Friday, August 27, 2010

Actor Nicolas Cage Speaks Out for Katrina Victims on Fifth Anniversary

Actor Nicolas Cage Speaks Out on Behalf of Gulf Coast Hurricane Survivors Ahead of Fifth Anniversary in Amnesty International Video

Actor is Filmed Walking in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward and Meeting with Community Leaders About Recovery Crisis 
NEW ORLEANS, LA –  With tens of thousands of hurricane survivors still prevented from returning or rebuilding five years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- and the Gulf Coast now reeling from the disastrous oil spill -- actor Nicolas Cage is speaking up on behalf of victims in a video produced by Amnesty International USA.
In the film Cage talks with local community leaders in New Orleans as he tours the storms' devastation in the Lower Ninth Ward.  "People in the Gulf Coast have the right to return to affordable safe housing," says Cage, who participated in Amnesty International's Annual General Meeting in New Orleans last spring and is among Amnesty International's celebrity "luminaries."
 Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, also speaking in the film, urges the U.S. government to put human rights at the core of the response to the oil spill and future disasters, to avoid human rights violations similar to those that occurred after the hurricanes.
The video was released along with an update to Amnesty International's groundbreaking April report, "Un-Natural Disaster: Human Rights in the Gulf Coast," which says the catastrophic oil spill is compounding the botched recovery from Katrina and Rita for the region's most vulnerable residents. To read the report please visit: http://www.amnestyusa.org/dignity/pdf/unnaturaldisaster.pdf
Amnesty International is calling on the federal government to create a citizens’ advisory council to ensure that local residents' concerns are addressed fairly in the government's oil spill recovery planning.
Amnesty International has said the oil spill is having severe consequences for human rights, particularly on the right to health and a healthy environment and the right to an adequate standard of living and to gain work, which are threatened by the spill's impact on marine wildlife on waterways and coastlines - a source of livelihood for many Gulf residents.  The group also said disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups and poor communities are disproportionately impacted.
Amnesty International's Gulf Coast report found the storms' recovery process excluded people whose families have generations-deep roots in their local communities, particularly low-income communities and communities of color. The report said basic rights to adequate housing, health services and equal access to the justice system have been neglected in the storms' recovery.
Amnesty International said the key to avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made during the storms recovery effort  -- and a reoccurrence of human rights violations -- is to amend the federal Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to ensure that human rights principles are at the core of response and recovery plans. The act does not conform to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which prevents forced displacement and protects displaced persons following a disaster and during their return, resettlement and reintegration.
Larry Cox said: "These principles have been systematically undermined in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita."
The U.S. government promised to put in place a framework to guide long-term responses to future natural disasters.  And President Obama established a working group to develop a new framework, although it has yet to be released.
"Any framework must put the human rights of the most vulnerable communities at its core -- and give the people a greater voice in the recovery effort -- to avoid repeating the mistakes made following hurricanes Katrina and Rita," said Cox.


To take action for Katrina survivors, please visit: http://amnestyusa.org/katrina


Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

Mullen Calls Iranian Nuclear Pursuit ‘Unacceptable’

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:19:00 -0500
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
DETROIT : Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear capabilities is unacceptable in the eye of the U.S. government, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today.
Click photo for screen-resolution image
U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses audience members at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Aug. 26, 2010. Mullen is on three-day Conversation with the Country tour to the midwest discussing how community leaders can support the needs of returning troops and their families. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
“Iran is a particularly difficult issue,” Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told local business leaders here. “Their achieving a nuclear weapon capability is unacceptable and incredibly destabilizing.”
Mullen responded to this issue amid town halls with local business leaders and Wayne State University students here as part of his “Conversations with the Country.” Local residents voiced concerns over the nature of the United States’ efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“This is an enormous challenge,” he said. “We’re working hard to make sure either one of those outcomes doesn’t occur, because I think either will be very bad for all of us.”
The United States is still pursuing a diplomatic approach, he said. Financial sanctions were placed on Iran in June. Military intervention, the admiral added, is not an option the U.S. military currently wants to engage.
Mullen said there’s much the U.S. government doesn’t know about Iran. The countries haven’t had an open dialogue with each other since 1979, he noted.
“We don’t know each other very well,” the admiral said. “You may think you know enough to understand the consequences, but I worry about miscalculation here. I worry about a small incident rolling itself into something that could get out of hand.”
Iran's attainment of nuclear weapons would likely lead to a strike against Israel, Mullen said. The Israeli government has a “complete belief” that Iran has that in mind, he added.
“[Iran] is a regime that is a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said, noting the Islamic state’s links to al-Qaida and extremist fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It is an existential threat. [Nuclear] capability in hand is an existential threat to Israel.”
Mullen said he is hopeful that the issue can be resolved on diplomatic terms. However, ending Iran’s nuclear pursuit is a “very difficult and complex problem.”
“I think Iran is on path to achieve that capability, and we need to be mindful of that,” Mullen said. “It’s a very critical part of the world. It’s a world that is reasonably unstable. And Iran continuing to expand on that does not bode well for any body in the world.”
Mullen was in Detroit today as part of a three-day “Conversation with the Nation” tour across the Midwest. The trip is geared toward helping local community leaders, businessman and academics hone the skills and life experience among military veterans. He met with businessman and community leaders in Chicago yesterday and will be in Cleveland tomorrow.
(Issued on:Aug. 26, 2010)
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Free somali Artist Ubax Fahmo From Somaliland Clan Militia

Awdalland Flag Singer Ubax Fahmo who currently resides in Hargeisa has been taken to prison and harassed by the Somaliland Clan Militia police based in Hargeisa, following the increasing tensions between the Somaliland Clan Militia and the awdalland state civilians.
The extent of the harassment and interview conducted with Fahmo is unknown, however, the knowledge of her arrest and interview by the Somaliland Clan Militia has angered many Awdalland patriots especially those residing Awdal. The Awdalland Flag song by Ubax Fahmo is intended for the non-isaaq clans residing far northern regions of Somalia, known for the tribe of Gadabuursi or Samaroon.
Since the departure of Riyaale the awdalland state non-isaaq civilians are feeling deserted and unwanted by the current 99% Isaaq leaders of the Somaliland Clan Militia. The strategy of Siilaanyo is so far seen as damaging the Gadabuursi clan who thought they would get a fair share in the Isaaqland (Somaliland) but are recently coming to the realisation that they (gadabuursi) and Isaaq were never actually partners they were just used as means to getting off the ground. Riyaale was the puppet in the chair to keep the Awdal civilians happy but now he is out of the rat race and even scared to reside in the Isaaqland he has begged asylum from the French government.
Trouble beckons for the Gadabuursi and for the coming months or even years troubles between the Gadabursi and Isaaq are expected to increase as more Awdal civilians continue to reject the notion of being lead by Isaaq criminal Siilaanyo. Ubax Fahmo oo ah fanaanada caanka ah ee gadabuursi ayaa lagu heystaa heesti ay u qaaday dhulkeedi Awdalland, heestan ay u qaaday calanka Awdalland ayaa ku jirta “Calanyahoow Weligaa Ha Dhicin” taasoo muujinaysa rayigeeda iyo gooni isku taaga ay doonayaan shacabka Awdalland.
Fahmo waxa la sheegay in loo taxaabay xabsiga Hargeisa iyadoo askar badan meesha geesay suaalo badana loo geeyay in meeshaa lagu wareysto. Arintan ayaa noqotay arin ka xanaajisa reer Awdalland maadaama ay dareemayaan in la yasayo lana xumeenayo ayagoo weli ku eedeenaya in Qabiiliiste Siilaanyo waxuu wado ay tahay arin qabiileed oo ayaga laga dhigayo inay waxba aheyn. Reer Awdal ayaad u moodaa inay maalinba mida kasii danbeyso ogaanayaan inay dabo dhilifnimada xuntahay oo dadkoodana kula talinayo in la joojiyo dabo dhilifnimada. Ayagoo qaarkood weli laaluush ka qaataan isaaqa qaarkoodna necebyihiin, magaalooyin badana laga aaminsanayn jiritaanka qabiiliiste Siilaanyo.(Courtesy:http://freedetainees.org/)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

During physical fitness training

Army Staff Sgt. Dani Ventre performs triceps dips during physical fitness training for the 479th Field Artillery Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery at Fort Hood, Texas, Aug. 19, 2010. A spinal injury prevented Ventre from participating in unit physical fitness training until recently. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Bankston  




Soldier Overcomes Spinal Injury

1 billion people, across all continents, live in slums

Without warning bulldozers and police entered the Dey Krahorm community in Phnom Penh early in the morning on Saturday January 24 January 2009
Without warning bulldozers and police entered the
Dey Krahorm community in Phnom Penh early in the
morning on Saturday January 2 
©Nicolas Axelrod
Almost 1 billion people, across all continents, live in slums. These communities, where residents live, work, and raise their children, are characterized by grossly inadequate housing and living conditions, lack of basic services and overcrowding. In some countries, people living in slums also experience high levels of violence – both from the police and criminal gangs.
Homeless former tenants at Sambok Chab,
Cambodia 
©Licadho
Governments are failing in their duty to ensure the human rights of those who live in these communities are fulfilled.
More and more people are being forced to live in slums and informal settlements. Disinvestment in rural areas, conflict, natural disasters, climate change, forced evictions and corporate land grabbing continue to force people to migrate to urban areas where affordable housing is scarce.
Woman carrying bucket of water on street in slum.
Makoko large slum area, Lagos.  
©Amnesty International
People living in slums experience a staggering number of human rights violations. They are routinely denied their right to adequate housing, safe water, sanitation, health and education. They are often not given protection from police and gang violence,
Slum residents pay disproportionately high rents in some countries because rent control legislation is rarely imposed in areas considered by the authorities to be “unregularized”. Residents often have little, or no, say in slum upgrading processes – or other city planning and budgeting issues.
The absence of health facilities and schools within many slums severely restricts access to health care and education. Malnutrition and child mortality rates in slums are much worse than those for other urban residents and often match the rates found in rural areas.
Women and children in Old Fadama, Slum Community,
Accra, Ghana, September 2009 
©Amnesty International
Many urban residents in the developing world lack security of tenure, increasing their susceptibility to forced eviction and often restricting their access to services. In some countries, people who live in slums or informal settlements are also denied the right to vote because of the lack of a proper “address.
Forced evictions are a violation of human rights and often result in people losing their possessions, social networks, and access to work and services. Mass forced evictions are increasingly carried out by governments so that slums can be cleared for urban development, city beautification or national projects.
Group 78 received a final eviction notice
dated 20 April 2009 giving them 15 days to dismantle
their homes and move from the are 
©Amnesty International
Women are particularly vulnerable in slums, where lack of facilities place them at greater risk of sexual assault and harassment, and where the reporting of domestic violence is often not treated seriously by police.
The negative perceptions of people living in slums have contributed directly to a serious deterioration in public security in these communities.
Governments have failed to address these issues at both national and international levels. They need to end forced evictions, ensure equal access to public services for people living in slums, and ensure their active participation in all plans directed at slum upgrading.
For more on specific country examples, see

Stage show of UNSUNI


ASMITA is one of the leading Hindi theatre groups in the country stands committed to aesthetically innovative and socially relevant theatre. Since its inception in 1993, ASMITA has carved a niche for itself in the Indian theatre scene by staging plays of varied socio-political interest while not losing out mass appeal. The group takes up contemporary issues to underline the contours of our time while providing the best of entertainment.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ISSUES:
The group has 62 productions to its credit and on an average has been performing for about 60 nights a year. All these plays have been directed by ASMITA's Resident Director Arvind Gaur. 

Now  Arvind Gaur a known drama director and chief functionary  of  Ashmita known as 
ASMITA THEATRE GROUP(ASMITA ART GROUP,Delhi) sent a message on August 25, 2010 at 3:11am regarding a stage show of Unsuni.
 "UNSUNI" is based on Harsh Mander’s book  Unheard Voices. it's show to be staged  on   August 27 2010 at 7.30pm at IHC by  Ashmita Theatre Group (Delhi).  Entry declared Free.
It's Script written by Mallika Sarabhai and drama directed by Arvind Gaur, a well known stage director.


Details of the show:
Date:27 August 2010 
Time:  7.30pm(Entry Free)
Place: India Habitat centre, Lodhi Road


as a part of Jeevika:Asia Livelihood Documentray Festival 2010
Centre for Civil Society (CCS)


for Invitation conatct -
9540656537,9911013630
asmitatheatre@gmail.com
Contacts :09899650509, 09911013630, 09718618947

Monday, August 23, 2010

checks the heartbeat of a Colombian child

 U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Thomas, left, assigned to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and deployed aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), checks the heartbeat of a Colombian child at Escuela Ismael Contreras in Covenas, Colombia, Aug. 11, 2010. Iwo Jima is off the coast of Colombia supporting the humanitarian and civic assistance mission Continuing Promise 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bryan Weyers, U.S. Navy/Released)

Holding his five-month-old daughter


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Pearce holds his five-month-old daughter during a homecoming ceremony at Marysville High School in Marysville, Ohio, Aug. 13, 2010, following a year-long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pearce and about 170 other Soldiers from the 585th Military Police Company returned to the region following the unit's first deployment during which they trained over 500 Iraqi police, conducted antiterrorism and force protection missions in the Anbar province of Iraq. (DoD photo by Sgt. Sean Mathis, U.S. Army/Released)




Sunday, August 22, 2010

Afghanistan: 91st anniversary of the country’s independence

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Afghan Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak attend a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 19, 2010, to celebrate the 91st anniversary of the country’s independence. The ceremony commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi, which granted Afghanistan its independence from British rule in 1919. During the ceremony, Karzai also laid a wreath on the independence monument in memory of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives for the country’s freedom. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Lail, U.S. Air Force/Released) 

5th International Youth Peace Fest

Dedicated to the sacred memory of Gandhian Peace activist Late Didi Nirmala Deshpande


Youth Peace Festival is a time when people come together and have a party to celebrate peace!  Anything fun that holds up the worth of persons, friendship, and harmony is appropriate at a Youth Peace Festival.  Some of the things planned for this year's initiative are;



. A Peace Parade
      . Carnival games & Quiz Contests
      . Make and take crafts
      . Multi-cultural performances
      . Peace Talks & Peace Stalls
      . Face Painting & Photography contests
      . Film Shows & Music to UNITE
      . Discussions on Environmental issues
      . Cricket for Peace
      . HIV/AIDS kite fly
      . Art for Peace
      . Peace Trainers Training Programme
      . Youth SAARC Summit on Water
      . Photo & Video contests
      . A Blood Donation Camp
      - Street plays & Theatre
OBJECTIVE; To promote peace, equality and living in harmony with nature.
The Plans; More than 1000 young people from 20 different countries and various states of India are expected to participate in the event and there will be another 20,000 volunteers during a Peace Parade on October 2, 2010 and over 1,00,000 students in around 100 prominent Schools of Chandigarh to support them.
Peace Festival will provide a platform for increased cross-fertilization of ideas through greater interaction amongst the participating youngsters. The young people coming from outside will be staying with a local youth of their age and sex for greater understanding, sharing of ideas and dreams. Youth Host-Youth Guest. Through out the day they all together will be involved in lots of activities, games, cultural programmes and educational excursions.
The Outcome; The benefits of Youth Peace Festivals are many.  They are well-covered media events which focus the community's attention on non-violence issues. They are a catalyst for people to get involved in their community and make a difference.  They energize those who are already engaged in good causes because the people recognize they are not alone in their endeavor.  They bring families together. They promote positive life skills.
About Didi Nirmala Despande: October 17, 1929-May 1, 2008; A whole generation in Asia, particularly in Pakistan and India witnessed Didi Nirmala Deshpandes' relentless struggle for peace among people of this region. Her commitment to all sections of the society for national integration and communal harmony remained paramount throughout her life. In reality she was a crusader and a great peace icon who believed in building stronger and durable relations among Asian countries.
She was the last of the dedicated Gandhians and her loss is mourned by India as a great blow to peace initiatives.  Although she is no more but her energy is guiding us. Like Gandhi ji and Vinobha ji, she was a woman of action. Her recent favourite phrase was “Lage Raho” meaning just keep going! Our best tribute would be to keep her legacy alive by adhering to her vision of positivity and action.

ABOUT PEACE-CITY CHANDIGARH:
    It's very difficult to imagine any major city in India being more ideal for sight-seeing than Chandigarh, which is truly a model of outstanding modern urban planning. Chandigarh's beautiful gardens, bike paths, architecture, culture all contribute to a quality of life that is unbeatable anywhere else. Come and see Chandigarh - a Utopia!
    For more details about the city;
REGISTRATION FEES & ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA;
Your passion to change the world & just INR 100/-! 
DETAILED PROGRAMME SCHEDULE 
September 27, 2010
    World Tourism Day
    International & national participants to arrive
    In peace-city Chandigarh 
      5.30 p.m.-7.30 .m.:  Music to UNITE
              A Welcome cultural evening
              At Terrace Garden, Sector 33 B, Chandigarh.
September 28, 2010
At GGD SD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh
    9.00 a.m.-10.00 a.m. :  Tree Plantation at Peace Garden 
    10.00 a.m.-11.00 a.m.: Ice-breaking & Introduction
    11.00 a.m.-11.30 a.m.:  Fresh 'n' up
      11.30 a.m. - 01.00 p.m.: 'Inauguration'
    01.00 p.m.-02.00 p.m.:  Lunch break 
      02.00 p.m.-05.00 p.m.: Group Sessions on
              Building Indo-China Relations
              a Visa Free India-Pakistan
                a 'Feminism as a Path Toward Peace'
September 29, 2010
    8.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m.: Local School visits
    Group 2: 09.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.: A Seminar on “Barrier free India-Pakistan” at Panjab University, Chandigarh.
    Group 3: 09.00 a.m. to 12.30 a.m.:- HIV/AIDS Quiz, face-painting & Kite flying
    12.30 a.m. onwards: Break for shopping & sight-seeing at religious places & places of tourist interest.   
    Group 4: 'Peace & Conflict resolution training' at Commonwealth Youth Asia Centre, PEC, Sector 12, Chandigarh. 
September 30, 2010 (WATER CONSERVATION DAY)
At GGD SD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 
    09.00 a.m.-11.00 a.m.: Documentary Films & Water Exhibition
            Water Talks
    11.00 a.m.-11.30 a.m.:  Fresh 'n' up
      11.30 a.m.-01.00 p.m.: Lectures by noted environmentalists
                              & information sharing 
    01.00 p.m.-02.00 p.m.: Lunch
    02.00 p.m.-05.00 p.m.: Water Crafts & Graffiti 
                Youth SAARC Water Summit
October 1, 2010
From 8 a.m. tp 9 a.m.: Peace Fest volunteers to administer a Pledge to uphold the values of nonviolence & tolerance to students in over 100 Schools of the city.
At GGD SD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh
    10.00 a.m.-01.00 p.m.     : Life Skills Training Programme
    01.00 p.m.-02.00 p.m.: Lunch break
    02.00 p.m.-05.00 p.m.:  - CRICKET FOR PEACE
                - Fun games; Tug of War, spoon race,
                                                        sack race, musical chairs
    06.00 p.m. - 08.00 p.m.: Multi-Cultural evening
    08.00 p.m.-09.00 p.m. : Dinner
October 2, 2010
      8.30 a.m.-12 noon : Blood Donation Camp at Students Centre,
                Panjab University, Chandigarh.
      9.30 a.m.-11 a.m. : Peace Parade
                              [From Parade ground to Panjab University]
      11.30 a.m.-2 p.m. :  Valedictory function
                              at Law Auditorium, Panjab University. 
      Peace Fest-2010 concludes…. 
Organizers:
YUVSATTA, OXFAM-India, GGD SD College,
Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh,
Panjab University, Chandigarh, State Cell-NSS,
Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India,
Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, New Delhi,
Paragon School-Mohali, Chandigarh, Gungroo Musical Club,
Sri Tarlok Chand & Smt. Sarla Gautam Memorial Sarv Kalyan Samiti,
The Gurukul Schools: Chandigarh-Panchkula-Mohali &
Friends of China Society, Chandigarh.

Co-Organizers:
LIC Cricket Club, COVA, Andhra Pradesh, Harijan Sewak Sangh-Tamilnadu Branch,
ARUSHI-Bhopal, BIRDS-Karnatka, Dev Samaj College of Education-Chandigarh,
Divya Shiksha Gurukul College of Education, Derrabssi, Punjab
Sawera Sansthan-Rajasthan, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal-Maharastra,
Global Citizens for Sustainable Development- Bangalore, DAV Public School-Amritsar,
Dev Samaj High School-Ferozpur, Rabbani School-Gwalior &
Nehru Yuvak Kendra, Chandigarh.

International Partners:
Association for Communal Harmony, USA,
Institute for Peace and Secular studies, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan,
Hindu Vidyapeeth, Kathmandu, Nepal
Deptt. of Peace & Conflict Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Commonwealth Youth Asia Centre, Chandigarh, SUNFO, Sri Lanka &
Chinese People's Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries. 


For any other query;
“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” -MK Gandhi 

4th Peace Fest wbv.wmv