War: Syria, Russia, Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan

Posted on 2013/09/06 by admin

Does the impending war with Syria leave you with a feeling of deja vu? Perhaps it is because we are about to repeat our mistake.

In the 1980’s, Russia was fighting Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The CIA aided Al-Qaeda:

“During the anti-Soviet jihad Bin Laden and his fighters received American and Saudi funding. Some analysts believe Bin Laden himself had security training from the CIA.” — Wikipedia

Now, the U.S. wants to assist Al-Qaeda rebels in Syria despite opposition from Russia.

Buddha’s Bodhi Tree Bombed

Posted on 2013/07/072013/07/07 by admin

INDIA – Nine bombs exploded near the site where Buddha is believed to have obtained enlightenment while sitting under a fig tree. An offspring of the tree still grows at the site. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the bombings; however, “intelligence alerts had been issued to Bihar authorities in the recent months, warning that Islamist militants could attack the temple in revenge for the killings of Muslim Rohingyas in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar.”

The senior police officer said, “We are looking at the possible involvement of Indian Mujahideen, as today’s attacks bear their signature of serial low-intensity bombings. We are scrutinizing the information Delhi Police relayed to us.”

“The holy bodhi tree is safe and there is no damage to it,” Bihar police chief Abhayanand said.

Buddha's Bodhi Fig Tree — Buddha’s Bodhi Fig Tree

World Uprising

Posted on 2013/06/30 by admin

There are protests going on around the world in Brazil, Turkey and Egypt. Many thousands of people are rising up against their governments.

In Brazil, it started as a protest against a 10% rise in the bus fare. Then, it turned into hundreds of thousands of people protesting the World Cup, Olympics and political corruption.

On the anniversary of the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt, protestors are protesting the new government and are calling for new elections. The current politicians are thought to be too extreme in their religious views.

Similarly in Turkey, the population is upset over the religious extremism of the government.

Now Brazil has hit turbulence. Since the middle of June, its biggest cities have been convulsed by rolling street protests. The initial spark was a 9¢ rise in bus fares, but the protests have since become wider, more clamorous expressions of anti-establishment anger. The day after the government backed down on the bus fare hike, 1 million demonstrators turned out in more than 100 cities to voice frustration with corruption, the inefficiency of the health-care and public transport systems, and runaway costs of hosting the World Cup. Some protests have turned violent, with mobs vandalizing banks and attempting to break into the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Police responded with pepper spray and rubber bullets. The uprising is Brazil’s biggest since 1992, when a student revolt against then-President Fernando Collor de Mello led to his resignation. — Business Week

Tens of thousands of opponents of Egypt’s Islamist president massed in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and in cities around the country Sunday, launching an all-out push to force Mohammed Morsi from office on the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. Fears of violence were high, with Morsi’s Islamist supporters vowing to defend him. — CBS News

Protests started in Turkey on 28 May 2013. The protests were sparked by outrage at a brutal eviction of a sit-in at Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park protesting the park’s demolition. Subsequently, supporting protests and strikes took place across Turkey protesting a wide range of concerns, at the core of which were issues of freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the government’s encroachment on Turkey’s secularism. — Wikipedia

King Richard III Found

Posted on 2013/02/042013/02/04 by admin

The body of King Richard III was found in a parking lot. The physical appearance, including a curved spine, an arrowhead and other battle wounds, led scientists to believe it is King Richard III. DNA tests have since confirmed it is Richard.

Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses and is sometimes regarded as the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the subject of an eponymous play by William Shakespeare.

Richard’s death at Bosworth resulted in the end of the Plantagenet dynasty, which had ruled England since the succession of Henry II in 1154. The last male Plantagenet, Edward, Earl of Warwick (son of Richard III’s brother Clarence), was executed by Henry VII in 1499.

Richard’s Council of the North, derived from his ducal council, greatly improved conditions for Northern England, as commoners of that region were formerly without any substantial economic activity independent of London. Its descendant position was Secretary of State for the Northern Department.

In December 1483 Richard instituted what later became known as the Court of Requests, a court to which poor people who could not afford legal representation could apply for their grievances to be heard.[49] He also introduced bail in January 1484 to protect suspected felons from imprisonment before trial and to protect their property from seizure during that time.[50] He founded the College of Arms in 1484,[51] he banned restrictions on the printing and sale of books,[52] and he ordered the translation of the written Laws and Statutes from the traditional French into English.

Free Christmas Album

Posted on 2012/12/052012/12/08 by admin

New songs with music and lyrics inspired by Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holidays. Free MP3 downloads.

A Touch Of God

Peace, Love and Harmony (Prior to 12-21-2012)

Christmas Impression

Temptation’s Mine

My, My, My, Oh, My (Thanksgiving Song)

Thank God!

Hoping Faithfully

Yet Another Christmas Song (Part 2)

Eternal Spirit

Form Of An Angel

Princess Pea’s Sweet Christmas

Promised Land

Plugged In Christmas Lights

The Shopping Blues

A Page in The Book

Veterans Of The Christmas Wars

Self-immolation

Posted on 2012/11/08 by admin

In the last two days, six Tibetans set themselves on fire (self-immolate) in protest to Chinese rule. “These protests are aimed at sending the next generation of China’s unelected regime a clear signal that Tibetans will continue to fight for their freedom despite China’s efforts to suppress and intimidate them,” Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden said in a statement.

Since 2011, over 60 Tibetans have self-immolated. Here is a sample of a few:

Dorjee Kyab, Dorjee and Samdup,Dorjee died. 7 November 2012 — In the first documented case of a triple self-immolation, three Tibetan monks in their early teens, aged 15 to 16, set fire to themselves calling for freedom.

Tamdin Tso, 7 November 2012 died

Tamdin Tso 7 November_0.JPG

23-year-old mother, Tamdin Tso, set fire to herself in Rebkong County, Eastern Tibet. She was mother to a 5-year-old boy. She died at the scene.

Lhamo Kyab, Bhora, 20 October 2012, died

Lhamokyeb square crop.jpeg

According to an eyewitness, Lhamo Kyab called out slogans for the return of the Dalai Lama while running towards Bhora Monastery. Security forces tried to extinguish the flames but were unsuccessful. Lhamo Kyab died at the scene.

Sangye Gyatso, Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 6 October 2012, died

Sangye Gyatso

The father of two set himself on fire near the Dokar Monastery, which is 10km from Tso City. He died at the scene. Sangye Gyatso called for the return of the Dalai Lama and for cultural and religious freedom in Tibet.

Dolkar Kyi, Tso City, Kanlho, 7 August 2012, died

Dolkar Kyi 2012-08-07 crop square.jpg

Set herself on fire in front of Tso Monastery in Kanlho, Eastern Tibet. She died at the scene. After her protest, 15 military trucks were deployed to Tso Monastery, scene of the self-immolation.

Lobsang Tsultrim, Ngaba Town, 6 August 2012, died

Lobsang Tsultrim web crop square.jpg

The 21-year-old monk set fire to himself on the main road in Ngaba. He was reported to be still alive, his upper body badly injured, when security personnel drove him away in a vehicle. He died soon after.

According to Free Tibet:

Human Rights In Tibet

Tibetans’ civil and political rights are under constant attack by the Chinese authorities who will stop at nothing to suppress dissent.

Every aspect of Tibetan life is under siege from a Chinese leadership determined to gradually eradicate a whole culture. The Tibetan flag and national anthem are banned. Possession of a picture of the Dalai Lama can result in torture and imprisonment.

No right to protest

Tibetans are not free to protest or openly speak about their situation. Even peaceful demonstrations are met with heavy handed, military crackdowns.

In 2008, thousands of Tibetans staged the largest protests in Tibet for over 50 years. Demonstrations swept across the entire Tibetan plateau. Chinese authorities arrested an estimated 6,000 protestors, of which the fate of about 1,000 still remains unknown. The upsurge in protests and self-immolations in 2011 and 2012 has led the Chinese authorities to step up security even further and tighten its stranglehold on Tibet.

Political prisoners tortured

Prisons in Tibet are full of people detained for simply expressing their desire for freedom. People have been arrested and sentenced to prison for peaceful acts, such as:

waving the Tibetan flag
distributing leaflets
sending information about events in Tibet abroad

Human rights Child, pedro saraiva, credit.jpg

The Chinese deem these acts as ‘splittist’ or ‘subversive’. Many Tibetans are imprisoned on unclear or unspecified charges, their families not informed of their whereabouts. Released prisoners report of having been subjected to beatings, electric shocks, and being deprived of food and drink. A 2008 UN report found that the use of torture in Tibet was ‘widespread’ and ‘routine’.

Restricting information

China attempts to control all information in and out of Tibet. TV, radio, printed media and the internet are subjected to strict monitoring and censorship. Access is blocked to TV and radio broadcasters based outside China, which provide news services in Tibetan languages. Foreign journalists are rarely allowed entry into Tibet, and when they are, they are closely chaperoned by Chinese officials.

Reporters Without Borders ranked China 174 out of the 179 countries on its Press Freedom Index 2011/12.

Lack of religious freedom

Buddhism is central to Tibetan life and monasteries and nunneries are kept under tight surveillance. Police stations are often situated nearby (or inside). Monks and nuns are regularly subjected to ‘patriotic re-education programmes’, for weeks at a time. During these programs, they are forced to read ‘patriotic’ literature denouncing the Dalai Lama. Those who refuse to take part, or fail the programme, often have their rights to practice as monks and nuns taken away.

Political rights

A US State Department human rights report published in May 2012 said that “ethnic Han Chinese Communist Party members hold almost all top government, police, and military positions in the Tibet Autonomous Region and other areas of Tibet.”

Free Friends Of Occupy Philadelphia

Posted on 2011/12/11 by admin

Sunday, December 11, 2011
Philadelphia, PA
by Daniel Brouse

Are there any parallels between the creation of Pennsylvania, the American Revolutionary War and the Occupy Wall Street Movement? Yes. It is quite interesting how the Quakers have been involved in all three movements.

As a Quaker in England, William Penn had been arrested six times for speaking out. In 1681, William requested a charter to start an American Colony for a “Holy Experiment”. In honor of William’s father, the King granted the land known as the Forests of Penn — Pennsylvania.

“William Penn was the first great hero of American liberty. During the late seventeenth century, when Protestants persecuted Catholics, Catholics persecuted Protestants, and both persecuted Quakers and Jews, Penn established an American sanctuary which protected freedom of conscience. Almost everywhere else, colonists stole land from the Indians, but Penn traveled unarmed among the Indians and negotiated peaceful purchases. He insisted that women deserved equal rights with men. He gave Pennsylvania a written constitution which limited the power of government, provided a humane penal code, and guaranteed many fundamental liberties.” — The Quakers’ The Freeman

The Quakers also played an important role in the Revolutionary War.

Among the pro-Revolutionary Friends was a group of 200 Free Quakers, who claimed to be “free of the ecclesiastical tyranny of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting,” the governing body of Pennsylvania Quakerdom. The Free Quakers charged the yearly meeting with abandoning the liberty of conscience – the cornerstone of William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” in government and his motive for resettling Europe’s religiously-persecuted peoples in his American colony – and elevating pacifism, a secondary testimony, as the defining principle of Quakerism and a prerequisite for membership in the Society of Friends.

The Quakers of Plymouth Meeting in old Philadelphia County, now Montgomery County, were careful to abide by the discipline of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and thus tried to avoid any involvement with either army during the Revolutionary War. Their meetinghouse, however, was strategically located along Germantown Pike between Philadelphia and Gen. George Washington’s headquarters at Whitemarsh. During the early winter of 1777, when Washington decided to relocate his forces at Valley Forge, the Plymouth Friends’ meetinghouse served as a hospital and campsite for the Continental Army en route to their winter encampment near the Chester County village. — State Of Pennsylvania Historical Markers

Principles
Occupy Philadelphia has founding principles similar to William Penn’s stand on Freedom Of Speech, and his commitment to non-violence. To date, dozens of Occupy protesters have been arrested for speaking out during peaceful demonstrations.

Location
The Friends Meeting House at 15th and Cherry Streets finds itself in a strategic location for the Occupy Philadelphia movement. Due to the proximity of the the Friends Center to the Occupy encampment at Dilworth Plaza, City Hall, Philadelphia, the Friends furnished facilities to cook 1500 meals per day, provide medical treatment and hold meetings. After the forcible eviction of the non-violent protesters from Dilworth Plaza, the Friends continue to offer their hospitality.

Video of the Plymouth Meeting Friends

Jesse Jackson on Joe Frazier at Occupy Philly

Posted on 2011/11/13 by admin

CITY HALL, PHILADELPHIA, PA
November 13, 2011
by Daniel Brouse

The infamous Jesse Jackson visited the Occupy Philly encampment to show his support. In town for the Joe Frazier funeral, Rev. Jackson advocated for a Joe Frazier statue. Saying that Rocky Balboa is a fictitious character, he encouraged a monument be dedicated to a true hero of the working class.