Human Rights Watch

The Chinese government should immediately release the artist and outspoken critic Ai Weiwei and end its arbitrary crackdown on dissent, Human Rights Watch said today.

Ai was arrested at Beijing airport on the morning of April 2, 2011, as he was about to board a flight for Hong Kong. Despite considerable domestic and international attention, the Chinese government has refused to disclose where he is detained or the reasons for his arrest.

Update (April 7): A government spokesperson admitted on April 7 that Ai was under investigation for suspected economic crimes but no legal notification has yet been issued. Incommunicado arrests are often the prelude to criminal prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said.

"The arrest of Ai Weiwei reflects a new escalation in the current and already severe crackdown," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Only sustained international pressure can help Ai Weiwei now."

On April 6, in what can be read as the first official acknowledgment of Ai's arrest, a newspaper article in the state-run Global Times announced that Ai would "pay a price" for being an activist and that "the law would not concede" to his criticisms of the government.

The government's detention of Ai Weiwei appears to have been carefully planned. On the day he was arrested, Beijing public security officers raided his art studio in the suburbs of Beijing and took eight members of his staff, his wife Lu Qing, and a lawyer friend of Ai's, Liu Xiaoyuan, in for questioning; they were all released later that day. The police seized computers, hard-drives, and other items. State media were instructed not to report on the case, and all references to Ai Weiwei's arrest were censored on internet and popular micro-blogging services such as Weibo, a Twitter clone.

Under Chinese law, the police can hold an individual for up to three days before deciding whether to release him or apply to the prosecutors for an arrest warrant. But invariably the police manipulate exception clauses that allow for up to seven days' and, in limited circumstances, up to 30 days' detention. Police also routinely prevent lawyers from meeting their clients in detention despite legal provisions guaranteeing such access.

Ai's lawyer, the prominent Beijing lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, has so far been unable to see his client, or even to get formal notification of his arrest. Approval of arrest by the prosecutors, a matter of routine in most cases, usually guarantees later indictment, conviction, and punishment, which typically includes a prison sentence. The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, was detained for a year before he was sentenced in December 2009 to an 11-year term of imprisonment for a series of articles published overseas.

"The Chinese authorities appear to be laying the ground for Ai Weiwei's formal arrest," said Richardson. "This is an ominous sign because there are no fair trials of government critics in China."

Since mid-February, the Chinese government has arrested, detained, disappeared, put under house arrest, summoned for interrogation, or threatened with arrest over two hundred people for dissent or peaceful social activism. Six of the country's most prominent human rights lawyers - Teng Biao, Tang Jitian, Jiang Tianyong, Liu Shihui, Tang Jingling, and Li Tiantian - have been "disappeared" by the police and remain at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Four prominent activists, Ran Yunfei, Cheng Wei, Ding Mao, and Li Shuangde, have been formally arrested on state security charges. On March 25, the veteran dissident Liu Xianbin was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for "incitement to subvert state power." The government has also significantly increased its censorship of internet, forced several liberal newspaper editors to step down, and imposed new restrictions on foreign media reporting in Beijing.

The arrest of Ai, one of the most celebrated Chinese artists, who is currently exhibiting at Tate Modern in London, has prompted a reaction from several foreign governments, with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle calling on China for an "urgent explanation" of his fate. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has called on the government to "urgently clarify Ai's situation and well being." The European Union delegation in Beijing, members of the European Parliament, and the Australian government have also expressed concern. US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said on April 4 that the government was "deeply concerned."

"Ai Weiwei is a test case for the international community," said Richardson. "The past few years have shown that appeasement and ‘quiet diplomacy' do nothing to dissuade Beijing from cracking down even harder on dissent." (Human Rights Watch)

heaven and earth

" There are more things

in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Hamlet Act 1, scene 5

The Power of Humility

The Power of Humility
In the course of societal development, many countries throughout the world have ascribed to an economic model where acquisition is the measure of personal success and happiness and the immediate gratification of the individual has come to have greater value than the long term survival of the species. This set of intrinsic beliefs is irrational. From a biological perspective, our collective purpose is the continuation of the species and the maintenance of life requires a stable, long lasting and healthy biosphere. Individually, we are transient creatures; the material makeup of our bodies along with our memories, accumulated knowledge and intellect is effectively broken down into its essential elements upon our demise. Our legacy lies in the genes we may have contributed to progeny, all that we may have inspired in others and memories others may hold regarding those who have departed. This is the essence of what I regard as the reality principle. Many who find the intrinsic limitations of this reality unacceptable often find solace in religions that embrace the idea of the perpetuation of the individual after death. Although this is conceivable if one posits the existence of a mysterious, invisible and supernatural world, it is exceedingly unlikely.

The individual cannot trump reality no matter how zealous the beliefs might be. In my mind, the belief in the self above all other considerations is the essence of human arrogance. Arrogance, by its nature, runs counter to human progress, for it attempts to negate the reality principle – an essentially useless, vain and counter-productive endeavor. It is from an arrogant worldview that humans devolve into greed, hatred and ultimately violence and war.

On the other hand, the acceptance of our personal limitations and the recognition of the greater role of nature and the wondrous natural world that we are intrinsically a part of is the basis of humility. Humility fosters self awareness – an essential ingredient for the acceptance of the limitations of others. Humility is a powerful force, for it can reshape thinking and, as a natural consequence of its recognition, modify individual behavior for the greater good.

Cydonia

Cydonia is a region on the planet Mars, and has attracted both scientific and popular interest.

One of the features in the Cydonia region, the "Face on Mars" (about 1.5 kilometers (one mile) across), has had special notoriety in Western culture since it was imaged in 1976, because it looks like a face.

One of the images taken by Viking 1 on July 25, 1976, a 2 km (1.2 miles) long Cydonian mesa, situated at 40.75° north latitude and 9.46° west longitude, had the appearance of a humanoid "face".

When the image was originally acquired, Viking chief scientist Gerry Soffen dismissed the "face" in image 35A72 as a "trick of light and shadow".

However, a second image, 70A13, also shows the "Face", and was acquired 35 Viking orbits later at a different sun-angle from the 35A72 image. (see more mars anomalies)

Viking image 70A13

Max Headroom

BOY - soufi soul - for OBERON

 

This is a photo of my son I took this weekend

I felt the compulsory need to offer it to you in response to your last post "GIRL"

girl

We ask her to be pure...

we paint her face...

and make her dance...

We All Want To Be Young

We All Want to Be Young from box1824 on Vimeo.

Calvin

burn the house down

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. (read more)

UFO

UFO Jerusalem

bumble boogie

Giant

"Giant Woman" - Eric Drooker

Eric Drooker (b. 1958, New York) is an American painter, graphic novelist, and illustrator.

Drooker grew up in Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town, adjacent to the Lower East Side, which was then a working-class immigrant neighborhood with a tradition of left-wing political activism. He attended the Downtown Community School and spent the summers of 1969, 1970 and 1971 at Camp Meadowlark in Monterey, Massachusetts. Drooker developed an early interest in graphic arts and cartoons, particularly the woodcut novels of Frans Masereel and Lynd Ward and the underground comics of Robert Crumb.

During the 1980s, Drooker was further radicalized by his experiences with the police, due to their actions against squatters in the rapidly gentrifying Tompkins Square Park area and their increasing intolerance of unlicensed street artists and musicians.

In the 1990s, Drooker broadened his scope from graphic arts to painting, creating several covers for The New Yorker and a book of illustrations of Allen Ginsberg's poetry, Illuminated Poems.

In 2006, the Library of Congress acquired the original art for FLOOD! A Novel in Pictures, including preliminary drawings, sketches and cover paintings. The complete Flood Archive is housed in the Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress, which is open to the public. (read more)

(PRIVATE) Poetic Reassurances

"Dear Journal"
she wrote
"Today I've found my Truth
an old man wished me Merry Christmas
somewhere a child lost a tooth"
pauses for reflection
regarding Universal Connection
"There's something that I want to do"
wrinkles her brow
"and much more that I will have to
but where to turn when I lose track
and have nowhere to get back to?

Oh! Journal, damn your quiet ways!
where was I now?
Oh, yes.
I've much to say.

This something that I've figured out
is magical for certain.
Turns the key around in locks
In the 'Play of Life," it lifts the curtain.

Intention driven by will
Willful, skillful, implementation
of purposeful Intending.
Harmony. Balance.
Synchronicity of soul
with Life
Complete recognition of life as a vessel . . . "
She shakes herself from
quantum daze

"Journal, I sense you may be getting a promotion
To 'Diary.'

Love,
Brittany"

Yorick & Helaine Blumenfeld, Cambridge- "self-portrait, New York 1945"

THX 1138

THX 1138

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh was born in Central Vietnam in 1926. He became a Buddhist monk in 1942 at the age of sixteen years. In 1950, he co-founded the Quang Buddhist Institute. In 1961, he studied comparative religions at Columbia University and returned to Vietnam in 1963. At that time the Vietnam War was in its beginning prior to the major escalation of the United States involvement following the Gulf of Tonkin incident as discussed earlier. After returning to Vietnam, Hanh joined in an effort to stop the war campaign following the fall of the Diem Regime. He helped encourage and inspire non-violent resistance based upon Gandhian principles.

In 1964, he founded the School of Youth for Social Service and created the La Boi Press that continues to publish books about Buddhism and mindful living. Hanh used his influential position to call for reconciliation between the warring parties. In 1966, he accepted an invitation to return to the United States; he was asked to participate in the Fellowship of Reconciliation and to come to Cornell University. His advocacy of peace through non-violent means was so moving that Martin Luther King Jr. nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. It was, in large part, due to Hahn’s eloquence and commitment to peace that King came out publicly against the war at a press conference where Hanh was present. Thomas Merton, the well known monk and Catholic theologian, was also one of Hanh’s admirers.

Hanh went on to meet with influential US senators including J. William Fulbright and Ted Kennedy and the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara in order to argue his case. He also met with Pope Paul IV in an effort to bring Catholics and Buddhists together to work towards peace in Vietnam. In 1969, Hanh agreed to set up a Buddhist Peace Delegation at the Paris Peace Talks. After the Peace Accords were finally signed in 1973, Hanh was denied re-entry into Vietnam. Undaunted, he established a peace community in Paris called, “Sweet Potato.” There he remained for five years involved in meditation, writing, reading, etc. He lived a quiet and solitary life there accepting visitors only occasionally.

He went on to establish Plum Village a retreat center near the town of Bordeaux, France. He has made repeated pilgrimages to North America to give lectures on behalf of peace. In the words of the Dalai Lama written in the forward of Hanh’s book entitled, Peace is Every Step – The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, “Although attempting to bring about peace through the internal transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way. Wherever I go, I express this, and I am encouraged that people from many different walks of life receive it well. Peace must first be developed with the individual. And I believe that love, compassion, and altruism are the fundamental basis for peace. Once these qualities are developed within the individual, he or she is then able to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony. This atmosphere can be expanded and extended from the individual to his family, from the family to the community and eventually to the whole world.” The Dalai Lama stated that Hanh offers guidance for such a journey. This journey towards peaceful inner transformation represents, in my judgment, the core of Hanh’s beliefs.

According to Hanh, peace is always present, is always possible to the individual. It is achievable through self awareness attained by a thoughtful practice of mindfulness in our daily lives. He advises being aware of every moment; of understanding our own personal emotions and feelings. For example, according to Hanh, “Anger is rooted in our lack of understanding of ourselves and of the causes, deep-seated as well as immediate, that brought about the unpleasant state of affairs. Anger is also rooted in desire, pride agitation and suspicion.” In essence the source of anger lies within the self rather than in the external object, person or event that is the focus of such an extreme emotion.

Hanh comes from a strong Buddhist tradition. Much of Buddhist practice is centered on being aware of the present moment. His way of teaching, therefore, focuses upon techniques to enhance that awareness. He strongly advocates conscious breathing and mindfulness of every aspect of human activity. An integral part of his psychology is the concept of what he refers to as, “internal formation.” According to his thinking, sensory input may leave “fetters,” or “knots” depending upon the individual’s particular receptivity. These knots can be impediments to successful living, if they are not understood. Hanh believes that self awareness would make one immediately aware of knots as they are being formed.

Hanh sees the reality of the state of human affairs in the following way: “If the Earth were your body, you would be able to feel the many areas where it is suffering. War, political and economic oppression, famine and pollution wreak havoc in so many places. Every day, children are becoming blind from malnutrition, their hands search hopelessly through mounds of trash for a few ounces of food. Adults are dying slowly in prisons for trying to oppose violence. Rivers are dying, and the air is becoming and more difficult to breath.

“Many people are aware of the world’s suffering; their hearts are filled with compassion. They know what needs to be done, and they engage in political, social, and environmental work to try to change things. But after a period of intense involvement, they may become discouraged if they lack the strength needed to sustain a life of action. Real strength is not in power, money, or weapons, but in deep, inner peace.”

This is a central concept in Hanh’s world view. Practicing mindfulness is, to him, the way to cultivate inner peace. Hanh proposes that mindfulness is, “the energy of attention.” It is, “the miracle that allows us to be fully alive in each moment.” In terms of his philosophy, mindfulness represents the foundation for living in the world. In a broader context, mindfulness is defined as one of the five spiritual powers; the others being faith, diligence, concentration and insight.

Experiencing the Vietnam War helped awaken him to the reality that the very roots of war emanate from within – from the way we live our daily lives. Accordingly, the way a society is organized socially, culturally and economically predisposes it to the use of violence to resolve conflict. Resolving conflict nonviolently requires insights into the suffering endured by both sides. To practice nonviolence is to become nonviolent. It is only then that when confronted by a difficult situation, individuals, communities or nations will react nonviolently.

Thich Nhat Hanh has become a very influential voice in regards to peace. He is not an activist, per se, but functions more like a wise and compassionate mentor, helping individuals understand their own internal motivations and providing them with the tools to achieve greater self awareness. Hanh is convinced that this awareness, once achieved, will necessarily lead to peace from within and ultimately a more peaceful world. He has made significant contributions to human affairs especially in regard to forging a better and more peaceful world.

what would jesus bomb ?

(Team America trailer)
 

buy more

buy more

Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei (born 1957) is a Chinese artist, activist, and philosopher, who is also active in architecture, curating, photography, film, and social and cultural criticism.

Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog de Meuron as the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. Besides showing his art he has been investigating in the corruption and cover-ups under the power of the government.

He was particularly focused at exposing an alleged corruption scandal in the construction of Sichuan schools that collapsed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. He intensively uses the internet to communicate with people all over China, especially the young generation. (read more)

anonymous

Anonymous (used as a mass noun) is an Internet meme originating 2003 on the imageboard 4chan, representing the concept of many online community users simultaneously existing as an anarchic, digitized global brain. It is also generally considered to be a blanket term for members of certain Internet subcultures, a way to refer to the actions of people in an environment where their actual identities are not known.

In its early form, the concept has been adopted by a decentralized on-line community acting anonymously in a coordinated manner, usually toward a loosely self-agreed goal, and primarily focused on entertainment. Beginning with 2008, the Anonymous collective has become increasingly associated with collaborative, international hacktivism, undertaking protests and other actions, often with the goal of promoting internet freedom and freedom of speech. Actions credited to "Anonymous" are undertaken by unidentified individuals who apply the Anonymous label to themselves as attribution.

Although not necessarily tied to a single on-line entity, many websites are strongly associated with Anonymous. This includes notable imageboards such as 4chan, Futaba, Ebaumsworld their associated wikis, Encyclopædia Dramatica, and a number of forums. After a series of controversial, widely-publicized protests and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks by Anonymous in 2008, incidents linked to its cadre members have increased. In consideration of its capabilities, Anonymous has been posited by CNN to be one of the three major successors to WikiLeaks.
(read more)

joke

Earth Hour

Walter Haut

1st Lt. Walter Haut (June 2, 1922 - December 15, 2005) was the public information officer (PIO) at the 509th Bomb Group based in Roswell, New Mexico during 1947.

Early on July 8, 1947 he was ordered by the base commander, Colonel William Blanchard, to draft a press release to the public, announcing that the United States Army Air Force had recovered a crashed "flying disc" from a nearby ranch.

The press release garnered widespread national and even international media attention. The U.S. Army Air Force retracted the claim later the same day, saying instead that a weather balloon had been recovered. Haut also received some criticism and ridicule in the nation's press for putting out the original press release. The series of events eventually became known as the Roswell UFO Incident.

When interviewed about the incident decades later, he claimed only a minor role, but he expressed his belief that there was "no chance" senior officers who handled the recovered material, including base commander Blanchard, mistook a weather balloon for a flying saucer.

He later claimed greater involvement, including seeing alien corpses and a craft at a base hangar and handling the strange crash debris.

In December 2002, Haut also signed a sealed affidavit in which he went into more details about the craft, debris, bodies, and cover-up. Both the interview and affidavit were not to be released until after his death.

The full text of the affidavit was first published in June 2007 in the book Witness to Roswell: Unmasking the 60 Year Cover-Up. According to the authors, Haut had sworn to his friend Colonel Blanchard not to reveal in his lifetime the events he witnessed and therefore told researchers either that he couldn't remember or that he had only prepared and released the information that was given to him at the time and denied he knew anything else.

In his affidavit, Haut stated that on July 8, 1947, following the press release he put out in the afternoon, he was taken out to a base hangar by Colonel Blanchard. There he saw an egg-shaped craft about 15 feet long and several small bodies about four feet tall with large heads. He was convinced the bodies were alien and had come from a crashed spacecraft.

Haut also stated that there had been two major crash sites that he had become aware of the day before, the first a large debris field about 75 miles northwest of Roswell (the site investigated by Major Marcel), and the second, about 40 miles north of town, where the main craft and bodies were found. The north site had just been found by civilians on July 7, and apparently word had already gotten out about it in the public.

At the staff morning meeting on July 8, which Haut said he attended, key officers at the base were briefed and strange debris was handed around, which nobody could identify. Haut also said there was a discussion as to what the public was to be told. General Ramey had flown in to attend the meeting. Haut said Ramey suggested telling the public about the more distant debris field as a diversion from the more accessible and important body/craft site. He felt Ramey was following orders from The Pentagon. Haut added he was not aware at the time exactly what information was to be divulged. But the press release he put out a few hours later spoke of the more distant site in general terms, saying that the Army Air Force had come into possession of a "flying disc" with cooperation of a local rancher, and it was being flown on to "higher headquarters" after being examined at the base. "Higher headquarters" quickly turned out to be Gen. Ramey in Fort Worth, who within a few hours said the "flying disc" was a misidentified weather balloon.

(read more)

Tribute to Liz

answers

For a good time call

1-651-815-2715

(it's my phone number)

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career. Kubrick was noted for the scrupulous care with which he chose his subjects, his slow method of working, the variety of genres he worked in, his technical perfectionism, and his reclusiveness about his films and personal life. He maintained almost complete artistic control, making movies according to his own whims and time constraints, but with the rare advantage of big-studio financial support for all his endeavors.

Kubrick's films are characterized by a formal visual style and meticulous attention to detail—his later films often have elements of surrealism and expressionism that eschews structured linear narrative. His films are repeatedly described as slow and methodical, and are often perceived as a reflection of his obsessive and perfectionist nature. A recurring theme in his films is man's inhumanity to man. While often viewed as expressing an ironic pessimism, a few critics feel his films contain a cautious optimism when viewed more carefully.

The film that first brought him attention to many critics was Paths of Glory, the first of three films of his about the dehumanizing effects of war. Many of his films at first got a lukewarm reception, only to be years later acclaimed as masterpieces that had a seminal influence on many later generations of film-makers. Considered especially groundbreaking was 2001: A Space Odyssey noted for being both one of the most scientifically realistic and visually innovative science-fiction films ever made while maintaining an enigmatic non-linear storyline. He voluntarily withdrew his film A Clockwork Orange from England, after it was accused of inspiring copycat crimes which in turn resulted in threats against Kubrick's family. His films were largely successful at the box-office, although Barry Lyndon performed poorly in the United States. Living authors Anthony Burgess and Stephen King were both unhappy with Kubrick's adaptations of their novels A Clockwork Orange and The Shining respectively, and both authors were engaged with subsequent adaptations. All of Kubrick's films from the mid-1950s to his death except for The Shining were nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes, or BAFTAs. Although he was nominated for an Academy Award as a screenwriter and director on several occasions, his only personal win was for the special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Even though all of his films, apart from the first two, were adapted from novels or short stories, his works have been described by Jason Ankeny and others as "original and visionary". Although some critics, notably Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael, frequently disparaged Kubrick's work, Ankeny describes Kubrick as one of the most "universally acclaimed and influential directors of the postwar era" with a "standing unique among the filmmakers of his day."

A Clockwork Orange

Shall I go to a Japanese Restaurant?

Singapore has reported finding low levels of radioactivity in four vegetable samples imported from Japan.

earthquakes myanmar - Wolfram|Alpha

earthquakes myanmar - Wolfram|Alpha

hold my hand

Friendship

doubles our joy

and divides our grief