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I'm back... and looking for ideas

Priya Shah | 08:28 UK time, Wednesday, 8 August 2007

Hello! Yes, its true! It's really happening.. Priya Shah is back! Now I'm sure you have all been feeling my absence, I know the WHYS team certainly have. I decided to go off to Spain for 8 months for 'research purposes', and before you start grumbling, remember "the rain in Spain falls mainly..." where? Thats right "..in the plains" and where was I? In the plains. Great.

Ok, enough of the emotional return, back to the important stuff, I'm in sunny old West London looking around for the stories and debates that you want to talk about. Any ideas? Read on for a few of mine....

There'ss the Massachussetts Bill aimed at outlawing discrimination against fat people and short people. Have a look at Anna's post yesterday.

What do you think? Are fat people equal in society? And is an anti-discrimination bill the best way to make sure that employers treat them fairly? Is being fat, unlike race or gender, a choice?

A few weeks ago we covered the story of Denmark granting asylum to around 200 people who had worked as interpreters for the Danish forces in Iraq, or who were related to the interpreters.

Now Britain's Times newspaper has reported that senior Brtish army officers in Iraq have accused Britain of abandoning 91 Iraqi interperters and their families.

They want Britain to make arrangements for the Iraqis, whose lives are said to be at risk because of the work they have been doing, to be granted asylum in Britain.

While reports today suggest the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has to look into the matter, would you like to hear from one of these 91 men? What is like for them to work with the occupying military forces, with the enemy?

I read today that the Israeli army as it evicted Jewish settlers from the centre of Hebron in the West Bank. The 12 had refused to take part in the evictions on religious grounds. The last time a similar thing happened was 2 years ago, 3when Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip.

For a society whose identity is built around its military, what is the reaction in Israel? Was the army right to arrest its own soldiers? And given that these were evictions and not orders for battle, do these soldiers have a right to object because of their religion or should their loyalty be to their country? What does it mean for Israels security?

What do you all think? What consitutes 'conscientious objection'? What would be acceptable for asoldier to do in your country's army?

Let us know what you think, get in touch!!

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