Fighting For Your Something You believe In.

It seem that every other day, people somewhere is protesting for change. From the Middle East, USA (tea parties) and across the world, people are demanding change. At the present moment Libya is fighting for change and the Libyans within the UK where demonstrating near where I work and I was able to take this picture. The picture above is showing supporters for the current regime, supporters for change were right of the picture (not seen).

This post is all those people fighting for what they believe in and their efforts to affect change through peaceful and transparent means.

COMMON SENSE AND COURTESY APPLIES . . .Unless credited otherwise, all photos and poetry in this blog are original work protected by international intellectual property and copyright laws. Please ask for permission if you wish to use something.

Fast Food and Rights

ONLY IN THE USA!

Angered that her local McDonald’s was out of Chicken McNuggets, a Florida woman called 911 three times to report the fast food “emergency.” Latreasa Goodman, 27, last Saturday called police to complain that a cashier–citing a McDonald’s all sales are final policy–would not give her a refund.

When cops responded to the restaurant, Goodman told them, “This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don’t want one.” Goodman noted, “I called 911 because I couldn’t get a refund, and I wanted my McNuggets,” according to the below Fort Pierce Police Department report.

That logic, however, did not keep cops from citing Goodman for misusing the 911 system. Even after being issued a misdemeanor citation, Goodman contended, “this is an emergency, my McNuggets are an emergency.”

The McDonald’s devotee is seen at right in a mug shot snapped after a previous encounter with police. Last month, a Florida man was arrested after he called 911 to complain about his displeasure with a Burger King combo meal. [source]

Pictures from Notting Hill Carnival

Me with two of London's Finest!

Street Dancer - Lady in Red!

Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place on the streets of Notting Hill, London, UK each August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday), since 1965. It is led by members of the Caribbean population, many of whom have lived in the area since the 1950s. The carnival has attracted up to 2 million people in the past, making it the second largest street festival in the world after Rio.

Flash of color

It attracted press attention in 1976 for clashes with the police, which continued for several years. More recently however Carnival has been portyrayed as a peaceful event despite the continuing violence and drug offences, and attracts press attention for the attendance figures.

Flag of Dominica

It attracted press attention in 1976 for clashes with the police, which continued for several years. More recently however Carnival has been portyrayed as a peaceful event despite the continuing violence and drug offences, and attracts press attention for the attendance figures.

Fire Starter

It attracted press attention in 1976 for clashes with the police, which continued for several years. More recently however Carnival has been portyrayed as a peaceful event despite the continuing violence and drug offences, and attracts press attention for the attendance figures. 

In recent years, the event has been much freer from serious trouble and is generally viewed very positively by the authorities as a dynamic celebration of London's multi-cultural diversity, though dominated by the Caribbean culture in the best traditions of Rio. However, there has been controversy over the public safety aspects of holding such a well-attended event in narrow streets in a small area of London.

A copper on the beat!

Concerns about the size of the event resulted in London's former Mayor, Ken Livingstone, setting up a Carnival Review Group to look into "formulating guidelines to safeguard the future of the Carnival". An interim report by the review resulted in a change to the route in 2002. When the full report was published in 2004, it recommended that Hyde Park be used as a "savannah"; though this move has attracted some concern that the Hyde Park event may overshadow the original street carnival.

In 2003, Carnival was run by a limited company, the Notting Hill Carnival Trust Ltd. A report by the London Development Agency on the 2002 Carnival estimated that the event contributes around £93 million to the London and UK economy.

Waving the flag

In 2005, entrants from Notting Hill Carnival participated in the Bridgwater, Somerset, carnival - Europe's largest lighted carnival and part of the West Country Carnival circuit.

Since 2007 Notting Hill Carnival and the Summer Carnaval in Rotterdam work together in a coalition in which they exchange brass bands and steel bands.

History

Carnival began in January 1959 in St Pancras Town Hall as a response to the depressing state of race relations at the time; the UK's first widespread racial attacks (the Notting Hill race riots) had occurred the previous year. It was a huge success, despite being held indoors.

It first moved outside and was rescheduled to August in 1965. The prime movers were Rhaune Laslett, who was not aware of the indoor events when she first raised the idea, and Claudia Jones, who is widely recognised as 'the Mother of Notting Hill Carnival'. At this point, it was more a Notting Hill event than an African-Caribbean event, and only around a thousand people attended.

Shake that thing!

By 1976, the event had become definitely Caribbean in flavour, with around 150,000 people attending. However, in that year and several subsequent years, Carnival was marred by riots, in which predominantly Caribbean youths fought with police — a target due to the continuous harassment the population felt they were under. During this period, there was considerable coverage of the disorder in the press, which some felt took an unfairly negative and one-sided view of Carnival. For a while it looked as if the event would be banned. Prince Charles was one of the few establishment figures who supported the event.

The carnival welcomes all cutures