up to 200 000 dollars. If the project makes over 60 million dollars at the box office, the maker will receive a bonus of 400 000 dollars. In addition, a total of 2,7 million dollars will be offered to the top submissions received by the 31^st December 2011.

ADVANCED STYLE 

Fashion blogs are very popular. But this one stands out from the crowd. Far away from catwalks and latest fashions, this site looks at the style of the older generation. New Yorker Ari Seth Cohen tracks down the elegant elderly in the streets of the Big Apple. His watchword: respect the elderly and their wisdom; some of the images are amusing, some are touching and they demonstrate senior citizens also have style.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

It’s nap time for these kittens … but appearances can be deceiving, one kitten could hide another …